Five All Night, Live All Night

Five All Night, Live All Night was first produced by WBCN-FM "News Dissector" Danny Schechter. Steve Schlow was the executive producer and the associate producer was Vicki Gordon. WCVB auditioned about fifty candidates to host the show. Schlow chose Boston radio personality Matt Siegel to host the show, as he was impressed by his dating advice segment and his interview with Boston Globe sportswriter Peter Gammons.{{cite news|last1=Sabulis|first1=Thomas|title=Channel 5 comes alive at night|work=The Boston Globe|date=March 15, 1980}}

The program began at 2:15 a.m, following Tomorrow, and ran for approximately two hours.{{cite news|last1=McLean|first1=Robert A.|title=Live and Lively on Channel 5|work=The Boston Globe|date=March 3, 1980}} When the station became an ABC affiliate, it aired at 1:30 am following Nightline.{{cite news|title='5 All Night' replacing Matt Siegel with Villone|work=The Boston Globe|date=December 30, 1980}}

Five All Night, Live All Night first aired on March 5, 1980. During the program's first week, its guests included Bill Lee, Taj Mahal, Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary, and Tony Cennamo.

Five All Night, Live All Night had a budget of about $400 per show. It had only one camera and microphone weekdays and two cameras and three microphones on Saturdays. It had no prop budget, which resulted in crew members furnishing the set, which was made to look like an apartment, with items from home.{{cite news|last1=Siegel|first1=Matt|title=Matt Siegel: Remembering the early, unpredictable days of 'Five All Night,' Ch. 5's experiment in live TV|work=The Boston Globe|date=January 2, 1983}} Advertising spots on the program cost $50 (compared to $3,000 to $5,000 for prime time spots).{{cite news|last1=Henry 3rd|first1=William A.|title=Here's a Word From the Sponsor|work=The Boston Globe|date=April 2, 1980}}

The early shows were plagued with technical difficulties, including problems transferring phone calls and the loss of audio or video. A few weeks into the show's run, Boston band Human Sexual Response performed their song "Butt Fuck" accompanied by a nude female dancer. The song aired uncensored, due to the fact that the director was preoccupied with the presence of the nude woman, and the station received some complaints the next day.[https://books.google.com/books?id=UVyKAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT144&lpg=PT144&dq=youtube+human+sexual+response+five+all+night Radio Free Boston: The Rise and Fall of WBCN] by Carter Alan During an appearance by Wendy O. Williams, Williams removed her halter top and bared her breasts.

Five All Night, Live All Night featured interviews guests, live music, and telephone calls. It had a studio audience on Fridays and Saturdays.{{cite news|last1=Matchan|first1=Linda|title=A Night Owl's Guide to Boston|work=The Boston Globe|date=September 25, 1980}}{{cite news|last1=Wernick|first1=Sarah|title=Live from the Audience|work=The Boston Globe|date=April 22, 1982}} During Siegel's tenure as host, its running segments included "Dr. Matt's Advice to the Lovelorn," "Insomniacs Alliance", "Let's Talk Security" (for night security guards), and "The Groovy Movie". Although the show was called Five All Night, Live All Night, it was often prerecorded.

Schechter was fired by the station on June 13, 1980, due to "irreversible philosophical differences" over the show's content. Schechter wanted to target Boston's young, college-aged, rock-and-roll audience while the station wanted to go after a broader audience.{{cite news|last1=McLean|first1=Robert A.|title=Ch. 5 Fires Schechter|work=The Boston Globe|date=June 14, 1980}} He was succeeded by Kevin Dawkins. In December 1980, Siegel left the program after he took a job at WXKS-FM. He was replaced on a temporary basis by the show's announcer, Nancy Villone and then by Dan Kain. The show was canceled by WCVB on December 12, 1982.{{cite news|last1=McLean|first1=Robert A.|title=Channel 5 cancels 'Five All Night Live'|work=The Boston Globe|date=December 11, 1982}}

During the show's run, its guests included Dr. Henry Heimlich (inventor of the Heimlich maneuver), Howard Zinn (who promoted his book A People's History of the United States), Robert Rimmer (on a program about alternative marital arrangements), Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary, David Brenner, Abbie Hoffman, Illinois Jacquet, Art Blakey, Tom Snyder, Bill Lee, Dennis Eckersley, Dave Cowens, Marvin Hagler, Erica Jong, William Shatner, Tom Davis, Al Franken, Bill Murray, John Ehrlichman, Elaine Noble, Dapper O'Neil, The Cars, Iggy Pop, Bob Marley, Taj Mahal, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Stotts, and Wendy O. Williams.

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Category:1980 American television series debuts

Category:1982 American television series endings

Category:1980s American late-night television series

Category:American live television series

Category:Local television programming in the United States

Category:American Broadcasting Company late-night programming