Primetime (TV series)
| Primetime | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Newsmagazine |
| Created by | Roone Arledge |
| Presented by | John Quiñones |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | ABC News Headquarters, New York City, New York |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | ABC News Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) 720p (HDTV) |
| Original release | August 3, 1989 – May 18, 2012 |
| Website | |
Primetime was an American news magazine show which debuted on ABC in 1989 with co-hosts Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer and originally had the title Primetime Live.
Originally, the program was aired live on the ABC network and featured a live studio audience. The first interviews included Roseanne Barr and a piece on a Middle East hostage crisis reported by Chris Wallace. Donaldson and Sawyer would allow audience members to comment on the program and ask questions of the guests, who were usually interviewed live via satellite or in studio, a practice that resulted in many technical difficulties and easy satirization on Saturday Night Live. Internal conflicts between Sawyer and Donaldson later led them to be separated, and the audience eliminated. However, the program has always had some live elements when broadcast as Primetime Live, generally consisting of Donaldson reading the opening remarks of packaged stories and the opening title as Primetime... LIVE!. Over time, live interviews were de-emphasized and hidden camera investigations began to occupy more of the schedule.
In 1998, ABC, in an effort to consolidate all of their news magazines, canceled Primetime Live and combined it with ABC's other well-known news magazine, 20/20. The move was made to compete more effectively with NBC's Dateline, which ran multiple nights of the week. In 2000, however, ABC relaunched the program. It was renamed Primetime Thursday with Charles Gibson replacing Donaldson.
In 2003, ABC aired a short-lived 2003 continuation of the newsmagazine 20/20 Downtown as Primetime Monday.
Beginning in the 2004–2005 season, the show was known once again as Primetime Live. Its pair of co-hosts from the previous four seasons, Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer, was replaced by the rotating team of Sawyer, David Muir, Chris Cuomo, Cynthia McFadden and John Quiñones. The format shifted back to investigative reporting and a new executive producer was brought on board. On July 21, 2005, the show's title was changed to Primetime.
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