8 /10 1 Votes
Country of origin United States Location(s) New York City First episode date 15 January 2012 Presented by Bill D. Moyers | 7.9/10 IMDb No. of episodes 322 (list of episodes) Running time 57 minutes Final episode date 2 January 2015 Cast Bill D. Moyers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Production company(s) Public Affairs Television
WNET Distributor American Public Television Networks PBS, Broadcast syndication Similar Bill Moyers Journal, Now, What America Thinks, My Generation, The Chris Matthews Show | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Moyers company show 141 plutocracy rising
Moyers & Company is a commentary and interview television show hosted by Bill Moyers, and broadcast via syndication on public television stations in the United States. The weekly show covers current affairs affecting everyday Americans, and features extended conversations with guests on issues of the day. It premiered on January 13, 2012 and concluded on January 2, 2015.
Contents
- Moyers company show 141 plutocracy rising
- History
- Broadcast
- List of episodes
- Final episode
- Reception
- References
The show is produced by Public Affairs Television, taped in the studios of New York City PBS affiliate station WNET, and distributed by American Public Television (APT) with major funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
History
Longtime tele-journalist Bill Moyers, best known for hosting Bill Moyers Journal, and, Now on PBS, retired from PBS in April 2010 (amid behind-the-scenes pressure from PBS leadership throughout the second Bush Administration, which had moved to "create balance" by increasing politically conservative programming at the expense of liberal programs like Moyers'). In August 2011, Moyers announced that he would come out of retirement to host a new show, titled Moyers & Company. Despite Moyers receiving $2 million in funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, alone (a perennial sponsor of PBS programming), and Moyers' track record of creating and hosting 2 hit PBS shows, PBS did not offer the new show a time slot on its 2012 network schedule. Instead, the show is syndicated (i.e., distributed one station at-a-time) by American Public Television to local public television stations.
Moyers said that he returned to television because "nothing else was as interesting. I had done some writing and speaking, but I love television. It lets me work with colleagues and comrades. And I had breath and I had energy and I had funders." He said the show would focus less on field reporting and more on "meaty conversations".
Moyers has also said that he intends for the show to run for two years, then retire at age 80.
Broadcast
Moyers & Company is distributed by APT for free to public television stations (PBS affiliates), who air it either in prime time on Fridays or afternoon on weekends. It is broadcast in 93% of all television markets in the United States, including 27 of the top 30.
The show is also available on radio and online.
List of episodes
The following is a listing of previously broadcast episodes.
Final episode
Reception
Associated Press critic Frazier Moore said the program would be "gratefully received" by those who have followed Moyers throughout his career. He added that the show promised to be "no less important, thoughtful and far-flung in its interests than his past TV projects, addressing subjects that range from politics to poetry, and with a nuanced approach that defies the polarization endemic to most TV interview programs." David Bianculli of NPR called the show's premiere "one of my favorite TV moments of this year" calling Moyers's new role "valuable". Richard Huff of New York's Daily News gave the premiere a 3/5 rating and remarked, "Moyers’ genial way makes it easy to digest for those willing to invest a quietly paced hour."
Brian Lowry noted Moyers's unabashedly liberal perspective, but argued that "[e]ven if you reject every word he says, it’s a valuable articulation of a certain point of view... without name-calling, raising voices or fabricating arguments."
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting commended the return of Moyers on public television for again airing voices unrepresented and underrepresented in the commercial media while questioning PBS's commitment to fulfilling its stated mission of airing those voices.