| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| HTA ID | HTA-0415 |
| Title | PM Magazine — Premiere Episode and First Anniversary Special |
| Date | January 29, 1979 (Premiere) / January 29, 1980 (Anniversary) |
| Date Confidence | High (Cronkite signs off "Tuesday, January 30th, 1979" — premiere aired the night before) |
| Program | PM Magazine |
| Station | WDVM Channel 9, Washington DC |
| Duration | ~50:00+ (two full episodes combined) |
| Format | Full episodes — premiere + anniversary retrospective |
This file contains two historically significant complete episodes of PM Magazine: the very first broadcast (January 29, 1979) and the first anniversary special (January 29, 1980).
THE PREMIERE (Episode 1):
Henry Tenenbaum and Susan Goldwater introduce PM Magazine for the first time. Susan coaxes a nervous Henry onto camera. They establish the show's concept: "a new and different kind of program for Washington" — television taken out of the studios, on location every night in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington.
The premiere story is about Finley's Boxing Gym — a tiny, break-even venture above Finley's Auto Service Center at 10th and East Streets NE. The piece profiles "Captain" Ken Stribling, a retired fighter (lost to Jake LaMotta in a 1949 title shot) who now voluntarily coaches ex-inmates, including the nation's fourth-ranked welterweight, Johnny Gant. Captain believes keeping men in the ring keeps them out of prison.
The premiere also includes a Walter Cronkite interview — Henry visits Cronkite during a Washington trip. Cronkite discusses his power and influence ("I'm impotent — I couldn't use it if I wanted to"), calls himself a "Walter Mitty" who imagines himself commanding a submarine every time he enters the CBS building.
THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY (Episode 2):
Henry (now solo — Susan Goldwater has left for California) hosts from Jones Point, where DC, Virginia, and Maryland converge. The episode looks back at the first year with clips, outtakes, and favorite moments. References include:
- The Lincoln Memorial underground caverns
- Diana McClellan ("The Ear" gossip columnist)
- Max Robinson's transition from Channel 9 to ABC anchor desk
- Warner Wolf's "Boo of the Week"
- Walter Cronkite interview (replayed)
- Billy Carter throwing up on the BBC microphone
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| People | Henry Tenenbaum (host), Susan Goldwater (co-host, premiere only), Walter Cronkite, Ken "Captain" Stribling (boxing trainer), Johnny Gant (welterweight boxer), Jake LaMotta (referenced), Jim Finley (gym owner), Max Robinson, Warner Wolf, Diana McClellan, Billy Joel (referenced), Billy Carter (referenced) |
| Organizations | PM Magazine, WDVM Channel 9, CBS News, ABC News, Finley's Boxing Gym |
| Locations | Finley's Boxing Gym (10th & East Streets NE, DC), Jones Point (DC/VA/MD convergence), Lincoln Memorial, CBS Washington bureau |
| Subjects | Television premiere, boxing, journalism, media power, career retrospective |
| Themes | New beginnings, the promise of local television, redemption through discipline, the first year |
| Keywords | PM Magazine premiere, Susan Goldwater, Finley's Boxing Gym, Captain Stribling, Walter Cronkite, first anniversary, Jones Point, WDVM |
| Career Period | PM Magazine, WDVM Channel 9 — INAUGURAL EPISODE |
"Well, I'm a little nervous." / "Don't be nervous. Come on." — Henry and Susan, opening moments
"This is a new and different kind of program for Washington. As you can see, we've taken television out of the studios." — Susan Goldwater, premiere
"I'm impotent. I couldn't use it if I wanted to." — Walter Cronkite, on his supposed power
"Every time I go through [the revolving door], I say, 'All right, Lieutenant, take her down.' I've been on my submarine for the day." — Cronkite, on being a Walter Mitty
"I hit this guy on the chin with my Sunday best, and all he did was... Man, that guy was a human gorilla." — Captain Stribling, on fighting Jake LaMotta
"I'm eating prouder, because they stay out of trouble." — Captain Stribling, on his fighters
"That pretty lady, that's Susan Goldwater. She left us to go to California. And the guy with the blue nose — that was me, one year ago." — Henry, anniversary episode
Source: PM MAGAZINE/PM Premiere and First ANNIVERSARY.mp4 (Dropbox)
VIDEO ANALYSIS STATUS: File too large (2.3 GB) for automated video analysis tool. Visual analysis pending manual review or file segmentation.
Expected visuals from transcript context:
- Henry and Susan's first on-camera moment together (Henry nervous)
- Finley's Boxing Gym — cramped room above auto body shop, speedbags, jump ropes, fighters training
- Captain Stribling coaching fighters
- Walter Cronkite in Washington — the most trusted man in America
- Anniversary: Jones Point waterfront location, clips from first year, outtakes
This is the origin story of PM Magazine in Washington — and by extension, the beginning of Henry's most prolific creative period. The premiere establishes everything that will define the show: location shooting, human interest stories, participatory features, and Henry's distinctive voice.
The choice of Finley's Boxing Gym as the premiere story is telling. It's not a celebrity profile or a flashy adventure — it's a story about an ex-con boxing trainer keeping men out of prison in a cramped room above a body shop. This is the show's mission statement: find the extraordinary in the ordinary, tell stories about real people in real places.
The Cronkite interview is a coup for a brand-new local magazine show. Cronkite's "Walter Mitty" confession is genuinely charming and revealing — the most powerful man in television imagining himself as a submarine commander.
The anniversary episode provides a useful index of the show's first year and documents the transition from Henry-and-Susan to Henry solo.
| Type | Reference |
|---|---|
| Career | FOUNDATIONAL — First episode of PM Magazine, Henry's defining career chapter |
| People | Walter Cronkite — one of the most significant interviews in the archive |
| People | Max Robinson — referenced in anniversary, also in That's News To Me (HTA-0393) |
| People | Susan Goldwater — Henry's first PM Magazine co-host |
| Location | Lincoln Memorial underground — also in WTOP Reel (HTA-0371) |
| Theme | Boxing/sports — connects to Earl Weaver (HTA-0398), Springsteen (HTA-0385) |
| Career Period | PM Magazine — FIRST AND LAST episodes bookend the era |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Source File | PM Premiere and First ANNIVERSARY.txt |
| Alternate Files | None identified |
| Source Location | /transcript macwhisper/ (root folder) |
| Transcription Quality | Good (studio and field recording) |
| Repository Status | Preserved in Source Repository |
PM Magazine was a nationally syndicated magazine show format created by Group W (Westinghouse Broadcasting) in 1976 as "Evening Magazine." Local stations produced their own segments with local hosts while sharing some nationally produced content. WDVM's version premiered January 29, 1979.
Susan Goldwater was Henry's first co-host. She departed for California after the first year. The show continued with Henry as the primary feature reporter.
The Walter Cronkite interview is dated January 30, 1979 (Cronkite's sign-off), meaning it was likely shot the day after the premiere aired — or the premiere aired January 29 and the Cronkite piece was for the second episode.
Captain Ken Stribling's claim of fighting Jake LaMotta in 1949 places him in the middleweight division during LaMotta's championship reign (1949-1951). LaMotta is the subject of the film "Raging Bull" (1980) — released the same year as PM Magazine's first anniversary.
Johnny Gant, the nation's fourth-ranked welterweight, was a real DC-area fighter active in the late 1970s.
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This file is ESSENTIAL to The Henry Archive. It documents the literal beginning of PM Magazine in Washington — Henry's nervous first moments on camera, the show's mission statement, and the creative philosophy that would produce hundreds of stories over the next five years. The anniversary episode provides a retrospective index of the first year.
Reel Candidate Assessment: ABSOLUTELY — TOP TIER. The premiere opening (nervous Henry being coaxed on camera) is the origin story. The Cronkite "Walter Mitty" moment is gold. The boxing gym story is a perfect example of the show's ethos. This is foundational material for any documentary about Henry's career.
Processing Note: Video file (2.3 GB) exceeded the capacity of the automated video analysis tool. This record is based on transcript analysis only. Visual enrichment is a HIGH PRIORITY for future processing.