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| Milton Friedman and Bob Chitester in 1978, during the first week of recordings for the Free To Choose TV series. |
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| Bob Chitester speaks with Milton and Rose Friedman and Robert McTeer, Jr., former Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President, at the Bank’s symposium on the 25th anniversary of the PBS television series Free To Choose. |
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| A meeting of friends. "The Power of Choice" Executive Producer, Bob Chitester, visits with Milton and Rose Friedman during production of the PBS documentary. Chitester was also Executive Producer of Milton Friedman's popular series Free To Choose in 1980. The Friedman's and Chitester have been friends for nearly three decades. |
BOB CHITESTER
Media Executive
Bob Chitester has more than forty years experience in television management, program development and production. He is the founder, President and CEO of Free To Choose Media, izzit.org (formerly In the Classroom Media) and The Idea Channel; educational initiatives of the Palmer R. Chitester Fund, a 501-c-3 public foundation. He founded and is CEO of Chitester Creative Associates, a private television production company.
Chitester conceived and led the development of Free To Choose, Milton Friedman’s award winning PBS television series and the best selling book derived from the series. With Rose Friedman, Chitester is a partner of Free To Choose Enterprise, and manages licensing and sales of Free To Choose.
Creatively, Bob also serves as Executive Producer of programs and series for Free To Choose Media, most recently for the PBS special The Power of Choice: The Life and Ideas of Milton Friedman, and The Ultimate Resource, featured on HDNet and PBS stations. In development under his direction are TV series and videos featuring Secretary of State George Shultz, Peruvian economist Hernando DeSoto, Swedish author Johan Norberg and TV star Scott Bakula.
izzit.org distributes versions of these materials to teachers for classroom use. Over 80% of U.S. secondary schools are now using at least one of our teaching units. Subjects covered include property rights, government’s proper role, personal responsibility, markets, voluntary association and rule of law.
In the mid 90s, Chitester Creative Associates was commissioned by John Malone, CEO of Telecommunications, Inc. to create programs for TCI News. Included were: Issues USA a week-nightly, half-hour program originating in NYC, National School Assembly, with David Robinson, MVP Center with the San Antonio Spurs, and Race For the Presidency, a hour long weekly report on the 1996 Presidential Race, originating in Denver.
Chitester initiated educational television at Buena Vista High School in Saginaw, Michigan and Edinboro State University in Pennsylvania. In 1966, he became the founding General Manager of the Erie, Pennsylvania PBS and NPR stations (WQLN and WQLN-FM), which he served as President until 1982.
Chitester holds a B.A. and M.A. degree from the University of Michigan, and received an honorary Doctor of Literature degree from Allegheny College. He pursues physical fitness (running, swimming, biking) with gusto, indulges in wood and clay sculpture, cuts several cord of fire wood each year, and spends considerable time in airplanes. He and Carol have 4 children and 8 grandchildren, one of whom they are raising.
