Latest / The World of Phil Hendrie / Episode #3966 The New Phil Hendrie Show Radio Archive June 2003

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Episode #3966 The New Phil Hendrie Show Radio Archive June 2003 · The World of Phil Hendrie

0:00
Speaker 1: Hi, it's Phil Henry with another Radio Archive Hour from
0:02
Speaker 1: the Hall of Fame Phil Henry Radio Show. From June
0:05
Speaker 1: of 2003, from our website and our archives, philhenryshow.com, we've
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Speaker 1: got Don Berman, who was a newsman for Channel 19,
0:14
Speaker 1: Channel 19 News here in L.A. When we tell his story,
0:17
Speaker 1: sometimes he's come close to winning an Emmy. Sometimes he's
0:20
Speaker 1: not even come close. He's been robbed. But Don's a
0:23
Speaker 1: longstanding news anchor in L.A. And he's on a show
0:26
Speaker 1: today talking about the necessity, while they had a special going,
0:30
Speaker 1: you know, against drinking and driving. They wanted people to
0:32
Speaker 1: know as a public service, don't drink and drive. As
0:34
Speaker 1: a newsman, of course, he has to drink and drive.
0:38
Speaker 1: I don't know, because some of the stuff he sees
0:40
Speaker 1: is really traumatic. It's a very stressful gig. So he
0:43
Speaker 1: has a flask of bourbon. I don't know why I'm laughing.
0:47
Speaker 1: He has a flask of bourbon that he takes a
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Speaker 1: couple of knocks on before he gets in the news
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Speaker 1: van and heads out.
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Speaker 2: Here's Don.
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Speaker 1: Channel 19 has been conducting some public service activities campaigns, ads,
0:59
Speaker 1: especially now with drinking and driving, with college graduation coming
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Speaker 1: up and proms. Don Berman joins us from the Channel 19.
1:06
Speaker 1: You're in the news van right now, Don?
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Speaker 3: I am, Phil, and will be on assignment for a
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Speaker 3: couple of hours right now.
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Speaker 2: Tell us a little bit about the drinking and driving
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Speaker 2: campaign at Channel 19.
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Speaker 3: It is a far-reaching campaign, and it's doubly important for me.
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Speaker 3: I have a teenage son and a teenage daughter. And
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Speaker 3: anchoring the news, I see some horrible, horrible accidents. I
1:26
Speaker 3: am one of the few anchors in the country who
1:29
Speaker 3: actually goes out on assignment, and I do see some
1:32
Speaker 3: horrible things. I see firsthand what drinking and driving can do.
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Speaker 3: The horror of a family torn apart by a drunk
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Speaker 3: driver is inexplicable.
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Speaker 2: And yet it goes on generation after generation.
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Speaker 3: Also, Phil, the other thing is it's tough for people
1:44
Speaker 3: to understand that while we encourage our young people and
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Speaker 3: our young adults to get a designated driver, we also
1:50
Speaker 3: need for them to understand... that there are certain professions
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Speaker 3: and certain people who do need to drink and drive
1:56
Speaker 3: because the demands of the job make it necessary to
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Speaker 3: drink and drive. And how do you deliver that message
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Speaker 3: to a young person? How do you say, I don't
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Speaker 3: want you drinking and driving, you can kill yourself, and
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Speaker 3: yet also say, I need to drink and drive because
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Speaker 3: of the demands.
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Speaker 2: Well, when you say people who need to drink and drive,
2:15
Speaker 2: who are you talking about?
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Speaker 3: Well, I can give you an example from my own industry, and... Now,
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Speaker 3: I don't want you to misunderstand me, Phil, because most
2:22
Speaker 3: people do. I do not encourage drinking and driving. I
2:24
Speaker 3: want to make that very clear. And at Channel 19,
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Speaker 3: we have invested tens of thousands of dollars in billboards
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Speaker 3: and campaigns across the Los Angeles area to discourage drinking
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Speaker 3: and driving. But as I was telling you, I go
2:37
Speaker 3: out on assignment. And when we roll out a news
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Speaker 3: story that involves the death of a child or violence
2:43
Speaker 3: toward women, it is very difficult to deal with the
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Speaker 3: magnitude of that without steadying your nerves for the drink.
2:50
Speaker 3: and without trying to calm yourself down with a drink.
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Speaker 2: So do you drink when you go out on the
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Speaker 2: news story? Are you driving?
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Speaker 3: I do drive, Phil, because generally I'm paged at home,
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Speaker 3: and time is of the essence. So I will drive
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Speaker 3: to the story, and I'll meet the news crew there.
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Speaker 2: Well, why don't you have somebody else drive?
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Speaker 1: If you're saying that you need to drink and drive
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Speaker 1: because of the horror of the story you're going to,
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Speaker 1: why don't you have someone else drive?
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Speaker 3: Well, first of all, it's impossible on a short notice.
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Speaker 3: And again, as a newsman, this is part, in some respects,
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Speaker 3: of the job... What I want to do more than
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Speaker 3: anything else is to assure people that this isn't the
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Speaker 3: drinking and driving that they are afraid of. We are
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Speaker 3: news people, and we're drinking to steady our nerves. I'm
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Speaker 3: talking about the drinking and driving of young people that
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Speaker 3: kills people, the drinking and driving of college students, the
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Speaker 3: drinking and driving of just the average citizen. So, again,
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Speaker 3: when I say that I drink and drive, it's because
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Speaker 3: I am involved in a profession where we see deaf
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Speaker 3: people and we see dying and we see injury every day.
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Speaker 1: Well, first of all, my hat's off to you to
3:54
Speaker 1: be one of the few anchors who does go out
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Speaker 1: and do his own stories, because very few news anchors
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Speaker 1: even write their own news anymore.
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Speaker 3: I'm one of maybe half a dozen in the Los
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Speaker 3: Angeles area, and nationally I know of about 20 other
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Speaker 3: news anchors, both men and women, who write their own news.
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Speaker 2: But where are you drinking? And I don't want to
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Speaker 2: harp on this.
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Speaker 3: I understand that, Phil.
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Speaker 1: But since you say there is a big difference between
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Speaker 1: drinking and driving... and drinking and driving that's a necessity
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Speaker 1: for your job.
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Speaker 2: Where are you drinking? Is it at home? Is it
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Speaker 2: in the car?
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Speaker 3: When I get the call, Phil, it is sometimes necessary
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Speaker 3: to just jump in the car and meet the camera
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Speaker 3: crew at the location of the story and get on
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Speaker 3: the air so I can have the story on the air.
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Speaker 3: So I keep in my glove box, and this is
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Speaker 3: not all the time, but I will keep in the
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Speaker 3: glove box a flask that will have either bourbon or
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Speaker 3: vodka in it. But again, people need to know that
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Speaker 3: this is the drinking and driving that is necessary. And
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Speaker 3: I don't want them... misunderstanding that it is a dangerous
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Speaker 3: thing to do if you're not working on a job
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Speaker 3: that's necessitating it.
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Speaker 2: So you're drinking from a flask while you're driving?
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Speaker 3: Yes. I'll be going over questions I'll ask and trying
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Speaker 3: to get my head together for the story and trying
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Speaker 3: to settle myself down and not be so emotional when
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Speaker 3: I get there because you don't know what you're going
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Speaker 3: to face. Is it a dead child? Is it a fire?
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Speaker 3: Is it a horrible thing? So I will take... just
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Speaker 3: a couple of sips from a flask of bourbon, and
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Speaker 3: I'll put it back in the glove box, and that
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Speaker 3: way I can steady my nerves.
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Speaker 2: What kind of a.
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Speaker 1: News story, well, you just said, so the death of
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Speaker 1: a child. I imagine all news people engage in this.
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Speaker 3: Oh, absolutely, Phil.
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Speaker 2: So all news people are drinking somewhat on the job?
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Speaker 3: Absolutely. I imagine any one of the major news anchors
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Speaker 3: in Los Angeles or around the country haven't had at
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Speaker 3: least one drink before they go on the air. especially
5:46
Speaker 3: if they've been out on assignment. But this kind of story,
5:48
Speaker 3: I'll give you an example from early in my career.
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Speaker 2: All right, well, hold on to that.
5:51
Speaker 1: I want to give our phone number out, 1-800-449-8686.
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Speaker 2: 1-800-449-8686.
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Speaker 1: We're a rare opportunity to talk to Don Berman. He's
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Speaker 1: the anchor of the Channel 19 News at 10. And
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Speaker 1: we're talking about a drinking and driving public service campaign
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Speaker 1: that they are conducting at Channel 19. Kind of difficult
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Speaker 1: because Don is saying that there are some professions where
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Speaker 1: you do need to drink and drive, his, a newsman,
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Speaker 1: being one of them. So how do you tell kids
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Speaker 1: don't drink and drive while you need to for your job?
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Speaker 2: 1-800-449-8686. So, Don, tell me, you were early in your career?
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Speaker 3: Yeah, well, early on in my life, I'll give you
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Speaker 3: an example. This is what I learned from older newsmen.
6:36
Speaker 3: what you had to do to survive in this business.
6:38
Speaker 3: And I was told to go out and cover and
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Speaker 3: do a report on the L.A. County Fair. The 4-H
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Speaker 3: exhibits were what they wanted me to cover. And I
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Speaker 3: knew what this meant. I'd be witnessing animals paraded in
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Speaker 3: front of humans in the most demeaning manner, forced to
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Speaker 3: do tricks, hamster and guinea pig blue ribbon judging, knowing
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Speaker 3: that those animals would be shipped off to market for
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Speaker 3: sandwich meat right after the show. And that's what I...
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Speaker 3: That's when I took my first drink. And it's been
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Speaker 3: something that I carry with me to this day.
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Speaker 2: Because that experience was traumatic.
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Speaker 3: Because that experience was very traumatic. And also because I
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Speaker 3: knew that it would help me get through what I
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Speaker 3: had to do.
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Speaker 1: So there are professions where drinking and driving is necessary.
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Speaker 3: Absolutely. Absolutely. And that's the challenge we have as parents.
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Speaker 3: How do we tell our young people... Don't drink and
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Speaker 3: drive while you have a hip flask in your glove compartment.
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Speaker 3: And what I say to my daughter is, I need
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Speaker 3: this for my work. Someday you might need it for
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Speaker 3: your work. But until that day comes, you are not
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Speaker 3: to get behind the wheel of a car after you've
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Speaker 3: had something to drink. And again, the profession where it's necessary,
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Speaker 3: whether you're a doctor who may be rushing to a
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Speaker 3: woman's home to perform a tracheotomy without anesthetic, You need
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Speaker 3: a drink to steady your nerves. All of these things.
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Speaker 2: All right, 1-800-449-8686. I want to get into some of
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Speaker 2: those professions. Say a doctor who has to perform a
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Speaker 2: tracheotomy without anesthetic. Yes. He would need a drink to
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Speaker 2: steady his nerves.
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Speaker 3: Oh, absolutely, because what you have as a patient, you
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Speaker 3: have to slit a hole in their throat and get
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Speaker 3: a tube down it, and you're doing it without anesthetic.
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Speaker 3: So you have to hold them down while they're screaming
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Speaker 3: from the pain of cutting a hole in their throat
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Speaker 3: I don't know of any man that could face that
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Speaker 3: without taking a drink.
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Speaker 2: All right, let me go over here to Lori. Lori,
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Speaker 2: you're on the Phil Hendry Show with Don Berman from
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Speaker 2: Channel 19. Lori, or Leslie, I'm sorry, Leslie.
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Speaker 4: Yes.
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Speaker 2: Yes, go ahead, ma'am.
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Speaker 4: I am just appalled that this gentleman thinks that his
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Speaker 4: job necessitates him drinking at all, much less drinking and driving.
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Speaker 4: I know a lot of people that deal with that.
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Speaker 3: I am not in favor of drinking and driving.
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Speaker 4: But your job doesn't necessitate you doing that.
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Speaker 2: There's a lot of people who.
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Speaker 4: Are going to that same call of that same injured
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Speaker 4: child or dead child, and they're not drinking on their
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Speaker 4: way to that call.
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Speaker 3: They don't need to communicate that story. I want to
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Speaker 3: be clear. I am completely against drinking and driving.
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Speaker 4: You use the word necessitate.
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Speaker 5: That's a necessity.
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Speaker 3: My job, I've got to take a drink.
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Speaker 4: That's unbelievable.
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Speaker 3: Well, I would suggest you ride along with me some
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Speaker 3: night on some of the calls. I'm the most.
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Speaker 4: What about the police officer that's going to that call,
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Speaker 4: and he goes to those calls as often, if not
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Speaker 4: way more often than you?
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Speaker 3: Is he drinking on his way there? No, because he
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Speaker 3: can handle that as a police officer. I'm a newsman.
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Speaker 3: I am a civilian, and I'm reporting to the people.
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Speaker 4: He's a human being, and you're a human being.
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Speaker 3: Yes, but he needs to have the steady nerves to
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Speaker 3: do what he's doing. He may have a gun or whatever.
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Speaker 3: I don't need to have... I need to have steady
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Speaker 3: nerves so I can report clearly and accurately. So I
10:00
Speaker 3: want to be clear. Police officers have training for that, too.
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Speaker 2: I just want to be clear.
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Speaker 1: So you've got a flask in the glove box of
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Speaker 1: your car when you're going to do a story for
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Speaker 1: Channel 19. You're drinking out of that on your way
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Speaker 1: to the story.
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Speaker 3: Well, you're making it sound as if I'm getting intoxicated.
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Speaker 3: I am not. I'm taking a couple of sips. To
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Speaker 3: steady my nerves, I am, and believe me, I don't
10:22
Speaker 3: know how I got this, but the poll in L.A. Magazine,
10:25
Speaker 3: I'm the most trusted face on Southern California television. When
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Speaker 3: a story breaks, it's me that they want to hear
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Speaker 3: it from. That's a lot of responsibility, and I need
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Speaker 3: a drink to be able to.
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Speaker 4: I think you.
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Speaker 3: Need to find another job. Why would I need another
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Speaker 3: job when I make so much money at the one
10:42
Speaker 3: that I'm doing, and I'm very successful at it?
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Speaker 4: Well, you're not successful if you have to drink to
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Speaker 4: do it and endanger other people.
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Speaker 3: I understand the lady. If you're a teetoler, that's fine.
10:53
Speaker 3: But there are some of us.
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Speaker 2: Who aren't so skittish. All right. Thank you, Leslie. Thank
10:58
Speaker 2: you for your call. 1-800-449-8686.
11:00
Speaker 1: Don Berman is with us from Channel 19 News on
11:03
Speaker 1: their big campaign against drinking and driving, although he says
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Speaker 1: it's tough to tell a kid not to drink and
11:08
Speaker 1: drive when there are some professions where you need to
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Speaker 1: drink and drive, like being a newsman going to a
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Speaker 1: a scene of an accident or some story where it
11:18
Speaker 1: could be very traumatic. He goes to a lot of
11:20
Speaker 1: assignments on the site, and he drinks from a hip
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Speaker 1: flask that he keeps in the.
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Speaker 2: Glove box of his car. 1-800-449-868... Yeah, Don, you want
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Speaker 2: to say something?
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Speaker 3: I just wanted to add, I can... I'm capable of
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Speaker 3: drinking and driving because I'm capable of multitasking. Many people
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Speaker 3: are not. But when I drink... And I'm driving to
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Speaker 3: the scene of a story. By the time I get there,
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Speaker 3: I know exactly the questions I want to ask. I
11:48
Speaker 3: know exactly what I want to say on the air.
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Speaker 2: All right. Hold on for a second.
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Speaker 1: Don Berman, always good to have him with us from
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Speaker 1: Channel 19's News at 10.
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Speaker 4: 1-800-449-8686.
11:59
Speaker 2: And now more on the Phil Henry Show.
12:03
Speaker 1: Don Berman is with us. Don is with the Channel
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Speaker 1: 19 News. We're talking about drinking and driving. Drinking and driving.
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Speaker 2: Is wrong, but you do it in your job because
12:13
Speaker 2: it's necessary.
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Speaker 3: It's very much like saying to someone, don't play with guns.
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Speaker 3: Don't go into the closet and take out that gun.
12:25
Speaker 3: You don't know what you're doing with it. You're going
12:26
Speaker 3: to kill yourself. Guns are very dangerous. And yet there
12:30
Speaker 3: are times when you may need one. Drinking and driving
12:33
Speaker 3: is very much the same. And what we're trying to
12:35
Speaker 3: tell people at Channel 19 News is if you're going
12:39
Speaker 3: to drink and drive, be sure you're doing it on
12:42
Speaker 3: your way to a necessary job, on your way to
12:45
Speaker 3: a job that you will need that drink, and certainly
12:50
Speaker 3: don't abuse it. But if you're a young person, certainly
12:53
Speaker 3: do not.
12:55
Speaker 2: Well, you said you don't believe in drinking and driving.
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Speaker 3: And I do not.
12:57
Speaker 2: All right, so, but newsmen and firemen and cops?
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Speaker 3: I think there are some professions. Doctors and firefighters are
13:05
Speaker 3: the ones that come to my mind.
13:07
Speaker 2: All right, 1-800-449-8686. Kelvin, you're on the Phil Henry Show.
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Speaker 5: Hello? Hello?
13:13
Speaker 2: Yes, sir, go ahead.
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Speaker 6: Yes, sir, I just wanted to make a comment. I
13:18
Speaker 6: play music in bars at night. I'm a musician, and
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Speaker 6: I am strongly against drinking and driving. And this gentleman
13:25
Speaker 6: you're talking to, this news anchor gentleman, he's very wrong
13:29
Speaker 6: in the way he's thinking. In my opinion, he's got
13:33
Speaker 6: double standards.
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Speaker 3: Well, Kelvin, this is Don Berman. I'm very happy you called.
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Speaker 3: I'm a newsman, and what that means is I'm not
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Speaker 3: only just on the air. I go out and cover
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Speaker 3: the stories. And I was at a 4-H exhibit, as
13:47
Speaker 3: I mentioned when I first... I've had to cover most
13:50
Speaker 3: of the county fairs here, one of the.
13:52
Speaker 2: State fairs, What about that causes you to drink?
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Speaker 3: Well, first of all, you're seeing animals abused. You're seeing
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Speaker 3: animals paraded and humiliated in front of humans. It's very,
14:04
Speaker 3: very traumatic.
14:05
Speaker 6: Well, the point I want to make, sir, is that
14:08
Speaker 6: if you feel like you have to drink to get
14:10
Speaker 6: control of yourself for your profession, I'm afraid you're in
14:14
Speaker 6: the wrong profession. You're supposed to be a professional, and
14:17
Speaker 6: that means you're supposed to be able to do your job.
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Speaker 3: And if you can't do your.
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Speaker 6: Job without drinking... maybe you need to call a cab
14:24
Speaker 6: to get to your job.
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Speaker 3: That's my opinion. Well, I don't know what you mean.
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Speaker 3: I mean, look, you don't have a job where it's
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Speaker 3: necessary to drink and drive. You play a guitar in
14:32
Speaker 3: a bar. I report to millions of people. Well, you can.
14:36
Speaker 6: Report to millions of people. You can do it sober.
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Speaker 3: No, not after sober. Well, I can tell you this much.
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Speaker 3: I have been co-anchoring with Donna Kaufman for the last
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Speaker 3: 15 years, and.
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Speaker 3: They asked me to work with her. I said, yes,
14:52
Speaker 3: I would work with her. I didn't want to, but
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Speaker 3: I did. And for 15 years, I have gone into
14:57
Speaker 3: that studio and sat down next to that woman. And
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Speaker 3: I can tell you, Kelvin, that no man alive could
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Speaker 3: do that without taking a drink.
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Speaker 2: Are you talking about having strife with a co-worker?
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Speaker 3: That's exactly what I'm talking about.
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Speaker 6: No, that's not what I'm saying.
15:13
Speaker 3: What I'm saying is, if you live.
15:14
Speaker 6: In a black house, you don't throw rocks. And to me, sir,
15:17
Speaker 6: you're living in a black house and throwing rocks.
15:19
Speaker 3: I know I'm not. I'm saying don't drink and drive
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Speaker 3: unless you work in news.
15:23
Speaker 6: Excuse me. You're fighting a campaign against drinking and driving,
15:28
Speaker 6: and then you look at your car and have a
15:29
Speaker 6: drink on the way to a story.
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Speaker 3: Yes, because I have to go back to a studio
15:34
Speaker 3: and look at her and do the news story.
15:37
Speaker 2: You're drinking and driving because the stories you're going to suck.
15:41
Speaker 6: I don't drink and drive.
15:43
Speaker 3: Well, I'll tell you this, Kelvin, you don't need to.
15:46
Speaker 3: You work in a bar. You're staying in one place.
15:49
Speaker 3: I'm all over the city before I go on the
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Speaker 3: air at 10.
15:51
Speaker 2: All right, Kelvin, thank you for your call.
15:55
Speaker 4: 1-800-449-8686.
15:56
Speaker 2: You're now adding into this the fact that you work
15:58
Speaker 2: with someone.
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Speaker 3: Look, Donna Kaufman, Phil, is a wonderful professional. She's one
16:02
Speaker 3: of the top news anchors in the business. She's worked
16:06
Speaker 3: for NBC. She's worked for CBS. It just happens that
16:11
Speaker 3: I don't like her. I've never liked her. And I
16:16
Speaker 3: reserve the right to do what I need to do
16:19
Speaker 3: to sit in the same studio next to her while
16:22
Speaker 3: she goes on and on about God knows what.
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Speaker 2: And that means taking a drink?
16:28
Speaker 3: That means taking a drink, yes.
16:29
Speaker 2: All right, Lisa, go ahead. You're on The Phil Henry Show. Hello, Lisa. Hi,
16:34
Speaker 2: how are you?
16:35
Speaker 7: First of all, I wanted to point out that I
16:37
Speaker 7: was a journalist and I left the industry because I
16:40
Speaker 7: couldn't ask the questions that you're probably asking or see
16:43
Speaker 7: the things that you're seeing. However, I don't condone. However, though,
16:49
Speaker 7: as a mother, as a human being, as someone who
16:51
Speaker 7: has had a brother in treatment, I don't condone any
16:55
Speaker 7: drinking and driving. I don't condone any drug use, alcohol use,
16:59
Speaker 7: any substance abuse of any kind to go do a job.
17:02
Speaker 7: There are millions of people out there that are.
17:05
Speaker 6: Well, how am I supposed to do it?
17:06
Speaker 3: I don't understand.
17:07
Speaker 7: Well, you know, I don't know, but there are people
17:09
Speaker 7: that are popping Valium and popping Xanax and popping Viped
17:13
Speaker 7: in and all of these things to do.
17:15
Speaker 3: Absolutely.
17:16
Speaker 7: The lawyer that goes into court, the fireman that runs
17:18
Speaker 7: into a building, an accountant that goes to do taxes
17:22
Speaker 7: for big companies like Enron.
17:23
Speaker 3: And they know... Then you know what I'm talking about.
17:27
Speaker 7: But because I'm a drug rep and I hear these
17:29
Speaker 7: stories from doctors, but I still don't think that that
17:31
Speaker 7: gives you, you know, it's still a dangerous situation to
17:33
Speaker 7: put the people.
17:34
Speaker 6: In the public in.
17:35
Speaker 3: Lisa, can I make this point, Phil, because I think
17:36
Speaker 3: it's very important. Lisa today is in another profession, and
17:42
Speaker 3: she could very well be in the news profession, but
17:44
Speaker 3: she didn't want to take a drink. I take a
17:47
Speaker 3: drink so I can stay in this profession.
17:50
Speaker 2: So you have to drink, Mr. Berman, in order to
17:53
Speaker 2: stay in this profession.
17:54
Speaker 7: Are you saying Dan Rather takes a drink? Tom Brokaw
17:57
Speaker 7: takes a drink?
17:58
Speaker 3: I wouldn't be surprised.
17:59
Speaker 6: Ashley Banfield?
18:00
Speaker 3: I wouldn't be surprised if they did. And I'll tell
18:03
Speaker 3: you something. I'd be notified. You were in the business.
18:07
Speaker 3: You know what it's like to work with some of
18:08
Speaker 3: these prima donnas. Donna Kaufman, who wanted to... Okay. Can
18:15
Speaker 3: I use the B-I-T-C-H word, Mr.
18:16
Speaker 5: Henry?
18:17
Speaker 2: I'd rather you didn't.
18:18
Speaker 4: Well.
18:19
Speaker 3: Man, I'll tell you what. I have got to take
18:21
Speaker 3: a couple of good knocks of vodka before I can
18:23
Speaker 3: sit down next to her and do a half-hour newscast.
18:27
Speaker 2: What's wrong with her?
18:28
Speaker 3: She's a prima donna. She's a thief because I was
18:32
Speaker 3: supposed to have got the last bump in the contract negotiation.
18:36
Speaker 3: She got it.
18:37
Speaker 7: Do you think it's because of your drinking and what
18:39
Speaker 7: you're talking about right now, and maybe they think you're
18:42
Speaker 7: a risk factor?
18:42
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it could be. You're talking on the air
18:44
Speaker 2: about drinking.
18:44
Speaker 4: No.
18:45
Speaker 3: Donna Kaufman thinks she's the star of the 10 o'clock news.
18:50
Speaker 3: And it's a lie.
18:52
Speaker 7: It's a vain business.
18:54
Speaker 3: Well, if I didn't take a drink before going in there,
18:58
Speaker 3: I might take a swing at her. And that's what
19:00
Speaker 3: I'm worried about.
19:01
Speaker 4: Anger management.
19:02
Speaker 2: Yeah, you need anger management, dude. I mean, there's a
19:05
Speaker 2: lot of stuff.
19:05
Speaker 3: Oh, anger management. Why don't you anger manage this?
19:08
Speaker 1: We're talking with Don Berman of the channel 19 News
19:11
Speaker 1: at 10. He says drinking and driving is wrong, as
19:14
Speaker 1: we all believe, but... For newsmen, drinking and driving is
19:18
Speaker 1: necessary because of the horrible things that they see. He
19:20
Speaker 1: also feels he has the right to take a drink
19:22
Speaker 1: on the job because his co-anchor in the news, Donna Kaufman,
19:25
Speaker 1: is a B-I-T-C-H.
19:27
Speaker 2: Bill Henry Show. The Bill Henry Show is back.
19:30
Speaker 3: 1-800-449-8686.
19:31
Speaker 2: With Don Berman from Channel 19 News at 10. Don,
19:37
Speaker 2: you're talking about drinking and driving.
19:38
Speaker 1: It's a wrong thing to do, but you feel that
19:41
Speaker 1: you should be allowed to, as other newsmen should be
19:43
Speaker 1: allowed to, Because you think there are professions that need it.
19:46
Speaker 3: There are professions where drinking and driving, Phil, is absolutely necessary.
19:50
Speaker 1: Well, in a minute I want to mention something that
19:52
Speaker 1: came up at the scene of a news story when
19:55
Speaker 1: you arrived that got you into some hot water with
19:58
Speaker 1: the L.A.
19:58
Speaker 2: County Fire Department.
20:00
Speaker 3: And I know the story you're talking about, Phil, it
20:02
Speaker 3: is hearsay. Well, all right.
20:03
Speaker 1: Before we get to that, I need to take another
20:08
Speaker 1: call here. 1-800-449-8686.
20:09
Speaker 2: 1-800-449-8686. Let's go over to Johnny.
20:12
Speaker 4: Hello?
20:13
Speaker 3: Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
20:14
Speaker 2: Go ahead.
20:15
Speaker 8: I can't believe that you needed a drink to get
20:18
Speaker 8: you through the 4-H Club exhibit. Thank God you didn't
20:21
Speaker 8: have to, you know, go cover the.
20:24
Speaker 3: Well, you know something? I think animals being abused is traumatic.
20:30
Speaker 8: Yeah, you're looking for an excuse to drink, and, you know,
20:34
Speaker 8: they have a place you can go for that. It's
20:36
Speaker 8: called Alcoholics Anonymous. You know, I cover accidents every day.
20:41
Speaker 8: That's what I do is build fatalities every day.
20:43
Speaker 3: What do you do? From a professional standpoint, you're just
20:46
Speaker 3: a nut. What do you do? What do I do?
20:49
Speaker 6: I do my job.
20:50
Speaker 3: I go in. What is your profession?
20:53
Speaker 8: I'm an accident investigator for a trucking company.
20:56
Speaker 3: Well, have you ever seen a flock of sheep being
20:58
Speaker 3: paraded off to market by a 10-year-old child? Do you
21:01
Speaker 3: think that that's something you can keep your.
21:05
Speaker 3: You know something? You may find it very humorous, Johnny,
21:08
Speaker 3: but if I report to people... If.
21:12
Speaker 8: You are a gentleman looking for an excuse to drink,
21:15
Speaker 8: it's okay for you.
21:16
Speaker 6: But, hey, the rest of the world.
21:19
Speaker 3: It is necessary for me to drink and drive.
21:22
Speaker 8: It is necessary for the LAPD to pull you over
21:25
Speaker 8: and arrest you for DUI. I can't believe that the
21:29
Speaker 8: station would condone a person like you.
21:32
Speaker 2: I'm not necessarily condoning this. I think that, Mr.
21:35
Speaker 1: Berman, what you're saying is that you don't like kids
21:37
Speaker 1: drinking and driving, but some professions need it.
21:39
Speaker 3: I have to. When I'm racing to the scene where
21:43
Speaker 3: a child has been burned, third-degree burns, I need to
21:46
Speaker 3: take a couple of blasts. Wouldn't you?
21:50
Speaker 8: The same thing for the billy goat with the blue
21:54
Speaker 8: bonnet on for winning? I mean, geez, what's the next reason?
21:59
Speaker 2: I got a story here. You were covering a double accident.
22:07
Speaker 1: It was two deaths and an accident on the Hollywood
22:09
Speaker 1: Freeway that you went to the scene of.
22:11
Speaker 2: This was back in April.
22:12
Speaker 3: Bill, this story has been reported and debunked.
22:14
Speaker 2: All right, but did you run over two of the
22:17
Speaker 2: body bags?
22:20
Speaker 4: Oh, my God.
22:21
Speaker 2: Did you run over two of the body bags?
22:22
Speaker 3: When I got to the scene, the sheriff had laid
22:26
Speaker 3: those body bags in an area that was unsafe.
22:30
Speaker 2: You ran over two dead bodies?
22:32
Speaker 3: Yes, and can I underline the word dead? I didn't
22:34
Speaker 3: kill anyone. I don't know what the gentleman's laughing at,
22:40
Speaker 3: but I can tell you that I went through no
22:42
Speaker 3: end of crap dealing with that for three months. Were
22:47
Speaker 3: you arrested? Arrested for what? Hit and run on a
22:51
Speaker 3: dead body? Well, obviously, you.
22:53
Speaker 8: Slammed a couple back before you got there.
22:55
Speaker 5: I mean, you know.
22:57
Speaker 3: Yes, so who's to know?
22:58
Speaker 8: Is there any sign of any improprieties of your drinking?
23:02
Speaker 3: You know, I can hear the laugh in your voice,
23:04
Speaker 3: and it's pissing me off.
23:06
Speaker 2: Wait a second.
23:07
Speaker 8: Quite frankly, you're pissing me off. I mean, I'm out
23:10
Speaker 8: here trying to protect people, and you're the guy who's
23:13
Speaker 8: out there, you know, running over people.
23:19
Speaker 3: I didn't run over any children. I ran over two
23:22
Speaker 3: body bags with dead bodies in them.
23:26
Speaker 5: Jesus.
23:26
Speaker 2: I can't believe this guy. Thank you very much.
23:31
Speaker 3: I had to wipe the tears from my eyes when
23:32
Speaker 3: I pulled up to the scene, and they were blocking
23:35
Speaker 3: my vision. And so that was difficult for me to see.
23:39
Speaker 1: Well, the sheriff said you pulled up, the car fishtailed.
23:44
Speaker 1: And it went over two body bags with bodies in them.
23:51
Speaker 3: Yeah, so what's your point?
23:53
Speaker 2: What's my point?
23:55
Speaker 1: You're pulling up to the scene of a news story?
24:01
Speaker 2: We also have a tape of you, and we're going
24:05
Speaker 2: to get to it here in a couple of minutes,
24:06
Speaker 2: of one of your reports.
24:07
Speaker 3: I hope you do, Phil. I'm proud of my work.
24:09
Speaker 2: I don't know that you're going to be proud of
24:10
Speaker 2: this one.
24:11
Speaker 3: Well, excuse me, if you want to turn media critic,
24:13
Speaker 3: that's something else. I'm very proud of my work.
24:16
Speaker 2: All right, here is Kevin on the Phil Henry Show. Kevin,
24:20
Speaker 2: go ahead.
24:21
Speaker 5: Listen, Berman, this is the most asinine thing I've ever
24:24
Speaker 5: heard of. You know, I've been in journalism, and I
24:26
Speaker 5: know the stress involved, and there is no point.
24:29
Speaker 6: It is not helpful to drink.
24:31
Speaker 5: You've got a serious problem.
24:33
Speaker 6: You're an alcoholic. You need help, man.
24:39
Speaker 5: I can't emphasize enough.
24:40
Speaker 3: You sound like... I don't believe you were in news.
24:44
Speaker 5: You don't believe I was in news?
24:45
Speaker 3: No, you weren't in news.
24:47
Speaker 5: You want to see my press card, pal?
24:49
Speaker 3: Press card?
24:49
Speaker 5: I'm telling you, you don't need to drink in order
24:51
Speaker 5: to do this.
24:52
Speaker 3: Where did you work? Where did I work?
24:55
Speaker 5: At the Santa Maria Times. Santa Maria, California.
25:00
Speaker 3: Listen, Brenda Starr. First of all, I work at a
25:05
Speaker 3: big city news service. I'm not working at the Santa
25:08
Speaker 3: Maria Times. Secondly, the things that I see here are
25:13
Speaker 3: gruesome and grotesque beyond words. What do you see up
25:16
Speaker 3: at the Santa Maria Times? Somebody ran over a cat?
25:20
Speaker 5: Listen, I'll tell you, I saw plenty of gruesome scenes
25:23
Speaker 5: up there, and the thing is, pal, you're going to
25:25
Speaker 5: see plenty more because they're going to be all over
25:27
Speaker 5: the front bumper of your car if you don't stop
25:29
Speaker 5: drinking and driving.
25:31
Speaker 3: I don't understand. I'm sick of it.
25:32
Speaker 5: I'm calling to try and save lives here.
25:34
Speaker 3: What life are you saving?
25:38
Speaker 2: I'm going to play this. 1-800-449-8686 is our number. I
25:44
Speaker 2: want to play this because this is a recording of
25:47
Speaker 2: you doing one of your reports.
25:49
Speaker 1: I don't remember this.
25:54
Speaker 7: Just hold on.
26:01
Speaker 3: And now we're going to Don Berman on the scene.
26:03
Speaker 4: Don?
26:16
Speaker 2: There it is. What do you think of that?
26:18
Speaker 3: What's wrong with that?
26:19
Speaker 1: Oh, yeah, that was really clear and concise, huh?
26:21
Speaker 3: That's professional work. Now, if you don't mind, happy hour
26:25
Speaker 3: starting over at the smokehouse.
26:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, you got to get ready for work, huh?
26:29
Speaker 4: You bet.
26:30
Speaker 1: World-famous Phil Henry Show, executive produced by Phil Henry for