The McLaughlin Group
| The McLaughlin Group | |
|---|---|
The McLaughlin Group title screen
|
|
| Created by | John McLaughlin |
| Starring |
John McLaughlin Tom Rogan Pat Buchanan Eleanor Clift Clarence Page |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | WUSA Broadcast House, Washington, D.C. |
| Camera setup | multi-cam |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Distributor | WTTW National Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | Broadcast syndication, primarily to public television |
| Picture format | 1080i 16:9 (HDTV) |
| Original release | January 1, 1982 – August 12, 2016 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The McLaughlin Group was a syndicated half-hour weekly public affairs television program in the United States, hosted by John McLaughlin from its first episode in 1982 until his death in 2016.
A group of four pundits, prompted by McLaughlin, discussed current political issues in a round table format. It aired on PBS member TV stations and the PBS digital subchannel World as well as on some local commercial TV stations, including WCBS-TV in New York City. During its run, underwriters included Pfizer, the , and GE (the longest-serving).
The general format for the show consisted of moderator John McLaughin questioning four commentators, usually Pat Buchanan, Eleanor Clift, Clarence Page, Tom Rogan and Mort Zuckerman during the show′s final years. Members of the regular panel varied over the years.
A typical episode covered three or four issues. The first was introduced by McLaughlin, beginning with, "Issue one..." which was explained by him, usually in a prerecorded video segment accompanied by his voice-over. He then proposed a question for the panelists, starting with Buchanan (if present). The conversation was usually sedate at the beginning of the program, but as opposing viewpoints emerged there was more verbal rough-housing, good-natured gamesmanship and occasionally very loud crosstalk as panelists attempted to out-yell the others, all of which were the show's trademarks.
Two episodes at the turn of the calendar year were reserved for "The McLaughlin Group Year-End Awards". Each panelist announced his or her choice for each category such as “Biggest Winner of 2008,” ”Best Politician,” “Most Boring,” “Turncoat of the Year,” “Enough Already,” “Most Underrated,” etc., followed by McLaughlin’s choice. During the first of these special episodes, the participants typically dressed in festive Christmas attire; in the second, they typically dressed in formal evening wear for the New Year.
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