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Brian Williams Admits He Wasn’t On Attacked Helicopter
- Thread starter mvcg66b3r
- Start date
Stupidity worthy of NBC. Today Show ratings headed South, so reward the guy responsible. And look at Matt's journalism credentials, even less impressive than Brian's. Matt co-hosted Evening/PM Magazine.
Said by someone who doesn't view an anchor is a journalist. So that would make him the perfect candidate.
Sounds like someone [else] who used to claim [someone isn't] a journalist unless [they] had worked for the United Press; he called them UniPressers. I suppose if [someone] worked for the Associated Press, that would make [them] an AssPresser; though that sounds more like some exercise device sold on late night infomercials. (Along with the Abdominatrix?) 
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Lauer would not be a good pick. He'd get an initial ratings bump for curiousity, much like his former co-host Katie Couric did on CBS, but then the ratings would decline, somewhat sharply. CBS would certainly take over second and it might bring them back into the top spot for the first time in MANY years.
The more anyone insists on calling himself a "journalist," the less likely they are to actually be one.
And anyone who reads news on the air calls himself an "anchor," including some high school kid reading wire copy while working part time at a class D AM.
News readers who call themselves "journalists" are like DJs calling themselves musicians.
The term "anchor" was applied to Walter Cronkite to describe his role in the 1952 political conventions coverage, NOT his role as a news reader.
Anyone who has spent his entire career as "air talent," propped up by writers, editors and producers, has never been a "journalist." But is likely to have developed the kind of tumescent ego that comes to easily to performers. And that's what news readers are. No more, no less.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
After all, Olivier didn't write Hamlet. But he didn't try to pretend he did either.
And anyone who reads news on the air calls himself an "anchor," including some high school kid reading wire copy while working part time at a class D AM.
News readers who call themselves "journalists" are like DJs calling themselves musicians.
The term "anchor" was applied to Walter Cronkite to describe his role in the 1952 political conventions coverage, NOT his role as a news reader.
Anyone who has spent his entire career as "air talent," propped up by writers, editors and producers, has never been a "journalist." But is likely to have developed the kind of tumescent ego that comes to easily to performers. And that's what news readers are. No more, no less.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
After all, Olivier didn't write Hamlet. But he didn't try to pretend he did either.
Do you know any DJs who call themselves musicians?
The thing those two things have in common is neither require any form of certification. Neither does being a journalist. Neither does being an anchor, or an actor, or a writer. You do it, and say that's what you do. The way this works is the audience grants them all credibility.
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You have a long wait; there won't be another update of Brooks and Marsh(the 30th anniversary edition in 2009 was the last).
Yeah, I was wondering when Tim and Earle were going to retire. Hope they're enjoying well-deserved retirement. Thanks, you two, especially for the three eds. of your book that I had at one time or another (1979, 1981, and 2003). Now, we await the recipient(s) of the torch, who will have a lot to write about...
ixnay
I wouldn't want to see Matt Lauer. I can't stand him.
Right. Well, I like Bob. If he can do it I guess it would work.
At the 1964 Republican convention, CBS and Uncle Walter got clobbered in the ratings by NBC and Huntley-Brinkley. CBS replaced Uncle Walter as "anchor" for the Democratic convention with Roger Mudd (then considered an up and comer) and Robert Trout (who had anchored conventions, election night and other CBS special events coverage on radio for over 30 years). Their ratings were even worse and Uncle Walter was back on election night.
Roger Mudd was in line to take over the CBS Evening News when Uncle Walter retired but had the job stolen from him by Dan Rather and his agent (in a manner similar to that used by Jay Leno to steal The Tonight Show from Dave).
He left CBS and co-anchored the NBC Nightly News briefly with Tom Brokaw before being dropped from the show.
Not a track record likely to instill confidence in Roger as an audience draw among the Comcast/NBC suits.
Roger Mudd was in line to take over the CBS Evening News when Uncle Walter retired but had the job stolen from him by Dan Rather and his agent (in a manner similar to that used by Jay Leno to steal The Tonight Show from Dave).
He left CBS and co-anchored the NBC Nightly News briefly with Tom Brokaw before being dropped from the show.
Not a track record likely to instill confidence in Roger as an audience draw among the Comcast/NBC suits.
Let's see...Roger Mudd is 87...Bob Schieffer is 78...Tom Brokaw is the baby at 75.
Just what network news needs to kill it off. Bring back the great-grandpas. Have them sit around in their rocking chairs.
You can bet that NONE of those three will take over this job. They'll bring back David Gregory first,
Just what network news needs to kill it off. Bring back the great-grandpas. Have them sit around in their rocking chairs.
You can bet that NONE of those three will take over this job. They'll bring back David Gregory first,
Maybe just kill off the Nightly News. The O&Os would make more money for Comcast by expanding local news into the Nightly News time slot.
Nightly News pays for all the national and international coverage the stations use. And they have to get that stuff from someplace.
It's not that tough for NBC to replace BW. Lots of folks like him in house.
Actually, the Today Show pays the bills for NBC News. And NBC could have stations put network spots into the local news and come out ahead.
Regardless, they will keep the Nightly Show.
Considering all the stupid things NBC has done, and all the things broadcasters do because that's what they've always done, maybe they will. Unless Comcast steps in and orders them to scrap it because the Wharton MBAs working for Comcast have spread sheets showing the nightly news makes no financial sense.
There's a reason why Fox when they went into the network business never started one (even with local news in their O&O markets and a cable "news" network).
Comcast seems to be giving NBC-U a lot of autonomy in such things.
By the time Fox came along, station operations were set in stone. The local stations did 10PM newscasts, not 11PM or dinner time newscasts. That was not going to change, so the network adapted to fit that model. The Fox News Channel didn't exist at the time, and Fox itself didn't have a news operation, so it was not a priority.
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