Forgive me if I sound presumptuous, but the installation of America's morning pick-me-up, Katie Couric, into the 6:30 PM time slot, is evidence of further saccharinification of network news and I think it is disturbing.
Before anyone tries to tag me as a chauvinist, I'd like to qualify my above remark by casting a vote for another woman, whose identity I'll reveal further down the story.
This doyenne of morning news, perky infiltrator of kitchens and bedrooms and laundry rooms alike, has finally tired of her role as co-host of the Today Show with Matt Lauer after 14 years. Eager to prove to America she is ready to fill the shoes of Dan rather and Bob Schieffer, its hard not to commend her for being so ambitious. But it is also difficult not to question the logic of Les in acquiring her.
CBS CEO, Les Moonves, eye ever on the almighty Nielsen numbers, has signaled his intent to pursue ratings over substance. In an interview with Newsweek in February, Les makes it clear his intentions for the nightly news programming:
What's the place of news in this wide-open environment?
I don't think the network is a network without an evening newscast. It's our job to reinvigorate the franchise. The average age of the news viewer is a little bit old, and we want to make it a bit younger and make the news much more accessible.
If I am to parse his statement, 'accessible' and 'younger' might be the operative adjectives and I suspect he might well have added 'dumbing-down' and 'sensational' to clarify his point. In an era where ratings and profits trump substantive journalism and challenging subject matter, one could not summarize the downfall of television news better than this Amazon review of Bonnie Anderson's book, News Flash : Journalism, Infotainment and the Bottom-Line Business of Broadcast News:
While talking heads debate the media's alleged conservative or liberal bias, award-winning journalist Bonnie Anderson knows that the problem with television news isn't about the Left versus the Right-- it's all about the money. From illegal hiring practices to ethnocentric coverage to political cheerleading, News Flash exposes how American broadcast conglomerates' pursuit of the almighty dollar consistently trumps the need for fair and objective reporting. Along the way to the bottomline, the proud tradition of American television journalism has given way to an entertainment-driven industry that's losing credibility and viewers by the day. As someone who has worked as both a broadcast reporter and a network executive, Anderson details how the networks have been co-opted by bottom-line thinking that places more value on a telegenic face than on substantive reporting. Network executives - the real power in broadcast journalism - are increasingly employing tactics and strategies from the entertainment industry. They "cast" reporters based on their ability to "project credibility," value youth over training and experience, and often greenlight coverage only if they can be assured that it will appeal to advertiser-friendly demographics.
I grew up with Dan Rather and CBS Evening News. He was the man who interviewed Saddam Hussein after his invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and traveled with the mujahideen in Afghanistan in 1980. He brought stories of far-off lands into my family's living room every night and because of that, my knowledge of the world has benefited greatly. Katie Couric, you are no Dan Rather.
I'll give Ms. Couric her due chance to prove she can make the leap to the evening slot, but I'm more inclined to watch someone like Lara Logan, whom I see as a rising star in the CBS farm-system, or Christiane Amanpour, who's put herself in harm's way over and over to report an illuminating story.
Now, to her credit, Couric has indicated that she would like to explore the idea of running longer pieces, doing more live interviews, and traveling to hot spots. But that would seem to run counter to Moonves idea that sitting her in front of a teleprompter, foundation, lipstick, entertainment , pop culture and all, will attract the younger demographic whom otherwise have little interest in news.
I'll admit I really don't watch the evening news anymore (I still enjoy 60 Minutes and Dateline). As a voracious consumer of news throughout the day, evening news strikes me as nothing more than a rehashing of what we've already been informed of on sites like this, or on Reuters, or the AP wire, etc. Perhaps Moonves, who's looking to 'reinvigorate the franchise' ought to return to more in-depth reporting and take a cue from the BBC and provide more focus on international events - an area much of US press increasingly appears to ignore.
Either way, I don't intend to hold my breath. Americans seem happy to have their news on a diet and Katie Couric promises to deliver in calorie-free fashion.