WKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati
The sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati mirrored late-1970s American culture through the lives and antics of the employees of a small AM radio station. In its four-year run on CBS from 1978 to 1982, WKRP developed one of the best ensemble casts on television and produced some of the more memorable scenes from the period. The show's ability to build contemporary issues into many of the stories makes it a time capsule for the period, as it dealt with issues such as alcoholism, urban renewal, drugs, infidelity, crime, guns, gangs, elections, and even other television shows. In a classic episode about a Thanksgiving promotion gone bad, Les Nesman's report—a dead-on take from the Hindenburg disaster—and Arthur Carlson's trailing words—"As God is my witness I thought turkeys could fly"—crackle with the show's characteristic intelligence and humor.
—Frank E. Clark
Further Reading:
Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows. 5th Edition. New York, Ballantine, 1992.
Kassel, Michael. America's Favorite Radio Station: WKRP in Cincinnati. Bowling Green, Popular Press, 1993.
McNeil, Alex. Total Television: A Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present. 3rd edition. New York, Penguin Books, 1991.