Dear Viewers:

The third and final year of Moyers & Company comes to an end on January 2 and I am writing to assure you that this time it’s the real deal. You may recall that we had originally raised the funds in 2011 for a two-year series but when I announced last fall that the end was near, thousands of you wrote imploring us to reconsider. My long-time funders came forward with a renewed commitment to a third year of support. How could I say no?

But as the end of the third year approaches it’s time finally to sign off.

I do so as the luckiest fellow in broadcast journalism for having been a part of public television for over half of my 80 years. I never expected such a full and satisfying run at work I could love so much, and I am deeply indebted to everyone with whom I have been associated on this long and rewarding journey.

As President Lyndon Johnson’s domestic policy assistant I was “present at the creation” when we held the first meeting at the Office of Education to discuss the potential of “educational television.” The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 became law the year I left the White House to return to journalism. I believe in our mission as strongly as ever, and if you want to be reminded of the importance of what public television does, watch the statement President Johnson made when he signed the Act.

With every best wish to each of you,

P.S. With half a million Facebook “friends” and traffic still growing, we will keep billmoyers.com up and running for the indefinite future. It will feature some new content and much of the programming we have done over these many years. Stay tuned for a live chat on Facebook with me in the October. Details to come soon…