EMAIL SIGN UP!
Most Popular This Week
- Corporate Win: Supreme Court Says Monsanto Has 'Control Over Product of Life'
- How the US Turned Three Pacifists into Violent Terrorists
- Cornel West: Obama 'Is a War Criminal'
- In 'March Toward Disaster,' World Hits 400 PPM Milestone
- Revealed: How US State Department 'Twists Arms' on Monsanto's Behalf
Popular content
Today's Top News
Bill Moyers Returns to Public Television, but Not PBS
NEW YORK - Bill Moyers says he is returning to public television in January, but he won’t be found on the PBS lineup.
His new hourlong weekly show, called “Moyers & Company,” will focus on one-on-one interviews with people not often heard on television, “thinkers who can help us understand the chaos of this time,” Mr. Moyers said in a telephone interview. “We’re going to be concerned with the state of democracy and the state of affairs, but we will leave the daily and weekly story to others and try to do the back story.”
Bill Moyer's new show, called “Moyers & Company,” will focus on one-on-one interviews with people not often heard on television, “thinkers who can help us understand the chaos of this time.” The program will be based at WNET in New York City and distributed free to public television stations by American Public Television, an alternative distributor to PBS. Stations will be able to broadcast it at whatever time they choose. The program will be based at WNET in New York City and distributed free to public television stations by American Public Television, an alternative distributor to PBS. Stations will be able to broadcast it at whatever time they choose. In a letter to public television executives announcing the new program, Mr. Moyers, who is 77, said that WNET was looking at showing the program on Sundays at 6 p.m.
Earlier this year, Mr. Moyers, who retired from PBS in April 2010, said he had received $2 million in financing from the Carnegie Corporation of New York for the new show, but PBS had told him it couldn’t find an appropriate time slot.
Since word went out on Monday afternoon, Mr. Moyers said he had heard from a number of stations that they were interested in broadcasting the program. He said he had also heard from many former viewers in recent months. “There’s an audience there that missed the campfire,” he said.
Anne Bentley, a PBS spokeswoman, said in a statement, “Bill Moyers has been a distinctive voice on public television for decades,” adding that his new project “will build on this legacy.”
Comments
Note: Disqus 2012 is best viewed on an up to date browser. Click here for information. Instructions for how to sign up to comment can be viewed here. Our Comment Policy can be viewed here. Please follow the guidelines. Note to Readers: Spam Filter May Capture Legitimate Comments...
27 Comments so far
Show All"Bill Moyers has been a distinctive voice on public television for decades," We just can't make any space for him because all of our other depressing, watered down programing is doing so spectacularly! And besides, both wings of the corporate political party would get very angry with us if we did!
gee, bill, you always had such interesting guests and discussions. hope i can influence my local pbs to pick up on this.
This is welcome news!
Bill Moyers is a candle within a dark and gloomy universe. His absence has established a deep and dangerous void in the area of social/political discourse. And of truth.
His return adds credibility to the possibility of our liberation.
The people are usually on the right side when they are presented with the facts. Bill is one of the rare voices who has the courage and insight to do that.
You've more than earned a rest, Bill. Thanks so much for coming back to work.
Fantastic. A rational, intelligent and informative voice will grace the airwaves once again.
As much as I applaud the return of Bill Moyers, I'm a bit dismayed to learn that
"The program will be based at WNET in New York City and distributed free to public television stations by American Public Television, an alternative distributor to PBS. Stations will be able to broadcast it at whatever time they choose."
Which means it might be on any time of any day in any given market.. or not.
Go Bill Moyers! This is great news. Bypassing the central scrutinizers to speak the truth!
Bill Moyers, Thanks for coming back, Democracy needs your voice. You are one that is not afraid to speak of religion and the human spirit. Democracy is as much an act of the human spirit as in the practice of religion, but without the threat of theocracy. America needs your voice.
I am so glad he is returning. His voice has always been one of reason and justice. Thank you Great Spirit for answering my and a great many other peoples prayers.
I hope his program can be streamed in the internet too. I stopped relying on TV long ago for anything of quality. I don't even have a TV set in fact.
Took the words right out of my post. Also just want to add to the celebratory chorus. OK media girls - Don't mess with Bill he belongs JQPublic.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR28p_GQ9Qo&feature=related
I hope they will put his show streaming or podcast or any other internet format, as well. I've stopped watching PBS because, as the list of supporting foundations will attest, that acronym stands for Plutocratic Bull _hit.
Bill Moyers is a masterful interviewer. He enables his guests to fully express who they are and what they know, which is not always flattering but is always informative.
"...PBS had told him it couldn’t find an appropriate time slot."
That's because PBS now stands for Plutocrat Broadcasting System. Don't believe me? Take a look at how many programs on PBS are now funded by one of the Koch brothers or Peter G. Peterson, or at the list of sponsors for the Newshour or Charlie Rose.
I agree...PBS would not have a spot for Moyers because their sponsors would not allow it......it will be nice to have him back
Good news indeed...I may even watch TV again if by chance he is on and I can get a decent digital signal on the old analog, if the local public broadcaster picks it up, if it is on at a predicable reasonable time, if only.....hopefully he'll be streamed. It was a sad day indeed when Bill left his Friday night slot, to say there isn't a slot for him is so outrageous, take away the nonsense that is now on what used to be his slot....I think I watched about half of one of those programs and just gave up. haven't really watched TV since.
Great news! Moyer is one of a few sound thinkers of our time.
I used to watch PBS but all the stations went off the air in 2009. I can't put up an antenna and I'll be damned if I pay to subscribe to a television service like cable. Now I just watch porn.
That's all that's left is porn: corporate porn, militainment porn, sexual porn, political porn...
"They couldn't find an appropriate time slot" for BM'S, one of the primer social/political reporters of this era?
This is like the 700 club not finding a slot for the return of christ.
I guess they will have some antiquity object of American middle class democracy mentioned on "Antiques Road Show." Maybe something like the bill of rights that every asshole in congress had signed on to uphold but somehow just overlooked on their way to cash in their corporate bribes.
Can't have BM as we need more of those great shows and specials. Like Suzy Orman telling me how I can retire at 62 if I can just avoid all the financial con-men, grifters, film-flam artists, ponsey scammers, and pickpocketer's like her that always seem to have their hand in my back pocket like some kind of pedophile in
day care center.
Yes, I would have to sacrifice BM's astute political insights so I could get just one more delicious hour of those 50's revival geriatric groups doing the boogaloo while handing out depends and food-stamps to the comatose audience.
It all just brings back the nostalgia of when the old man could raise a wife and 3 kids on his salary while buying a new home for $14,000 and paying it off in 15 years and still have something left over for a new bowling ball.
PBS has failed us. It's a medium right wing organization now, and even Gwen Eifel has surrendered. She had three or four people on her show to talk on a subject... and then we find that all hold the same view! I've very disappointed in her and the management of PBS. I've quit donating to them and encourage others to stop too, until they return to presenting a balanced view on critical issues.
Bill Moyers is one of the most honest and fearless voices in TV commentary. Welcome back Bill.
Go Bill Moyers! And this is outrageous and hilarious----PBS couldn't find a slot for their best once-surviving program, because they're packed with LAWRENCE WELK RE-RUNS! And "This Old House" and the "Auction" and all the other useless, timid, inoffensive GARBAGE they now call public service. The right wing boobs have, as they so long wished, destroyed PBS into something more senile than a closed-circuit nursing home station.
I hope it will be on Free Speech TV or Link TV. You can get those on DISH network.
Do we really have to wait until January? Hopefully it will be made available oon the internet. I still watch many of the old BM episodes on the internet, especially some of my favorites; Andrew Bacevitch, Karen Armstrong and the crew from Playing for Change.
Already said. Shame on PBS whom I have supported for decades not providing a time for Bill Moyers. And the right is criticizing it for being "too lefty"?
Bill Moyers is too valuable to not be on television!