TV CONFIDENTIAL Show Nos. 739 and 740: Complete two-part interview with Barry Weitz and Kathy Bird is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Posted on June 22, 2026 by admin


The back story of Movin’ On
Original Airdates: June 19-22, 2026
TVC 739.4: Ed welcomes Barry Weitz, co-creator and co-executive producer of Movin’ On (NBC, 1974-1976), the classic TV series starring Claude Akins and Frank Converse as independent truck drivers that, in many ways, was a modern-day Western, and Kathy Bird, author of Sundance Turns Fifty: The Amazing Legacy of Movin’ On, a fun new book that not only takes you behind the scenes of the production of Movin’ On, but introduces you to many of the people who are responsible for keeping the show alive today. Sundance Turns Fifty is available in paperback and as an eBook through Amazon.com. Proceeds from sales of the book will help support the efforts of the Duke Cancer Research Institute in Durham, North Carolina. Topics this segment include how Barry came up with the concept for Movin’ On; how the show’s move to an 8pm time slot in the second season not only introduced the series to younger viewers, but paved the way for the resurgence of interest in Movin’ On that continues to this day; how Barry came to cast Frank Converse and Claude Akins; and how Movin’ On inspired many viewers to become truck drivers themselves.

What made Movin’ On an unusual TV series
Original Airdates: June 19-22, 2026
TVC 739.5: Barry Weitz, co-creator and co-executive producer of Movin’ On, and Kathy Bird, author of Sundance Turns Fifty: The Amazing Legacy of Movin’ On, talk to Ed about how Movin’ On was an unusual series not only because it was filmed entirely on location in different states throughout the continental U.S., but also insofar as Barry’s production team scouted the locations first, then wrote each episode based on that location. This segment also includes a discussion of some of the notable guest stars on the series, including Michael J. Pollard, John Ritter, and Samuel L. Jackson. Sundance Turns Fifty is available in paperback and as an eBook through Amazon.com.

Why Movin’ On could not be made today
Original Airdates: June 19-22, 2026
TVC 739.6: Barry Weitz, co-creator and co-executive producer of Movin’ On, and Kathy Bird, author of Sundance Turns Fifty: The Amazing Legacy of Movin’ On, talk to Ed about how it would be impossible to make Movin’ On today in the same way that Barry and his production partner, Phil D’Antoni, made the series when they produced it together in the mid 1970s. Also in this segment: Barry shares an anecdote about “Good for Laughs,” the first-season episode, filmed in Oregon, that features Frank Gorshin and Jonathan Goldsmith. Sundance Turns Fifty is available in paperback and as an eBook through Amazon.com.

The “motion picture” quality of Movin’ On
Original Airdates: June 26-29, 2026
TVC 740.5: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Barry Weitz, co-creator and co-executive producer of Movin’ On (NBC, 1974-1976), and Kathy Bird, author of Sundance Turns Fifty: The Amazing Legacy of Movin’ On, a fun new book that not only takes you behind the scenes of the production of Movin’ On, but introduces you to many of the people who are responsible for keeping the show alive today. Sundance Turns Fifty is available in paperback and as an eBook through Amazon.com. Proceeds from sales of the book will help support the efforts of the Duke Cancer Research Institute in Durham, North Carolina. Topics this segment include how production of Movin’ On was as close to the quality of a feature motion picture as you could get on network TV at the time; how the Movin’ On museum came to be; and why the series meant a lot to the childhood of many male viewers.

Why Movin’ On lasted only two seasons
Original Airdates: June 26-29, 2026
TVC 740.6: Barry Weitz, co-creator and co-executive producer of Movin’ On, and Kathy Bird, author of Sundance Turns Fifty: The Amazing Legacy of Movin’ On, discuss the circumstances that resulted in NBC canceling Movin’ On at the end of its second season, and how the NBC programming executive who made that decision, Marvin Antonowsky, got his comeuppance in a very public way. Sundance Turns Fifty is available in paperback and as an eBook through Amazon.com.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 738.4 with guest Jim Meskimen is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Posted on June 15, 2026 by admin

Jim Meskimen of Landman and Hungry
Original Airdates: June 12-15, 2026
TVC 738.4: Ed welcomes back actor, comedian, voice artist, and impressionist Jim Meskimen (Landman, Gaslit, Welcome to Chippendales, The Big Door Prize). Topics this segment include how Jim’s early background acting in commercials provided a training ground for delivering a full performance, even when doing a one-line, one-scene, five-second bit (such as his recent appearance as the “cranky diver” in the new commercial for AppleWatch); why a good actor is also a good listener; and how the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Modern Health helped Jim refocus his career path. Jim’s latest movie, the action thriller Hungry, becomes available for viewing on demand on all streaming platforms beginning Tuesday, June 23.

Jim Meskimen on his gift for mimicry
Original Airdates: June 12-15, 2026
TVC 738.5: Actor, comedian, voice artist, and impressionist Jim Meskimen talks to Ed about when he first discovered his gift for mimicry; how his repertoire includes voices that most people probably wouldn’t think of as impressionist material (such as actor Paul Giamatti); and how he determines when to add a new voice to his arsenal. Jim’s latest movie, Hungry, becomes available for viewing on demand on all streaming platforms beginning Tuesday, June 23.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show Nos. 737 and 738: Complete two-part interview with Don Sainte-Johnn is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Posted on June 15, 2026 by admin

Don Sainte-Johnn, author of San Francisco’s Last Top 40 Disc Jockey
Original Airdates: June 5-7, 2026
TVC 737.3: Ed welcomes Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Don Sainte-Johnn. For more than twenty years, Don was one of the voices heard every day on KFRC, The Big 610 in San Francisco, the powerhouse station that not only shaped a generation of listeners in the San Francisco Bay Area, but was one of the most successful radio stations anywhere in the U.S. throughout the 1970s. Don’s memoir, San Francisco’s Last Top 40 Disc Jockey, not only takes you behind the scenes of KFRC and the world of Top 40 radio, but is filled with many great stories about a career that also took him to Chicago, St. Louis, San Diego, and other media markets. San Francisco’s Last Top 40 Disc Jockey is available through Amazon.com. Topics this segment include how Don fell in love with radio from a very young age; the important role that angels, sponsors, and mentors played in his path to becoming a broadcaster; and how he helped develop his vocal muscles early in his career by reading aloud with a cork in his mouth.

How Wilber Johnson became Don Sainte-Johnn
Original Airdates: June 5-7, 2026
TVC 737.4: Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Don Sainte-Johnn, author of San Francisco’s Last Top 40 Disc Jockey, talks to Ed about how he came to choose his radio name; the importance of show prep in the course of a daily broadcast; and the role that Joe Adams, Ray Charles’ manager, played early in Don’s career.

San Francisco’s Last Top 40 Disc Jockey is available through Amazon.com.

Don Sainte-Johnn on some of the crazier moments behind the scenes at KFRC
Original Airdates: June 5-7, 2026
TVC 737.5: Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Don Sainte-Johnn, author of San Francisco’s Last Top 40 Disc Jockey, shares a few of the crazier moments that went on behind the scenes and on the air at KFRC-AM, The Big 610. San Francisco’s Last Top 40 Disc Jockey is available through Amazon.com.


Don Sainte-Johnn on how KFRC became Magic 61
Original Airdates: June 12-15, 2026
TVC 738.3: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Don Sainte-Johnn, author of San Francisco’s Last Top 40 Disc Jockey, a memoir of Don’s life and career behind the microphone. Topics this segment include how KFRC transitioned from Top 40 radio to big band in 1986—a successful format change that continued for seven years; why Don chose to stay at KFRC as part of the new format; why one benefit of the Magic 61 rebrand was that it allowed Don to interview some of his favorite artists from that genre (including Tony Bennett, Nancy Wilson, and Lionel Hampton); and how baseball Hall of Famer Lou Brock helped Don get a good deal on a new car one day while Don was a radio host in St. Louis. San Francisco’s Last Top 40 Disc Jockey is available through Amazon.com.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 738.2: A Centennial Celebration for Marilyn Monroe is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Posted on June 15, 2026 by admin


A Centennial Celebration for Marilyn Monroe
Original Airdates: June 12-15, 2026
TVC 738.2: Via remote from the Hollywood Museum: TV Confidential brings you coverage of the recent opening night ceremonies for From Norma Jean to Marilyn Monroe: A Centennial Celebration, a new exhibit at the Hollywood Museum that features, among other items, an exclusive look at never-before-published photographs from George Barris’ last photo sessions with Marilyn Monroe, which occurred in mid June and July 1962, just a few weeks before her death. For tickets and more information, go to TheHollywoodMuseum.com. This segment includes remarks from Donelle Dadigan, founder and president of the Hollywood Museum, prior to the re-dedication of the Museum’s famous Blondes Only Room (the legendary makeup studio where Monroe was transformed from a brown-haired beauty into a blonde bombshell), plus remarks from guest speakers Traci Park, Los Angeles City Council member; actress Alisha Soper, who played Monroe in two Ryan Murphy television productions (including Feud); and George Barris’ daughter, Caroline Barris. Monday, June 1, 2026 marked the centennial birthday of the screen legend.


Ruta Lee, Morgan Fairchild, and Marilyn Monroe
Original Airdates: June 12-15, 2026
TVC 738.3: Via remote from the Hollywood Museum: TV Confidential brings you more highlights of the opening night ceremonies for From Norma Jean to Marilyn Monroe: A Centennial Celebration, a new exhibit at the Hollywood Museum that commemorates the 100th birthday of the beloved screen legend. For tickets and more information, go to TheHollywoodMuseum.com. This segment includes remarks from guest speakers Ruta Lee, who shared a poignant memory of her one encounter with Marilyn Monroe; Morgan Fairchild, who discusses why Monroe is forever part of the zeitgeist of the Golden Age of Hollywood; and author Luke Yankee, son of Eileen Heckart (who played Monroe’s close confidante friend in Bus Stop).

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show Nos. 736 and 737: Complete interview with David Spencer, author of The Novelizers, is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Posted on June 8, 2026 by admin

David Spencer, author of The Novelizers
Original Airdates: May 15-17, 2026
TVC 736.1: Ed welcomes David Spencer, award-winning musical dramatist, author, critic, musical theatre teacher, and the author of The Novelizers: An Affectionate History of Media Adaptations and Originals, Their Astonishing Authors, and the Art of the Craft, a deep dive into the world of media tie-in writing—novels that are not only based on existing movies, TV series, made for TV movies, and TV miniseries, but which, in many instances (such as the Diagnosis Murder tie-in novels and the Monk tie-in novels written by Lee Goldberg), tell original stories based on the characters of those movies and TV series. David’s book introduces readers to many of the people who have adapted film and TV screenplays into original tie-in novels, while also making the case that tie-in writing is an honorable tradition with artistry of its own. The Novelizers is available through Bear Manor Media as well as Amazon.com. Topics this segment include why the subject of TV tie-in writing is deeply personal to David, and why tie-in writing, in many respects, is itself a form of literature.

David Spencer on the art of adaptation
Original Airdates: May 15-17, 2026
TVC 736.2: David Spencer, author of The Novelizers, uses Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962), the 1984 made-for-TV adaptation of A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott, and Harry Sinclair Drago’s novelization of The Champ (1932) as examples of the kind of choices that an adapting writer will make when presenting characters from the source material in a way that is unique to prose. The Novelizers: An Affectionate History of Media Adaptations and Originals, Their Astonishing Authors, and the Art of the Craft is available through Bear Manor Media as well as Amazon.com.

David Spencer on the joy of reading aloud
Original Airdates: May 15-17, 2026
TVC 736.3: David Spencer, author of The Novelizers, talks to Ed about how writing, in some respects, is another form of acting, insofar as novelists and screenwriters will often inhabit the lives of the characters they create. The Novelizers: An Affectionate History of Media Adaptations and Originals, Their Astonishing Authors, and the Art of the Craft is available through Bear Manor Media as well as Amazon.com.

David Spencer, The Novelizers, and The Rockford Files
Original Airdates: June 5-7, 2026
TVC 737.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with David Spencer, award-winning musical dramatist, author, critic, musical theatre teacher, and the author of The Novelizers, a deep dive into the world of media tie-in writing that not only introduces readers to many of the people who have adapted film and TV screenplays into original tie-in novels, while also making the case that tie-in writing is an honorable tradition with artistry of its own. The Novelizers is available through Bear Manor Media as well as Amazon.com. Topics this segment include a discussion of the Rockford Files tie-in novels written by Stuart Kaminsky in the mid-1990s (and how they reflect the older Jim Rockford, as portrayed in the CBS reunion movies of the same era), and the difference between “high context” dialogue and “low context” dialogue.

David Spencer, The Novelizers, and Passing Fancy
Original Airdates: June 5-7, 2026
TVC 737.2: David Spencer, author of The Novelizers, talks to Ed about how he came to write Passing Fancy: Alien Nation, Book 6 (Pocket Books, 1994), the tie-in novel based on the Alien Nation television series (FOX, 1989-1990). Also in this segment: the Three Most Common Misconceptions About Tie-In Novels, plus three examples of tie-in novels that were unauthorized. The Novelizers: An Affectionate History of Media Adaptations and Originals, Their Astonishing Authors, and the Art of the Craft is available through Bear Manor Media as well as Amazon.com.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 736.4 with guest Lee Goldberg is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Posted on May 20, 2026 by admin


Lee Goldberg on his series of tie-in novels based on Monk
Original Airdates: May 15-17, 2026
TVC 736.4: While we’re on the subject of TV tie-in novels, we thought we’d bring you an encore presentation of our August 2011 conversation with New York Times bestselling novelist and Edgar Award-nominated television writer and producer Lee Goldberg (Spenser: For Hire, Diagnosis Murder, Monk). Lee’s latest novel, Murder by Design, becomes available in bookstores everywhere on Monday, June 1 and has been described as “James Bond meets Adrian Monk.” At the time we spoke to Lee in 2011, he had just released the latest in his series of original tie-in novels based on the Monk television series. Tony Figueroa co-hosts.

Lee Goldberg on his original novels based on Monk and Diagnosis Murder
Original Airdates: May 15-17, 2026
TVC 736.5: From August 2011: New York Times bestselling novelist Lee Goldberg talks to Ed and Tony about the popularity of his Monk tie-in novel series; why he ended the Diagnosis Murder tie-in series after eight books; and how he and William Rabkin came to write Successful Television Writing. Lee’s latest novel, Murder by Design, becomes available in bookstores everywhere on Monday, June 1 and has been described as “James Bond meets Adrian Monk.”

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TV CONFIDENTIAL welcomes its newest affiliate, WJFX 910 AM 104.3 FM (Roanoke, VA). They will carry our show Sundays 7pm ET beginning May 24

Posted on May 19, 2026 by admin

TV CONFIDENTIAL welcomes our newest affiliate, WFJX 910 AM 104.3 FM (Roanoke, VA). They will carry our show Sundays 7pm ET 4pm PT beginning Sunday, May 24. Welcome aboard!

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 735.4 with guest Charles Floyd Johnson is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Posted on May 11, 2026 by admin

Photo of Charles Floyd Johnson courtesy LongwoodWritersWorkshop.com

Photo of James Garner and the production staff of The Rockford Files by Gene Trindl/TV Guide and is from the personal collection of host Ed Robertson. Top row (L to R) Stephen J. Cannell, David Chase; 
Middle row (L to R) Charles Floyd Johnson, Meta Rosenberg, Juanita Bartlett; Bottom row James Garner

Emmy Award-winning producer Charles Floyd Johnson on his path to becoming a writer
Original Airdates: May 8-10, 2026
TVC 735.4: Ed welcomes Emmy Award-winning producer Charles Floyd Johnson (The Rockford Files, Magnum, p.i., Quantum Leap, JAG, NCIS, Red Tails, John Lewis: Get in the Way). Charles is also one of the six authors whose work is featured in A Gathering of Voices: The Longwood Writers Workshop, an anthology of vibrant, introspective, lyrical, and personal stories that provide a full, rich, and multidimensional look at life in Black America in the 20th and 21st century. All of the stories told in A Gathering of Voices resonate with memories of struggles waged, battles won and lost, and experiences that illuminate the collective wisdom learned by each author and their hard-won resilience. A Gathering of Voices is available through BookBaby.com, Amazon.com, and LongwoodWritersWorkshop.com.

In this segment, Charles talks to Ed about the formation of the Longwood Writers Workshop, and how that eventually led to the publication of A Gathering of Voices. He also discusses some of his mentors in television (including Roy Huggins, Stephen J. Cannell, and Don Bellisario), and how his experience contributing stories for Rockford and Magnum early in his career reflected his longtime desire to become part of the “creative” side of television writing and production.

Photo of Charles Floyd Johnson and Tom Selleck courtesy TelevisionAcademy.com


Charles Floyd Johnson on learning how to become vulnerable on the page
Original Airdates: May 8-10, 2026
TVC 735.5: Emmy Award-winning producer Charles Floyd Johnson talks to Ed about his successful battle against cancer in 2020, and how his journey, in many ways, makes him a “poster child” for early detection. He also discusses the importance of learning how to allow himself to become vulnerable on the page when writing about other difficult moments in his life (which he does in each of the six stories that he wrote for A Gathering of Voices). A Gathering of Voices: The Longwood Writers Workshop is available through BookBaby.com, Amazon.com, and LongwoodWritersWorkshop.com.

Photo of Charles Floyd Johnson courtesy Military.com

Charles Floyd Johnson, John Lewis, and Red Tails
Original Airdates: May 8-10, 2026
TVC 735.6: Emmy Award-winning producer Charles Floyd Johnson talks to Ed about how he came to work on the groundbreaking PBS documentary John Lewis: Get in the Way; why Red Tails, the award-winning feature motion picture about the Tuskegee Airmen (which Charles produced, along with George Lucas), took twenty-three years to make; and why Stephen J. Cannell remains a seminal influence in his life.

Charles Floyd Johnson is one of the six authors—along with Denise Nicholas, Denise Billings, Otto Stallworth, Jr., GW Williams, and Hattie Winston—featured in A Gathering of Voices: The Longwood Writers Workshop, an anthology of vibrant, introspective, lyrical, and personal stories that provide a full, rich, and multidimensional look at life in Black America. A Gathering of Voices is available through BookBaby.com, Amazon.com, and LongwoodWritersWorkshop.com

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 735.3: Raymond Burr wins an Emmy for Perry Mason is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Posted on May 11, 2026 by admin


Raymond Burr wins his first Emmy for playing Perry Mason
Original Airdates: May 8-10, 2026
TVC 735.3: From May 2014: Tony, Donna, and Ed take us back to May 6, 1959, the night on which Raymond Burr won his first Emmy Award as Best Dramatic Actor in Perry Mason (CBS, 1957-1966).

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This date in MAVERICK TV History: Jack Kelly stars as Bart Maverick in “The Hidalgo Thing,” the final episode of BRET MAVERICK, airing May 4, 1982. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press

Posted on May 4, 2026 by admin
  1. THE HIDALGO THING
    Original Airdate: May 4, 1982

Synopsis. An unscrupulous accountant withholds a grant naming a Spanish noblewoman as owner of the Arizona territory so that he can purchase the land himself. Maverick decides to trip up the crook by passing off Kate Hanrahan as the noblewoman and “selling” the land for $2 million.  

The third of three attempts to resurrect Maverick in the late ’70s and early ’80s, Bret Maverick (NBC, 1981-1982) saw James Garner reprise the role that originally made him a star. This episode reunited Garner and Jack Kelly as part of an effort to retool Bret Maverick in the event that NBC renewed the series for a second season.

LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available both in softcover and, very soon, as an eBook through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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