In the relatively young industry of television, there are many pioneers. But Joe Franklin, who passed away just over a week ago, still stands out among them. For an industry that thrives on a steady supply of new talent, Franklin provided a gateway for much of that talent, through his pioneering TV talk show and the dozens, if not hundreds, of imitators that followed him.
What was unique about Franklin, however, and what separated him from his many imitators, is the fact that he would give almost anyone a chance to make his or her claim to 15 minutes of fame. And he did this on television for over 40 years, and continued to do this on radio after his TV show ended. Perhaps what he did was best put into perspective by Al Pacino, who once asked Franklin, "Joe, why don't you interview me now that I'm somebody? You interviewed me when I was nobody." That quote can be found in the linked article, which also mentions some of the other "nobodies" that Franklin took a chance on, such as Bruce Springsteen, Woody Allen and Dustin Hoffman.
Of course, part of the value of Franklin's show is the now-greatly diminished power of broadcasting in the age of the Internet. Perhaps it's not a coincidence that Franklin's television show, as also noted in the article, went off the air in 1994. That was about the time that the World Wide Web, with not a little help from Al Gore, began its march to world-wide media supremacy. And it is in part because of that supremacy that a show like Franklin's, with its talent range and audience reach, is probably no longer possible.
The Web is a world in which anyone and everyone can not only create content, but distribute it as well. It is therefore one in which there are as many consumers as their are producers. And, in such a world, it becomes harder and harder to find an audience, because there is no longer any such thing as a mass audience--or even, for that matter, sizable audiences that get their fill of various forms of content from a handful of sources. The closest things we now have to shows like Franklin's are search engines and so-called "aggregator" Web sites, such as Broadway Stars for theater folks like myself. In this regard, it's worth noting that much of legacy print and broadcast media still plays a role in organizing Web content through their own Internet sites.
But a quick click on a Web link is not the same thing as sitting down for 30 minutes or more with Franklin and his unpredictable series of guests, and actually seeing and hearing them talk and perform. Broadcast television, for all of its faults, was a medium that demanded more patience, and a greater investment of time and attention, than the Internet, with its wow-me-in-five-seconds-or-I'm off-to-the-next-link structure and pace.
For that reason, I suspect that there are a large number of talented artists--actors, filmmakers, singers, songwriters, sketch artists, and so on--as well as other potential figures of public interest who may never get that 15 minutes or more that they deserve. In many cases, even if they do get it, the road to success in an age of fractured audiences and shortened attention spans may be far longer than it was in Franklin's heyday. It took the late Robin Williams only an episode or two of "Mork & Mindy" to become a superstar; it may take us a lot longer to find the next Robin Williams. Or for that matter, to find a way in this day and age to promote talent effectively, both for the talent and their potential audiences.
In the meantime, rest in peace, Joe, and thanks for being a gateway to talent. One hopes, hopefully not in vain, that someone else will find a way to be a 21st-century version of you.
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