She decided to raise a family and moved away from on-camera work. At that time, the industry was not ready to allow pregnant women the opportunity to still be on camera or on the silver screen. While Kennedy might not be the cup of tea of many folks today, her excellence as a broadcaster and actress as well as trailblazer in the 70s and 80s cannot be denied.
Join the conversation Share your thoughts. Subscribe to premium. Entertainment Faces of Black Excellence May 02, at pm. Write your answer Related questions. When was CBS Sports created? Where can one watch CBS Sports? What Channel is CBS sports on dish network? Who is a longtime CBS sports announcer? Did rob Morrison get fired from CBS?
Is CBS sports on top pak for dish? What channel is CBS sports network on Dish? What sports does the CBS Sportline cover? Does Charlie Sheen still play in two and a half men? What American television network owns CBS games? What channel cbssn for att uverse? When does fantasy baseball on CBS sports start?
Where can one find a list of sports scores online? Study Guides. Trending Questions. What is the fourth element of the periodic table of elements? What is a song that everyone likes but won't admit it? How did you make the transition into sportscasting? My dad loved football, baseball, wrestling, I competed in junior Olympics, we went to see my dad play baseball — all of his girls were his cheering squad!
So sports had always been a huge part of my life. I knew I could do the job, and I knew it would have been a passion project for me: to be able to work with all of these sports figures who had been my heroes. When I walked in, there were 15 girls there with blond hair and blue eyes, and then there was me. After I got back to LA, I got the call.
CBS was concerned, though, wondering what the southern affiliates would say, for example, because I was black. You were one of the first women, of any color, to be given a platform like that.
That was pre-Oprah TV! Now, women are calling sports all over the place, but that was not the case 40 years ago. Phyllis George was before me.
I asked CBS to give me training in that, and they declined. I asked whether I could come into the studio during my off time, because the shows were broadcast on Sundays, and they said no — they were not supportive of me in that role at all. It was extremely difficult. Print journalists hated the fact that TV broadcasters could get things out before them, so print journalists had two reasons to hate me. Every day was a challenge. I could have easily just ended up not believing in myself. My parents had always taught me to be strong, and to always believe in myself, so I never let it get to me.
The people who mattered to me were the players, the owners, the coaches — and they were all tremendously supportive. If I called owners for an interview, I got the interview. I called to get Joe Namath. CBS said they were doing it with Jayne Kennedy, and he was in!
Julius Erving had told the media that under no circumstances were they allowed into his home to do an interview, and CBS Sports Spectacular wanted an interview at his home. He called and finally agreed if I would do the interview. So those were the people who mattered to me. I understand that he was very supportive early on. He actually helped me get the job on NFL Today. I was initially signed to a six week contract.
CBS Sports Spectacular had been trying to get the post fight interview. I was in the studio one Friday, and overheard a conversation with CBS brass and their attorneys, strategizing about how they could secure the interview and the astronomical amount of money that it would cost IF they were successful. I told them to put me and a crew on a plane, and I would bring the interview back the next day. So they put us on a private jet down to New Orleans, and I called Mohammad and told him what I wanted.
He said he would leave a key to his suite at the hotel, and told me to meet him there immediately after the fight. I got my crew all set up in his suite, and when he walked in we were rolling. Clearly, you had a pre-existing relationship with Mohammad Ali. How and when did you meet him? I walked into a room packed with journalists and photographers. Mohammad Ali was sitting on the dresser, entertaining the way he always does.
We became friends and remained friends for a long time. I got permission from them when I was hired to continue as an actress during the down months. The bottom line was that they really wanted to get Phyllis George back on the desk.
At that time, she was married to the governor of the state of Kentucky, he was on the board of the Kentucky Derby, and CBS wanted to secure the broadcast rights to that event.
So it was all politics.
0コメント