Marsha Bemko - Antiques Roadshow Behind the Scenes: An Insiders Guide to Pbss #1 Weekly Show

BEHIND THE SCENES

An Insiders Guide to PBSs #1 Weekly Show

Marsha Bemko

Touchstone
A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright 2009 by WGBH Educational Foundation

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
For information address Touchstone Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Touchstone trade paperback edition December 2009
Published by arrangement with the Stonesong Press

TOUCHSTONE and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or business@simonandschuster.com.

The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event.
For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers
Bureau at 866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com .

Designed by Mada Design and produced by the Stonesong Press, LLC

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bemko, Marsha (Marsha Komins), 1955
Antiques Roadshow behind the scenes: an insiders guide to PBSs #1 weekly show/Marsha
Bemko.
p. cm.
A Fireside Book.
A Stonesong Press Book.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Antiques roadshow (Television program: U.S.) 2. AntiquesUnited States.
3. CollectiblesUnited States. I. Title.
NK1125 .B445 2010
745.1dc22 2009021847

ISBN 978-1-4391-0330-2
ISBN 978-1-4391-4913-3 (ebook)

Antiques Roadshow is a trademark of the BBC and is produced for PBS
by WGBH/Boston under license from BBC Worldwide.

PBSs #1 Weekly ShowSource: Nielsen NTI Special TV Ratings
for PBS Live+7 AA% regular programs 97/98 through 07/08 seasons.

Please see page 181 for photograph credits.

Dedicated to treasure hunters everywhere

With all the people who contribute to making Antiques Roadshow, Im bound to leave someone out and for this I apologize in advance.

Before I get to professional nods, I must start with my husband, Paul. In a superhuman feat, he humors my belief that he was my soldier in that bakery generations ago who took longer than expected to rescue me and proves daily that his love is true and pure. To my beautiful daughters, Michelle and Brittany, who gracefully tolerate Moms career, and my son, Morgan, who has always been a loving voice.

The staff is the soul of Roadshow; they are what make coming to work each day a treat. Bless Sam Farrell for reviewing every page and making excellent suggestions; Adam Monahan for endlessly checking the facts; Sarah Elliott, Jill Giles, Amy Santamaria, and Jeff Cronenberg for their review and rewrites. The rest of my longtime staff, who teach me to be a better person and producer: Brian Beenders, Kelsey Bresnahan, Luke Crafton, Erika Denn, Nina Farouk, Tiffany Henery-Brown, and Christina Pan. And my publicist, Judy Matthews: on top of being a gifted writer, her advice is solid.

The crew is dedicated and their contributions priceless. Our longtime veterans come back every year to sacrifice their summer and join the tour. Chas Norton, our lighting director, is so much more than the title explains, which doesnt reflect his year-round devotion or his attention to detail, including his invaluable assistance in preparing sections of this book.

My sincere thanks to Judy Linden, our editor at Stonesong; she navigated the waters to make one cohesive whole. To writers Dorothy Harris and Joe Rosson: they are brave souls who toured with us and weeded through complicated details to understand and articulate our story.

To our appraisers: All of them give so much and so graciously to Antiques Roadshow, WGBH, and PBS. Without their intelligence and contributions of timeand their willingness to pick up their own expensesit would be a very different Roadshow. And to all those appraisers who dont appear in this book, my apologies. With about 150 experts, including everyone was impossible.

WGBH is like my second home. I will always be indebted to Peter S. McGhee for believing in me and guiding my career. Margaret Drain, my vice president and supporter: her advice and gentle toughness is the juice I need. Mary Cahill Farella helped make the book possible. Peter B. Cook: thanks for teaching me Roadshow.

To everyone at PBS, in particular John F. Wilson for his advice and friendship, and to all the PBS stations for their coproduction help at every stop we make.

Thank you to Lara Spencer, my first host as executive producer. We cried together the day she told me she had to leave for another job but have stayed close and I treasure our friendship. To Mark L. Walberg, our host since Season 10 and my dear friend since that first week in Providence, Rhode Island. You make traveling fun, and the time we spend together is my favorite part of the dayespecially in hotels with Louise, balconies, and great views.

And of course, thank you to our guests who come to the events to be part of our cast. To the 110 folks in each city who volunteer their time: we really couldnt do it without you. Ultimately, the biggest thanks to you, our audience: without viewers like you, we wouldnt be here.

by Mark L. Walberg

I had just gotten off the plane in Wichita, Kansas and I was starving. After a short ride to the hotel and check-in, I began to figure out dinner. I knew what I wouldnt be eating anything I could have at home or at a national chain. That is my first hard and steadfast Roadshow rule: Never eat a meal you can get at home.

As if a prayer had been answered, I looked out of my hotel window to discover Lawrence-Dumont Stadium just across the river. The minor league Wichita Wingnuts were warming up and local fans were filing in from all directions. I could even hear the PA announcer inviting people to stay after the game for a fireworks show. Id found my dinner spot.

With a quick text, my associate producer Adam, cameraman Bob, and audio man Charlie, met me in the hotel lobby, and off we went to enjoy a warm Kansas summer night at the ballpark. It was truly a field of dreams. We bought seats at the door, met all the locals, ate hot dogs, drank beer, and watched the Wing-nuts manager throw a temper tantrum that had him ejected from the game. It made the national news and we were there in the third row! You see, wherever we go, we get to see great American historysometimes as its happening.

This is what I love about Antiques Roadshow. As we crisscross America, executive producer Marsha Bemko and I, and the rest of the gang, have found ourselves in numerous, uniquely American moments like this one. It may be that we are seekers of local flavor. Or maybe its that Antiques Roadshow