Editing Firing Line (TV program)

{{Short description|American public affairs television show}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Firing Line title.jpg
| caption              = Title screen from the first season of ''Firing Line''
| alt_name             = Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.
| genre                = [[Talk show]]
| director             = [[Warren Steibel]]
| presenter            = [[William F. Buckley Jr.]] (1966–1999)<br />[[Margaret Hoover]] (2018–present)
| theme_music_composer = [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]
| opentheme            = [[Brandenburg Concertos#Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047|Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major]], Third Movement (Allegro assai)
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 34 <!-- or num_series -->
| num_episodes         = 1,504
| list_episodes        = List of Firing Line episodes
| runtime              = 60 minutes (1966–1988)<br />30 minutes (1988–1999, 2018–)<br />120 minutes (debate specials:<br />1978–1999)
| company              = [[WWOR-TV|WOR-TV]] (1966–1971)<br />[[South Carolina Educational Television|SCETV]] (1971–1999)<br />[[WNET]] (2018–)
| channel              = [[Broadcast syndication|First-run syndication]] (1966–1971)<br />[[PBS]] (1971–1999, June 22, 2018–)<!-- or network -->
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1966|04|04}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1999|12|26}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Ferguson |first=Andrew |title=All quiet on the Firing Line: William F. Buckley Jr. flicks his tongue and skewers his guests one last time |url=http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/time/1999/12/20/firing.line.html |date=December 20, 1999 |website=[[CNN.com]] |access-date=December 30, 2018}}</ref>
| first_aired2         = {{Start date|2018|06|22}}
| last_aired2          = present
| related              = ''Firing Line with [[Margaret Hoover]]''
}}

'''''Firing Line''''' is an American [[Public affairs programming|public affairs]] television show. It first ran from 1966 to 1999, with [[Conservatism|conservative]] author and columnist [[William F. Buckley Jr.]] as host. It was relaunched in 2018 with [[Margaret Hoover]] as host.<ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.npr.org/2018/06/09/618496720/william-f-buckleys-firing-line-returns-with-margaret-hoover | title =William F. Buckley's 'Firing Line' Returns With Margaret Hoover | last =Simon | first =Scott | date =June 9, 2018 | publisher=[[NPR]] | access-date =December 23, 2018}}</ref>

With 1,504 episodes over 33 years under Buckley, ''Firing Line'' was the longest-running public affairs show with a single host in television history. The program featured many influential public figures in the United States and won an [[Emmy Awards|Emmy Award]] in 1969.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000223/1969/1 | title =Primetime Emmy Awards - 1969 | publisher =[[IMDb]] | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =Special Classification Achievements - Programs}}</ref><ref name="Online Archives of California">{{cite web | url = https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt6m3nc88c/ | title =Register of the Firing Line (Television Program) broadcast records | publisher =Online Archives of California | access-date =November 25, 2018 | quote =With 1,505 installments over 33 years, Firing Line is the longest-running public-affairs show with a single host, William F. Buckley Jr., in television history.}}</ref>

==Broadcast history==
[[File:William F. Buckley, Jr. 1985.jpg|thumb|left|Original host Buckley in 1985]]

''Firing Line'' began on April 4, 1966, as an hour-long show (including breaks) for commercial television. The program was produced at [[WWOR-TV|WOR-TV]] in [[New York City]] and was [[broadcast syndication|syndicated]] nationally through that station's parent company [[RKO General]] and later Show Corporation of America, a syndication firm which RKO acquired majority ownership of in 1968.<ref>{{cite web|title=Showcorporation to handle RKO shows. |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/68-OCR/1968-03-11-BC-OCR-Page-0067.pdf |periodical=Broadcasting |page=67 |date=March 11, 1968 |access-date=April 17, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.emmys.com/news/longtime-firing-line-host-william-f-buckley-jr-dies | title =Longtime Firing Line host William F. Buckley Jr. Dies | date =March 1, 2008 | publisher = [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =When Firing Line began in 1966 it was on commercial television, syndicated from New York's WOR-TV. After 240 episodes the show moved to public television in 1971, where it remained a PBS staple until Buckley decided to close down the show in 1999.}}</ref> ''Firing Line'' was mainly seen on weekends in low-rated afternoon or late-night time slots, because of the program's admitted appeal to a small, "[[Middlebrow|middle-brow]]" demographic group.<ref>{{cite magazine | url =https://www.weeklystandard.com/andrew-ferguson/on-the-firing-line | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20181206075824/https://www.weeklystandard.com/andrew-ferguson/on-the-firing-line | url-status =dead | archive-date =December 6, 2018 | title =On the 'Firing Line' | last =Ferguson | first =Andrew | date =March 10, 2008 | magazine = [[The Weekly Standard]] | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =Firing Line was a creature of the middlebrow—--that long-gone impulse of the mid-20th century popular culture that tried to orient a mass audience toward learning, intellectual sophistication, and cultural uplift.}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url =https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/06/01/can-firing-line-be-rebooted-for-the-trump-era-218582 | title =Is America Ready for Kinder, Gentler Political TV? | last =Hendershot | first =Heather | date =June 1, 2018 | magazine =[[Politico]] | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =On Firing Line, Buckley staked a claim for witty, urbane, sophisticated conservatism.}}</ref> The first 39 episodes of the series were taped in black-and-white; the series was converted to color in January 1967.

In the fall of 1966, ''Firing Line'' began to appear on [[noncommercial educational]] television stations, mostly in areas where RKO General found it difficult to sell the program to a commercial outlet.<ref>{{cite web|title=Buckley show sold to ETVs. |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/66-OCR/1966-09-05-BC-OCR-Page-0056.pdf |periodical=Broadcasting |page=58 |date=September 5, 1966 |access-date=April 17, 2022 }}</ref> After 240 episodes aired in commercial syndication ''Firing Line'' moved exclusively to noncommercial television in May 1971, distributed by the [[Public Broadcasting Service]] (PBS) and produced under the auspices of the Southern Educational Communications Association, an arm of [[South Carolina Educational Television]].<ref>{{cite web|title='Firing Line' program advances to ETV front. |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/671-OCR/1971-02-15-BC-OCR-Page-0048.pdf |periodical=Broadcasting |page=48 |date=February 15, 1971 |access-date=April 17, 2022 }}</ref> This was somewhat unusual, given the reputation among many conservatives that PBS unfairly discriminated against non-liberal viewpoints in its other programming. SECA/SCETV, however, was one of the very few public broadcasting entities of the time that was sympathetic to the conservative movement.<ref name="Pedersen">{{cite web | url =https://deadline.com/2018/02/pbs-conservative-talk-show-in-principle-michael-gerson-amy-holmes-1202305774/ | title =PBS Announces Conservative Talk Show As Trump Administration Mulls Whacking Pubcaster's Funding | last1 =Pedersen | first1 =Erik | last2 =de Moraes | first2 =Lisa | date =February 28, 2018 | website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =But it started in 1966 on SECA/SCETV, which was one of the very few public broadcasting entities of that time that was sympathetic to the conservative movement.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url =https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt6m3nc88c/entire_text/ | title =Register of the Firing Line (Television Program) broadcast records | publisher =[[Online Archive of California]] | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =In 1971, under the auspices of the Southern Educational Communications Association (SECA), it moved to public television and became a full hour.}}</ref>

Because the program received a relatively unfavorable Sunday evening timeslot on PBS' schedule in the early 1970s, Buckley and long-time director [[Warren Steibel]] briefly attempted to return ''Firing Line'' to commercial TV, but could not find sponsors. Thus, the program would remain on PBS until Buckley and Steibel discontinued production on December 17, 1999, with Buckley's final episode airing December 26, 1999.<ref name="Pedersen"/><ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,992956,00.html | title = All Quiet on the Firing Line: William F. Buckley Jr. | last =Ferguson | first =Andrew |author-link=Andrew Ferguson | date = December 27, 1999 | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | access-date = February 11, 2022 | quote = On a bleak afternoon last week, in a dim little TV studio in lower Manhattan, Firing Line finally ran out of ammunition. Hosted for 33 years by the conservative intellectual William F. Buckley Jr., the show taped its final installment, which will air on PBS stations the week of Dec. 26.}}</ref>

In April 2018, [[PBS]] announced that it would begin airing a new ''Firing Line,'' hosted by [[Margaret Hoover]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title='Firing Line': PBS Reloads Public-Affairs Show With Host Margaret Hoover |url=https://deadline.com/2018/04/firing-line-revival-pbs-margaret-hoover-wnet-1202377099/ |magazine=Deadline Hollywood|date=April 26, 2018}}</ref>

==Buckley tenure==

===Show format===
Although the program's format varied over the years, it typically featured Buckley interviewing, and exchanging views with, a guest, while seated together in front of a small studio audience. Standing or sitting further away in the studio, an "examiner", typically a [[Modern Liberalism in the United States|liberal]], would ask questions, generally toward the end of the show. Most guests were intellectuals or those in positions of power, being notable in the fields of politics, religion, literature and academia. Their views could either sharply contrast or be in strong agreement with Buckley's.<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/nyregion/29buckley.html | title =On TV, Buckley Led Urbane Debating Club | last =Konigsberg | first =Erik | date =February 29, 2008 | newspaper =[[The New York Times]] | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote ='Over 33 years, the list of guests on "Firing Line" was impressive and very much bipartisan: Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Clare Boothe Luce and Henry A. Kissinger on the right. Muhammad Ali, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Jimmy Carter and William M. Kunstler on the left. There were also, of course, people who, by dint of political or personal conviction, would not appear on "Firing Line.{{"'}}}}</ref>

Reflecting Buckley's talents and preferences, the exchange of views was almost always polite, and the guests were given time to answer questions at length, giving the program a leisurely pace. "The show was devoted to a leisurely examination of issues and ideas at an extremely high level", according to [[Jeff Greenfield]], who frequently appeared as an examiner. [[John Kenneth Galbraith]] said of the program, "''Firing Line'' is one of the rare occasions when you have a chance to correct the errors of the man who's interrogating you."<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/nyregion/29buckley.html | title =On TV, Buckley Led Urbane Debating Club | last =Konigsberg | first =Erik | date =February 29, 2008 | newspaper=The New York Times | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote ={{'"}}Firing Line" is one of the rare occasions when you have a chance to correct the errors of the man who's interrogating you,' John Kenneth Galbraith said that night.}}</ref>

The show might be compared in politeness and style of discourse to other national public interview shows, specifically those hosted by [[Richard Heffner]], [[Charlie Rose]] or [[Terry Gross]], but Buckley was clearly interested in debate. 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."<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.salon.com/media/lehm/1999/01/07lehm.html | title =Firing Line Ceases Fire | last =Lehman | first =Susan | date =January 7, 1999 | website=[[Salon.com]] | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110628213313/http://www.salon.com/media/lehm/1999/01/07lehm.html | access-date =December 23, 2018 | archive-date =June 28, 2011 | quote ='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,' says Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, adding that 'not that many people could beat Buckley, of course.' }}</ref> Buckley was not averse to asking tough questions of friendly guests either, according to [[Tom Wolfe]], who recalled the interviewer asking him whether there were really any original insights in his book ''[[The Bonfire of the Vanities]]''.<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/nyregion/29buckley.html | title =On TV, Buckley Led Urbane Debating Club | last =Konigsberg | first =Erik | date =February 29, 2008 | newspaper=The New York Times | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =Tom Wolfe praised Mr. Buckley somewhat ruefully for being a tough interrogator, 'even though we agreed on so many things.'}}</ref>

Buckley and his producer, [[Warren Steibel]], used various methods over the years to bring extra perspectives 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 Green (New York politician)|Mark 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.<ref>{{cite web | url =https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt6m3nc88c/entire_text/ | title =Register of the Firing Line (Television Program) broadcast records | publisher =Online Archive of California | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =The moderator would introduce both host and guest, and then ask the opening question. Source: Preface to the program catalogue compiled by ''Firing Line'' staff member Linda Bridges}}</ref>

Starting in 1978, scattered among the regular broadcasts were occasional specials and two-hour formal [[debate]]s, with opening statements, [[structure of policy debate#Cross-Examination Periods|cross-examination]], and closing statements. In 1988, at Buckley's request, the running time of regular program shows was reduced from one hour to a half-hour. Beginning in March 1993, the two-hour formal debates would often be followed by half-hour shows in which most or all of the participants engaged in informal discussion. In the 1980s and 1990s, the debate episodes were frequently broadcast on the Monday evenings after PBS pledge drives concluded.

A recurring episode that Buckley had rebroadcast every Christmas, beginning in 1981, was an interview he did with [[Malcolm Muggeridge]] at his home in Sussex, England. The title of the episode was "How Does One Find Faith?" The episode deals with questions that are religious and spiritual in nature.<ref>{{cite magazine | url =https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/buckley-christmas-tradition/ | title =A Buckley Christmas Tradition | last =Fowler | first =Jack | date =December 25, 2015 | magazine =[[National Review]] | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =Bill's acclaimed program, Firing Line, had a delightful Christmas tradition: to rerun his wonderful 1981 interview with Malcolm Muggeridge on 'How Does One Find Faith?' After you digest your figgy pudding, we recommend you take a few minutes to watch this clip from the program. Albeit brief, you are sure to enjoy seeing two giant conservative intellects discussing faith.}}</ref>

===Buckley's persona===
Buckley's distinctive mannerisms were prominently displayed by the program and were part of the public images of both the show and Buckley. Buckley was frequently seen leaning far back in his chair, a pen near his mouth and a clipboard in hand. His flicking tongue, widening eyes, and flashing smile also characterized his style, as did his multi-syllabic vocabulary.<ref>{{cite magazine | url =https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2008/02/why-did-william-f-buckley-jr-talk-like-that.html | title =Why Did William F. Buckley Jr. Talk Like That? | last =Tsai | first =Michelle | date =February 28, 2008 | magazine =[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote = The conservative thinker may have shared an accent with some other men of the same age and social class, but his mannerisms and gestures made him entirely unique—and occasionally prone to caricature. He tended to pause for long stretches, wag his tongue, and open his mouth in an exaggerated way. To emphasize a point, he would make a tent with his fingers or grin as he spoke a key word. Toss in his wit, his blue-blooded accent, and his affinity for fancy words, and Buckley had created his own personal language, or idiolect.}}</ref> Buckley's voice was widely satirized, for instance by [[Robin Williams]] on ''[[Saturday Night Live (season 9)|Saturday Night Live]]'' and in the animated movie ''[[Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine | url =https://www.bustle.com/articles/100968-pop-culture-references-in-aladdin-that-are-sooooooo-outdated-now | title =Pop Culture References In 'Aladdin' That Are Sooooooo Outdated Now | last =Matlow | first =Orli | date =July 30, 2015 | magazine=[[Bustle (magazine)|Bustle]] | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =The Genie is drawn to be like Buckley twice in the movie. William F. Buckley hosted the TV show Firing Line from 1966-1999. Genie turns into him when he needs to get serious with Aladdin. I'm sure that joke killed with the parents in 1992, but today it takes some Googling to get.}}</ref>

At the same time that guests were treated politely, Buckley might also gently mock them, particularly if he was friendly with them, as with [[John Kenneth Galbraith]] or examiner [[Mark Green (New York politician)|Mark Green]]. "You've been on the show close to 100 times over the years", Buckley once asked Green. "Tell me, Mark, have you learned anything yet?"<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/business/worldbusiness/28iht-27cndbuckley.10511692.html | title =William Buckley Jr. is dead at 82 | last =Martin | first =Douglas | date =December 8, 2008 | newspaper=The New York Times | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =To New York City politician Mark Green, he purred, 'You've been on the show close to 100 times over the years. Tell me, Mark, have you learned anything yet.'}}</ref> When [[Allen Ginsberg]] asked if he could sing a song in praise of [[Krishna]], Buckley acceded and the poet chanted "[[Hare Krishna (mantra)|Hare Krishna]]" repeatedly as he played dolefully on a [[pump organ|harmonium]]. According to [[Richard Brookhiser]], an associate of Buckley's, the host commented that it was "the most unharried Krishna I've ever heard".<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/nyregion/29buckley.html | title =On TV, Buckley Led Urbane Debating Club | last =Koningsberg | first =Erik | date =February 29, 2008 | newspaper=The New York Times | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote = Mr. Ginsberg proceeded to play a long and doleful number on a harmonium, chanting along slowly and passionately, Mr. Brookhiser said. 'And when he was finished, Bill said, "Well, that's the most unharried Krishna I've ever heard.{{"'}}}}</ref>

Buckley's celebrated politeness sometimes wore thin: In a 1969 debate with linguist and political activist [[Noam Chomsky]], Buckley said, "I rejoice in your disposition to argue the [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]] question, especially when I recognize what an act of self-control this must involve." Chomsky acknowledged, "Sometimes I lose my temper. Maybe not tonight." "Maybe not tonight", Buckley said, "because if you would I'd smash you in the goddamn face."<ref>{{cite web | url =https://digitalcollections.hoover.org/objects/6077/vietnam-and-the-intellectuals?ctx=f02e38b4-4abd-4950-b132-22572acf33b0&idx=1 | title =Vietnam and the Intellectuals | date =April 3, 1969 | publisher =Hoover Institution Library and Archives: Firing Line broadcast records | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =Mr. Chomsky says nothing to belie his reputation: 'I said that there are certain issues-for example-Auschwitz, such that by consenting to discuss them one degrades oneself and to some degree loses one's humanity&nbsp;... Nevertheless, I can easily imagine circumstances in which I would have been glad to debate Auschwitz-for example, if there were some chance that by debating Auschwitz it might have been possible to eliminate or to at least mitigate the horror that was going on. And, I think, I feel the same way about Vietnam.'}}</ref> (This comment was a joking throwback to Buckley's famous response to [[Gore Vidal]], when, during another Vietnam debate, Vidal called Buckley a "crypto-Nazi".)<ref>{{cite magazine | url =https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/buckley-vs-vidal-the-real-story-121673 | title =Buckley vs. Vidal: The Real Story | last =Lind | first =Michael | date =August 24, 2015 | magazine =Politico | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =But what these philosophies meant for these two, beyond opposing perspectives on pornography and the Vietnam War, is never explored. Instead, the film-makers have compiled clips of the two trading insults, culminating in the infamous exchange in which Vidal called Buckley a 'crypto-Nazi' and Buckley called Vidal a 'queer.' At first the spectacle is funny. But it soon becomes depressing and squalid. Anyone unfamiliar with the history of the time would see only two pompous men with old-fashioned accents insulting each other.}}</ref>

Buckley addressed his guests as "Mr." or "Mrs." He once called [[Margaret Thatcher]] "Margaret" because he thought she had addressed him as "Bill". He was embarrassed later when he saw the transcript and realized she had been referring to a legislative bill. He immediately wrote a personal letter of apology to the Prime Minister.<ref>{{cite magazine | url =https://www.nationalreview.com/2005/11/just-call-me-bill-william-f-buckley-jr/ | title =Just Call Me Bill | last =Buckley Jr. | first =William F. | date =October 28, 1975 | magazine =National Review | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =Mrs. Margaret Thatcher was my guest on Firing Line. Rather to my surprise, the English being more naturally formal than we are, halfway through the program she suddenly referred to me, once, as 'Bill.' I declined to break my Firing Line rule, and so persisted with 'Mrs. Thatcher.' However, the next day when we met again at a semi-social function, I braced myself on leaving and said, 'Good-bye, Margaret.' And a week later, writing her a note congratulating her on her performance, I addressed it: 'Dear Margaret.'}}</ref>

For the show's 15th anniversary in 1981, Senator [[Daniel Patrick Moynihan]], [[Vernon Jordan]], [[Henry Kissinger]], and [[Louis Auchincloss]] presided over a party for Buckley at the [[New York Yacht Club]].<ref>{{cite news | url =http://movies2.nytimes.com/books/00/07/16/specials/buckley-firing15.html | title =Buckley's 'Firing Line' Celebrates 15 Years | last =Kakutani | first =Michiko | date =February 25, 1981 | newspaper=The New York Times | access-date =December 23, 2018 | quote =Many of those guests made a return appearance last evening at the party given by Anne Armstrong, Louis S. Auchincloss, Alistair Cooke, Vernon E. Jordan Jr., Henry A. Kissinger, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and William E. Simon - themselves all alumni of 'Firing Line' too.}}</ref>

===Guests===
Prominent guests on the program included:<ref>{{cite web |title=Firing Line Guests |url=http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt6m3nc88c/dsc/#c01-1.2.11.1 |access-date=May 6, 2015 |publisher=Hoover Institution Library and Archives}}</ref>
* Politicians and statesmen: [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Richard Nixon]], [[Henry Kissinger]], [[John Vorster]], [[Harold Macmillan]], [[Gerald Ford]], [[Ronald Reagan]], [[Margaret Thatcher]], [[Enoch Powell]], [[Ron Paul]], [[George Wallace]], [[Ian Smith]], [[Jesse Jackson]], [[Newt Gingrich]], [[Daniel Patrick Moynihan]], [[Barry Goldwater]], [[Clare Boothe Luce]], [[John Kerry]], [[George H. W. Bush]], [[Michael Foot]].
* Political activists: [[Saul Alinsky]], [[Allen Ginsberg]], [[Julian Bond]], [[Timothy Leary]], [[Allard K. Lowenstein]], [[Huey Newton]], [[Madalyn Murray O'Hair]], [[Frank Donatelli]], [[Phyllis Schlafly]]
* Academics: [[Noam Chomsky]], [[B. F. Skinner]], [[Mortimer Adler]], [[Allan Bloom]], [[Arthur Schlesinger Jr.]], [[Zbigniew K. Brzezinski]], [[Benjamin Spock]], [[Paul Goodman]]
* Journalists: [[Carl Bernstein]], [[Bob Woodward]], [[Bernard Levin]], [[Malcolm Muggeridge]], [[Robert Kuttner]]
* Economists: [[John Kenneth Galbraith]], [[Milton Friedman]], [[Friedrich Hayek]], [[Thomas Sowell]]
* Writers: [[Christopher Hitchens]], [[Jorge Luis Borges]], [[Tom Wolfe]], [[Norman Mailer]], [[Jack Kerouac]], [[Walker Percy]], [[Anthony Burgess]], [[Truman Capote]], [[Mark Lane (author)|Mark Lane]], [[June Jordan]], [[Ann Coulter]], [[Mary McCarthy (author)|Mary McCarthy]]
* Religious figures: [[Billy Graham]], [[Richard John Neuhaus]], [[William Sloane Coffin]], [[Mother Teresa]], [[Dalai Lama]], [[Fulton J. Sheen]]
* Television and film personalities: [[Steve Allen]], [[Charlton Heston]], [[Theodore Bikel]], [[Groucho Marx]],  [[Godfrey Cambridge]]
* Others: [[Muhammad Ali]], [[Hugh Hefner]], [[Billy Taylor]], [[Bernadette Devlin]], [[Dwight Macdonald]], [[William Shockley]], [[Richard Vatz]], [[Emmett Tyrrell|R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr.]], [[Rush Limbaugh]], [[Rosalyn Tureck]]

==Hoover tenure==
[[File:Margaret Hoover (5452772933).jpg|thumb|left|Hoover (pictured in 2011) became host in 2018]]

===Revival===
[[Margaret Hoover]] hosts the Firing Line reboot on [[PBS]].<ref name="Online Archives of California"/><ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.npr.org/2018/06/09/618496720/william-f-buckleys-firing-line-returns-with-margaret-hoover | title =William F. Buckley's 'Firing Line' Returns With Margaret Hoover | last =Simon | first =Scott | date =June 8, 2018 | publisher=NPR | access-date =November 15, 2018 | quote =Almost 20 years since Firing Line ceased production, Margaret Hoover is stepping in to become the next host of the conservative talk show on PBS.}}</ref> The show premiered on June 2, 2018, on [[WNET]], which serves the New York metropolitan area, and is the largest PBS market in the country.<ref name="Firing Line with Margaret Hoover">{{cite web | url =https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/firing-line-with-margaret-hoover/episodes-season-1/1195752/ | title =Firing Line with Margaret Hoover | magazine=[[TV Guide]] | access-date =November 25, 2018 | quote =June 2, 2018 - The premiere of the public affairs talk show that delivers a civil and engaging contest of ideas.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.wnet.org/support/sponsorship/ | title =WNET Sponsorship | work =The WNET Group | publisher =[[WNET]] | access-date =November 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20040224005316/en/WGBH-Boston-ThirteenWNET-New-York-Americas-Largest | title =WGBH Boston and Thirteen/WNET New York, Two of America's Largest Public Broadcasters, Join Forces to Launch World and Create - Two New Digital Channels Serving Viewers Across the Northeast | date=February 24, 2004 | publisher =[[Business Wire]] | access-date =November 25, 2018 | quote =WGBH Boston and Thirteen/WNET New York have combined forces to launch World and Create, two new digital channels for viewers throughout the Boston and New York metropolitan areas. Available to digital cable subscribers as well as over the air (via antenna) to viewers with digital receivers, the new channels complement the traditional analog channels of both WGBH Boston and Thirteen/WNET New York.}}</ref> The show maintains the original format of deep exchange of ideas with a single guest on a single issue within its 26-minute runtime. It is produced weekly at the WNET Tisch Studios.<ref>{{cite news | url =https://current.org/2018/04/pbs-rekindles-political-debate-show-firing-line/ | title =PBS rekindles political debate show 'Firing Line' | last =Falk | first =Tyler | date =April 27, 2018 | newspaper=[[Current (newspaper)|Current]] | access-date =November 25, 2018 | quote ='The show will maintain the character of the original series by William F. Buckley, providing a platform that is diligent in its commitment to a balanced exchange of opinion,' the release added. 'The series comes at a time when meaningful discourse is needed more than ever.'}}</ref><ref name="Firing Line with Margaret Hoover"/>

===Episodes===
The first fourteen episodes of the program featured guests representing a variety of sociopolitical ideologies, including Speaker of the House [[Paul Ryan]], Ohio Governor [[John Kasich]], journalist [[Gretchen Carlson]], Senator [[Jeff Merkley]], "the rising star of the political Left", [[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]],<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/27/nyregion/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-bio-profile.html | title =Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Emerges as a Political Star | last =Newman | first =Andy | date =June 27, 2018 | newspaper=The New York Times | access-date =November 25, 2018}}</ref> and "accidental icon of the conservative movement", [[Jordan Peterson]].<ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/jordan-peterson-is-conservative-not-classical-liberal | title =Jordan Peterson is a Conservative, Not a Classical Liberal | last =Arnold | first =Megan | date =August 24, 2018 | publisher =Libertarianism.org | access-date =November 25, 2018 | quote =In speaking of the distinction between conservatives and [classical] liberals in his essay 'Why I Am Not a Conservative,' Nobel laureate F.A. Hayek notes that 'the conservative attitude is a fear of change' and 'a timid distrust of the new as such.' By contrast, Hayek says that a liberal like himself can 'accept changes without apprehension even though he does not know how the necessary adaptations will be brought about.' Conservatives only feel safe 'if [they are] assured that some higher wisdom watches and supervises change.' It almost seems as though Hayek had Jordan Peterson in mind when he wrote the essay.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.pbs.org/show/firing-line/episodes/season/2018/ | title =Firing Line Episodes Season 1 - 2018 | publisher =[[PBS]] | access-date =November 25, 2018}}</ref> Margaret Hoover's interview with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez earned national and international attention for the latter's comments ranging from the state of capitalism and the unemployment rate in the United States to the State of Israel, which earned Ocasio-Cortez derision at the time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2018/jul/18/alexandria-ocasio-cortez/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-wrong-several-counts-abou/|title=Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrong on several counts about unemployment}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/2018/07/16/united-states/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-criticizes-israel-occupation-palestine|title=Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticizes Israel for 'the occupation of Palestine'|date=July 16, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/18/politics/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-democrats/index.html | title =Democrats should maybe slow their roll on pushing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as their next big star | last =Cillizza | first =Chris | date =July 18, 2018 | publisher =CNN | access-date =November 25, 2018 | quote =Which leads to moments like this one, which occurred during an interview with Margaret Hoover for PBS' 'Firing Line' in which Ocasio-Cortez gets herself into trouble when she starts talking about the Middle East and referring to Israelis who have settled in the West Bank as occupiers of Palestine. Hoover follows up, smartly, and Ocasio-Cortez begins to talk about an increase in settlements that makes it more difficult for Palestinians to access 'their housing.' Sensing that she is making things worse not better, Ocasio-Cortez admits: 'I am not the expert on geopolitics on this issue.'}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url =https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/07/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-embarrasses-herself-on-firing-line/ | title =Ocasio-Cortez Embarrasses Herself on Firing Line | last =Warner | first =Liam | date =July 17, 2018 | magazine=National Review | access-date =November 25, 2018 | quote =One widely circulated highlight was Ocasio-Cortez's reference to the 'occupation' of Palestine, which host Margaret Hoover asked her to clarify. She responded by saying that she supposed she was referring to the Israeli settlements in 'some of these areas,' which make it difficult for Palestinians to access 'their housing and homes.' Hoover asked for a fuller explanation but got only Ocasio-Cortez's demurral that she was 'not the expert on geopolitics on this issue.'}}</ref> The former governor of [[New Jersey]] [[Chris Christie]] was interviewed in which he referred to the crimes that [[Jared Kushner]]'s father committed as "loathsome".<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/30/us/politics/chris-christie-charles-kushner.html | title =Chris Christie Says Jared Kushner's Father Committed a 'Loathsome' Crime | last =Victor | first =Daniel | date =January 30, 2019 | newspaper=The New York Times | access-date =January 31, 2019 | quote ='Mr. Kushner pled guilty, he admitted the crimes. So what am I supposed to do as a prosecutor?' Mr. Christie said in an interview on 'Firing Line With Margaret Hoover' on PBS. 'If a guy hires a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, and videotapes it, and then sends the videotape to his sister to attempt to intimidate her from testifying before a grand jury, do I really need any more justification than that?' He continued: 'It's one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was U.S. attorney.'}}</ref> Senator [[Tom Cotton]] of Arkansas declared in his interview that the U.S. could defeat Iran with, "two strikes. The first strike and the last strike."<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/may/15/tom-cotton-us-could-win-potential-war-with-iran-in/ | title =Sen. Tom Cotton: U.S. could win potential war with Iran in 'two strikes' | last =Vogt | first =Bailey | date =May 15, 2019 | newspaper=[[The Washington Times]] | access-date =June 2, 2018 | quote =Sen. Tom Cotton said Tuesday the U.S. could win a war with Iran in only 'two strikes' amid simmering tensions between the two countries. When asked if the United States could emerge successful from a conflict with the Middle Eastern state, Mr. Cotton said, 'Yes, two strikes. The first strike and the last strike.' 'If Iran struck out militarily against us or against our allies in the region, then I would certainly expect a devastating response against Iran,' the Arkansas Republican said in an interview on PBS' 'Firing Line with Margaret Hoover' show.}}</ref>

===Reception===
''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that, "Under Ms. Hoover's direction, the discourse is civil and substantive."<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/11/style/margaret-hoover-john-avlon-post-partisan-marriage.html | title =Margaret Hoover and John Avlon on their Post-Partisan Marriage | last =Green | first =Penelope | date =July 11, 2018 | newspaper=The New York Times | access-date =November 15, 2018}}</ref> A review of the show by the ''[[National Review]]'' states, "the reincarnation of Firing Line comes at an interesting time, and a needful one."<ref>{{cite magazine | url =https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/06/firing-line-pbs-revives-needed-institution-margaret-hoover-host/ | title =A Hoover Restoration | last =Williamson | first =Kevin | date =June 3, 2018 | magazine =National Review | access-date =November 25, 2018 | quote =The reincarnation of Firing Line comes at an interesting time, and a needful one.}}</ref> In the run-up to the show's television premiere ''[[Politico]]'' said, "It seems like a great idea, so let's test drive it and see what happens."<ref>{{cite magazine | url =https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/06/01/can-firing-line-be-rebooted-for-the-trump-era-218582 | title =Is America Ready for Kinder, Gentler Political TV? | last =Hendershot | first =Heather | date =June 1, 2018 | magazine = Politico | access-date =November 25, 2018 | quote =It seems like a great idea, so let's test drive it and see what happens}}</ref> CNN anchor [[Poppy Harlow]] stated that ''Firing Line with Margaret Hoover'' "is appointment television in my house" on ''[[CNN Newsroom]]''.<ref>{{cite AV media | people =Poppy Harlow, John Avlon, Margaret Hoover | title =CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow | medium =Television | publisher =CNN | location =New York | date =August 8, 2018 | url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rDufRMe4gs}}</ref> Hoover has made multiple television appearances for the ''Firing Line'' reboot, including ones on ''Good Morning America'', ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'', and ''Real Time with Bill Maher''.<ref>{{cite AV media | people =George Stephanopoulos, Margaret Hoover | title =Good Morning America | medium =Television | publisher =ABC | location =New York | date =June 25, 2018 | url =https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/video/margaret-hoover-discusses-expect-firing-line-56141044}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media | people =Stephen Colbert, Margaret Hoover | title =The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | medium =Television | publisher =CBS | location =New York | date =June 27, 2018 | url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRt9thvqShE}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/george-will-billy-eichner-and-margaret-hoover-on-real-time-with-bill-maher/ | title =George Will, Billy Eichner and Margaret Hoover on Real Time with Bill Maher | last =Neale | first =April | date =June 15, 2018 | publisher =Monsters and Critics | access-date =December 14, 2018 | quote =The roundtable guests are Rep. Karen Bass, CNN contributor and television host Margaret Hoover, and Daily Beast contributor and author Michael Weiss. Hoover has been selected to bring back the analysis news show Firing Line [with William F. Buckley Jr.] which ran for over 33 years. Buckley interviewed other conservatives, as well as people on the left including Noam Chomsky, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Allen Ginsberg, and even Groucho Marx. Hoover is now the next host for the series which [returns] to PBS.}}</ref>

In May 2019 Hoover was awarded Journalist of the Year by the ''[[Algemeiner Journal]]'' for her work as host.<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/05/16/journalists-margaret-hoover-jackson-diehl-honored-at-algemeiner-summer-benefit/ | title =Journalists Margaret Hoover, Jackson Diehl Honored at Algemeiner Summer Benefit | last =Staff | first =Algemeiner | date =May 16, 2019 | newspaper =[[Algemeiner Journal]] | access-date =June 2, 2019 | quote =PBS host Margaret Hoover and Washington Post editor Jackson Diehl received 'Journalist of the Year' awards, and entrepreneur Cyril Berdugo was also honored at the event.}}</ref>

===Guests===
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Stacey Abrams]]
* [[Tim Alberta]]
* [[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]]
* [[José Andrés]]
* [[Steve Bannon]]
* [[Tony Blair]]
* [[Michael Bloomberg]]
* [[Max Boot]]
* [[Gretchen Carlson]]
* [[Chris Christie]]
* [[Tom Cotton]]
* [[Ann Coulter]]
* [[Ted Cruz]]
* [[Richard Dreyfuss]]
* [[Tulsi Gabbard]]
* [[John Hickenlooper]]
* [[John Kasich]]
* [[Jewel Kilcher]]
* [[Tamika Mallory]]
* [[Jim Mattis]]
* [[Andrew McCabe]]
* [[DeRay Mckesson]]
* [[Jeff Merkley]]
* [[Michael Moore]]
* [[Peter Navarro]]
* [[Oliver North]]
* [[Bill Nye]]
* [[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]]
* [[Sean Penn]] 
* [[Jordan Peterson]]
* [[Paul Ryan]]
* [[Adam Schiff]]
* [[Elise Stefanik]]
* [[Jeff Weaver (political staffer)|Jeff Weaver]]
* [[Randi Weingarten]]
* [[Andrew Yang]]{{div col end}}

==Theme music==
Beginning with the move of the program to public television in 1971, the [[theme music]] of ''Firing Line'' was the [[Brandenburg Concertos#Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047|Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major]], Third Movement (Allegro assai), by [[Johann Sebastian Bach]].

==Release==
A number of episodes of the show have been released on [[DVD]] by the [[Hoover Institution Library and Archives]] at [[Stanford University]], and are sold exclusively through [[Amazon.com]], which also makes episodes accessible via [[Amazon Video]]. For a slightly higher price, the Hoover Archive supplies unreleased episodes on DVD through its website. Episodes with playlists by year are now available on [[YouTube]].

Digitized audiovisual recordings and transcripts of more than 1,500 ''Firing Line'' episodes were contributed to the [[American Archive of Public Broadcasting]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Firing Line|url=https://americanarchive.org/special_collections/firing-line|access-date=July 23, 2020|publisher=[[American Archive of Public Broadcasting]]}}</ref> via external links from the Hoover Institution Library and Archives at Stanford University.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Firing Line|url=https://www.hoover.org/library-archives/collections/firing-line|access-date=July 23, 2020|publisher=Hoover Institution}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==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.
* ''Open to Debate: How William F. Buckley Put Liberal America on the Firing Line'', by Heather Hendershot (New York: Broadside Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2016), {{ISBN|9780062430458}}; 0062430459. A professor of comparative media studies/writing at MIT discusses the history and importance of ''Firing Line''.

==External links==
* [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt6m3nc88c/ Guide to the ''Firing Line'' Broadcast Records] and [https://digitalcollections.hoover.org/objects/21 transcripts of all programs and hundreds of videos online] at the Hoover Institution Library and Archives, Stanford University.
*{{YouTube|channel=UC9lqW3pQDcUuugXLIpzcUdA|title=Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.}} - Hoover Institution Library and Archives
* {{IMDb title|id=0257303|title=Firing Line}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110628213313/http://www.salon.com/media/lehm/1999/01/07lehm.html ''Firing Line'' Ceases Fire], a January 1999 article from ''[[Salon.com]]''

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[[Category:William F. Buckley Jr.]]
[[Category:Margaret Hoover]]
[[Category:1960s American television talk shows]]
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[[Category:Conservative television in the United States]]
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