Paul Talbot dies at 86.Last July, the TV community lost pioneer Paul Talbot--president and founder of The Fremantle Corporation. He died at his summer home in Cape Cod Cape Cod, narrow peninsula of glacial origin, 399 sq mi (1,033 sq km), SE Mass., extending 65 mi (105 km) E and N into the Atlantic Ocean. It is generally flat, with sand dunes, low hills, and numerous lakes. , Massachusetts. He was 86. Talbot began his career as an actor during radio's "golden age." After serving as a First Lieutenant in Europe during World War II, Talbot appeared in some of the first television programs at CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. . Talbot created the New York-based Fremantle Corp. in 1952, setting up offices in Europe, Australia and Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. to distribute U.S. programs. He is credited for bringing Romper Room Romper Room is a children's television series which ran in the United States from 1953 to 1994 as well as at various times in Canada, Australia, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Puerto Rico and Japan. , Biography, and The Price is Right, among others, to viewers across the globe. In the 1960s, Talbot pioneered the concept of selling American TV formats internationally; local live adaptations of Romper Room were produced in two countries. He later applied this innovation to American game shows, including Family Feud This article is about the American game show. For other versions, see Family Feud around the world. For rivalries between families, see Feud. Family Feud , The Newlywed Game and The Dating Game. By the 1980s, The Fremantle Corp. had become one of the largest producers of game shows. Talbot is also credited for pioneering the concept of barter syndication--the act of nationally syndicating shows to stations across America with advertising commitments already in place. Proving the power of the international TV marketplace, in 1989, Talbot took NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. series, Baywatch, which was cancelled in the U.S., and sold it to international stations in an effort to finance future seasons. Due to success abroad, it was then revived for syndication in America, and went on to become one of the most-watched shows across the world. Talbot was also politically active and was responsible for organizing media for the 1948 National Convention of the Progressive Party. He later led a successful campaign to desegregate de·seg·re·gate v. de·seg·re·gat·ed, de·seg·re·gat·ing, de·seg·re·gates v.tr. 1. To abolish or eliminate segregation in. 2. Stuyvesant Town, a privately-owned housing development in New York--the city that Talbot called home. In 1999, Talbot was featured in VideoAge's "Living Legends, Veterans and Icons" special historical feature. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Susan Talbot, a daughter and three sons. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion