David Bohrman
Encyclopedia
David Bohrman is a television and new media executive, working in network television news, cable news, new media, internet, convergence and consulting. Bohrman created almost a dozen new TV news programs at ABC News
, NBC News
(MSNBC
), CNN
, and TechTV
.
Bohrman served as Senior Vice President and the Washington, D.C.
, bureau chief for CNN. In this role, Bohrman oversaw newsgathering, political coverage and programming for the Washington bureau and all special events for CNN globally.
Bohrman now serves as President of Current TV
.
. Stan had an extensive career in news and investigative reporting, including several years as the primary anchor at KPIX-TV in San Francisco, and as leader of the "I-Team" at KWY in Philadelphia. He died in 1994. Bohrman established an endowed fund for investigative reporting in his father's name at Stanford University
.
Bohrman currently lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Catherine Bohrman who is a sculptor focusing mainly on bronzes. They have two children.
.
) where CNN’s key analysts (especially John King
) were able to take critical data visualization about the election to a new standard of depth and clarity. Also in 2008, on election night (as the key producer in charge of the global CNN Election Night in America program) he introduced television's first real-time "hologram" as correspondent Jessica Yellin
and Black-Eyed Peas will.i.am
were "beamed" into the studio from Grant Park in Chicago where the Barack Obama celebration was taking place.
Innovation has always been part of David Bohrman's work in politics and elections. The 2004 election cycle saw two key breakthroughs of his that fundamentally changed how elections, conventions, and even daily news can be produced. First was his idea to fully anchor CNN’s convention coverage from the convention floor, not the traditional anchor booth. This gave viewers a totally unique and more realistic sense of the proceedings than ever before and this continued through 2008. The second production leap that year came on election night. The program broke the traditional mold and originated at the NASDAQ Market Site in Times Square. The multiple screens brought the viewers additional content, from demographics to video feeds to 50 simultaneous vote boards to large individual boards. That venture led to the creation of The Situation Room on CNN, which relied on multiple video screens to tell stories.
The roots of innovation in politics for Bohrman go back to the 1988 and 2000 races for the White House
. In 1988 he created the first electronic "site" of election information for ABC News and Peter Jennings
(the 10,000 "cards" of hyper-media linked election information felt very much like the websites that would follow in a few years). The effort resulted in a new media startup at ABC called ABC News InterActive, which created multimedia award-winning products from ABC News.
For the 2000 political conventions in Philadelphia and Los Angeles
, Bohrman was CEO of Pseudo.com
, an internet television network. Pseudo not only had multiple video streams live during the convention, but also a skybox in the arena, and several 360 degree cameras, one of which was “gathered” by the Smithsonian and put into the permanent collection of items related to US Presidents.
Also: one of the original producers on Nightline in 1980. Served as the program’s Senior Producer in New York.
Prior to his tenure in Washington, DC, David Bohrman spent 25 years working in New York. After producing all the live coverage from New York on September 11, 2001, he served as the creator and executive in charge of Newsnight with Aaron Brown the signature CNN news program that followed Larry King Live.
In 2000, Bohrman worked as the CEO of Pseduo, the world’s first and largest Interactive Internet Television Network. He oversaw a staff of more than 250 and produced more than 50 live hours of internet television per week.
From 1998-2000, Bohrman was Executive Vice President at CNNfn
, the financial network and Executive-in-Charge for The Moneyline Newshour with Lou Dobbs. At CNNfn he oversaw the production, operations, news coverage, budgets, and graphics for the network.
Bohrman worked at NBC News
as Executive Producer for Special Events and Breaking News from 1993-1997. He was responsible for all NBC News live coverage of all breaking news stories and major events.
Prior to joining NBC News – Bohrman spent more than 13 years (1980–1993) at ABC News. Where he served as Executive Producer of World News Now
& ABC News InterActive TM, Senior Producer of Nightline
, Special Events, World News Tonight
and an original field producer on Nightline. He was the First Executive Producer and creator of ABC News’ entry into overnight news programming, World News Now
. In 1988, he created the first new media unit at any major media company: ABC News InterActive. Interactive laserdiscs were primarily education-oriented and sold to thousands of schools nationwide. From 1983 to 1988 Bohrman served as Senior Producer of Special Events, Breaking News, and Political Broadcast Unit at ABC News.
Bohrman started in television as a producer at KNXT-TV (Now KCBS
) in Los Angeles.
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
(MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
), CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, and TechTV
TechTV
TechTV was a 24-hour cable and satellite channel based in San Francisco featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. In 2004, it merged with the G4 gaming channel which ultimately dissolved TechTV programming...
.
Bohrman served as Senior Vice President and the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, bureau chief for CNN. In this role, Bohrman oversaw newsgathering, political coverage and programming for the Washington bureau and all special events for CNN globally.
Bohrman now serves as President of Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
.
Family
David Bohrman was born in Hollywood, California, the son of Delle and Stan Bohrman . His mother is a television writer. His father, Stan Bohrman was an award winning radio and television newsman, hosting Tempo on KHJ-TV in Los Angeles in the late 1960s and early 1970s with co-hosts Maria Cole and Regis PhilbinRegis Philbin
Regis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...
. Stan had an extensive career in news and investigative reporting, including several years as the primary anchor at KPIX-TV in San Francisco, and as leader of the "I-Team" at KWY in Philadelphia. He died in 1994. Bohrman established an endowed fund for investigative reporting in his father's name at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
Bohrman currently lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Catherine Bohrman who is a sculptor focusing mainly on bronzes. They have two children.
Education
Bohrman simultaneously earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and a Bachelor of Science in Physical Science from Stanford University. He later earned his Master's of Science in Journalism at Columbia University Graduate School of JournalismColumbia University Graduate School of Journalism
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is one of Columbia's graduate and professional schools. It offers three degree programs: Master of Science in journalism , Master of Arts in journalism and a Ph.D. in communications...
.
Innovation
During the 2008 presidential race Bohrman created the YouTube Debates , the Kodak Theater Debate , and the Reagan Library Debate in front of Air Force One. The 2008 election cycle also is known for his implementation of what became known as the "magic wall" (Multi-Touch Collaboration WallMulti-Touch Collaboration Wall
The Multi-Touch Collaboration Wall is a large monitor invented by Jeff Han that employs multi-touch technology, and is marketed by Han's company,Perceptive Pixel. Han initially developed the technology for military applications...
) where CNN’s key analysts (especially John King
John King (journalist)
John King is an American journalist and is the anchor of John King, USA which appears weeknights at 7pm/ET on CNN. He is also the former anchor of State of the Union with John King...
) were able to take critical data visualization about the election to a new standard of depth and clarity. Also in 2008, on election night (as the key producer in charge of the global CNN Election Night in America program) he introduced television's first real-time "hologram" as correspondent Jessica Yellin
Jessica Yellin
Jessica Yellin is an American television journalist, currently serving as the Chief White House Correspondent for CNN in Washington, D.C. Previously, she served as a Capitol Hill and National Political Correspondent for CNN, and she frequently shares air time with Dana Bash and John King.-Early...
and Black-Eyed Peas will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
were "beamed" into the studio from Grant Park in Chicago where the Barack Obama celebration was taking place.
Innovation has always been part of David Bohrman's work in politics and elections. The 2004 election cycle saw two key breakthroughs of his that fundamentally changed how elections, conventions, and even daily news can be produced. First was his idea to fully anchor CNN’s convention coverage from the convention floor, not the traditional anchor booth. This gave viewers a totally unique and more realistic sense of the proceedings than ever before and this continued through 2008. The second production leap that year came on election night. The program broke the traditional mold and originated at the NASDAQ Market Site in Times Square. The multiple screens brought the viewers additional content, from demographics to video feeds to 50 simultaneous vote boards to large individual boards. That venture led to the creation of The Situation Room on CNN, which relied on multiple video screens to tell stories.
The roots of innovation in politics for Bohrman go back to the 1988 and 2000 races for the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. In 1988 he created the first electronic "site" of election information for ABC News and Peter Jennings
Peter Jennings
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM was a Canadian American journalist and news anchor. He was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from lung cancer...
(the 10,000 "cards" of hyper-media linked election information felt very much like the websites that would follow in a few years). The effort resulted in a new media startup at ABC called ABC News InterActive, which created multimedia award-winning products from ABC News.
For the 2000 political conventions in Philadelphia and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Bohrman was CEO of Pseudo.com
Pseudo.com
Pseudo.com was a website for live audio and video webcasting. Founded in late 1993, its parent company Pseudo Programs Inc. filed for bankruptcy following the end of the Dot Com Bubble in 2000. Its assets were purchased by INTV in 2001...
, an internet television network. Pseudo not only had multiple video streams live during the convention, but also a skybox in the arena, and several 360 degree cameras, one of which was “gathered” by the Smithsonian and put into the permanent collection of items related to US Presidents.
Programs Created
as Executive Producer or Executive-in-Charge:- World News NowWorld News NowWorld News Now is an American overnight news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company's television network. Its tone is often lighthearted, irreverent and humorous...
(ABC News) - The SiteThe SiteThe Site, hosted by Soledad O'Brien, was an hour-long TV program devoted to the Internet revolution. It debuted in July 1996 with MSNBC's launch and aired Monday through Saturday, reaching 35 million homes...
(MSNBC) - Imus in the MorningImus in the MorningImus in the Morning is an American radio show hosted by Don Imus on Cumulus Media Networks , and simulcast for television on Fox Business Network....
(TV version) - The Moneyline NewsHour
- PseudoCenter (Pseudo.com)
- TechLive (Tech TV)
- NewsNight with Aaron BrownNewsNight with Aaron BrownNewsNight with Aaron Brown was a live international news broadcast, which appeared on the CNN network from 2001 to 2005. It aired at 10 p.m. ET on weeknights, hosted by Aaron Brown. In its final year, it was co-hosted by Anderson Cooper....
(CNN) - Situation Room with Wolf BlitzerThe Situation RoomThe Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer is an afternoon/early evening newscast on CNN and CNN International hosted by Wolf Blitzer that first aired on August 8, 2005. The show replaces three politics and hard news programs: Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics, Crossfire and Wolf Blitzer Reports.At first,...
(CNN) - State of the Union (CNN)
- John King, USAJohn King, USAJohn King, USA is an hour-long television news show that is hosted by John King on CNN. The show debuted on March 22, 2010.It airs at 7:00 PM Eastern, and as a result, shortened The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer to 2 hours...
(CNN)
Also: one of the original producers on Nightline in 1980. Served as the program’s Senior Producer in New York.
Patent
Granted US Patent # 5,109,482 (which concerns a method for using a computer to retrieve and playback video segments from an interactive videodisc).Network Highlights
As CNN's Senior Vice President and Washington Bureau Chief, he is in charge of all programming, production and newsgathering for CNN in Washington DC as well as overseeing CNN's global Special Events division. He produced the 2008 Election Night in America program which had more viewers than any of the other broadcast and cable networks and the highest primetime ratings in CNN’s history. He has produced all the major news events and political programs on CNN for a decade (including the 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010 elections and primaries).Prior to his tenure in Washington, DC, David Bohrman spent 25 years working in New York. After producing all the live coverage from New York on September 11, 2001, he served as the creator and executive in charge of Newsnight with Aaron Brown the signature CNN news program that followed Larry King Live.
In 2000, Bohrman worked as the CEO of Pseduo, the world’s first and largest Interactive Internet Television Network. He oversaw a staff of more than 250 and produced more than 50 live hours of internet television per week.
From 1998-2000, Bohrman was Executive Vice President at CNNfn
CNNfn
CNNfn was a U.S. cable television news network operated by the CNN subsidiary of the media comglomerate Time Warner from December 29, 1995 and of AOL-Time Warner until December 15, 2004. The network was dedicated to covering financial markets and business news.It was available in a number of...
, the financial network and Executive-in-Charge for The Moneyline Newshour with Lou Dobbs. At CNNfn he oversaw the production, operations, news coverage, budgets, and graphics for the network.
Bohrman worked at NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
as Executive Producer for Special Events and Breaking News from 1993-1997. He was responsible for all NBC News live coverage of all breaking news stories and major events.
Prior to joining NBC News – Bohrman spent more than 13 years (1980–1993) at ABC News. Where he served as Executive Producer of World News Now
World News Now
World News Now is an American overnight news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company's television network. Its tone is often lighthearted, irreverent and humorous...
& ABC News InterActive TM, Senior Producer of Nightline
Nightline
Nightline, or ABC News Nightline is a late-night news program broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. It airs weeknights, usually for 31 minutes. Created by Roone Arledge, the program featured Ted Koppel as its main...
, Special Events, World News Tonight
World News Tonight
World News Tonight may refer to:* ABC World News, the daily evening program of ABC News, formally known as World News Tonight from 1978 to 2006* World News Tonight , a former Sky News program...
and an original field producer on Nightline. He was the First Executive Producer and creator of ABC News’ entry into overnight news programming, World News Now
World News Now
World News Now is an American overnight news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company's television network. Its tone is often lighthearted, irreverent and humorous...
. In 1988, he created the first new media unit at any major media company: ABC News InterActive. Interactive laserdiscs were primarily education-oriented and sold to thousands of schools nationwide. From 1983 to 1988 Bohrman served as Senior Producer of Special Events, Breaking News, and Political Broadcast Unit at ABC News.
Bohrman started in television as a producer at KNXT-TV (Now KCBS
KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
) in Los Angeles.
Awards
- 8 Emmy Awards
- 11 Emmy Nominations
- 2 Peabody AwardPeabody AwardThe George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
s - Christopher AwardChristopher AwardThe Christopher Award is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, motion pictures and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit"...
- Arthur Ashe Award
- AP Headliner Award
- DuPont Award (as Sr. Producer of Nightline)
- Polk AwardGeorge Polk AwardsThe George Polk Awards in Journalism are a series of American journalism awards presented annually by Long Island University in New York in the United States.-History:...
(as Sr. Producer of Nightline) - 2 Golden Mike Awards
- Los Angeles Press Club Award
- Valley Press Club
- Women at Work award
- 2 MacWorld “Superstacks” Awards
- MacUser “Eddy” Award
- People MagazinePeople (magazine)In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
, 1982, “Lookout” profile as the youngest network senior producer - Silicon Alley ReporterSilicon Alley ReporterSilicon Alley Reporter was an American trade publication focused on New York's Silicon Alley.Founded by Jason Calacanis in 1996, then was renamed the Venture Reporter in 2001 and was eventually sold to Dow Jones in 2003....
, named one of the “Silicon Alley 100” most influential new media executives