Date: 25th August 2000

NPR: What Happened?


National Public Radio said Wednesday that it was embarrassed when it discovered that Stanley Bing, a Fortune magazine humor columnist that it interviewed about Survivor for its Morning Edition program, was also Gil Schwartz, CBS's corporate communications senior vice president -- the chief spokesman for the network. (He is also the author of the novel Lloyd: What Happened? which reportedly is being transformed into a TV sitcom.)

Although Bing/Schwartz has never attempted to keep his two identities a secret, NPR said that its reporter Madeline Brand was unaware of the link. In the interview the writer, appearing as Bing, appeared to give away the outcome of Survivor, remarking that the show "has most, most definitely proven that it is, in fact, the mean that inherit the earth ... people who are beady-eyed and out for No. 1."

Source: Studio Briefing