By — Julia Griffin Julia Griffin By — Tim McPhillips Tim McPhillips By — Dan Cooney Dan Cooney Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/watch-50-years-of-pbs-news-in-just-3-minutes Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: 50 years of PBS News in just 3 minutes Nation Oct 20, 2025 1:32 PM EDT The show you now know as the PBS News Hour went on the air 50 years ago. Watch in our video player above. “The Robert MacNeil Report” first appeared on television screens on Oct. 20, 1975, an outgrowth of MacNeil and Jim Lehrer’s unprecedented gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings two years earlier. READ MORE: As PBS News turns 50, longtime viewers share what the show has meant to them In the past five decades, our team has covered the biggest stories and interviewed leaders around the world. Here’s a major moment from every year we’ve been on air. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Julia Griffin Julia Griffin Julia Griffin is senior coordinator of digital video at PBS NewsHour where she oversees the daily production of video content for the organization’s website and social media platforms. By — Tim McPhillips Tim McPhillips @timmcphillips3 By — Dan Cooney Dan Cooney Dan Cooney is the PBS NewsHour's Social Media Producer/Coordinator. @IAmDanCooney
The show you now know as the PBS News Hour went on the air 50 years ago. Watch in our video player above. “The Robert MacNeil Report” first appeared on television screens on Oct. 20, 1975, an outgrowth of MacNeil and Jim Lehrer’s unprecedented gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings two years earlier. READ MORE: As PBS News turns 50, longtime viewers share what the show has meant to them In the past five decades, our team has covered the biggest stories and interviewed leaders around the world. Here’s a major moment from every year we’ve been on air. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now