20/20

Fridays from 10:00-11:00 p.m., ET

The ABC News primetime news magazine "20/20" has distinguished itself as one of the most esteemed programs in broadcast journalism. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this season, "20/20" continues to combine hard-hitting investigative reports, newsmaker interviews and compelling human interest and feature stories. The program features award-winning journalist Elizabeth Vargas. For over three decades "20/20" has offered viewers reports and stories that have changes lives.

Featured contributors to the program include ABC News correspondents Jim Avila, Martin Bashir, Bob Brown, Juju Chang, Dr. Timothy Johnson, Bill Ritter, Deborah Roberts and Brian Ross, as well as contributing correspondent Chris Connelly. Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer also contribute reports.

Amid the heated, competitive environment of primetime entertainment, "20/20" has demonstrated its ability to consistently attract a significant segment of the viewing audience by offering viewers more choices and more chances to learn about the world around them.

In the past few season "20/20" has done many unique, award-winning hour-long reports, including "A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains," "If I Only Had a Gun," "My Secret Self: A Story of Transgender Children," "Waiting on the World to Change" – a year in the lives of children in one of the poorest cities in America -- "Scared Stiff: Worried in America," "Caught on Tape" – on how the proliferation of cameras in our society has impacted our lives -- "Seeing and Believing: The Power Of Faith," "Privilege in America: Who’s Shutting You Out," "Sweet Revenge," and the differences in female and male brains.

Exclusive interviews and reports this season include the one-time only return of Siegfried and Roy; the first interview with "the pregnant man," Thomas Beatie; the first primetime interview with then Vice Presidential candidate Governor Sarah Palin; never-before-seen video of the Somali pirates; investigations into Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scam, the business practices of AIG, and the disappearance of child Caylee Anthony.

"20/20" has been honored by numerous organizations and societies and has received more than 300 awards to date. Included in this list are several dozen Emmy Awards, two Alfred I. duPont Awards, 18 National Headliner Awards, eight awards from the American Women in Radio and Television, four Clarion Awards, four CINE Golden Eagle Awards, a Gabriel Award with a Certificate of Merit, four George Foster Peabody Awards, an Amnesty International Media Spotlight Award, an RFK Journalism Award, a Front Page Award from the Newswomen’s Club of New York, Inc., an award for Best National News Broadcast on a Psychiatric Subject from the Southern California Psychiatric Society, the Aviation and Space Writers Association Award of Excellence, and the Howard Blakeslee Award of the American Heart Association, among others.

"20/20" premiered Tuesday, June 6, 1978, at 10:00 p.m., ET, with co-anchors Harold Hayes and Robert Hughes. A week later, on June 13, Hugh Downs was named the sole host of the show. In September, 1984, Barbara Walters was formally named co-host. "20/20" began its first regularly scheduled season in the Thursday, 10:00-11:00 p.m., ET, time slot on May 31, 1979, and moved to Friday nights on September 18, 1987. David Sloan is executive producer of "20/20."