Beast of the Airwaves: The Fall of a Television Icon

[SargentHawk]

"He was the television icon who dominated the nation's airwaves for nearly a decade and reshaped an entire genre of daytime television. With an irresistibly charismatic smile and calm voice he was eagerly welcomed into the homes of millions of Americans every day. Theodore Robert Bundy, The Golden Child of CBS, was seemingly the most liked and trusted face on television since Walter Cronkite until it all began tumbling down one afternoon in June 1991. ​

Please join us tonight as we study and dissect the man now known infamously as the 'Beast of the Airwaves'. Throughout this program we will attempt to answer just one question, 'Why?'.

We'll be back right after the break."


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Parkland: A TLIAD was my first foray into the realm of TLIAD's and Flash Timelines, and I hope you all will find this next project of mine as interesting, and hopefully more so. While this will not be done in a single day, and will likely not truly begin until this weekend due to school and work scheduling, I couldn't hold back from posting the thread as I tend to obsess on an idea once I come up with it. Don't worry, I am also still diligently working on my Nixon Timeline and the Turtledove Plaques, but this concept has grasped my imagination and I feel compelled to see it done.

Please feel free to leave your opinions, thoughts, etc. before we start. I hope everyone will enjoy.

 

[Israel]

Cool

 

[woweed]

What's with Ted Bundy and becoming famous in every timeline? Just a thing with high-functioning sociopaths, I guess. There are a lot of fields where dispassionate thinking and manipulative charm are assets.

 

[Kolade]

Looks promising

 

[Knightmare]

There are a lot of fields where dispassionate thinking and manipulative charm are assets.

Like the legal field!

 

[Geon]

Ted Bundy was handsome, charming, charismatic, highly intelligent and had the capacity to be a very great man in whatever field he chose.

Unfortunately he chose a dark path. It would be nice to see how he might have turned out if he had resisted those dark urges.

 

[Archibald]

Ted Bundy was handsome, charming, charismatic, highly intelligent and had the capacity to be a very great man in whatever field he chose.

Unfortunately he chose a dark path. It would be nice to see how he might have turned out if he had resisted those dark urges.

The only time I've ever red Wikipedia entry on Ted Bundy, what astonished me was that he fucked with his victims corpses until they were rotten beyond recognition. That kind of craziness hidden behind a charming mask. Sickening.

 

[SargentHawk]

The only time I've ever red Wikipedia entry on Ted Bundy, what astonished me was that he fucked with his victims corpses until they were rotten beyond recognition. That kind of craziness hidden behind a charming mask. Sickening.

Now take that and imagine this guy being let into the home of millions every week. With his thoughts, opinions, etc echoing in the living rooms and waiting rooms across the country.

Will his fame and attention help subdue that in him or will it further encourage it.

 

[Geon]

The only time I've ever red Wikipedia entry on Ted Bundy, what astonished me was that he fucked with his victims corpses until they were rotten beyond recognition. That kind of craziness hidden behind a charming mask. Sickening.

Archibald

In no way am I condoning what he did. But I always wonder what some of those we consider evil - such as Ted Bundy AND others like Adolph Hitler would have done with their natural born gifts if they had turned those gifts to more positive goals.

Unless you are a hyper-Calvinist then no one is "born evil". We are all born with unique gifts. And we are all born with both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dwelling in us. We have the power to choose. Too often as in Ted Bundy's case the choice is for Mr. Hyde.

Okay-pardons if this got into a philosophical/religious diatribe.

 

[SargentHawk]

Part 1: The Rising Star

“Had the world seen Ted Bundy as I knew him you would have never thought in a million years he would amount to much of anything other than a smile. After High School he was full of nothing but immaturity and laziness, but he admittedly transformed that into something else, I could only describe it as a complete awakening.” – A former girlfriend who asked not to be named.


The man the world would come to know and love as Ted Bundy was born under the name Theodor Robert Cowell on November 24th, 1946 in Burlington Vermont to Eleanor Louise Cowell, a single mother. After a relocation to Tacoma Washington, and a surname change to ‘Nelson’, Bundy’s mother would meet and soon marry a cook named Johnny C. Bundy. After legally adopting Ted as his own, Bundy eventually fathered 4 additional children with Eleanor. This true history of the icon would not be revealed to the public until the final episode of Bundy’s hit daytime television show “Ted!”, and even Bundy himself admitted to not knowing the truth until well into his collegiate years, instead believing he had been living with his older sister and husband. Throughout his schooling, Ted would perceive and later describe himself as a loner despite the fact that among most of his schoolmates he was generally well liked and known likeable and friendly person. In a moment of candor, Ted remarked to his studio audience that his loneliness and feelings of social awkwardness possibly arose out of the lack of any true relationships or friendships in his youth.


“Speaking of relationships and how important they are to a child’s development… I’d have to say I agree.. I think. Believe really… that I would have been a much happier kid had I actually developed lasting friendships. I didn’t fully grasp what made people want to be friends or make friends, social behaviors remained a mystery during the early part of my life. I didn’t have what I'd call my... awakening until later, college really. Now I had friends don't get me wrong folks, but I don’t think it was like other children do or did.” – Ted Bundy on air during segment on child development and psychology – 1984


Following his graduation from Woodrow Wilson High School, Ted Bundy applied to and attended the University of Puget Sound before transferring to the University of Washington in an attempt to major in Chinese language. However, he would drop out of his first attempt at higher education in 1968 and instead resign himself to a multitude of jobs that he would describe later as ‘undoubtedly below me even then’. It was during this wilderness period of 1968 that Bundy would walk into the office that would change both his world view and his field of opportunity. During the height of the 1968 election, Bundy volunteered and made a name for himself at the Washington State offices for the Nelson Rockefeller campaign. In August of that year, he would even attend the Republican National Convention in Miami as a Rockefeller delegate and made a name for himself among the field of newcomers to the party. Most who shook his hand admitted to remembering him and one other delegate described Ted as having, “An almost supernaturally charismatic way about him.” This first foray into politics many point to as the event that changed Ted Bundy into not only a budding politician, but a man set on making a name for himself.

Bundy at the King County Courthouse - 1976


Within a year’s time, after traveling through Arkansas and Philadelphia in visits to family but returning to Washington in short order, Ted Bundy re-enrolled at the University of Washington. Now seeking a degree in Psychology, he excelled and soon found himself among those on the honor roll and became a favorite among his college professors. Perhaps driven by the materials under study in the classroom, Bundy found a job as a phone operator at Seattle’s Suicide Crisis Hotline Center and as in class, excelled in his performance. Then a co-worker of his, Ann Rule, who would later appear many times as a regular on his show, described Ted during this time as “Kind, understanding, empathetic and a master of sincerity.” Ted would stay on as an operator at the SSCHC until his graduation from UW in 1971. At this time, Ted again began volunteering for the Republican Party offices in Washington and would find a job filing paperwork for the Seattle Police Department.


In 1972, Dan Evans, the Governor of Washington State begun his run for reelection to the office and the ‘budding Republican’ was once again a dedicated volunteer. The Evans’ campaign utilized Bundy as a political guerilla who posed as a college student eager to hear opponent Albert Rosellini speak. Armed with a tape recorder, Bundy captured ever speech made by Rosellini which allowed Evans to pick apart and criticize ever single word. His services were then rewarded with a position on the Governor’s low level staff, where Bundy remained for only a few weeks before becoming an assistant to Republican Chairman Ross Davis. Never sitting still too long, Bundy then applied and was accepted into the University of Puget Sound’s Law school on the recommendations from his Republican connections, including Governor Evans, and professors from UW. Besides dating a long list of women, Bundy remained fairly dedicated to his classes despite a notable decrease in performance as time progressed. He graduated from UPS with a law degree in 1976. Bundy soon worked towards and became a prosecuting attorney in King County. The 1976 Presidential election, much like the 1968 election, would again shift Bundy’s course in life as he traveled to Kansas City for the Republican National Convention. As a Reagan delegate, Bundy was interviewed several times by news correspondents and presented his prowess and talent in front of a camera for the first time. Just as in the last convention, Bundy again made quite an impression and was even pictured shaking hands with California Governor Ronald Reagan, and President Gerald Ford.


In 1976, Republican John Spellman won a close race against the surprise dark-horse democratic candidate Dixie Lee Ray. Bundy’s services before, during, and after the 1976 convention had garnered him enough credibility and capital to be selected as Spellman’s Press Secretary upon his swearing in in January 1977. It was a job that was nothing but smooth sailing, until it suddenly wasn't.

Press Secretary Ted Bundy reacting to news received on May 18th 1980



Beast of the Airwaves will return after the break...

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Much of this is Just a Recap of OTL.
The First determinable POD is that of Bundy not enrolling for a semester at Temple University, but instead visits family and returns to Washington where he re-enrolls at UW a year earlier than Our timeline.
The Second, is that he finds a job filing paperwork for the Seattle Police Department in 1971, and he sticks with UPS Law School, graduating in '76.
Third, he attends the '76 Convention meeting both Ford and Reagan. He is interviewed at the convention and is noticed for his presence in front of a camera.
The next POD is Spellman beating Ray in the '76 Governors election, Ted is given the Press Secretary position.

---The Majority of part one is heavily influenced by Bundy's wikipedia page and some sentences are borrowed and restructured. This is due to the semi-rareness of the sources of Bundy's early life. That influence will grow less and less with each addition. Just wanted to make that disclaimer for Part 1 for full disclosure.

 

[SargentHawk]

After the Break:

Beast of the Airwaves: Part Two - Good Morning Seattle

 

[SargentHawk]

Part 2: Good Morning Seattle

Spellman’s decision to make Bundy his Press Secretary was repeatedly shown to have been a fantastic decision when it came to managing the press. Bundy held tri-weekly press conferences even during periods of relative inaction to the point where many local press and reporters would skip out on a fair number of them. Ted’s strict adherence to this schedule became somewhat of a joke while garnering him respect from his co-workers. This ‘By-the-Book’ mentality would become a staple of Ted’s for his three years as Spellman’s secretary and soon his media talent attracted the attentions of Seattle television stations. At least once Bundy was offered a job as a local news anchor for television station KOMO-TV, ABC’s affiliate station in Seattle, but Ted rejected the offer in order to maintain his position on staff.


“With Ted, you would think he was President Carter’s Press Secretary for as often as he gave conferences. No matter how boring the week had been, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday there was Ted at a podium. The guy could make your taxes exciting. There was some talk in the office before St. Helens that Ted would be a prime candidate for Governor or Congress in a few years, but it played out a little differently than that. We all watched him.” – David Bates, a member of Governor Spellman’s staff


As 1980 approached however Spellman’s governorship was not as sound as he would have liked it to be. Republicans had taken a beating in the midterm elections and many on his staff believed that Spellman, now sitting at around 48% approval and declining, may not win another term. One of these staff members was none other than his dutiful Press Secretary, and he soon began investigating for potential alternative positions within Republican government, nature intervened. In early April, geologists from the United States Geological Survey monitoring the renewed volcanic activity at Mount St. Helens issued a warning to Governor Spellman that an eruption may be imminent.

Bundy during the beginning of the April 7th Press Conference regarding St. Helens - 1980


“Good Morning, Frank… Nancy… everyone, Today Governor Spellman declared a state of emergency for the immediate area surrounding that of Mount St. Helens and has asked the citizens of the state of Washington, and any tourists or travelers, to keep their distance from the mountain and the surrounding area in the event an eruption were to take place. Geologists from the USGS, that is the United States Geological Survey, have asked the Governor’s office to take steps necessary to ensure the safety of citizens in the area. Now, Governor Spellman has asked me to remind everyone that even if Mt. St. Helens does not erupt within the next few days that the threat of an event is still very possible. We are remaining at this level of alertness until we have confirmation on which way this is going to go.” – Ted Bundy’s April 7th 1980 Conference


“…The previously advised evacuation from the surrounding areas of Mount St. Helens has now been made strictly mandatory for citizens and workers in the area. While USGS scientists are remaining in what the Governor has declared the ‘Red Zone’, no citizens will be allowed within the perimeter until this threat subsides. The Governor today mobilized the National Guard in an effort to clear the area for anyone who may be within harm’s way and by executive order those not following this mandatory evacuation will be faced with the steep penalties of a $500 fine and the possibility of 6 months imprisonment. I cannot stress enough how severe the professionals up there are about the possibility of an eruption within the coming weeks. I would urge all press here in attendance today to take extra note of this and to convince as many as you can the severity of this situation.” – Ted Bundy’s May 1st 1980 Conference


When the eruption finally did occur, on May 18th 1980, the resulting explosion wiped clear the entire northern side of Mt. St. Helens and with it 44 Human lives. While Bundy and Spellman were played again and again on television discussing the event in the leadup and aftermath of the disaster, the institution of the “Red Zone” around the mountain had succeeded in saving thousands of lives, including that of 83-year-old Harry R. Truman, who was led away from his lodge in handcuffs when he refused to vacate the property on May 12th. During Carter’s visit to St. Helens on May 22nd to view the aftermath, Bundy shook hands with yet another President and was congratulated for a job well done in handling the press during the catastrophe. Despite this, Bundy had by this point become apparently disillusioned with the idea of carrying on as Press Secretary; perhaps feeling as if the upcoming election would not end well for his boss (which it would not by a slim margin). On August 19th 1980, Ted Bundy tendered his resignation as Press Secretary and for the most part ended his political career to begin in another field.


“I was sad to see him go. He was a strict, hard worker. Completely dependable. The only time I was ever disappointed was when I watched him leave my office for the last time.” – Washington State Governor John Spellman


Following his resignation, it became known that Bundy had again been offered a role on television, this time as the host of a daytime talk show on CBS’ affiliate station KIRO-TV in Seattle and had accepted this time. ‘The Ted Bundy Show’ filmed its first full episode on September 11th 1980. Bundy fell into the mold of show runner and host almost instantaneously and seemed to feed off of the attention given to him by his (at the time) small audience and viewers who would stop him while out in Seattle. Young women especially were often seen asking him for autographs and pictures. During the show’s first year run on KIRO-TV it was titled as “The Ted Bundy Show”, and aired at 10:00 in the morning on weekdays. The first year of the show, although some episodes have been lost, show Bundy as being anything but a morning creature. While not all the time, the smiling and charismatic Bundy would often be disheveled and tired in appearance (especially on Mondays and Fridays) and a common in joke began with Ted roughing up his hair before again grooming himself to perfection.

Ted Bundy appearing tired during his shows initial run in the 10:00 AM time-slot - 1980-81 season


“The coffee makers are broken here at CBS.” – Ted Bundy


Following the Shows first year in the 10:00 time slot, and with some lobbying from Bundy himself, KIRO-TV readjusted the show in their timeslot and placed Ted on at 1:00 in the afternoon. This move resulted in the show’s title being shortened to simply “Ted!” and over the course of the second season, it became a local sensation in Seattle. Bundy, now always appearing well rested and collected, excelled as usual.


“Good Morning Seattle! I have a great show for you here today!” – Ted Bundy

*Fade to Black for Commercial Break*

 

[SargentHawk]

After the Break:

Beast of the Airwaves: Part 3 - The Move

 

[Unknown]

A note on Bundy: he is believed to have started his killing career at 14, killing an eight-year-old girl; yeah, he was vile.

God, the fallout from this will be much worse...

 

[SargentHawk]

What's everyone thinking so far?

 

[ajm8888]

Looks good to me.

 

[James Ricker]

This is going to become a media freak show of biblical proportions.

 

[Oppo]

I like it, especially the Mt. St. Helens part. I agree with Unknown that the fallout will be very interesting.

 

[i'm a person]

Interesting. VERY interesting.

 

[SargentHawk]

Part 3: The Move


At the beginning of the 1981-1982 season of “Ted!”, the first under that name, the program was a well watched program sitting at number 3 in the ratings for 1:00. Very quickly however, Bundy fully dominated the airwaves in Seattle and by a fairly wide margin. The new host worked tirelessly to provide interesting and at times thought provoking conversations mixed with the occasional comedic performance by either Bundy or a guest star. While the stage for “Ted!” consisted of the traditional desk and armchair set-up commonly seen on Johnny Carson, Bundy was known for rarely actually sitting behind his desk. Instead moving around the stage and even sitting with his guest in the chairs. One crew member would comment that Bundy’s reasoning was that it always allowed him the upper hand when performing in front of the audience and insured that the eyes were always on him or what he wanted them to be on. A particularly poignant episode during this early stage of the program was one focused on the victims of murder, which was also utilized for Bundy to present his own version of an Op-ed and discuss a string of murders that had occurred almost 7 years prior.

Bundy on the air during the 81-82 Season


[Excerpt From November 16th 1981 Episode of Ted! – The Victims of Murder]

Bundy: Good Afternoon everybody, I’m Ted Bundy if you didn’t already know and today we have a very serious subject here for you today. *leans on the front of the desk* Now, Before we start today's program I want to go ahead and let everyone know that while what you might see today upsets you, its very important you stay with us, because this topic affects everyone. And especially the people in our community here in King County. *breathes, steps away from the desk* Ladies and Gentlemen this country has a cancer and recently it does appear to be spreading. Gacy… Buono… Bianchi… Berkowitz… Jones… What do all of these names have in common? They are the names of killers, takers of life, and they… and many others… have robbed people we loved of their very lives. It’s a sick cancer that…in my opinion, and I know all of yours, has gotten completely out of control. Now I’m here today with two incredibly strong parents… parents without a daughter. *walks to sit with Maddox’s* Would… would you mind telling us about your daughter? For the audience, here today so we can maybe try and get a picture for who she was?

Mr. Maddox: Our daughters name was Julie Maddox *chokes up*. She a smart, kind…endlessly kind… girl. She meant the world to us. She’d help anywhere she could and she volunteered often when she could. In 1974… two days after her birthday, she was kidnapped……. And we later learned murdered.

Bundy: She attended the University of Washington correct?

Mrs. Maddox: That’s right, she was a sophomore there.

Bundy: I ask because I too went to the University of Washington during a part of my education, and I too remember hearing about Julie. I followed it very closely and… my heart is just with both of you. *gently stands up* And folks, that story… Julie’s story isn’t the only one, not even here in Seattle. Some of you may remember when in 1975 they found her along with 7 other women on Taylor Mountain. What is also terribly important is that they never found who did this to Julie or any of those other women…
……………….

Bundy: Mr. Maddox, Mrs. Maddox… I want to extend my condolences again and to just thank you both so much for coming today to share about Julie. And for those of you at home, hold your kids and please be safe out there. Keep in mind what we talked about today and the tips you can use to protect yourself and your families. I hope you all have a safe day out there, and I’ll see you here again tomorrow, we’ll have a bit of a lighter hearted program for you then, and I hope to see you there.

[END EXCERPT]


By the end of the ’81-’82 season, Bundy had maintained his spot on the top of Seattle’s ratings board, and brought in the most viewers until CBS’ nightly programming block. It was a surprise even to Bundy, who laughed loudly when hearing the news, that “Ted!” was reaching national syndication due to its success in Seattle and the surrounding area. When faced with the opportunity, Bundy relocated the show out of Seattle and to New York City. The first episode in New York was filmed on March 15th 1982 after being absent from the air since the end of February. This first episode featured Bundy and James Dobson, author of “Dare to Discipline”, where they discussed the psychology of corporal punishment on children and whether or not it should be used by parents, Bundy played devils advocate. At first Ted had issues adjusting to the new stage for the show and an entire new crew, who Bundy had to get to know all over again and ‘assert his dominance’.


“Ted couldn’t stand not having complete control of the production. We saw him get a bit heated a few times if even a chair was off its mark or if the furniture had been changed. It wasn’t so much that he was obsessed with the placement, as he’d move the stage around all the time, it was the fact that he hadn’t been consulted about the change. The crazy thing was that even in those heated moments, he could convince you it was completely your fault and then cool the air immediately and get right back to business.” – Set Decorator for ‘Ted!’


Off the air, Ted found a rather large home in a community outside of Newark, New Jersey which allowed him to stay out of New York City and still find himself able to commute to the show in a short amount of time. Before long, Bundy began talking in a more than professional sense with his secretary provided by CBS, Caroline Barnes. Caroline was a blonde haired 26-year-old that fell quickly for Bundy. Before long the two were seen together in Newark and held hands behind the scenes when filming. During the relationship, Bundy, who had previously been seen with multiple women on his arm, now appeared to be strictly reserved to Barnes. By 1983, Barnes was living with Bundy at his home in Newark and Bundy had found another secretary for professional reasons.

While not immediately on top as he was in Seattle, Ted Bundy was quickly building an audience. Especially with women of all ages. With each episode, more and more of them let Ted Bundy into their homes every afternoon. “Ted!” was becoming not just the title of the program, but what people exclaimed when they heard it come on.

Bundy arriving at CBS to film "Ted!"