PBS’ ‘Nightly Business Report’ to Cease Production by Year End
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“Nightly Business Report,” the PBS program that started in 1979 and became TV’s longest-running business-news broadcast, is set to cease production by the end of the year.
CNBC, which picked up production of the show in 2013, has decided to end its association with the show, according to people familiar with the matter. “NBR,” originally based in Miami, was carried by 183 public television stations in all 50 states, reaching 96 percent of all U.S. households, according to American Public Television, the series’ distributor. “The ‘NBR’ co-anchors, executive producer and entire CNBC team have been strong partners in delivering this trusted business news service,” said Cynthia Fenneman, APT president and CEO, in a prepared statement. “This is smart television which will be deeply missed.”
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There was no CNBC – or even its predecessor, FNN – in 1979, and business-news stars like Maria Bartiromo, Becky Quick and David Faber did not exist. But anchor Paul Kangas, who originally joined as a stock analyst, eventually helped the show become a valued part of the PBS early-evening lineup. He would in the late 1990s be joined by Susie Gharib, who had been working at CNBC. Alan Greenspan, later chairman of the Federal Reserve, was a regular commentator in the program’s early days.
In a world where business news and stock quotes light up ticker boards and can be found on mobile phones with a few finger motions, a nightly wrap of the days’ market news may seem less feasible. A PBS spokesperson could not be reached for immediate comment on the show’s expected departure.
“CNBC has made the difficult decision to stop producing Nightly Business Report at the end of this year,” the network said in a statement. “We would like to give a special thanks to the loyal viewers as well as our partners American Public Television and WETA, our presenting station.”
CNBC treated NBR like an extension of its regular daytime business programming, moving the program to New York and Washington and staffing it with longtime anchors like Tyler Mathisen and Gharib, and, later Sue Herera and Bill Griffeth.
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