Maury Povich
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Maurice Richard "Maury" Povich (born January 17, 1939 in Washington, D.C.) is an American TV talk show personality, who currently hosts his self-titled talk show Maury.
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[edit] Biography
Povich is the son of Washington Post sportswriter Shirley Povich, who wrote a weekly column for that paper for more than 70 years. Maury's mother is Ethyl, and in addition to Maury, the Poviches had a son David and a daughter Lynn. Maury was the middle child. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1962 with a degree in journalism (Waldman, 2007), Maury followed his father into the media. Not long after his graduation, Maury got his first job, on WWDC Radio in Washington. He did publicity for the station and also worked as a reporter. (Gildea, 1976) By 1966, Povich had become a news reporter and sportscaster for WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C. In 1967, he became the original co-host of the station's popular midday talk show, Panorama, which brought the rising star widespread acclaim and national recognition. (Harris, 1969) From 1977 to 1983, he anchored the news at stations in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia. He finally returned in June 1983, telling a Washington Post reporter that while he enjoyed most of the cities where he worked, he didn't like Los Angeles. He also said he was happy to be home again, and was looking forward to seeing his parents, as well as his brother David, all of whom still lived in DC. (Hill, 1983)
[edit] A Current Affair (1986-1990)
When media mogul Rupert Murdoch acquired the Metromedia TV station group in 1986, one of his first moves was to bring Povich to New York to host A Current Affair. The show began in late July 1986, and while it was considered a tabloid infotainment show that often focused on celebrity gossip, it also made time for compelling human interest stories. Critics praised the show for trying to be both informative and entertaining, much like "a good afternoon newspaper." (Corry, 1986) Maury was the host of A Current Affair from 1986 to 1990. (Waldman, 2007) He also anchored newscasts at WNYW.
[edit] The Maury Povich Show (1991-1997), "Maury" (1998-Present)
Povich served two consecutive terms as president of the New York Chapter of the National Television Academy. In September 1991, he left A Current Affair to host The Maury Povich Show, which was nationally syndicated and distributed by Warner Brothers Television in partnership with Povich's production company "MoPo Productions" and in national syndication from 1991 to 1998.
Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani honored Povich in 1995 during a City Hall ceremony. In 1998, the show was taken over by Studios USA (then a division of USA Networks, later renamed Universal Television after being sold to Vivendi Universal; and NBC Universal Television after VU Entertainment was sold to NBC owner General Electric). When they took over the show's production, they renamed it Maury.
[edit] "21", MSNBC show with wife Connie Chung
Povich hosted a short-lived remake of the classic game show, Twenty One. In November 2005, MSNBC announced Povich would co-host a weekend news program with his wife, Connie Chung. The program debuted January 7, 2006, and was cancelled due to low ratings. ("MSNBC Canceling Connie Chung, Maury Povich Talk Show," Associated Press, 15 June 2006) The final episode ran June 17, 2006.
[edit] Personal life
Povich and his first wife Phyllis were divorced in 1979; they had two daughters. (Waldman, 2007) He married anchorwoman Connie Chung in 1984. They had a son, Matthew Jay Povich, on June 20, 1995.
In May 2007, Povich launched the Flathead Beacon, a weekly print newspaper and online news source in Montana's Flathead County, where Povich has a home.
[edit] Povich In Popular Culture
Povich has become a popular culture icon in the United States. He and Maury were satirized on the South Park episode "Freak Strike".
In the comic strip Get Fuzzy, Bucky Katt thinks the sign of the end of the world is Maury Povich (to which Satchel said to Rob, "Hold Me").
Maury Povich appeared in the Video "The Stakes is High" by the Rap group DE La Soul which they played guests on his talk show during the video.
There is also song by Shawtty Putt and Lil Jon called "The Maury Song".
[edit] Works Cited
John Corry. "A Current Affair: Tabloid Journalism." New York Times, 20 August 1986, p. C22.
William Gildea. "Povich Off to Chicago." Washington Post, 8 December 1976, p. B1.
Jo Ann Harris. "Channel 5's Panorama Team." Washington Post, 23 march 1969, p. TV3.
Michael E. Hill. "Maury Povich/ Coming Back to An Ambitious New Channel 5." Washington Post, 5 June 1983, p. TV3.
Allison J. Waldman. "Maury Through the Years." Television Week, 1 October 2007.
[edit] External links
