Ratings Victim Couric: Ubiquity of TV Is a 'Real Turn-off
November 8th, 2007 12:36 PM
I'm sure as a concerned social observer, CBS "Evening News" anchor Katie Couric may genuinely think we as a society are too addicted to TV. That said, I can't help but feel that her persistent third-place status in the broadcast evening news race is part and parcel of her Andy Rooney-Lite rant against the boob tube. Here's the November 7 page from Katie Couric's "Notebook" (see video here):This…
Nets Lead w/ 'Awful' Economic News, Not So Excited About Job Gains
November 8th, 2007 4:01 AM
When the Labor Department on Friday announced a strong gain of 166,000 jobs during October, double expectations, ABC and CBS gave it a few seconds while NBC ignored the good news, but on Wednesday night NBC, as well as ABC and CBS, led with a bad day on Wall Street they painted as a harbinger of impending economic doom. NBC anchor Brian Williams piled on the bad news as he insisted he took “no…
ABC Quicker on Thompson Scandal Than on Hillary's Hsu Scandal
November 5th, 2007 9:58 PM
When the Wall Street Journal in late August broke the fugitive Norman Hsu illegal fundraising scandal, it took ABC's World News three days to get around to reporting it -- and despite developments as the fugitive has moved through the court system, ABC hasn't mentioned him since. But after the Washington Post on Sunday disclosed the criminal past of an adviser to Fred Thompson's campaign, ABC…
Only ABC Reports Military's Stats on Violence Plunging in Iraq
November 2nd, 2007 2:35 AM
Lt. General Raymond Ordierno on Thursday reported significant progress in reduced violence in Iraq, but of the broadcast network evening newscasts only ABC's World News bothered to cover the positive trend as anchor Charles Gibson introduced a full story on how “military officials gave one of the most upbeat assessments of the security situation in Iraq that we have heard since the opening months…
Networks Fuel Cancer Fright With Food Terror
November 1st, 2007 4:55 PM
What's that 1970s horror movie where the butcher runs after all the teenagers with a cleaver in one hand and a piece of red meat in the other? I can't remember, but the reports on CBS's "Evening News" October 31 and CNN's "American Morning" November 1 came pretty close to that, sans the cleaver. The two networks decided to enjoy some of the Halloween spirit by scaring viewers with a "landmark"…
CBS's Greenfield Recalls Clinton Scandals Long-forgotten by Media
November 1st, 2007 1:40 AM
Prompted by Hillary Clinton's dissembling answer during Tuesday's Democratic presidential debate about why her White House records have not been released, CBS political correspondent Jeff Greenfield uniquely reminded "CBS Evening News" viewers on Wednesday night of her scandals not mentioned by the media in years. Greenfield outlined why Hillary Clinton, contrary to her claim the National…
CBS: Bush Administration has ‘Ruined’ Halloween & Christmas
October 31st, 2007 1:21 PM
On both Tuesday’s "Evening News" and Wednesday’s "Early Show" CBS gave prominent coverage to Nancy Pelosi’s call for the resignation of the head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Nancy Nord. In an interview with Nord on Wednesday’s "Early Show" co-host Julie Chen asked: American parents are upset, they're frightened, they feel like their Halloween and their Christmas is now ruined. They…
CBS Blames Warming, But Also Fuel from Putting Out All Fires
October 25th, 2007 2:44 AM
A day after NBC blamed the California wild fires on global warming, CBS on Wednesday night cited global warming, but also gave equal emphasis to how years of putting out fires has provided more fuel for them in the form of thick trees and brush. From Escondido, California, anchor Katie Couric asserted the wild fires are “more intense today than ever, and John Blackstone reports, man may be at…
