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One of the more high profile projects for DHTV Productions, a weekly business program called KC-B2B which aired on KCTV5 in Kansas City. Former KCTV news anchor Wendall Anschutz hosted the program.
The program had a dual purpose. First, KC-B2B provided a peek inside the business community. We introduced viewers to some of Kansas City's business success stories and explained how they made it. Second, the program provided marketing and promotional materials for the businesses and non profit agencies that were featured.
Here's a newspaper article that ran in the Kansas City Star which explains the program:
KC-B2B PREMIERES SATURDAY AT 5 P.M. ON
KCTV5
 Kansas
City Star
May 19, 2002
It's a familiar scene inside a Kansas City television studio
as Wendall Anschutz slides back comfortably into his chair,
adjusts his microphone and straightens his tie. The camera
and bright lights are like old friends greeting him in a new
challenge that flows naturally from an esteemed broadcast
news career. Anschutz squints, smiles and assumes his usual
command role.
But this time things are different. This time he is hosting
the innovative television show KC-B2B. The special
30 minute broadcast airs Saturdays at 5:00 pm on KCTV channel
5, the CBS affiliate he guided to dominance. KC-B2B's
second season promises to be broader and deeper, giving viewers
an inside look at local companies that define business in
Kansas City. It's just the kind of endeavor that would draw
Wendall Anschutz back to the medium he knows and loves.
"Kansas Citians have demonstrated a big appetite for
business news. Newspapers have responded by publishing special
sections. It's time local TV responded too, and I'm happy
to be a part of that."
It's no surprise that Anschutz is embracing this particular
opportunity. Hosting KC-B2B falls in line with his
long-standing support of the local entrepreneurial spirit
and his personal interest in innovative, economic thinking.
They are themes highlighted by his reporting, and over two
decades as KCTV channel 5's main anchor prior to his retirement
last June.
Overland Park based DHTV Productions is teaming up with KCTV
to produce the KC-B2B broadcast. The show premieres
Saturday, May 25th. "We're excited about the upcoming
partnership with DHTV Productions", said KCTV Vice President
and General Manager Kirk Black. "The entire DHTV Productions
team does a great job showcasing Kansas City businesses in
KC-B2B, and we feel the show will also provide relevant
information for our viewers."
KC-B2B, will feature in-depth profiles of local businesses
along with topical business headlines and an interview segment
with local leaders in the business community.
"It's a classic win-win for the viewer and local businesses"
says DHTV founder and Executive Producer Mark Honer. He bills
KC-B2B as the only show of its kind in Kansas City-and
perhaps the country. "This is not the typical business
show featuring the usual stock prices, profit margins and
sales figures. It's about stories. That's what sets it apart
and makes it interesting to anyone who watches. We're all
about telling stories. And what better way for those businesses
to introduce themselves to customers?"
KC-B2B aired on KCTV last summer for a successful
six week run. Its creators realized they were really onto
something as soon as the show debuted. It drew surprisingly
strong viewer ratings and even stronger reaction from companies
interested in getting their name out to a wider audience.
This year, companies to be featured range from Insurance heavyweight
Lockton Companies Inc to Kansas City construction giant Walton
Construction to Carondelet Health's Heart Institute at St.
J"We're excited about being featured on KC-B2B's
premiere show this season," says L. Blaine McLellan,
President of The Expert Companies. "We feel like we're
building something special and we're pleased about the opportunity
to communicate that." And McLellan isn't the only successful
entrepreneur who's seized the KC-B2B opportunity.
Jeff Hardeman's Event Management International was featured
in last year's pilot episode. The President of this flourishing
event management company says the feature was so successful,
he's signed up for another segment this year. "EMI is
growing and changing very rapidly. Our story isn't stagnant,
so we don't want to let our marketing materials get stagnant.
Much of our success is based on our ability to bring fresh
ideas to our clients. We want to be aggressive about keeping
our own story fresh as well."
Indeed, bringing a fresh approach to storytelling is not
just the goal of KC-B2B, it's a way of life at DHTV.
Honer is a Kansas native who walked away from a producing
career with CBS News to chase his dreams. Those dreams attracted
the ambition of Emmy-nominated producer Laura McCabe, formerly
of KMBC-TV News. Senior photographer Paul Benlon left the
award-winning Call For Action investigative unit at KCTV5
to also become a part of the KC-B2B experience. And
this year, Emmy award winning programming and promotions executive
Peter Barrett joined the DHTV team.
DHTV Productions began after Honer created a 30-minute syndicated
show called destination: hope that aired in 22 markets around
the country, including Kansas City. Hallmark Cards served
as a major sponsor for the program that featured inspiring,
"good news" stories and generated a substantial
cult following. Honer says that "good news" approach
offered a similar foundation for KC-B2B. "We grant
celebrity status to our movie stars, our athletes, our musicians,
even our politicians. KC-B2B was born of a simple question:
Why not turn the spotlight on the unsung heroes who pioneer
solutions, create jobs and keep the local economy going?"
DHTV draws on rich storytelling experience to give KC-B2B
added momentum. The company also produces creative video news
releases (VNR's) and corporate videos for local companies.
In addition, DHTV serves national broadcast clients like 60
Minutes II, E! Entertainment and CBS Sunday Morning. The DHTV
team has worked with such major personalities as James Earl
Jones and Charles Kuralt and businesses including Sprint,
Health Midwest and Russell Stover.
Along with the business news, the new KC-B2B features
successful businesses in Kansas City as part of a multi-media
marketing package. The package includes the television feature,
Internet exposure on KCTV channel 5's high-traffic web site
(which averages more than a million page visits per month),
an email newsletter targeting business leaders, and a video
/ CD-ROM for use in sales and marketing efforts.
"You hear a lot today about companies delivering 'value-added'
products," says Honer. "The KC-B2B project
strikes at the heart of that concept. Our team is really eager
to take our effort to new levels because we have proven this
is a home run for the companies we feature and for the Kansas
City television audience. It's more than a television show,
it's a new way of understanding the story of success."
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