Honoring a Mentor

TRIBUTE: I have to thank a gentleman journalist, the late great George Watson, for two important moves in my career as a television news producer.

(George H.W. Bush & ABC News producer David Guilbault on the Bush 1980 campaign)

It was 1980. I was a field producer for ABC News out of Washington. I was covering the first presidential campaign of George Herbert Walker Bush. I started out producing our correspondent Bernard Shaw. These were the days when network news organizations covered presidential candidates every day, every night, all day, all night. Our small cadre of Bush staff and press flew around on a small plane dubbed ‘Asterisk One,’ as Bush at that time was only an asterisk in the polls.

(Bernie Shaw, David Guilbault & CBS cameraman Robert Tutman)

We were up-close-and-personal with the candidate, as we hit several campaign stops most every day, by plane, bus & motorcade, in multiple cities and multiple states.

(George H. W. Bush, Bernard Shaw, Susan Morrison & unknown)

The days began before dawn when the Secret Service came by our hotel rooms to have our luggage sniffed and checked. Then it was go, go, go all day long - to the bus, to the plane, to the motorcade, to the venue, to the motorcade, to the bus, to the plane, to the next city, to the motorcade, to the event, to the …. You get the point.

Sometime late afternoon, if we had a story to file, Bernie and I would break off from the press caravan (we were the ‘press’ then, not the ‘media’), rush to a ‘feed point’ set up in advance by the Assignment Desk, screen video tapes, compare notes, write a script, confer with the show producers, record a narration, edit the story and feed the report to NY for “World News Tonight.”

When all that was done, we had to find transportation, again with the help of the Assignment Desk, catch up to the campaign wherever they had traveled to that evening, and get to bed sometime after midnight. In our absence, the stellar team of correspondent Susan King and producer Ann McFarlane would continue covering the candidate and file a late story for “Good Morning America.”

(ABC News producer Ann MacFarlane on the 1980 Bush campaign)

That routine, for all of us, repeated itself day in and day out. It was grueling and exhilarating, exhausting and educational, life-affirming and career-changing. It was important work. I was privileged and honored to have worked with amazingly professional and creative crews of reporters, producers, engineers, camera operators, sound recordists, lighting technicians, tape editors, assignment desks and show producers.

(ABC News cameraman George Romily and sound technician Bob Bender)

But, back to the developing story. Early in the campaign Bernie left ABC News for a yet-to-be inaugurated 24-hour news network. (That’s where this story is headed.) He was replaced for the duration with correspondent Brit Hume.

(Bernie Shaw on the Bush 1980 campaign)

(Brit Hume on the Bush 1980 campaign)

Other network correspondents with us on the campaign trail over that year of 1980 were Richard Roth (CBS), Bob Jameison (NBC), Linda Ellerbee (NBC), Susan King (ABC), Tom Pettit (NBC), Jim Wooten (ABC), Steve Bell (ABC) and Diane Sawyer (CBS). Quite an accomplished roster of television reporters. What an education in journalism.

(Bob Jameison, Richard Roth, Bernard Shaw)

(Susan King, Diane Sawyer, Brit Hume)

(Linda Ellerbee, Brit Hume)

(Richard Roth, Brit Hume, Diane Sawyer)

(George H. W. Bush campaigning 1980)

Here’s where the story takes a turn. George Watson was the Washington Bureau Chief for ABC News in 1980. George was a veteran foreign correspondent, an accomplished journalist and a real gentleman.

(George Watson, ABC Photo Archives)

George decided to leave ABC News to take an executive position with a new endeavor, a yet-to-be seen 24-hour news network, which was being derided by executives at the three current news networks as ‘Chicken Noodle Network.’ As you all probably know, this was CNN, the brainchild of visionary cable entrepreneur Ted Turner in Atlanta. The man who said he was “cable before cable was cool,” had just conjured Cable News Network. Previously, the only experience Turner had in news was a newscast on his wrestling channel that featured a comedian and a dog. For established journalists, leaving a network and signing up with this nascent CNN was certainly considered foolhardy.

(Bernard Shaw at CNN)

So, now, both Bernie Shaw and George Watson had gone to CNN. Soon to follow would be ABC News network correspondent Don Farmer. I had worked with Don on a special series of reports on the Catholic Church. I was very proud of that series. And I was really impressed with Don as a reporter and writer. He was incredibly smart and organized. We worked well together.

To my surprise, I was contacted by Farmer to ask if I’d like to produce the two-hour, live, news, interview and information program he was going to anchor with his journalist wife, Chris Curle. I think this was Don’s idea, but my recruitment was clearly pushed by George and Bernie. I had never produced a live television show in my life. But, I knew I could do it. And, presumably, so did Watson & Shaw & Farmer.

Before considering taking the jump to an unknown job in an unfamiliar city for an untried news network, I sought advice from our new Bureau Chief in Washington, Carl Bernstein, of Watergate fame. Bernstein didn’t know me from Adam. He told me I should stay. It was hollow advice. Ted Koppel, who counseled me in a hallway, said I should go.

It should be noted that I was doing the work of a full field producer on the Bush campaign, as I had been doing for “World News Tonight” for quite some time. However, my title was only Production Associate, not Producer, or even Associate Producer. I had gotten a lot of head pats and kudos for my work, but no promotion. If I went to CNN, I would be an original Senior Producer. I jumped at the opportunity.

(Don Farmer at “Take Two”)

And so I became the Senior Producer of “Take Two.” It was an incredible experience. I came into my own. With a staff of about a half-dozen, including our anchors, we put out a show that rivaled the network morning shows, which had staffs in the hundreds. As I have mentioned in a previous post, I was blessed to work with anchors Don & Chris, producer Louise O’Neill Vance, producer Elissa Free, booker Gail Evans and director Guy Pepper. We were indeed a great team. It was one hell of a creative and collaborative enterprise.

(David Guilbault, Chris Curle, Louise O’Neill Vance, Don Farmer, Guy Pepper)

But, the story doesn’t end here, either. After a little more than a year’s tenure, George Watson left CNN to return to ABC News. There, he took it upon himself to woo me back to my original home. The enticement? I would be a Senior Producer at ABC News and would be given a show.

I was 18 months into a 2-year CNN contract. I asked to be let out early. That request was denied by CNN president Reese Schonfeld, who was a fan of mine, and who instead promoted me to Executive Producer and moved me to the CNN Washington bureau. George Watson said he would wait for me. What an ego boost.

I bided my time there and then returned to ABC News when the CNN contract expired. If I recall correctly (always an iffy proposition with my failing memory), I was at Cape Canaveral producing live coverage of an early Space Shuttle launch for CNN when I got the ABC News contract, signed it and mailed it.

(David Guilbault in a Space Shuttle mockup at Cape Canaveral)

So, once again, George Watson was instrumental in a major & important career move. This all comes to mind because George sadly passed away this week at the age of 86. I will always be grateful to this dear man who was truly honest, forthright and wise.

George Watson, Longtime ABC News Washington Bureau Chief, Dies at 86 

George was hoping that when I returned to the flock I would produce a Sunday program on religion, spirituality & culture. I wound up initially producing the ABC News Weekend News with Sam Donaldson, Tom Jarriel and Carole Simpson. Thereafter, I was a Senior Producer out of New York for “The Last Word,” a short-lived live interview show following “Nightline,” and then Senior Producer for Special Projects for “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings.”

(David Guilbault at “The Last Word”)

CNN’s president Reese Schonfeld said that CNN was like the slide on a Parcheesi game board for me - I slid my way up a couple of career positions. He was right. But, it was George Watson who helped push that game piece.

Thank you, George. I owe so much to you. Rest in Peace.