Shalom TV Arranges Author Interviews



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
17 June 2005

SHALOM TV ARRANGES AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

As part of its meaningful and relevant programming lineup for "people of the book," Shalom TV has made arrangements to showcase Jewish author interviews hosted by Connie Martinson of Beverly Hills.

Ms. Martinson's celebrated program, "Connie Martinson Talks Books," has featured Simon Wiesenthal, Abba Eban, David Grossman, Leah Rabin, and Wolfe Blitzer speaking about their latest literary works; along with Sidney Sheldon, Gloria Steinem, Carol Channing, and Robert Dallek. Recent interviews include Amos Oz on A Tale of Light and Darkness, Robert Clary on From the Holocaust to Hogan's Heroes, Rabbi Harold Schulweis on In God's Mirror, Abe Rabinovich on The Yom Kippur War, Roger Cohen on Soldiers And Slaves: American POWs Trapped By The Nazis' Final Gamble, and Jonathan Kirsch on God Against the Gods.

Howard Adelman photo Her award-winning talk show also focuses on up-and-coming writers. Nicholson Baker, Michael Chabon, and Bruce Wagner all brought their inaugural works to "Connie Martinson Talks Books," and her nurturing style in welcoming fledging authors has been summarized by Los Angeles magazine as "a Jewish aunt extending a hand to so many nieces and nephews."

Connie Martinson grew up on Boston's Commonwealth Avenue and graduated from Wellesley College where she was awarded the Davenport Prize for Speech and Literature. She worked as an editor for Writer magazine in Boston and married at Temple Israel where her grandparents were founding members and her husband's father served as executive director. Joining her bridegroom in the Los Angeles area, Ms. Martinson became involved in public relations for Coro Foundation and taught at UCLA and University of Judaism before starting her television program in 1979 on Theta Cable (one of LA's first cable outlets), parlaying her love of literature into a self-financed half-hour series on books.

Twenty-six years and nearly 6,000 interviews later, "Connie Martinson Talks Books" has become a must stop on the West Coast for wordsmiths. The host is renowned for reading the books of authors she interviews, and the exposure provided by her program -- which is especially important for Jewish authors -- is augmented by Ms. Martinson's regular column on literature in the Beverly Hills Courier.

"In Judaism, putting words on papers is an act of affirmation, a step toward building a more ethical culture," noted Bradford N. Hammer of Shalom TV. "We are honored to have Connie Martinson's program a part of our Jewish video library and look forward to providing 'people of the book' with insightful and educational author dialogues."

Connie Martinson is the wife of legendary television and film director Leslie Martinson, who is also president of the West Coast Jewish Theatre. The troupe recently produced Chaim Potok's "The Chosen," and won an award for Clifford Odet's "Rocket to the Moon." Among Mr. Martinson's extensive directorial credits are "Diff'rent Strokes," "Dallas," "Fantasy Island," "CHiPs," "Eight Is Enough," "Quincy," "Wonder Woman," "Six Million Dollar Man," "Barnaby Jones," "Cannon," "Love American Style," "Brady Bunch," "Courtship of Eddie's Father," "Room 222," "Mannix," "Ironside," "Mission: Impossible," and "77 Sunset Strip;" and films "Batman," "PT 109," and "The Atomic Kid."

Ms. Martinson's Web site is located at www.conniemartinson.com. Additional information on Shalom TV is posted online at www.shalomtv.com.

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