It’s been only three weeks since I announced that Moyers & Company would end, as originally planned, on January 3. It was time, I said, to turn the corner after all the years of meeting the deadlines and demands so integral to producing television. An hour broadcast every week — virtually handcrafted from many different parts — has been exciting and satisfying, even joyful to produce, but at this age and stage I was prepared to leave the field to the next generation.
What I could not anticipate was the response of our viewers. As my grandchildren would say, I was blown away. We received thousands of well-written and heartfelt messages. The outpouring is unmistakably about the importance of public broadcasting and the value many people place on our mission to offer a place for sane, calm and civil consideration of what is going on in the world.
Our funders also weighed in with an equally simple but passionate message: keep going. And they have backed those pleas with commitments of underwriting. So, I want to announce today that we indeed will continue with a half-hour weekly broadcast and multimedia offerings that will feature the trademark ideas, interviews and analysis that you have told us are important to you.
The final episode of our current series will air January 3. One week later — on January 10 — the first episode of the new series, still Moyers & Company, will premiere.
We’re very grateful for the enthusiasm and support.
— Bill Moyers
