First of all, Moyers and PBS left each other a long time ago--and "Moyers &
Co." is just barely on public TV at all, being cut down to a half-hour
(since it's on KCET in LA, you know it's not PBS). If it wasn't for his
insurance company sponsor, he would be gone completely.
And that's the problem--money. It's possible that PBS and NPR could hook
up for a 24-hour news channel, but considering that NPR has been laying off
people--and that the only weekday programs they actually produce now are
the drive time news shows ("Fresh Air" is from WHYY in Philly, "Here and
Now" and "On Point" is from WBUR in Boston, Diane Frehm is from WAMU in DC,
"World Cafe" is from WXPN in Philly)--and also considering that PBS is not
a producer, but a presenter and scheduler, getting the money together for
an all-news channel and deciding who's going to be turning out the content
is going to be a hard thing. The closest you have is World, the digital
subchannel that used to be PBS World before American Public Television took
it over (PBS is a minority owner, along with WNET NY and WGBH Boston),
which is mostly rescheduling of existing news and public affairs
programming. Only about 40 stations and state networks are carrying out
right now and WTTW in Chicago only airs part-time with the how-to channel
Create (although World gets prime time). It is in 3 of the Top 5 markets
(but WETA in DC doesn't carry it).
Mark Jeffries
Saints Spotlight Editor
[email protected]
On Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 6:06 PM, Kevin M. <[email protected]> wrote:
> 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)
>>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Kevin M. (RPCV)
>
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