4 years on: 4 reasons why Bloomberg West is the best tech TV show

Four years ago this March, Bloomberg TV made the (then) unusual decision to create the only daily business news TV programme focusing exclusively on technology news. Called Bloomberg West, the show’s mantra — which gets repeated at the top of every broadcast — hasn’t changed a bit: “innovation, technology and the future of business” is still its driving force.

Although South African tech-news show Tech Report premiered some 6 months prior to this (and is therefore worth a mention), Bloomberg West is a whole different kettle of fish. For one it’s a daily show, which means the kind of pressure to keep viewers entertained for an entire hour five days a week is just that much bigger.

While other shows go through presenters faster than new title sequences, both Emily Chang and Cory Johnson has been with Bloomberg West since its inception, so too its steering producers Ted Fine and Richard Morris.

Over the last few years we’ve seen companies grow and go bust: from Apple to Zynga, Yahoo to Groupon. Despite the ups and downs of Silicon Valley, the opening of each episode of Bloomberg West reminds us that the Bay Bridge will always remain standing (no wonder it was the centrepiece for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes billboards).

The team behind the show also launched a successful new spinoff with a programme called Studio 1.0. Also hosted by Chang, Studio 1.0 is beautifully shot in a San Fran loft where Chang discovers stories behind some of the biggest names in technology and media. In its first season Chang interviewed among others Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel and Aaron Sorkin.

To celebrate Bloomberg West’s fourth anniversary we’ve compiled a list of some of the reasons why this is still a show worth watching (and why you should if you don’t already).

1. The Bay Bridge

As mentioned above, there’s something special about the view from Bloomberg’s Embarcadero offices overlooking the Bay Bridge in the background. San Fran’s lesser known bridge brings a certain character to the show that business TV just can’t recreate with their typical aerial shots of New York.

2. Those beautiful bumps

I’m not talking dirty. Bumps are TV jargon for bumpers, the 15 second voice over or video that plays between the actual programme and a commercial break (or vice versa). Because Bloomberg West is shot in San Francisco, special bumpers were made for the show that includes the icons the City by the Bay is known for: the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, the Coit Tower etc. Again a welcome departure from the mostly graphic-filled bumpers seen on other channel.

3. The greatest team in TV news

Image: Bloomberg

Great people make great TV: there really is no two ways about it. If there’s something that you love watching on TV, then it’s probably true that those working on that show are a great team. Morris (pictured above) is the the MacKenzie of this show, making sure every broadcast runs like a tight ship. Quite unlike the fictional Newsroom character, Morris keeps his professional and private life completely separate, which is a good thing considering how The Newsroom ends.

4. You can watch it anytime on nearly anything in most parts of the world

Most Bloomberg TV competitors have specific agreements with cable companies in the US preventing them from streaming their broadcasting for free over the internet. Because Bloomberg isn’t tied down by any such agreements, you can stream its programming around the clock online without paying a cent (outside of standard data charges of course). Recently Bloomberg TV launched a stand-alone Roku channel to add to its already existing Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. The channel is obviously also available on stand-alone apps and most satellite TV providers. But really the best programme of the entire network is Bloomberg West (sorry Stephanie).