John Barbour

In the world of television, cinema, investigative reporting, storytelling, and comedy there is no greater a polymath than the multiple Emmy Award-winning John Barbour. Spanning some 75 years, Barbour’s career includes having hosted what many consider was television’s first reality show, Real People, which aired on NBC from 1979 to 1984. Instead of celebrities, the program featured regular folks having unusual jobs, talents, or hobbies. More generally regarding John Barbour's impressive career, there are very few other figures from the golden age of television and cinema who are able to bear witness to the transition of the media from its apex to the situation in which it finds itself today. Barbour was the nation’s first TV news film critic as KNBC’s Critic-at-Large. Also, he spent ten years as the film critic for Los Angeles Magazine. As the host of KNXT’s (later KCBS) morning show AM Los Angeles, which was followed by a stint as co-host of AM Chicago on the Windy City’s flagship station, WLS.