90 Days

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90 Days
90 Days VHS box cover from episode Number 6
Genre	Business
Format	news magazine
Theme music composer	unknown
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of episodes	27?
Production
Running time	30 minutes (appx.)
Broadcast
Original run	Sept. 1989 – 1997
Chronology
Followed by	Flight Times TV

90 Days was "a video report about issues, events and people important to you and McDonnell Douglas.^[1]" The video magazine was produced in St. Louis, MO and distributed at the end of every business quarter (hence the show's title) through the mail to employees and shareholders of the company in VHS format. From its inception in September 1989 until MDC's merger with Boeing in 1997, 90 Days routinely featured segments about employees and company programs or products, all while incorporating a review of financial results from the previous quarter.

Contents 1 Purpose 2 Hosts 3 Episode Summaries 4 Credits (or lack thereof) 5 Legacy of 90 Days 6 References

[edit] Purpose

As Mr. McDonnell explains in "Number 1," the purpose behind going to the expense of producing and distributing 90 Days was to facilitate better communication between the company and its employees and shareholders. In fact, the first episode came with a postcard so viewers could share their comments on the show, and a special mailing address was established for comments throughout the life of the program. When "Number 1" debuted, the company was in the midst of a major transition, and at the time this was an innovative form of communication that served as an insight into the company's direction.

[edit] Hosts

Over the course of the program's production, 90 Days had three hosts:

• John McDonnell (episodes 1-16?)
• Harry Stonecipher (episodes ?-26?)
• Guest host (final regular episode)

[edit] Episode Summaries

Each episode of 90 Days was named according to its numerical order in the series, and featured a summary of that episode either on the reverse of the VHS video cover (early episodes) or printed on a label on the video itself (later episodes).

#	Title	Date	Host	Runtime
1	Number 1	Sept. 1989	John McDonnell	24 minutes
	A visit to the Douglas Aircraft Company (DAC) in Long Beach, CA to meet an MD-80 assembly team thriving under TQMS financial performance review DAC's Dale Warren comments on the DC-10 in the wake of the Flight 232 tragedy a feature on F-15E service reps at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina.
2	Number 2	Dec. 1989	John McDonnell	30 minutes
	members of the Torrance, CA parts manufacturing team take a field trip to Long Beach to see how their parts help shape the MD-80 Third quarter financial performance review A look into how assembly team members at McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company improved efficiency in building the Apache A commercial satellite launch using MDC's Delta rocket A celebration of McDonnell Aircraft Company's 50th Anniversary.
3	Number 3	March 1990	John McDonnell	30 minutes
	A visit to the McDonnell Douglas Missile Systems Company's training center financial performance review Engineering and manufacturing teams prepare the MD-11 for first flight How teamwork is leading to faster solutions on the F-15E production line A feature on the Navy's Blue Angels
4	Number 4	June 1990	John McDonnell	30 minutes
	A visit to MAC to see examine how a partnership has been built between labor and management a review of first quarter financial results, and a discussion of the challenges and opportunities the company faces the military commanders of plant representative offices give their perspective on MDC's performance
5	Number 5	Sept. 1990	John McDonnell	?
	summary: unknown
6	Number 6	Dec. 1990	John McDonnell	30 minutes
	Representative from American Airlines, Finnair, and Delta Air Lines comment on the performance of MDC's commercial jetliners Third quarter financial performance review An in-depth look at the YF-23 Advanced Tactical Fighter as MCAIR's Bill Lowe pilots it on its first supersonic flight A visit to Douglas Aircraft's Flight Test Facility in Yuma, Arizona for the story of the non-stop efforts to secure the MD-11's FAA certification
7	Number 7	March 1991	John McDonnell	30 minutes
	A visit to Motorola to learn how their quest for first-time quality and customer satisfaction earned them the Malcolm Baldridge Award 1990 financial results and fourth quarter highlights A stop by the Missile Company's Harpoon Depot to examine how reducing cycle time speeds up repairs and retrofits on the formidable weapon
8	Number 8	June 1991	John McDonnell	30 minutes
	How statistical process control techniques are improving productivity at McDonnell Aircraft's Machining Center A tour of the McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratories Field service representative Kirt Brown relates his experiences in Operation Desert Storm, and the outstanding performance of the Apache during the conflict A review of first quarter financial performance
9	Number 9	Sept. 1991	John McDonnell	?
	summary:unknown
14	Number 14	Dec. 1992	John McDonnell	30 minutes
	A visit to the MD-11 production line to examine how new systems and processes are helping reduce costs, improve quality, and putting the program back on schedule A behind the scenes look at efforts to test the C-17 for the rigors of military operations a review of third quarter financial results
24	Number 24	June 1995	Harry Stonecipher	30 minutes
	An interview with Laurie Broedling, the new VP of human resources Testing the MD-11 before customer delivery A look at new wind tunnel technology First quarter financial results
25	Number 25	Sept. 1995	Harry Stonecipher	36 minutes
	MDC helicopters help the Phoenix P.D. maintain law and order The Phantom Works finds new ways to build airplanes faster, better, and more affordably Meet 1994's Spirit of Excellence Award winners Second-quarter financial results and highlights
26	Number 26 - F/A-18E/F Super Hornet: A 90 Days Special Report	Feb. 1996	?	?
	VHS cover from the Super Hornet special report The story of the Navy's next generation fighter and the revolutionary new way we build it

[edit] Credits (or lack thereof)

As you'll notice in the infobox, there is little information regarding the production staff that was behind the creation of each episode of 90 Days. This is because there are no formal credit titles either before or after episodes. So for now, everyone from the theme music composer to the graphics designers live on in anonymity.

[edit] Legacy of 90 Days

Boeing (which now holds the copyright to McDonnell Douglas intellectual property) is not known to have any plans to resurrect either 90 Days or its successor, Flight Times TV.^[2] As such (and considering Mr. McDonnell suggested during the first episode viewers could tape over the show after watching it), 90 Days has fallen into complete obscurity. But for those who look closer, 90 Days lives on as a valuable reference into the ups and downs of the aerospace industry in the late 1980s and most of the 1990s.

[edit] References

1. ^ "Number 1." 90 Days. By McDonnell Douglas. St. Louis, MO. Sept. 1989. Videocassette.
2. ^ Boeing Unveils New Corporate Identity. Boeing Press Release (1997-08-01). Retrieved on 2008-01-14.