There seems to be a growing perception (recognition?) that the new team at CBS News really is serious about its commitment to news. It was either Stewart or Colbert who noted last week that new CBS Anchor Scott Pelley was the only one of the major broadcast and cable TV newscasts not to lead with the Wiener story. Today the AP has a story reporting that CBS has spent less than a third of the time on Wiener than either ABC or NBC, and has spent more time during that period on international news: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110616/ap_en_ot/us_tv_cbs_pelley
There is also the report the other day that CBS has made an alliance with National Journal to beef up their political coverage in the run-up to the 2012 election cycle http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cbs-news-national-journal-strike-political-news-partnership-for-2012-election_b71481 Ted Koppel referring to CBS’ naming of Scott Pelley to the anchor chair is quoted as saying at a recent Washington event: "CBS was “clearly” making an effort to do harder news on its nightly newscast and he hoped it succeeded." Koppel said it will be “very interesting” to follow the ratings of the newscast with Pelley at the helm. “I think there is actually a significant number of people out there who are just ravenous for a TV network that will really give them good hard news,” he said. http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ted-koppel-scott-pelley-at-the-desk-means-a-harder-newscast-for-cbs_b71677 Apparently the ratings for the CBS Evening News are up only a little since the change (6%) over the same week a year ago - dwarfed of course by the bump the Katie-cast got in its first week. But I am hoping Koppel is right - slowly and steadily there may be a market for serious news. I have been high on Pelley for a while now, and if he is not yet Walter Cronkite, he is at least in that Bob Schiefer tradition. -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
