Reviews for From Saturday night to Sunday night : my forty years of laughter, tears, and touchdowns in TV

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The celebrated TV executive reflects on his illustrious career. From co-creating Saturday Night Live with Lorne Michaels to his lengthy tenure as head of NBC Sports, leading Olympics coverage and creating Football Night in America, among other notable achievements, Ebersol (b. 1947) enjoyed a remarkably successful run working in the TV industry. The author entertainingly recounts inside stories about working in this fast-paced environment, especially as the business of televising live sporting events was rapidly building into a lucrative, global enterprise. After his early apprenticeship as an Olympics researcher, Ebersol landed the enviable role of assistant to “the legendary” Roone Arledge at ABC Sports. “Roone was my original model of what a leader and innovator looked like in the media world,” writes the author. “As a visionary, he was brilliant and ambitious, forever hungry for the next great idea, ever unwilling to compromise. And just as important, as a manager, he was always willing to rely on the star members of his team to see his plans through.” Ebersol provides countless examples of how Arledge’s key strengths would influence his ambitions and decisions and help mold his own leadership style. The author is an amiable storyteller, and he shares lively insights into the negotiations and personal dynamics that helped shape the many blockbuster business deals that transpired throughout his career, whether they involved the NFL, NBA, or professional wrestling. Along the way, he offers numerous sketches of a nice variety of larger-than-life personalities that crossed his path, from Michaels and Eddie Murphy to John Madden, Michael Phelps, and Peyton Manning. Ever the diplomatic executive, Ebersol resists making negative comments about anyone within these pages. On the personal side, he writes affectionately of his enduring marriage to actor Susan St. James and recounts the tragic details of a 2004 plane crash in which he lost his youngest son, Teddy, and suffered his own serious injuries. Engaging insights into the business of televising live events, with special appeal for sports enthusiasts. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The celebrated TV executive reflects on his illustrious career.From co-creating Saturday Night Live with Lorne Michaels to his lengthy tenure as head of NBC Sports, leading Olympics coverage and creating Football Night in America, among other notable achievements, Ebersol (b. 1947) enjoyed a remarkably successful run working in the TV industry. The author entertainingly recounts inside stories about working in this fast-paced environment, especially as the business of televising live sporting events was rapidly building into a lucrative, global enterprise. After his early apprenticeship as an Olympics researcher, Ebersol landed the enviable role of assistant to the legendary Roone Arledge at ABC Sports. Roone was my original model of what a leader and innovator looked like in the media world, writes the author. As a visionary, he was brilliant and ambitious, forever hungry for the next great idea, ever unwilling to compromise. And just as important, as a manager, he was always willing to rely on the star members of his team to see his plans through. Ebersol provides countless examples of how Arledges key strengths would influence his ambitions and decisions and help mold his own leadership style. The author is an amiable storyteller, and he shares lively insights into the negotiations and personal dynamics that helped shape the many blockbuster business deals that transpired throughout his career, whether they involved the NFL, NBA, or professional wrestling. Along the way, he offers numerous sketches of a nice variety of larger-than-life personalities that crossed his path, from Michaels and Eddie Murphy to John Madden, Michael Phelps, and Peyton Manning. Ever the diplomatic executive, Ebersol resists making negative comments about anyone within these pages. On the personal side, he writes affectionately of his enduring marriage to actor Susan St. James and recounts the tragic details of a 2004 plane crash in which he lost his youngest son, Teddy, and suffered his own serious injuries.Engaging insights into the business of televising live events, with special appeal for sports enthusiasts. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Publishers Weekly
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NBC sports producer Ebersol reminisces on an extraordinary career in his thoroughly entertaining debut. The Connecticut native’s life changed when his father encouraged him, in 1964, to take a high school exchange program in France, where, while watching the Le Mans Race, he wandered into the tent of ABC’s Wide World of Sports and his first industry gig (as a gofer). Ebersol continued his broadcasting career by taking a job as ABC’s first Olympic researcher while in college at Yale, where, he learned a rule that took him far: “Do not ever be afraid to ask a question... figure it out and get it right.” From covering the Olympics and jet-setting around the globe, launching Saturday Night Live at NBC with Lorne Michaels, betting big on the NBA, and overseeing the astronomical rise of NFL broadcasting, Ebersol has plenty of stories, full of familiar names in sports and media. He weaves in lighthearted anecdotes of youthful exploits with scenes of raising his family, the vicissitudes of a long career, and tragic moments (including the death of his son Teddy, in a plane crash). Ebersol’s thoughtful account transcends a simple “best of” entertainment biz highlights reel. Told with grace and heart, this is an exhilarating outing for any sports fan. Agent: Robert Barnett. Williams & Connolly. (Sept.)


Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

With a career ranging from co-creating Saturday Night Live with Lorne Michaels to heading up NBC Sports to lofting overhead an Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement, TV executive Ebersol can offer an insider's view on decades of television history. With a 50,000-copy first printing.


Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Ebersol may be the consummate television executive and his memoir is a love letter to a life and career well lived. He started at ABC when he was only 19, flying around the world researching athletes' stories for the 1968 Olympics. Moving to NBC in 1974, he created Saturday Night Live with Lorne Michaels, was its sole producer during the Eddie Murphy and Billy Crystal years, met and married actress Susan Saint James, and eventually became president of NBC Sports. From the NBA to NBC's work with the Olympics, he features memorable personalities such as his mentor Roone Arledge, Jim McKay, Brandon Tartikoff, and David Stern. There's a fascinating chapter on negotiating the rights to the 2000 Sydney Games, and the book could easily serve as a primer on how to be an executive, as Ebersol had an artful way of dealing with crises and managing professional relationships. On the personal side, he includes a touching tribute to his son Teddy, who died at the age of 14 in a 2004 plane crash that also gravely injured Dick and another son. VERDICT An insightful look into the inner workings of television and televised sports by an absolute professional.—Peter Thornell

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