Washington Week

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Washington Week
Presented by
Narrated byPaul Anthony
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons50
No. of episodesover 2,000
Production
Production locationsWashington, D.C.
Running time30 minutes
Production companyWETA-TV
Release
Original networkNET (1967–1970)
PBS (1970–present)
Picture format
  • NTSC (1967–2010)
  • HDTV 1080i (2010–present)
Original releaseFebruary 23, 1967 (1967-02-23) –
present
External links
Website

Washington Week—previously Washington Week in Review—is an American public affairs television program, which has aired on PBS and its predecessor, National Educational Television, since 1967. Unlike other panel discussion shows which encourage informal (sometimes vociferous) debates as a means of presentation, Washington Week consistently follows a path of civility and moderation. Its format is that of a roundtable featuring the show's moderator between two and four Washington-based journalists. The show is now moderated by Yamiche Alcindor.[2]

Background[]

Washington Week in Review was first broadcast on February 23, 1967, on NET and was picked up by PBS in 1970. Since moving to PBS, Washington Week has used a panel discussion format moderated by a host. Washington Week is on PBS's national primetime lineup. Because of the subscriber nature of PBS, local presentation of Washington Week is scheduled by individual stations, and air times vary by market. The most common airing pattern is the show leading off primetime on Friday evenings with weekend afternoon encores on most PBS member stations, and several airings per week on the affiliated network, World Channel. The program is produced by WETA-TV in Washington, D.C.

In 2006, Washington Week made an agreement with National Journal which ensured that at least one National Journal reporter would be on the show.[3] This agreement is no longer in effect. Panelists come from various national media organizations.

On January 8, 2010, Washington Week began broadcasting in high definition, with broadcasts presented in a letterboxed format for viewers with standard-definition television sets watching either through cable or satellite television. The program also introduced a new set and upconverted its existing graphics package to HD.[4][failed verification]

Gwen Ifill was the host from the time Ken Bode was fired in 1999[5] until her death on November 14, 2016. A successor was not announced immediately. It was Ifill who shortened the name of the program when she took over, as a sign that "the show would spend more time looking forward."[6] On April 20, 2017, WETA announced that Robert Costa of the Washington Post would become the next moderator of Washington Week.[7] Costa left the program in January of 2021 to devote his time to co-authoring an upcoming book with veteran journalist Bob Woodward; guest moderators were used in Costa's place.[8]

In May of 2021, WETA announced that Yamiche Alcindor, the White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour, would become the ninth moderator of Washington Week beginning with the edition of May 7. Alcindor, who has previously been a regular Washington Week panelist, also continues to serve as the White House correspondent for NewsHour.[9]

Since its first episode in 1967, the program's announcer has been Paul Anthony.[10]

Notable personalities[]

Ifill and other personalities chat after filming a special edition at the Hanna Theatre in Cleveland during the 2016 Republican National Convention

Moderators[]

Regular panelists[]

See also[]

Reception[]

Washington Week has received generally positive reviews from television critics. Barry Garron of Current wrote, "Favor[s] balance over frivolity."[14]

References[]

  1. ^ Shepard, Alicia C. (June 1999). "Unplugged". American Journalism Review. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  2. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (May 4, 2021). "Yamiche Alcindor Is Named Host of 'Washington Week' on PBS". The New York Times. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  3. ^ "'Washington Week' Forges Editorial Partnership with 'National Journal'" (Press release). WETA. April 29, 2005. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  4. ^ Ifill, Gwen (January 8, 2010). "Washington Week". WETA. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  5. ^ Kurtz, Howard (February 23, 1999). "Ken Bode's Bad 'Washington Week'". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  6. ^ Ifill, Gwen (November 30, 2006). "Washington Week". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Meet Robert Costa, new Washington Week moderator". PBS.org. April 20, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  8. ^ "Washington Week Host Robert Costa Departs Program". THIRTEEN - New York Public Media. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  9. ^ Weprin, Alex (May 4, 2021). "Yamiche Alcindor Named Moderator of PBS' 'Washington Week'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  10. ^ "Washington Week | The Backstory: The Voice of Washington Week". February 22, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  11. ^ "Washington Week: Mark Landler". PBS. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  12. ^ "harrison kinney bio". harrisonkinney.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2003. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  13. ^ "Jonathan Martin". Washington Week. PBS. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  14. ^ Garron, Barry (August 1, 2017). "New 'Washington Week' host aims to favor balance over frivolity". Current. Retrieved January 15, 2020.

External links[]

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