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Who is the "friendly man"
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George Grapman
Apr 9, 2001, 9:44:03 PM4/9/01
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Saturday morning on PBS I heard parts of an essay about a writer who
traveled around the country doing interviews for a radio host. He only
referred to the host as "the friendly man" but said that we would know
him. He said that the man only emphasizes the good in America ,is based
in New york and his producer is in SF. Any clues?
traveled around the country doing interviews for a radio host. He only
referred to the host as "the friendly man" but said that we would know
him. He said that the man only emphasizes the good in America ,is based
in New york and his producer is in SF. Any clues?
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bear...@cruller.invalid
Apr 10, 2001, 1:24:47 AM4/10/01
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In article <3AD26563...@NOSPAMpacbell.net>,
George Grapman <sfge...@pacbell.net> wrote:
George Grapman <sfge...@pacbell.net> wrote:
That was on "This American Life". I wondered the same thing, too.
Michael Dix
Apr 10, 2001, 2:21:18 AM4/10/01
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George Grapman wrote:
>
> Saturday morning on PBS I heard parts of an essay about a writer who
> traveled around the country doing interviews for a radio host. He only
> referred to the host as "the friendly man" but said that we would know
> him. He said that the man only emphasizes the good in America ,is based
> in New york and his producer is in SF. Any clues?
>
> Saturday morning on PBS I heard parts of an essay about a writer who
> traveled around the country doing interviews for a radio host. He only
> referred to the host as "the friendly man" but said that we would know
> him. He said that the man only emphasizes the good in America ,is based
> in New york and his producer is in SF. Any clues?
This was written by Scott Carrier, for Ira Glass's This American
Life in 1996. The text is available on the web. Is this a true
story?
After discarding possibilities like Paul Harvey and Charles
Osgood, I am stumped. But, Emanual Cleaver was the mayor of
Kansas City at one time, though.
younge...@gmail.com
Sep 13, 2016, 1:33:47 AM9/13/16
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Michael Dix wrote:
> After discarding possibilities like Paul Harvey and Charles Osgood, I am stumped.
I'm listening to this episode right now, and was able to find reference to Paul Harvey being the Friendly Man on a few sites. Do you recall why you had dismissed him?
> After discarding possibilities like Paul Harvey and Charles Osgood, I am stumped.
David Kaye
Sep 14, 2016, 5:59:19 AM9/14/16
to
<younge...@gmail.com> wrote
> I'm listening to this episode right now, and was able to find reference to
> Paul Harvey being the Friendly Man
> on a few sites. Do you recall why you had dismissed him?
This is the first message I've seen in this thread, so I'm probably missing
a lot. The Friendly Man couldn't be Paul Harvey for many reason: He was in
Chicago not New York, and he didn't have a producer in SF. For the "Rest of
the Story" 5-minute segment, that was written and produced by Paul Harvey Jr
(aka Paul Aurant Jr), who also lives in Chicago. The "Rest of the Story"
segments didn't involve anybody recording people, or much fact checking at
all. The stories were just told as "interesting anecdotes". Paul Jr in
fact had gotten numerous stories wrong.
I can't think of any "good on America" radio host who could have had 12
million listeners except for Paul Harvey.
My conclusion is that the Friendly Man story is totally fake, an instrument
Scott used to hang the narrative he told.
> I'm listening to this episode right now, and was able to find reference to
> Paul Harvey being the Friendly Man
> on a few sites. Do you recall why you had dismissed him?
a lot. The Friendly Man couldn't be Paul Harvey for many reason: He was in
Chicago not New York, and he didn't have a producer in SF. For the "Rest of
the Story" 5-minute segment, that was written and produced by Paul Harvey Jr
(aka Paul Aurant Jr), who also lives in Chicago. The "Rest of the Story"
segments didn't involve anybody recording people, or much fact checking at
all. The stories were just told as "interesting anecdotes". Paul Jr in
fact had gotten numerous stories wrong.
I can't think of any "good on America" radio host who could have had 12
million listeners except for Paul Harvey.
My conclusion is that the Friendly Man story is totally fake, an instrument
Scott used to hang the narrative he told.
brent...@gmail.com
Mar 21, 2017, 8:55:17 PM3/21/17
to
"The Friendly Man" that Scott Carrier worked for was, in fact, Charles Osgood. The daily radio show in question was "The Osgood File."
Here is the proof: Carrier mentions in the "This American Life" piece that "The Friendly Man" employed an executive producer for his daily radio segments who was based in San Francisco. Carrier also mentions that the segments reached an audience of 12 million. So, I introduce you to a San Francisco-based radio producer named Cynthia Perry. Here is a passage from a website called carnegie.org that talks about Perry and Charles Osgood:
Her [Cynthia Perry] biggest success was her relationship with
the highly respected newsman Charles Osgood
of CBS Television’s Sunday Morning and CBS
Radio’s The Osgood File. She began a professional
relationship with Osgood in 1995 that, by the
time we met, involved producing one segment a
day, five days a week for The Osgood File, or fully
twenty-five percent of the segments each week.
Osgood’s radio feature airs on most CBS News
radio stations and at the time of the grant could
boast of an audience of around 12 million listeners
per week.
Here is the proof: Carrier mentions in the "This American Life" piece that "The Friendly Man" employed an executive producer for his daily radio segments who was based in San Francisco. Carrier also mentions that the segments reached an audience of 12 million. So, I introduce you to a San Francisco-based radio producer named Cynthia Perry. Here is a passage from a website called carnegie.org that talks about Perry and Charles Osgood:
Her [Cynthia Perry] biggest success was her relationship with
the highly respected newsman Charles Osgood
of CBS Television’s Sunday Morning and CBS
Radio’s The Osgood File. She began a professional
relationship with Osgood in 1995 that, by the
time we met, involved producing one segment a
day, five days a week for The Osgood File, or fully
twenty-five percent of the segments each week.
Osgood’s radio feature airs on most CBS News
radio stations and at the time of the grant could
boast of an audience of around 12 million listeners
per week.
David Kaye
Mar 23, 2017, 1:34:47 AM3/23/17
to
<brent...@gmail.com> wrote
> "The Friendly Man" that Scott Carrier worked for was, in fact, Charles
> Osgood. The daily radio show in question was "The Osgood File."
To be honest I didn't really care. I figured it was either Charles Osgood
or Paul Harvey, but Gil Gross (who had substituted for Harvey a lot) said
that Harvey wrote all his own material, except for the "Rest of the Story"
segment, which was writen by his son. So, I concluded it was Osgood.
> "The Friendly Man" that Scott Carrier worked for was, in fact, Charles
> Osgood. The daily radio show in question was "The Osgood File."
or Paul Harvey, but Gil Gross (who had substituted for Harvey a lot) said
that Harvey wrote all his own material, except for the "Rest of the Story"
segment, which was writen by his son. So, I concluded it was Osgood.
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