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| Ernie in The Press Here are a selection of press mentions and articles written about Ernie, InnerVIEWS... and a few other things...
 Interview biz keeps Manouse on his toes - Houston Chronicle, Nov. 1, 2007
Channel 8 host begins his fifth season tonight By David Barron KUHT (Channel 8) host Ernie Manouse, whose InnerViews interview series returns for a fifth season at 10 p.m. today, says this is a "fascinating" time to be involved in public television.
Of course, if the phrase has the same connotation in the TV business as it has in the newspaper business these days, "fascinating" can be rewarding or worrisome or downright terrifying, frequently within the same 24-hour period.
"It really is the wild, wild West," Manouse said. "You don't know what is going to happen next. There are challenges, as in any business, but there is an opportunity to try things. When things are going well, people are set in a system and don't want to change. When there are challenges, it's a chance to be creative."
Manouse and his co-workers at Channel 8 hope for developments on established and developmental tracks in the next few months.
On the former, InnerViews returns today with a series of new shows as one of three locally produced series on the Channel 8 schedule, joining the biweekly issues talk series The Connection: Red, White & Blue and the lifestyle series Living Smart With Patricia Gras.
Manouse's interview tonight is with actor and screenwriter Gene Wilder, to be followed by shows featuring, among others, singer Martina McBride, activist Gloria Steinem, singer Neil Sedaka, humorist Garrison Keillor, TV personality Art Linkletter, former White House counsel John Dean and former death row inmate Kerry Max Cook. The show also airs on several dozen public TV stations nationwide.
On the latter track, Julie Coan, Channel 8's director of communications and external affairs, said plans are under way for a series of televised town hall meetings to be called Houston Have Your Say. Coan said the project, which will start next spring, will focus on quality-of-life issues, education and health care and could include an Internet component.
Channel 8 also continues with its HDTV channel 8.2 (channel 308 on Comcast) but has dropped its subscription to the PBS national HD feed and is simulcasting its analog feed. It also programs channel 8.3 (323 on Comcast) and the Spanish-language V-Me network on 8.4 (324 on Comcast).
Meanwhile, Coan said, PBS is planning its next pledge drive in November, to include documentaries on guitarist Eric Clapton and on the history of Rolling Stone magazine. Channel 8 has about 40,000 individual contributors who collectively provide about 60 percent of the station's $8 million annual budget.
Also coming up at 8 p.m. Nov. 21 on Channel 8 will be a documentary titled Uncommon Law: The Life of Leon Jaworski, produced by Jim Bailey of Sunset Productions.
UNICEF's Designs of Hope in Houston -
New York Times, July 31, 2007
 
More than 600 attended the U. S. Fund for UNICEF’s Designs of Hope Gala in Houston. They raised over $700,000, a record. This Gala raises funds for global programs providing care and support for women and children made vulnerable from HIV/AIDS. Dr. Carolyn Farb was chairman of the event that was themed “Remembering Audrey Hepburn” and held at the Hotel Intercontinental. UNICEF Golf Medallion Honorees were: award winning actress, humanitarian and artist Jane Seymour; The Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund, which was accepted on behalf of the Fund by Executive Director Ellen Erwin; and Dr. Farb. The UNICEF Gold Medallion is given to individuals who have selflessly dedicated their time and resources to assist the efforts of UNICEF to save and improve the lives of the world's most vulnerable children.
This is the highest honor UNICEF Texas bestows on individuals. (Ernie Manouse, Viviane Escudie, Jackson Hearn, and Christian Escudie)
 Houston's InnerVIEWS on DVD - OutSmart Magazine, July 2007
OutSmart interviews Channel 8 interviewer Ernie Manouse By Blase DiStefano Ernie Manouse, the openly gay host of PBS's InnerVIEWS, answers a few questions about his Emmy-nominated show.
Blase DiStefano: I don't know how many of the personalities you've interviewed are gay (maybe 10 percent?), but does one gay person stand out above the others?
Ernie Manouse: All in all we tend to probably have a little heavier than 10 percent, since so many of our guests are in the arts and creative fields. And we know how that goes...some are gay, some are not, some are open about it, some are not. Tommy Tune addressed it outright in talking about the challenges he as a gay man faced even in the world of musical theater! Anne Rice talked more about her son the writer than anything to do with his “gayness.” Stella Byrd spoke about the issue of taking “gay” out of the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crime bill and how she held fast to keep “gay” protected or take her son's name off the bill, because hate against anyone is still hate!
BD: Who are some of the gay people you've interviewed?
EM: I usually tend to answer this question more in terms of which guests would have more of a gay sensibility (so as not to be outing anyone), and my list would be as follows: Patti LuPone, Molly Ivins, Anne Rice, Jim Brickman, Jake Heggie, Stockard Channing, k.d. lang, Li Cunxin, Betty Buckley, Stella Byrd, Judy Shepard, Ultra Violet, Tommy Tune, Michael Feinsein, Tony Curtis, Chita Rivera, Linda Eder, Iman, Linda Dano, Stephen Schwartz, Dr. Ruth Westhiemer, Lauren Anderson, Chris Botti.
BD: Was there a common thread in the gay interviews?
EM: I think simply due to the fact that I am gay, that when my guest is also gay—out or not—we come with a shared background that instantly gives us a common thread. I'm not sure most people know that the time I have with the guest is pretty much what you see on screen—they come in and are microphoned, I basically say hello, give them the ground rules for our “reality interview” (we will tape a conversation for 26 minutes with no stops, I come with no prepared questions, and we let the conversation guide us as to what we cover), and when the time is up, they leave. So, for the most part, you see our complete interaction on the screen. The shared gayness gives me a little something immediately, even though it is never spoken. Call it gaydar—it just clicks.
BD: What do you do to prepare for an interview?
EM: That is one of the secrets to making this show work—even though I don't come with prepared questions, I have to have done my homework. I like to read everything I can get my hands on about their lives—interviews, bios, reviews, critiques of their work, and I like to watch/listen to as much of their stuff as possible. I have been at this since the mid-80s and I can tell you—the Internet has made my prep work so much easier—and faster! That way, when we sit down to actually tape, even though I don't have “prepared questions,” I have a full knowledge of who they are and the moments of their lives!
BD: If you had to pick your top few favorites (not necessarily gay), who would they be?
EM: Patti LuPone —amazingly fun storyteller who was totally open and honest, and a hell of a lot of fun!
Tony Curtis—again honest and real and fun, plus the answer to the question “Did you really date Marilyn Monroe?” was “I did a lot more to Marilyn Monroe than date her!”
Gene Wilder [coming up in season five this fall]—just so sweet and again real!
Alan Alda
Patty Duke
I guess I would have to say that my favorites are the ones who are honest and real, the ones who are into the process and are not trying to spin anything.
InnerVIEWS airs on on PBS in Houston on Thursdays at 10 p.m. and Sundays at 5:30 p.m. To watch some of the episodes of InnerVIEWS (we heartily recommend the Judy Shepard interview), to purchase episodes, or for more info, go to www.HoustonPBS.org/InnerVIEWS.
 Houston Leader - H Texas Magazine, January, 2006
From the Editor By Laurette Veres It’s easy to take for granted the great talent that we have here in Houston. I’ve always known that our PBS Station was doing wonderful things. I’ve always known that Ernie Manouse is a man about town, keeping the pulse of the latest and greatest events. I recently found out that others take notice. It is with great pride that I announce our very own Ernie Manouse, host of the award winning PBS “InnerVIEWS” and “The After Party,” has won the KATIE award for the Best Interview/Talk Show for the second year in a row from the Press Club of Dallas. He has also won two other KATIE Awards for special stand-alone programs he produced for PBS in 2002 and 2003. He tells me this is unprecedented – usually no one ever wins two years in a row, much less four! Clearly, Ernie is world class.
“The aim of our show is to provide viewers with a talk show that goes beyond the headlines and sound bites, to look at issues and topics with more depth and humanity,” comments Manouse. The times I’ve tuned in, Ernie is so comfortable, he instantly puts his guests at ease, as well.
InnerVIEWS is produced locally and airs in more than 20 cities. This unscripted show has included such celebrities as Kevin Spacey, Sir Roger Moore, Danny Glover, Tony Curtis, Bob Schieffer, k.d. lang, Stockard Channing and Frankie Avalon. Patti LuPone, Ben Vereen, Molly Ivins, Anne Rice, Kevin Smith, Mario Van Peebles, John Grisham, Jane Seymour, Stefanie Powers, Michael Feinstein, Lewis Black, David McDullough, Linda Ellerbee, Chita Rivera and Tommy Tune have sat down to talk with Ernie, as well.
My hat’s off to Ernie for making Houston proud!
 PBS' Other Ernie - OutSmart Magazine October, 2006
Best TV Guy - Ernie Manouse - www.houstonpbs.org Nationally, when folks think PBS, they think children's educational programing, pithy British comedy, and (yawn) fundraising marathons. Locally, they think Ernie Manouse. A fixture of KUHT CHannel 8 for more than 10 years, Manouse (who tied in this category with Frank Billingsley of KRPC) brings style and a discreet gay sensibility to Houston television with his interview programs, InnerVIEWS and The After Party. In the spirit of classic soap operas, The After Party ended it's second season earlier this year with a cliffhanger: As Manouse was seen exiting the studio, a hooded gunperson approached him, amied and fired, whereupon our brave host crumpled to the floor. Who shot Ernie? Perhaps a jealous Charlie Rose, that other PBS interviewer whose austere set can only aspire to Ernie's? Fans tuned in at the end of last month to learn the shooter was local Channel 11 anchor Lisa Foronda (co-incidentally, Gayest & Greatest Best TV Gal). Manouse's The After Party airs Wednesdays and InnerVIEWS airs Thursdays, both at 11pm.
 The King of Local Late-Night TV - Village News/SouthWest News, December 13, 2005 Greater Houston Weekly, January 18, 2006
Ernie Manouse has Won Big Awards for Houston’s PBS Station By Lisa Viator
His incredible smile greets you the moment you meet him. Boundless energy and a ready wit aren’t far behind. He’s funny and bold, gentle and warm. He can put you at ease, then make you spill your dearest secrets for a TV audience that’s tuned in just to watch him do it.
Ernie Manouse, KUHT-TV Channel 8 anchor and producer, knows how to work with people. For his interviewing skills, he’s four times won the prestigious Press Club of Dallas Katie Award, four times been nominated for an Emmy.
“But I might also be the guy who gets recognized most because his picture is hanging on the wall at Ming’s,” Manouse humbly observes, referring to a black-and-white still tacked on the wall of a Montrose area oriental restaurant.
A native of upstate New York, and graduate of Loyola University Chicago, Manouse initially aspired to be a music video director. He stumbled into radio via a college writing class. He and a pal were considered the class cut-ups, and after taking their good-natured shenanigans to the airways, found they had a wider audience.
He honed his craft on the radio, and presented guests as varied as Yoko Ono and Mr. Rogers.
“I did all the booking, which is something that producers usually do,” he says, adding that youthful panache likely aided his quest to book top-name celebrities. “We treated everyone with respect. We were always thankful for a ‘yes.’ I kept in touch with people - the last year I was there, I sent out 1,500 Christmas cards. That’s one of the ways I stayed in touch and how I stayed connected.”
In 1996, a friend made an observation that had a profound impact on Manouse. “He said, ‘You¹re doing television on radio.’ So that made me send my stuff to nine television stations around the country. All nine responded positively. Channel 8 was one of the nine.”
The Houston PBS station offered Manouse “the best deal,” and a two year commitment. The move to Houston provided Manouse with some culture shock.
“I was a northeast guy,” he says. “A friend told me, ‘You’re not just moving to the Bible belt, you’re moving to the buckle.’”
Manouse wasn’t phased by that, and his estimated two-year stay has spanned nearly a decade.
Manouse has hosted a live daily and evening 30-minute magazine program on Channel 8, a home decorating special, a one hour prime-time news magazine program, a variety of specials and three mayoral debates. But it was the “InnerVIEWS” format that inspired him. He was given the chance, sans budget, to kick off his concept about two years ago.
For “InnerVIEWS” premier in January, 2004, Manouse chatted up best-seller Anne Rice, who alluded to her recently-released “Christ the Lord Out of Egypt,” a decided departure from her vampire and witch novels.
Another coup Manouse maneuvered during the first season was the only sit-down interview granted by Stella Byrd, mother of dragging-death victim James Byrd of Jasper. Stella Byrd opted to tell her story to Manouse instead of other interviewers - Oprah Winfrey and Ted Koppel among them.
“She told it from her point of view; the story is hers - my job was simply to give her a platform to do that,” Manouse says.
That platform contributed to his third KATIE win, a sort of echo to his first-ever KATIE nomination for his interview with the family of Ron Goldman, who was murdered along with Nicole Brown Simpson, resulting in O.J. Simpson murder “trial of the century.”
In Manouse’s second season, he garnered one-on-ones with luminaries including two-time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey, James Bond portrayer Sir Roger Moore and CBS news anchor Bob Schieffer.
“The focus needs to be on the guest, a real conversation,” he says. “I want the audience to feel like they’re eavesdropping on a conversation at a party.
“Sure, we focus on national notables, but we present them in a way no one else does - in real time and unedited, and our local audience really seems to appreciate that,” he says.
In early 2005, Manouse began his next project, an arts and entertainment show called “The AfterParty.” The weekly late-night chat-fest premiered in February and resulted in Emmy nominations for Best Entertainment/Variety program and a nomination for Manouse as Best On-Air host.
Manouse has become an increasingly recognizable and in-demand commodity on the local and national media scene. Currently, as “InnerVIEWS” prepares for its third season, the show is syndicated to 25 cities nationwide, something Manouse finds immensely gratifying. And while the nationwide exposure puts Manouse in demand in the big leagues, he’s happy in his adopted home.
“I have been extremely happy and lucky here. Where most TV personalities are strictly defined, I’ve had the freedom to explore all sides of my personality, from serious moderator to fun-loving talk show host.
“The Houston audience is like a family – I’m the kid who wants to keep trying new things and they keep encouraging and supporting me. I’m already on at 11 p.m. two nights a week (“The AfterParty” airs on Wednesday nights and “InnerVIEWS” on Thursdays), so I have to wonder what I could do with the 11 o’clock hour the other three nights,” he says with a smile.
 MAN WITH THE MIKE - HoustonPress, January 15, 2004
Ernie Manouse chitchats with visiting stars by Bob Ruggiero
Walter Cronkite calls him one of the best interviewers he's ever seen. And we'd have to agree with his assessment of Houston's own Ernie Manouse. The familiar host of local PBS news shows is aiming for a more national profile with his new show, InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse. The new series will feature 30-minute unedited talks with authors, artists, performers and news makers -- thankfully, not for the purpose of plugging their latest projects. The format is an ideal match for Manouse's greatest journalistic strength: making the interaction more of a conversation than yet another fawning Q&A. He also doesn't jump on the end of an answer or prod his subject. "It should be as if I happened upon my guest at a dinner or party and we're just talking," he says. "I hope that's what we catch on tape."
As a result, the episodes (eight of 26 have already been shot) will have some interesting turns. "With Anne Rice, I thought it would be more about her characters and the Vampire saga," Manouse says. "But instead, we got into her religion and personal history." Manouse also tells us that Patti Lupone and Frankie Avalon (nabbed while they were in town performing) proved to be great showbiz storytellers.
The series is being offered to PBS stations nationwide, so don't necessarily expect Houston-centric guests (sorry, Mattress Mac). Manouse hopes viewers learn something they haven't heard a thousand times before about his celebrity guests. Possible subject to explore: where Grease's Teen Angel gets his hairpiece styled. InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse premieres on PBS (Channel 8) at 10 p.m. Thursday, January 15. For information, visit www.houstonpbs.org -- Bob Ruggiero
Behind the '8' ball - Houston Chronicle, Jan. 12, 2004 
KUHT starts new interview show By Mike McDaniel
Letterman, Leno, Regis and Kelly, Wayne Brady, Ellen DeGeneres -- you don't have to look far to get your fill of celebrity interviews. But InnerViews, premiering 10 p.m. Thursday on Channel 8, is a show that's not so common on television anymore, a locally produced, half-hour interview with a single newsmaker or celebrity, and no commercial interruptions. Well-hosted by interviewer Ernie Manouse, the show is a quiet but often compelling addition to the local television scene, featuring surprisingly candid chats with a variety of notables. The premiere show is a sit-down with vampire chronicler Anne Rice, and it takes off from there. In subsequent weeks, Manouse will visit with Ben Vereen, Patty LuPone, Nellie Connally, Frankie Avalon, Louis Messina and Molly Ivins.
Exactly what happened that caused LuPone and Andrew Lloyd Weber to part ways? What's next for entrepreneur Messina, the man who made a fortune with Pace Concerts? What was the inspiration for Avalon's hit song Venus? Those are among the questions Manouse gets answers to.
But because of its 30-minute, single-interview format, you get more than that with InnerViews. With Vereen, for example, you get a better idea of how this song-and-dance man rebuilt his life and career following a near-tragic accident, and the source of his inspiration and strength.
The show is the idea of Manouse, who also hosts the city's only prime-time locally produced public affairs show, The Connection (9 p.m. Tuesdays, Channel 8). Manouse has been a KUHT fixture for more than seven years, hosting or co-hosting such shows as WeekDay and WeekNight before taking on his current duties. His style is to come into an interview as curious as someone who's run into a celebrity at the grocery store. Rather than fawning over the subject or allowing him/her to pitch a book or movie at length, he listens carefully and gently guides the conversation to areas viewers probably will find more interesting.
It's a style honed in Chicago, where Manouse spent several years hosting a radio show. He comes in with no notes and uses no visual aids. The interviewee is not aware of the questions in advance.
"Our guests get a chunk of time to speak their minds -- that's the attraction," Manouse said. "We give them a chance to say what they think and explain why they think the way they do. On most other interview shows, they get five minutes, sometimes less."
He's able to get decent guests because of Houston's market size and because "they know me," he said.
"I've been doing this for so long, here and in Chicago on radio. Those contacts are coming in very handy. I think my guests have always felt respected when they've done our show. I've had very little resistance, but I'm sure that will change; some people are more difficult to get than others. We've been pretty lucky so far.
"What's important to me is to get people who have a story to tell. It could be someone with a political background, a historical thing, an author or a performer. It doesn't make a difference to me what venue they come out of. What I really want is someone who has enough of a life story to really make the interview interesting.
"When I'm taking a shower in the morning, I try to think about the person I'm about to interview," the Loyola of Chicago grad said. "Who are they? Why do I care who they are? What is it about them that fascinates me?"
The show is never about him, he said.
"People tune in to watch the guest. I watch Larry King almost every night. I'm not watching because of him. But I like his style and I've gotten used to the way he brings information out. I try to do that in what I do. My curiosity is the constant about the show."
Manouse came here expecting to stay for three years or so. In May, he'll celebrate his eighth anniversary at Channel 8.
"I'm very lucky in that we get to do the show we want. As much as it's hands-off, I don't think it's hands-off because (management) is not interested. I think they're satisfied that we deliver the goods. They can trust us. We've earned that trust, I believe."
He will know if he's doing a good show from viewer response, not ratings, he says.
As a PBS affiliate, "We're not a station that's run by ratings," he said. "Yes, we do care about them, because if no one's watching, who is the show benefiting? Our job is to hit different segments of the community. We don't have to hit every segment at once. We pay a lot of attention to viewer response. It's very important to get the feedback to see how people think and feel about it. To me, it's a success if we're bringing something that people can learn something from.
"Are we bringing fascinating stories? Are these things what viewers want to see? That's pretty much what I look for." | |
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