Thirty years ago, in the summer of 1996, when the internet was still just a novelty and the Dow was trading in the 5500 range, I was running my ad agency, when we landed an account whose parent company was publicly listed.
Soon after I found myself making television appearances in Los Angeles, on a local station doing market commentary, on behalf of the company stock.
The “It” channel for national market coverage was CNBC, but it was nearly impossible for smaller .companies to get attention from them.
Looking around the country for similar tv stations that covered the market like the one in Los Angeles proved fruitless and necessity being the mother of invention, the concept of MoneyTV was born.
The premise was simple. A nationally broadcast show about the market, but concentrating on the emerging growth companies that were trying to become the next big thing.
Debuting on October second, three decades ago, in about fifteen cities, our coverage grew dramatically over the years, reaching 200 million television households in 75 countries.
Over 27 years, we produced and broadcast 1251 episodes, becoming one of the longest running shows on television.
I’m dealing with a mysterious illness that has left me confined to a nursing home bed and the time has come to pass the torch to CJ Melone.
I’ll still be involved as Executive Producer and Creator, because MoneyTV is my baby and you never let go completely!
Good luck CJ and carry the torch well!