Don Ohlmeyer facts for kids

Donald Winfred Ohlmeyer Jr. (February 3, 1945 – September 10, 2017) was an American television producer and a top leader at the NBC television network. He was known for his long career in sports broadcasting and for helping NBC become the most-watched network in the 1990s. He also became well-known for a disagreement with comedian Norm Macdonald, which led to Macdonald leaving Saturday Night Live.

Ohlmeyer also directed major events like the Olympic Games and other live sports shows for networks like ABC and ESPN. Later in his career, he taught television communications at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

Early life

Don Ohlmeyer was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew up near Chicago and went to Glenbrook North High School. He finished college at the University of Notre Dame in 1967.

Career in Television

Starting at ABC Sports

Don Ohlmeyer began his career at ABC Sports. He learned a lot from a famous producer named Roone Arledge. Ohlmeyer worked on popular shows like Wide World of Sports. He was also the first producer hired for Monday Night Football. He helped bring the athletic competition Superstars to TV. Ohlmeyer also produced and directed three Olympic Games broadcasts, including the Munich Olympics.

Leading NBC Sports

Later, Ohlmeyer moved to NBC. From 1977 to 1982, he was the main producer for NBC Sports. During this time, he created the popular show SportsWorld. He also produced NBC's coverage of the Super Bowl and World Series. Ohlmeyer was known for making NBC's sports coverage bigger and better. He also brought in new ways to produce shows. For example, he started "NFL Updates" and live coverage of "Breakfast at Wimbledon". He even tried airing a 1980 NFL game without announcers, which was a unique experiment.

His Own Company

In 1982, Ohlmeyer started his own company, Ohlmeyer Communications Company (OCC). His company made several TV movies and special programs. He won an Emmy Award for Special Bulletin, a TV movie from 1983. His company also produced races for the IndyCar Series and golf tournaments like "The Skins Game." Ohlmeyer also had a big role in Hockey Night in Canada for a while.

Returning to NBC

Ohlmeyer came back to NBC in 1993. At that time, NBC was not doing very well in the TV ratings. But during his time as president of the West Coast division, NBC became the number one network again. This was thanks to hit shows like Seinfeld, Friends, ER, Frasier, and Will & Grace. NBC was the only profitable national network in America while he was in charge. Ohlmeyer also helped create the famous "Must See TV" slogan and made sure the NBC Peacock logo was always on screen.

During the 1997 World Series, Ohlmeyer made a comment that caused a stir. He publicly said he hoped the World Series would end quickly in four games. He worried that low ratings for the games would hurt NBC's popular Thursday night "Must See TV" schedule. The series ended up going all seven games.

The Norm Macdonald Situation

In early 1998, Ohlmeyer had Norm Macdonald removed from his role as anchor of Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update segment. Ohlmeyer claimed it was because of falling ratings and quality. However, many believed the real reason was that Macdonald kept telling jokes about O. J. Simpson during and after his trial. Ohlmeyer and Simpson were known to be friends.

Another TV host, David Letterman, joked about Ohlmeyer's actions. Later, Conan O'Brien, who hosted Late Night with Conan O'Brien on NBC, said that Ohlmeyer had told him not to invite Norm Macdonald on his show. O'Brien disagreed and continued to book Macdonald as a guest many times.

Back to Monday Night Football

After leaving NBC, Ohlmeyer came out of retirement in 2000 to work on Monday Night Football again. He made several changes to the broadcast, including new graphics and music. He also made a controversial choice to hire comedian Dennis Miller as a commentator, which many people thought did not work out well. Ohlmeyer left Monday Night Football after just one season.

He later worked as an ombudsman (a person who helps resolve complaints) for ESPN.com for about a year and a half.

Awards and Honors

Don Ohlmeyer received many awards during his career. He won 16 Emmy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. He also won two Peabody Awards, a Cine Golden Eagle Award, and three Humanitas Prizes. In 2007, he received the Lifetime Achievement in Sports Broadcasting award. In 2008, he was added to the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Death

Don Ohlmeyer passed away from cancer on September 10, 2017, in Indian Wells, California. He was 72 years old.

Selected Television Credits

Television series

• 1972–76 Monday Night Football (producer)
• 1980 Games People Play
• 1990 Lifestories (director/executive producer)
• 2000–01 Monday Night Football (executive producer)

Made-for-television movies

• 1980 The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story
• 1983 Special Bulletin (executive producer)
• 1986 Under Siege
• 1987 Right to Die
• 1989 Cold Sassy Tree (executive producer)
• 1991 The Heroes of Desert Storm (executive producer/director)
• 1992 Crazy in Love

Television specials

• 1972 XX Summer Olympic Games (director)
• 1976 XXI Summer Olympic Games (director)
• 1976 XII Winter Olympic Games (director)
• 1977 The 29th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (producer)
• 1977 Us Against the World (also director)
• 1980 XXII Summer Olympic Games (executive producer)
• 1988 Crimes of the Century
• 1988 The 72nd Indianapolis 500 (director)
• 1989 Walt Disney World's 4th of July Spectacular (also director)
• 1990 Disney's Christmas on Ice