SHOW WE'VE
BEEN WAITING ON ALL WEEK - A
MAJOR MILESTONE TODAY FOR A
MISSISSIPPI T-V ICON. BERT CASE
HAS DONE
IT ALL AND HE'S SEEN IT ALL..
50 YEARS ON THE AIR IN THE
JACKSON
MARKET! FROM THE BIGGEST
STORIES OF THE CENTURY, TO SOME
OF
THE FUNNIEST...
THIS WEEK WE SAT DOWN WITH THE
16
WAPT- TV LEGEND.
MY FIRST JOB IN BROADCASTING,
WHERE I GOT PAID WAS TO TAKE AN
AMPLIFIER WITH A TURNTABLE ON
TOP
OUT TO A DRIVE IN ON WASHINGTON
STREET IN VICKSBURG, JOHNNY'S
DRIVE IN. PLUG IT INTO A
PHONE LINE, AND PLAY THE TOP 40
RECORDS FROM 10 PM TO MIDNIGHT.
1:30 NUMBER ONE HE'S BEEN HERE A
LONG TIME, YOU KNOW THE MEDIA
BIZ, ITS TOUGH TO SURVIVE FOR 50
YEARS.1:35
I FIRST DID NEWS ON RADIO IN
MEMPHIS. I STARTED DOING IN IN
THE SUMMER OF 1960 AND WMPS
RADIO THE NUMBER 1 RADIO
STATION..
THEY TOOK NEWS VERY SERIOUSLY
FOREVER, I CANT REMEMBER NOT
SEEING HIM ACTUALLY. HE'S
JUST A GREAT GUY.
I WAS THE FIRST NEWS DIRECTOR
HERE, AND THE FIRST ANCHOR HERE.
IT WAS 1971..
THERES HARDLY A DAY THAT GOES BY
THAT SOMEBODY DOESN'T SAY
SOMETHING TO ME ABOUT GOVERNOR
KIRK FORDICE.. THREATENING TO
QUOTE "WHIP MY ASS" FOR ASKING
HIM ABOUT WHAT IT FELT LIKE TO
GO TO EUROPE WITH HIS CHILDHOOD
SWEETHEART WHILE HE LEFT HIS
WIFE OF 44 YEARS AT HOME..
NATURALLY HE DIDN'T TAKE KINDLY
TO THAT QUESTION..
THESE OF COURSE ARE A COUPLE OF
THE FORDICE ERA ONES.. ITS HARD
TO BELIEVE IT FEELS LIKE
YESTERDAY
WHEN I DREW EM. I WAS JUST A KID
WHEN I DREW THOSE A LONG
TIME AGO. EVEN THE GOVERNOR
LIKED THAT ONE.. 1:09 HE HAD
TOLD
ME 5 YEARS PRIOR TO THAT THAT HE
HAD TOLD HIS WIFE TO LEAVE AND
SHE
WOULDN'T LEAVE. I SAID
GOVERNOR,
DO YOU REALIZE YOU'RE TELLING ME
SOMETHING AND YOU DIDN'T SAY IT
WAS OFF THE RECORD. I CAN USE
THAT.. AND HE SAID I
DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU DO
WITH
IT. WALKED OFF. AND THAT'S WHEN
I DECIDED I WAS
GONNA DO THE STORY.1:34
I JUST LIKE HIS PERSONALITY, SO
WHATEVER HE DOES, I LIKE 9/24/14
TI IS A CONVICTED FELON ON A GUN
CHARGE,, WE
ASKED HIM HOW THAT HAS AFFECTED
HIM YOU THINK BEING A
CONVICTED FELON HAS HELPED YOU
OR HURT YOU? HA HA, TO BE HONEST
WITH YOU, ME BEING A
CONVICTED FELON IS A REFLECTION
OF MY MISTAKES, AND TO BE
HONEST, THEY IN THE PAST, THEY
DON'T DEFINE ME
5:38 SENATOR WOULD YOU DEBATE
CHRIS MCDANIEL ON WAPT
TELEVISION?
FIRST OF ALL I NOT RUNNING TO BE
ON A DEBATE TEAM. I'M RUNNING
FOR A VACANCY THAT'S GOING TO
EXIST IN
THE UNITED STATES SENATE THIS
YEAR.
THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO.
GET ELECTED TO SERVE IN THE US
SENATE. SO YOU WONT DEBATE HIM?
I'M NOT RUNNING TO BE A MEMBER
OF THE DEBATE TEAM, I'M RUNNING
FOR UNTIED STATES SENATE,
5/19/14 HTTP://WWW.WAPT.
COM/WHOS- ACCOUNTABLE/BAR
BOUR-OPENS-UP- TO-16-WAPTS-
BERT- CASE/26058742 <DO YOU
REGRET YOUR PARDONS NO I DON'T
REGRET THE PARDONS.
WELL BEN - I'VE COVERED EVERY
MAJOR STORY IN MISSISSIPPI
EITHER AS A NEWS DIRECTOR,
REPORTER OR PRODUCER FOR 50
YEARS A LOT OF STORIES STAND
OUT, IN MY MIND AS BEING
IMPORTANT.
BUT NOTHING LIKE CAMILLE AND
NOTHING LIKE FORDICE..
BUT I'M ALSO VERY WELL KNOWN FOR
HAVING FOUGHT OFF A BULLDOG.
A PIT BULL WAS ATTACKING ME ONE
TIME. I WAS COVERING A
STORY, OUT IN THE QUEENS SECTION
OF JACKSON. A LITTLE GIRL HAD
GOTTEN SHOT IN HER HOUSE. I WAS
OUT THERE WITH MEGAN. WE WERE
BOTH THERE AT THE SAME TIME. 48
:57 THIS DOG COMES CHARGING
DOWN, I HAD SEEN THE SIGN
BEWARE OF DOG... AND HERE I AM
OUT
THERE WITH NOTHING TO PROTECT
MYSELF WITH, BUT A
REPORTERS NOTEBOOK. THAT'S ALL I
HAD. I STARTED SWINGING
IT AT IT, TELLING THE DOG TO GO
HOME. 1:15
1:58 WELL I KEPT SWATTING AT HIM
LIKE THIS,. AND
WHILE THE CAMERA WAS OFF OF HIM,
HE CHARGED ME AND I DID THIS
LIKE THIS BACK AND FORTH,AND
THAT
SPIRAL GOING ACROSS HIS NOSE IS
WHAT MADE HIM GO AWAY. I
THOUGHT I HAD DONE EVERYTHING
WRONG..FIGHTING THAT DOG OFF..
BUT I FOUND OUT THEY USE THAT
VIDEO TO TEACH PEOPLE THE RIGHT
THING TO DO IF A DOG CHARGES
YOU. CHARGE BACK..YOU KNOW,
YELL AT HIM. DON'T TRY TO OUTRUN
IT
BECAUSE YOU CANT DO IT. THE DOG
WILL CATCH YOU EVERY TIME.
2:39
1:35 BUT ALSO HE'S GOT THAT
DISTINCTIVE VOICE
AND THAT DISTINCTIVE
PERSONALITY. 1:40.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT HIS
VOICE:? I LOVE HIS VOICE! THAT'S
ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT
HIM,
THAT VOICE IS SOMETHING
1:41 I REMEMBER I WAS DOING A
BOOK SIGNING AND HE HAD THOSE
DARK
GLASSES ON AND HIS HAT SO NO ONE
WOULD RECOGNIZE HIM, AND THEN HE
STARTED SPEAKING, AND I WAS LIKE
BERT - EVERYBODY IS GONNA KNOW
WHO YOU ARE..
AS SOON AS YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH..
HE'S JUST SO UNIQUE 1:55
00 THIS IS HOW I'VE ALWAYS
TALKED.
ASK ANYBODY WHO'S KNOWN ME SINCE
THOSE DAYS. I THINK ITS VERY
IMPORTANT TO READ NEWS VERY
CAREFULLY AND VERY
ARTICULATELY. AND TO PRONOUNCE
YOUR WORDS WELL. I HAVE OLD
PEOPLE TELL ME ALL THE TIME,
YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE I CAN
UNDERSTAND ON TELEVISION AND I
ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT.
55 HERE'S THE WAY IT HAPPENED: I
WAS
WALKING ACROSS THE PARKING LOT
ON A WALMART ON LAKELAND DRIVE A
WOMAN YELLED AT ME "IS YOUR NAME
BIRD CAGE? I SAID NO MAAM MY
NAME
IS BEERT CASE. SHE SAID IF YOU
SAID IT LIKE THAT ON TV PEOPLE
WOULDN'T THINK YOU WERE SAYING
BIRD CAGE!.. I SAID YOU KNOW,
I'LL TRY
THAT. AND I TRIED IT, AND PEOPLE
LIKED IT. THEY LAUGHED ABOUT IT,
THEY REMEMEBRED IT. ANT THEY
IMITATED IT. EVERYTIME I WALKED
IN WALMART PEOPLE
WALKED BY AND THEY'D GO BEEEERT
CASE
EVERYTIME I TALK TO KIDS, I TELL
EM,
THEY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THIS
BUSINESS. AND WHAT'S THE MOST
IMPORTANT PART OF THIS BUSINESS
AND HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT DOING
THIS BUSINESS I TELL THEM TO
REMEMBER SOMETHING OUT OF THE
BIBLE. ASK AND YOU SHALL
RECEIVE, SEEK AND YE
SHALL FIND, KNOCK AND THE DOOR
SHALL BE OPENED ONTO YOU. IT
ABSOLUTELY WORKS EVERYTIME.
THERES NO FAILURE WITH THAT
MESSAGE. IF YOU
FOLLOW WHAT THAT MESSAGE SAYS
YOU WILL GET A NEWS STORY.
ANTHING TO SAY TO HIM
CELEBRATING
THIS MILESTONE IN HIS CAREER?
HE'S
A GREAT MAN AND HE DESERVES IT
BERT FIRST OFF WE WANT TO SAY
CONGRATULATIONS!
AND THE TIMING IS SO GREAT,
EVERY PERSON
WE HAVE MET HAS TOLD US HOW MUCH
THEY
APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE ALREADY
DONE
US HOW MUCH THEY APPRECIATE WHAT
YOU HAVE ALREADY DONE FOR T-V
NEWS.
