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Revision as of 17:17, 3 March 2009

Elizabeth investigation

This article is about the FOX TV show. For other uses, see America's Most Wanted (disambiguation).
America's Most Wanted
File:Optimized image 4118eb36.png
StarringJohn Walsh
Narrated byDon LaFontaine (1988-2008) (teaser announcer)
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes941
Production
Executive producerLance Heflin
Running time60 minutes
Original release
NetworkFOX
ReleaseFebruary 7, 1988 –
Present

America's Most Wanted is an American TV show produced by 20th Century Fox, and is the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network. Its purpose is to profile and assist law enforcement in the apprehension of fugitives wanted for various crimes, including murder, rape, child molestation, white collar crime, armed robbery, gang violence, and terrorism many of whom are currently on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. On May 2, 2008, the program's website announced its 1,000th capture.

History

The idea for America’s Most Wanted originally came from a German show Aktenzeichen XY... ungelöst (ger. file number XY... unsolved) that first aired in 1967, and the British show Crimewatch, first aired in 1984, with the US version conceived by then-Fox executive Stephen Chao and Executive Producer Michael Linder in the summer of 1987. It premiered on February 7, 1988 on seven Fox-owned stations. Within four days of the first broadcast, FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive David James Roberts was captured as a direct result. He was a convicted killer who had recently escaped from prison by digging his way out with a small axe. This demonstrated the effectiveness of the show's "Watch Television, Catch Criminals" premise to skeptical law enforcement agencies. Ten weeks later, the program premiered nationwide on the Fox network and became the fledgling network's first hit series. Since its debut, it has become the longest-running series on the Fox Network. America's Most Wanted reinvented the economics of prime time television with its low-budget reenactments of crimes. A typical hour of prime time programming in 1988 cost $1 million to produce. AMW's initial budget was much lower than that, but the show's reality-style format and nearly instantaneous captures (some fugitives were captured before the episode's final credits rolled) contributed to its success.

After the program’s pilot aired, a lengthy search was conducted, and John Walsh was selected as the host of the show; other potential candidates included former Marine Corps Commandant General P.X. Kelly and victims' advocate Theresa Saldana. Walsh had gained publicity after his six-year-old son, Adam Walsh, was kidnapped and murdered in 1981. Walsh and others had successfully advocated Congress for the creation of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The show began profiling missing persons, especially children, in 1991. Some of the most notorious captures include John List, the Texas Seven, and the abductors of Elizabeth Smart, Brian Mitchell and Wanda Barzee. On May 2, 2008, the AMW website announced their 1,000th capture; a New York City Realtor named Dwight Smith, who was captured more than a week earlier.

The show was canceled for a month and a half in the fall of 1996 when Fox decided to air a Saturday night sitcom block consisting of Married… with Children, Martin and two new series: Love and Marriage and The Preston Episodes. 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. Martin and Married… with Children were moved back to Sundays. Producers rechristened the show America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back. Since this time, the AMW/COPS combination has made Saturday evening Fox’s most stable night, along with the longest unchanged primetime schedule on American television currently.

John Walsh presenting another fugitive.

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. In October 2002, the show did a special episode focusing on the serial sniper shootings in the Washington, D.C. area.

In the new millennium, America’s Most Wanted has seen continued success. Currently in its 22nd season, AMW has reported over 1000 captures.

The show usually ends with John Walsh saying, "...and remember, you can make a difference", or, on occasion, "...and remember, you do make a difference."

On the last week of January 2001, after AMW had helped capture the Texas 7 along with a large number of other wanted fugitives, Walsh concluded with, "You really made a difference."

On December 20, 2008, after AMW aired their top 10 fugitives of 2008, Walsh concluded by saying "You do make a difference...a very big difference."

Local versions of AMW

  • On Fox 2 (KTVI), St. Louis, Missouri, they run "St. Louis's Most Wanted" every Saturday night at their 9PM newscast, after AMW.
  • On Fox 2 (WJBK-TV, Detroit, Michigan), they run "Michigan's Most Wanted" every Saturday night at their 10:00 newscast.
  • On Fox 5 (WAGA-TV, Atlanta, Georgia), a "Georgia's Most Wanted" segment airs on their Saturday 10:00pm newscast. "Georgia's Most Wanted" segments were hosted by Angeline Hartmann prior to joining America's Most Wanted as a correspondent.
  • On Fox 5 (WNYW-TV, New York, New York), they periodically air segment "New York's Most Wanted" during their 10:00 newscast after AMW.
  • On Fox 6 (WITI-TV, Milwaukee, Wisconsin), a segment called "Wisconsin's Most Wanted" is aired during the Saturday 9 p.m. newscast, following the airing of America's Most Wanted. This segment is produced similarly to a single story from AMW, and normally lasts 5 to 10 minutes.
  • On Fox 9 (KECY-TV), Yuma, Arizona-El Centro, California), during commercial breaks, an ad with John Walsh mentioning the region's police shows someone wanted being mentioned by an announcer. An 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.
  • On Q13 Fox (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, Washington), they air a new half-hour program called Washington's Most Wanted that's hosted by Q13 Fox News Anchor David Rose. The show launched in November 14, 2008 and runs Friday nights at 9:30pm after the newscast on sister-station My Q2 (KMYQ) and at 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday nights after the newscast on Q13 Fox.
  • On Fox 13 (KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, Utah), a "Utah's Most Wanted" feature airs periodically on the 9:00 newscast, particularly after AMW airs.
  • On Fox 14 (KCIT, Amarillo, Texas), the Amarillo Crimestoppers fugitive of the week is featured every Saturday Night on the KCIT FOX 14 News @ 9 After America's Most Wanted.
  • On Fox 17 (KDSM-TV, Des Moines, Iowa), they run a short spot during the commercials of America's Most Wanted called "Metro's Most Wanted" featuring one locally wanted fugitive. The spot lasts about 25-40 seconds.
  • On Fox 25 (WFXT-TV, Boston, Massachusetts), they periodically air a feature "Massachusetts Most Wanted" on their 10:00 news after AMW.
  • On Fox 31 (KDVR-TV, Denver, Colorado), a "Colorado's Most Wanted" segment airs on the 9:00 pm. newscast, after "AMW"
  • On Fox Chicago (WFLD-TV, Chicago, Illinois), a "Chicago's Most Wanted" segment airs on the 9:00 p.m. newscast.
  • On Fox Toledo (WUPW-TV, Toledo, Ohio), a "Toledo's Most Wanted" segment airs on Fox Toledo every Saturday night at 10:00 p.m.
  • On Fox 40 (KTXL-TV, Sacramento, California), a segment called "FOX 40 Crime Alert" airs Saturday Nights at 10:00 p.m. on Fox 40 News at 10 after AMW.
  • Although not a Fox affiliate, Cable Government Access Channel KCSB-TV 3, San Bernardino, California, produces a program called "Inland Empire's Most Wanted". It profiles wanted fugitives from San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. It is produced in co-operation with the San Bernardino Police Department, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and other law enforcement agencies in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The program was originally called "San Bernardino's Most Wanted" and focused on fugitives wanted by the San Bernardino Police Department and San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, but later expanded its focus to include all of the Inland Empire area (i.e. San Bernardino and Riverside counties). Thus, the name was changed to "Inland Empire's Most Wanted". The program is distributed to other local access channels in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Hotline number facts

When America's Most Wanted debuted, the show's original toll-free hotline number was 1-800-CRIME-88 (1-800-274-6388). The last 2 digits of the hotline number changed each year (1-800-CRIME-89, 1-800-CRIME-90, and so on) until 1995, when it was permanently changed to its current number, which is 1-800-CRIME-TV (1-800-274-6388), which, coincidentally, was what the number had originally been in 1988.

AMW Dirty Dozen

The AMW Dirty Dozen is a list of the most notorious fugitives that have been reviewed on the show that are currently at large. It is similar in function, though not analogous, to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, though four of the Dirty Dozen are on the FBI's list.

Currently there are only ten still at large on the list; the spots for Cesar Armando Laurean (captured) and Mark Everett (killed by police) have not been filled.

These are the current Dirty Dozen. They are in order as presented on the AMW website; the list is not ranked.

  • Robert William Fisher is wanted for killing his wife, Mary, and his children, Brittany and Bobby Jr., on April 10, 2001, and then burning down their house to try to cover up the crime. He is also on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He is considered to be AMW's Public Enemy Number 1. [1]
  • Jason Derek Brown is wanted for killing an armored car driver and stealing $56,000 USD in front of a movie theater in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 29, 2004. He is charged in Phoenix with first-degree murder and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He is believed to be in either British Columbia, or Mexico. [2]
  • Paul Merle Eischeid, a member of the Hells Angels, is wanted for his part in killing a woman in Tempe, Arizona, in 2001. He is charged with first degree murder. [3] He was recently placed on the U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted List, and is additionally wanted for drug trafficking and RICO.
  • Mark Everett, a former child actor whose roles included parts in Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Stand and Deliver , is wanted for murdering his former girlfriend, Stephanie Spears, and kidnapping their son, Benjamin, in Hawthorne, California, on Father's Day, June 20, 2004. On December 23, 2008, Everett was killed by police after a hostage standoff in El Monte, California where he held Benjamin hostage. [4]
  • Paul Erven Jackson is wanted in Hillsboro, Oregon, for raping numerous teenage girls during the late 1980s and early 1990s. [5]
  • Alexis Flores is wanted for the kidnapping, rape and murder of seven-year-old Irina DeJesus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in July 2000. He is on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. [6]
  • Dan William Hiers, Jr. is wanted for murdering his wife, Ludimila Heirs, in Goose Creek, South Carolina, in March 2005. He is also wanted for sexually abusing a child in Charleston, South Carolina, shortly before. Heirs, a former police officer, is on the U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted List, and they are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his capture. [7]
  • Emigdio Preciado, Jr. is wanted for attempted murder in a brutal gang-related shooting of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy Michael Schaap on September 5, 2000. He is on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List. [8]
  • Elby Jessie Hars is wanted for sexually abusing young girls in Columbia, South Carolina. He had previously served time for sexually abusing his own daughter, Terri Hars. Astonishingly, when he was released, she found young girls for him to abuse, leading to her going to prison. [9]
  • Andre Neverson is wanted for the murders of his sister, Patricia Neverson, and his ex-girlfriend, Donna Davis, both in Brooklyn, New York, in July 2002. He is also on the U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted list. [10]
  • Greisy Valencia is wanted for viciously abusing her 11-year-old daughter in Hayward, California. Valencia has been on the run since the girl's discovery on December 9, 2002. [11]
  • Cesar Armando Laurean was wanted for murder of Maria Lauterbach and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in December 2007. Laurean is former United States Marine Corps Corporal whom Lauterbach had accused of rape. [12] On 10 April 2008, the FBI announced that Cesar Laurean had been apprehended in Mexico.[1] He is currently awaiting extradition.

15 Seconds of Shame

15 Seconds of Shame is a segment (approximately one minute in length) where the show features four fugitives that are currently on the run, each in their own 15-second briefing. The run-up shows the charges against the fugitives, and where they might be. Aliases, tattoos and character quirks are also mentioned in the profiles.

Other facts

Cases that are international or have some international connection

Many of the series' cases have some connection outside the United States or have not taken place in the United States at all. The first show that aired after September 11, 2001 was two hours long and focused mainly on terrorism. The series' first international capture was in Nova Scotia in 1989.

The show's nature does not allow repeats, except for updates on convicted criminals, and is pre-empted a maximum of eight times during the year; three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, one Major League Baseball playoff game, the World Series, and if necessary, one NFL playoff game. However, if a fugitive featured on the show is not captured, their profile may be aired again.

On radio

A digest version of America's Most Wanted is distributed to radio stations Monday - Saturday through ABC Radio Networks at :15 min past the hour from 5AM to 2PM (eastern time). It keeps listeners up to date on the latest fugitive and missing persons/children cases nation wide.

Announcer

The announcer heard on the show for over a decade was voice-over artist Don LaFontaine, who died on September 1, 2008. The next episode was dedicated to him and a different announcer has been on the show ever since.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ "ABC News: Fugitive Marine Captured in Mexico" (HTML). ABC News. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
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