'Dateline’ Marks 25th Anniversary With Super-Sized Season

By Michael Malone
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

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NBC newsmagazineDateline celebrates 25 seasons when the new one kicks off Sept. 23. Dateline will air two-hour specials every week from the premiere through December—15 in all, four more than last season. “Those tend to be our most successful programs,” says Elizabeth Cole, the show’s executive producer. “The audience builds during the two-hour period.”

The program has evolved from a traditional magazine show, featuring a handful of stories each week, to a single-story, true crime focus. “It has followed its storytelling skills and investigative roots,” says David Corvo, executive producer.

The principals, including correspondent Josh Mankiewicz, all have their most memorable broadcasts over the years, including ones that led to overturned convictions and marathon sessions around major breaking news, such as Sept. 11. “How many programs have been around for 25 years?” says Mankiewicz. “It’s pretty good company to be in.”

Michael Malone
Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.