CNBC to Produce 'Nightly Business Report' for Public TV

Net purchases WPBT2 program from Atalaya Capital

By Tim Baysinger -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/21/2013 4:57:21 PM

CNBC announced Thursday it will purchase the rights to Nightly Business Report from investment firm Atalaya Capital Management.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Beginning March 4, CNBC will produce Nightly Business Report exclusively for public television from its Englewood Cliffs, N.J., headquarters. It will be anchored by CNBC's Tyler Mathisen and Susie Gharib, the show's current coanchor. CNBC will also continue to produce NBR's popular Nightly News Brief. WPBT2 Miami will remain as the presenting station.

"We are proud to take the reins of television's longest running business program," said Mark Hoffman, president and CEO, CNBC. "Our goal is to utilize our global editorial resources to both preserve and strengthen Nightly Business Report, exposing its highly educated audience across 180 broadcast markets to CNBC's already diverse multimedia offerings which include cable programming, a full suite of digital products, radio and our international networks and local language affiliates."

Nightly Business Report is broadcast to 96% of U.S. television households and is also seen on public television's WORLD multicast channel. Launched in January 1979 by WPBT2, NBR aired locally until American Public Television picked up the series for national distribution in 1981.