| Washington Week | |
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| Also known as |
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| Presented by |
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| Narrated by | Paul Anthony |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 58 |
| No. of episodes | over 2,000 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | David M. Rubenstein studio atWETA-TV inWashington, D.C., U.S. |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | WETA-TV (1967–2021) NewsHour Productions (2021–present) |
| Original release | |
| Network | NET (1967–1970) PBS (1970–present) |
| Release | February 23, 1967 (1967-02-23) – present |
Washington Week, originally titled asWashington Week in Review and billed asWashington Week with the Atlantic since 2023, is an Americanpublic affairs television program, which has aired onPBS and its predecessor,National Educational Television, since 1967. The program is produced byWETA-TV inWashington, D.C. Since 2023, the program has been moderated by editor-in-chief ofThe Atlantic,Jeffrey Goldberg. 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 and two to four Washington-based journalists.
Washington Week premiered asWashington Week in Review on February 23, 1967 on National Educational Television and was picked up by PBS in 1970. Since its first episode in 1967, the program's announcer has been Paul Anthony.[2]
In 1971,Robert MacNeil took on the task of hosting the series, and would move on after anchoring PBS'sWatergate coverage to found PBS's first weeknight newscast,The Robert McNeil Report, which would eventually become thePBS News Hour; from 1974,Paul Duke served as host and moderator, until he was succeeded in 1994 byKen Bode. In 1999,Dalton Delan firedBode.[3] On October 1, 1999,Gwen Ifill became the host of the program until her death on November 14, 2016. A successor was not announced immediately. Ifill shortened the program's name asWashington Week on February 9, 2001, two years after she took over, as a sign that "the show would spend more time looking forward."[4] On April 20, 2017, WETA announced thatRobert Costa ofThe Washington Post would become the next moderator ofWashington Week.[5]
On January 8, 2010,Washington Week began broadcasting inhigh definition, with broadcasts presented inletterboxed andpillarboxed format for viewers withstandard-definition television sets watching either throughcable orsatellite television. The program also introduced a new set and upconverted its existing graphics package to HD.[6]
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On July 20, 2018, the program underwent its first significant change in presentation in years, adopting a new graphics package and a reorchestrated version of its theme music (with a new set, and music by Stephen Arnold).[7][8][9]
In January 2021, Costa left the program to devote his time to co-authoringan upcoming book with veteran journalistBob Woodward; guest moderators were used in Costa's place.[10]
In May 2021,Yamiche Alcindor, at the time the White House correspondent forPBS News Hour, became the ninth moderator ofWashington Week. Alcindor had previously been a regularWashington Week panelist.[11] In December 2021, WETA subsidiary NewsHour Productions began producingWashington Week.[12] In February 2023, Alcindor announced that she would step down to focus full-time on her job atNBC and writing her memoirs, saying that her final date as moderator would be February 24.[13] After Alcindor's departure, various other journalists served as guest moderator until August 2023.
On August 2, 2023, it was announced that Jeffrey Goldberg, who has served as editor-in-chief ofThe Atlantic since 2016, had been named as the program's tenth moderator, and that the politics and culture publication would also enter into an editorial partnership with the television program – which was retitled accordingly asWashington Week with The Atlantic – similar to the earlier collaboration with theNational Journal.[14][15] The first episode under the longer title, and with Goldberg as moderator, was broadcast on August 11, 2023.[16]
On June 21, 2024,Washington Week moved to a new studio, designed by Eric Siegel and George Allison, called the David M. Rubenstein studio at WETA-TV facility in Washington, D.C. (sharing with programs,PBS NewsHour andPBS News Weekend; name not revealed until September 20, 2024).[17][18]
On February 17, 2006,Washington Week agreed withNational Journal, ensuring that at least oneNational Journal reporter would be on the show.[19][20] As of January 4, 2013, the agreement is no longer in effect.
Since moving to PBS,Washington Week has used a panel discussion format moderated by a host. Panelists come from various national media organizations.
Washington Week is on PBS's national primetime lineup. Because of PBS's subscriber nature, local presentation ofWashington 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.
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Washington Week has received generally positive reviews from television critics. Barry Garron ofCurrent wrote, "Favor[s] balance over frivolity."[21] Angelina Chapin ofThe Cut wrote, "[Alcindor's] job requires staying on top of a constantly evolving, 24/7 news cycle and then making those stories digestible for viewers."[22]
Program sponsors include:[23]
Once again from the David M. Rubenstein studio at WETA in Washington, editor-in-chief ofThe Atlantic and moderator, Jeffrey Goldberg.
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