About WKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati is an American workplace sitcom created by Hugh Wilson that aired on CBS from 1978 to 1982. The series is set at WKRP, a struggling AM radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio, that switches its format from easy listening to rock music in an attempt to climb out of the ratings cellar. The change in direction throws together a mismatched group of employees, from earnest professionals to oddball personalities, and most of the comedy grows out of their daily efforts to keep the underdog station on the air.
The ensemble centers on the station's staff. Newly arrived program director Andy Travis is hired to turn WKRP around, working under amiable but befuddled general manager Arthur Carlson, whose mother actually owns the station. The on-air talent includes burned-out morning DJ Johnny Fever and smooth overnight jock Venus Flytrap, while news director Les Nessman delivers his bulletins with self-serious gravity despite a string of comic mishaps. Rounding out the office are ambitious sales manager Herb Tarlek, glamorous receptionist Jennifer Marlowe, and eager young assistant Bailey Quarters.
Although it was built around broad character comedy, WKRP also wove in topical and dramatic storylines unusual for sitcoms of its era, touching on subjects such as concert safety, payola, censorship, and workplace dignity. The show is best remembered for the Thanksgiving episode Turkeys Away, in which the station drops live turkeys from a helicopter as a promotional stunt, culminating in Carlson's bewildered line, As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly. The episode is frequently cited among the greatest in television comedy history.
WKRP in Cincinnati struggled in the ratings during its original run, in part because CBS repeatedly moved it around the schedule, and it was canceled after four seasons. The series nonetheless developed a devoted following and thrived for years in syndication, where its sharp writing and beloved cast earned lasting affection. Its enduring popularity later inspired the syndicated sequel The New WKRP in Cincinnati, which ran from 1991 to 1993 and brought back several original cast members.