Fight Back! with David Horowitz

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Fight Back! with David Horowitz was a weekly consumer advocate show that ran from 1980-1992. The show, hosted by David Horowitz, attempted to inform consumers about corporations and other big businesses whose products were of poor quality. 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).


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[edit] History

"Fight Back!" made its television debut in September, 1976. When the show initially premiered, it was shown locally on KNBC televesion in Los Angeles. At its inception, the show was called "California Buyline". This weekly show was one of the first consumer information shows to be taped in front of a live studio audience. Topics on "California Buyline" ranged from sneaky product labels, to money saving tips and ideas.

In 1978, "California Buyline" became nationally syndicated, and changed its name to "Consumer Buyline". Still hosted by Horowitz, the show was syndicated to NBC O&O stations in selected markets.

In 1980, "Consumer Buyline" returned to the airwaves as "Fight Back! With David Horowitz". Still syndicated by "Group W" productions, "Fight Back!" was aired on NBC O&O stations, as well as some independant television channels. "Fight Back!" became an instant weekend favorite, and fully took off when distribution switched from Group W Productions to Paramount in 1984.

There is, however, a bit of descrepancy with the total years of consecutive airtime. While there is no dispute that "Consumer Buyline" went national in 1978, and Fight Back premiered in 1980, there are questions as to whether a 1979 season was ever produced or not. Most television encyclopedias list Consumer Buyline as being a one-season wonder (1978). However, evidence exists that there may have ben a 1979 season produced. This is evidenced by two commercial challenge clips being aired on episodes of "Fight Back" in the early 1990's; one challenge showing an elephant stepping on a Tonka truck, and another testing the ride quality of a Renault LeCar. Both clips were dated as being from 1979.

In David Horowitz' own book "Fight Back! And Don't Get Ripped Off", there are several other commercial challenges mentioned. From the tone of speech in the book, and the fact that the book was published and released in 1979, one can assume that a 1979 season did exist. However, it is unknown if that series, was still known as "Consumer Buyline", or had changed its name to "Fight Back!".

[edit] Popular Segments

"Fight Back!" was unusual, in the sense that it was a "hybrid" show. That is, it managed to meld together hard-hitting journalism, with a nice blend of humor. Two of the most popular segments on this show were the "Fight Back! Commercial Challenge" and the "Horror File".

The "Commercial Challenge" first appeard on "California Buyline" in December, 1977. David Horowitz decided, to challenge a commerical for a Timex watch, simply to see if the commercial was bogus or not. Per the commercial, former Timex pitchman John Cameron Swayze, strapped a Timex watch to an outboard motor, and raced the motor through a tank of water. At the end of the commercial, the watch was still ticking. Horowitz performed this challenge with two other watches (a Seiko and a Citizens) in front of his live studio audience. All three watches passed the test (despite the Seiko losing it's band, prompting Horowitz to exclaim "We've lost one watch!! The Seiko is in the tank!!"). While this was meant to be a one-time only segment, the Commercial Challenge proved to be so popular, that it soon became a permanent fixture of the show. Other commercials challenged over the years included Krazy Glue, Tide, Glad Trash Bags, Levi Jeans, Maybeline Nail Polish, American Tourister Luggage, The Club, Sherman-Williams Paint, and Bic disposable lighters. Not even restaurants were safe, as Burger King was also challenged by Fight Back in 1985.

The "Horror File" segment premiered around the 1981/82 season. In this segment, viewers would write in with various complaints about companies or customer service, while others would send in confusing and amusing signs, labels, or ads. If Horowitz challenged a viewer's commercial, or used his/her letter on air, he'd send a Fight Back! t-shirt. In later years, he would also send a copy of the "Fight Back!" theme song, a copy of his latest book, or some other "loyal viewer" trinket, such as a keychain (in the shape of a boxing glove with the "Fight Back!" logo) or a pin, which read "Don't Rip Me Off!", followed by the "Fight Back!" logo.


[edit] Series End

"Fight Back!" wasn't cancelled, as many people think. It was simply decided upon to cease production. At the time, there were many other shows that were buying up all the prime access time. As a result, "Fight Back!" was being shoved off into slots such as 7:00 am, or 3:00 am in some markets. Rather than let the show be cancelled, it was decided to let the show wrap production. It was one of the longest running shows of its genre, and achieved many awards over the years.

[edit] David Horowitz

Since wrapping production of "Fight Back!", David Horowitz has gone on to host a weekly radio show on 1260.AM, a Los Angeles talk station. His radio show "Fight Back!" covers many of the same topics that were covered on his original television shows. One can listen to his program on streaming satelite radio at www.1260.am[1].

[edit] Producers

The series was produced by Lloyd Thaxton, a Los Angeles deejay and television personality, who occasionally appeared on camera in such guises as "Dr. Freon" and "Dirty Moore". However, in the first season of episodes, he was not listed in the credits; whether he was with the show or not from the beginning is unknown. He was, however, with California Buyline/Consumer Buyline from its inception. The series also featured actor and wrestler Professor Toru Tanaka as a product tester.

[edit] External links

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