On a recent edition of his “83 Weeks” podcast, Eric Bischoff discussed dealing with Turner Broadcasting’s standards and practices during his time in WCW, his hiatus from the promotion, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On dealing with standards and practices: “Lots. Well, maybe not a lot, because it happened a while ago. But there were a couple. You know, my initial meeting with Terry Tingle, I didn’t even — keep in mind, I had worked for WCW for six or seven years and had never heard of anything called Standards and Practices in Turner Broadcasting. Standards and Practices never had any contact with WCW all the time I was there, either as a talent or executive producer, or vice president, senior vice president, president, whatever. Up until the very end, I had never heard of Standards and Practices as being a part of Turner Broadcasting. Somehow, somebody decided that it was going to be important to introduce me to Terry Tingle. It happened at that big meeting that I told you about before when I got invited down to the area where all the top executives worked. And I walked into this room and there were 15, 16 people sitting around a table that I didn’t even know. And Terry Tingle was one of them. She was introduced to me as the head of Standards and Practices. And the first meeting was just kind of acknowledging each other, and me becoming aware that she even existed.
“But shortly thereafter, I got an email or a phone call from her, one way or the other. And I was advised that going forward, I was going to have to supply scripts to Terry Tingle like 30 days in advance. And my first thought was, ‘We don’t do scripts. We do formats. And I’m happy to supply a format to you. But those formats change throughout the week, sometimes, day of, depending on a number of different variables that can occur. But I’m happy to supply them to you.’ And she wanted them television scripts 30 days in advance. And I had to tell her that we don’t do television scripts. Most networks, all networks have Standards and Practices now. They have to. But television networks and executives in them are really familiar with looking at scripted entertainment, where scripts are written six months in advance, a year in advance in some cases. And yes, they do change and modify along the way. But I had to explain to her that this was kind of live-action. ‘This isn’t Gone with the Wind, Terry. I can’t give you a script that far in advance. It’s just not possible. And if I give you a format, it’s going to have some detail in it, obviously. But there are going to be things that are said in the narrative that are not going to be a part of that script, because it’s live television and people are reacting to what’s going on.’ And she couldn’t understand that at all. And so we started butting heads right off the bat. But the one that really stands out to me is a note that I got back once. We did give her a format and somebody was calling somebody stupid in a promo. Oh, and she flagged that. She says, ‘You can’t refer to someone as stupid, because that’s demeaning.’ As you might expect, I got on the phone with her and said, ‘So you understand the nature of professional wrestling? It’s kind of part of the narrative and part of the product that people degrade each other.’”
On how he was getting paid by WCW during his hiatus: “Every two weeks, I’d get a check in the mail. Just right as rain, on time. I had two and a half years left on my contract when Schiller sent me home. So, I was in no hurry to do much of anything. I was probably still in Wyoming fishing when this took place. So I was in no hurry. I had no need to really go out and try to figure out what I was going to do for my life because I had a little bit of time to figure it out.”
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Eric Bischoff, a prominent figure in the world of professional wrestling, recently discussed his experiences dealing with Turner Broadcasting’s standards and practices during his time in WCW (World Championship Wrestling). In a recent episode of his podcast “83 Weeks,” Bischoff shared insights into his interactions with Terry Tingle, the head of Standards and Practices at Turner Broadcasting.
Bischoff revealed that he had never heard of Standards and Practices until his meeting with Terry Tingle. Throughout his six or seven years with WCW, he had never encountered this department. However, someone decided it was important for him to meet Tingle, and they were introduced during a meeting with top executives. Bischoff explained that his initial meeting with Tingle was merely an acknowledgment of each other’s presence, and he became aware of her role.
Shortly after this meeting, Bischoff received an email or phone call from Tingle, informing him that he would have to supply scripts to her 30 days in advance. However, Bischoff explained that WCW didn’t work with scripts but rather formats. These formats often changed throughout the week, sometimes even on the day of the event, depending on various factors. Bischoff clarified that live-action wrestling couldn’t be compared to scripted entertainment like movies, where scripts are written months or even years in advance. He tried to convey to Tingle that wrestling involved spontaneous reactions and interactions between performers, making it impossible to provide a script so far in advance. Despite his explanations, Tingle struggled to understand the nature of professional wrestling and the narrative it presented.
Bischoff also shared details about his hiatus from WCW and how he continued to receive payment during that period. When he was sent home by Schiller, he still had two and a half years left on his contract. As a result, he had no immediate need to figure out his next steps. He mentioned that he was likely fishing in Wyoming when this happened, so he took his time to contemplate his future.
The podcast episode also included a video embed of “83 Weeks 294: Halloween Havoc 1999,” allowing fans to delve deeper into Bischoff’s insights and experiences.
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In conclusion, Eric Bischoff’s discussion on dealing with Turner Broadcasting’s standards and practices sheds light on the challenges he faced during his time in WCW. His experiences with Terry Tingle and the clash between the scripted nature of television and the spontaneous nature of professional wrestling provide valuable insights into the behind-the-scenes workings of the industry.