NBC's "Meet the Press" is set to mark its 80th anniversary next year as television's longest-running program. The show launched as a radio program in 1945 before moving to NBC's television network in 1947.
Since taking over as host in 2023, Kristen Welker has studied pivotal episodes from the show's storied past, including interviews conducted by legendary moderator Tim Russert, who reinvented the program in 1991 by shifting from a press conference format to one-on-one conversations with politicians and newsmakers. Russert, who died in 2008, interviewed subjects ranging from Vice President Dick Cheney at Camp David to baseball player Yogi Berra.
Welker made history as the first Black journalist and woman of color to host the program. She is the second woman moderator in the show's history; pioneering journalist Martha Rountree created the series and served as its first moderator from 1947 to 1953. The show also achieved a historic milestone in 1975 when President Gerald Ford became the first sitting U.S. president to appear on a live network news program.
Under Welker and executive producer David Gelles, who worked as a producer with Russert in the NBC News Washington bureau, the program has expanded its reach across multiple platforms. A daily edition called "Meet the Press Now" airs on NBC News' streaming service, while the show has added segments such as "Meet the Moment," featuring interviews with figures including documentarian Ken Burns and poet Amanda Gordan, and a "Common Ground" series pairing speakers from opposing ends of the political spectrum. Gelles said the show aims to reach audiences "where they are" across mobile, streaming and YouTube.
