Frederick Ziv
Encyclopedia
Frederick William Ziv was an American broadcasting
producer and syndicator who is considered the father of television
syndication and once operated the nation's largest independent television production company.
to William and Rose Ziv. His parents were Jewish immigrants; his father came to the United States in 1884 from Kaunas
, Lithuania
(at the time part of the Russian Empire
), and his mother from Bessarabia
in 1887. His father was a manufacturer of button holes for overalls. Ziv had one sister, Irma.
Although he earned a law degree from the University of Michigan
, Ziv chose not to practice law and opened an advertising agency. Cincinnati was an important center for radio in the 1920s; the nation's largest radio sponsor, Procter & Gamble
, and one of its most powerful radio stations, WLW
, were both based there. Ziv and writer John L. Sinn (who later became his son-in-law) founded the Frederick W. Ziv Company. They produced pre-recorded radio shows such as Boston Blackie
and The Cisco Kid
and occasionally bought old shows for new syndicated rerun broadcast. (The best known was the serial comedy Easy Aces
in 1945).
(1949, soon to become the first American television program filmed in color) and Mr. District Attorney
, and such original creations as Highway Patrol (perhaps the best-remembered Ziv production), I Led Three Lives
(one of the few 1950s television crime dramas that addressed the real or alleged Communist menace as an overt subject), Bat Masterson
(fictionalising the legendarily dapper marshal, gunfighter, and eventual sportswriter of the same name), and Sea Hunt
.
Ziv Television Productions trademarks included odd (for the times) twists on the genres of his shows, twists like a crime-fighting underwater explorer (Lloyd Bridges
as Sea Hunt protagonist Mike Nelson) and Highway Patrol itself, perhaps the first crime drama to show large urban regions weren't the only places where criminals liked to roam. The company's closing logo---the name Ziv in large, Romanesque lettering, inside the frame of a television screen---was one of the most familiar sign-off logos of its time.
The company's fortunes shifted almost overnight in the mid-1950s. In 1955, they were America's leading and largest independent producer (with a reported two thousand employees at one point), and Ziv was able to buy his own television production studio, after years of leasing from the Hollywood studios. A year later, the networks realized how successful they could be syndicating reruns of their previous hits, a move that cut deeply into the first-run syndication market.
Ziv himself began producing series for the networks, beginning with The West Point Story
for CBS
in the fall of 1956.
that exploded the same year), and Ziv was very unhappy about it. "They demanded script approval and cast approval," he was quoted as saying. "You were just doing whatever the networks asked you to do - and that was not my type of operation. I didn’t care to become an employee of the networks."
Ziv sold 80 percent of his overall company to a group of investors that year and sold his television production subsidiary to United Artists
, leaving the board of directors when United Artists decided to phase Ziv Television Productions out and re-organise as United Artists Television in 1962. He spent the next two decades lecturing on broadcasting and advertising at the University of Cincinnati
, which awarded him an honorary doctorate in performing arts in 1985. He then settled into full-time retirement.
Ziv died in 2001 at the age of 96. He was survived by a son and a daughter. The University of Cincinnati presents a broadcasting achievement award in his name each year.
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
producer and syndicator who is considered the father of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
syndication and once operated the nation's largest independent television production company.
Early years
Ziv was born in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
to William and Rose Ziv. His parents were Jewish immigrants; his father came to the United States in 1884 from Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
(at the time part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
), and his mother from Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
in 1887. His father was a manufacturer of button holes for overalls. Ziv had one sister, Irma.
Although he earned a law degree from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, Ziv chose not to practice law and opened an advertising agency. Cincinnati was an important center for radio in the 1920s; the nation's largest radio sponsor, Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
, and one of its most powerful radio stations, WLW
WLW
WLW is a clear channel talk radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio, run by Clear Channel Communications. The station broadcasts locally on 700 kHz AM...
, were both based there. Ziv and writer John L. Sinn (who later became his son-in-law) founded the Frederick W. Ziv Company. They produced pre-recorded radio shows such as Boston Blackie
Boston Blackie
Boston Blackie is a fictional character created by author Jack Boyle . Originally a jewel thief and safecracker in Boyle's novels, he became a detective in adaptations for films, radio and television—an "enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend."-Literature:Jack...
and The Cisco Kid
The Cisco Kid
The Cisco Kid refers to a character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in the collection Heart of the West...
and occasionally bought old shows for new syndicated rerun broadcast. (The best known was the serial comedy Easy Aces
Easy Aces
Easy Aces, a long-running American serial radio comedy , was trademarked by the low-keyed drollery of creator and writer Goodman Ace and his wife, Jane, as an urbane, put-upon realtor and his malaprop-prone wife...
in 1945).
Ziv Television
By 1949, the company had opened a television production subsidiary, Ziv Television Productions; it produced some of America's best-remembered shows, including television versions of The Cisco KidThe Cisco Kid (TV series)
The Cisco Kid is a half-hour American Western television series starring Duncan Renaldo in the title role, The Cisco Kid, and Leo Carrillo as the jovial sidekick, Pancho...
(1949, soon to become the first American television program filmed in color) and Mr. District Attorney
Mr. District Attorney
Mr. District Attorney is a popular radio crime drama which aired on NBC and ABC from April 3, 1939 to June 13, 1952 . The series focused on a crusading D.A., initially known only as "Mister District Attorney," or "Chief", and was later translated to television. On television the D.A...
, and such original creations as Highway Patrol (perhaps the best-remembered Ziv production), I Led Three Lives
I Led Three Lives
I Led Three Lives is an American drama series which was syndicated by Ziv Television Programs from October 1, 1953 to January 1, 1956. The series stars Richard Carlson...
(one of the few 1950s television crime dramas that addressed the real or alleged Communist menace as an overt subject), Bat Masterson
Bat Masterson
William Barclay "Bat" Masterson was a figure of the American Old West known as a buffalo hunter, U.S. Marshal and Army scout, avid fisherman, gambler, frontier lawman, and sports editor and columnist for the New York Morning Telegraph...
(fictionalising the legendarily dapper marshal, gunfighter, and eventual sportswriter of the same name), and Sea Hunt
Sea Hunt
Sea Hunt was an American adventure television series that was aired in syndication by Ziv Television Programs from 1958 to 1961 and was popular in syndication for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced...
.
Ziv Television Productions trademarks included odd (for the times) twists on the genres of his shows, twists like a crime-fighting underwater explorer (Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Vernet Bridges, Jr. was an American actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. Bridges is best known for his role of Mike Nelson in Sea Hunt, the most-popular syndicated American TV series in 1958...
as Sea Hunt protagonist Mike Nelson) and Highway Patrol itself, perhaps the first crime drama to show large urban regions weren't the only places where criminals liked to roam. The company's closing logo---the name Ziv in large, Romanesque lettering, inside the frame of a television screen---was one of the most familiar sign-off logos of its time.
The company's fortunes shifted almost overnight in the mid-1950s. In 1955, they were America's leading and largest independent producer (with a reported two thousand employees at one point), and Ziv was able to buy his own television production studio, after years of leasing from the Hollywood studios. A year later, the networks realized how successful they could be syndicating reruns of their previous hits, a move that cut deeply into the first-run syndication market.
Ziv himself began producing series for the networks, beginning with The West Point Story
The West Point Story (TV series)
The West Point Story is a dramatic anthology television series shown in the United States by Columbia Broadcasting System during the 1956-57 season and by ABC during the 1957-58 season....
for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in the fall of 1956.
Network Takeover
By 1959, the networks began taking control of what went on the air from sponsors (a major result of the quiz show scandalsQuiz show scandals
The American quiz show scandals of the 1950s were a series of revelations that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were secretly given assistance by the show's producers to arrange the outcome of a supposedly fair competition....
that exploded the same year), and Ziv was very unhappy about it. "They demanded script approval and cast approval," he was quoted as saying. "You were just doing whatever the networks asked you to do - and that was not my type of operation. I didn’t care to become an employee of the networks."
Ziv sold 80 percent of his overall company to a group of investors that year and sold his television production subsidiary to United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
, leaving the board of directors when United Artists decided to phase Ziv Television Productions out and re-organise as United Artists Television in 1962. He spent the next two decades lecturing on broadcasting and advertising at the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
, which awarded him an honorary doctorate in performing arts in 1985. He then settled into full-time retirement.
Ziv died in 2001 at the age of 96. He was survived by a son and a daughter. The University of Cincinnati presents a broadcasting achievement award in his name each year.