Earlier this morning on the Fox News Channel, MRC president and NewsBusters publisher Brent Bozell talked to the gang at "Fox & Friends" about the poor ratings at the "CBS Evening News" since Katie Couric took the helm. Video Real (2.5 MB) or Windows (2 MB) plus MP3 (1 mb)
STEVE DOOCY, co-host: Katie Couric, who makes a lot of money, is just about 15 blocks from here. Her ratings have never been lower. What's going on?
BRENT BOZELL: Well, I mean, I wasn't Nostradamus when I said, as said others when she got the job, that she was going to fail. It's the wrong match. She's the queen, the master of morning talk shows with, because of her perky personality and the pop culture format. You put her on the "Evening News" where there's gravitas that is necessary. It's got to be far more serious. There wasn't a match there. And we knew there wasn't a match. It was going to be one of two things. Either they were going to change the whole format of the news to fit her, or it would fail because she doesn't fit in.
[...]
BOZELL: She's not perceived as a serious journalist. Not in the realm of like Candy Crowley or Christiane Amanpour from CNN, or several other women who have built this reputation as being far more serious for news journalists.
Bozell was also on FNC last night. On the June 4 "Hannity & Colmes," Bozell discussed how conservatives are reacting to a plan being pushed by President Bush and some Democrats and Republicans in Congress to grant a form of amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Video Real (3.5 MB) or Windows (3 MB) plus MP3 (1 MB)
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
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Bozell is correct. Couric was
June 5, 2007 - 09:59 ET by Gat New YorkBozell is correct. Couric was perfect for the Today Show. Vieira who is on Today was better on The View. As far as the CBS Evening News they might be better off programming that time slot with a game show.
Peter Principle
June 5, 2007 - 10:03 ET by RJThe venerable Peter Principle (being promoted until you reach your level of incompetence) strikes again.
Can't they do this for Couric ...
June 5, 2007 - 18:15 ET by SportPoliticsCan't they do this for Couric ... clone Olbermann, and replace Couric with the freak Olbermann clone, and finally be all that they want to be.
Guest appearances will be limited to Colbert, Stewart, Maher, Goodman, and Greg Palast, where all news stories will also originate.
Bozell
June 5, 2007 - 10:03 ET by Cool ArrowHe did a good job of answering the "just because she's a woman' issue too. Matt Lauer tries very hard to be a woman, and it helps him on the morning show.
right
June 5, 2007 - 10:24 ET by iveseenitallRight on, Riled. After he loses, John Edwards should go on with Lauer. I'd love them to show us how to bake a cake or dress for our next cocktail party. Wow!(But, then again, Lauer might show a little jealousy about Edwards' hair)
NEVER,NEVER trust a liberal
Wow, Riled.After he loses, Jo
June 5, 2007 - 17:54 ET by BlondeWow, Riled.
After he loses, John Edwards should go on with Lauer.
I read that...and misread it...John Edwards should go OUT with Lauer. :D
Which actually works...Silky Pony and Matt the Morning Lauer. What a bunch of lightweights.
BTW....did you hear Peggy Noonan on Dennis Miller yesterday? She said she'd like to elect Edwards' hair. She was soooooo funny. You can access DM's site and play yesterday's (or the last 120 days, actually) program....without commercials. It's great! All my co-workers have been wondering why my door's been shut for the last two days....didn't want anyone to hear me in hysterics over Dennis' antics!
Hey, Blonde. Before Lauer got
June 5, 2007 - 17:58 ET by QueenMumHey, Blonde. Before Lauer got the buzz cut, Laura Ingraham referred to him as "Hair In a Can".
We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat. - Queen Victoria
Thank you, your majesty.Great
June 5, 2007 - 18:08 ET by BlondeThank you, your majesty.
Great info. I hadn't heard that before. Some of the things these radio talk show hosts come up with just slay me. As I said above, I've found Dennis Miller's site...it is great. I'm usually on the road Thursday a.m.'s and would listen to him then, but this site is great because all of the commercials are gone. And the topics are still fresh.
What is it with these lib men & their hair? John F'ing, BJ Clinton, the Silky Pony & Matt, etc?
"She's not perceived as
June 5, 2007 - 10:37 ET by Chris Norman"She's not perceived as a serious journalist."
While I agree with Mr. Bozell, I'd say that not even seasoned and "serious" reporters - er - journalists necessarily make for good anchors. Traditionally Americans like anchors who seem to carry authority and have a paternal (for lack of a better word) aura - sort of like "Uncle Walter". I'm not saying I buy that paternal aura thing, but then again, I thought Uncle Walter was just an old liberal. It's just that an anchor shouldn't necessarily be a reporter who has seniority.
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Couric is so done it isn't ev
June 5, 2007 - 10:46 ET by bigtimerCouric is so done it isn't even funny...experiment failed...she is not, nor has ever been a real journalist.
I want to comment about what a great job Brent Bozell did with the illegal immigration and the points he made that were excellent.
Pres. Bush should of fired Karl Rove long ago as far as I am concerned, especially after the last election, sooner than that would of been better IMO. I have never cared for Rove and his so-called advise....
I heard some remark he made I think it was yesterday that after a couple of weeks the American people would forget about the illegal immigration problem after the law is passed....
What an elitist bubble he lives in.
I loved the polls Bozell quoted...especially the 69% favor the prosecution and deportation of illegals..., he made a good reference regarding Katrina to our situation with the borders...you don't worry about rebuilding N.O., you worry about stopping the flooding....
Hannity also made the point that every single person I know agree with...build a wall, put more security down there, stop the in-flow NOW....
Brent is right....this is dividing our party...I put a link in here awhile ago that I think Brent was discussing too about the money drying up for support to our party....
The empty suits had better wake up...or we are going to be in the minority a very long time, this is going to be one of the toughest battles there are to even hang onto a closeness in the Congress with so many seats up for grabs in the Senate...let alone take the majority again.
I just bet the immigration issue will come up tonight in the debate on CNN far more than just the three Dem. Senators that were asked about it the other day.
Who was the woman on "Ha
June 5, 2007 - 11:01 ET by TeamcheeserWho was the woman on "Hannity and Comb-over" beside Brent, that kept telling Shawn, "It's pie in the sky..." and crap like that?
She was a poorly practised liberal -- meaning, of course, that she made every attempt to talk over Brent and Shawn, but she was too timid or weak.
She needs to go to "Rosie's School of Rage and Rancor" before her next TV appearance.
old folks
June 5, 2007 - 10:51 ET by iveseenitallMost Americans want to hear the "news"---not the cocamamie, immature, un-researched, poorly written and delivered, biased nonsense over-paid ignoramuses like Couric dish out every night. Just as Congress is doing now on the immigration issue, CBS misread and disrespected the American I.Q. Obviously, it's much higher than theirs.
NEVER,NEVER trust a liberal
I watched Katie for the first
June 5, 2007 - 17:37 ET by Mica the MagnificentI watched Katie for the first time last week doing her chick news. One time - that's all it took to prove to me how stupid she is!
She did a story about the fact that Washington DC does not have a senator to represent the people. "No taxation without representation" Katie repeated.
She added that since the Feds moved to DC in 1801, there has been no representation from a senator. People who live here are angry, she claimed, and interviewed the appropriate stooges. She wondered what the founding fathers would have said about this injustice?
Hey, Katie! Thomas Jefferson, a founding father, was PRESIDENT at the time (1801)!
Some people say I went from 'perky' to perkful' to 'perk-like.' - Katie
LOL Mica...Poor Perky One ha
June 5, 2007 - 17:44 ET by bigtimerLOL Mica...
Poor Perky One has absolutely always been CLUELESS.
Thus her ratings....
tea anyone
June 5, 2007 - 17:50 ET by LionKingWasn't that the battle cry for the Boston Tea Party?
"Don't talk to me about civil liberties. Our Founding Fathers got all upset about a tax on a breakfast beverage and it wasn't even coffee!" -- Dennis Miller
"No taxation without r
June 5, 2007 - 18:04 ET by"No taxation without representation" Katie repeated.
I wonder, if all the tax money that runs the government, goes into social programs, goes into infra-structure, and any I've missed were to be compared to the taxes paid how large of a balance OWED would DC have to pay in order to justify representation? (We only can talk of Federal Income tax here as any local taxes are represented by the mayor.)
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
"BOZELL: She's not per
June 5, 2007 - 21:14 ET by ckc1227"BOZELL: She's not perceived as a serious journalist. Not in the realm
of like Candy Crowley or Christiane Amanpour from CNN, or several other
women who have built this reputation as being far more serious for news
journalists."
See, I don't think that's the problem at all, at least not the main problem. I think the problem is she's just no good at it. Her presentation sucks. Her morning gig was a bit more spontaneous and natural, whereas reporting the news is basically reading from a script. The good ones pull it off, but she doesn't. You can tell she's reading from a script, sorta like a bad actor, or a bad public speaker. She forces it instead of just being herself.
Don't take this as a defense of her politics, because it isn't. I Just think reading from a teleprompter isn't the best gig for her, and it shows. Forget the politics, and watch the presentation.