Washington Journal is an American television series on the C-SPAN television network in the format of a political call-in and interview program. The program features elected officials, government administrators and journalists as guests, answering questions from the hosts and from members of the general public, who call into the studio or submit questions via e-mail and social media. The three-hour program airs every day of the year beginning at 7 a.m. Eastern Time, except when special events or coverage of Congress preempts all or part of the program. The audio of the program also airs on WCSP-FM as a simulcast with the television broadcast. Background and production History Washington Journal'''s antecedent is the C-SPAN daily call-in, a fixture of the network since October 7, 1980. The inaugural Washington Journal program aired on January 4, 1995, and the program continues to be shown on C-SPAN in its original time slot. Saturday and Sunday editions were originally just two hours long; on January 20, 2001, they were expanded to a full three hours. Simulcasts of Washington Journal on C-SPAN's radio station, WCSP-FM, began on October 9, 1997; it was the first program to be broadcast on the station. One hour of the Sunday edition of Washington Journal is also simulcast on BBC Parliament in the United Kingdom, preceded by America This Week, an hour of recorded C-SPAN programming. Format At the beginning of each program, the host reads noteworthy articles and editorials from current newspapers and periodicals as viewers discuss a timely topic chosen by C-SPAN. The program occasionally features "open phones" segments when callers may discuss any topic of their choosing. In multiple segments following, the host interviews guests invited to discuss a specific political or legislative issue, and takes calls from the public. Most guests appear in C-SPAN's Washington or New York City studios, while some guests are interviewed from remote locations. The program is noted for the participation of its viewers who may call in, submit questions and comments via e-mail or, since March 5, 2009, Twitter. As facilitators of conversation between the public and C-SPAN guests, Washington Journal hosts do not offer their own perspective on issues, and leave more pointed questions to callers, though they will occasionally ask for clarifications from callers and guests. Consistent with its emphasis on reflecting a wide variety of viewpoints, C-SPAN aims to take approximately 60 calls in each program, and roughly