TV CONFIDENTIAL Archives: Show No. 199 with guests Tim Hollis and Mark Pendergrast

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Original Airdate: Week of Sept. 4-10, 2013

First hour: Ed welcomes Mark Pendergrast, author of For God, Country and Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes It. Originally published in 1993, Mark’s book was recently revised and updated with new information on the history and future of Coca-Cola, including the origins of such famous TV campaigns as “The Hilltop Ad,” the differences between how Coke and Pepsi advertise their products, and a look at how Coca-Cola and Pepsi are now united in the “new cola wars” against obesity — despite the fact that both are considered the primary culprits behind the epidemic. Also in this hour: Greg Ehrbar with a look at the Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids complete series DVD release.

Second hour: Ed welcomes Tim Hollis, author of Part of a Complete Breakfast: Cereal Characters of the Baby Boom Era, everything you wanted to know about the origins and appeal of Cap’n Crunch, Sugar Bear, Quisp and Quake, Tony the Tiger, Snap, Crackle and Pop, Lucky the Leprechaun, the Trix Rabbit and other famous animated breakfast-cereal characters, plus a look at how changing times helped lead to the demise of the popular TV commercials featuring these characters.