Television: Closed End

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David Susskind sometimes irritates people. His manner—on his TV discussion program Open End—has a kind of aggressive omniscience whether he is talking about alcoholism or politics. But he attracts top-level guests from all fields, and his program has a high and merited national popularity. By last week, however, he had irritated one man too many times. Tired of fighting with Susskind over the weekly choice of subjects and guests, Bennet Korn—president of Metropolitan Broadcasting's WNEW-TV, where Open End originates—fired him.

"This flibbertygibbet Korn is a real creep," says Susskind, "a squingy little man, a cultural illiterate. He has no high plane except the plane of his forehead. He is one of the great finks of this world. He is the kind of cipher that hurts our business. This is an infringement of freedom of speech. It is censorship."

Susskind claims that when he wanted to discuss President Kennedy's physical fitness program, Korn said, "I've got too many Vic Tanny commercials already." When Susskind wanted to collect six college graduates voted most likely to succeed, Korn said (says Susskind), "Who the hell is interested in kids?" How about four escapees from East Berlin? "Too sentimental."

Korn denies all this. "Susskind's statements are so wild they are flattery to me," said Korn. "For Open End, he seeks provocative sensationalism only. I am for controversy, but I want a valid treatment in taste and depth. David is preoccupied with sex. All he wants is a girlie show."