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Norah O'Donnell leaving the CBS Evening News which could pivot to rotating anchors effective after the Election

I remember when Chet Huntley retired, NBC tried a rotating-anchor system of David Brinkley, John Chancellor, and Frank McGee, The gimmick was that only two would appear on any given night and you had to tune in to see which two. Viewers didn't go for it; they wanted to see the same person every night. Chancellor became the anchor of NBC Nightly News, McGee went to the Today Show to replace Hugh Downs, and Brinkley did commentaries (although he and Chancellor re-teamed for NBC's 1976 election coverage and co-anchored Nightly News for about three years). I don't know how relevant this is some 50 years on, because the nightly network news is not the draw it was in the '70s, but it is a precedent. The era of Brokaw, Jennings, and Rather was the last golden era of network news.
 
Major Garrett & Margaret Brennan, 2 reg. fill-ins for Norah, will likely be in the rotation for sure. Wonder if CBS is contemplating moving the Evening News back to NYC as well.

If it's either of the people you named, the answer is probably no. They moved the news to DC for the convenience of Norah. If her replacement is a DC person, might as well leave it there. I think they sold the old CBS News building on W57th. Or it's for sale. The place in DC is brand new.
 
If it's either of the people you named, the answer is probably no. They moved the news to DC for the convenience of Norah. If her replacement is a DC person, might as well leave it there. I think they sold the old CBS News building on W57th. Or it's for sale. The place in DC is brand new.
The Broadcast Center is still very much in use and busy. Master control for the network, CBS Sports, 60 Minutes, WCBS-TV, Sunday Morning, CBS Radio News, the 24/7 streaming channel all happen there, as does John Oliver and other outside productions.
 
The Broadcast Center is still very much in use and busy. Master control for the network, CBS Sports, 60 Minutes, WCBS-TV, Sunday Morning, CBS Radio News, the 24/7 streaming channel all happen there, as does John Oliver and other outside productions.

Even if they sell it, they'd likely continue leasing the space, as they have in their other locations.


However, as I said, the DC news studio is brand new, and if they replace Norah with a DC talent, they'd likely remain there.
 
Even if they sell it, they'd likely continue leasing the space, as they have in their other locations.


However, as I said, the DC news studio is brand new, and if they replace Norah with a DC talent, they'd likely remain there.
They are not shutting down DC no matter what. Marget still does FTN from there.
 
I remember when Chet Huntley retired, NBC tried a rotating-anchor system of David Brinkley, John Chancellor, and Frank McGee, The gimmick was that only two would appear on any given night and you had to tune in to see which two. Viewers didn't go for it; they wanted to see the same person every night. Chancellor became the anchor of NBC Nightly News, McGee went to the Today Show to replace Hugh Downs, and Brinkley did commentaries (although he and Chancellor re-teamed for NBC's 1976 election coverage and co-anchored Nightly News for about three years). I don't know how relevant this is some 50 years on, because the nightly network news is not the draw it was in the '70s, but it is a precedent. The era of Brokaw, Jennings, and Rather was the last golden era of network news.
A most timely post, as Chet Huntley retired 54 years ago today.
Trivia: At the start, NBC Nightly News retained the closing Huntley-Brinkley music, the start of the second movement from Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.
 
Paying for Nielsen Ratings is useless if you can't monetize them.
It isn't that advertisers/agencies don't care about ratings, the modern fact is advertisers are spreading their money in many places. The pie is sliced so much thinner than even ten years ago.
How many people still call a TV repairman to come fix their set when the tubes go bad???
Tubes? Maybe Kirk, but that's the only one I can think of. The last CRT TV was produced back in 2010.
Guess it's time to finally take that antenna off the roof...😑
To what end? You going to sit in a dark room and stare at the wall?
 

I remember when Chet Huntley retired, NBC tried a rotating-anchor system of David Brinkley, John Chancellor, and Frank McGee, The gimmick was that only two would appear on any given night and you had to tune in to see which two. Viewers didn't go for it; they wanted to see the same person every night. Chancellor became the anchor of NBC Nightly News, McGee went to the Today Show to replace Hugh Downs, and Brinkley did commentaries (although he and Chancellor re-teamed for NBC's 1976 election coverage and co-anchored Nightly News for about three years). I don't know how relevant this is some 50 years on, because the nightly network news is not the draw it was in the '70s, but it is a precedent. The era of Brokaw, Jennings, and Rather was the last golden era of network news.

A more recent example would have been at ABC News following Jennings retiring/death was installing Bob Woodruff and Elizabeth Vargas until the were unceremoniously dumped for Gibson (and ABC had to pay out for firing an injured man and pregnant woman)

I actually have always liked Norah and thought she has been the best CBS evening anchor in years, far better than Pelley or Glor tbh. I could easily see either Major Garrett or Brennan fill in if they wanted to.
 
I don't know how relevant this is some 50 years on, because the nightly network news is not the draw it was in the '70s, but it is a precedent. The era of Brokaw, Jennings, and Rather was the last golden era of network news.
Times were different. TV news was appointment viewing. In most localities, you had to pick one of three choices for network news, since affiliates tended to run the newscasts in the same timeslot - generally 5:30 or 6:30 pm, depending on time zone. The touchy-feely "journalism" of Van Gordon Sauter and the like hadn't arrived at the network level yet, though it was present at some local stations. Likewise, Roone Arledge's razzle-dazzle was just taking root for news at ABC toward the end of the decade after previous ABC attempts to differentiate itself largely hadn't worked out. Thus there was substantial emphasis on maintaining a certain tone of studied, sober neutrality, except where commentary was clearly labeled as such (e.g. Severeid, Brinkley), though even that commentary wasn't out of the mainstream. Cable TV was still mostly a way of importing distant signals; the cable-only networks that did exist were either religious or entertainment-focused in nature. CNN didn't come along until 1980 and even in its first decade maintained the same sober tone and approach, compared to what there is now, as the "big 3" networks had done. The news divisions of the "big 3" themselves became more personality-driven as the 1980s proceeded. There was not much of a public Internet and most people didn't have access to it. Things started changing in the 1990s; the "big 3" suddenly had a lot more competition for audience and for advertising dollars. Whether it was a "golden era" is, in my opinion, open for discussion but it is clear that it was a different era that doesn't provide significant guidance for what to do in the near future.
 
Times were different. TV news was appointment viewing. In most localities, you had to pick one of three choices for network news, since affiliates tended to run the newscasts in the same timeslot - generally 5:30 or 6:30 pm, depending on time zone.
And I just don't get it. There are literally dozens of posts on the TV side of the board where, I assume Boomer-age folks aren't acknowledging there is such a thing as streaming, or even smartphones. Some believe that TV network appointment viewing is still a thing, and that single network anchors are still battling it out to be number one of appointment news viewing. It's like looking from an outside perspective into a world/dimension where time froze nearly thirty years ago.
 
And I just don't get it. There are literally dozens of posts on the TV side of the board where, I assume Boomer-age folks aren't acknowledging there is such a thing as streaming, or even smartphones. Some believe that TV network appointment viewing is still a thing, and that single network anchors are still battling it out to be number one of appointment news viewing. It's like looking from an outside perspective into a world/dimension where time froze nearly thirty years ago.
Cut the crap, Kelly. You can malign older people all you want, but you're as much a creature of habit as the rest of us. Which toothpaste do you use? Which hand do you use to hold your toothbrush when you brush your teeth? Do you start with the left side of your mouth or the right side? Top or bottom? Front or back? What soap do you shower with? Shampoo? Which hand do you hold the soap bar in? If you use a washcloth, which hand gets the soap and which the cloth? Which foot do you start with when you put on shoes? Where do you hold your steering wheel when you drive? How many seconds between checking your mirrors? Shall I continue? There's probably a thousand little decisions you don't make every day because you (like the rest of us) are a creature of habit, and we'd all go nuts if we had to re-analyze all this minutiae every day.

"Old" people -- and admittedly I'm now one too -- just have had more time to turn news or entertainment decisions into routines when there's no overriding reason to do new analyses each and every day.
 
And I just don't get it. There are literally dozens of posts on the TV side of the board where, I assume Boomer-age folks aren't acknowledging there is such a thing as streaming, or even smartphones. Some believe that TV network appointment viewing is still a thing, and that single network anchors are still battling it out to be number one of appointment news viewing. It's like looking from an outside perspective into a world/dimension where time froze nearly thirty years ago.
Nothing to get --It's simple. Times and technology have changed. There was no Internet back then. People watched the network news, bought newspapers, and listened to Radio. Far fewer do those things today.

I know there are still some people who don't use computers or know anything about "streaming". Some go to libraries. News budgets have been severely slashed at the major networks, but they continue to offer the "Evening News". Maybe you should ask them why they do it. They know they'll never get back to the ratings dominance they once had.

You are painting a false picture of "Boomers" using a small sample of posters on a TV forum. The majority aren't ignorant about modern technology...
 
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"Old" people -- and admittedly I'm now one too -- just have had more time to turn news or entertainment decisions into routines when there's no overriding reason to do new analyses each and every day.
Cut the crap, Kelly. You can malign older people all you want, but you're as much a creature of habit as the rest of us.
My intention wasn't to "malign" anyone. I'm fascinated by the frequent perception around here that because TV or radio is cutting expenses or increasingly expensive content, it has somehow intentionally lost its way. And, because of those changes, has launched some sort of personal affront against some viewers. The fact is that 'appointment TV viewing' started declining back in the 90s with DVR's and Tivo. But, some need to realize that was roughly twenty-nine years ago and the way people consume media has changed. And yet, some here seem surprised when changes to traditional media happen today.
Which toothpaste do you use?
It depends. Lately, I've been using Crest Ultra Whitening having switched from Colgate. While traveling recently I used Colgate with Scope.
Which hand do you use to hold your toothbrush when you brush your teeth?
I switch hands. The left hand holds the brush to get the right side then switch to the right for the left side.
Do you start with the left side of your mouth or the right side? Top or bottom? Front or back?
It varies. No common patterns.
What soap do you shower with?
Usually Irish Spring in one shower, but one of our bathroom showers has Dove.
Swave, but as mentioned previously, it depends on which shower I'm using. Different bathrooms have different soap products.
Which hand do you hold the soap bar in? If you use a washcloth, which hand gets the soap and which the cloth? Which foot do you start with when you put on shoes? Where do you hold your steering wheel when you drive? How many seconds between checking your mirrors? Shall I continue? There's probably a thousand little decisions you don't make every day because you (like the rest of us) are a creature of habit, and we'd all go nuts if we had to re-analyze all this minutiae every day.
This has nothing to do with radio or TV discussion, so I'll leave it there. The fact remains that TV and radio have needed to adapt to the current social and economic environment of modern times. None of that means TV or radio has somehow lost its way because of bean-counting, 'woke culture', or whatever blame one wishes to lay on the changes. Changes continue to happen because consumers have so many other choices than when guys like us were kids and more recently, the changing advertising trends. I just find it surprising that some around here haven't noticed before now.
 
The network evening newscasts – individually – still get several times the rating of any cable news outlet at any hour. And they have plenty of ads. Whether some people get it or not.

As an example, the week of July 22 (via TVNewser): ABC 7.59 million, NBC 6.19 million, CBS 4.38 million. For cable in primetime for the month of July (via Deadline.com): FNC 3.45 million, MSNBC 1.18 million, CNN 856,000.
 
CBS is indeed going the rotating anchor direction with John Dickerson & WCBS's Maurice DuBois anchoring & the CBS Evening News returning to NYC. WCBS's Chief Meteorologist Lonnie Quinn will also be their chief weathercaster & will appear from time-to-time. Reading the PR stating he'll do weather from an AR/VR studio makes me think that, on the local front, CBS2 for the weather is going to get the KPIX (San Francisco) treatment. Paramount Press Express | CBS NEWS ANNOUNCES NEW ENSEMBLE TEAM AND EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP FOR THE “CBS EVENING NEWS”
 
Times were different. TV news was appointment viewing. In most localities, you had to pick one of three choices for network news, since affiliates tended to run the newscasts in the same timeslot - generally 5:30 or 6:30 pm, depending on time zone.
WBTV Charlotte had an hour of news at 6 and Dan Rather was at 7. Walter may have been (I was watching game shows at 7), but I specifically remember Dan having to go to commercial because of protesters. I must have been watching WFMY Greensboro NC and at 7 I turned to Dan to see what would happen. It was an entirely different newscast, I think, instead of a delayed version of the one that was interrupted.

On Sunday I remember one affiliate, probably WGHP Greensboro NC, having ABC News at 6, and the other one at 6:30.
 
WGHP carried Smith and Reasoner at 6 from 1970-74, then moved them to 6:30.
My parents were living in Tampa in 1974, and they got Smith and Reasoner at 6, Chancellor at 6:30, Cronkite at 7. IIRC, that was the situation in Charlotte as well; WCCB was ABC, WSOC was NBC, and WBTV was CBS.
Sometimes the feeds were different. I went to the University of Georgia in the '70s and the cable brought in ABC on WXIA and WLOS. Smith and Reasoner were on WLOS at 6 and WXIA at 6:30. One night during the Yom Kippur War, Reasoner closed the 6 PM broadcast with a bare announcement of some breaking development, which was the lead story at 6:30.
And I could always tell if Cronkite's 7 PM feed was different from the one at 6:30; there was a clock on the wall in his studio, and it would be included in a long shot of the newsroom going into commercials. If that clock read 7-anything, I knew it was different from the 6:30 feed. That happened a lot during Watergate.
 
Major Garrett & Margaret Brennan, 2 reg. fill-ins for Norah, will likely be in the rotation for sure. Wonder if CBS is contemplating moving the Evening News back to NYC as well.
I could see Gayle King or John Dickerson taking the chair too
 
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