WKRP in Cincinnati | |
---|---|
Genre | Sitcom |
Created by | Hugh Wilson |
Starring |
Gary Sandy Gordon Jump Loni Anderson Richard Sanders Frank Bonner Jan Smithers Tim Reid Howard Hesseman |
Theme music composer | Tom Wells |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 90 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Hugh Wilson |
Producer(s) | Rod Daniel Bill Dial Blake Hunter Steven Kampmann Peter Torokvei Hugh Wilson |
Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 24–25 minutes |
Production company(s) | MTM Enterprises |
Distributor | 20th Television |
Release | |
Original network | CBS |
Audio format | Monaural |
Original release | September 18, 1978 | – April 21, 1982
Chronology | |
Followed by | The New WKRP in Cincinnati |
WKRP in Cincinnati is an American sitcom that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta. Many of the characters and even some of the stories (including season 1 episode 7, "Turkeys Away") are based on people and events at WQXI.
The ensemble cast consists of Gary Sandy (as Andy Travis), Howard Hesseman (Johnny Fever), Gordon Jump (Arthur Carlson), Loni Anderson (Jennifer Marlowe), Tim Reid (Venus Flytrap), Jan Smithers (Bailey Quarters), Richard Sanders (Les Nessman) and Frank Bonner (Herb Tarlek).
Like many other MTM productions, the humor came more from running gags based on the known predilections and quirks of each character, rather than from outlandish plots or racy situations, since the show has a realistic setting. The characters also developed somewhat over the course of the series.
The series won a Humanitas Prize and received 10 Emmy Award nominations, including three for Outstanding Comedy Series. Andy Ackerman won an Emmy Award for Videotape Editing in season 3.
WKRP premiered September 18, 1978 on the CBS television network, and aired for four seasons and 90 episodes through April 21, 1982. Starting in the middle of the second season, CBS repeatedly moved the show around its schedule, contributing to lower ratings and its eventual cancellation.