| The Wilton North Report | |
|---|---|
| Developed by | Fox Television Network |
| Presented by | Phil Cowan Paul Robins |
| Narrated by | Michael Hanks Don Morrow |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 21 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 Minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Fox |
| Original run | December 11, 1987 – January 8, 1988 |
The Wilton North Report was Fox's second attempt at a regular late-night show, replacing The Late Show. The series premiered on December 11, 1987 and ended four weeks later, on January 8, 1988.
The announcer for the first two weeks of the show was Michael Hanks. He was replaced by Don Morrow for the final two weeks.
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As first conceived, Wilton North's opening segment, which was planned to be its signature segment, would review the day's news using actual footage, then comment on it in a funny, hard-hitting fashion.[1] Shows that follow a similar premise today include Comedy Central staple The Daily Show and the CBC-produced This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
The show's name derives from the Fox Television Center's location at the time on the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and North Wilton Place.
However, less than a week before the show was to debut, producer Barry Sand cut that opening segment – with the result that by the time the show made it to air, its own cast and crew had difficulty articulating what the show was even trying to do.[2]
Creative differences occurred between the show's hosts (Phil Cowan and Paul Robins, morning drive-time deejays from Sacramento with limited television experience), Sand, and the writers. Cowan and Robins thought the writers' material was too sophisticated for mass audiences and frequently not very funny; Sand, a former producer for Late Night with David Letterman, wanted Cowan and Robins to stop sounding so shrill. Also, the writers were never comfortable writing for Cowan and Robins, who they considered less than erudite.[1] The program's cast also included Nancy Collins, Greg Jackson, and Wayne Satz as interviewers, Paul Krassner as a commentator, and Jack LaLanne as a health and fitness reporter.
Even naming the show in the first place was difficult. Fox wasn't thrilled with Nightcap, a take on ABC's late-night newsmagazine Nightline. Due to that, the writers came up with about 200 more possible names. One writer, Lane Sarasohn, noting that the show was taped in the Wilton North Building, submitted The Wilton North Report because it sounded like The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour.[1]
Near the end of the run, the show was to completely change its format to showing real-life videos (mini-documentaries) with Krassner introducing them and discussing them with Cowan and Robins. On January 1, he (as "practice") discussed the highlights of 1987, with a possible permanent position the following Monday.
However, Fox affiliates wanted the show cancelled immediately, and the program's demise was announced on January 5, with four episodes left.
One of the show's writers went on to better things. Future Late Night and The Tonight Show host Conan O'Brien figured it was a good experience doing "service on a ship that sank." He also was able to practice his stand up techniques by occasionally warming up the crowd.
The Wilton North Report was cancelled after 21 episodes, although Fox had originally planned to give it a year. Sand would go on to another failed series, House Party with Steve Doocy. Cowan and Robins went on to appear as "The Answer Guys" alongside host Richard Hart on the television series The Next Step (aka NextStep), a magazine show about new technology on San Francisco's KRON-TV which eventually went national on the Discovery Channel. They later became the show's hosts, for which they were nominated for a Cable Ace award and won two regional Emmys.
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