History

Nightly Business Report (NBR) is the nation's most-watched evening business news program. Distributed by PBS, it is carried by more than 250 public stations across the nation. NBR is also seen around the world, and segments of the program are available online and through various multi-media and educational platforms. But its early beginnings are rooted in local television.

When Nightly Business Report premiered on January 22, 1979, on South Florida's public television station WPBT, it was a 15-minute local program. At the time, few realized that it signaled the start of a new era in TV news, as television's first daily business news program.

The idea for a business news program had come from several businessmen on the WPBT Board. Linda O'Bryon, who was WPBT's News Director at the time, headed the effort to get NBR on the air. In the fall of 1978, she was approached by senior management and asked to create a daily business news program. She developed the program concept and expanded the editorial staff to launch NBR (then called "The Nightly Business Report"). Paul Kangas was among the first to join, signing on as its stock market commentator. O'Bryon and Merwin Sigale were the first co-anchors. The editorial/production team that launched the program included WPBT veterans Rodney Ward, Bruce Eibe and Jeff Huff, and Jack Kahn, who was the program's first producer.

Within nine months, NBR expanded to a half-hour. Buoyed by the success of the program locally and by positive comments from viewers -- both residents and visitors to South Florida -- NBR was offered nationally through the public television syndication service now known as American Public Television. On October 19, 1981, NBR launched on 125 public stations around the country. The first regular commentator on the program was Alan Greenspan, then a private economist, who remained as an NBR commentator until his appointment as Fed chief in 1987. A number of public television stations supplemented the program's newsgathering efforts by serving as "bureaus" for the program.

The timing of NBR's national roll-out couldn't have been better. Ronald Reagan moved into the White House and stock prices soon took off like a rocket, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average on a historic ride that took it almost straight up for the next two decades. The unprecedented bull market had a side effect -- it brought millions of new investors to the market and to NBR. Over the years, NBR's coverage has extended far beyond Wall Street. NBR crews have gone to the Persian Gulf, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan and China.

In 1998, respected financial journalist Susie Gharib joined the anchor desk with Paul Kangas. Gharib anchors from the heart of New York's financial district, and Kangas remains at the program's production center in Miami. NBR is currently broadcast television's only network evening news program that originates from two cities on a regular basis.

© NATAS/ATAS

Since March 2005, NBR has been part of the PBS national program service and its website is part of PBS.org. NBR is also seen internationally through Worldnet, the U.S. Radio and Television Armed Services network and on SBS Australia and Triangle Television in New Zealand. NBR operates four reporting bureaus -- with fulltime staff members in New York (located at WNET), Washington D.C., Chicago (located at WTTW) and Miami, at WPBT. Current Bureau Chiefs are Diane Eastabrook (Chicago), Darren Gersh (Washington) and Scott Gurvey (New York).

NBR's anchors and reporters have interviewed sitting presidents (George W. Bush, Reagan, Clinton) former presidents (Carter) and corporate chiefs -- ranging from Jack Welch to Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. Alumni of the program's anchor desk include the late Del Frank as well as Dean Shepherd, Jim Wicks and Cassie Seifert. Neil Cavuto served as NBR's New York bureau chief in the late 1980s.

Over the years, NBR has received numerous awards. In 2005, the program won its first national Emmy ® Award for extended coverage of China's emergence as an international economic power, and in 2006 the website was honored with a Best In Class award from the International Media Council.