NewsHour Productions

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 a 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]