WIUS David Letterman NYC Hitchhiking Trip, October 1980
Letterman 04 1980-10-13
In 1980, 3 members of WIUS Student Radio at Indiana University (Mike Conway, Jeff L. Nance, Bob Rouse) hitchhiked from Bloomington to New York City to protest the possible cancellation of David Letterman’s NBC Morning Program. They left on Friday, 10/10/80 made it to NBC’s Rockefeller Center in time for the Monday, October 13, 1980 program.
They brought along an audio cassette recorder to keep an audio record of their trip. This is a compilation of the trip.
00:08 From Monument Circle in Indianapolis,
Jeff L. Nance interviews Randy Brown about the Letterman cancellation
01:02 Indy City Market. Libby’s Delicatessen. Nance is interviewing people at the market
Maybe he’s in the wrong time slot.
02:40 11th & Delaware in Indy. Crew is waiting for a ride at 5pm.
03:20 20 miles East of Indy, Mt. Comfort Road & I-70
04:03 7:50pm. Still on Mt. Comfort overpass on I-70 waiting for a ride. Getting cold
05:23 Mack’s Steakhouse in Greefield. Ordering dinner.
06:09 2.5 hours outside of Columbus, OH. In car with someone who picked us up.
-He is giving advice on how to get on the Letterman show
07:40 Crew is in Ohio. 1:15am. Dire Straits playing on car radio
100 miles to Columbus
08:35 Guy who picked us up. Ephraim Grail. Reporter & producer WNUR at Northwestern
University in Evanston. We were trying to call the Columbus rock station to get us on the
air
09:34 In Columbus, OH at 4:05am. Ephraim dropped them off and they are on side of
interstate waiting on next ride
10:14 Outside a truckstop, 20 miles outside of Columbus, OH. Looking for another ride
11:00 Just outside Wooster, OH. Last person who picked them up almost killed them all. He
would swerve onto the shoulder of the road to run over roadkill, saying “If I don’t get
them, they’ll get me.”
11:40 Guy who picked up crew is talking. He is going to drop us off at a truck stop. Driving very
Fast & squeals tires as he turns. Crew just wants to get out.
14:30 Crew is still alive. On the side of the interstate. Last ride was with Cecil. Small old man.
They’ve only had about 15 minutes
15:45 11:47am at Mansfield Ohio. Crew is cold & no one is stopping
***** sound desperate, they decide to dance to get someone to stop
17:15 Mansfield OH
17:35 Jeff Nance is calling a radio station trying to get on the air to get a ride.
Crew has been on I-71 for half the time. Tried to get a bus to Youngstown but it leaves
too late. Need a ride to I-80
19:15 WIUS Good time on the road. What a great idea to hitchhike. Still in Mansfield, OH
20:11 Went to a radio station in Mansfield, OH, WCLW. They wouldn’t help and made them
leave the station
21:02 Outside Akron, OH in Randolph, OH. 45 minutes from PA border. Having 7ups at home of
Debbie Kadikis who picked them up.
21:25 it’s raining and almost to PA. 10:22pm. Hoping to be in PA by midnight
Charles Kuralt look out, we’re on the road
22:55 Outside of Youngstown, we were picked up by a guy named Bob. A sailor. Pretty loaded.
23:50 Bob is excited because we pulled out the tape recorder so he drove us farther
24:20 Datsun w/ a camper picked them up.. Bob and Jeff in back, Mike in front w/ driver
2:30am
25:15 Guy took them all the way to 60 miles from NYC. While Bob/Jeff slept for 8 hours
-dropped them off on Highway 87 at restaurant
26:02 Trying to get to Newburgh, NY where we can get a bus to Manhattan
27:05 We are near a rest area in Newburgh, NY. Cop made us leave the highway
-looks like it’ll rain
28:00 At Luis’s restaurant. 11:13a 10/12/80. 32 & 20 intersection. 3 chocolate milkshakes.
29:05 WIUS live interview on Feedback program. Crew is in Holiday Inn on 57th Street in
Manhattan
Crew walked 15 miles before getting to city
29:57 Holiday Inn is only a few blocks from NBC. Comes in real clear on TV.
Cokes are 60 cents in the machine
Crew has been able to take showers at the Holiday Inn
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33:40 12:30, October 13. In the office of David Letterman
Lee Chernick. -we’re in the “pit.” 5 people in one room
-she works on production staff
Tim does cue cards. Explains how it works
36:00 Nance describes the “pit” of the David Letterman
36:14 Interview with Barbara Gaines. She puts the script together
-I started as a receptionist and am now production assistant
37:50 George Callahan. I try to keep order. Working with younger people
39:00 Chrissy Francis. Music coordinator for David Letterman.
-arguing with Barbara Gaines.
-I book whoever sings on the show. She is from Sussex, outside London
-met David Letterman at the Comedy Store in LA.
-she might have a job with Johnny Carson
-Letterman’s nickname is “Big Guy”
42:30 Crew calling in to WIUS in Bloomington. Bob Rouse. Says we were just at NBC, 14th floor,
room 416. Took us to lunch at Hurley’s for $106 bill
catching an 8pm bus back to Bloomington
-crew unraveled the petition they carried with them.
*****
44:20 David Letterman calls the WIUS Morning Company program on Wednesday, 10/15/80
45:15 He’s going to travel the country in a reprise of Carousel
46:30 taking the show to Iowa….on the air next week
47:25 how they chose the home to do the show from
49:00 he’s not planning anything special for the final show
49:30 he was admitted with probation to IU so instead went to Ball State where he was
admitted with honors.
Sigma Chi
50:14 petition given to Fred Silverman
51:00 he appreciates the effort.
51:30 getting the best hookers in NYC
52:05 end