Marines, Let's Go....and give Public Service awards to
June Kodatt (left) and Jayne Boyd.

In the mid 1950's and early 60’s women were usually relegated to the secretarial pool or in “aide” level positions.  Jayne was lucky to be in a company with progressive-thinking and acting upper management.

"I never thought about being a woman and 'breaking the glass ceiling,' as they say.  It never occurred to me that we couldn't.  I knew that women weren't there yet, but I knew we'd get there.  All you had to do was be good at your job, show your creativity, and somebody would find out. I knew that in a well managed company like WTVT, notice would be taken. The only area in which I felt women at WTVT were given less than a fair shake was in the amount they were paid.  In those days, the common reason for not giving men and women equal compensation based on their work was the excuse “But men have to support families.”  They couldn’t explain how a single man with no dependents still should be paid more than a woman.  This philosophy remained throughout my years with the company."

Bob Olson (left) and John Haberlan were crucial to Jayne's success at WTVT.

Management at WTVT found out that Jayne was an achiever and opened the door for advancement.  "I owe everything I ever was to Bob Olson," claims Jayne.  "He was a brilliant, funny, droll man who allowed me to progress at my own speed. He let me be a self starter instead of waiting for instructions on everything. He helped me learn a lot of right and wrong things about television and allowed me to expand my horizon even further by sending me to the annual NAB conventions in Chicago.  I remember the first one.  Several thousand men and maybe fifty women, most of whom were there as aides to help with preparing the film suites for visitation by GMs and Program Managers.  FUN!!!"  

Nite Show advertisement from November, 1957

As part of her film education, Bob Olson included Jayne in his meetings with film sellers (called 'film peddlers').  "Olson and I would share the meeting and then he would ask me what I thought about the program(s), taking my comments seriously.  I became an ad hoc assistant film buyer.  Because the practice of 'block booking' films (buying a whole package to get the few really good titles) had been struck down by the government, we decided to cherry-pick the catalog.  The United Artist salesman knew we had a successful “Jungle” theatre movie program and drove us crazy pitching a lousy package that did include the exploitable film "Mighty Joe Young."  Olson, knowing the volatile nature of the peddler, suggested that since we really only wanted that one film, to have a check cut for it and head the peddler off with it before he started his 'You really need to buy the whole package' pitch. The sales guy walked in the door and we handed him the check and said "Mighty Joe Young" is the one we want.  He couldn't believe it…and was obligingly very disturbed.   It was hard to keep a straight face.  It was an exciting time for programmers."