PBS' Nightly Business Report Opens Houston Bureau

HOUSTON, Aug. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- NBR Worldwide LLC, owner of PBS' Nightly Business Report (NBR), today announced an agreement with HoustonPBS and KUHF Houston Public Radio to open a new Houston bureau.

The partnership marks Nightly Business Report's first bureau in Texas and allows the program to provide its viewers with firsthand coverage of the major business stories in Houston, the state of Texas, and beyond.  

"We are excited to expand into Texas and provide our viewers with up close reports on the most important business news stories of the day in Houston, one of the country's leading economic and social centers," said Mykalai Kontilai, Chairman and Chief Executive of NBR Worldwide. "The opening of the Houston bureau is the latest step in Nightly Business Report's ongoing effort to improve the viewer experience."

The Houston bureau will cover both breaking news and feature stories. The bureau will present viewers with stories on the major fields in the region, including oil, energy, and healthcare, and take a look at their local, national, and global impact. HoustonPBS currently has over 2.2 million viewers a week and airs over 24,000 hours of programming a year. KUHF Houston Public Radio is Houston's trusted source for independent, thoughtful and in-depth news.

"Nightly Business Report leads our evening programming during the week," said Patricia Torres-Burd, Executive Director of Content at HoustonPBS. "It provides an important service to our viewers and we are very excited about this strategic partnership between KUHF Radio, HoustonPBS and the excellent team of professionals of NBR.  Houston is a city that leads in business and economic news on a local, national and international level and we are thrilled that NBR has decided to create a bureau with our organizations."

HoustonPBS currently airs Nightly Business Report at 5:30 p.m. CST on weeknights. The station also produces original local content, including Houston 8, Red, White & Blue, InnerViews and Living Smart, as well as national productions for PBS such as The Wall – A World Divided and After the Wall – A World United.

Nightly Business Report is the nation's most-watched daily business news program. Broadcasting for more than 33 years, the program covers every major business and economic story affecting the country. The new partnership with the Houston bureau is part of an effort to ensure that wherever major news is happening, NBR is there. NBR previously announced new bureaus in Phoenix, Denver, and the Silicon Valley.

"KUHF News is pleased to be a part of this important collaboration with Nightly Business Report between both public radio and public television in Houston," said Debra Fraser, Station Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Houston Public Radio. "As other media outlets narrow their scope and reduce local coverage, the KUHF news team is highly committed to expanding the breadth of local coverage with 24-hour news in Houston and this new partnership ties in line with that commitment."

About Nightly Business Report:

For more than three decades, the award winning Nightly Business Report has provided business news in a fast-paced format. Timely investment information helps viewers manage their money and stay abreast of the news that affects their portfolios. Nightly Business Report premiered as a Miami regional program on January 22, 1979, with national distribution beginning in 1981. Underwritten by Franklin Templeton Investments, Nightly Business Report is distributed live to public television stations at 6:30pm ET every weeknight. Local broadcast times vary. For more information, visit www.pbs.org/nbr/.

About HoustonPBS:

HoustonPBS/Channel 8 serves to empower, engage and enrich the lives of the people of Southeast Texas. HoustonPBS provides content and services that advance civic engagement, create an environment for learning and encourage the exchange of diverse perspectives. Millions of people tune in each month to watch quality programs about culture, arts, science, news and national and world affairs as well as award-winning children's programming.  Weekly local programming from HoustonPBS runs the gamut of covering local community issues, health and well-being to political conversations. HoustonPBS produces a number of award-winning local and national shows including Houston 8, InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse, Living Smart with Patricia Gras and Red, White & Blue. HoustonPBS is a service of the University of Houston supported through the Association for Community Broadcasting.

About KUHF Houston Public Radio:

KUHF News offers international, national, regional and local coverage from the KUHF Newsroom, NPR, the BBC, and American Public Media. In addition to local news, weather and traffic reports, KUHF News provides specialized coverage from the team's Health, Science and Technology Desk, Transportation Desk, Energy & Environment Desk and Business News Desk.   KUHF's program services are broadcast on 88.7 FM, HD-1, and online at kuhf.org. KUHF News is supported financially by its listener-members, and by gifts from the greater Houston community, through the Association for Community Broadcasting.  KUHF News is licensed to the Board of Regents of the University of Houston and is operated in the public interest as a community outreach of the University.  More information at www.kuhf.org. 

SOURCE Nightly Business Report