When I was a kid, I remember watching WKRP in Cincinnati with my family, which was one of the few shows I think we agreed on. Maybe it was partly because of Frank Bonner, a fellow Arkie (and brother of Tom Bonner, who I would later work with in my brief time in local TV news) who played salesman Herb Tarlek. I’m more inclined to say it was because of Richard Sanders and his portrayal of Les Nessman. And yes, I can say that there are indeed a few Les Nessmans in the news biz, God bless their eccentricities (maybe I’m one of them …).

Perhaps the epitome of Les Nessman-ness happened in the infamous Thanksgiving turkey drop episode, which is still one of the greats as far as I’m concerned. we’ve still got a week and a half to go to the big day, but it’s never too early for comedy. Enjoy.