TV Nation - Season 1

First aired: 7/19/1994 9 episodes

Episodes

1. NBC Show 1(Pilot)

Aired: 7/19/1994

NAFTA TV Nation travels to Mexico to take advantage of the North American Free Trade Agreement and make the show with cheaper labor and maximize profits, just like GM and Converse. Taxi New Yorkers know cabs may be difficult to get at rush hour or during a rainstorm. Black New Yorkers know another reason a cab may be hard to get drivers refuse to stop for them. TV Nation goes to the streets to find out who is more likely to get a cab in New York City, Yaphet Kotto, a distinguished black actor, or Louis Bruno, a convicted white felon. Appleton Appleton, Minnesota has hit hard times lately. So what did they do to improve the economy? They built a prison, of course, using private and public funds. TV Nation goes to Appleton to discuss with the community the only thing missing to make their dreams come true inmates. Love Canal Remember Love Canal, the small town near Niagara Falls? You may only remember the evacuation that occurred there due to the leakage of toxic waste into homes.

2. NBC Show 2

Aired: 7/26/1994

CEO Challenge TV Nation challenges the CEO's of major corporations to perform some simple tasks using their company's products in order to justify their huge salaries. We ask the chairman of IBM to format a disk, the chairman of Palmolive to wash dishes, and the CEO of Phillip Morris to roll a cigarette. AIDS Insurance Brokers If you could make a lot of money through the death of another individual, would you do it? TV Nation visits some people who wouldâ€”brokers who make available to investors the life insurance policies of AIDS patients at discount prices. When the patient dies, investors can claim the entire value of the policy, and make a huge profit. Klan PR Makeover Most people realize that politicians uses media experts to coach them on how to use the media to their advantage. Few people realize that hate groups do the same. TV Nation meets the ""National Director"" of the new, media-savvy Ku Klux Klan to see how the Klan's rhetoric has changed. Kuwait Remember the Gulf War

3. NBC Show 3

Aired: 8/2/1994

Dr. Death We all know what Dr. Jack Kervorkian does for a living, but did you ever wonder what he does in his spare time? TV Nation finds out by visiting him at his home in Michigan. Lobbyist Many people feel that lobbyists are running our government and those with enough money can buy the government. TV Nation tests this theory and hires a lobbyist to see exactly how much democracy can be bought for $5,000. Amazon Avon TV Nation travels to the Amazon to visit Avon representatives who sell cosmetics to women by promising lighter skin, even greater height, when they buy Avon products that cost up to 13 times their daily wage. North Dakota North Dakota is the least visited state in the United States. Attractions such as the Lawrence Welk Museum and the geographical center of North America along with the subzero temperatures would suggest a booming tourist industry. TV Nation investigates. Sludge What happens after New Yorkers flush the toilet? TV Nation follows the sludge train

4. Product Placement Night

Aired: 8/9/1994

O.J./Product Placement Night Have you noticed all of the free advertising companies have been getting from the extensive coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial? McDonald's. The Mezzaluna. White Ford Broncos. TV Nation jumps on the bandwagon and visits O.J.'s Bronco dealer to learn about the ""O.J. Special."" We also offer free advertising by strategically placing various products throughout the show. 1-800-TOURISM Would you take vacation advice from a convicted felon? Prison labor is increasingly being used by corporations and even by state tourist departments as a source of cheap labor. TV Nation spends some time with inmates that book vacations but can never leave prison walls. Hot Springs We all know President Bill Clinton as the man ""from a little town called Hope."" Not many people know he grew up somewhere else. TV Nation travels to the town where Clinton grew up, a resort town in Arkansas called Hot Springs. Lord Mike What does it take to become royalty? Family connections? TV

5. TV Nation Day

Aired: 8/16/1994

TV Nation Day TV Nation and the citizens of Fishkill, NY celebrate and wait for August 16, 1994 to be declared officially by Congress as ""TV Nation Day."" Millennium There are over 2,500 groups in the United States who feel the end of the world as we know it will come with the new millennium. TV Nation visits four of these groups to find out if we will survive the year 2000. Get Ready for Prison Test It seems that lately more and more white collar criminals are going to prison. But will they be prepared for their new environment? TV Nation hires an advisor to prepare our viewers who may very well be entering prison in the near future. Haulin Just like The Who, Communism has come and gone. The only difference is, Communism never had a last tour across America. TV Nation gives it that last tour by packing an 18-wheeler with Communist merchandise and driving it through the South. Bosnia Not many of us understand what is going on in Bosnia. All we seem to know is that a lot of peo

6. Fifth Week Anniversary Special

Aired: 8/21/1994

Compilation broadcast of first five shows

7. Gun Night

Aired: 8/23/1994

Gun Night: TV Nation correspondents join the ranks of Bill Cosby, Donald Trump, Howard Stern and Congressmen's wives -- and pack heat! We exercise our right to not only bear arms, but to shoot them too! Neighbors: Do you know your neighbors' names? Do you know what they do for a living? Do you know if they are serial killers? TV Nation sends a serial killer to a typical suburban neighborhood to see what the neighborhood knows. NY/NJ Grease: TV Nation uses its leverage to get tax breaks for running its operation in New York City by threatening to move to New Jersey. We go right to the top - New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani - to see what we can get. Talk Show: TV Nation attempts to answer the commonly asked question: Where exactly do those people on daytime talk shows come from?

8. Golf Night

Aired: 8/30/1994

Golf Night TV Nation elicits the help of golf pro Rodger Jabara for hints on how to improve the showâ€” and that terrible slice. Caning What was the British Empire built on? According to some British peopleâ€”caning. After an American teenager was caned in Singapore was caned for scrawling graffiti on a car, many Americans began to advocate adopting the practice here as a means of discipline. TV Nation risks its butt and visits Great Britain to get the story on caning. Sabotage Have you ever tried to get revenge on your boss by committing acts of disobedience or sabotage? Stealing office supplies or perhaps crashing your bosses car? TV Nation finds out that many workers have. We learn that tactics used by workers to get payback on bosses that do not respect them. Direct Mail Who actually responds to direct mail mailings? TV Nation performs an experiment to see who would receive more responses -- a young couple in need or Jeffrey Dahmer. Corporate Consultants We have heard a lot late

9. 1994 Year End Special

Aired: 12/28/1994

Jacuzzi: Throughout the show TV Nation gives jacuzzi limousine rides to members of the most hated groups in America including landlords, telemarketers, and satanists. Corp Aid: We have all heard of Live Aid and Farm Aid, concerts that raise money for the needy. But this year was a rough year for some needy corporations that were slapped with record judgments against them for various corporate crimes. TV Nation holds a concert benefit featuring the Meat Puppets on Wall Street in New York City to raise money for the neediest corporation of them all: Exxon. White House Security Guard: The White House seems to have been under assault lately: a man flies his plane into it, a man shoots at it. The President may be in danger. TV Nation hires private security guard for the most important address in the free world. Didn't Die in '94: End-of-the-year specials always talk about the people that died in the previous year. We at TV Nation think that is depressing so throughout the night we highlig