"Why does World News Tonight regularly beat NBC Nightly News in the ratings?"
That's the question Jeff Bercovici asks in his latest Portfolio think-piece, and the one that's, presumably, been keeping the exec producers over at NBC awake at night for quite some time. Bercovici seems to think it has something to do with a New Media vs. Old Media rivalry [Ed: Yo, you primetime fools better recognize!] and Brian Williams being slated to host an upcoming episode of Saturday Night Live.
We see his point, but we're thinking it has more to do with the simple fact that old people like getting the evening news from other old people—as opposed to funny, good looking young gentlemen with hip nicknames like "B-ri" who make cameos on humorless sketch comedy shows and open beer cans with their teeth.
Remember the other day when we told you a long, and slightly boring story about how Stephen Colbert broke his wrist then turned it into a drawn out pseudo-feud with Brian Williams? Well, in his new perch at the NYT ("All the news that's fit to print…eventually") Brian Stelter is on hand to breathe new life into the already week-old piece. And he's armed with a sort of stupid quote from the ubiquitous HuffPo editor Rachel Sklar, and this poignant observation about broadcast news.
Brian Williams, the “NBC Nightly News” anchor, and Katie Couric, the “CBS Evening News” anchor, both played along. But Charles Gibson, anchor of ABC’s “World News,” did not, and some media observers interpreted his recalcitrance as a statement that real news shows are not to be conflated with parodies.
Wait, they're not? Well, damn! That notorious prankster Walter Cronkite must be turning over in his grave right about now.
Thought nightly news anchors didn’t know what was fresh? Couldn’t relate to how young people jibed? Well, think again, because Brian Williams is down, and he even has the bracelet to prove it.
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• As the battle between the 'Giuliani Girl' and the 'Obama Girl' heats up, Team Barack "keeps to their tradition of balancing booty with wit, using a pop-up Al Gore to excellent effect, along with the somewhat hapless character of "Kucinich Girl," which is a nice nod to lower-tier candidates (though one shudders to think of what "Gravel Girl" might look like)."
• Larry Flynt to Tucker Carlson: "I'm a slimeball, and you can't dance."
• According to the results of a new Harvard study, "young people do not make an appointment with news every day the way older adults do." As a result, teens also tend not to talk like out-of-touch septuagenarians.
• WaPo brings "local news" to excruciatingly boring macroscopic level.
Brian Williams isn't used to being second best. After taking over for Tom Brokaw in December 2004, he's never had to fight for ratings (like Katie Couric) never had to fight for his anchor seat (like Charlie Gibson) and never had to worry about much besides picking out a tie for that evening's broadcast.
But now, the tables have turned, the viewers have shifted, and Williams has been relegated to second place in the ratings for the last two months.
How does Williams cope? By not paying any attention to the ratings slide whatsoever.
You'd be surprised how much can change in 30-day period. Like, for instance, Katie Couric's strict "No Paris Hilton" policy, which lasted approximately just under one month.
As TVNewser points out, both CBS and ABC devoted time to Paris Hilton's early release, with only NBC abstaining.
On the plus side, however, Couric has proved more successful at adhering to other, lesser known policies—such as the time-honored "Third Place Finish" tradition.
From Tuesday night's Conan:
How could Charlie Gibson be encroaching on this man?
It was the "get" NBC News couldn't have ever bought: exclusive photos, video, and writings from Cho Seung-Hui, the 23-year-old Virgina Tech student who killed 33 of his classmates and injured many more.
A white envelope arrived at Rockefeller Plaza yesterday – a day late, thanks to an incorrect zip code – and was promptly put on the desk of NBC News president Steve Capus. Federal investigators were called in and took the original items, but not before NBC made duplicates of all the material (down to the address scrawl on the envelope). As it turns out, Seung-Hui mailed the package in between killing his first two victims and the second wave of murder two hours later.
By 6pm, Tucker Carlson was teasing the exclusive on MSNBC's Tucker, but refused to elaborate on what the contents contained or show any details about what NBC News had in its hands. That moment only came at 6:30pm, when Brian Williams was over on NBC proper, and lead NBC Nightly News with the eerie words and video of the killer while Tucker broadcast what looked like a similar package.
Over at the CBS Evening News, meanwhile, Katie Couric had little to go on except the same reports we'd been hearing all day. On Fox News, Brit Hume lead with a story about President Bush and Iraq that we quickly turned away from.
Undoubtedly, it was a glorious get for NBC. Completely unexpected. And as yet unexplained.
Good evening. We now know what the Virginia Tech gunman was doing during that two-hour period between shootings on campus. He was compiling before going to the post office and mailing via overnight mail what can only be described as a multimedia manifesto, containing video, still pictures and a lengthy document to NBC headquarters here in New York. The envelope was sent from Blacksburg, Virginia on Monday morning…We are sensitive to how all of this will be seen by those affected, and we know that we are—in effect—airing the words of a murderer tonight.
–Brian Williams, on NBC Nightly News' decision to run the VT gunman's "multimedia manifesto" on last night's evening news broadcast.
Click here for the video.
People who watched or listened to his show were always surprised to learn that in all those years I met Don only twice, and spoke to him on the phone (off the air) only about three or four times… most recently two days ago. Like all those who ever contributed to the show, there were times when he was nice to me, and there were times when he was downright nasty. I would often get a call from my wife, listening in her car, reporting that Don had just carved me up on the air… or said something extremely kind. My wife and I gave money to Don's various charities on more than one occasion. Like all other guests on the show, I joined in on the joking on occasion, and winced at the material at other times.
— Brian Williams, on his blog the Daily Nightly
We know what you're thinking. You're sick of hearing about the RTCA dinner, tired of watching President Bush's stand-up routine and wishing there was some way to get that damned "MC Rove" song out of your heads. But indulge us as we bring you the underrated but still highly amusing spectacle of Brian Williams (and NBC's Senior VP, Cheryl Gould) providing the sound-effects for an improv comedy act led by Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood.
Because, while it may not have the panache of, say, Rove's awkward bunny-hop dance or the staying power of Bush's standup routine, it's the only opportunity you'll ever have to see NBC Nightly News' anchor imitate a beer can being opened. Plus, it'll help you forget about Karl Rove's hip hop choreography, if only for a few blessed minutes.
BONUS: At a quick glance, Cheryl Gould bears an almost uncanny resemblance to gossip queen Joanna Molloy!
Well, last night, we somehow scored an invite to the Radio & Television Correspondent's Association dinner in Washington DC. And since the last black-tie affair we went to was our great aunt's second third wedding, we really weren't sure what to expect. So we were fairly surprised to see President Bush cracking lawyer jokes, NBC's Brian Williams doing his best impression of a "shaken-up beer can," and 2400 journalists downing Scotch like college co-eds at a (really nice) frat party.
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Did you read Alessandra Stanley's column in today's New York Times? The piece starts out by focusing on NBC's (second place) primetime news anchor, Brian Williams, and describing how his decision to report from Iraq was unfairly labeled as a ratings stunt, and ends up asserting that networks have absolutely no idea what viewers are looking for in an anchorperson nowadays.
According to Stanley, after the triumvirate of Jennings, Rather and Brokaw retired, NBC went for the "polish" of Williams, CBS went for the "personality" of Katie Couric, and ABC only chose the 'always-vacationing' Charlie Gibson as a last resort.
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• Wal-Mart is in trouble for taping New York Times reporter's phone calls. 'Yo, that's fucked up!' says the NSA.
• Meanwhile, advertisers, Norman Mailer not big fans of New York Times' book reviews.
• Ron Burkle banks $200 million; Jared Paul Stern wishes he could go back in time and extort him for a whole lot more.
• New Nightly News exec producer Alex Wallace started out working for CBS and NBC. Looks like she finally backed the right horse.
• "Seriously, Brian Williams' trip to Iraq isn't a ratings stunt. He just really, really, wanted to go," says NBC.
• Boston Globe sportswriter suspended for plagiarism; experts say this reporter's "a few yards short of a touchdown."
NBC sure doesn't waste any time. After losing to ABC in the ratings two weeks straight, they canned their exec producer, John Reiss, (but claimed that had nothing to do with the ratings). Less than a week later, NBC has already named Alex Wallace as Reiss' official replacement, as well as shipped anchor Brian Williams out to Iraq, (again, not for ratings).
And it's a good thing NBC could care less about the ratings deficit, considering they lost February Sweeps to ABC for the first time in over ten years. In fact, we haven't seen a network care this little about the news ratings since, well, CBS.
• Giuliani's bratty son publicly declares his intention to vote for "the other guy."
• NBC sends anchor Brian WIlliams to Iraq, denies trip is motivated by attempt to gain ratings or to "one-up Bob Woodruff."
• Meanwhile, ABC gains credibility by beating out NBC in primetime news; immediately squanders it by awardingt Geico cavemen their own show.
• Actress Claire Danes is as good at stealing "boyfriend trousers" as she is at stealing boyfriends.
• Philadelphia Inquirer finds a clever new way to make itself "even more disposable."
• Alex Kuczynski stops shopping for the Times; starts shopping her new book.
Brian Williams will be reporting from Iraq this week, having arrived in Baghdad yesterday and becoming the first network news anchor to visit the country since ABC's Bob Woodruff. And we all know how that ended.
So why is Williams risking his life to report from inside the civil war?
The timing, he said, related to the Bush administration’s deciding to send in more American troops. “The recent change in the tempo of the violence and the decision to send more U.S. troops were both major factors in my decision,” Mr. Williams wrote in his blog.
Or maybe it has to do with a little something else. Like, say, ratings?
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It's official: NBC Nightly News exec producer John Reiss is leaving Brian Williams' side. And just after he gushed about him in Men's Vogue!
The decision to leave has been in the works for the past month, according to a source at NBC News, who noted Mr. Reiss has asked to be reassigned to other duties.
That source also said Mr. Reiss had requested the change before ABC’s “World News” with Charles Gibson beat the NBC newscast in ratings for two of the past three weeks and that ratings had nothing to do with the decision.
This source wouldn't happen to be a NBC mouthpiece, would it? Somebody like, say, Allison Gollust?
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Bill Carter and Jacques Steinberg, in this morning's Times:
NBC’s dominance in television’s evening news race is undergoing its most serious challenge in a decade as “World News” on ABC scored its second ratings victory in the last three weeks. The figures highlight the slow but steady ascent of the veteran ABC newsman Charles Gibson toward the top position among news anchors.
In what is being widely interpreted as fallout from the shifting ratings picture, NBC has made plans to replace the executive producer of the network’s “Nightly News With Brian Williams,” according to several NBC executives.
Oh, wait, where did we hear that before?
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After losing the ratings race to ABC for a second week, NBC has apparently decided to shake things up in the control room.
And, according to Radar, the first head to roll is apparently that of veteran John Reiss, executive producer of Nightly News With Brian Williams.
Sources say an official announcement will be delayed for several weeks to avoid the appearance of NBC panicking at losing ground in the ratings race. Reiss and an NBC News spokeswoman did not return repeated calls for comment.
Even more interesting than the painfully drawn-out termination, however, is Radar's insinuation that Reiss may have been fired for reasons unconnected with the recent dip in ratings.
According to Radar, Reiss and anchor Brian Williams got into a "newsroom shouting match" a few weeks prior, and now an insider is claiming that Jeff Zucker, the emperor of NBC Universal, had it out for Reiss from day one:
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