 Hartman became one of the stars of the NBC sitcom NewsRadio in 1995 , portraying radio news anchor Bill McNeal . He signed up after being attracted by the show 's writing and use of an ensemble cast , and joked that he based McNeal on himself with " any ethics and character " removed . Hartman made roughly $ 50 @,@ 000 per episode of NewsRadio . Although the show was critically acclaimed , it was never a ratings hit and cancellation was a regular threat . After the completion of the fourth season , Hartman commented , " We seem to have limited appeal . We 're on the edge here , not sure we 're going to be picked up or not " , but added he was " 99 percent sure " the series would be renewed for a fifth season . Hartman had publicly lambasted NBC 's decision to repeatedly move NewsRadio into different timeslots , but later regretted his comments , saying , " this is a sitcom , for crying out loud , not brain surgery " . He also stated that if the sitcom were cancelled " it just will open up other opportunities for me " . Although the show was renewed for a fifth season , Hartman died before production began . Ken Tucker praised Hartman 's performance as McNeal : " A lesser performer ... would have played him as a variation on The Mary Tyler Moore Show 's Ted Baxter , because that 's what Bill was , on paper . But Hartman gave infinite variety to Bill 's self @-@ centeredness , turning him devious , cowardly , squeamish , and foolishly bold from week to week . " Hartman was posthumously nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1998 for his work on NewsRadio , but lost to David Hyde Pierce . 
