NBC page
Encyclopedia
An NBC page is a person usually in his or her early twenties working in various departments of the NBC
television network
during a one-year period as a training ground for careers in television
broadcasting and entertainment. In addition, pages work as tour guides and studio audience ushers at NBC Radio City Studios
in New York City
or NBC Universal
studios in Burbank, California
.
NBC began the page program in 1933 at its Rockefeller Center
headquarters, later expanding it to their west coast studios in Burbank. The Page Program is the longest running franchise under NBC. In the 1950s, NBC also offered page positions at their owned-and-operated station
s, such as WRC
in Washington, D.C.
where Today Show personality Willard Scott
was an NBC page.
Selection is said to be highly competitive, with only 60 to 80 pages selected a year out of over 7,000 applicants. Past pages describe the interview process as grueling, as the network seeks the best corporate image to present to the public. In addition to requiring candidates to be college graduates, NBC says it prefers those with "related broadcast experience such as a college campus radio station, demonstrated leadership, strong work ethic, and outgoing personality".
Pages regularly get to work on such programs as the Tonight Show and Saturday Night Live
. Pages also rotate through assignments in public relations (PR), marketing, development, and production in a variety of shows and special projects. Most pages go on to careers with NBC or other broadcast media and a number have become celebrities or leaders of the industry in their own right. Notable former NBC pages include:
The NBC sitcom 30 Rock
, produced by former Saturday Night Live
head writer Tina Fey
, portrays a zealous, smiling, do-good NBC page named Kenneth Parcell
(played by Jack McBrayer
), who appears as a page through the shows five seasons despite pages usually only being employed for a year. Throughout the show it has been hinted that Kenneth is actually immortal and has been working as a page since the 30's (an NBC personality from that period recognizes him, only for Kenneth to tell him he must be mistaken.)
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
during a one-year period as a training ground for careers in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcasting and entertainment. In addition, pages work as tour guides and studio audience ushers at NBC Radio City Studios
NBC Radio City Studios
NBC Radio City Studios is the name given to radio and television studio complexes in New York's Rockefeller Center, San Francisco, and the former radio-TV complex located at the northeast corner of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, California....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
or NBC Universal
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
studios in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
.
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
headquarters, later expanding it to their west coast studios in Burbank. The Page Program is the longest running franchise under NBC. In the 1950s, NBC also offered page positions at their owned-and-operated station
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
s, such as WRC
WRC-TV
WRC-TV, channel 4, is an owned and operated television station of the NBC television network, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
where Today Show personality Willard Scott
Willard Scott
Willard Herman Scott, Jr. is an American media personality and author best known for his television work on NBC's The Today Show and as the creator of the Ronald McDonald character.-Early years:...
was an NBC page.
Selection is said to be highly competitive, with only 60 to 80 pages selected a year out of over 7,000 applicants. Past pages describe the interview process as grueling, as the network seeks the best corporate image to present to the public. In addition to requiring candidates to be college graduates, NBC says it prefers those with "related broadcast experience such as a college campus radio station, demonstrated leadership, strong work ethic, and outgoing personality".
Pages regularly get to work on such programs as the Tonight Show and Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. Pages also rotate through assignments in public relations (PR), marketing, development, and production in a variety of shows and special projects. Most pages go on to careers with NBC or other broadcast media and a number have become celebrities or leaders of the industry in their own right. Notable former NBC pages include:
- Comedian and songwriter Steve AllenSteve AllenSteve Allen may refer to:*Steve Allen , American musician, comedian, and writer*Steve Allen , presenter on the London-based talk radio station LBC 97.3...
- Weather forecaster Tex AntoineTex AntoineHerbert Jon Antoine, Jr. , known professionally as Tex Antoine, was an American weatherman on New York City television for nearly three decades.-Biography and early career:...
- TV Producer and personality Chuck BarrisChuck BarrisCharles Hirsch "Chuck" Barris is an American game show producer, film director and presenter best known for hosting The Gong Show and creating The Dating Game. Barris, a survivor of lung cancer, is also an author and claims to have worked for the CIA.-Early career:Barris was born in Oakland, New...
- Former Disney CEO Michael EisnerMichael EisnerMichael Dammann Eisner is an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until 2005.-Early life:...
- Today Show host Dave GarrowayDave GarrowayDavid Cunningham "Dave" Garroway was the founding host of NBC's Today from 1952 to 1961. His easygoing, relaxed, and relaxing style belied a battle with depression that may have contributed to the end of his days as a leading television personality—and, eventually, his life...
- Actress Kate JacksonKate JacksonKate Jackson is an American actress, director, and producer, perhaps best known for her role as Sabrina Duncan in the popular 1970s television series Charlie's Angels...
- Captain KangarooCaptain KangarooCaptain Kangaroo is a children's television series which aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for nearly 30 years, from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running children's television program of its day...
Bob KeeshanBob KeeshanRobert James "Bob" Keeshan was an American television producer and actor. He is most notable as the title character of the children's television program Captain Kangaroo, which became an icon for millions of people during its 30-year run from 1955 to 1984.Keeshan also played the original... - Television personality Stu KerrStu KerrThomas Stewart Kerr, more familiarly known to audiences as Stu Kerr , was a Baltimore, Maryland, television personality who developed and hosted a number of programs on Baltimore television from 1952 through the 1980s...
- ABC-TVAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
newsman Ted KoppelTed KoppelEdward James "Ted" Koppel is an English-born American broadcast journalist, best known as the anchor for Nightline from the program's inception in 1980 until his retirement in late 2005. After leaving Nightline, Koppel worked as managing editor for the Discovery Channel before resigning in 2008... - Actor and singer Gordon MacRaeGordon MacRaeGordon MacRae was an American actor and singer, best known for his appearances in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! and Carousel and films with Doris Day like Starlift.-Early life:Born Albert Gordon MacRae in East Orange, New Jersey, MacRae graduated from...
- Whitest Kids U KnowWhitest Kids U KnowThe Whitest Kids U' Know is an American sketch comedy troupe and television program of the same name. The group consists of Trevor Moore, Sam Brown, Zach Cregger, Timmy Williams and Darren Trumeter, though other actors occasionally appear in their sketches. They were accepted into the HBO U.S...
comedian Trevor MooreTrevor MooreTrevor Paul Moore is an American actor, comedian, writer, and director best known as a founding member of the New York City-based comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U' Know, who had their own sketch comedy series on IFC which ran for five seasons... - TV personality Regis PhilbinRegis PhilbinRegis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...
- Game show host Gene RayburnGene RayburnGene Rayburn was an American radio and television personality. He is best known as the host of various editions of the popular American television game show Match Game for over two decades....
- Actress Eva Marie SaintEva Marie SaintEva Marie Saint is an American actress who has starred in films, on Broadway, and on television in a career spanning seven decades. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama film On the Waterfront , and later starred in the thriller film North by...
- Today personality Willard ScottWillard ScottWillard Herman Scott, Jr. is an American media personality and author best known for his television work on NBC's The Today Show and as the creator of the Ronald McDonald character.-Early years:...
- TV personality Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is an American actor known for his starring roles in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and The F.B.I. He is also known as recurring character "Dandy Jim Buckley" in the series Maverick and as the voice behind the character Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: The Animated Series...
- Director and producer James W. "Jim" CaseJames W. "Jim" CaseJames W. "Jim" Case is a University of Denver graduate who worked for NBC, CBS and various other media organizations throughout his career. He is most notable for his involvement in the 1959 KRMA-TV series, The Ragtime Era, which he directed during his time with the station...
- Producer/writer and NYC television host Clay ColeClay ColeClay Cole was an American host and disk jockey, best known for his eponymous television dance program, The Clay Cole Show, which aired in New York City on WNTA-TV and WPIX-TV from 1959 to 1968.-Origins:...
- Actress and Comedienne Aubrey Plaza
- NBC's TODAY Show correspondent Sara HainesSara HainesSara Hilary Haines is a web correspondent at NBC's Today Show, a position she has held since May 2009....
The NBC sitcom 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, produced by former Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
head writer Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
, portrays a zealous, smiling, do-good NBC page named Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
(played by Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
), who appears as a page through the shows five seasons despite pages usually only being employed for a year. Throughout the show it has been hinted that Kenneth is actually immortal and has been working as a page since the 30's (an NBC personality from that period recognizes him, only for Kenneth to tell him he must be mistaken.)