Fred Bauer is what is commonly known as a hyphenate … producer-director-writer and reluctant businessman. He has worked in all facets of the entertainment business, including radio, television, music and motion pictures.
He entered Temple University in 1960, and at the start of his junior year broke into radio in Reading where he was on the air five nights a week from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. He became instrumental in the birth of the first UHF television station on the East Coast (Channel 17 in Philadelphia), where he won a national Gabriel Award for his public service announcement: “It’s 11 o’clock, do you know where your children are?” While there, he created programming for Al Meltzer, Bill Webber, Ed Hurst, Lee Dexter, Sid Mark and John Trent. He produced and directed Summertime at the Pier, the 76ers basketball games and the Big 5 games from the Palestra. His innovative program, The Music Connection (1969), which was syndicated worldwide through Viacom, has been credited with being the forerunner of MTV.
Bauer has owned and operated five television stations and a film library that was syndicated throughout the world. His TV music specials have been seen in more than 35 foreign countries.
He is the writer/producer of the Academy Award-winning Buddy Holly Story and performed the same functions on Under the Rainbow, starring Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher.
Bauer and his wife, Frances, who has been his partner for 42 years, have developed and successfully launched the internet site Gamervision. As the only “free swap and sell” site on the web, it is a true peer-to-peer tool for used video games and peripherals.
He spends most of his time these days sorting his pawn tickets…alphabetically.