Five All Night Live

Five All Night / Live All Night was a locally produced late-night TV show on Boston station WCVB-TV, channel 5 that aired from March 5, 1980 to December 12, 1982. It was part of a late night block of programming called Five All Night that went on the air in 1977. Locally owned at that time, WCVB was one of the first stations in the country to start broadcasting 24-hours a day.
Beginnings
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 advise segment and his interview with Boston Globe sportswriter Peter Gammons.
The program began at 2:15 a.m, following Tomorrow, and ran for approximately two hours. When the station became an ABC affiliate, it aired at 1:30 am following Nightline.
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 and Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary, and Tony Cennamo. Advertising spots on the program cost $50 (compared to $3,000 to $5,000 for prime time spots).
The early shows were plagued with technical difficulties, including problems transferring phone calls and the loss of audio or video. During an appearance by Wendy O. Williams, Williams removed her halter top and bared her breasts. During Siegel 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". He was succeeded by Kevin Dawkins.
Guests
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.<ref nameSabulis /><ref nameMcLean /><ref nameSiegel /><ref nameWernick />

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