Information about Firing Line

Firing Line (1966-1999) was an American public affairs show founded and hosted by conservative William F. Buckley, Jr. Its 1,504 episodes over 33 years made Firing Line the longest-running public affairs show in television history with a single host. The program won an Emmy Award in 1969.

History and format

Firing Line began as an hour-long show for commercial television, syndicated by WOR-TV in New York City where it ran for 240 episodes.

Buckley and his producer, Warren Steibel, used various methods over the years of bringing an extra perspective to the show. In the early years there would often be a panel of questioners. In 1977 the panel was replaced by an "examiner" who played a larger part in the proceedings. Examiners varied, with Jeff Greenfield, Michael Kinsley, Harriet Pilpel, and Mark J. Green appearing most frequently. When the show was shortened to 30 minutes in 1988, the role of examiner was eliminated, but there was often a moderator, whose role was similar to that of the moderator in a formal debate. The moderator would introduce both host and guest, and then ask the opening question.

Public television years

In 1971, Firing Line moved to public television under the auspices of South Carolina Educational Television, and became a full hour.

Starting in 1978, scattered among the regular shows were occasional specials and two-hour formal debates, with opening statements, cross-examination, and closing statements. Beginning in March 1993, the formal debate would often be followed by shows in which most or all of the participants engaged in informal discussion.

The show might be compared in politeness and erudition to other national public interview shows, specifically Charlie Rose or Terry Gross, but Buckley was clearly interested in debate and not afraid to occasionally remind the viewer that his point of view was specifically Roman Catholic.

In a 1999 Salon.com article, The Weekly Standard editor William Kristol summarized Buckley's approach to the show: "Buckley really believes that in order to convince, you have to debate and not just preach, which of course means risking the possibility that someone will beat you in debate." [1]

Trivia

The theme music of Firing Line was the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Third Movement (Allegro assai), by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Further reading

• On the Firing Line: The Public Life of Our Public Figures, by William F. Buckley (New York: Random House, 1989), ISBN 0-394-57568-7. A collection of transcript excerpts and commentary.

See also

• David Susskind
• Dick Cavett

External links

• The Firing Line Collection (with a program list and RealVideo clips) from the Hoover Institution Archives
• Firing Line Ceases Fire, a January 1999 article from Salon.com
• "All Quiet on the Firing Line", a December 1999 CNN article commenting on the end of the show