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[Monday at NAB]
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NAB Honors Barker at TV Luncheon
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by Melissa Sullivan,
~ April 14, 2008
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TV TECHNOLOGY
“Come on down!” The legendary TV personality Bob Barker, retired host of the CBS game show “The Price Is Right,” will be inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame during the Television Luncheon today, 12:15-2 p.m. Tickets are required to attend.
Barker retired from “The Price Is Right” in June 2007 after 35 years hosting one of the highest-rated daytime shows during his reign. Named the “greatest game show of all time” by TV Guide, the series is the longest running game show in TV history. It overtook “What’s My Line,” which ran for 18 seasons.
In a 2007 interview with Billy Bush, co-anchor of “Access Hollywood,” Bush called Barker “a television great.”
The “double Bs,” as Bush nicknamed them in a followup interview on Barker’s 84th birthday, will be reunited when Bush takes the stage as master of ceremonies.
DOUBLE B
Bush, who joined “Access Hollywood” in 2001, also covers the red carpet for the Golden Globes and Grammys, as well as hosted ABC’s live pre-show for the 2004-2006 Academy Awards. He also hosted the NBC talent competition for “Grease: You’re the One That I Want” and reported for NBC at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece and 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino.
Prior to joining “Access Hollywood,” Bush hosted the radio morning show, “Billy Bush and The Bush League Morning Show” on WWZZ-FM (Z104) in Washington, D.C. He was also correspondent for WNBC-TV’s “Today in New York” morning show.
Barker was born in Darrington, Wash., and spent much of his youth on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. His family moved to Springfield, Mo., when Barker was in high school and he went on to attended Drury College.
During World War II, Barker served in the U.S. Navy as a fighter pilot. Following his discharge, Barker returned to Drury and took a job at a local radio station to help finance the remainder of his studies.
After graduation, Barker worked for a radio station in Palm Beach, Fla., before hosting his own radio program, “The Bob Barker Show,” in Los Angeles. It was on this show that Ralph Edwards, creator of “Truth or Consequences,” heard Barker and it led to his first job as a TV host. Barker hosted “Truth or Consequences” from 1956 to 1975. It was only the beginning.
His first appearance on “The Price Is Right” was on Sept. 4, 1972. He also hosted the Miss USA/Universe pageants from 1967 to 1987. He narrated the CBS telecast of the Rose Parade for 21 years. In 1978, he developed “The Bob Barker Fun & Games Show,” a series of personal appearances throughout the country that ran into the mid-1980s.
Barker reached iconic status when he made his big screen debut in Universal Pictures’ “Happy Gilmore,” where he appeared as himself fighting Adam Sandler’s character. The fight scene won an MTV Movie Award in 1996. Barker has also made appearances in several other shows including “Yes, Dear,” “How I Met Your Mother,” as well as the animated series “Futurama” and “Family Guy.”
SPIN THAT WHEEL
In addition to receiving the Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award for Daytime Television, Barker has won a total of 19 Emmy awards, including 14 as TV host, more than any other performer.
Barker has been named twice in the Guinness Book of Work Records as TV’s “Most Durable Performer” for more than 3,500 consecutive performances on “Truth or Consequences” and as the “Most Generous Host in Television History” for awarding $55 million in prizes on his various shows. Barker also is a recipient of the Carbon Mike Award from the Pioneer Broadcasters.
Another honor came when the historic Stage 33 at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, was re-dedicated as the Bob Barker Studio in March 1998. According to the CBS Web site, Barker is the first performer to whom CBS has ever dedicated a stage.
‘COME ON DOWN!’
Today’s event, sponsored by Microsoft, will also have a special prize. Barker, assisted by Bush, will bring a few lucky attendees on stage to play “The Price Is Right.” Barker will spin the wheel for his television colleagues and the two broadcasters with the highest scores will get a chance to play Plinko. NAB said the winner will walk away with an LG HDTV and Microsoft’s 360 Elite Xbox.
“For 50 years, Bob Barker has been an enduring figure for millions of television viewers,” said NAB President and CEO David K. Rehr. “He has served as the familiar face for family-friendly programming, and we are proud to honor him for his contribution to broadcasting and American entertainment.”
Previous NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductees include Ted Koppel, Regis Philbin, “Meet the Press,” “The Tonight Show,” “Saturday Night Live,” “M*A*S*H,” “60 Minutes,” “The Today Show” and “Star Trek,” among others.
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