Sunday, August 21, 2005
Big Three Need New Mind-Sets
South Bend Tribune Columnist Alesia Redding seems to think the network news programs serve a purpose but must go in a new direction to retain and gain viewers. Below is an excerpt from the article:
"Sure, it's the end of the total domination of the Big Three newscasts, which once held a monopoly on the news and set the agenda.
But that shift didn't happen in the last several months, with the retirements of Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather and the death of Jennings. No, that's been happening in the years since CNN and the Fox News Channel completely changed the dynamics of television news. Small adjustments -- such as a later start time and perhaps a bit more time for reporting packages -- would be a welcome acknowledgment of those changes. CBS seems to be shifting in a new direction, with its Bob Schieffer-led newscast, which breaks the "anchor as voice of God" mode that the networks have relied on for so long.
As network news analyst Andrew Tyndall said in a recent USA Today story, networks have to "stop thinking in terms of big anchors and salaries and start thinking about formats and where the most interesting stories on these broadcasts can be repurposed.""
"Sure, it's the end of the total domination of the Big Three newscasts, which once held a monopoly on the news and set the agenda.
But that shift didn't happen in the last several months, with the retirements of Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather and the death of Jennings. No, that's been happening in the years since CNN and the Fox News Channel completely changed the dynamics of television news. Small adjustments -- such as a later start time and perhaps a bit more time for reporting packages -- would be a welcome acknowledgment of those changes. CBS seems to be shifting in a new direction, with its Bob Schieffer-led newscast, which breaks the "anchor as voice of God" mode that the networks have relied on for so long.
As network news analyst Andrew Tyndall said in a recent USA Today story, networks have to "stop thinking in terms of big anchors and salaries and start thinking about formats and where the most interesting stories on these broadcasts can be repurposed.""
# posted by ATN @ 11:50 AM 
