Fight Back! with David Horowitz

Last updated
Fight Back! with David Horowitz
Also known asCalifornia Buyline (19761977), Consumer Buyline (19771980)
GenreConsumer information
Created byDavid Horowitz
Developed byDavid Horowitz
Directed byGlen Swanson
Presented byDavid Horowitz
Opening theme"Fight Back! Theme", sung by Steve Donn (September 1985June 1992)
Ending theme"Fight Back! Theme", sung by Steve Donn (September 1985June 1992)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons16
No. of episodes582 (including California/Consumer Buyline)
Production
Executive producerDavid Horowitz
Producers Lloyd Thaxton, Merrill M. Mazuer (Season 1)
Production location Los Angeles, California
EditorsSteve Purcell, Rich Thorne
Camera setupBob Betzner
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesConsuming Media, LTD.
Original release
Network First-run syndication
ReleaseSeptember 20, 1976 for California/Consumer Buyline; February 11, 1980 for Fight Back! (pilot episode) (September 20, 1976 for California/Consumer Buyline; February 11, 1980 for Fight Back! (pilot episode)) 
1992 (1992)
Related
  • Consumer Buyline
  • Money Tonight (special news segments aired from 1994 to 1995)

Fight Back! with David Horowitz was a weekly consumer advocate show that ran from 1976 to 1992. [1] The show, hosted by David Horowitz, informed consumers about corporations and other big businesses whose products were of poor quality. [2] The format of the show allowed for some humorous segments, such as allowing people to send in photos of unintentionally funny signs (similar to Jay Leno's Headlines). In 1987, the show was awarded best public affairs series for a network station and Horowitz also received a regional Emmy for host/moderator. [3]

Contents

History

In February 1980, the pilot episode of Fight Back! With David Horowitz was broadcast. As explained in a news article, Fight Back! was the same show as Consumer Buyline, but with a "larger budget." The pilot episode featured a segment shot in North Carolina, as well as a commercial challenge of a Volkswagen Rabbit. Fight Back! formally replaced "Consumer Buyline" in September 1980. [4]

After the television show wrapped, David Horowitz continued work under the Fight Back! banner. Since 2013 the Fight Back! brand has been owned and operated by David Horowitz's daughter Amanda Horowitz, who has continued the work after her father's 2019 death. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Bixby</span> American actor and television director (1934–1993)

Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III was an American actor, director, producer, and frequent game-show panellist. Bixby's career spanned more than three decades, including appearances on stage, in films, and on television series. He is known for his roles in the CBS sitcom My Favorite Martian as Tim O'Hara, in the ABC sitcom The Courtship of Eddie's Father as Tom Corbett, in the NBC crime drama series The Magician as stage Illusionist Anthony Blake, and the CBS science-fiction drama series The Incredible Hulk as Dr. David Banner.

<i>Late Night with David Letterman</i> American late-night talk show (1982–1993)

Late Night with David Letterman is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the Late Night franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company, Space Age Meats, and Carson Productions. Letterman had previously hosted his own morning talk show on NBC from June to October 1980. The show's house band, The World's Most Dangerous Band, was led by music director Paul Shaffer. In 1993, Letterman announced that he would leave NBC to host the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS. The final episode of Late Night was broadcast on June 25, 1993. The series has continued as Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Goodson</span> American TV producer (1915–1992)

Mark Leo Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows, most frequently with his business partner Bill Todman, with whom he created Goodson-Todman Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Horowitz (consumer advocate)</span> American consumer advocate and journalist (1937–2019)

David Charles Horowitz was an American consumer reporter and journalist for KNBC in Los Angeles, whose Emmy-winning TV program Fight Back! would warn viewers about defective products, test advertised claims to see if they were true, and confront corporations about customer complaints. He was on the boards of directors of the National Broadcast Editorial Conference, City of Hope, and the American Cancer Society, and he served on the advisory boards of the FCC and the Los Angeles District Attorney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Snyder</span> American television and radio personality (1936–2007)

Thomas James Snyder was an American television personality, news anchor, and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows Tomorrow, on NBC in the 1970s and 1980s, and The Late Late Show, on CBS in the 1990s. Snyder was also the pioneer anchor of the prime time NBC News Update, in the 1970s and early 1980s, which was a one-minute capsule of news updates.

<i>Beakmans World</i> American TV series or program

Beakman's World is an American educational children's television program. The program is based on the Universal Press Syndicate syndicated comic strip You Can with Beakman and Jax created by Jok Church. The series premiered on Wednesday, September 16, 1992, on TLC, and on various other channels a few days later through syndication on 220 other channels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KNBC</span> NBC West Coast flagship station in Los Angeles

KNBC is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Corona-licensed Telemundo outlet KVEA. The two stations share studios at the Brokaw News Center in the northwest corner of the Universal Studios Hollywood lot off of Lankershim Boulevard in Universal City; KNBC's transmitter is located on Mount Wilson.

KCBS-TV, branded CBS Los Angeles, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside independent outlet KCAL-TV. The two stations share studios at the Radford Studio Center on Radford Avenue in the Studio City section of Los Angeles; KCBS-TV's transmitter is located on the western side of Mount Wilson near Occidental Peak.

Merrill Markoe is an American author, television writer, and occasional standup comedian.

Charles Robert Henry is a retired American journalist, who worked in the Greater Los Angeles media market for 48 years. He worked for nearly 29 years at KNBC, where he was a co-anchor of the 5, 6, and 11 p.m. newscasts, and he worked for 19 years at KABC-TV, where he served as reporter, anchor, director, and producer.

Conor Knighton is an American actor, host, and television producer. He is currently a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning. In 2016, Knighton launched "On The Trail," a year-long, cross-country look at America's National Parks. The reports air every other week on CBS Sunday Morning. It was to honor the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. Knighton has won two Daytime Emmys as part of the Sunday Morning team.

John Beard is an American retired news anchor and actor.

Joel Connable was an American television host, news anchor, and reporter for KOMO-TV in Seattle, Washington. He also worked as a travel journalist, running a travel website and a company called Travel TV Inc. He was a former evening news anchor at NBC6 in Miami. He was named "Best News Anchor," by the New Times Magazine in 2009. Connable made regular appearances as a travel expert on Fox News, CBS television stations, KTLA, the BBC, and other television networks. Connable also anchored and reported the news for CBS in Los Angeles and South Carolina as well as for MSNBC and Early Today, on NBC. Connable was also a former private pilot and former paramedic from Long Island, New York. He was also a writer for the Huffington Post and had a weekly travel radio show on Cox Radio Stations.

Frederick Jay Roggin is an American sports anchor currently with Los Angeles sports radio station KLAC. He is best known for his career at KNBC-TV. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Roggin was also a sports talk radio host at KMPC in Los Angeles and is currently co-hosting, alongside Rodney Peete, an afternoon sports show on KLAC. Roggin's other co-hosts on KLAC had included Los Angeles Times sports columnist T. J. Simers and Simers' daughter Tracy. Roggin served as a host for NBC Sports coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Myron Jess Marlow was an American journalist. He was best known for his work on television in Los Angeles, California, where he spent the bulk of his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Story</span> American journalist

Ralph Story was an American television and radio personality. He was best known as the host of The $64,000 Challenge from 1956 to 1958, and as the writer and host of Ralph Story's Los Angeles from 1964 to 1970.

That's Cat was a children's television show that premiered on Saturday, September 18, 1976. It was both produced by and aired on KNBC, the NBC owned and operated (O&O) station in Los Angeles, California; it was also syndicated to selected NBC O&O stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Lange</span> American journalist

Kelly Lange is an American journalist, most notable for being the first woman to be a nightly news anchor in Los Angeles. Lange, a Shakespeare major in college, is a longtime news anchor in Los Angeles, a veteran radio and TV news reporter, NBC talk show host, former Tournament of Roses parade co-host, and a best-selling mystery author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Burbank Studios</span> TV production facility in California

The Burbank Studios is a television production facility located in Burbank, California, United States. The studio is home to Days of Our Lives, Extra, the IHeartRadio Theater, and was formerly home to the Blizzard Arena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Hendren</span> American television host (1945–2022)

Ralph Connolly Hendren was a journalist and television personality. He was best known as one of the original hosts of Entertainment Tonight, joining the syndicated television show at its debut in 1981.

References

  1. "KNBC Drops Horowitz, Consumer Unit Television: The veteran Channel 4 reporter presents his final report after the station declines to renew his contract." Los Angeles Times, Steve Weinstein, August 22, 1992.
  2. "Video Quixote Crusades For Consumers," Jay Arnold, The Press-Courier - Sep 22, 1981.
  3. Aleene MacMinn, "In 39th Annual LA Ceremonies KCBS, KNBC Garner 12 Emmy Awards," Los Angeles Times, May 18, 1987.
  4. Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television . Watson-Guptill Publications. p.  155. ISBN   978-0823083152 . Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  5. "About Us – FIGHT BACK!®".