The Adventures of ‘Beijing Ben’ Silverman

How dare you suggest that NBC wunderkind Ben Silverman spends all his time washing his tigers and borrowing other nations’ TV programs for broadcast on NBC. The chairman of NBC–party animal–future public servant is now moonlighting as a radio reporter, phoning in stories of his travels in China to Ryan Seacrest’s L.A.-based radio show. We highly recommend listening to the archives, in which “Beijing Ben� reports on his “V, V, V, V.I.P. tour� of the terra-cotta warriors, declares the Great Wall the “Awesome Wall,� and refers to a Chinese premier whose name he couldn’t remember as “Deng Zing Deng Deng.�

Of course, Ben’s real job is to play booster for NBC’s coverage and the upcoming fall season, which means listeners have been treated to Silverman’s pitches for Kath & Kim and My Own Worst Enemy alongside descriptions of “superhuman� Michael Phelps’s physique (“He could reach around the biggest sumo wrestler with his arms!�). Most important, Ben promises that the closing ceremonies will be even more spectacular than the opening ceremonies; the smog (or, in Silverman-speak, the “fog and heavy air�) has cleared out a bit, and “no one can get 25,000 people playing drums together like the Chinese can!�

’Beijing Ben’ Brings Olympic Glory to Seacrest, KIIS-FM [Broadcasting & Cable]
On Air With Ryan Seacrest [KIIS]