Think Tank With Ben Wattenberg to End Production

Long-running PBS Series Brought Best Minds to Television Audience

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After fifteen successful years on PBS, the weekly series Think Tank With Ben Wattenberg is ending production at the end of January.  "It has been a wonderful experience, and I am grateful to our viewers, sponsors and PBS for a great run," said Ben Wattenberg, the program's host, Senior Editor, and owner. "It is no secret that it is very hard to raise money for any kind of media underwriting or advertising now, public or private. But I hope that when the economy turns around, which I believe has already begun, we will be back not only with our weekly public television program, but with some exciting specials which are already in development."

Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg debuted on public television in April, 1994 and went on to become one of the longest running public affairs television series in history. Each week Wattenberg gathered a panel drawn from think tanks and the academy for an in-depth discussion of a single issue or idea.

Notable guests who appeared on the program include Daniel Boorstin, Robert Bork, Milton Friedman, John Kenneth Galbraith, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Roger Wilkins and Tom Wolfe, among others. In addition to the weekly series, Think Tank produced more than 15 PBS specials and documentaries, many based on Wattenberg's books. Before that, Wattenberg hosted weekly documentaries produced by WGBH (Boston) and WETA (Washington.)

Andrew Walworth served as Executive Producer of the Think Tank since its inception. "I am extremely proud of the series. It consistently aimed to elevate the public discourse and to shed light on complex subjects – not an easy job for television."

The final episode of the series will be fed to PBS stations on January 28.

SOURCE Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg