(Left to right) Members Lew Klein, Marie Pantarelli and Janet Klein
Broadcast Pioneers Annual Banquet
Bala Golf Club, Philadelphia
Friday, November 16, 2007
Former Broadcast Pioneers President Lew Klein passed away at the age of 91 on Wednesday, June 12th, 2019. Lew was our Person of the Year in 1982 and has been inducted into our Hall of Fame. He was a long-time teacher at Temple University and former co-owner of several TV stations. Before that, he was a producer/director for Channel 6 and EP for American Bandstand.
Alot of our members are not aware that we have done half-hour on camera video interviews with some of the legendary figures in Philadelphia Broadcasting. These wonderful pieces of history can be found on our YouTube Channel located at: broadcastpioneers.com/youtube.
One of those interviews we did in December of 2013. It was with Lew Klein, Executive Producer of "American Bandstand" and a former President of this organization, the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. You can watch the entire interview here!
Gerry Wilkinson, our CEO was one of Lew's students back in the day when Annenberg Hall was referred to as "The New Building." It opened only a few months before Gerry graduated from Temple University. Prior to that, the TV Production Classes were held at the studios of Channel 6 in the old round building which was the new round building at that time.
Gerry says: "Our production class was sandwiched in on Tuesday nights, between the 7 o'clock Al Dowell newscast and the 11 pm slot. As students, we were allowed to use the station's brand new color Norelco cameras. What a thrill. That was in the day when the name 'Lew Klein' was the name of a Temple University Professor and not a Temple University school.
Well, anyhow, we asked member Brian Schwartz, a winner of "Wheel of Fortune" last year, to watch our interview with Lew Klein and write a piece for our June newsletter. Below is what Brian wrote. This was written BEFORE Lew's passing:
If someone looked at the definition of “legend” in the dictionary, one name that should be found there is Lew Klein. Klein is considered one the true legends in the history of Philadelphia broadcasting. As a firm believer in our lives changing because of the decisions we make in the moment, Klein’s decisions have not only changed his life but the lives of many others.
The first decision that gave Klein the television bug was during his time at The University of Pennsylvania. He created and operated a marionette puppet for a Buten Paint commercial. The puppet was a little Dutch boy, which was the logo for the paint store at that time. The program the commercial aired on was the first weather show in the country. It aired on Thursday nights; Klein was paid five dollars a week and thus started the legendary career of Lew Klein
The first major television job Klein landed was an Assistant Cameraman at WFIL, Channel 6 (now WPVI). Back in those days, the studio cameras were on a dolly with wheels for easy maneuvering. Klein’s job was to move the dolly as needed. If you add the weight of the camera to the weight of the dolly, it makes for a task that is not easy.
In 1952, Klein became producer and director of a new dance party show called “Bandstand.” It was a local show at that time. Four years later, the original host Bob Horn was removed as host and replaced by DJ and staff announcer Dick Clark. However, the kids who danced regularly on the program weren’t happy with the change and picketed outside the station.
(Left to right) Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, Bill "Wee Willie" Webber and Lew Klein
Lew was the producer/director of a WFIL-TV Special
photo taken on the interview set inside Hess' Department Store, Allentown
1965
In an attempt to get the kids back inside, Dick Clark came out onto the street and explained to the young people he had nothing to do with the decision of replacing Bob Horn. In addition, he promised to support the kids if they continued to support the show. Almost all the dancers followed Clark into the studio and eventually accepted him.
It was a good thing too because a year later, ABC launched the program nationally as “American Bandstand” in an effort to give the network wider appeal. When asked what was the key to Bandstand’s success, Klein gave three; Dick Clark, the music/guests, and the kids. Without those young people, there would have been no Bandstand. Although the show was targeted at teens, Bandstand did develop an adult following.
In an on camera video interview with Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia, Klein mentioned, “I was so proud to be producing and airing a network show that had such impact across the country.”
After being bitten by the television bug himself, Lutheran Minister Carter Merbreier pursued Channel 6 and Lew Klein for at least a year to do a television show. Finally in 1967, Klein said to Merbreier, let’s go to lunch and talk about this. Over cocktails and oysters, they developed the character Captain Noah. The name came about because it fit with Merbreier’s religious background. Captain Noah and His Magical Ark ran from 1967 to 1994. After persistently trying to get on television for a little over a year, Carter Merbreier was on Channel 6, and the show lasted for 27 years.
Members Patricia Merbreier and W. Carter Merbreier
(Captain and Mrs. Noah)
Broadcast Pioneers Luncheon
Bala Golf Club, Philadelphia
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
(Picture taken by member Bob Kravitz)
Klein really enjoyed directing programs for local and national politicians. One of the first programs he directed was when Richardson Dilworth was running for Mayor of Philadelphia. His victory as the 117th Mayor was the beginning of a long string of Democratic Mayors, which continues today. On the national level, Klein directed programs for presidential candidates such as John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford.
As a lifelong sports fan, Klein has been fortunate to be the producer of Phillies Baseball telecasts from 1957 to 1972. Back then, spring training was more informal and the players, front office, and press stayed in the same hotel. Because of this, Klein was able to create lifelong friendships with many players and became influential with Richie Ashburn and Tim McCarver who became baseball broadcasters after their playing days. Klein also cherished the time he spent in the clubhouse with the likes of Steve Carlton, Pete Rose, and Robin Roberts. It is an experience not many sports fans get to have.
Early in his career, Lew Klein made the most important decision that would follow him forever. When John Roberts was given permission by Channel 6 to let Temple University students take classes at the studio, Roberts asked Klein if he would keep an eye on the students; Klein agreed. Classes were sandwiched between live programs so they wanted to make sure things would still move like clockwork during classes. This led to a career in lecturing students, which he has done for over sixty years.
(Left to right) Members Mike Strug and Lew Klein
Lew Klein's home
Monday, December 30, 2013
Klein claims he could tell in one class meeting who is going to make it after graduation. From the attention they give to their desire to be there, he could tell rather quickly who was on a path to success. Klein believes he has been helpful in encouraging people to stick with broadcasting and have given them a sense of value of what it means to be a broadcaster. “The satisfaction of teaching and seeing success with people like Bernie Prazenica, the President of WPVI where I started; that satisfaction makes all the time I have spent at Temple worthwhile.” (Prazenica is a member of Broadcast Pioneers).
Since Lew Klein has been with the industry since the very beginning, he has seen it evolve in many different ways. Shows have changed from black and white to color, recordings went from reel to reel tape to videotape, and now recordings are stored digitally on hard drives. Klein believes technology has changed the industry positively.
Viewers are able to travel the world instantaneously thanks to the miniaturization of cameras and the ease of mobility, a long way from the early Assistant Cameramen who had to push the dolly around the studio. As technology advances, consumers are finding new ways to absorb content. At first, there was only television and now one can see shows on their phone, computer, game console, and streaming device.
The legacy of Lew Klein continues today. In 2017, Temple’s School of Communication and Theatre was renamed The Klein College of Media and Communication. It was named in honor of that broadcasting pioneer and his contributions to the university. It also recognizes a historic multimillion-dollar gift to the school from Lew and Janet Klein. In addition, Temple has honored Klein by naming the main performance space of the Temple Performing Arts Center, Lew Klein Hall. In 2000, Klein was the first recipient of the Lew Klein Excellence in the Media Award, given annually at Klein College’s signature event.
Lew Klein’s amazing career epitomizes the definition of legendary. While his name may not be in the dictionary under legend, his photograph is most certainly there.
