Consumer Reports is headed to TV with NBC show

Consumer Reports will debut of its first-ever network television show on NBC next month.

The show, called “Consumer 101,” will be a weekly, half-hour program that goes behind the scenes of the nonprofit organization to give people the information they need to make everyday decisions and tips to get more out of the products and services they already own.

It will debut on Oct. 6.

Mainly shot on-site in Consume Reports’ state-of-the-art labs and 327-acre auto test-track, “Consumer 101” will be hosted by Jack Rico.

“The value Consumer Reports has had in my life has been immeasurable,” said Rico in a statement. “From the first car I purchased to the appliances I purchased for my first home, I relied on Consumer Reports’ testing and reporting. The trust I have in Consumer Reports is why I am proud to be a part of this show.”

Rico is the founder and editor in chief of ShowBizCafe.com, a nationally known entertainment website. He has also been a contributor to the “Today” show on NBC.

The show will also be available on demand.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.