Minutes Dwindle for Networks' War Coverage

Gibson, Couric and Williams to co-host Sept. 5 event

(NEWSER) - 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»

Evening news shows on their last legs

(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.

Networks vie for pricey sit down

(NEWSER) - Media offers to Casey Anthony for an exclusive interview have hit at least $1.5 million, reports TMZ . Anthony's parents have already turned down a $250,000 deal for an interview with them, says the gossip blog. Anthony's lawyer is reportedly holed up in a Manhattan hotel juggling bids from the major networks. But now ABC News—apparently sensitive to criticism about handing Anthony a big pay day—has announced it will no longer offer money to news subjects to appear on the network. More»

NBC made one last run at its old sweetheart

(NEWSER) - ABC has at long last officially announced that it's signed Katie Couric to host an afternoon talk show , beating out a last-minute push from NBC. In a statement , the network said it had a "multi-year, multi-platform" agreement with the former CBS anchor, that will also include appearances on all of ABC's other news shows. Details of what the New York Times calls "one of television's worst-kept secrets" have not yet been released, but Couric will be co-owner of the program and will share in the profits. More»

Don't expect your average cop shows and sitcoms

(NEWSER) - As they ready their fall lineups for advertisers, the major networks are stepping off last season's beaten path of struggles and flops. “We were looking for fresh,” says NBC Entertainment’s new president. “I really want people to see the concept for a show and go: ‘Oh wow. What’s that?’” To that end, his network is planning shows like Smash, the big-budget story of a Broadway musical’s creation. The series will have original songs penned by Broadway legends—and it’s getting some help from Steven Spielberg. More»