First Business
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First Business | |
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Genre | Business news |
Presented by |
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Country of origin | United States |
No. of episodes | 260/year |
Production | |
Executive producer | Harvey Moshman (2008-2014) |
Running time | 30 minutes, inc. advertising |
Production companies |
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Release | |
Original network | first-run syndication |
Picture format | NTSC |
Original release | 1989 December 22, 2014 | –
External links | |
[firstbusinessnews.com Website] |
First Business (full name First Business News) was a nationally syndicated financial news and analysis television program, produced by First Business Network LLC, a subsidiary of Weigel Broadcasting, in Chicago. Anchor , reporters Chuck Coppola and Bill Moller, and executive producer Harvey Moshman brought viewers commentary from the floors of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board Options Exchange, as well as from their studios in the West Loop. The program covered the financial and economic markets including equities, futures, options, commodities, foreign exchange, and geo-political news.[citation needed]
The program, which typically aired before local and national morning news timeslots, had been marginalized as those shows began to start earlier (as early as 4:00 a.m.), with First Business often moved to lower-rated and lower-viewed graveyard slots. The program's cancellation ended 47 years of Weigel Broadcasting and their flagship station WCIU-TV (channel 26) carrying and originating business-focused programming from Chicago.[citation needed]
Syndication[]
As of the fall 2011 season, the program was carried daily on more than 100 US broadcast stations and in outlets across 46 foreign countries. The stations included affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, The CW, MyNetworkTV, as well as independent stations. Air times varied, though the timeslots for the show in the majority of markets was 4:00am through 7:00am leading into early morning national newscasts or local morning newscasts. The only requirement the show enforced was that the program must air before the NYSE opening bell at 9:30am ET (except for Alaska or Hawaii, where time zones necessitated a post-opening bell airing). The show was syndicated by Weigel Broadcasting and sold by Edward. E. Finch & Company.[citation needed]
History[]
The First Business program was originally launched in 1989 by BizNet, the broadcast division of the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC.[1] From its inception through its BizNet years with the US Chamber of Commerce, the First Business program production team was led by BizNet News Director Densil Allen.
The production of First Business was later taken over from BizNet by CONUS Communications, a joint venture of Viacom and Hubbard Broadcasting also responsible for All News Channel, who would produce the program until 2003. Barton Eckert hosted the program from CONUS' bureau in Washington, DC, with his anchor segments being fed via satellite to CONUS' headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, where news packages acquired from CONUS' local member stations nationwide and other sources would be inserted into the program along with Eckert's anchor segments fed in from Washington, with the finished program being delivered via satellite to local stations from St. Paul every weekday. During this era, the program also aired weekday mornings at 6:30 AM on the USA Network; at the time CONUS produced short USA Update news briefs for the network.
In 2003, Weigel Broadcasting took over the program and moved the show to Chicago. With the loss of affiliates for the show due to expanded local morning news, Weigel decided to shut down the program. First Business News last show was produced on December 22, 2014.[1]
Former host Angela Miles now hosts and produces the identically formatted Business First AM, which airs in a similar time slot.[2]
Notable former on-air staff[]
See also[]
- Business First
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Feder, Robert (17 November 2014). "Closing bell tolls for 'First Business News' at Weigel Broadcasting". RobertFeder.com. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- ^ https://www.businessfirstam.com/about
Bibliography[]
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External links[]
- 1989 American television series debuts
- 2014 American television series endings
- 1980s American television news shows
- 1990s American television news shows
- 2000s American television news shows
- 2010s American television news shows
- 1990s American television series
- 2000s American television series
- Business-related television series
- First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
- Interactive television
- Television series by MGM Television
- Television series by Weigel Broadcasting
- United States Chamber of Commerce
- USA Network original programming