Understood. I concede that a news anchor is no longer as I prefer to define it. And I agree Katie Couric is the new model for what an anchor is, despite how badly she failed at CBS.
I sometimes wonder what impact it would have on the news landscape if PBS could structure and launch a 24 hour news channel utilizing the resources of its current journalistic efforts (News Hour, Bill Moyer) and perhaps a joint effort with NPR. As PBS itself has evolved with a better awareness of cultural sensibilities, I think they could create a news outlet that doesn't pander yet still manages to generate ratings and make waves. I can't think of any other entity that could launch with preexisting resources, and I can't think of any other entity that could launch without profit being at the center of what they do. On Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 3:06 PM, Joe Hass <[email protected]> wrote: > I did a lousy job of clarifying this. > > I don't think Letterman would make a great anchor person: heavens no. But > fundamentally, the classic Cronkite model is almost dead and buried (the > argument in the article is Pelley and Williams don't have that voice of > gravitas, especially with Williams frequently going outside 3B). ABC is > hoping that Muir's approach of "relatable" marks a signature change. What > Letterman has, and I threw his name out because it came to mind, is that > voice, even though he certainly didn't sign up for the job, but has earned > it over the years: an odd mixture of Carson and Cronkite without being > either of them. > > If Muir is going to be "relatable" in the sense of "lazy-ass puff pieces" > (see Couric, Katie), this is going to end very, very badly. I think > Williams *could* shift into that voice, but fundamentally refuses to do so. > I guess the original thought was "If we don't have a Cronkite, who *do* we > have?" And Dave popped to mind. It was a thought starter. > > > On Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 4:40 PM, Kevin M. <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> >> >> On Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 2:03 PM, Joe Hass <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> >>> What pops into my mind, and we've beaten around it a little bit, is that >>> what we're looking for is basically David Letterman. This sounds odd, but >>> it's when something really big happens, we need more of a Dave than a Brian >>> (or even a Jon or Jimmy or Steven). Someone to kinda help give us a level >>> set more than a report or more information, because we can easily get the >>> information. >>> >> >> Respectfully disagree. I look to the anchor of a network newscast to >> deliver needed information in a timely manner. Yes, the internet can drop >> facts in our laps, but what a newscast, newspaper, or magazine functions to >> do (or ought to) is serve as a filter, to dismiss the wikis and blogs, and >> to deliver what matters (and what has been verified) in a way that makes >> sense. Letterman would make a horrific anchor; he does what he does behind >> a very different desk, and that's as it should be. >> >> >> >> -- >> Kevin M. (RPCV) >> >> -- >> -- >> 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 >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "TVorNotTV" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > -- > -- > 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 > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "TVorNotTV" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- Kevin M. (RPCV) -- -- 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 --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
