For John Walsh, host and executive producer of America’s Most Wanted (which airs Saturday nights on Fox), the show’s fate in 1987 seemed anything but certain. “I didn’t know anything about television.  I never thought the show would work,” the host admits during a conference call. The pilot of America’s Most Wanted, shot in Washington, D.C., aired on a Sunday night and was “torturous” work, but after the episode, tips began pouring in. One of the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted featured on the show, serial rapist and murderer David James Roberts, was caught by Thursday of the following week. One thousand episodes later, the first capture lingers on Walsh’s mind. “It was the most incredible experience,” he reflects, some 1,000+ caught criminals later. “The show that almost didn’t get on, a network that didn’t exist and look where Fox is now, and we’re still on after 22 years.” Read below for more our Alyssa Bailey’s report from the call, including Walsh’s meeting with President Barack Obama.

Photos courtesy of Fox and the White House

For Walsh, the cause is personal: Walsh lost 6-year-old son Adam after the child was kidnapped and murdered in 1981. The host has lobbied for victim and child protection legislature, including the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act passed in 2006, and has met with numerous presidents – including President Obama last week. “We discussed some serious issues, and I think a lot of good will come out of the meeting with President Obama,” says Walsh. “I was very surprised at the end of that discussion, he said that as the father of two small girls, two young girls, he said I give you my personal commitment that the administration will do everything it can to fund the Adam Walsh Act [which will create a national registry for sex offenders] … I was very, very encouraged and impressed by the fact that he had such knowledge of the issues that I wanted to talk about. I think it was one of the most positive meetings I’ve ever had at the White House with any of the presidents I’ve been lucky enough to spend time with.”

Walsh’s aim is higher than just the capital, however. With two decades of shows, Walsh envisions a global target. “We have captured 1,108 individuals in 35 countries.  I feel we’re now the world’s most wanted. We’re now doing cases with Interpol, Scotland Yard, as well as every law enforcement agency in the country.” Walsh’s job has also grown with the show’s target. Now an executive producer of the show, his focus is on strengthening AMW’s website and making better re-creations. “The show is still hugely popular, and I’m trying to reach out.” With the demand for cases “beyond the wildest imagination,” Walsh understands the impact his audience has. “The public is a huge resource worldwide [that can] make a huge difference for victims and law enforcement.” Walsh points to his show’s strength: “America’s Most Wanted does one thing really well.  If you’re on this show, you can run, but you can’t hide, and people get a chance to do the right thing.  They get a chance to give us a tip on a dangerous, dangerous guy wherever he is in the world.”

With the focus on the future, the 1,000th episode milestone is more than a tribute to the past. “I think a lot of people are surprised that America’s Most Wanted has made it to 1,000 shows.  I’m not,” Walsh remarks. “I’m a great believer in the American public and now our fans and viewers worldwide. They want to do the right thing.  They want to see these bad people off the street. We’re looking for the people that broke our hearts, destroyed our lives or hurt our loved ones to be held accountable and brought to justice.”