Fred/Alan

Greatest Hits
A Decade in Media History
1983-1992

By Alan Goodman & Fred Seibert

Eliot George Books

New York
 With love for
Jack and Joe and Lily and Perry
Photography by Elena Seibert
Hand coloring by Candy Kugel
 Introduction
by Alan Goodman
A
ugust 1970. I arrived at Columbia
University as an experienced newspaper re-
porter and joined the college paper staff, get-
ting my first assignment almost immediately.
I was disillusioned just as quickly when I saw
my article in print with virtually every word
rewritten. That had never happened to me in
two summers of working at my award-win-
ning hometown paper.
Maybe radio, I thought. I rang the bell at
WKCR-FM, and Fred Seibert answered the
door. He’s been opening doors for me ever
since.
I’ve been telling that story for years. It’s
shown up in print a time or two. Recently I
admitted to Fred I’m not entirely certain it’s
accurate. It happened more than 50 years ago.
It might have been Lou Venech, who was at
the station every minute he wasn’t in a class-
room, keeping a pot of coffee hot next to the
porcelain frog “piggy bank” where you were
supposed to drop a quarter-per-cup. When I
say it may not be true, I mean the first part.
The second part, where opportunity after op-
portunity became available to me in my career
and life, that was all Fred for sure.
I know this book is about our company,
Fred/Alan. But my relationship with Fred is
deeper and longer than that and so much of
who we were as a company was rooted in who
Photograph by Elena Seibert 1983
and what Fred is as a human. Like anyone, I
struggle to put into words how Fred’s massive
intelligence, superior instinct, personal cha-
risma, consistent point of view, and powers
of persuasion were like an iceboat through a
frozen corporate sea of immobility, copycat
decision-making, blaming and shaming, and
general in-action. It was amazing to see in
person as co-workers, rivals, clients, and
supervisors fell into line as Fred led any
charge.
Those traits were on display early. I remember
a time at the radio station when we were in
the midst of one of our trademark marathons
celebrating a musician’s birthday. This one
happened to be a three-day event honoring
Charles Mingus. At some point around
midway through the special we started playing
Mingus’ music chronologically. I believe it
had been scheduled. When it was Fred’s turn
to take the mic, he said “I thought we’d take a
break from playing Mingus’ music chronolog-
ically and for the next few hours focus on the
music that made us all fall in love with him as
a bass player and composer.” He programmed
his own three-hour shift. I stood there think-
ing, any one of us could have done that. Who
cares about the schedule? It was college radio.
Aren’t you supposed to be a renegade? But
none of us was, only Fred.
(People always said that at Fred/Alan we
broke all the rules. Not true. We obeyed lots
of rules. We only broke the stupid ones.)

After school we went off into the world, Fred
into radio and I into film school, then advertis-
ing at CBS Records. We were in touch all the
time. For a while I would call his new station
in L.A., ask for Fred Seibert, and be corrected
by the receptionist. “Sei-BERG,” she would
tell me as she quickly put me on hold before I
could tell her I actually knew the guy.
In radio he became a protégé of Dale Pon,
who in a few years Fred would hire as the
advertising agency for MTV. Dale taught
Fred, and later me, things like the inextricable
link between media and creative, the value
of numbers, the importance of making and
backing up a claim, and how to build
audiences. In following Dale Fred wound up
back to New York, where he was able to
resume his side hustle in freelance record
production. He was doing a date in the city
once and called me to come sit with him in the
control room. He had just had an offer from
Bob Pittman, head of The Movie Channel,
one of the new premium subscription chan-
nels springing up to take on HBO. Bob had
gotten a recommendation from Dale for Fred
to run promotion for the network (Bob and
Dale knew each other from their days at NBC
Radio). Fred was struggling with the decision.
I looked at the musicians on the other side of
the glass. One or two of them were drunk, I
think there was an argument in progress, no
one was sure what was happening, and it was
unclear that anything worthwhile was going to
get recorded that evening. “Do it,” I told him.
It wasn’t long before I was by his side pro-
ducing animation for the network and within
days, working with him to plan MTV.
O
ne of Fred’s great innovations in
on-air promotion was bringing The Movie
Channel subscribers to New York for two
days of sightseeing, dining, and promo
recording. He believed in the value of
unscripted opinions from real people, a
strategy we later employed at Nickelodeon
with real kids. One commercial for The Movie
Channel has stayed with me all these years.
“There are only three things in my town that
are 24 hours,” the man told our camera. “The
hospital, the diner, and The Movie Channel.”
I’ve never written anything that good.
“24 hours a day” was a reliable promise
during our MTV days, and later at the agency,
in an era where it was typical for us to develop
a list of five or six promises for the networks
we were promoting. Again, Fred’s idea, borne
out of his radio experience where the DJs has
a set of “liners” they’d use in breaks to call
out the station’s attributes.
Anyone who ever worked with us knows
about our affection for promises. We
objected to slogans – slogans wear out and
get replaced. Also, we insisted on devoting a
LOT of time to promotion, which would have
hastened that burn-out. With the right prom-
ises, you could execute endlessly and never
run out of ways to creatively tell each story.
I could probably rattle off all the promises,
to this day. It’s a system that wouldn’t work
in today’s era where everything is streamed,
content is king, and brands are less valued.
But for years I would run into generations of
promo producers who learned from Fred and
me, and would tell me about their promises,
long after that strategy ceased being useful.
Another of our innovations was producing TV
“audio first.” As MTV began building its staff
and Fred started hiring producers, he found
he couldn’t afford seasoned pros and none
existed in TV who understood music the way
we did. We had spent years doing segues and
mixes and montages in college radio. Sound,
we believed, mattered more than picture. If
something doesn’t sound right, it’s grating as
hell. If a second-long image isn’t right, what
difference does it make? People are barely
watching anyway. So we worked with new-
bies and sent them all the Clack Studios, a
recording studio where I had worked in the
music business, owned by the best audio
engineer in New York. Audio studio time was
$50 an hour. Video hours at video studios
were $300 an hour, before they started added
all the extras like special effects processors,
title generators, and dubs. Better to have
novices crapping around at a lower rate than
what the video joints charged. Like many
things with Fred, there was a practical reason,
but the aesthetic reason was there as well.
Later, as we built Fred/Alan, I was often
in a position where young staff members
were asking me to interpret Fred for them.
“I brought him an ad to see,” they’d tell me,
“and he wrote a note on it, but I don’t really
know what he wants.”
I would try to explain Fred to them. “Look,
Fred is at heart a jazz musician,” I’d tell them.
“You brought him something, and based on
what you showed him he started improvis-
ing. He started riffing. I guess he wants to
see something different, because if he were
in love with what you showed him he would
have told you. But don’t worry too much
about what he told you. It was just a riff. He
doesn’t necessarily want to see that exact
thing, and probably won’t even remember it.
He wants you to think. He wants something
that works. Go away and do some more work.
Don’t bring him one idea, because I can tell
you he doesn’t want to see one idea. Don’t
come back and tell him his idea doesn’t work
either. But if you come back and show him, ‘I
tried this direction, and then I tried this, and
then I tried this third one, and then I thought
about this, and this seemed like the best way
for us to go,’ he may still not like what you
have but he will totally respect your process
of development and believe you did what he
wants you to do.”
Other times I’d tell them, “Yeah, I can’t read
his writing either.”
While we could often finish each other’s
sentences, we weren’t the same person.
A
n important thing to say about Fred
is how he is the world’s greatest champion of
great ideas. A myth abounds that he only likes
his own stuff. Nothing could be further from
the truth. I have never seen anyone discard his
own work faster in favor of someone else’s
when it was clear the other person had a better
idea. It was a great lesson to me. There can be
great satisfaction in recognizing the contribu-
tions of others.
I think of all the things we did at Fred/Alan
I am most pleased about the careers we
launched. Not the work. The work was great.
I still have some of it hanging on the wall be-
cause I love looking at it. But nothing matches
the joy I feel knowing I pulled people out of
the team to tell them, “You’re a writer. You
don’t know it yet, but you’re a writer.” And
now those people are writers. Or the junior art
director who was supposed to accompany me
to a shoot I was directing who I told at the last
moment, “I’m not going. You’re directing.” It
was his first of many. He just needed the push.
Fred/Alan was a wonderful nest, but how
thrilling when we could push someone out of
the comfort and safety into the wider world.
At Fred/Alan we filled extra offices with
colleagues who needed space because we
wanted those brains around us. I once hired a
comedy writer to write ads for us because he
made me laugh. (Later he hired me to run his
sitcom.) We made account executives out of
people who had never been account execu-
tives before. We boosted voiceover artists into
being producers. We convinced East Village
artists to do advertising for MTV, getting them
to take commercial work for the first time in
their lives because we promised them they
could do whatever they wanted – we wouldn’t
change a line in their drawings. (R. Crumb,
the legendary underground comic book artist,
did a full-page ad for MTV that was basically
about how much he hated MTV. It’s a brilliant
drawing.)
In today’s corporate world HR departments
write job descriptions, then go looking for
people who fit those descriptions. It’s an im-
possible assignment, because no one will ever
match your dream applicant. Our attitude was,
let’s surround ourselves with smart people
we like being with, and we’ll figure out what
they’re good at. Our business cards never had
titles on them. That wasn’t the part we cared
about. Instead, we gave people shots and we
were loyal. I still work with suppliers who
were Fred/Alan people 40 years ago.
It was also a great place for personal exper-
imentation, craft building, and innovating.
I would never have gotten the breaks I got
without Fred’s cheerleading for me. When we
were younger, he hired me to write liner notes
for his records. He hired me to produce ani-
mation at The Movie Channel when all I had
done to earn the job was attend one class in
animation at film school before dropping the
class. It’s not common for advertising agency
vice presidents to direct commercials, but I
loved doing it and Fred was absolutely deter-
mined that I should do things that I loved, so
I was often our director. When Nickelodeon
was getting ready to produce its first sitcom,
he told them the reason the pilot to “Hey
Dude” sucked was that they needed a story
editor like Alan to supervise the writing. I had
never done that job before. But I wrote a new
pilot and we went on to do five seasons and
suddenly my career as a writer/producer was
launched.
Our Fred/Alan people were wonderful. But
let me say this about the work. The work was
frikken unbelievable. We did more work, and
more great work, than seems possible to me
now. Part of that comes from the fact that
Fred and I love to work. A guy who was a
big-deal consultant to MTV pointed this out
to me early in our agency’s life. He had sold
his direct mail company to American Express
and didn’t have to do anything anymore. “I’ve
never seen anything like you guys before,” he
 Introduction
told me. “You really seem to still love doing
the work.”

I don’t know about Fred, but I don’t think I’ll

ever retire. What would I do? Neither one of
us plays golf. We don’t really have any in-
by Fred Seibert
F
terests. We’re not great at small talk. Travel
is okay, but it’s sort of an exhausting pain in
red/Alan was a hoot. Great colleagues,
the butt. What’s more fun than working, and
great work, great clients. Until they weren’t.
talking about work? We’ll always be checking
up with each other, too, if only to take each
Who we were –and are– was set at our first
other’s temperature on some issue or another.
meeting at WKCR-FM, the college radio sta-
I can usually count on him to fill in gaps in
tion at Columbia University in New York. We
my memory or fact base. In 50 years I’ve nev-
became fast friends, learning about all sorts
er heard Fred express an opinion that wasn’t
of music and audio production. We went on
apparently well-reasoned, deeply considered,
to work together in various places on various
poked and prodded for holes and flaws, and
projects. We became brothers-in-law and un-
ultimately decided in a way that would allow
cles to our kids. And, we kept on working to-
him to have a ready answer if called upon to
gether, whether we were employed or not. We
respond to a question on that subject. I say
got each other jobs, and the more professional
“apparently” because no one could possibly
we became the deeper our affection. Friend-
have that many opinions all sorted and filed
ship, understanding and some work here and
away. He has to be making it up as he goes,
there has continued for more than 50 years.
but always in a manner that makes you be-
lieve you’re not the first person to ask.
But, our most intense professional period was
the 10+ years we had at MTV and Fred/Alan.
I can’t imagine what my life would have been
if I hadn’t met Fred Seibert more than 50
I really wanted to be in the record business. In
years ago and fallen under his spell of creativ-
our generation, pop music was the thing and
ity, inspiration, and delight in making things.
records were the force multiplier. Being in
I still measure a lot of what I decide based on
rock bands throughout high school and col-
“what would Fred do.”
lege was great, but over time I found myself
wanting to help get music out there. Based
So much of the joy I’ve experienced in life I
in New York City, It should have been easy,
really owe to Fred’s moral, courageous, gen-
but my biggest success was getting friends in
erous, and spirited example. I love him more
at the world class Columbia Records. Alan
than I could ever say.
worked there, and try as he might, as he once
said, “Fred didn’t get hired in every depart-
Or maybe I owe it all to Lou Venech. I guess
ment at CBS Records,” Columbia’s parent
we’ll never really know.

Photograph by Elena Seibert 1983

company. But I found my way into commer-
cial radio, then became one of the early em-
ployees in the new technology of the time,
cable television, at the company that was to
become MTV Networks.
In a short while, Alan joined me, and together
we hooked up with my childhood friend, artist
Frank Olinsky, and he and his partners de-
signed the innovative MTV logo for us. Alan
and I produced the video that introduced mu-
sic television to the cable industry. He led the
charge into the unique logos with which we
surprised the world –we tried to use animation
to keep up with the graphic revolution of rock
and jazz album covers– and I put together the
video promotion group. It’s fair to say that our
work is what’s most remembered about MTV.
Having spent my childhood working at my
parents Mom and Pop pharmacy, I was an
anxious, and ultimately, unhappy employee. It
must have been a shock to Alan that, after all
the accolades and promotions our MTV work
brought us, I marched into his office one day
after a confrontation in the executive suite
and announced that “we” were quitting. The
two of us had already joked, when we were
disgusted with the mediocre work of one the
MTV ad agencies, that it would be fun to have
a company called Fred/Alan, because none
of our young friends would have a clue about
America’s most popular radio comedian, Fred
Allen. Maybe the oldsters who controlled
budgets would hire us?
I
t took a year to figure out what we were
going to do. We found our office through the
friendship of Buzz Potamkin, a leading MTV
animation producer, in Jackie Gleason’s for-
mer “Honeymooners” production headquar-
ters at the top of the Park Central Hotel on 7th
Avenue. We’d left with thoughts of making
TV shows –it took us a few years, but we
eventually got there– MTV Networks hired us
right back as their major creative consultants.
I’ve been saying for years that we were the
first company to codify media “branding,”
an easy enough translation from the radio
business we’d both been in, along with boss
Bob Pittman. But honestly, no one else did
it, at least to the degree that we were up to.
Alan and I were the first people in television
to execute on the notion that a “brand” could
be applied to media rather than only boxed
consumer products (of course, that virus has
spread far and wide to apply to individuals
and politicians wondering about their person-
al “brand”). Along with the rest of my MTV
Program Services team we’d succeeded with
it beyond anyone’s wildest dreams and that
led to the company suggesting that Fred/Alan
might be able to fix what was ailing Nickel-
odeon.
40 years later it’s hard to imagine, but in the
early 80s, the all-kids-all-the time TV channel
was the first of its kind, and they were failing
at their execution. No one watched, Nickel-
odeon was the lowest rated cable channel in
America.
We went to work, I even moved into their
offices, and with the then-unheard of “brand”
strategy, we helped the Nick employees un-
derstand that they were the leaders of a club
of millions of kids who were hungry for a
television channel that understood them. Our
clients knew a lot about kids, we knew a little
bit about how to use TV to talk to them, and
within six months they’d gone from worst to
first in the ratings, where they stayed for 25
years, following the path we’d cleared for
them.
Soon, cable channels across the country
wanted a piece of what we had. Longtime,
lucrative gigs for Showtime, Lifetime, HBO
and The Movie Channel followed. We even
helped some of our friends who were leading
the world revolution in jazz record reissues. It
was a heady time.
And after launching the company with a short
lived series for The Playboy Channel, it took
us four years, and the addition of our college
buddy Albie Hecht to our band of misfits,
to restart our TV show ambitions, spinning
off Chauncey Street Productions (the street
in Bensonhurst that Jackie Gleason “lived”
as Ralph Kramden in The Honeymooners.
Natch!) with Albie, Alan and me producing.
A few music videos led to a Gilbert Gottfried
comedy special for HBO’s Cinemax. Our
friends at Nickelodeon liked our idea for a
“Kid’s Court” series, MTV thought our quiz
show might just work (it didn’t), and HA! (the
Comedy Central predecessor) gave the green-
light to a set of half hour specials featuring
several up and coming performance artists.
We even did our one and only network TV
comedy pilot for CBS.
O
ver time, things started to go a
little sideways. The stress of supporting 50
employees and their families melded into our
scrappy clients becoming responsible corpo- fear was constantly fueled by the excitement
rate executives, searching for financial growth of giving new talent a chance to leap up to
rather than creative escalation. To this day, I world class. We were sure that if we came to
don’t think Alan and I ever had a disagree- work to have some fun, make some money,
ment. That is, until our Fred/Alan underlings and be surrounded by people we liked, would
would start to argue and we both felt the need result in something special. And, sure enough,
to defend whomever we were responsible for. something special happened day after day,
After a while, it all got to be too much and month after month, year after year.
we each decided that maybe making money
couldn’t be what it was all about. Alan and Fred share a vision that has stayed
remarkable in sync for 50 years. The decade
Let’s be real, Alan and I had no idea what we we worked side by side was special. The de-
were doing. We were both DIY before DIY cades since have been deep. Deep friendship,
was a thing. Maybe Alan got a little guidance deep respect, deep love.
in the advertising department at CBS Records.
I’d read an advertising memoir (which, iron- Thanks buddy. You’ve made a life worthwhile.
ically, made me sure to stay away from ad
agencies) and got some basic training from
my mentor Dale Pon when we worked to-
gether in country music radio. But, of course,
our lack of training made sure our solutions
to problems were based on our personal ex-
periences with media rather than the tried,
true and cookie cutter. And, not for nothing,
it caused us to hire co-workers who had no
“experience” either, other than street smarts,
and occasionally, their skills.

Like I said, Fred/Alan was a hoot. I can

only speak for myself, but I’m sure Alan
would agree, we never really looked at our
colleagues and creative partners around the
world as “employees,” just other friends with
whom we could get into good trouble, trying
to change the world. We took our work seri-
ously, but never ourselves. We’d try anything,
and if one thing didn’t work we were positive
the next thing would.

Most of all, it was the special chemistry that

Alan and I have always had. A lack of creative
 Fred Allen,
our patron saint:

“You know, television

is called a new medium,
and I have discovered why
they call it a Medium –
because nothing
is Well Done.”

“This drugery, this sham,

this gold mine.”

“An advertising agency

is 85 percent confusion
and 15 percent commission.”

12 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

Designed by George Lois 1983

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 13

14 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
Fred/Alan’s first reception desk, and one of our beautiful rugs. 870 7th Avenue, Manhattan, New York. 1983-1987
MTV Alan Goodman & Fred Seibert:
MTV employees 1980 -1983
Fred/Alan 1983 -1992

16 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

 1980 -1992

MUSIC TELEVISION

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 17

MTV:
MUSIC TELEVISION
PROGRAM SERVICES
[in-house creative and promotion department]

Fred Seibert
Marcy Brafman
Marc Chusid
Jay Dorfman
Alan Goodman
Richard Schenkman
 M
Before Fred/Alan 1980-1983

A
N
H
Pat Gorman
Frank Olinsky A
T
Patti Rogoff
MTV logo designers & illustrators

T
A
N
DESIGN
20 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
Early stabs at an MTV logo

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 21

22 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
24 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 25
26 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 27
 “HEY YOU!

DON’T WATCH
THAT!”

Newsreel footage
from the
United States
Library of Congress

Voice over from

MADNESS:
“One Step Beyond”

28 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

 WATCH
THIS!!!”

TALKING HEADS:
“Once in a Lifetime”

FLEETWOOD MAC:
“The Chain”

MTV PLAYS
YOUR FAVORITE
MUSIC.
MTV:
MUSIC
TELEVISION

SHOES
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 29
“Too Late”
 Designed & illustrated
by Frank Olinsky
Manhattan Design

Produced & animated

by Buzzco
30 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
B
U
Z
Buzz
Potamkin
Vincent
Cafarelli

Z
Marilyn
Kraemer
Candy
Kugel
David

C
Sameth

O A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 31

 “Top of the Hour”
Stills by NASA
Logos by Candy Kugel and Frank Olinsky
1981

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 33

 Designed by Manhattan Design
Illustrated by Frank Olinsky
34 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
 Based on
illustrations
by
Sam
Steinberg

Designed by
Candy
Kugel
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 35
 “Top of the Hour”
Stills by NASA
Logos by Candy Kugel
1984

36 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

38 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
C
O
L
O
S
Gary Gutierrez
Drew Takahashi

S
A
L
PICTURES
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 39
40 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 41
42 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 43
 B
R
O
A
Steve Oakes
D
C
Peter Rosenthal

A
S
T
ARTS
44 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
Winner of MTV’s first creative award CLIO 1983
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 45
46 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 47
 Far Left:
JERRY
LIEBERMAN
PRODUCTIONS
Illustrations by Lou Brooks

Left:
Buzzco
Conceived by Manhattan Design
Illustrations by Frank Olinsky

Right:
ELI NOYES

Right hand page:

TOM
POMPOSELLO
PRODUCTIONS

48 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 49
 Far left:
DAVID BURD

Left:
ELI NOYES

Right:
SILVERCLOUD
MARIO KAMBERG
SHERRY McKENNA
ANDY ARKIN

Right hand page:

MTV logos
First row (L-R):
Colossal Pictures, Manhattan Design,
Colossal Pictures
Second row (L-R):
Eli Noyes, Broadcast Arts (2)
Third row (L-R):
Colossal Pictures, Buzzco,
Colossal Pictures

50 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 51
 MTV: Music Television advertising agency1982-1987

LPG/PON

Dale Pon
Dick Gershon
George Lois
Bill Pitts

52 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 53
 Written by
Nancy Podbielniak,
George Lois and Dale Pon

Produced by Buzz Potamkin

Buzzco, New York
Edited by Alan Goodman

Directed by Thomas Schlamme “I

want
my
Pete Townshend MTV!”
54 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
 Pat Benatar Men at Work
Adam Ant The Clash
Pete Townshend Hall & Oates

‘Call your “I
cable
company
want
and my
say...’ MTV!”
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 55
Fred/Alan 1983-1992

Phil Collins Billy Joel

Suddenly, everything changed.

One minute there was music.
The next minute... nothing.
Just like that! They took off MTV.
It’s the local cable company, you know.
It’s the guy you pay, every month.
Is it fair to take your MTV away?

56 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

 Rod Stewart Paula Abdul

I think if we all put the pressure on, TV commercials

they’re going to have to change their mind. Written & directed by
If your MTV’s missing, call ‘em. I’d call. Alan Goodman
Them them “Don’t make decisions for me!” 1986
Tell ‘em “I want what I paid for.”

Tell them,
“I want my MTV... Back!” A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 57
(Tony Bennett sings Cole Porter’s “I Concentrate on You”)
“Whenever skies look gray to me, and trouble begins to brew,
Whenever the winter winds become too strong...

I want my MTV.”

(announcer) Tony Bennett

“It doesn’t sound like TV, and Alan
it doesn’t look like TV, 1988
it doesn’t even feel like TV.”

“Sure, you love TV.

But sometimes you gotta ask yourself...”

(Tony) TV or MTV? (Tony sings) “I want my MTV.”

Television commercial starring Tony Bennett 1988
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 59
60 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
 Bus side advertising 1988
Illustration by Lou Brooks

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 61

(Smittie)
“One day when I was watching MTV i decided to count all the exclusive videos by pulling out a hair for each one. Pretty dumb huh?”

(Burning man) “Hi My name is Dave, I used to be a jerk, then I got MTV. I watched three times today and now I’m a wonderful person.
Just hit the switch and you’re at MTV!

62 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

“TV? or MTV! TV? or MTV! TV? or MTV! There’s only one thing that keeps TV from being MTV. Great video musics, crazy game shows and
dance shows MTV News and Specials. Everybody loves TV. But sometimes you gotta ask yourself... TV? or MTV! I WANT MY MTV!”

(Smittie)
“I like to watch MTV while having breakfast. I catch the latest videos after work. But at night I tune in with a late night snack.”

“TV? or MTV! I want my MTV!” commercials starring Bon Jovi, Cyndi Lauper, John Mellencamp, Cher, Smittee and Dave the Burning Man, April 1988
Billboard Magazine
1987

64 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

 TV Guide
tune-in
advertising
1989

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 65

66 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
 Cable operator
Magazine advertising
1989
Billboard Magazine
Trade advertising
1990
 Rolling Stone
Consumer advertising
1990
82 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
 Consumer
advertising
1990

(Opposite page)
Advertising Age/Adweek
1991
84 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 85
86 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
PLAYBOY
CHANNEL
1983
“Playboy’s Hot Rocks”
Series produced by
Fred/Alan
& Buzzco

Animation by Buzzco
Illustrations by Candy Kugel
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 87
SHOWTIME
1984 -1992

“The Synchronicity Concert”

Poster design by Mark Larson
1984
88 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
 “Showtime’s Got Rock”
Illustrations by Manhattan Design
1984

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 89

Soundtracks composed and sung by Eugene Pitt & The Jive Five

90 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

“The Honeymooners-The Lost Episodes”
1984

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 91

The key to good health is fiber.

Don’t you want to be spry like me?

Ha ha!

But here’s a healthy offer.

Showtime has exclusive movies and

shows. Like Witness and Death Wish 3.

Without Showtime, you can’t watch them.

And if I’m lying, I’m buying!

Free cable for a year if you spot Show-

time’s Exclusive on HBO or Cinemax!

Plus raisin bran.

Couple of boxes are open.
I like raisins!

92 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

I’ve just come back from Paris, France.

This is what you’ll all be wearing next fall.

Ha ha!

But here’s something that really looks

good!

Showtime has exclusive movies and

shows. Like Witness and Death Wish 3.

Without Showtime, you can’t watch them.

And if I’m lying, I’m buying!

Free cable for a year if you spot Show-

time’s Exclusive on HBO or Cinemax!

Plus a costume.

Calvert DeForest as Larry “Bud” Melman for Showtime Exclusives

September 1986 93
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992
ORANGE
you glad
you've got your
NICK-EL
-O-
94
DE-ON?
FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
Sung by
The Jive Five
1984-1992

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 95

96 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
Corey&Co. Boston
Logo designed by
Tom Corey & Scott Nash
Eugene Pitt & the Jive Five
(soundtrack)
98 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
Noyes & Laybourne New York
(animation)
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 99
David Lubell, Jerry Lieberman & Kim Deitch, Joey Ahlbum
(top to bottom)

100 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

Noyes & Laybourne New York
(animation)
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 101
102 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
Joey Ahlbum New York
(both pages)
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 103
 Joey Ahlbum
New York
104 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
Buzzco New York
Illustration by Candy Kugel
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 105
Maine campers & Howard Hoffman

106 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

Marv Newland (top two rows) , Colossal Pictures

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 107

The first “new” Nickelodeon promo. By Scott Webb.

When we last left our network heroes they were fighting for truth, justice,

and the Nickelodeon way.  Rollo had just discovered Baron Greenback plotting by turning

Mr. Wizard’s World into Mr. Lizard’s World but Powerhouse was closed. 
Meanwhile, Mr. Wizard was working out a secret formula to keep Moose from saying “I don’t know” and getting slimed
was encountering difficulty. 

Upon hearing the news Dave, Diz, and Lassie were off to the aid of their buddies when suddenly {EXPLOSION}!

Will Lassie recover in time for her show?!  The answer to these and other burning questions, stay tuned to Nickelodeon EVERYDAY! 
110 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
Advertising magazine
trade ads
1988-1992

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 111

112 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 113
114 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 115
116 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
 Alan Goodman:
“Hey Dude!”
story editor

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 117

Lifetime network identifications
Buzzco, New York
Logo designed by Tom Corey & Scott Nash, Corey & Co., Boston
 LIFETIME
1984-
1985
Lifetime network identifications
(L-R) Colossal Pictures, Olive Jar Productions, Corey & Co./Buzzco
Logo designed by Tom Corey & Scott Nash, Corey & Co., Boston
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 119
 Michael Cuscuna
Charlie Lourie

MOSAIC
RECORDS
1984-1992
122 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 123
 Nick-at-Nite logo designed by Tom Corey & Scott Nash Corey & Co., Boston

124 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

NICK
1985-1992

NITE
THE GREATEST HITS OF TELEVISION

at

and

TV Land
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 125
 Fred/Alan creative director Noel Frankel
with the Nick-at-Nite advertising
concept he originated.

Trade advertising poster for suburban commuter trains

1989-1991
126 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
TV Guide
Advertising
1988-1989
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 129
130 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 131
 TV Guide
Advertising
1988-1989

132 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

 TV Guide
Advertising
1988-1989

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 133

 TV Guide
Advertising
1988-1989

134 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

 Ad agency trade advertising
1989

TV Guide advertising
1988-1989

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 135

136 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
 NOYES &
LAYBOURNE
Eli Noyes
Kit Laybourne

Nick-at-Nite network identifications

Stop Motion Animation
1987-1989
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 137
Left to right: Robert Hunter, Alan Goodman, Bill Burnett, Nick-at-Nite Chairman Dick Van Dyke, Fred Seibert, Bill Horvath, Tom Barreca, Dave Landesberg, Lou Baur

138 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

 Summer 1992:
Fred/Alan names
Dick Van Dyke as the
Chairman of Nick-at-Nite
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 139
Animated network identifications 1985
Buzzco, New York
Logo designed by George Lois LPG/Pon
VH1
1985-1992

VIDEO HITS ONE 1985-1990

THE GREATEST HITS OF MUSIC VIDEO 1991

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 141

Animated network identifications 1985
Colossal Pictures (left two rows); Buzzco (right two rows)
Logo designed by George Lois LPG/Pon
142 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
Advertising trade ad 1989

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 143

 Commercial 1989. Written by Bill Burnett, art by Don Martin, animation by The Ink Tank, produced by JJ Sedelmaier
144 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
Commercial campaign 1991. Sting, Elton John, Whitney Houston, kd lang.
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 145
 The Greatest Hits of Music Video
Zbigniew
Rybczynski
New Jersey

Charlex/
Alex Weil
New York (opposite page)

Jingles produced by
JAM
Creative
Productions,
Dallas
1991

146 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 147
148 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
SWATCH WATCH

CHRISTMAS 1985

Starring
The Fat Boys
 Top: Joey Ahlbum, New York
Middle: Charlex, New York
Bottom: Marv Newland,
International Rocketship, Vancouver
150 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
MYERS’S RUM VIDEO NETWORK
Produced in association with Steve Dessau
1986
Poster designed & illustrated by Joey Ahlbum, New York

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 151

EPIC
RECORDS
EPA
ASSOCIATED
LABELS
1988
“The Epic Epic”
Record Company
Convention
Sales Presentation
Video

152 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

FOX/20th TELEVISION
Series logo 1986-1996
Sound design by Alan Goodman
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 153
154 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
AFRIKA BAMBAATAA – JAMES BROWN
“Unity” music video: Tommy Boy Records 1987
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 155
CINEMAX
1987
Directed by
Thomas Schlamme

Produced by
Albie Hecht

Executive producers;
Alan Goodman &
Fred Seibert

(Right) Photographs of
Albie Hecht
by
Elena Seibert
 CHAUNCEY
STREET
PRODUCTIONS
1987-1992
Alan Goodman
Albie Hecht
Fred Seibert

Designed by
Tom Corey & Scott Nash
Corey & Co., Boston

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 157

Thirteen
1988

WNET NEW YORK

Rockschool
Produced by Tom Pomposello Hosted by Herbie Hancock

158 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

Logo & poster designed by Tom Corey & Scott Nash. Illustration by Scott Nash. Corey & Co. Boston

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 159

160 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
THE MOVIE CHANNEL
May 1, 1988
Logo design by Noel Frankel, Fred/Alan Creative Director
Video animation by Alex Weil, Charlex, New York

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 161

162 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 163
"Vertical hold is a state of
being, but heaven is a state of mind."

"There are more things on

heaven and earth, Horatio, than
are dreamt of in your philosphy."

Some people go from

dollars to donuts, but
I'll take pennies from
heaven.

"Oh human
"Does history love, thou
repeat itself in spirits given
heaven too?" on earth of
all we hope
in heaven."
164 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
 “Old
TV shows
don't die,
they go
to heaven.”
TV HEAVEN
1988-1989
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 165
 Illustration and animation by Fred Mogubgub Soundtrack sung by Dr. John

166 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 167
168 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
Illustration and animation by Marv Newland, International Rocketship, Vancouver BC
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 169
 Best
read
from
top
to
bottom

Illustration and animation by

Marv Newland, International
Rocketship, Vancouver BC

Soundtrack sung by Dr. John

170 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 171
172 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
 SASSY
MAGAZINE

1990-
1991

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 173

HA
1990-1991

TV COMEDY NETWORK

174 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

 Designed &
illustrated
by Lou Brooks

Animation produced
by Jerry Lieberman
Productions, NY

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 175

176 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
HA! logo designed by
Noel Frankel,
Fred/Alan
creative director A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 177
 Produced,
illustrated & animated
by Marv Newland,
International
Rocketship,
Vancouver BC

178 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

 Designed,
photographed,
produced & animated
by Marc Karzen

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 179

180 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
Produced by Alex Weil, Charlex, NY

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 181

182 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
(Pages 222-333) Network identification animation by (Colossal) Pictures, San Francisco

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 183

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 185
 Photography by Chip Simons

186 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

COMEDY CENTRAL1992 Network Identifications
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 187
188 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
 PROMOTION
FRED/ALAN
+ ephemera

The program cover and

back cover ad for the
2nd Annual
MTV Video Muisc Awards
(aka VMAs),
September 13, 1985.

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 189

 1985

Designed and illustrated (with whiteout!) by Noel Frankel 1987

1986
190 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
1988
192 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
 For some reason,
Art Director Tom Godici
thought it would be worth
his time to burn the edges
of all 500 holiday poster
invitations by hand.
1990

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 193

 New York Times
full page advertisement
1991
 This is the cover? Really?
Manhattan, inc. magazine February 1990

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 195

196 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 197
Left, top to bottom:
Mike Shavelson; Fred Seibert;
Tom Leonardis; Chris Strand &
Jeffrey Beer

Center: Albie Hecht

Right, top to bottom:

Nancy Nalven; Tom Leonardis;
Tom Pomposello
& Marietta Szubski;
Yvette Yasui
 Fred/Alan
870 7th Avenue
Manhattan,
New York
1987

Left, top to bottom: Ed Levine;

Chris Strand; Noel Frankel;
Elliot Krowe

Center: Jessica Wolf

Right, top to bottom: Janet,

Marietta Szubski, Nancy,
Lori Jacobsen, Barbara Powers;
Len Fischman & Alan Goodman;
Lori Jacobsen; Marisel
 Clockwise from top left:: Jim Speg-
man, Gilbert Hsaio, Paul Buckley, Pau-
la Brinkman, Christine Ecklund, Fred,
Scott Webb, Ray Meola, Paula Brink-
man, Carol Forsythe, Marietta Szubski,
Mrs. & Mr. Noel Frankel, Jessica Wolf,
Melissa Kurnitt, Christine Ecklund

200 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

Top row: Christine Ecklund, Magda
Liolis, Robert Hunter, Fred, Carol
Forsythe Fred/Alan retreat
Middle: Alan & Fred, Chris Stand and Shelter Island,
Baby Strand, half the staff Long Island,
Bottom: Dave Landesberg, Laurie &
Micky Hyman, Fred’s porch: Elena New York
Seibert, Gilbert Hsaio, Fred, Marietta Summer 1989
Szubski

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 201

 Illustrated by
Paul Corio

Illustrated by
Mike Oldroyd
202 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
 Postcard package/
moving annoucement from
16 West 61st Street
to 708 Broadway
Manhattan, New York City

Illustrated by Illustrated by
John Res Donna J. Pallott
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 203
 Illustrated by Illustrated by
Joey Ahlbum Mike Quon

Illustrated by
Illustrated by
David Burd
Drew Hodges
204 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
 Illustrated by Illustrated by
Ray Domingo Leslie Cabarga

Illustrated by
Illustrated by
Paula Brinkman
Bob Fortier
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 205
206 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
Fred/Alan’s last office
708 Broadway
8th floor
Manhattan, New York
208 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 209
210 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS
A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 211
 Did Fred/Alan ever have
a Halloween party?
(L-R) Jill Gershon, Troy Ellen Dizon,
Jessica Wolf, Bill Burnett, Darth Vader
Fred/Alan, 16 W.61st Street, NYC circa 1991

212 FRED/ALAN GREATEST HITS

 Fred/Alan Greatest Hits:
A Decade in Media History 1983-1992
Copyright ©2022, by Alan Goodman and Fred Seibert

Copyrights and trademarks of all images and logos held by their respective owners
and reproduced here with their kind permissions.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

2 3 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
First edition, September 2022

A DECADE IN MEDIA HISTORY 1983-1992 213

 Fred/Alan
Greatest Hits
A Decade in Media History
1983-1992

By Alan Goodman & Fred Seibert

Eliot George Books

New York