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Meet the Press

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Meet the Press
Meet the Press logo, after Russert's death.[1]
Created byMartha Rountree
Opening themeThe Pulse of Events
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes4,783 as of February 17, 2008
Production
Running time30 minutes w/commercials (1947-1992); 60 minutes w/commercials (1992-present)
Original release
NetworkNBC
MSNBC (replay)
ReleaseNovember 6, 1947 –
Present
This article is about the American public affairs program. For the Australian program, see Meet the Press (Australian TV program).

Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television show in worldwide broadcasting history, having made its television debut on November 6, 1947. Meet the Press and similar Sunday-morning interview shows specialize in interviewing national leaders on issues of state economics and foreign policy. These shows help fulfill the obligations of the networks to provide a public service to the community.

Meet the Press airs in most markets on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. ET, with some stations (including WRC-TV in Washington, DC, where this program is produced) delaying the broadcast until later. The show is also repeated Sunday evenings on MSNBC and early Monday mornings on NBC as part of the NBC All Night block and is simulcast on radio stations by Westwood One.[2] It is also available as an audio or video podcast from iTunes. Meet the Press is the highest rated of the American television Sunday morning talk shows, although its ratings are less than those of CBS News Sunday Morning, a more general-interest news program which airs in the same time slot in most markets.

History

Meet the Press set, November 1975.

The program's idea was to have public figures respond to probing questions without prior preparation and to be held accountable on issues of the day.

From 1947, journalist Martha Rountree worked as a roving editor for Lawrence E. Spivak's magazine The American Mercury, which he purchased in 1944. Because of her experience in radio, Spivak asked for her critique of a radio show he used to promote the Mercury. Based on her strong criticism, Rountree created a new radio program she called The American Mercury, on October 5, 1945. On November 6, 1947 while still on the Mutual Broadcasting System, it was subsequently reincarnated on the NBC television network and renamed Meet the Press. The radio version also adopted the new name. Contrary to the claims of others concerning the program's creator, Rountree developed the idea on her own, and Spivak joined as co-producer and business partner in the enterprise after the show had already debuted. [3]

Meet the Press was originally presented as a 30-minute press conference with a single guest and a panel of questioners. Its first hostess was its creator Martha Rountree, to date the program's only female moderator. She stepped down November 1, 1953, and was replaced by Ned Brooks, who remained as moderator until December 26, 1965. Spivak became moderator January 1, 1966, moving from his role as permanent panelist. He retired November 9, 1975, and was replaced by Bill Monroe, who stepped down June 2, 1984.

The program then went through a series of hosts as it struggled in the ratings against ABC's This Week with David Brinkley. Roger Mudd and Marvin Kalb followed Monroe for a year, followed by Chris Wallace in 1987 and 1988, and Garrick Utley from 1989 through December 1, 1991.

Network officials, concerned for the show's future, turned to Tim Russert, the network's Washington bureau chief. He took over December 8, 1991, and remained until his death on June 13, 2008, serving as moderator longer than anyone in the program's history. [4] Under Russert, the show was expanded to one hour, and became less of a televised press conference and more focused on Russert, with longer interviews and Russert hosting panels of experts.

Format

The show's format consists of an extended one-on-one interview with the host and was sometimes followed by a roundtable discussion or one-on-two interview with figures in adversarial positions, either Congress members from opposite sides of the aisle or political commentators. The show expanded to 60 minutes starting with the September 20 1992 broadcast.[5]

Tim Russert, who hosted from 1991 to 2008, signed off by saying, "That's all for today. We'll be back next week. If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press." During the football season, Russert, a native of Buffalo, New York and avid Buffalo Bills fan,[6][7] sometimes added, "Go Bills!", and occasionally would ask panelists, "How 'bout those Sabres?" if the Buffalo NHL hockey team is doing well. Spoofs of the show on Saturday Night Live often reflect this addition.

Occasionally, a final segment called "The Meet the Press Minute" was added. It was devoted to topical clips from the show's extensive archives.

Russert died Friday, June 13, 2008 of a sudden coronary thrombosis caused by a cholesterol plaque rupture. Former NBC Nightly News anchor and current special correspondent Tom Brokaw hosted a special edition of Meet the Press dedicated to the life of Russert on June 15, 2008, in which Tim Russert's chair was left empty, as a tribute.

Notable guests and events

[8] First guest: James A. Farley, former postmaster general of the United States and former Democratic National Committee Chair. First female guest: Elizabeth Bentley, a courier for a Communist spy ring, on September 12, 1948. First U.S. Senator to appear: Sen. Claude Pepper (D-Fla.) on November 24, 1947. Every U.S. President since John F. Kennedy has appeared on “Meet the Press” during his career. There have been over 60 Prime Ministers, Presidents, Premiers, Kings or Chancellors representing 32 countries.

Most Frequent Guests on “Meet the Press:”

Most frequent journalist appearances on “Meet the Press:”

Moderators

Martha Rountree 1947 – 1953
Ned Brooks 1953 – 1965
Lawrence E. Spivak 1966 – 1975
Bill Monroe 1975 – 1984
Roger Mudd / Marvin Kalb
(co-moderators) 		1984 – 1985
Marvin Kalb 1985 – 1987
Chris Wallace 1987 – 1988
Garrick Utley 1989 – 1991
Tim Russert 1991 – 2008

Possible replacements for Tim Russert are: David Gregory, Chris Matthews, Andrea Mitchell, or Keith Olbermann.

Ratings

See also: Nielsen Ratings

As of April 2006, Meet the Press has been the number-one Sunday-morning interview show for five years straight, beating CBS's Face the Nation, ABC's This Week, Fox News Sunday, and CNN's Late Edition.[9] It has the second-highest rating on Sunday morning, behind CBS News Sunday Morning[10], which airs in the same time slot in most markets.

International broadcasts

In Australia, the Seven Network airs Meet the Press at 4:00am on Mondays, while also being networked on regional affiliates Seven Central, Southern Cross Television and WIN SA. It is not shown on Seven's other affiliates, Prime Television and Golden West Network due to their paid programming commitments. CNBC airs the program every Sunday at 2100 GMT in Europe and every Monday at 0000 HK/SG Time in Asia.

Listen to

References

  1. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/
  2. ^ Westwood One: Meet The Press
  3. ^ http://www.shemadeit.org/meet/biography.aspx?m=150
  4. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21872087/
  5. ^ David Paul Kuhn (2008-06-13). "Memorable Tim Russert moments". Politico. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  6. ^ In the Hot Seat (washingtonpost.com)
  7. ^ Tim Russert's Commencement Address - CUA Office of Public Affairs
  8. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21872087/
  9. ^ Tim Russert hits ratings milestone - USATODAY.com
  10. ^ http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_news/release?id=17369
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