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Information about America's Most Wanted

America's Most Wanted
StarringJohn Walsh
Narrated byDon LaFontaine
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes900+
Production
Executive producer(s)Lance Heflin
Running time60 min.
Broadcast
Original channelFOX
Original runFebruary 7, 1988 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary
For the professional wrestling tag team, see .
For the United States FBI list of fugitives, see .
America's Most Wanted is a long-running TV show produced by 20th Century Fox. Its purpose is to profile and assist law enforcement in the apprehension of fugitives wanted for various crimes, including murder, rape, child molestation, white collar crime, armed robbery, gang violence, many of which who are currently on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

History

The idea for America’s Most Wanted originally came from a German show Aktenzeichen XY... ungelöst (ger. file number XY... unsolved) that first aired in 1967, and the British show Crimewatch UK, first aired in 1984, with the US version conceived by then-Fox executive Stephen Chao and Executive Producer Michael Linder in the summer of 1987. It premiered on February 7, 1988 on seven Fox-owned stations. Within four days of the first broadcast, FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive David James Roberts was captured as a direct result. He was a convicted killer who had recently escaped from prison. This demonstrated the effectiveness of the show's "Watch Television, Catch Criminals" premise to skeptical law enforcement agencies. Ten weeks later, the program premiered nationwide on the Fox network and became the fledgling network's first hit series. Since its debut, it has become the longest-running series on the Fox Network.

America's Most Wanted reinvented the economics of prime time television with its low-budget reenactments of crimes. A typical hour of prime time programming in 1988 cost $1 million to produce. AMW's initial budget was much lower than that, but the show's reality-style format and nearly instantaneous captures (some fugitives were captured before the episode's final credits rolled) contributed to its success.

After the program’s pilot aired, a lengthy search was conducted, and John Walsh was selected as the host of the show. Walsh gained publicity after his six-year-old son, Adam Walsh, was kidnapped and murdered in 1981, and he parlayed that into the creation of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Other potential candidates included former Marine Corps Commandant General P.X. Kelly and victims' advocate Theresa Saldana.

The show began profiling missing persons, especially children, in 1991. As of October 5, 2007, 960 fugitives have been captured and 54 missing persons (including children) have been recovered alive as a direct result of viewer tips. Some of the most notorious captures include suspected killers Shawn Windsor and Michael Brashar, the Texas Seven, as well as Elizabeth Smart’s abductors Brian Mitchell and Wanda Barzee.

The show was canceled for a month and a half in the fall of 1996 when Fox decided to air a Saturday night sitcom block consisting of Married with Children, Martin and two new series: Love and Marriage and The Preston Episodes. However, protests from the public, law enforcement, and government officials as well as low ratings for the shows replacing AMW encouraged Fox to bring the show back. Martin and Married with Children were moved back to Sundays. Producers rechristened the show America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back. Since this time, the AMW/COPS combination has made Saturday evening Fox’s most stable night.

The show expanded its focus to also cover criminals in the War on Terrorism when, on October 12, 2001 an episode aired featuring 22 most wanted al-Qaeda operatives. The show was put together due to a request by President George W. Bush, who had presented the same list of men to the nation two days earlier. In October 2002, the show did a special episode focusing on the serial sniper shootings in the Washington, D.C. area.

In the new millennium, America’s Most Wanted has seen continued success. Currently in its 21st season, AMW is closing in on 1000 captures.

Local Versions of AMW

  • On Fox 2 (KTVI), St. Louis, Missouri, they run "St. Louis's Most Wanted" every Saturday night at their 9PM newscast, after AMW.
  • On Fox 2 (WJBK-TV, Detroit, Michigan), They run "Michigan's Most Wanted" every Thursday night at their 10:00 newscast.
  • On Fox 5 (WAGA-TV, Atlanta, Georgia), a "Georgia's Most Wanted" segment airs on their Saturday 10:00pm newscast.
  • On Fox 5 (WNYW-TV, New York, New York), They periodically air segment "New York's Most Wanted" during their 10:00 newscast after AMW.
  • On Fox 6 (WITI-TV, Milwaukee, Wisconsin), a segment called "Wisconsin's Most Wanted" is occasionally aired during their 9 p.m. newscast, following the airing of America's Most Wanted. This segment is produced similarly to a single story from AMW, and normally lasts 5 to 10 minutes.
  • On Fox 8 (WGHP-TV, High Point, North Carolina), they periodically air the feature "Piedmont's Most Wanted" on their 10:00 newscast after AMW.
  • On Fox 11 (KTTV-TV, Los Angeles, California), They periodically air a feature "L.A.'s Most Wanted" on their 10:00 news after AMW, it is presented by Tony Valdez.
  • On Fox 13 (KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, Utah), a "Utah's Most Wanted" feature airs periodically on the 9:00 newscast, particularly after AMW airs.
  • On Fox 14 (KCIT, Amarillo, Texas, The Amarillo Crimestoppers fugitive of the week is featured every Saturday Night on the KCIT FOX 14 News @ 9 After America's Most Wanted.
  • On Fox 17 (KDSM-TV, Des Moines, Iowa) They run a short spot during the commercials of America's Most Wanted called "Metro's Most Wanted" featuring one locally wanted fugitive. The spot lasts about 25-40 seconds.
  • On Fox 17 (WXMI-TV, Grand Rapids, Michigan) They air a segment during their 10:00 newscast after AMW called "West Michigan's Most Wanted"
  • On Fox 23 (WXXA-TV, Albany, New York), They air a segment during their 10:00 newscast after AMW called "Capital Region's Most Wanted"
  • On Fox 25 (WFXT-TV, Boston, Massachusetts), They periodically air a feature "Massachusetts Most Wanted" on their 10:00 news after AMW.
  • On Fox 25 (KOKH-TV), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Oklahoma's Most Wanted every Saturday night during the FOX 25 news @ 9:00 pm.
  • On Fox 26 (KMPH-TV, Fresno, California), a segment called "Central Valley's Most Wanted" airs during their Saturday 10 p.m. newscast after AMW.
  • On Fox 29 (WTXF-TV, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  • On Fox 32 (WFLD-TV, Chicago, Illinois), a "Chicago's Most Wanted" segment airs on the 9:00 p.m. newscast.
  • On Fox 40 KTXL-TV, Sacramento, California, a segment called "FOX 40 Crime Alert" airs Saturday Nights at 10:00 p.m. on Fox 40 News at 10 after AMW.
  • On Fox 50 (WRAZ-TV, Raleigh, North Carolina), an "NC Wanted" show airs at 10:35 P.M. after the 10:00 P.M. newscast in HDTV http://www.ncwanted.com/.
  • On Fox 59 (WXIN-TV, Indianapolis, Indiana), a "Indiana's Most Wanted" segment airs on their Saturday 10:00pm newscast.
  • On Fox 41 (WDRB-TV, Louisville, Kentucky) and My 58 (WMYO-TV, Louisville, Kentucky) a "Louisville's Most Wanted" segment airs sometimes during commercial breaks on both stations, especially during WDRB's newscasts.
  • On Rogers Television Toronto, Toronto, Ontario,an hour long program called "GTA's Most Wanted" runs with new episodes Tuesdays at 7:30. The show covers the entire Greater Toronto Area. Although AMW does not run on Rogers Television, GTA's Most Wanted uses the same format as AMW. The timster hotline is 1-800-222-TIPS (1-800-222-8477) http://www.rogerstelevision.com/option.asp?lid=12&rid=16&sid=2520
In addition to Fox affiliates, KZTV, A CBS affiliate in Corpus Christi, TX runs a segment called "Corpus Christi's Most Wanted" each Monday. The logo for this segment bears a resemblance to that of the one for AMW, though the background is that of One Shoreline Plaza in Downtown Corpus Christi.

AMW's hotline number facts

When America's Most Wanted debuted, the show's original toll-free hotline number was 1-800-CRIME-88 (1-800-274-6388). The last 2 digits of the hotline number changed each year (1-800-CRIME-89, 1-800-CRIME-90, and so on) until 1995, when it was permanently changed to its current number, which is 1-800-CRIME-TV (1-800-274-6388, which, coincidentally, was what the number had originally been in 1988).

AMW Dirty Dozen

The AMW Dirty Dozen is a list of the most notorious fugitives that have been reviewed on the show that are currently at large. It is similar in function, though not analogous, to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, though three of the Dirty Dozen are on the FBI list.

These are the current Dirty Dozen. They are in order as presented on the AMW website; the list is not ranked.

15 Seconds of Shame

15 Seconds of Shame is a segment (approximately one minute in length) where the show features three or four fugitives that are currently on the run, each in their own 15-second briefing. The run-up shows the charges against the fugitives, and where they might be. Aliases, tattoos and character quirks are also mentioned in the profiles.

Trivia

Cases that are international or have some international connection

Many of the series' cases have some connection outside the United States or have not taken place in the United States at all. The first show that aired after September 11, 2001 was 2 hours and focused mainly on terrorism. The series' first international capture was in Nova Scotia in 1989.

External links

John E. Walsh (born December 26, 1945 in Auburn, New York) is the host of the TV show America's Most Wanted. Walsh is known for his anti-crime activism, which includes ride-alongs with law enforcement and, at times, taunting and harassing criminals who were arrested as he
..... Click the link for more information.
Don LaFontaine (born August 26, 1940 in Duluth, Minnesota), is a legendary voice actor famous for recording over 5,000 movie trailers, television commercials, network promotions, and video game trailers. His signature voice is both ominous and sonorous.
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"Fox" is a general term applied to any one of roughly 27 species of small to medium-sized canids in the tribe vulpini
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Subsidiary of News Corporation
Founded 1935, Fox Films founded in 1915
Headquarters Century City, California, USA

Industry Motion picture
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A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals.
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Crimes


Classes of crime
Infraction  · Misdemeanor  · Felony
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Against the person
Assault  · Battery
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Child sexual abuse is an umbrella term describing criminal and civil offenses in which an adult engages in sexual activity with a minor or exploits a minor for the purpose of sexual gratification.
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white-collar crime or 'incorporated governance' has been defined by Edwin Sutherland "...as a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.
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The Robbers by Friedrich Schiller, see The Robbers.


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Crimewatch UK is a long-running and high-profile British television programme, produced by the BBC, that reconstructs unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from the members of the public, in order to help solve major crimes.
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February 7 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

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Federal Bureau of Investigation

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Director: Robert S. Mueller III
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John E. Walsh (born December 26, 1945 in Auburn, New York) is the host of the TV show America's Most Wanted. Walsh is known for his anti-crime activism, which includes ride-alongs with law enforcement and, at times, taunting and harassing criminals who were arrested as he
..... Click the link for more information.
Adam John Walsh (November 14, 1974 – c. July 27, 1981) was an American boy abducted from a Sears department store at the Hollywood Mall in Hollywood, Florida, on July 27, 1981, and later found murdered.
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The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a private, non-profit organization established in the United States in 1984 under United States government mandate.
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Paul Xavier Kelley (born November 11, 1928) was the Twenty-eighth Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, from 1 July 1983 to 30 June 1987.

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Paul Kelley was born on November 11, 1928 in Boston, Massachusetts.
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