Redefining television's business model last update: August 2006 | view homepage

Making our world a better place 1113: "For the Greater Good" This special episode goes inside the US, state and local Chambers of Commerce. 1112: Big business homogenizes, small business diversifies. Here we see why Specialty Retail Succeeds. 1111: When you discover the romance and the mythos within life, you can begin to sell "More than a catalog." 1110: Work becomes a key place to "Unlock one's Potential" and realize the gift of creating something of value. 1109: Meet the Biosite team working "Faster-Cheaper-Better " and changing healthcare in the process. 1108: Meet George Borkowski; he is the lawyer who prosecuted Napster & Grokster - Protect Your Ideas 1107: Meet Sohrab Vossoughi of Ziba Design, "World in the workplace", an innovation consultancy. 1106: Meet Tom Gegax who encourage us all to be "Teaching to serve." He had huge success with Tires Plus. 1105: A television Special, "One Workplace for All" Six major business sectors converge. 1104: Eric Rose, E.M. Rose Builders, "Failure Teaches" - on becoming the best in your industry. 1103: . Meet many entrepreneurs and learn how you "Build your team; they build your business." 1102: John Solheim, Karsten Mfg - Ping Golf, "Disruptive Discontent" - all in the pursuit of perfection 1101: Dr. Neil Clark Warren, eHarmony, "Dot.com Profits" and on their way to a Nobel Peace Prize. Stories about the soul of every economy Television for people who care On the Air: Join us first by watching the show every week on your PBS-member station. Airing: Listings for just one of these episodes. Without A Break Since 1994 There are thirteen episodes per season and, of course, four seasons per year.  This is the 1100 Season: It began in May 2007 and went through December 2005. Each season is numbered for groups like the TV Guide This is, however, our 45th season of productions about small business.  Here's access to other seasons: Here's access to other seasons: 1400 Season: July through September 2006 1300 Season: April through June 2006 1200 Season: January through March 2006 1000 Season: July through September 2005 Other ways to find an episode of the show: You can search by business name or owner's name, by business sector, by subject matter or topic, or by Diversity, Family, nation, State, or Women! See several years of episodes by clicking on view prior episode just below the header, "Welcome to Small Business School" just above on every page. Specials: We take the best points from many different episodes to focus on a key small business issue. Television to make a difference Key pages: Each episode has its own home page, an overview with links to that business, the complete transcript, a case study guide prepared for business schools, and streaming video. Today, these case study guides are part of the curriculum of almost every business school in the USA and the best around the world. Perspective: We live in the present; we reflect on the past; we project the future; and we struggle to know what is important and good within life. Everyone helps to select a business to be on the show A discussion about a working business model for the future, by Bruce Camber, Executive Producer First, we turn to the PBS-station manager and get permission to do an episode of the show in their neighborhood. Next we contact every local Chamber of Commerce within reach of the station's signal. Usually there are 40 to 70 local chambers. We invite each to nominate four or five businesses that have the qualities outlined within our selection process. Usually there are over 200 businesses nominated. We invite their local small business advocates (Economic Development, Better Business Bureau, the mayors, the Governor, Workforce Initiative, people among the SBA-SBDC-SCORE, the business press, business professors, CPAs, and others) to vote. These are the people who know the hearts and minds of these business owners. They vote and we emerge with a list of the top ten. We then re-engage the station manager, the CPAs of each company, and each of their national trade associations make the final selection. Nobody can pay or has ever paid to be on this show. We are looking for the finest roles models for each of us, our industries, and our children. Today, everybody is a producer: We believe that part of television that lifts up exploitation as an art form (glamorizing violence and corruptive behaviors) can and should be replaced with the vibrant heart of creativity, value-laden work, and hope for the future. We have invited our loyal stations and our legacy sponsors of the show to take over SmallBusinessSchool for the future. We also invite all the Chambers and National Trade Associations to join them. By working together the productions can be increased from our 26 per year to 100, then to 1000, 2000 and eventually as many as 4000 per year where 3948 are local episodes. Fifty-two of those episodes are selected for the national and global feeds of the show There are 210 Designated Market Areas in the USA. I believe there should be at least local 10 episodes per year within each DMA. In several of the most heavily populated DMAs there should be as many as 26 new episodes per year. Also, the show is broadcast in over 100 other countries via the Voice of America. We wll work with every station and every country to produce local episodes and to be part of the new management of SmallBusinessSchool. One clear hope to cure the madness within the world is to lift up the best role models that we can find, knowing, of course, that we all have clay feet. None of us are perfect. Yet, inspiration to create is better than incitement to exploit. -BEC

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