NBC page
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TheNBC Page Programis a 12-month paid fellowship at theNBCUniversalstudios in New York City andUniversal City, California.[1]Pages contribute to various teams while on business, consumer, and content assignments. East Coast pages also give tours and work in audience services atNBC Studiosin New York City. Notable people who began their careers as NBC pages includeGregory Peck,Eva Marie Saint,Regis Philbin,Michael Eisner,Ted Koppel,Trevor MooreandAubrey Plaza.[2]
Background
[edit]
NBC began the page program in 1933 at itsRockefeller Centerheadquarters,[3]later expanding it to the West Coast studios in Universal City. In the 1950s, NBC also offered page positions at theirowned-and-operated stations,such asWRCinWashington, D.C.where futureToday ShowpersonalityWillard Scottwas an NBC page.
Selection is highly competitive, with only 212 pages selected a year out of more than 16,000 applicants.[4]With around 1.5 percent of applicants accepted to the program, becoming an NBC page is more competitive than gaining admission toIvy Leagueuniversities.[5]Past pages describe the interview process as grueling, as the company seeks the best corporate image to present to the public.[6]
Pages regularly get to work on such programs asThe Tonight ShowandSaturday Night Live.Pages also rotate through assignments in public relations (PR), marketing, development, TV music services, and production in a variety of shows and special projects. Many pages go on to careers with NBC or other broadcast media, and a number have become celebrities or leaders of the industry in their own right.[6]
In popular culture
[edit]In the NBC sitcom30 Rock,produced by formerSaturday Night Livehead writerTina Fey,Jack McBrayerportrays a zealous, smiling, do-good NBC page namedKenneth Parcell,who appears as a page through the show's seven seasons despite pages usually only being employed for a year.[2]And while pages are usually in their 20s, it is a running joke on the show that Kenneth is unrealistically old (indeed, that he isimmortal) based on his looks. (For example, in Season 5's "When it Rains, it Pours", Kenneth is seen nostalgically packing away a signed photograph ofFred Allenfrom 1947, dedicated: "Kenneth, you're the TOPS!" into a box marked "NBC Memories 1945-1967".)
The Team Members of the theme park attractionRace Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon,atUniversal Studios Florida,are dressed as NBC pages as part of the theming of the attraction, which is housed in a replica of30 Rockefeller Plaza,whereNBC Studiosare located.
Notable NBC pages
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Notable former NBC pages include:
- Tex Antoine(1943), weather forecaster
- Chuck Barris,TV producer and personality
- Pierce Brown,science fiction author,Red Risingsaga
- Jim Case,television director and producer
- Clay Cole(1957), producer/writer and television host[7]
- Michael Eisner(1963), former CEO ofThe Walt Disney Company[6]
- Dave Garroway(1938),Today Showhost[8]
- Sara Haines(2000),The Viewco-host, former NBC'sToday Showcorrespondent[9]
- Edd Hall(1979),Tonight Showannouncer
- Kate Jackson,actress,Charlie's Angels[6]
- Stu Kerr,television personality
- Ted Koppel(1960),ABC-TVnews reporter[6]
- Bill Leyden,game show host
- Trevor Moore(2003), comedian,The Whitest Kids U' Know[10]
- Sona Movsesian,media personality and executive assistant toConan O'Brien
- Regis Philbin(1955), TV personality,Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,Who Wants to Be a Millionaire[6]
- Aubrey Plaza(2005), actress,Parks & Recreation,Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
- Gene Rayburn,Match Gamehost[11]
- Joan Rivers,comedian
- Eva Marie Saint(1944), actress,The Trip to Bountiful,On the Waterfront[6]
- Willard Scott(1950),Today Showweather reporter, creator and original performer ofRonald McDonald[12]
- Michael Shure,Current TVhost[13]
- Lara Spencer,Good Morning Americaco-anchor,NightlineandABC Newscorrespondent[14]
- Efrem Zimbalist Jr.,actor,77 Sunset Strip,The F.B.I.[15]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"NBCUniversal Page Program | NBC Universal Page Program".pageprogram.nbcunicareers.com.Retrieved2018-05-07.
- ^abRose, Lacey (April 17, 2017)."21 NBC Pages Turned Hollywood Players Tell All: Johnny Carson Sightings, Calls From the President, TV Cameos".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedApril 11,2018.
- ^Steinhauser, Si (8 May 1935)."Radio Chiefs Train Studio Guides For Bigger Posts In Broadcasting".The Pittsburgh Press.Retrieved27 November2010.
- ^"Home | NBCUnicareers".NBCUniversal Careers.Retrieved9 December2014.
- ^Johnson, Jenna (2011-05-12)."Life of an NBC page isn't quite like '30 Rock'".The Washington Post.
- ^abcdefgBuckley, Cara (October 13, 2008)."For NBC Pages, 'Please Follow Me' Is a Fervent Wish".The New York Times.RetrievedApril 11,2018.
- ^Grimes, William (24 December 2010)."Clay Cole, Host of TeenageDance Shows, dies at 72".The New York Times.Retrieved27 December2010.
- ^Murray, Michael D., ed. (1998).Encyclopedia of television news.Greenwood. p. 336.ISBN1-57356-108-8.RetrievedJuly 15,2010.
- ^Barber-Just, Christina,"Live on Today: Sara Haines '00 makes her mark on America's number one morning show",SAQ,Spring 2010, Smith College Alumni Association
- ^"WMMR's Preston and Steve Podcast".Prestonandsteve.libsyn.com.RetrievedMarch 7,2015.
- ^"Announcer Gene Rayburn".American Profile.2003-10-05.Retrieved2018-11-06.
- ^"Willard Scott — Weather Reporter and Centenarian".MSNBC.2004-12-10.Archivedfrom the original on 2004-12-11.RetrievedFebruary 4,2008.
- ^"The War Room's Michael Shure Dishes On Current TV, Tom Brokaw, And Dan Abrams".Mediaite. 2013-06-24.Retrieved2013-09-03.
- ^Needleman, Sarah E. (2009-09-29)."Lara Spencer and 'The Insider'".The Wall Street Journal.New York:Dow Jones.ISSN0099-9660.Retrieved11 December2013.
- ^"Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Star of '77 Sunset Strip' and 'The F.B.I.', Dies at 95".The New York Times.May 3, 2014.RetrievedJune 9,2018.