THE FDH LOUNGE 100th Episode press release

On April 28, 2010, the world’s most unique program celebrates its 100th episode.

THE FDH LOUNGE launched on January 14, 2007 as a spinoff of the fantasy sports entity FantasyDrafthelp.com. The firm’s principals, already involved with producing Internet television programming for SportsTalkNetwork.com, decided to apply their form of analysis and entertainment to the wider world – sports and non-sports. They embraced the slogan “Nothing is off-topic” and formed an ensemble of “Dignitaries” capable of speaking knowledgeably and entertainingly on the widest range of topics anywhere.

Originally airing every other Sunday night on The Sports Talk Network, THE FDH LOUNGE moved to its present timeslot of every Wednesday night from 7-10 PM EDT in December 2008 and now “The Great American Radio Show on Internet TV” celebrates its 100th episode. FDH Enterprises Managing Partner Rick Morris and FDH Senior Editor Jason Jones are the co-creators and executive producers of the project and they still remember with fondness the vaunted “Red Robin lunch meeting” that set the tone with the original crew.

“Our cast of Dignitaries has expanded over time, but originally, we had a few months to start to build a smart and entertaining cast capable of fitting into the design. Some of these contributors knew each other already, some did not,” recalled Morris. “I started by speaking on a general level about what we were trying to accomplish and then Jason whipped out a detailed schematic about what a sample show might resemble with all of the different possibilities tied together in a way that actually made sense. Everyone’s jaws were on the floor and it became clear immediately that we had something special.”

Every episode features a blend of interviews and Dignitary roundtables. Over time, the show has evolved and has reached a new level of creativity and ambition with the addition of Senior Producer “The New York Bureau” Steve Cirvello.

“In our first year, we came to the attention of Steve, who is a versatile media professional and somebody who I like to call a “black belt networker,’” explained Morris. “With him on board, the guest booking reached a high level sooner than we ever could have imagined. We certainly weren’t getting the likes of Bob Barker, Liz Claman, Tommy Lasorda or The San Diego Chicken without him and all of the people that he has brought to us – whatever their level of fame – have all fed into the tapestry of this unique venture.”

The program has since added several online companions, including The FDH Lounge Multimedia Magazine, an eBook looking back at the last decade and ahead to the next one, The FDH Lounge Ultimate Links Page, MySpace, Facebook and Twitter pages and The FDH Lounge home page. With a range that encompasses sports, politics, television, music, movies, geopolitics and pop culture, the show’s ambition is quite bold and it has spawned creations such as The FDH Lounge Pantheon and the Rock Band Fantasy Draft. But Morris is fully aware that it is the cast of characters involved that sets the program apart from anything else in broadcasting.

“On one level, it is incredibly daunting to embrace the challenge that we can tackle any subject that is topical, relevant or even remotely interesting to people. When you invite people to hold you to that standard, your credibility is constantly on the line in terms of being able to deliver on what you promised,” said Morris. “But the unwavering confidence I had from Day One, which stemmed from enthusiasm about the group we had assembled, has been justified. There is nothing in the world like the feeling of satisfaction that comes from melding the collective skill sets and interests of our FDH Lounge Dignitaries and producing a unique, compelling product on a regular basis.

“And it’s even better to know -- given our track record and growth curve -- that our greatest impact is still on the horizon.”

Full information about The FDH Lounge is available at the show’s home page at http://www.fantasydrafthelp.com/FDHLounge.html .