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Changes Coming To CBS News

I don't know who that is, and the last time they hired a woman, it didn't work out so well.

Lesley Stahl and Meredith Vieira (not on CBS any more) are the only women I'd want in the role.

All that matters is Steve Hartman every Friday.
 
vchimpanzee said:
I don't know who that is, and the last time they hired a woman, it didn't work out so well.

Lesley Stahl and Meredith Vieira (not on CBS any more) are the only women I'd want in the role.

All that matters is Steve Hartman every Friday.
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This will mark the third female anchor for the CBS Evening News. Connie Chung co-anchored with Dan Rather 1993-95, and of course Katie Couric solo anchored from 2006-2011.
NBC has had no regular female anchor on their evening news in their history. ABC briefly ran with Barbara Walters/Harry Reasoner which turned out to be a disaster in 1976. Elizabeth Vargas briefly anchored in 2006, and Diane Sawyer had a good run from 2009-2014.
 
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It seems that this new VP wants to make a statement about having women in more prominent places after the sexual misconduct issues the company has faced.
 
CBS is a mess. They haven't had a LONG lasting anchor since Dan Rather (1982-2005). Since then they have stumbled and stumbled and stumbled. How many anchors since then? 5?
I watch David Muir nowadays. Very strong anchor over at ABC. Easy to read and understand, goes into the nitty-gritty on the stories as well.
 
crainbebo said:
CBS is a mess. They haven't had a LONG lasting anchor since Dan Rather (1982-2005). Since then they have stumbled and stumbled and stumbled. How many anchors since then? 5?
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Much of CBS's problem is not letting Dan Rather go in the early 90s. People assume that because someone was long-lived in their occupation that they were good at their job. Rather was not, and he drove the top-rated CBS Evening News deep into ratings hell in his two plus decades there.

Other than Jeff Glor, I wouldn't say any of the hires since Rather have been mistakes.


I watch David Muir nowadays. Very strong anchor over at ABC. Easy to read and understand, goes into the nitty-gritty on the stories as well.
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You can't be serious? World News Tonight is a sorry excuse for a newscast. It's slick, and Muir is easy to watch, but I think the story selection and quality of reporting are the worst I've ever seen. Not of the 3 networks today, but ever.
 
New to the forum but I've lurked for a while over the past year. Looking forward to great discussion about all things media--- pro and con.

Interestingly, this CBS shakeup seemed to be the worst kept secret of the last month. Personally, I think CTM is the only morning news program that remotely resembles news these days. Considering that's what the public claims it wants more of, I would think the ratings would be better then they've supposedly been.

One could argue that the issue of "ratings" tends to be overstated as well. It really comes down to generating revenue, which CBS still tends to do well on the surface. I think it's more a case of "nobody remembers third place" over anything else. My opinion, mind you.

I love Norah O' Donnell, which admittedly is the main reason I watch CTM. I'm thrilled for her hard-earned promotion. However, Jeff Glor is a great anchor as well, and at least deserves to take over CTM Saturday (for Anthony Mason). Frankly, CBS would be stupid to let him go.

Regardless, it's funny to see when media itself is in damage control mode! But I digress. :eek:
 
The Media Observer said:
New to the forum but I've lurked for a while over the past year. Looking forward to great discussion about all things media--- pro and con.

Interestingly, this CBS shakeup seemed to be the worst kept secret of the last month. Personally, I think CTM is the only morning news program that remotely resembles news these days. Considering that's what the public claims it wants more of, I would think the ratings would be better then they've supposedly been.

One could argue that the issue of "ratings" tends to be overstated as well. It really comes down to generating revenue, which CBS still tends to do well on the surface. I think it's more a case of "nobody remembers third place" over anything else. My opinion, mind you.

I love Norah O' Donnell, which admittedly is the main reason I watch CTM. I'm thrilled for her hard-earned promotion. However, Jeff Glor is a great anchor as well, and at least deserves to take over CTM Saturday (for Anthony Mason). Frankly, CBS would be stupid to let him go.

Regardless, it's funny to see when media itself is in damage control mode! But I digress. :eek:
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I think Glor is moving to 60 minutes so not a terrible demotion.
 
The Media Observer said:
Thank you for responding seatownmedia. I wasn't aware they announced Glor's new gig yet. I know CTM co-host John Dickerson is heading to 60 Minutes. If Glor is added too, he would definitely be an asset to the long-running show. :cool:
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I think I may have confused the two. I think glor is now a free agent.
 
I must be in the minority re: Muir. Jeff Glor is a trainwreck. The 60 second Eyeopener/News for People with Poor Attention Spans is also a trainwreck to watch. WHYY??? How many teenagers watch the evening news? They've done the 90 second version on CBS This Morning for years now.
Lester Holt is also decent, sometimes I flip between the two, but David Muir goes from story to story without any hitches IMO.

I mean, I still miss the days of Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather, but we have to stick with what we have...
 
seatownmedia said:
I think I may have confused the two. I think glor is now a free agent.
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Not according to CBS or him. CBS says they are trying to reach an agreement with Glor. In a statement on Monday, new CBS News president Susan Zirinzky said, “We are discussing opportunities for Jeff to remain with CBS News and continue providing the same substantive, trusted reporting that he has been offering for the past 12 years.”

Glor says:

A note from @jeffglor: "I'd like to think we're all guided by something bigger than one moment and one broadcast. I have always wanted to do work that matters and still do. That is something that will never change."
 
One small detail that has been overlooked in this discussion is that CBS News is also moving the CBS Evening New from New York to Washington DC!

One small problem: The CBS News bureau in DC is currently a big hole in the ground! A few months ago, I was in DC on business and drove past 2020 M Street, the Washington home of CBS, and saw that the building (and one next door) had been demolished. From what I understand, CBS sold the building to a development company with the agreement that they will be a tenant in the new building, and will retain their original address. But it will take a couple years for that building to be finished.

In the meantime, CBS News is in temporary quarters somewhere in DC. It is likely in those temporary quarters that they intend to base the CBS Evening News With Nora O'Donnell, at least according to this story from WTOP:

https://wtop.com/national/2019/05/cbs-news-names-new-evening-anchor-revamps-morning-show/

This is not an easy change. In addition to the anchor, there is the news staff who write and produce the daily show. It's a huge change for the New York operation. We'll see how it all goes in coming months.
 
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I don't know how Today keeps up in the ratings, it's 3 Hours of puff pieces. 5 anchors all fighting for air time. CTM went after harder news and the format seemed to be working. Altho I miss the days of Harry Smith in the morning. I think CBS made a mistake in losing him.
 
crainbebo said:
CBS is a mess. They haven't had a LONG lasting anchor since Dan Rather (1982-2005). Since then they have stumbled and stumbled and stumbled. How many anchors since then? 5?
I watch David Muir nowadays. Very strong anchor over at ABC. Easy to read and understand, goes into the nitty-gritty on the stories as well.
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It’s odd that many viewers place so much emphasis on the anchor. During the Cronkite era, CBS had a stellar anchor who lead a team of distinguished journalists that included a few first- and second-generation “Murrow Boys.” Unfortunately, budget cuts over the years have diminished the Tiffany Network’s once estimable roster. I believe the ratings decline is partly due to the absence of an all-star team at CBS News.
 
Do people in the "money demos" still care who's anchoring the news, or has that aspect of tV gone the way of call letters with younger age groups? Or are only 55+ viewers watching network news these days, making attention to talking-head news readers still important to the execs?
 
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