American Journal was created by King World as a companion to its Inside Edition program[2] and debuted on September 6, 1993.
In early 1996, as an attempt to grow in the 18-34 demographic, the show tried then aborted plans to add an "Off the Hook" segment; King World would try again with "Team A.J."
[3] King World often packaged the series with an existing magazine distributed by the same syndicator, Inside Edition, which is still on the air today and has outlasted a number of in-house and outside competitors.
The theme song throughout the show's run was an arrangement by Rick Krizman of the Shaker tune "Simple Gifts."
[5] Faced with falling ratings and the potential loss of prime viewing slots, King World canceled the show after a five-year run.