Psychic Friends Network

Psychic Friends Network
Available in English
Website www.psychicfriendsnetwork.com
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

  1. ↑ Surowiecki, James. "What Psychic Friends Failed to Foresee". Slate. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  2. ↑ Braxton, Greg (2004-09-27). "But there's more!". The L.A. Times. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
  3. ↑ "Infomercial history highlights". usatoday.com. 2004-10-24. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
  4. ↑ Harrison, David; De Marco, Donna (1998-02-13). "Lawsuits forecast Lasky's troubles". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
  5. ↑ Dean, Mensah (1996-06-10). "Psychic pals predict wealth and prosperity". Insight on the News. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
  6. ↑ Patalon, William. "Psychic Friends firm goes bankrupt Lasky's Inphomation Communication files for Chapter 11". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  7. ↑ Atkinson, Bill. "MCI settles claim of psychic network". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  8. ↑ Edward, Mark (2012). Psychic blues : confessions of a conflicted medium. Port Townsend, WA: Feral House. ISBN 978-1-936239-27-6.
  9. ↑ "Vivica A Fox Is Not A Psychic Friend". PerezHilton.com. 2009-02-03. Retrieved 2013-11-22.


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