Psychic Friends Network
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Psychic Friends Network was a telephone psychic service operating in the United States in the 1990s. The company's infomercials were aired frequently on late night television.
[edit] History
Founded in 1990 by Baltimore businessman Mike Laskey, infomercials featuring the Psychic Friends Network began airing on late night television in 1992.[1] Presented in talk show-like format and hosted by singer Dionne Warwick and psychic Linda Georgian, each installment featured a 1-900 number for viewers to call to consult a psychic at the rate of $3.99 per minute. The program also featured reenactments of caller's stories and appearances by daytime soap opera stars.[2]
The infomercials became popular and subsequent parodies and imitators soon followed.[1][3] The parent company, Inphomation, took in profits of over $100 million within the first few years of the Network's operation.[4] In 1995, the Psychic Friends Network infomercials was named top infomercial of the year by the Jordan-Whitney Greensheet.[5]
By 1998, profits had plummeted significantly, and the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, effectively closing the door on the Psychic Friends Network. [6]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Barboza, David (1995-12-7). "Advertising;Late-night channel surfers have made the Psychic Friends Network an infomercial success story.". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0DEED61E39F934A35751C1A963958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved on 2008-12-08.
- ^ Braxton, Greg (2004-09-27). "But there’s more!". The L.A. Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2004/sep/27/entertainment/et-braxton27. Retrieved on 2008-12-08.
- ^ "Infomercial history highlights". usatoday.com. 2004-10-24. http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-10-24-infomercial-timeline_x.htm. Retrieved on 2008-12-08.
- ^ Harrison, David; De Marco, Donna (1998-02-13). "Lawsuits forecast Lasky's troubles". Baltimore Business Journal. http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/1998/02/16/story2.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-08.
- ^ Dean, Mensah (1996-06-10). "Psychic pals predict wealth and prosperity". Insight on the News. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_/ai_18354527. Retrieved on 2008-12-08.
- ^ Psychic Friends Network files for bankruptcy
