Larry Kanes Philadelphia [Hardcover]

Larry Kane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2000

Larry Kane, dean of Philadelphia news anchors, arrived in town to take a job as a radio broadcaster on September 12, 1966. Driving across the Walt Whitman Bridge, he spotted several fires raging to the south. After paying his toll, he drove to a pay phone and called the fire emergency line. The dispatcher responded, 'Whateryoutawkin about? Them there's oil refineries'. Thirty-four years later, Larry knows all about the oil refineries. In fact, there's very little that goes on in Philadelphia that he hasn't reported on at one time or another. And it's all here in this easy-reading look at Philadelphia government and politics, and the trials of a journalist trying to cover them. For Larry Kane watchers, this book answers some nagging questions: why did he leave for New York and why did he come back? What's the story behind the Bill Green lawsuit? Does he apply his own makeup? Larry is candid about his own mistakes, and about his successes. He talks about his insecurities and the strain of living life in the spotlight. But this is first and foremost a book about Philadelphia by a man who knows the city intimately. He has been close to more Philadelphia power figures than perhaps any other person. Here he talks personally about Ed Rendell, Arlen Specter, Vince Fumo, Lynne Abraham, John Cardinal Krol, Leon Sullivan, and, of course, the legendary Frank Rizzo. He has visited Jimmy Tayoun in jail, co-hosted a weekend radio marathon with John Lennon, and interviewed shirtless Lenny Dykstra, who insisted that the news team could just clip the microphone to his chest hair. Larry also has tales to tell about watching Martin Luther King Jr.'s killer being apprehended in Heathrow Airport, about barely escaping the riot at the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention, about traveling to earthquake-stricken Italy and to dissent-torn Israel. He has even been to Alaska to see the Pope (yes, he's also met him more conventionally at the Vatican). These are the reminiscences of a master-storyteller, a man whose job has been to see the city accurately and report on it informatively. Whether you're more familiar with Richardson Dilworth or Boyz II Men, you will laugh, groan, and be moved by Larry Kane's view of Philadelphia. Author note: Larry Kane is news anchor for "Eyewitness News" at 11 on KYW TV in Philadelphia.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It's just what you'd expect from Larry Kane--an engaging and indispensable primer for anyone who wants to practice politics in Philadelphia." --Tom Ridge, Director of Homeland Security (and former Governor of Pennsylvania) "Passion, candor and inside stories make Larry Kane's Philadelphia a terrific read. A top-flight journalist has crafted a top-flight memoir, making clear his love for his city and his understanding of its colorful political landscape." --Marciarose, Philadelphia broadcast pioneer "...a terrific book that stands with the best firsthand accounts of the city's recent history." --Main Line Today "Larry Kane's life story is ultimately a lot like him. Driven, vulnerable, sincere, and infuriatingly likable." --The Philadelphia Inquirer "[Kane] not only reveals the news behind the news but also his insider's assessment of our electronic journalism media. By his own description this book is not a history but a journal of important events in this community, witnessed by him from his perspective as a reporter...Whether your ancestors came to Philadelphia with William Penn or on the bus from Wilkes-Barre, Larry Kane's Philadelphia is a good read for lovers of this city." --Philadelphia Public Record "This is [Larry's] story. In these pages are the ups and downs of a life well spent in broadcast journalism, gritty tales of city politics, of meetings with popes and presidents, of painful lessons and close calls. It's a story told with candor and suffused with affection for the city he calls home. Here Larry Kane shows you his world and his Philadelphia, and I can't think of a better guide." --Dan Rather, from the Foreword

From the Publisher

A first-hand look at Philadelphia's important events and people

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (September 29, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566398061
• ISBN-13: 978-1566398060
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,638,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Honest Look Inside Local News, October 19, 2000

By 

Steve Cohen (Salt Lake City, UT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Larry Kanes Philadelphia (Hardcover)

Everyone has some point of view about local news and its value to our society or its impending decline. But, few have had an insiders seat on the evolution of local news as seen from the anchor chair. In his memoir of his years in television ,Larry Kane offers a brutually honest view of life in the same city for three decades. It is a wide ranging approach that includes the high and mighty from Frank Rizzo and the venerable liberal, Senator Joe Clarke to the confused and stormy reigns of Mayor Wilson Goode and Bill Green. Kane explores the relationship between politician and anchor in away not found in other books. He doesn't judge them as much as explain their challenges and how they conquered their inner demons or exorcised them. And he is no less tough on his own colleagues who ran the three stations were he served. News chiefs with willowed spines get their due , as do those who made unpopular decisions to serve Philadelphia. When they stood by him they are treated well, but when an obvious wrong was done, Kane offers vivid recollections of closed door meetings that you rarely get from a practicing journalist. Still this not at all a book of wrath. Kane carefully balances the things that matter to his community with the personality clashes that propel other memoirs.His accounting of the MOVE crisis in 1985 and the Rizzo years are as valuable as any historians more traditional approach. And there is warmth here as well. Kane always had a common man's touch and it shows up here. He treats media phenoms ,like d.j. cum anchor, Jim Obrien with great care. And his telling of how he revered the legendary oldies disc jockey, Jerry Blavat is a classic in character definition. His sense of proportion about people is also right on , no one is given too much space whether its the Beatles or this reviewer. Everything has its place and purpose. For a guy who has spent his life in an anchor chair there is a richness and value here found in few other television books.If you think anchors are hair sprayed blowhards, Kane's book will change that view. And all readers will get a very special tour of his city that destroys the classic Philadelphia cliches. This is one honest, tough and balanced account from a weathered newsman. Steve Cohen Salt Lake City

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Tour de Force, November 17, 2000

By 

Richard A. Friedman "RICK FRIEDMAN" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Larry Kanes Philadelphia (Hardcover)

"Larry Kane's Philadelphia" is a uniquely rich tapestry of power and the powerful in a 20th century American city. Larry Kane propels the reader through three decades with understanding, insight, and a cub reporter's enthusiasm. Woven throughout the book are fascinating and highly personal anecdotes of the events and the people who made an unforgettable impact on us all. John Lennon. Three Mile Island. Hand grenades exploding inside a restaurant in Arab East Jerusalem. Rioting that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. And even more one-of-a-kind stories about the famous of Philadelphia: Frank Rizzo, Ed Rendell, James H. J. Tate, and more. Most revealing is Kane's anatomy of the most crushing event of his career. The WCAU-TV broadcast of allegations against then-Mayor Bill Green, the retraction of the story, the lawsuit that followed, and the ostracism he experienced inside his own newsroom for a story steamrollered on the air by an egotistic general manager. My favorite part of the book is an anecdote about me, and the price I paid as a newscast producer for cutting the time of legendary weatherman Jim O'Brien's on-air segment. You can read about it on page 81. But every reader will find plenty that's special and memorable in "Larry Kane's Philadelphia."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, easy flowing read!, January 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Larry Kanes Philadelphia (Hardcover)

Larry Kane is such a familiar personality in the Phila. area as a TV anchor for all three Phila stations at one time or another but surprises abound in this book. Kane has managed to capture the heart and spirit of Philadelphia politics and the communities. I couldn't put this book down after just picking it up and thinking it was the same old, same old. Not a chance! The pace flows in this book and the insider's look at Phila. politics as well as the news stations is incredibly fascinating. You actually feel as though you were there. I highly recommend this book - even if you never lived in Phila. or its surrounding areas - this is an extremely interesting insider's view of politics and tv news. The author also speaks with great candor of his personal insecurities concerning his looks. This really was interesting as most people in the area (obviously we're referring to females here) speak of him as an extremely handsome individual! Always interesting to see how other's perspectives of themselves is different than that perceived by others. Definitely could not put this one down. Interesting insights with crazy politics, personal struggles and career decisions, etc. told with wit, warmth and style. A very charismatic writer who makes you want to hear more, more, more!