Ben Wofford of The Washingtonian examines David Rubenstein’s show on Bloomberg Television.
Wofford writes, “At 68, David Rubenstein is now host of his own show on Bloomberg Television. The half-hour program — The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations — plops him beside fellow CEOs of the billionaire class, with the occasional sports star and military general thrown in: Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett, Oprah, Coach K, David Petraeus.
“The show, at first, raised eyebrows. Given his reputation — Rubenstein is known for an unprepossessing manner and an almost enforced personal awkwardness — the prospect of loosing him onscreen seemed about as plausible as asking Clarence Thomas to host Fear Factor. Indeed, Rubenstein’s not-made-for-TV persona turns up in every episode as he engages his subjects with a sorrowful deportment that appears vaguely related to sitting shiva. He scowls. He slouches. (He’s been advised, he says joshingly, to ‘sit up more straight.’) With a jaw that unlatches errantly and a gaze that wanders, he has the aspect of a man continually in deep recall for a geometry exam. But this is a setup, of sorts, for the show’s atonement: his oddball humor, which earns audience laughs during every shoot.
“One might presume that awarding a prime-time slot (Wednesdays at 9 pm) to the most famous billionaire in Washington elevates the town’s gratuitousness to new heights. This summation would be correct if not for one thing: The show is doing well. Now in its third season, it’s one of Bloomberg’s fastest-growing programs. Viewership is up by 67 percent. A new agreement grants PBS affiliates nationwide the option to syndicate, meaning Rubenstein’s face could beam into every cord-cutter’s living room soon enough.”
Read more here.
