The Letterman Remote to G.E. Headquarters Collection, 1985-93

Video Description

With Jack Welch's passing, it seemed timely to post this. Some history: On March 19, 1985, Capital Cities made a surprise announcement that it was purchasing ABC for $3.5 billion. Ted Turner then attempted but failed to buy CBS. RCA, which owned NBC, saw its stock rise due to both renewed interest in takeovers as established by Capital Cities and attempted by Ted Turner as well as NBC's prime-time lineup, in particular the ratings successes of "Hill Street Blues" and "The Cosby Show." It had been in merger discussions with MCA this same year, but nothing came of it. All of which led General Electric to begin meeting with RCA in early November 1985 to discuss acquiring the electronics giant. After "intense talks" that lasted for ten days, G.E. announced on December 11, 1985, that it had bought RCA for $6.28 billion, reportedly in cash. The deal had to first get approval from RCA's stockholders, then a number of regulatory agencies, including the FCC, all of which would take months before the takeover was complete. Dave made note of the merger news the following night. He was not pleased. 1. December 12, 1985. Dave's first reaction to G.E.'s takeover of RCA isn't a positive one. Then Viewer Mail with more references to G.E.'s greatest invention, the push button. Later in the show, a message about the deal from NBC's President and CEO "Grant Tinker," portrayed as always by NBC's production manager Elmer Gorry. 2. December 16, 1985. After an aborted Opening Remarks and a visit to the Green Room, Dave displays a gift from G.E. Later, an installment of Peace Through Dramatization Players, entitled "No Time for Love," which features brand-new G.E. home appliances and entertainment. 3. March 25, 1986. Dave briefly discusses G.E.'s timetable for taking over NBC. 4. April 8, 1986. The first broadcast of the remote. On Friday, April 4, Dave, head writer Steve O'Donnell, director Hal Gurnee, and various video and camera crew members embarked on a day of shooting remotes showcasing their new bosses at General Electric. They first visited G.E.'s headquarters in midtown Manhattan, then later inside two G.E. dealerships further south. For the latter, they came up empty, but for the former, they struck gold. 5. April 18, 1986. Dave guests on The Tonight Show and highlights his visit to G.E.'s headquarters. (Immediately afterwards, not included here, Johnny discusses stealing Dave's truck.) 6. April 30, 1986. The official video logo of the G.E. handshake airs during Late Night's close from late April through most of May. 7. June 25, 1993. Dave offers his perspective seven years later as he airs the remote one last time on Late Night's final show.