Maury Povich

Not long after graduation, Povich got his first job on Washington radio station WWDC, where he did publicity and worked as a reporter. By 1966 he was a news reporter and sportscaster for WTTG, the independent station owned by Metromedia. In 1967, he became the original co-host of the station's popular midday talk show, Panorama,[6] which brought the rising star widespread acclaim and national recognition.[7]

Seeking to further his career, Povich left Washington in late 1976 for what would become a series of high-profile, short-lived television jobs, beginning with WMAQ-TV in Chicago in January 1977.[8] Hired to co-anchor evening newscasts, he joined the NBC-owned station to much fanfare—ahead of his arrival, WMAQ-TV produced promotions featuring testimonials from U.S. senator Hubert Humphrey and actress Carol Channing, among others, touting Povich's credentials.[9][10] But Povich left after only eight months when, after being promised a long-term contract, the station's management failed to present him one.[11][12]

Povich then headed to CBS-owned KNXT in Los Angeles[13]–where he co-anchored alongside Connie Chung–but was ousted after a six-month stint following a change in the station's news management.[14] Povich moved next to San Francisco, where he co-hosted AM San Francisco and co-anchored news for ABC-owned KGO-TV.[15][16]

Povich returned to the East Coast in April 1980, when Group W-owned KYW-TV in Philadelphia hired him to anchor newscasts and host AM/PM,[17] a midday audience-participation talk show which, in February 1981 would be retitled People Are Talking.[18] He departed KYW-TV after three years[19] and brought his career full-circle with a return home to Washington in June 1983, resuming as host of Panorama and anchoring The 10 O'Clock News for WTTG.

When Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch and 20th Century Fox acquired WTTG and the rest of Metromedia's television station group in 1986, one of the first moves made by the newly-christened Fox Television Stations was to bring Povich to New York to host A Current Affair. Initially launching on WNYW in July 1986 before landing on the other Fox-owned stations, and into national syndication in 1988, A Current Affair was considered a tabloid infotainment show that often focused on celebrity gossip, it also made time for compelling human-interest stories. Critics praised the show for trying to be both informative and entertaining, much like "a good afternoon newspaper."[20] Povich hosted Affair until 1990.[6] While at WNYW, Povich also anchored the station's 7:00 pm newscasts. He also served two consecutive terms as president of the New York chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.[21]

In September 1991 he left A Current Affair to host The Maury Povich Show, which was nationally syndicated and distributed by Paramount Domestic Television in partnership with his own production company, MoPo Productions, from 1991 to 1998.[6] For raising awareness of National Adoption Month, Povich was honored by New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani in 1995.

In 1998 the show was taken over by Studios USA (then a division of USA Networks, later renamed Universal Television after being sold to Vivendi Universal; and NBCUniversal Television Distribution after VU Entertainment was sold to NBC owner General Electric). When Studios USA took over production of the show, it was renamed simply Maury. The show often veered into what critics called trash TV, and in 1998 it became known for a segment called "Who's the Daddy?" during which men who were denying or trying to establish paternity were given DNA tests and the results were revealed on the air.[6]

On January 9, 2000, Povich hosted the short-lived primetime revival of the classic game show Twenty One on NBC. Reruns of the show have been aired on GSN.

In November 2005 MSNBC announced Povich would co-host a weekend news program with his wife, Connie Chung. The program—titled Weekends with Maury and Connie—debuted on January 7, 2006, but was canceled due to low ratings. The final episode aired on June 17, 2006.[22]

He appeared as himself in the fourth episode of the sixth season of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother. He is portrayed as a New Yorker who is apparently seen everywhere in the city—often in several places at once. He also appeared as himself in the film Madea's Big Happy Family.

In May 2007, he launched the Flathead Beacon, a weekly print newspaper and online news source in Montana's Flathead County, where he has a home and is a member at the Eagle Bend Golf Club.

In 2015, Povich made a guest appearance on the Adult Swim show The Jack and Triumph Show.

On April 24, 2006, former Maury producer Bianca Nardi filed a lawsuit against Povich for sexual harassment, alleging that she was "forced to expose her breasts for photographs for the show and ordered to watch pornography in a private room with an executive producer." According to a spokesperson for the show, Nardi's allegations were dismissed after an internal investigation.[26] In August 2006, a Manhattan judge ruled that the case be taken to closed-door arbitration.[27] In November 2006, a gag order was requested by Povich's lawyer.[28]