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Couric's Not Only Thing Networks Should Toss

Evening news shows on their last legs

By Will McCahill,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 15, 2008 9:11 PM CDT
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(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.

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.
"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.
"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)
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Lots of trouble at CBS
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