Psychic Friends Network
| Web address | www |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Current status | Online |
The Psychic Friends Network was a telephone psychic service operating in the United States in the 1990s. The company's infomercials were aired frequently on late night television and in 2012 launched a website.
History
The Psychic Friends Network was launched in 1991, with an infomercial, and a circuit breaker, that took the calls and forwarded them to the "psychics" who were working at home. This technology allowed the customers to build personal relationships with individual "psychics".[1] Presented in talk show-like format and hosted by singer Dionne Warwick and "psychic" Linda Georgian, each installment featured a 1-900 number for viewers to call to consult a psychic at the rate of $3.99 per minute. The program also featured reenactments of callers' stories and appearances by daytime soap opera stars.[2]
The infomercials became the most popular to date, and parodies and imitators soon followed.[3] The parent company, Inphomation, took in profits of over $100 million within the first few years of the Network's operation.[4] From 1992-1997, the Psychic Friends Network infomercials were named top infomercial of the year by the Jordan-Whitney Greensheet.[5] The company declared bankruptcy in 1998 due to poor business decisions and spiraling competition.[6] In 2001, the bankruptcy trustees for the Psychic Friends Network sued MCI WorldCom Network Services Inc for mismanagement of billing and collections and won a judgement of $4.1 million in 2004.[7]
Mark Edward gave an insider's account of the organization's business model and dealing with clients in his 2012 book, Psychic Blues, describing it as "a psychic sweatshop".[8]
Michael Lasky re-purchased the assets of the company, including the trademark. PFN later re-launched online, this time starring Vivica A. Fox as the new celebrity host, replacing Warwick.[9]
References
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