Hank Rieger

On his childhood and early influences; on his interest in communications and journalism

On radio programs he enjoyed as a child; on serving in World War II and having his first experience with public relations during the war

On working for United Press; on becoming Bureau Chief for the Phoenix United Press; on lingo used in wire services; on the importance of wire services to newspapers, radio, and television

On moving to Los Angeles to work at the United Press Bureau; on KTLA's coverage of the Kathy Fiscus story and the involvement of United Press; on United Press reporting on entertainment events

On reporting Hollywood scandals; on the Hollywood Blacklist; on joining the State Department; on what makes a good PR person

On working for United Press in San Francisco and then Los Angeles; on covering Marilyn Monroe's death

On covering Marilyn Monroe's death (contd.); on the rush of covering a story and scooping the competition

On moving to New York, then moving to Los Angeles to work for Southern California Gas; on getting hired in the NBC Press and Publicity department

On NBC's big shows in 1965; on celebrity interviews; on publicity for each upcoming television season

On press kits; on budgets for promotional campaigns; on working with uncooperative celebrities; on NBC executives with whom he worked

On Johnny Carson's move from New York to beautiful downtown Burbank

On publicity for The Tonight Show and working with Johnny Carson; on publicity for NBC shows The Monkees, Bonanza, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, and Star Trek

On press tours; on the importance of ratings and demographics to public relations

On publicity for Little House on the Prairie; on publicity for Chico and the Man, Freddie Prinze's suicide, and appropriate things to say to the media

On publicity for The Rockford Files and working with James Garner; on publicity for NBC shows I Spy, The Flip Wilson Show, and Sanford and Son

On publicity for NBC star Bob Hope and traveling with him on USO tours

On publicists who took advantage of the system; on publicity for NBC stars Milton Berle, Dean Martin, Danny Thomas, Bill Cosby, Robert Culp, and working with Elvis Presley

On dealing with difficult personalities; on what he was most proud of at NBC; on "the Heidi incident"

On becoming active with the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS at the time, in New York); on the Television Academy (in Los Angeles) and NATAS (in New York) becoming separate organizations (the splitting of the Television Academy)

On being the first elected President of the Television Academy - post split; on important issues during his tenure as President; on starting Emmy magazine

On how media coverage of the Television Academy and the Emmy Awards evolved over the years

On being the first publisher of Emmy magazine; on the magazine's staff and memorable stories in Emmy magazine

On memorable moments in Emmy history; on the "Super Emmy"; on mix-ups with nominations and controversy over telecasts

On doing publicity for the 1984 Olympics; on challenges he faced covering the Olympics

On starting his own business; on Richard Frank asking him to come revive Emmy magazine

On how journalism has changed since he started his career; on advice to aspiring journalists and to someone wanting to go into Public Relations

On using journalism or PR as a stepping-stone in one's career; on the changing audience for journalism and television

On how the role of the Television Academy has changed; on where the Emmys are headed and the future of Emmy magazine; on a strike at NBC while he was there; on doing on-camera reporting

On then-current projects; on writing a book about the Olympics; on how he'd like to be remembered