''Washington Journal'' is an American television series on the C-SPAN television network in the format of a political

call-in In broadcasting, a phone-in or call-in is a programme format in which viewers or listeners are invited to air their live comments by telephone, usually in respect of a specific topic selected for discussion on the day of the broadcast. On radio ( ...

and

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

program. The program features elected officials, government administrators and journalists as guests, answering questions from the hosts and from members of the general public, who call into the studio or submit questions via e-mail and

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

. The three-hour program airs every day of the year beginning at 7 a.m.

Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small por ...

, except when special events or coverage of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

preempts all or part of the program. The audio of the program also airs on

WCSP-FM WCSP-FM, also known as C-SPAN Radio, is a radio station owned by the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN) in Washington, D.C. The station is licensed to C-SPAN's corporate owner, the National Cable Satellite Corporation, and broadc ...

as a

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simulta ...

with the television broadcast.

Background and production

History

''Washington Journals antecedent is the C-SPAN daily call-in, a fixture of the network since October 7, 1980. The inaugural ''Washington Journal'' program aired on January 4, 1995, and the program continues to be shown on C-SPAN in its original time slot. Saturday and Sunday editions were originally just two hours long; on January 20, 2001, they were expanded to a full three hours. Simulcasts of ''Washington Journal'' on C-SPAN's radio station, WCSP-FM, began on October 9, 1997; it was the first program to be broadcast on the station. One hour of the Sunday edition of ''Washington Journal'' is also simulcast on

BBC Parliament BBC Parliament is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel from the BBC that broadcasts live and recorded coverage of the House of Commons, House of Lords and Select Committees of the British Parliament, the Scottish Parliamen ...

in the United Kingdom, preceded by ''America This Week'', an hour of recorded C-SPAN programming.

Format

At the beginning of each program, the host reads noteworthy articles and

editorials An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK) is an article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Australian and major United States newspapers, such ...

from current

newspapers A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports ...

and

periodicals A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also exampl ...

as viewers discuss a timely topic chosen by C-SPAN. The program occasionally features "open phones" segments when callers may discuss any topic of their choosing. In multiple segments following, the host interviews guests invited to discuss a specific political or legislative issue, and takes calls from the public. Most guests appear in C-SPAN's Washington or New York City studios, while some guests are interviewed from remote locations. The program is noted for the participation of its viewers who may call in, submit questions and comments via e-mail or, since March 5, 2009, Twitter. As facilitators of conversation between the public and C-SPAN guests, ''Washington Journal'' hosts do not offer their own perspective on issues, and leave more pointed questions to callers, though they will occasionally ask for clarifications from callers and guests. Consistent with its emphasis on reflecting a wide variety of viewpoints, C-SPAN aims to take approximately 60 calls in each program, and roughly 20,000 calls per year. In the early days of ''Washington Journal'', callers were not screened by ideology. This was changed at the recommendation of

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

professor John Splaine, hired by C-SPAN to ensure the network's objectivity, who noticed that C-SPAN received a disproportionate number of calls from conservative viewers. ''Washington Journal'' producers now set up separate phone lines by party affiliation (Democrats, Republicans and Independents) and take alternate calls from each line. In some cases, a dedicated call-in line is made available for the international audience (outside the U.S. and Canada), or for a particular group of callers. For example, a program about college tuition may have a line for students and recent graduates. In the fall of 2006, ''Washington Journal'' recorded two shows in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and set up a call-in line for locals to tell their stories from Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

Production

The show is hosted from C-SPAN's Washington, D.C., studio overlooking the Capitol Building and is hosted by a revolving set of hosts. In November 2009, C-SPAN named veteran television news producer Michele Remillard as executive producer of ''Washington Journal''. The ''Washington Journal'' theme music is the third movement of ''Concerto for Trumpet, no. 2'' by

Johann Melchior Molter Johann Melchior Molter (10 February 1696 – 12 January 1765) was a German composer and violinist of the late Baroque period. He was born at Tiefenort, near Eisenach, and was educated at the Gymnasium in Eisenach. By autumn 1717 he had l ...

(1696—1765), played at various points during each broadcast. The theme is used as introductory music, as an interlude during transitions, and is played again as the program concludes. Video simulcast of the C-SPAN Radio studio has been shown during transitions at the top of an hour, with the radio host reading the day's news headlines. The program airs 365 days a year. ''Washington Journal'' uses no delay, so obscene or other objectionable language will be occasionally heard, though offending callers are normally cut off promptly. Callers are asked to wait 30 days between phoning in, though this rule is pointed out to be violated by the program's regular viewers occasionally.

Notable guests and events

For several days following the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, ''Washington Journal'' began at 6 a.m. instead of 7 a.m. Following Hurricane Katrina, ''Washington Journal'' frequently featured discussions on the issue of New Orleans' recovery. On August 21 and 22, 2006, a remote broadcast was set up in the city to interview key players, including U.S. senators

David Vitter David Bruce Vitter (born May 3, 1961) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and politician who served as United States Senator for Louisiana from 2005 to 2017. A Republican, Vitter served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992 to 1999. ...

and

Mary Landrieu Mary Loretta Landrieu ( ; born November 23, 1955) is an American entrepreneur and politician who served as a United States senator from Louisiana from 1997 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Landrieu served as the Louisiana State Treas ...

, and local homeowners. Among C-SPAN's primarily anonymous callers, recording artist and entertainer Cher made waves by calling into the show on October 27, 2003. Although intending to call anonymously, host Peter Slen correctly guessed her identity, which she reluctantly admitted. She called again on May 28, 2006, and waited on hold for her call to be taken. Cher subsequently appeared on the program on June 14, 2006, to speak about Operation Helmet, a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

providing helmet upgrades for U.S. soldiers.

Notable hosts

Current

* Greta Wodele Brawner * Pedro Echevarria * Mimi Geerges *

Jesse J. Holland Jesse James Holland Jr. (born June 28, 1971) is an American journalist, author, television personality and educator. He was one of the first African American journalists assigned to cover the Supreme Court full-time, and only the second Africa ...

* John McArdle * Bill Scanlan * Peter Slen, also serving as executive producer.

Former

Brian Lamb Brian Patrick Lamb (; born October 9, 1941) is an American journalist. He is the founder, executive chairman, and the now-retired CEO of C-SPAN, an American cable network that provides coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Sen ...

, C-SPAN Founder, Former Chairman and CEO * Libby Casey, now at

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

* Carrie Collins * Connie Doebele * Robb Harleston, now serving as an editor * Lew Ketcham * Doug Johnson * Steve Scully, now at

Bipartisan Policy Center The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank that promotes bipartisanship. The organization aims to combine ideas from both the Republican and Democratic parties to address challenges in the U.S. BPC focuses on is ...

* Susan Swain, now serving as C-SPAN CEO

References

External links

* *
First ''Washington Journal'' program, January 4, 1995
{{US morning news shows 1995 American television series debuts 1990s American television news shows 2000s American television news shows 2010s American television news shows C-SPAN original programming English-language television shows