The Open Mind

Alexander Heffner had big shoes to fill when he assumed hosting duties of The Open Mind in 2014. His grandfather, Richard D. Heffner, created the public affairs program in 1956—the longest-running of its kind on public television—and served as host until his death in 2013. But Alexander has proven a worthy successor; his commitment to "'interrogate ideas' rather than guests" is in keeping with his grandfather's original nonadversarial mission. And he intends to bring that mission to a younger audience for whom such talk-show sensibilities might seem in short supply.

This new show opening is a reflection of that aim. The iconic spinning heads still take center stage. But as they rise into view, they now serve as a sort of prism through which history and ideas are refracted and examined from newer, sometimes unexpected angles.