Bill Moyers Journal

Bill Moyers Journal
2009 title screenshot.
StarringBill Moyers
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes16 (original); ? (2nd install.); 276 (3rd install.)[1]
Production
Running time60 minutes
Original release
NetworkPBS
Release1972 (1972) –
1976 (1976)
Release1979 (1979) –
1981 (1981)
Release2007 (2007) –
2010 (2010)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Bill Moyers Journal was an American television current affairs program that covered an array of current affairs and human issues, including economics, history, literature, religion, philosophy, science, and most frequently politics. Bill Moyers executive produced, wrote and hosted the Journal when it was created. WNET in New York produced it and PBS aired it from 1972 to 1976.

In 1979, following a nearly three-year hiatus, PBS announced that Bill Moyers Journal would return for a second series, which would cover a broader range of issues in depth. This included election coverage and documentary footage from several U.S. states, among them Florida, Texas, Illinois, Washington, D.C., and Nevada. In addition, among its pop-culture coverage, the Journal reported on the 25th anniversary of the premiere of the long-running NBC talk program The Tonight Show. Like the first installment, the second one was produced by WNET in New York City, and was aired on PBS. The second installment ended in 1981.

For the second time, Bill Moyers Journal returned to television on April 25, 2007.[2][3] The debut episode was "Buying The War",[4] which demonstrated how the commercial U.S. media served as an unwitting partner to the Bush administration in convincing the American people that the Iraq War was legitimate and necessary.[5]

On November 20, 2009, Moyers announced that he would retire from the Journal effective April 30, 2010.[6] The April 30, 2010, 90-minute special series finale reported on Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and featured an interview with community organizer Jim Hightower. Moyers concluded with an interview with writer Barry Lopez and a personal reflection on his relationship to journalism.[7]

Bill Moyers Journal's website provides an extensive video, blog, and transcript archive dating back to 1974, and includes NOW on PBS, the program Moyers hosted from 2002 to 2004, during his hiatus from the Journal.[8]

  1. ^ "Series Archive".
  2. ^ Jensen, Elizabeth (January 15, 2007). "Bill Moyers and Ken Burns Are Back on the PBS Schedule". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  3. ^ Bill Moyers Journal Returns to PBS Line-Up in April
  4. ^ Bill Moyers Journal . Home | PBS
  5. ^ Shales, Tom (April 25, 2007). "A Media Role in Selling the War? No Question". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  6. ^ Jensen, Elizabeth (November 20, 2009). "Bill Moyers to Leave Weekly Television". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 23, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  7. ^ "Watch & Listen: April 30, 2010". Bill Moyers Journal. Public Affairs Television.
  8. ^ "Archive". Bill Moyers Journal. Public Affairs Television.