Procter & Gamble

Type	Public
Traded as	NYSE: PG Dow Jones Industrial Average component S&P 500 component
Industry	Consumer goods Personal care
Founded	1837
Founder(s)	William Procter James Gamble
Headquarters	Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Bob McDonald (Chairman, President and CEO)
Products	See P&G brands
Revenue	US$ 082.55 billion (2011)[1]
Operating income	US$ 015.81 billion (2011)[1]
Net income	US$ 011.79 billion (2011)[1]
Total assets	US$ 138.35 billion (2011)[1]
Total equity	US$ 068.00 billion (2011)[1]
Employees	129,000 (2011)[1]
Website	www.pg.com

Procter & Gamble (P&G) is an American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods.^[2]

In 2011, P&G recorded $82.6 billion dollars in sales. Fortune magazine ranked P&G at fifth place of the "World's Most Admired Companies" list, which was up from sixth place in 2010.^[3] Procter & Gamble is the only Fortune 500 company to issue C Share common stock.

History[link]

William Procter, a candlemaker, and James Gamble, a soapmaker, emigrated from England and Ireland respectively. They settled in Cincinnati initially and met when they married sisters, Olivia and Elizabeth Norris.^[4] Alexander Norris, their father-in-law, called a meeting in which he persuaded his new sons-in-law to become business partners. On October 31, 1837, as a result of the suggestion, Procter & Gamble was born.

In 1858–1859, sales reached $1 million. By this point, approximately 80 employees worked for Procter & Gamble. During the American Civil War, the company won contracts to supply the Union Army with soap and candles. In addition to the increased profits experienced during the war, the military contracts introduced soldiers from all over the country to Procter & Gamble's products.

In the 1880s, Procter & Gamble began to market a new product, an inexpensive soap that floats in water. The company called the soap Ivory. William Arnett Procter, William Procter's grandson, began a profit-sharing program for the company's workforce in 1887. By giving the workers a stake in the company, he correctly assumed that they would be less likely to go on strike.

The company began to build factories in other locations in the United States because the demand for products had outgrown the capacity of the Cincinnati facilities. The company's leaders began to diversify its products as well and, in 1911, began producing Crisco, a shortening made of vegetable oils rather than animal fats. As radio became more popular in the 1920s and 1930s, the company sponsored a number of radio programs. As a result, these shows often became commonly known as "soap operas."

Procter & Gamble headquarters in Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio

The company moved into other countries, both in terms of manufacturing and product sales, becoming an international corporation with its 1930 acquisition of the Thomas Hedley Co., based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Procter & Gamble maintained a strong link to the North East of England after this acquisition. Numerous new products and brand names were introduced over time, and Procter & Gamble began branching out into new areas. The company introduced Tide laundry detergent in 1946 and Prell shampoo in 1947. In 1955, Procter & Gamble began selling the first toothpaste to contain fluoride, known as Crest. Branching out once again in 1957, the company purchased Charmin Paper Mills and began manufacturing toilet paper and other paper products. Once again focusing on laundry, Procter & Gamble began making Downy fabric softener in 1960 and Bounce fabric softener sheets in 1972. One of the most revolutionary products to come out on the market was the company's Pampers, first test-marketed in 1961. Prior to this point disposable diapers were not popular, although Johnson & Johnson had developed a product called Chux. Babies always wore cloth diapers, which were leaky and labor intensive to wash. Pampers provided a convenient alternative, albeit at the environmental cost of more waste requiring landfilling.

Procter & Gamble acquired a number of other companies that diversified its product line and significantly increased profits. These acquisitions included Folgers Coffee, Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals (the makers of Pepto-Bismol), Richardson-Vicks, Noxell (Noxzema), Shulton's Old Spice, Max Factor, and the Iams Company, among others. In 1994, the company made headlines for big losses resulting from leveraged positions in interest rate derivatives, and subsequently sued Bankers Trust for fraud; this placed their management in the unusual position of testifying in court that they had entered into transactions that they were not capable of understanding. In 1996, Procter & Gamble again made headlines when the Food and Drug Administration approved a new product developed by the company, Olestra. Also known by its brand name 'Olean', Olestra is a lower-calorie substitute for fat in cooking potato chips and other snacks that during its development stages is known to have caused anal leakage and gastrointestinal difficulties in humans.

Procter & Gamble has dramatically expanded throughout its history, but its headquarters still remains in Cincinnati.

In January 2005 P&G announced an acquisition of Gillette, forming the largest consumer goods company and placing Unilever into second place. This added brands such as Gillette razors, Duracell, Braun, and Oral-B to their stable. The acquisition was approved by the European Union and the Federal Trade Commission, with conditions to a spinoff of certain overlapping brands. P&G agreed to sell its SpinBrush battery-operated electric toothbrush business to Church & Dwight. It also divested Gillette's oral-care toothpaste line, Rembrandt. The deodorant brands Right Guard, Soft & Dri, and Dry Idea were sold to Dial Corporation.^[5] The companies officially merged on October 1, 2005. Liquid Paper, and Gillette's stationery division, Paper Mate were sold to Newell Rubbermaid. In 2008, P&G branched into the record business with its sponsorship of Tag Records, as an endorsement for TAG Body Spray.^[6]

P&G's dominance in many categories of consumer products makes its brand management decisions worthy of study.^[7] For example, P&G's corporate strategists must account for the likelihood of one of their products cannibalizing the sales of another.^[8]

On August 24, 2009, the Ireland-based pharmaceutical company Warner Chilcott announced they had bought P&G's prescription-drug business for $3.1 billion.^[9]

P&G exited the food business in 2012 when it sold its Pringles snack food business to Kellogg's. The company had previously sold Jif peanut butter and Folgers coffee in separate transactions to Smucker's.

Procter and Gamble is a tier one sponsor of the London's Olympic Games 2012 and sponsors 150 Athletes.

Operations[link]

As of July 1, 2011, the company structure is categorized into two "Global Business Units" with each one further divided into "Business Segments" according to the company's 2011 Annual Report. Dimitri Panayotopoulos is Vice Chairman of Global Business Units^[10]

• Beauty segment
• Grooming segment
• Health Care segment
• Snacks & Pet Care segment
• Fabric Care & Home Care segment
• Baby Care & Family Home Care segment

Management and staff[link]

The board of directors of Procter & Gamble currently has eleven members: Robert A. McDonald, Angela Braly, Meg Whitman, Johnathan A. Rodgers, Ernesto Zedillo, Scott Cook, Patricia A. Woertz, Susan D. Desmond-Hellmann, Maggie Wilderotter, W. James McNerney, Jr. and Kenneth Chenault.^[11] In March 2011 Rajat Gupta resigned from the board after an SEC accusation of Galleon Group insider trading.^[12]

In October 2008, P&G was named one of "Canada's Top 100 Employers" by Mediacorp Canada Inc., and was featured in Maclean's newsmagazine. Later that month, P&G was also named one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers, which was announced by the Toronto Star newspaper.^[13]

In May 2011 Fortune editor-at-large Patricia Sellers praised P&G's board diversity, as five of the company's eleven current directors are female and have all been on Fortune's annual Most Powerful Women list.^[14]

Procter & Gamble is a member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based coalition of over 400 major companies and NGOs that advocates for a larger International Affairs Budget, which funds American diplomatic and development efforts abroad.^[15]

On November 19, 2011, the Associated Press and USA Today reported that a company spokesman confirmed Dr. John Smale, former CEO, has died at age 84.^[16] Online memorial page for Dr. John Smale^[17]

Brands[link]

26 of P&G's brands have more than a billion dollars in net annual sales, according to the 2011 Annual Report and P&G Corporate Newsroom.

Leadership Brands

• Ace is a brand of laundry detergent/liquid available in numerous forms and scents.
• Always is a brand of feminine care products.
• Ariel is a brand of laundry detergent/liquid available in numerous forms and scents.
• Bold is a brand of laundry detergent/liquid.
• Bounce is a brand of laundry products sold in the United States and Canada.
• Bounty is a brand of paper towel sold in the United States and Canada.
• Braun is a small-appliances manufacturer specializing in electric shavers, epilators, hair care appliances and blenders.
• Cascade is a brand of dishwashing products.
• CoverGirl is a brand of women's cosmetics.
• Crest/Oral B is a brand of toothpaste and teeth-whitening products.
• Dash is a brand of laundry detergent/liquid.
• Dawn/Fairy is a brand of dishwashing detergent.^[18]
• Dolce & Gabbana is a brand of fine fragrances.
• Downy/Lenor is a brand of fabric softener.
• Duracell is a brand of batteries and flashlights.
• Eukanuba is a brand of pet food.
• Febreze/Ambi Pur is a brand of air fresheners.
• Fixodent is a brand of air denture adhesives.
• Fusion is a brand of men's wet shave razors.
• Gain is a brand of laundry detergent, fabric softeners and liquid dish soap.
• Gillette is a brand of safety razor and male grooming products.
• Head & Shoulders is a brand of anti-dandruff shampoo and conditioners.
• Herbal Essences is a brand of shampoo and conditioners.
• Hugo Boss is a brand of fine fragrances.
• Iams is a brand of pet food.
• Luvs is a brand of baby diapers.
• Mach3 is a brand of safety razor and male grooming products.
• Max Factor is a brand of women's cosmetics.
• Mister Clean is a brand of multi-purpose cleaner sold in the United States and Great Britain.
• Olay is a brand of women's skin care products.
• Old Spice is a brand of men's grooming products.
• Oral-B is a brand of toothbrush, and oral care products.
• Pampers is a brand of disposable diaper and other baby care products.
• Pantene is a brand of hair care products (conditioners/styling aids).
• Prestobarba/Blue is a brand of safety razor and male grooming products.
• Pringles is a brand of potato- and wheat-based snacks.
• Prilosec is an over-the-counter drug.
• Puffs is a brand of tissues.
• Rejoice/Pert is a brand of hair care products (conditioners/styling aids).
• Safeguard is a brand of soaps.
• Secret is a female anti-perspirant brand.
• SK-II is a brand of women's and men's skin care products.
• Swiffer is a brand of house-cleaning products.
• Tampax is a brand of feminine care products.
• Tide is a brand of laundry detergent.
• Venus is a brand female hair-removal products.
• Vicks is an over the counter medication.
• Wella is a brand name of hair care products (shampoo, conditioner, styling, hair color).

Most of these brands—including Bounty, Crest and Tide—are global products available on several continents. Procter & Gamble products are available in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Manufacturing operations are based in the following regions:

Productions[link]

Procter & Gamble produced and sponsored the first radio soap operas in the 1930s (Procter & Gamble's being known for detergents—soaps—was probably the genesis of the term "soap opera")^{[citation needed]}. When the medium switched to television in the 1950s and 1960s, most of the new serials were sponsored and produced by the company. The serial The Young and the Restless is currently broadcast on CBS and is still partially sponsored by Procter & Gamble. When As the World Turns left the air on September 17, 2010, The Young and the Restless, became the only soap left that is partially sponsored by Procter & Gamble.

These past serials were produced by Procter & Gamble:

Procter & Gamble also was the first company to produce and sponsor a prime-time show, a 1965 spinoff of the daytime soap opera As the World Turns called Our Private World. PGP also produced Shirley, a prime-time NBC series starring Shirley Jones, in 1979; it lasted thirteen episodes. They also produced TBS' first original comedy series, Down to Earth, which ran from 1984 to 1987 (110 episodes were produced). They also distributed the syndicated comedy series Throb. Procter & Gamble Productions originally co-produced Dawson's Creek with Sony Pictures Television but withdrew before the series premiere due to early press reviews. It also produced the 1991 TV movie A Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story, which was co-produced by The Landsburg Company. It also produces the People's Choice Awards.

In addition to self-produced items, Procter & Gamble also supports many Spanish-language novellas through advertising on networks such as Univision, Telemundo, Telefutura, and Azteca America. Procter & Gamble was one of the first mainstream advertisers on Spanish-language TV during the mid-1980s.^{[citation needed]}

In 2000, the company's self care BeingGirl website was launched.^[19]

In 2008, P&G expanded into music sponsorship when it joined Island Def Jam to create Tag Records, named after a body spray that P&G acquired from Gillette. In April 2010, after the cancellation of As the World Turns, PGP announced they were officially phasing out of the soap industry, and expanding into more family appropriate programming.^[20][21]

Procter & Gamble also gave a $100,000 contract to the winners of Cycle 1 through 3 of Canada's Next Top Model, making Andrea Muizelaar, Rebecca Hardy and Meaghan Waller won the prize.

Controversies[link]

Price fixing[link]

In April 2011, P&G was fined 211.2m euros by the European Commission for establishing a price-fixing cartel in Europe along with Unilever, who was fined 104m euros, and Henkel (not fined). Though the fine was set higher at first, it was discounted by 10% after P&G and Unilever admitted running the cartel. As the provider of the tip-off leading to investigations, Henkel was not fined.^[22]

Toxic shock syndrome and tampons[link]

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a disease caused by strains of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. Most people have these bacteria living in their bodies as harmless commensals in places such as the nose, skin, and vagina. The disease can strike anyone, not only women, but the disease is often associated with tampons. In 1980, 814 menstrual-related TSS cases were reported; 38 deaths resulted from the disease. The majority of women in these cases were documented as using super-absorbent synthetic tampons, particularly the Rely tampon created by Procter & Gamble.^[23] The Rely tampon was so super-absorbent that one by itself could in fact hold one woman's entire menstrual period flow. Unlike other tampons made of cotton and rayon, Rely used carboxymethylcellulose and compressed beads of polyester for absorption. The materials used in Rely were causing an increase in the thickness of fluid inside the vagina, resulting in more toxins being released.

The slogan used by Procter & Gamble for the product was "Rely. It even absorbs the worry."

In the summer of 1980 the Centers for Disease Control released a report explaining how these bacterial mechanisms were leading to TSS. They also stated that the Rely tampon was associated with TSS more than any other brand of tampon. In September 1980, Procter & Gamble voluntarily recalled its Rely brand of tampons from the market and agreed to provide for a program to notify consumers. Since the 1980s, reported cases of TSS have dramatically decreased.^[24]

Animal testing[link]

On June 30, 1999, Procter & Gamble announced that it would limit its animal testing practices to its food and drug products which represents roughly 80% of its product portfolio.^[25] The company invested more than $275 million in the development of alternative testing methods.^[26]

Procter & Gamble has received criticism from animal advocacy group PETA for the practice of testing on animals.^[27]

Other products[link]

In December 2005 the Pharmaceutical division of P&G was involved in a dispute over research involving its osteoporosis drug Actonel. The case was discussed in the media.^[28]

In October 2007, a class action lawsuit was filed in the State of Georgia alleging that many users of Crest Pro-Health mouthwash, with the active ingredient Cetylpyridinium chloride, suffered stained teeth and loss of their sense of taste as a result.^[29] Procter & Gamble contends that these side effects occur in only three percent of users.^[29] The suit seeks to include disclosure warning users of these side effects on product packaging.

Logo controversy[link]

P&G's former logo originated in 1851 as a crude cross that barge workers on the Ohio River painted on cases of P&G star candles to identify them. P&G later changed this symbol into a trademark that showed a man in the moon overlooking 13 stars, said to commemorate the original 13 colonies.^[30]

The company received unwanted media publicity in the 1980s when rumors spread that the moon-and-stars logo was a satanic symbol. The accusation was based on a particular passage in the Bible, specifically Revelation 12:1, which states: "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of 12 stars." P&G's logo consisted of a man's face on the moon surrounded by 13 stars, and some claimed that the logo was a mockery of the heavenly symbol alluded to in the aforementioned verse, thus construing the logo to be satanic. Where the flowing beard meets the surrounding circle, three curls were said to be a mirror image of the number 666, or the reflected number of the beast. At the top and bottom, the hair curls in on itself, and was said to be the two horns like those of a ram that represented the false prophet.

These interpretations have been denied by company officials, and no evidence linking the company to the Church of Satan or any other occult organization has ever been presented. The company unsuccessfully sued Amway from 1995 to 2003 over rumors forwarded through a company voicemail system in 1995. In 2011 the company successfully sued individual Amway distributors for reviving and propagating the false rumors.^[31]

The moon-and-stars logo was discontinued in 1985 as a result of the controversy.^[32]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

	Ohio portal
	Companies portal

Media related to Procter & Gamble at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website

v t e Procter & Gamble Co. Corporate directors Norman Augustine · A. G. Lafley · Lynn M. Martin · W. James McNerney, Jr. · John F. Smith, Jr. · Ralph Snyderman · Margaret Whitman · Ernesto Zedillo Brands Always · Ambi Pur · Ariel · Aussie · Bold · Bounty · Braun · Camay · Charmin · Cheer · Clairol · CoverGirl · Crest · Dawn · DayQuil · Daz  · Downy · Dreft · Duracell · Eukanuba · Fairy · Febreze · Gain · Gillette · Head & Shoulders · Herbal Essences · Iams · Ivory · Joy · Luvs · Max Factor · Metamucil · Mr. Clean · Nice 'n Easy · NyQuil · Olay · Old Spice · Oral-B · Pampers · Pantene · Pepto-Bismol · Puffs · Pur · Safeguard · Secret  · SK-II · Scope · Swiffer · Tampax · Tide · Vicks · Wella Annual revenue: US$79.03 billion (10% FY 2009) · Employees: 127,000 · Stock symbol: NYSE: PG · Website: pg.com

v t e Selected Royal Warrant holders of the British Royal Family By Appointment to HM The Queen Abels Moving Services Angostura Limited AkzoNobel Autoglym Bendicks Bentley Motors Bollinger Britvic BT Burberry Cadbury Carphone Warehouse Carr's Castrol Charbonnel et Walker DHL Express Dollond & Aitchison Dorma Ede & Ravenscroft Frank Smythson Gieves & Hawkes H. P. Bulmer Henry Poole & Co J. Barbour and Sons James Purdey and Sons Jaguar Cars John Lewis John Lobb Land Rover Louis Roederer Mappin & Webb Martini & Rossi Moët & Chandon Nestlé Procter & Gamble UK Roberts Radio Ryvita Schweppes Spode Steinway & Sons Tanqueray Twinings Unilever UK Vauxhall Motors Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Waitrose Weetabix Wilkin & Sons William Drake Wolsey Worcestershire Medal Service By Appointment to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh Dollond & Aitchison Ede & Ravenscroft Frank Smythson Gieves & Hawkes Hatchards Holland & Holland James Purdey and Sons John Lobb Land Rover Lyle & Scott Penhaligon's Truefitt & Hill By Appointment to HRH The Prince of Wales Aston Martin Autoglym Bentley Motors Burberry Crabtree & Evelyn Ede & Ravenscroft Frank Smythson Gieves & Hawkes Holland & Holland Jaguar Cars James Purdey and Sons John Lobb Land Rover Laphroaig Linn Products Norfolk Lavender Penhaligon's Peter Jones Ritz Hotel Roberts Radio Shepherd Neame Taylors of Harrogate Turnbull & Asser Vauxhall Motors Waitrose Weetabix Winsor & Newton Category  Commons

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Harald Schmidt
Harald Schmidt
Born	(1957-08-18) August 18, 1957 (age 54) Neu-Ulm, West Germany
Occupation	talk show host, comedian and television producer
Website
Sat.1 Official Site

Harald Franz Schmidt (born August 18, 1957 in Neu-Ulm, Bavaria) is a German actor, writer, comedian and television entertainer best known as host of two popular German late-night shows.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

As son of refugees who fled from South Moravia (now Czech Republic) in 1945, Schmidt spent his youth in Swabian Nürtingen, where he went to grammar school. Due to his strict Catholic upbringing he devoted time to the Roman Catholic church, serving as choirmaster and playing the organ.

At the age of 21, Schmidt went to Stuttgart to attend drama school for three years. After that, he gained on-stage experience at Städtische Bühne (Municipal Stage) in Augsburg. His first role was that of the 2nd Mamaluke in Lessing's Nathan the Wise. In 1984, Harald Schmidt became a text writer for the cabaret Kom(m)ödchen in Düsseldorf and in 1986, was honoured as "Best Newcomer cabaret artist" and toured through Germany with his own show.

Television[link]

Before long, TV noticed the talented young comedian and in 1988 Schmidt began to host his first TV show, MAZ ab. This was followed by shows like Psst! and Schmidteinander, but the biggest boost to his career occurred in 1992, when he started hosting the popular Saturday night show, Verstehen Sie Spaß? (a variation of Candid Camera). Schmidt was awarded Germany's most important TV award, "Adolf-Grimme-Preis", which would be followed by many others. Just one year later, he was honoured as the "Entertainer of the year" and awarded the famous Bambi award and the Golden Camera.

In 1995, Schmidt changed from the publicly funded TV station ARD to the privately owned channel Sat.1 and started the late night talk and variety show, Die Harald Schmidt Show. From 30 June 2003 the show was broadcast five days a week, including Monday evening. On the 8th December 2003, Schmidt suddenly announced the end of the show, following a change of management of Sat.1. The last show was aired on the 23rd December 2003.

Harald Schmidt and Manuel Andrack live in Karlsruhe

"Creative break" and show relaunch[link]

In 2004, Schmidt toured through Germany with a live comedy show, featuring his former late night show sidekick Manuel Andrack. On December 23 of the same year, the new show Harald Schmidt began featuring Andrack, back on ARD, where Schmidt had begun his television career 16 years earlier.

In October 2005, his daughter Amelie was born.

Harald Schmidt resides in Cologne with his partner Ellen Hantsch, a school teacher, and five children, the eldest being from a former relationship. Little is known about the children and their two mothers as Schmidt shields them from the public. In interviews he hardly talks about them.

Shows[link]

[edit] Harald Schmidt Show (Sat.1)

Schmidt is host of the German late night show comparable to Late Night with Conan O'Brien or Late Night with David Letterman, which has now begun a second run after a year-long "creative break". The original show, named Die Harald Schmidt Show and shown on German television network Sat.1, featured stand-up comedy as well as famous national and international guests.

In its later years, the show became a critics' favourite due to Schmidt's "intellectual" sense of humour. For example, he hosted one show completely in French. On another occasion, the screen was blacked for half of the show making it into a "radio broadcast". Another time, he disproved a critic who had written that it is impossible to spend several minutes on TV just cracking nuts.

[edit] Harald Schmidt (ARD)

Schmidt began a second run with a new show on publicly funded ARD, this time without "celebrity" interviews and with even more discussion of current events in a rather freely associative manner. As the German entertainer Thomas Gottschalk recently quipped, Schmidt will always attract the student and intellectual crowd, Gottschalk himself will take care of the rest.

On his first show after the break Schmidt appeared with long hair and a fluffy full beard (which looked kind of grey-white-blond-yellowish and reminiscent of Ernest Hemingway and made it to the newspaper headlines the next morning) making fun of his long absence from the public. Although he claimed right on: "I swear, I shaved this morning!". After summer break in 2005 the "celebrity guest" segment was reintroduced.

[edit] Schmidt & Pocher (ARD)

Late in 2007, Manuel Andrack was replaced by Comedian Oliver Pocher, who had a more active part than his predecessor, and some other elements changed as well. The broadcast's title was changed to "Schmidt & Pocher", trying to attract a younger audience. Oliver Pocher was less educated and "less intellectual", a fact that caused some criticism among Harald Schmidt's core audience and broadsheet newspaper comments in Germany.

[edit] Harald Schmidt (Das Erste)

As of 2011, Schmidt hosts a live show for Das Erste each week.

[edit] Return to Sat. 1 as Harald Schmidt Show again

On September 15, 2011 Schmidt returned to his former network Sat.1 picking up is former show name of Die Harald Schmidt Show again. Sat.1 cancelled the show after one season due to low viewer levels.^[1]

[edit] Harald Schmidt Show (Sky Deutschland)

Starting September 11, 2012 new episodes will be shown on Sky Hits HD and Sky Atlantic HD, two channels of the German Pay-TV network Sky Deutschland.^[2]

Concept/crew[link]

The self-proclaimed hypochondriac became popular for his cynical jokes, cruel remarks and wry intellectual wit. (Even though he is obsessed with health he was able to lampoon this weak spot in a self ironic TV commercial for a medicine curing colds.) Schmidt models himself after people like Johnny Carson and Conan O'Brien, but adds few factors and qualities to his show himself.

He engaged in long, seemingly boring conversations with his "supervising producer" Manuel Andrack (known as "chief dramatic adviser"), who sat at a desk next to Schmidt's, and, like Letterman, also included his staff in the show, for instance, his band leader Helmut Zerlett and his cue card girl Suzana Novinscak (both omitted in the new show). After a few new shows, Schmidt celebrated the return of French woman Nathalie Licard. Previously Schmidt's reporter in the old show, she sat on a stool, opposite Manuel Andrack, in front of the band. On occasion, she was involved in the goings-on (like dressing up as Eliza Doolittle in front of the audience, helping Schmidt to bring people from the audience who were chosen to form an impromptu choir etc.). It has been announced on the 28th of March 2012 that the "Harald Schmidt Show" will end on the 3rd of May 2012 on SAT1.

Criticism[link]

Especially during the first years of Die Harald Schmidt Show, Schmidt was sometimes criticised for making fun of minorities like foreigners or gays. He also did some Adolf Hitler imitations in his show (in one of these he as Hitler warned young people not to vote for racist and nationalistic parties). However, especially Schmidts more unorthodox and politically incorrect jokes have garnered the show a reputation as cult television and his supporters accused critics of being incapable of understanding satire.

Awards[link]

Awards include three German Television Awards, the viewers choice award Bambi, the Grimme Award, the Golden Camera and the Golden Lion as best showmaster.

Related meme[link]

A picture of Schmidt, with a beard and long hair, holding up his index finger, is the basis of an Internet meme known as "fgsfds."

References[link]

External links[link]

• Die Harald Schmidt Show (old site)
• Harald Schmidt at the Internet Movie Database
• Schmidt's new Show (SAT.1)