The Maury Povich Show Phenomenom
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 which has earned him national recognition due to
the paternity tests that are often aired.
Povich is the son of Washington Post sportswriter Shirley
Povich, who wrote a weekly column for the paper for more than
70 years. In 1966, Povich was a news reporter and sportscaster
for WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C. In 1967, he became the original
host of the station's popular midday talk show, Panorama,
which brought the rising star widespread acclaim and national
recognition. From 1977 to 1983, he anchored the news at stations
in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia.
He married Anchorperson Connie Chung in 1984, but was unable
to have a child with her. [citation needed] They adopted a
son, Matthew Jay Povich, on June 20, 1995. Povich has two
daughters from a previous marriage.
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. From 1986 to
1990, he hosted the tabloid "infotainment" TV show.
Povich served two consecutive terms as president of the New
York Chapter of the National Television Academy. He hosted
a short-lived remake of the classic game show, Twenty One.
He later left A Current Affair to host The Maury Povich Show,
which was nationally syndicated and distributed by Paramount
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, USA Networks/Studios
USA/Universal Vivendi/NBC Universal (corporate name changes
resulting from mergers and acquisitions) took over production
and renamed the show Maury.
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 the final episode ran June 17,
2006.
Povich has become a popular culture icon in the United States.
He and Maury were satirized on the South Park episode "Freak
Strike". The song 'Maury' on D.C. Anderson's CD recording
'I am still' (LML Music label) is from the perspective of
a baby prior to the release of DNA test results on the Maury
Povich Show.
More
on The Maury Povich at the Official Web Site
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