About
"It's a matter of manipulating the Nielsen meters and being smart enough and consistent enough to hold that second quarter hour, and that brings your ratings up. The teases before the breaks are so important. The minute you go to the break the audience leaves. Research tells us that. So we've just got to get them back."
In her two-hour interview, Linda Bell Blue describes her early interest in television news. She talks of breaking into television in a series of small-market local newscasts and chronicles her rise to KCBS news in Los Angeles. At KCBS she covered the 1984 Summer Olympics and the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco, and landed an interview with convicted murderer Charles Manson. She recounts her move to Hard Copy, where she covered sensational stories on Michael Jackson and Princess Diana, and comments on stories on which she regrets passing. She then discusses her role as the producer of Entertainment Tonight, where she covered the O.J. Simpson trial and Anna Nicole Smith's death, and traveled to the Vatican to cover Tom Hanks and Ron Howard filming The Da Vinci Code. She outlines her work producing Entertainment Tonight's sister show, The Insider, and offers her advice to aspiring news producers. Amy Harrington conducted the interview on January 23, 2012 in Studio City, CA.
Highlights
Linda Bell Blue on producing Hard Copy and covering Michael Jackson
Linda Bell Blue on the format of Entertainment Tonight and keeping the audience tuned in
Linda Bell Blue on the public's fascination with Michael Jackson and covering the Royal Family
Linda Bell Blue on covering the OJ Simpson trial for Entertainment Tonight
Linda Bell Blue on sexism in the television industry
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On her early life and influences; on her early interest in television news; on her career in small market local news
On what she learned from producing local news; on her management style; on becoming a local news producer in Los Angeles
On interviewing Charles Manson for KCBS in Los Angeles; on covering the 1984 Summer Olympics and Democratic Convention; on moving from local news to Hard Copy
On covering stories on Michael Jackson and Princess Diana; on deciding which stories to pursue; on covering entertainment worldwide for Entertainment Tonight
Chapter 2
On covering the death of Michael Jackson; on becoming producer of Entertainment Tonight; on the history of Entertainment Tonight and traveling the world to cover stories
On the format of Entertainment Tonight; on covering "real news" on Entertainment Tonight; on dealing with celebrities and covering the OJ Simpson trial for the show
On how technological innovation has changed how Entertainment Tonight is produced; on producing The Insider; on covering Anna Nichole Smith for Entertainment Tonight
On advice to aspiring news producers; on sexism in the television industry; on her then-future (2012)
Shows
Entertainment Tonight
Linda Bell Blue on the public's fascination with Michael Jackson and covering the Royal Family on Entertainment Tonight
Linda Bell Blue on star quality and covering entertainment worldwide on Entertainment Tonight
Linda Bell Blue on covering the death of Michael Jackson for Entertainment Tonight
Linda Bell Blue on making the transition from Hard Copy to Entertainment Tonight
Linda Bell Blue on her early years at Entertainment Tonight and changes she brought to the program
Linda Bell Blue on the history of Entertainment Tonight and traveling the world to cover stories
Linda Bell Blue on the format of Entertainment Tonight and keeping the audience tuned in
Linda Bell Blue on making "real news" into entertainment on Entertainment Tonight
Linda Bell Blue on how ideas go from pitch to actual story on Entertainment Tonight
Linda Bell Blue on Entertainment Tonight being "celebrity friendly" and George Clooney's boycott
Linda Bell Blue on covering the OJ Simpson trial for Entertainment Tonight
Linda Bell Blue on technological advances in the production of Entertainment Tonight
Linda Bell Blue on producing The Insider as well as Entertainment Tonight
Linda Bell Blue on the biggest story of her career, covering Anna Nicole Smith for Entertainment Tonight
Topics
Fame and Celebrity
Linda Bell Blue on the public's fascination with Michael Jackson and covering the Royal Family
Linda Bell Blue on interviewing Charles Manson for KCBS in Los Angeles
Linda Bell Blue on star quality and covering entertainment worldwide
Linda Bell Blue on covering the death of Michael Jackson
Linda Bell Blue on the biggest story of her career, covering Anna Nicole Smith for Entertainment Tonight
Olympic Games
Linda Bell Blue on covering the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
Representation on Television
Linda Bell Blue on sexism in the television industry
Sports
Linda Bell Blue on covering the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
Technological Innovation
Linda Bell Blue on technological advances in the production of Entertainment Tonight
Television Industry
Linda Bell Blue on the public's fascination with Michael Jackson and covering the Royal Family
Linda Bell Blue on interviewing Charles Manson for KCBS in Los Angeles
Linda Bell Blue on star quality and covering entertainment worldwide
Linda Bell Blue on covering the death of Michael Jackson
Linda Bell Blue on the biggest story of her career, covering Anna Nicole Smith for Entertainment Tonight
Women
Linda Bell Blue on sexism in the television industry
Professions
Journalists & News Producers
Linda Bell Blue on her management style as a producer
Linda Bell Blue on the format of Entertainment Tonight and keeping the audience tuned in
Linda Bell Blue on how ideas go from pitch to actual story on Entertainment Tonight
Linda Bell Blue on advice to aspiring news producers
News Producer
Linda Bell Blue on her management style as a producer
Linda Bell Blue on the format of Entertainment Tonight and keeping the audience tuned in
Linda Bell Blue on how ideas go from pitch to actual story on Entertainment Tonight
Linda Bell Blue on advice to aspiring news producers
Genres
News and Documentary
Linda Bell Blue on producing Hard Copy
Linda Bell Blue on producing Entertainment Tonight
People
George Clooney
Linda Bell Blue on Entertainment Tonight being "celebrity friendly" and George Clooney's boycott
Farrah Fawcett
Linda Bell Blue on star quality and covering entertainment worldwide
Mary Hart
Linda Bell Blue on making the transition from Hard Copy to Entertainment Tonight
Michael Jackson
Linda Bell Blue on producing Hard Copy and covering Michael Jackson
Linda Bell Blue on the public's fascination with Michael Jackson and covering the Royal Family
Linda Bell Blue on star quality and covering entertainment worldwide
O. J. Simpson
Linda Bell Blue on covering the OJ Simpson trial for Entertainment Tonight