<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "+//ISBN 0-9673008-1-9//DTD OEB 1.0 Document//EN"  "http://openebook.org/dtds/oeb-1.0/oebdoc1.dtd"><html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/x-oeb1-document; charset=utf-8" /><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/x-oeb1-css" href="DrBillBio.css" /><title>Bill Wattenburg’s Background: Executive Summary</title></head> <body> <h1>Executive Summary</h1> <p>Bill Wattenburg is one of the most interesting, if not bizarre, mediapersonalities we have ever researched. Most professional broadcasters would bejealous of the high celebrity Bill Wattenburg has gained on the West Coast. Heis a ruggedly handsome and athletic man with a brilliant mind. He has both avoice and a presence on the air that is the envy of many in radio andtelevision. He switches easily between serious intellectual and humorousentertainer as the occasion demands. <i>But he seems to deal with his media roleas if it is just a pleasant hobby.</i> An ABC executive in San Francisco told usthat he will only do radio and television shows on weekends. This position maybe explained by his other activities and accomplishments. He is a well-knownscientist of some notoriety in the public eye. He presently holds the title ofresearch scientist at California State University, Chico, where he works duringthe week.</p> <p>A news organization may have some difficulty in forcing him to confinehimself to reporting the news instead of trying to make the news. He hasdisplayed considerable news-making desires in his very public dealings withgovernment agencies. This should be of concern to a network news organizationthat must protect confidential relationships with high-level contacts in thegovernment. This observation is supported by his confrontational tacticsreported in the section <a href="confrontations.html">Public Confrontations</a>.</p> <p>We do believe, however, that he would be a very effective and popularnetwork news commentator or show host. Both his credibility and integrity appearto be very high.</p> <p>Our contacts in the media have told us that since 1988 he has turned downnumerous offers to host major radio and television shows in Los Angeles and NewYork as well as San Francisco. One LA radio station executive said that heoffered Wattenburg three times his KGO Radio salary and he turned it down.Contacts at a major movie studio say he also passed up another movie role that wasoffered after his <a href="movies.html">appearance in two Clint Eastwood movies in 1988 and1989</a>, saying that he did not have the time.</p> <p>Our general impression is that it may be difficult to convince him to expandhis media role because of his interests in his scientific work and otheractivities. From what we were able to observe of his considerable financialresources, it would appear that money will not be a big factor in what hechooses to do in the near future.</p> <h2>Our Recommendation for Executive Negotiations with Bill Wattenburg</h2> <p>For those who do not have time to read this lengthy report in full, wesuggest three sections in particular that we believe provide the best analysisof his talents, his personality, and his style in dealing with professional andbusiness associates. These sections are: <a href="TalkRadio.html">Talk Radio</a>,<a href="colleague.html">A Colleague’s Observations</a>,and the <a href="BlueWater.html">Blue Water project</a>. We suggest careful review of his otherprojects on the <a href="creditcards.html">Magnetic Credit Cards</a> and<a href="GoldMine.html">the Gold Mine</a> before any contract negotiations ofa legal nature with him.</p> <p>An astute reviewer of this report who specializes in resolving executiveconflicts in major corporations has offered this observation:</p> <blockquote>“His behavior appears to be iconoclastic in his dealings with otherprofessionals in their own fields if they challenge him in some arrogant or pompousmanner. This behavior pattern and an obsessive desire to maintain independenceseem to be common elements in all his public exploits. He seems to enjoy hisaccomplishments in very private ways and is not driven by a desire for careeradvancement or immediate monetary rewards. However, this may be deceiving. Hehas obviously achieved great notoriety and professional respect in his own ways.This may have been financially rewarding beyond what most professionals mightachieve in a conventional manner. In dealing with him an any business orprofessional situation, one should be on guard to not unnecessarily challengehis competitive instincts unless there is a major mutual objective to beaccomplished.”</blockquote> <p><b>We strongly recommend that you see him in action <i>when he is live on theair in the studio</i> before making any appraisal of his media talents. Inprivate interviews, he is very laid back. He responds with vigor only when youaggressively challenge him on some subject. Otherwise, he displays very littleof the brilliance and wit that he delivers when he is on the air. We doubt thathe will sell himself in an executive interview. In our interviews with him, hedidn’t mention any of his many exploits detailed herein until we brought up thesubjects and asked him to comment on the press reports and interviews withothers. His attitude seems to be that if you don’t already know something abouthim, why should he tell you. He will try to deflect a conversation toward theinterviewer (Who are you? Where are you coming from? What do you like to do?)This is complimentary, but often evasive.</b></p> </body></html>