The Dick Summer (re) Connection – Chapter 10
“Mid-Town Manhattan’s Midnight Ladies” and “Summer’s 10 Non Political Media Facts”. Plus a PodProgram promo.
Ladies First:
Picture please: Dick “the college kid” Summer standing in the lobby greeting visitors to the NBC New York radio and television studios. Marble floor. 8 hours. Smile anyway. “Good afternoon Mr. Steve Allen.” “Good evening Mr. Bill Cullen.” “Sorry sir, you need an NBC Pass to use these elevators.” That last comment was about the extent of “security” at NBC in those days. Zap ahead a few years and put yourself in my size 10½ s, walking into that same lobby,
and the college kid at the velvet rope in front of the elevators says, “Good evening Mr. Dick Summer.” Go ahead. Check out the chill that squirts up your spine.
When I was on the air at WNBC, the college kid at the velvet rope in the lobby was replaced by members of the crack NBC Security System (CNBCSS) at midnight. They were not exactly Navy Seals type guards. Mostly they were guys from Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island picking up some extra bucks to meet the rent, or to send a kid to college. Nice guys mostly…tired after their day jobs…but not exactly highly trained, motivated killers ready to defend with their lives whoever was upstairs working the overnight hours on radio and television. It sometimes seemed like their main function was to stop my lady Wonder Wench or any other family member or friend from coming up to WNBC’s second floor studios without calling up for permission from the guy on the air.
The CNBCSS was not exactly air tight however. One morning at about 4:30, I had the feeling that someone was watching. I looked up, and sure enough there was a guy standing outside the studio glass where the tours go during the day and he was watching Vic and me at work. Actually we were eating lunch during a tape playback of a previous night’s show, which happened most nights from 4 to 5 am. But we certainly looked like we were working, I’m sure. Didn’t think that was too strange. The Tom Snyder Show offices were down the hall, and I figured it was some staff guy working late. But a few minutes later, he walked slowly into the studio, seriously disrupting my enjoyment of my ham and Swiss on rye and coffee, and Vic’s cold coffee and Playboy magazine. Instantly my well honed NBC page training kicked in, and I said, “Sorry but you really can’t come in here without an NBC Pass.” Vic, not having the benefit of such prior training, was some- what more New York blunt. “Whaddaya want?” was his queston. The guy’s eyes got wide, he started to shake, and he said “Please don’t tell the doctor I’m here.” We didn’t inform “the doctor”, but Vic took one arm and I took the other, and we put him back on the elevator, hit “lobby”, went back into the studio and locked the door. I’m not sure how the CNBCSS dealt with it from there.
The other people who never had any trouble getting past the CNBCSS, were a group of young women I came to call the “Mid-Town Manhattan Midnight Ladies.” As those of you who are familiar with Manhattan know, Rockerfeller Center is just about in the middle of everything, including the “clubs.” Some of the young ladies who worked at those clubs, and many young ladies who patronized those clubs, when they found themselves companionless in the wee small hours, sought refuge and perhaps some human solace in other “open all night” venues… like NBC. As I said the CNBCSS weren’t “Gung Ho” guards. They were tired guys from Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Nothing like an “informally clad” visit from one of these young ladies to wake a guy up. (There is a need to be careful of graphic discussions here, because of the Wonder Wench factor, among other considerations.) Suffice it to say that it was not unusual for a lady in a rain coat, a smile, and little else to “somehow slip past” the CNBCSS and find her way up to the studio. I was delighted.
But I also got a hard and fast slap in the head. Because I found myself treating them politely instead of passionately. I like ladies. Especially lustful half clad ladies in the middle of the night. But I distinctly remember the first time one showed up. Very pretty. Slim. Long dark hair. Soft gravelly voice. Probably 22. She walked over to where I was sitting, smiled and reached down to give me a kiss on the cheek. In the process one of her several charms became stunningly obvious. Now here’s where it gets weird. Hormones and an image of Wonder Wench kicked in at exactly the same time. (Immediately.) Don’t need to describe the hormones. But the picture of Wonder Wench deserves a description. She wasn’t angry, just hurt, like I’d never seen her hurt. It was just an instant picture, but it absolutely canceled out the hormones and the hand attached to them. IT CANCELED OUT THE HORMONES. It wasn’t a matter of “being faithful” or being afraid of getting caught or “sinning” or any of that stuff. It was an instant, simple, straightforward shot to the gut. I won’t ever see Wonder Wench hurt like that. Never thought it would happen to me. Glad it did. But on the outside chance that one of those “Midtown Manhattan Midnight Ladies” might be reading this: “no I’m not gay, yes you are absolutely stunning, I was fascinated and delighted to see you…but nobody, not even you, is any kind of a match for Wonder Wench.
My buddy Al is ripping mad at me, because I don’t believe there is a media plot against the government. He does. He has his reasons; here are mine:
Summer’s 10 (Non Political) Media Facts:
1. Commercial Media’s only plot is making more profit.
2- Regardless of how much they tell you about “Journalism,” or “Quality Entertainment,” or “Education,” it’s about profit.
3. There is no Media “Plot,” except for producing more profit.
4. There is no Media “Agenda” except for producing even more profit.
5. “Mainstream Media” isn’t about politics, it’s about maximum profit. 6. So-called non-mainstream media is also completely about profit.
7. Huge media monsters like Fox News and Limbaugh & Hannity try to paint themselves as the “little guys” vs “Mainstream Media” for profit.
8. Huge media monsters like NBC, ABC, & CBS try to look even bigger and more important than they are for monster profit.
9. No matter what they tell you on the media, the purpose of politicians is not to govern, but to get elected. Politics for profit.
10. Most media moguls are conservatives. Most journalists are not. For the most part they get along because they need each other. For mutual profit.
Criticizing my government doesn’t give aid to the enemy. It gives aid to my country. I’m genuinely concerned about what we’re doing in her name and I do what little I can to help her defend our freedom. She especially needs whatever small help I can give her when my country faces the dangers of war. This blog story is an example of one of the small things I can do for my country. I remember one of the bumper stickers that was popular during the Vietnam War: “America, love it or leave it.” When someone I love screws up I don’t cop out and leave her. I stay and help her fix the problem.
Thank God that the guys in the funny hats and wigs who put our Constitution together specifically guaranteed our freedom of speech, and the freedom of our money grubbing, profit driven media. They knew that the profit motive was the best incentive for the press to dig out the big stories. The press obviously made more money when the big stories sold more papers.
Been there done that…I’ve seen how the media decides what’s a big story: 1- “Bad news is news.” 2- “If it bleeds it leads.” That’s why “the mainstream media doesn’t report the good news.” It’s not some Anti-American plot. It’s just plain old profit.
But here’s something almost everyone forgets. VERY GOOD NEWS is even bigger news than bad news. News like “World War Two Is Over.” “American Lands On The Moon.” “New discovery means America is no longer dependent on Middle East oil, so we never have to fight over it again.” Unfortunately I made that last one up.
I’m proud to be a Brooklyn born and bred American. I can’t get Al to understand that I’m bleeding just as much as he is with all the bad news. I’m really hurting for my country. The money hungry media has it right again. Good news really isn’t news. It’s just a band aid. There’s only one thing that can stop my bleeding now. And that’s some VERY GOOD NEWS.
PodProgram promo: Yeah, I know everybody else calls them Pod Casts. Who cares ? They’re mini programs as far as I’m concerned. You can down load them easily. Just go to www.dicksummer.com and left click on the title you want to hear. It’ll download in about ten seconds and play back right on your computer. If you want to save it, just right click on the title and hit save as. Then click on My Documents or Desktop. That’s all there is to it. If you want to subscribe to the “PodProgram” the simple instructions are right there on the website. The PodPrograms are called “Good Night.” They have a couple of giggles, some useless but interesting information called “Dick’s Details, and a bedtime story to help you get to sleep. One of the reasons I call these PodPrograms is that a number of Ace Radio Stations around the country are featuring them on their web sites. You get a program from a radio station, right? If you think your favorite station would like to add our PodPrograms to their web site, give their program director a call and tell him/her it would help them remain “top of the mind” with you. That’s radio talk so it means absolutely nothing. But they like it.
Next time, Olga the Witch.
All are good lasses, but whence come the bad wives?. Joos.