Ex-HFPA President Says Transcripts Of Key Meeting “Missing”

Freelance journalist Dominic Patten is covering the trial for Deadline.

Dick Clark says that because of its history — in particular the notorious Pia Zadora incident — he didn’t think the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had anywhere to turn but NBC in trying to bring the Golden Globes back to major network TV. In Clark’s deposition, copies of which Deadline obtained this afternoon, he also says he didn’t think HFPA was especially concerned with holding on to TV rights. Clark says “The conversation didn’t come up.” Clark also details how the HFPA were “sometimes” difficult to deal with because “they often didn’t agree with themselves.”

Further into the deposition, Clark also explains why NBC was the only network his company focused on back in the late 1980s and early ’90s to bring the Globes back to network TV. An attorney asks him, “Have you — did Dick Clark Productions ever seek offers from — for the Golden Globes from networks other than NBC during the time you were there?” Clark answers “No” and explains that “CBS refused to talk about it because of an incident that had happened early in the game with an actress named Pia Zadora. ABC had the Academy Awards and couldn’t talk to anybody about a similar show. At the time Fox was either nonexistent or so small not to be considered.” The attorney then asks, “So you felt that NBC was really your only choice?” Clark replies “Yes” and goes on to affirm that because NBC was the only available choice it was more difficult to get a better deal with NBC. “I would assume it would if you only have one customer.”

Although he was called as a witness, Clark is not expected to take the stand during the trial. Instead excerpts from his deposition will be used in the trial between HFPA and DCP, which resumes Tuesday.

You may read portions of Clark’s deposition here.