World Business Review
| World Business Review | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Format | Business education |
| Created by | MMP (USA) Inc |
| Starring | Caspar Weinberger (1996–2000) Alexander Haig (2000–2006) Norman Schwarzkopf (2006–present) |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of episodes | 700 (airs weekly) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 27 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | American Public Television |
| Original run | September 5, 1996 – present |
World Business Review is an American television infomercial[1][2] series that has been criticized for attempting to appear as a bona fide independent news program.[3] The infomercial series purchases airtime in North America.[4] The infomercial is formatted as a panel discussion in combination with segments about specific companies and their solutions. Supporting material and commentary is "provided" by leading industry experts from companies that have paid to participate in the program. The series has aired more than one thousand episodes and more than 4,000 interviews.
Contents |
[edit] History
World Business Review first aired Thursday evening September 5, 1996 on Philadelphia, PA's public television station WYBE.
- That first episode, #301, was hosted by Caspar Weinberger, Chairman of Forbes magazine and Secretary of Defense during President Ronald Reagan’s administration. These earliest episodes were co-hosted by David Hazinski, former correspondent for NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.
- Because of the subscriber nature of local public television stations, local presentation of the World Business Review is scheduled by individual stations and air times would vary by market. By December 4, 1996, initial broadcasts of that first episode had reached 42,491,400 potential households in eighteen markets including New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Miami and as part of Knowledge TV, a part of Jones Intercable.
- In January 1998, episode #420 heralded the first On Location Special of World Business Review. This format consists entirely of field reports shot onsite around the country. This format allowed a more visually impactful program and ultimately led to the formation of a dedicated group of On Location episodes beginning in July 2001.
- In 1999, Health Journal Television was launched dedicated to examining solutions and technologies in the medical and health care industries.
- May and June 2000, World Business Review episode 711B marked the first major transition in Host duties as Alexander M. Haig Secretary of State for Reagan 1980 to 1981) assumes the post of Moderator from the retiring Caspar Weinberger.
- In November 2001, the World Business Review studio moved to a South Florida affiliate of NBC where between 5 and ten episodes were taped. At the beginning of 2002, taping was moved again to WXEL in Boynton Beach, Florida.
- In 2003, airing times nationwide were consolidated into one consistent slot coast to coast. This was accomplished with the move from public television to CNBC as paid programming. The program airs without commercial interruption, allowing the shows producers to maintain editorial control of both topics and content.
- During the autumn of 2006, while hosts transitioned from Haig to Schwarzkopf, the studio was moved temporarily to accommodate both the new and tenured hosts schedules during the overlap of taping.
[edit] Hosts
- In September 2006, World Business Review introduced its third host, Norman Schwarzkopf.
- In 2000, World Business Review welcomed its second host, General Alexander M. Haig. Haig’s tenure as host is unmatched; hosting more than one thousand episodes during the taping period November 2000 to November 2006, from episodes #711B to at least #1818. His relationship with World Business Review continued after his departure as host of the original program as he then hosted the newly created 21st Century Business program until his death in 2010.
- In September 1996, World Business Review introduced its first host, Caspar Weinberger. Weinberger hosted World Business Review between 1996 and 2000, from episodes #301 to #711A.
[edit] Industry Experts
With the assistance of the Alliance for Technology Education (TATE), the program's advisory panel (a stable of Co-Hosts) participate in discussions to educate business professionals on topics, trends and issues in business and commerce. The Alliance is headed by the series' host and many eminent figures including Presidents of respected industry associations. Among them:
Vinton Cerf, Co-Developer of the TCP/IP internet protocol
Daniel T. Miklovic, Vice President, Gartner G2 Division
Matthew J. Flanigan, President, Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)
Harris Miller President, Information Technology Association of America (ITAA)
Wayne Adams, Chair, Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA)
Bruce Aitken, Homeland Security Industries Association (HSIA)
Dr. Eugene Arthurs, The International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE)
Dr. Gerald W. Cockrell, Professor, School of Technology, Indiana State University
Rhett B. Dawson, President, Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) (formerly CBEMA)
Nelson E. Fabian, Executive Director, National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)
John P. Gardner, Jr.,Co-Author and Speaker Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneurial Soul
Bob Gill, President, Product Development and Management Association (PDMA)
Fred Johnson, President, Credit Union Executives Society (CUES)
Jay Kitchen, President, Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA)
William Lempesis, Executive Director, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA)
Dave McCurdy, President, Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA)
Bruce J Parker, President, Environmental Industry Associations (EIA)
Dr. Michael Pregmon, President of the Quality Assurance Institute (QAI)
Neil D. Schuster, President, Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA)
Robert L. Greene, President, Investment Company Institute ICI0 (formerly NAIC)
David F. Henault, CEO, Association for Services Management International (AFSMI)
Susan P. Kezios, President, American Franchisee Association (AFA)
Wallace Read, former President, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Max E. Rumbaugh, Jr.,Vice President, Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
Peter S. Tippett, President, National Computer Security Association (NCSA)
Thomas E. Wheeler, President, Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA)
Richard Palmieri, President Commercial Finance Association (CFA)
Kurt Yeager, President Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
[edit] Awards
Among the awards for excellence in infomercial programming, the series has won two Telly Award in the TV or cable Programming - Information category. Episode #623 titled “Guaranteeing the Internet”, the entire program was packed up and moved on location to Geneva, Switzerland in October 1999, and featured paid placement interviews with executives of Hewlett-Packard Company.
Episode #635, included among several topics “Network Message Technology”, was taped in studio in Washington DC and hosted by Caspar Weinberger and Co-hosted by Harris Miller President of the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA). Featured paid placement interviews with executives from a number of companies and Co-Hosted by Vinton Cerf, Internet Pioneer and co-developer of the TCP/IP protocol.
- Telly Awards honor outstanding TV commercials, video production and film giving recognition to leading cable production for over 25 years.
- 4 Telly First Place awards Category: TV or Cable – Information
- 17 Telly Finalist awards Category: TV or Cable - Information
- Aegis Awards are technical film editing and production awards.
- 2 Aegis awards Category: Documentary
- 6 Aegis Finalist awards Category: Documentary Promotional/Sales
- In total, the program has earned no less than 29 awards.
- The series is directed by Alan Levy. Beginning in 1979, his creative eye and writing style have been seen on NBC and PBS and a variety of other media. His expertise includes film, video, working in live multi camera television and single camera documentaries. His career spans television commercials, entertainment specials, documentaries, educational films, marketing videos, and public affairs television. He has received six Emmy Awards, twenty Telly Awards and an award from the International Film and Television Festivals of New York.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.wbrtv.com/disclaimer/disclaimer.html
- ^ http://www.infomercial-hell.com/blog/2008/02/02/how-low-the-mighty-have-fallen-hugh-downs-and-al-haig-do-infomercials/
- ^ http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2002/02/23/01
- ^ http://www.wbrtv.com/
