Among the unsung heroes at WBTV were the men and women of the Floor Crew.

In the studio they erected, dressed and lit the sets, arranged the props, operated the cameras and TelePrompTers, and—with their initiative, expertise and good taste, not to mention hustle—made the talent and the show look good. Then, while the director, the talent and the sales staff were getting most of the credit for a job well done, and sipping cocktails with the sponsors in the Jefferson Suite, the crew members were breaking their butts striking and storing the set, cleaning up the studio, and setting up for the next session.

For location shoots, they loaded and drove the grip trucks, strung hundreds of yards of electric and camera cable, erected scaffolds, hoisted the cameras, lights, reflectors and much other grip and gaffer gear, kept the generator gassed up and working, laid and leveled the dolly track, ate bad food, doubled up in cheesy motel rooms, and the million other things that had to be done to pull off a successful "remote." It was grueling work.

But that was their job. They accepted it, and did it with enthusiasm and good grace. So, as you view these old photos and read about them, give a salute to those dedicated people who played a tremendous role in the success of WBTV.

(Disclaimer: There were other groups that played as great a role, and as we gather their photos we'll celebrate them too. The engineers, for example, worked right alongside the aforementioned crew, configuring, maintaining, calibrating and operating the complex equipment, and getting the signal out to the waiting world.)

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