Nightly Business Report

Did You Know?

• The first regular commentator when NBR went national in 1981 was Alan Greenspan, then a private economist, who stayed until his appointment as Federal Reserve Chairman in 1987.
• From 1988 to 1997, NBR was co-produced by Reuters, and from 1997 to 2001 by its arch-rival Bridge Information Systems.
• Paul Kangas's last broadcast was on December 31, 2009, ending a 30-year run.
• In 2005, the show switched distributors from American Public Television to PBS to avoid losing affiliates.
• The final broadcast on December 27, 2019, ended NBR's nearly 41-year run.

Format

The daily program reported on stock market changes, including the Dow Jones Industrial Average, NASDAQ, the S&P 500, and other major markets, and featured interviews with CEOs, economists, market analysts, and policy makers. Special holiday editions departed from this format, often focusing on a single subject or theme, such as retrospectives and predictions on New Year's Day and Independence Day. The program typically concluded with a commentary and included segments like Market Monitor, Street Critique, Women in Leadership, and Planet Forward. A 15-minute morning version, Morning Business Report hosted by Melissa Conti, aired from January 3, 1994, to December 31, 2002.

Broadcast history

The idea for a business news program came from several businessmen on the WPBT Board. Linda O'Bryon, WPBT's News Director, headed the effort to get the show on the air; in fall 1978 she was asked to create a daily business news program, developed the concept, and expanded the editorial staff. Paul Kangas joined as stock market commentator, and O'Bryon and Merwin Sigale were the first co-anchors. The editorial/production team included Rodney Ward, Bruce Eibe, Jeff Huff, and Jack Kahn, the first producer.

NBR launched locally on January 22, 1979, as a 15-minute show, expanded to 30 minutes later that year, and went nationwide on October 19, 1981, on 125 public stations. Sigale resigned in 1980 and was replaced by former WTVJ anchor Del Frank. Some public television stations served as bureaus for the program. In 1989, Jim Wicks became co-anchor, moving from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Toronto; after his contract ended he moved to ABC News in Cleveland and later left television news for a motion picture career as a film colorist.

From 1989 to 1991, Frank Mottek substituted for Paul Kangas, providing the stock market report and commentary; he solo anchored on January 1, 1991, and periodically co-anchored while filling in for other anchors. Mottek is currently business news anchor on KNX in Los Angeles and host of Mottek On Money.

Title cards and theme music

The themes and bumper music used from 1979 to 1991 were composed by Edd Kalehoff, who also composed the longest-running theme used from January 7, 1991, to November 15, 2002. The theme was updated on November 18, 2002, and used until January 1, 2010. A new theme, logo, and set for the Miami headquarters debuted on January 4, 2010, lasting until April 27, 2012. On April 30, 2012, a virtual theme with new graphics and music was introduced. Further graphics changes occurred on March 4, 2013, and January 4, 2016, the latter modeled after CNBC's graphics package.