Media Business
‘Today’ Show Doing Better Without Perky Katie
June 20th, 2006 11:11 AM
Two weeks certainly aren’t a large sampling, but since the much-heralded – and over-celebrated – departure of the perky Katie Couric, NBC’s “Today” show actually widened its average daily viewing margin over second-place rival ABC’s “Good Morning America.” As reported by the Associated Press (hat tip to Drudge): “‘Today’ beat second-place ‘Good Morning America’ of ABC by an average of 1.3 million…
Gibson’s ‘World News Tonight’ Lowest Rated in Almost 20 Years
June 14th, 2006 9:31 AM
This isn’t the kind of news that a seasoned newsman wants to hear: your ratings stink!Yet, that appears to be the case for ABC’s “World News Tonight” since Charles Gibson was officially announced as the new anchor.According to TV Newser: “Charles Gibson isn't having a positive impact on World News Tonight's ratings, at least not yet. NBC Nightly News was #1 in all categories last week."'Gibson's…
MSNBC's Surprising Move
June 12th, 2006 5:11 PM
MSNBC surprised everyone Monday with its announcement that the struggling channel will now be headed by an executive tag team of "Today" chief Phil Griffin and one of its own show hosts, Dan Abrams. The appointment of Griffin didn't exactly come as a surprise; last week's scuttlebutt had him being given the top spot. Abrams's elevation did. It also gives insight into what MSNBC's strategy to…
Pulitzer Prize Winner Punked
May 23rd, 2006 1:20 PM
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Tom Hallman apparently has a hard time nailing down the truth. In a profile of math guru Mark Provo, Hallman took vast liberties with the truth without actually picking up a phone to verify any of it. The subject of the story has listed about 30 facts that are not actually factual. Hallman paints wild pictures of non-existent hills, phantom hotel rooms, even the…
Future Shock: Only 1 in 4 Young People Can Name All 4 Broadcast Networ
May 17th, 2006 9:49 AM
In a cautionary signal for the future of American media, an online poll conducted by Bolt Media indicates some interesting changes in viewing behavior as a result of the Internet. AdAge.com reported on Monday (hat tip to Drudge): “Only one in four 12- to 34-year-olds can name all four major broadcast networks: ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox."The poll also asked what respondents’ favorite activities were…
Fear and Loathing of Fox News
May 10th, 2006 1:07 PM
The runaway success of Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Channel, founded on
the premise that other news outlets are biased, is the source
of much anger to lefty journalists. Most elite journalists I've encountered hate the network and the fact that it's broken through the liberal glass ceiling of news.A great example of this was a Monday column
in the LA Times by Scott Collins which instead of leading…
