Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams...The Television Journey of a Lifetime

Jim Cross’s name should never have been in lights. He didn’t come from money, didn’t have all the right connections, and didn’t have an Ivy League pedigree.

But what he did have was talent, good fortune, and perseverance—and those, in the end, made all the difference. Cross’s journey tracks a most improbable success story—yet one that was perhaps always written in the stars, with its pinnacle showcase being the development and direction of one of the most successful and highly-rated syndicated series in television history, the iconic “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”

As Cross readily admits, he “snuck in the back door” of the television industry, working his way up to reach the pinnacle of two distinct industries: the highly competitive and demanding world of sports television and the equally challenging world of original entertainment programming.

Now, together with co-author Jim Millman, who led the influential Millsport sports marketing agency, Cross takes readers behind the scenes of sports television in the 1970’s, 80s and ’90s, across forty-four sports and twenty-four countries, a thrilling read for anyone who loves sports.

Along the way, readers meet a collection of sports broadcasters who Cross directed that represent the greatest assembly of on-air talent ever – an era universally recognized as the Golden Age of Television.From Summerall to Madden to Musburger to Costas to hundreds of others, the book spans the globe from Super Bowls to Olympic Games to the Triple Crown.

Cross then shares some of the secrets of the unparallelled success of the long-running “Lifestyles” franchise, his stand-out achievement in a career that encompassed over 500 entertainment programs and more than 470 sports events.

Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams is a memoir perfect for sports fans who never missed a “Big Game” back when televised sports were appointment viewing. The book is appointment reading for those who remember the glitz and glam of late-twentieth-century lifestyle programming, and even younger readers who are interested in a roadmap to a career in one of the most dynamic and challenging industries.

© 2025 Outskirts Press (Ebook): 9781977282903

Release date

Ebook: 24 April 2025