NewsHour Productions

NewsHour Productions
FormationSeptember 14, 1981 (1981-09-14) (as MacNeil/Lehrer Productions)
July 1, 2014 (2014-07-01) (current company)
TypeNon-profit
Television Production
Film Production
Tax ID no. 53-0242992
Legal status501(c)(3)
HeadquartersArlington, Virginia, U.S.
Parent organization
WETA-TV
Websitenewshourproductions.org
Formerly called
MacNeil/Lehrer-Gannett Productions (1981-1986)
MacNeil/Lehrer Productions (1986-2014)

NewsHour Productions (formerly MacNeil/Lehrer-Gannett Productions and MacNeil/Lehrer Productions) is a television production company that was originally founded in 1981 by Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer, anchors of television's The MacNeil/Lehrer Report, now PBS News Hour. Its flagship program is PBS News Hour. It is a subsidiary of WETA-TV.

History

MacNeil/Lehrer Productions

In 1981, Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer, who were anchors on PBS' The MacNeil/Lehrer Report, in partnership with the Gannett Company, formed MacNeil/Lehrer-Gannett Productions to produce television programming. Editorial control of the company was handled by MacNeil and Lehrer. Its intent was sell to commercial networks, syndication and cable.[1]

With threats of losing its contract to PBS, MacNeil and Lehrer optend to extend the program on the condition that it was expanded to an hour. The resulting program, a renamed version of The MacNeil/Lehrer Report, called The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, debuted in 1983 on PBS. It was a ratings success.[2][3] In 1983, executive producer Al Vecchione became the company president of MacNeil/Lehrer-Gannett Productions.[4]

It led MacNeil/Lehrer to expand beyond the flagship NewsHour, so it offered another program in 1985. It was called My Heart, Your Heart, and sponsored by AT&T, and another program, The Story of English, in conjunction with BBC, to be sponsored by General Foods.[5] The company also made wraparounds for WNET-TV's program The Heart of the Dragon.[6] In 1986, MacNeil and Lehrer split from Gannett after five years, so the company was renamed to MacNeil/Lehrer Productions.[7]

In 1987, it inked a deal with Roger Mudd, where he was employed by the company to work for the flagship NewsHour, as well as other projects the company is producing.[8] In 1988, it attempted to partner with Current Trends Productions to develop a weekly medical news program for first-run syndication, but this was never materialized.[9] Also that year, the company produced an hour-long special on Thomas Edison, that was hosted by Roger Mudd, that aired on Disney Channel.[10]

In 1989, MacNeil/Lehrer's expansion came when they made 12 one-hour documentaries on George Shultz, meant for PBS.[11] Also that year, the company partnered with WETA-TV to produce the Learning in America specials on PBS, which was sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, and hosted by Roger Mudd.[12] Later that year, the company hired Dr C. Everett Koop to host a series of hour-long specials produced by the company for NBC, which eventually aired in 1991.[13]

In 1991, it was announced that MacNeil/Lehrer Productions is co-producing with NBC News, the coverage of the 1992 United States presidential election, which aired on PBS.[14] In 1993, the company hired NBC News executive Garrick Utley to develop a news program, but it never materialized as Utley is about to move to ABC News.[15][16]

In 1994, controlling interest of MacNeil/Lehrer Productions was sold to Liberty Media, who handled majority control, while MacNeil and Lehrer retained editorial control.[17] Also that year, Robert MacNeil announced that he will retire from the flagship series NewsHour in 1995, leading the program to rename to The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.[18] In 1996, Al Vecchione had left the company.[19]

MacNeil/Lehrer Productions twice planned to launch late-night newscasts in 1995 and 1999; in both instances, the proposed expansions of NewsHour—which, respectively, were to have involved production and newsgathering partnerships with Wall Street Journal Television and The New York Times—were canceled mid-development.[20]

In 2005, Lester M. Crystal, a NewsHour producer, became the president of the company.[21] In 2009, the flagship program adopted its current title, PBS NewsHour.[22] Jim Lehrer stepped down from the NewsHour series in 2011.[23] In 2014, shortly before it was sold, the company teamed up with website Al-Monitor to produce web videos on Middle East for websites.[24]

NewsHour Productions

In 2013, MacNeil and Lehrer, along with Liberty Media, decided to sell the company, including its assets and staff to WETA-TV.[25][26] The sale was finalized on July 1, 2014, and the company was renamed to NewsHour Productions, as it was transitioned into non-profit (a similar situation existed when Small World Enterprises, a for-profit organization turned into Family Communications in 1971) although MacNeil and Lehrer still owned the MacNeil/Lehrer Productions name.[27][28][29]

In 2021, the company took over management of WETA-TV's news series Washington Week,[30] and PBS NewsHour Weekend from WNET-TV, which was later renamed to PBS News Weekend.[31] The company underwent staff reorganization in 2022.[32]

Filmography

  • PBS News Hour (1981–present)
  • My Heart, Your Heart (1985)
  • The Heart of the Dragon (1985) (wraparounds)
  • The Story of English (1986)
  • The Wizard (1989)
  • Learning in America (1990)
  • C. Everett Koop, M.D. (1991)
  • Bah, Humbug!: The Story of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' (1994)
  • Empire of the Bay (1998)
  • Do You Speak American? (2005)
  • By the People: Hard Times, Hard Choices (2010)
  • The 40th Republican National Convention (2012)
  • Debating Our Destiny: Presidential Debate Moments That Shaped History (2012)
  • PBS the News (2013)
  • Brief But Spectacular (2015)
  • PBS NewsHour Special: Questions for President Obama (2016)
  • Let Me Explain (2017)
  • Race Matters: America After George Floyd (2021)
  • Washington Week (2021–present)
  • PBS News Weekend (2022–2026)
  • Compass Points with PBS News (2026–present)
  • Horizons with PBS News (2026–present)

References

  1. ↑ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 14, 1981. p. 128. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  2. ↑ Friendly, Jonathan (1983-09-04). "'MACNEIL/LEHRER' GEARS UP FOR AN HOUR". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  3. ↑ Kerr, Peter (1983-09-07). "No Headline". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  4. ↑ "Fates & Fortunes" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 4, 1983. p. 101. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Telecastings" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 7, 1985. p. 202. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  6. ↑ "MacNeil and Lehrer: PBS's winning team" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 3, 1987. p. 94. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  7. ↑ "The TV Column". The Washington Post. 1986-06-05. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  8. ↑ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 2, 1987. p. 104. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Syndication snowballs toward NATPE" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 31, 1988. p. 32. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  10. ↑ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 24, 1988. p. 86. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Insider experience" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 3, 1989. p. 50. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Surprise visit" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 27, 1989. p. 38. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  13. ↑ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 16, 1989. p. 89. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  14. ↑ "NBC to produce conventions with PBS" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 5, 1991. p. 27. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  15. ↑ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. August 23, 1993. p. 90. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  16. ↑ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. September 13, 1993. p. 66. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  17. ↑ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 5, 1994. p. 92. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  18. ↑ Carter, Bill (1994-10-11). "MacNeil to Retire From 'Newshour' In '95 After 20 Years". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  19. ↑ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 22, 1996. p. 85. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  20. ↑ Jensen, Elizabeth (1999-03-16). "PBS May Leap Into Late-News Lineup". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-05-26. MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, producer of the venerable "NewsHour With Jim Lehrer," is trying again to launch a late-night newscast on Public Broadcasting Service stations nationwide, this time in conjunction with the New York Times...MacNeil/Lehrer first tried to launch a late-night newscast, dubbed "The National News," in 1995. Plans for the program, which was to be produced with Dow Jones & Co.'s Wall Street Journal Television unit, were eventually dropped.
  21. ↑ "Lester M. Crystal, PBS NewsHour producer and former NBC News chief, dies at 85". The Washington Post. 2020-06-25. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  22. ↑ "Changes coming to PBS' 'NewsHour'". Los Angeles Times. 2009-12-04. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  23. ↑ "Jim Lehrer is leaving 'PBS NewsHour' anchor chair". Los Angeles Times. 2011-05-13. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  24. ↑ Vivarelli, Nick (2014-02-11). "MacNeil/Lehrer Productions Teams Up With Al-Monitor For Middle East Web Specials". Variety. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  25. ↑ "NewsHour founders to transfer ownership". Current. October 21, 2013. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  26. ↑ "WETA might take over ownership of 'PBS NewsHour'". The Washington Post. 2013-10-09. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  27. ↑ Sefton, Dru (2014-06-18). "WETA to create subsidiary for transfer of PBS NewsHour ownership". Current. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  28. ↑ "WETA and MacNeil/Lehrer Productions Announce Planned Transfer Of PBS NewsHour To WETA". PBS News. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  29. ↑ Jensen, Elizabeth (2014-06-18). "WETA to Take Ownership of 'PBS NewsHour'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  30. ↑ Wyllie, Julian (2021-12-06). "NewsHour Productions takes over management of 'Washington Week'". Current. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  31. ↑ Wyllie, Julian (2021-11-18). "WETA to take control of 'NewsHour Weekend' with Geoff Bennett as host". Current. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  32. ↑ Wyllie, Julian (2022-02-28). "Comings and goings: NewsHour Productions announces staff changes, WAMU CCO leaving station …". Current. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.