Americas Most Wanted Video
| Announcer : John Walsh |
|---|
1996 cancellation and revival
The program was canceled for a month and a half in the fall of 1996, per a decision made the previous spring in the wake of high production costs. In its place, Fox moved Married… with Children (then entering what soon became its final season) to 9/8c, with the new sitcom Love and Marriage following it at 9:30. Cops remained in its hour-long 8/7c block. However, protests from the public, law enforcement, and government officials, including the governors of 37 states, as well as low ratings for the shows replacing AMW encouraged Fox to bring the show back. Love and Marriage was canceled, and Married… with Children was moved back to Sundays. Producers rechristened AMW with an expanded title, America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back. Since this time, the America's Most Wanted/COPS combination has made Saturday evening Fox’s most stable night, along with the longest unchanged primetime schedule on American television currently.
On March 6, 2010, Fox aired the 1000th episode of America's Most Wanted, and Walsh interviewed President Barack Obama at the White House. In the interview, they discussed the Obama Administration's crime-fighting initiatives, as well as the impact the show has had on law enforcement and crime prevention.
Profiling missing persons
The show began profiling missing persons, especially children, in 1991. Some of the most notorious captures include John List, the Texas Seven, as well as Brian D. Mitchell and Wanda Ileen Barzee, the abductors of Elizabeth Smart. On May 2, 2008, the America's Most Wanted website announced their 1,000th capture; a New York City Realtor named Dwight Smith, who was captured more than a week earlier.
Covering criminals in the War on Terrorism
The show expanded its focus to also cover criminals in the War on Terrorism when, on October 12, 2001 an episode aired featuring 22 most wanted al-Qaeda operatives. The show was put together due to a request by President George W. Bush, who had presented the same list of men to the nation two days earlier. However, the first show that focused mainly on terrorism aired after the September 11 attacks and was two hours long.
2011 Fox cancellation and network change
On May 16, 2011, Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly announced that after 23 years, America's Most Wanted, in its weekly format, would be canceled. The final weekly episode aired on June 18, 2011, though Reilly said four two-hour specials would air on Fox in the fall 2011 television season. However, Walsh said he is looking to other networks to keep the show going, saying he had "many, many offers" from other networks. Fox News Channel confirmed that its chairman Roger Ailes has had preliminary discussions with Walsh about bringing the show to Fox News, but said "nothing has been decided." On the final Fox episode, Walsh promised to continue the show elsewhere, and told the Associated Press: "I want to catch bad guys and find missing children - and we’re not done."
During the 2010 � 2011 season, the show averaged an audience of five million. Within hours of Fox's announcement of the show's cancellation, campaigns to save the show were started by fans through Facebook and Twitter.:
In September 2011, it was announced that Lifetime has picked up America's Most Wanted from Fox.
Local versions of AMW
>Station |
Ch |
City |
Name |
Airs |
Notes |
| KFDX |
3 |
Wichita Falls, Texas |
"Crimestoppers" |
Weekly re-enactment during the 6pm news |
|
| KTVI |
2 |
St. Louis, Missouri |
"St. Louis' Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 9:00 pm newscast |
|
| WJBK |
2 |
Detroit, Michigan |
"Michigan's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 10:00 pm newscast |
|
| KHON-TV |
2 |
Honolulu, Hawaii |
"Hawaii's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 10:00 pm newscast |
|
| WAGA-TV |
5 |
Atlanta, Georgia |
"Georgia's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 10:00 pm newscast |
Georgia's Most Wanted segments were hosted by Angeline Hartmann prior to joining America's Most Wanted as a correspondent. |
| WNYW |
5 |
New York, New York |
"New York's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 10:00 pm newscast |
|
| WTTG |
5 |
Washington, D.C. |
"D.C.'s Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 10:00 pm newscast |
|
| WBRC |
6 |
Birmingham/Tuscaloosa/Anniston/Gadsden, Alabama |
"Alabama's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 10:00 pm newscast. |
|
| WITI |
6 |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
"Wisconsin's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 9:00 pm newscast |
This segment is produced similarly to a single story from AMW, and normally lasts 5 to 10 minutes. |
| WGHP |
8 |
High Point, North Carolina |
"Piedmont's Most Wanted" |
Periodically, during 10:00 pm newscast |
|
| KECY-TV |
9 |
Yuma, Arizona-El Centro, California |
|
During commercial breaks throughout the day |
Ads feature John Walsh mentioning the region's police, and an announcer mentions someone wanted in the area. Another ad by Walsh directs viewers to the station's website for more wanted criminals. Unlike other Fox stations, who usually air similar spots either after the news or AMW, they air throughout the day, as the station has no newscast. |
| KTTV |
11 |
Los Angeles, California |
"L.A.'s Most Wanted" |
Periodically, during 10:00 pm newscast |
Presented by Tony Valdez. |
KFFX-TV/
KCYU-LD |
11/
41 |
Pendleton, Oregon
Yakima, Washington |
"Washington's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, at 10:00 p.m. |
Produced by KCPQ |
| KCPQ |
13 |
Seattle, Washington |
"Washington's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, after 10:00 pm newscast |
Hosted by KCPQ news anchor David Rose. The show premiered on November 14, 2008, and also airs on Friday nights at 9:30pm after the newscast on sister MyNetworkTV station KZJO, channel 25 (virtual 22). |
| KSTU |
13 |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
"Utah's Most Wanted" |
Periodically, during 9:00 pm newscast |
|
| KCIT |
14 |
Amarillo, Texas |
"Amarillo Crimestoppers Fugitive of the Week" |
Every Saturday night, during 9:00 pm newscast |
|
| KDSM-TV |
17 |
Des Moines, Iowa |
"Metro's Most Wanted" |
Periodically, during commercial breaks |
Each spot lasts about 25 � 40 seconds, and features one locally wanted fugitive. |
| WXMI |
17 |
Grand Rapids, Michigan |
"West Michigan's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 10:00 pm newscast |
|
| WXXA-TV |
23 |
Albany, New York |
"Capital Region's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 10:00 pm newscast |
|
| WFXT |
25 |
Boston, Massachusetts |
"Massachusetts' Most Wanted" |
Periodically, during 10:00 pm Saturday night newscast |
|
| KOKH-TV |
25 |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
"Oklahoma's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 9:00 pm newscast |
|
| KMPH-TV |
26 |
Fresno, California |
"Central Valley's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 10:00 pm newscast |
|
| KAYU-TV |
28 |
Spokane, Washington |
"Washington's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, after The local News airing at 10:30 |
Produced by KCPQ. |
| WTGS |
28 |
Savannah, Georgia |
"Savannah's Most Wanted" |
Airs once a month; Full 30 minute show on FOX |
Hosted by Crime Reporter Nikki Gaskins and FOX Anchor Jesse Blanco; John Walsh is featured in the show open & tosses to anchors on set; shows can be viewed on-line at: www.thecoastalsource.com; Keyword: Most Wanted |
| WTXF-TV |
29 |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
"Philadelphia's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 10:00 pm newscast |
|
| KDVR |
31 |
Denver, Colorado |
"Colorado's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 9:00 pm newscast |
|
| KRCW-TV |
32 |
Portland, Oregon-Vancouver, Washington |
"Washington's Most Wanted" |
Every Monday morning, at midnight; repeated every Saturday afternoon, at 4:00 p.m. |
Produced by KCPQ. |
| WFLD |
32 |
Chicago, Illinois |
"Chicago's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 9:00 pm newscast |
|
| KMSS-TV |
33 |
Shreveport, Louisiana |
"ArkLaTex's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night during commercial breaks |
Each spot lasts about 25 � 40 seconds, and features one locally wanted fugitive. |
|
| WUPW-TV |
36 |
Toledo, Ohio |
"Toledo's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night at 10:00 pm |
|
| KTXL-TV |
40 |
Sacramento, California |
"Fox 40 Crime Alert" |
Every Saturday night, during 10:00 pm newscast |
|
WDRB/
WMYO |
41/
58 |
Louisville, Kentucky |
"Louisville's Most Wanted" |
During commercial breaks and newscasts |
|
| KCYU-LD |
41 |
Yakima, Washington |
"Washington's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, at 10:00 p.m. |
Produced by KCPQ. (KCYU-LD is a satellite of KFFX-TV in Pendleton, Oregon.) |
| WRAZ |
50 |
Durham, North Carolina |
"NC Wanted" |
Daily at 10:35 pm |
|
| WPGH-TV |
53 |
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
"Pittsburgh's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 10:00 pm newscast |
|
| WXIN |
59 |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
"Indiana's Most Wanted" |
Every Saturday night, during 10:00 pm newscast |
|
| WALB |
10 |
Albany, Georgia |
"WALB's Most Wanted" |
Every Tuesday evening, during 5:00 pm newscast |
|
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