The Legacy |
Broadcasts: Many people ask, "Why public television?"
Bruce and Hattie envisioned a "how-to" series (such as This Old House) for small business owners. They always wanted the show to answer the question, "How does a person start and grow a business?" In addition, the broadcasts of PBS-member stations are free to most Americans. The Voice of America is free to the people outside of North America.
Bruce and Hattie are independent producers. They do not receive, nor do they seek, public funds to produce the series. IBM was the founding sponsor in 1994. They raise money from national sponsors such as AT&T, Business Week, Forbes, Microsoft, Thomson Learning, the United States Postal Service and regional sponsors such as Verizon. Throughout the years, Dun & Bradstreet, MassMutual, Travelers-Citicorp and others have been national sponsors and many local businesses have been local sponsors.
A team of small businesses make each episode of the show, and then they give it to PBS-member stations.
The business is virtual. Bruce and Hattie have lived and worked in Dallas, San Diego, and New Orleans. Other work for these productions is done by small business people throughout the USA and around the world.
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Overview: Small Business School is a weekly, half-hour television show that began in 1994 and has been airing ever since. The show first aired on PBS-member stations in the United States, then on IBB Voice of America TV (VOA) around the world, then on cable stations throughout Canada, Latin America, South America, Africa, the Middle East, New Zealand, Poland, China and more.
Small Business School is also this website where the key ideas of every episode of the show come alive within an executive summary, transcript, case study guide and online video. The earliest version of this website went online in December 1994.
In those first years of the production, PBS had a special feed of the show to every college and university in the USA. For that feed, a case study guide was prepared. Every inch of footage was tied to a key point. Today, there are over 2000 key points with video, transcript and analysis. These case studies have been in some of the most popular business textbooks by Prentice Hall and Thomson Learning and are used by students every day from around the world.
The people: Small Business School involves many people. However, the story begins with two small business owners, Bruce Camber and Hattie Bryant. They felt there was something missing from television. There was nothing about the men and women who are more likely to invent a new product, create a job and support their community than those big business folks who seek and get most of the media's attention.
They also believe there is something profoundly wrong with much of television. Too much programming capitalizes on and glamorizes exploitation; there is not enough about creativity and the processes of creating something of value. More about the people & history...
Here's what others have said about Small Business School:
"This is the most informative and inspiring show for the entrepreneur that I have ever seen!"
"I saw your show and I was mesmerized. These people really do make their dreams come true." |
