Date: Fri 16-Oct-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Candid-Camera-Bee

Full Text:

Bee Readers Find No News Can Be Good News

(with photos)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Dozens of Bee readers got quite a surprise last Thursday afternoon when they

pulled up in front of The Bee offices to purchase their weekly newspaper.

Except for the banner, a six-inch story, and a weather report, the paper they

received was completely blank.

The printing press must have broken down, some figured. Maybe there was simply

no news to print, others thought.

Gotcha! Smile, you're on Candid Camera.

It's true. Candid Camera was in town to film a piece for one of its upcoming

shows. The October Fools joke was the brainchild of Bee proofreader George

Caracciolo, who sent a letter to the show's New York City office. Since he

joined The Bee staff more than a year ago, George has been observing local

residents buy their paper via the Bee's one-day-a-week curbside service.

"I wondered how people would react to receiving a newspaper that had no news,"

he said. "It would be tantamount to turning your television on and getting a

blank screen."

Candid Camera senior producer Dick Briglia, after getting the go-ahead from

Peter Funt in Hollywood, also thought it was a good idea and made the trip up

from New York City with his film crew. Despite last week's heavy downpour, the

filming went well with Bee subscribers reacting to the bare-bones Bee in

various ways.

Some accepted their blank Bee in stride, figuring it was just a slow week. One

lady never even looked at her paper and took off before Candid Camera could

let her in on the joke. A man seemed a bit annoyed that the editorial staff

failed to find anything worth reporting. Fortunately, Bee staff member Sherri

Baggett was parked just up the road with a real copy of The Bee chock full of

news.

"They couldn't believe that they had been had," Sherri recalled this week.

In all Candid Camera did about 25 takes and paid each participant $300 for

agreeing to air their spot on television.

"I thought it went pretty well," said Mr Briglia. "The weather made it pretty

rugged out there, but I think we got some pretty good stuff."

Jennifer Shannon of Currituck Road was one of those caught on tape. She was

with a friend working on Newtown's upcoming holiday festival.

"I thought it was hysterical. It totally caught me off guard," she said this

week. "We were trying to get home to get our kids off the bus. We were in a

hurry."

Candid Camera is produced in Hollywood, California. Peter Funt is the son of

famed Candid Camera originator, Alan Funt, who hosted the popular show during

the early years of television through the 1970s. Candid Camera airs on Friday

nights at 8:30 pm on CBS. There is no word yet on when the segment featuring

The Bee will be aired.