90 Days

Infobox television
show_name = 90 Days


genre = Business
format = news magazine
runtime = 30 minutes (appx.)
picture_format = 480i (SDTV)
audio_format = Stereo sound
theme_music_composer = unknown
country = United States
language = English
num_episodes = 26
first_aired = September 1989
last_aired = February 1996
followed_by = Flight Times TV

"90 Days" was "a video report about issues, events and people important to you and McDonnell Douglas. ["Number 1." 90 Days. By McDonnell Douglas. St. Louis, MO. Sept. 1989. Videocassette.] " The video magazine was produced in St. Louis, MO and distributed at the end of every business quarter (hence the show's title) through the mail to employees and shareholders of the company in VHS format. From its inception in September 1989 until the final episode in 1996 under the "90 Days" title, the program routinely featured segments about employees and company programs or products, all while incorporating a review of financial results from the previous quarter.

Overview

As Mr. McDonnell explains in "Number 1," the purpose behind going to the expense of producing and distributing "90 Days" was to facilitate better communication between the company and its employees and shareholders. In fact, the first episode came with a postcard so viewers could share their comments on the show, and a special mailing address was established for comments throughout the life of the program. When "Number 1" debuted, the company was in the midst of a major transition, and at the time this was an innovative form of communication that served as an insight into the company's direction.

Hosts

Over the course of the program's production, "90 Days" had three hosts:
*John McDonnell (episodes 1-17)
*Harry Stonecipher (episodes 18-25)
*Guest host (episode 26)

Episode Summaries

Each episode of "90 Days" was named according to its numerical order in the series, and featured a summary of that episode either on the reverse of the VHS video cover (early episodes) or printed on a label on the video itself (episodes after "Number 17").

Credits (or lack thereof)

As you'll notice in the infobox, there is little information regarding the production staff that was behind the creation of each episode of "90 Days". This is because there are no formal credit titles either before or after episodes. So for now, everyone from the theme music composer to the graphics designers live on in anonymity.

Legacy of "90 Days"

Boeing (which now holds the copyright to McDonnell Douglas intellectual property) is not known to have any plans to resurrect either 90 Days or its successor, Flight Times TV. [cite web |url=http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/1997/news.release.970801.html |title=Boeing Unveils New Corporate Identity|accessdate=2008-01-14 |author= |date=1997-08-01 |publisher=Boeing Press Release] As such (and considering Mr. McDonnell suggested during the first episode viewers could tape over the show after watching it), "90 Days" has fallen into complete obscurity. But for those who look closer, "90 Days" lives on as a valuable reference into the ups and downs of the aerospace industry in the late 1980s and most of the 1990s.

References