Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

September 6, 2008 2:18:04 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Couric's Not Only Thing Networks Should Toss

Posted Apr 15, 08 9:11 PM CDT in Business 

(Newser) – Evening network news, with or without Katie Couric aboard, is going nowhere, Ron Grover writes in BusinessWeek—then offers suggestions on what the TV giants should do to hook viewers:

  • Make the news available on the viewers' time: Get big-name anchors on tape earlier, and put those newscasts online.

  • Feed the couch potatoes among us in small, easily chewable chunks: No reason, Grover writes, NBC couldn't give us five minutes of Brian Williams between shows, or CBS couldn't pepper some Couric between sitcom offerings.
  • Drop the big 6:30 newscast altogether: Networks can rely on affiliates to spread the word, and such a move would be a financial boon—with a huge savings in not having to pay star anchors.

Source BusinessWeek

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • All 3 Network Anchors Will Travel Abroad With Obama

    Jul 16, 08 3:40 PM CDT
    All 3 Network Anchors Will Travel Abroad With Obama Charlie Gibson, Katie Couric and Brian Williams will all be part of Barack Obama’s foreign trip that begins later this week, Howard Kurtz reveals in the Washington Post—as the Dem’s campaign impressively “draws the anchors halfway around the world by offering access.” The ABC, CBS and NBC anchors will interview the candidate on separate nights in different countries. More »

  • Minutes Dwindle for Networks' War Coverage

    Jun 23, 08 1:45 PM CDT
    Minutes Dwindle for Networks' War Coverage Middle East correspondents are struggling to get stories on the nightly news as TV networks scale back war coverage, the New York Times reports. With violence in Iraq declining and the US public tiring of an open-ended conflict, network execs have focused on hot topics like the contentious presidential primaries. Keeping, and securing, bureaus in violent areas is also quite costly. More »

  • Anchors (Except for Katie) Just Don't Get It

    May 28, 08 9:13 PM CDT
    Anchors (Except for Katie) Just Don't Get It Katie Couric thinks Scott McClellan has a point with his criticism of the media in the lead-up to the war, but Charlie Gibson and Brian Williams beg to differ—and that's a disgrace, writes Glenn Greenwald in Salon. During a get-together of network anchors, the "painfully empty-headed Gibson" and the "mindlessly establishment-defending" Williams said the media offered plenty of skepticism, but Greenwald counters that today's celebrity journalists simply don't understand their own profession. More »

  • Networks Will Partner For Cancer Telethon

    May 27, 08 4:10 PM CDT
    Networks Will Partner For Cancer Telethon ABC, CBS and NBC have decided to work together to fight cancer, the New York Times reports. Each network's lead news anchor will appear on a Sept. 5 telethon broadcast on all three channels simultaneously. The principles—CBS's Katie Couric, NBC's Brian Williams and ABC's Charlie Gibson—have all lost immediate relatives to cancer. More »

  • Couric Gets Vote of Confidence

    Apr 18, 08 2:40 PM CDT
    Couric Gets Vote of Confidence Katie Couric will anchor the CBS Evening News for a long time to come, the network's CEO told staffers today, TVNewser reports. Les Moonves dropped in on the daily news meeting to dispel recent rumors that Couric is not long for the newscast, which sits at the bottom of the ratings heap. At the meeting, Couric said the show is "very much family." More »

"Why can't Williams give me a quick five-minute news fix when host Howie Mandel cuts away from those leggy models on Deal or No Deal?" BusinessWeek's Ron Grover wonders of NBC's anchor.   (AP Photo)
"If Couric's almost-certain departure has taught us anything, it's that the news is the star," BusinessWeek's Ron Grover writes of Katie Couric's reported ouster from CBS' evening news.   (AP Photo/Lucas Jackson)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 5)

Tags

NBC  • CBS  • ABC  • Katie Couric  • Brian Williams  • network news  • CBS Evening News  • Charles Gibson  • Anderson Cooper


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular


Other Business Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »