BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
THE CNBC ORIGINAL "AS SEEN ON TV," PREMIERING WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22ND TAKES YOU INSIDE THE $150 BILLION WORLD OF INFOMERCIALS
CNBC'S DARREN ROVELLREPORTS
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., April 15, 2009 - Whether it's a blanket with sleeves or a super-absorbent towel, the 25-year old, $150 billion infomercial industry continues to convince millions of us to hand over our hard earned money for stuff we had no idea we ever needed. The CNBC Original, "As Seen on TV," reported by Darren Rovell, and premiering Wednesday, April 22, at 9PM and 1AM ET, takes a behind-the-scenes look at the industry's tricks of the trade and how, even in today's troubled economy, it just keeps on growing.
CNBC First in Business Worldwide reports on the high-pressured world of direct-response infomercials that have made Snuggie, ShamWow! and the Ginsu Knife household names. CNBC Emmy-nominated correspondent Rovell examines which products are busts or buys, and uncovers the psychology behind why some sales pitches strikeout while others are hit out of the park.
Rovell sits down with heavyweights of this industry, including inventor Ron Popeil (Showtime Rotisserie), pitchman Billy Mays (Oxy-Clean), AJ Khubani, CEO, Telebrands (Ped-Egg), Scott Boilen, CEO, All Star Marketing Group (Snuggie) and Ed Valenti, co-founder, Dial Media, Inc. (Ginsu Knives).
For more information including web extras and extended video clips, log onto asseenontv.cnbc.com. The web site also features a slide show that takes an inside look at the infomercial, from production to profits, and web extras that include video of product testing, and a caveat for consumers.
The CNBC Original, "As Seen On TV" re-airs on Sunday, April 26th, at 10PM ET.
Sanford Cannold is Executive Producer of the CNBC Original "As Seen on TV." Alison O'Brien and Tom Rotunno are the Producers.
About CNBC:
CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news, providing real-time financial market coverage and business information to more than 340 million homes worldwide, including more than 95 million households in the United States and Canada. The network's Business Day programming (weekdays from 5:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC's headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and also includes reports from CNBC news bureaus worldwide. Additionally, CNBC viewers can manage their individual investment portfolios and gain additional in-depth information from on-air reports by accessing http://www.cnbc.com.
Members of the media can receive more information about CNBC and its programming on the NBC Universal Media Village Web site at http://nbcumv.com/cnbc/.