Posted on 12/23/2006 8:39:27 AM PST by LdSentinal
Last night's "Evening News" featured Katie Couric's interview with Karen James, the widow of Mt. Hood climber Kelly James. The interview dominated the second half of the show, ultimately absorbing about nine of the 22 minutes of the broadcast.
Reactions to the piece, in the comments section of both the Web version of the story and Couric's blog post on the subject, have been mixed. Some lauded the interview. One commenter, vriss, called it "one of the best interviews I have ever seen on TV." Wrote blrichard: "I liked the interview. It was really a personal story that I think was meant to allow the audience to feel 'connected' to the news. Sometimes it is just better to see the faces and stories behind the news headlines, not just read what happened."
But many commenters were critical.
"I was absolutely appalled watching you spend nearly half of tonight's newscast broadcasting the interview with Karen James. Surely she has suffered a tremendous tragedy and my heart goes out to her," wrote bmangham. "But dedicating half a newscast to the death of one individual who died voluntarily doing something he loved is disgusting. This display of sensationalist broadcasting is spectacularly inappropriate at a time when thousands of people are dying in Iraq, or retuning from war horribly injured and maimed - a daily occurrence that's sure to continue for many months."
Here's pgage: "With all due respect, the prospect of Katie Couric interviewing someone like one of the 'Mt Hood Widows' (a term which itself is repulsive) epitomizes what I most feared when I learned she was taking over the anchor chair at the CBS Evening News. This seems like the kind of voyeuristic sensationalism that is the staple of the Morning shows, with no real news value. Ms. Couric has shown that she is capable of doing better, and I hope that she does."
I contacted "Evening News" Executive Producer Rome Hartman for his thoughts, but he has thus far not responded to the request. We will amend this post with his comments if and when he provides them. It was, we should note, a slow news day yesterday, one in which Donald Trump's latest publicity stunt was among the top stories at many media outlets. That left more room for the "Evening News" to devote so much time to the interview.
But a slow news day can also be an opportunity – a chance to bring viewers undercovered stories and provide greater context to them. That the "Evening News" opted instead to run the lengthy James interview has left some viewers unhappy. "[Other tragic stories] are just as important as this one, but of course they can't all occupy 10 minutes of the Evening News," wrote scwebster. "This story should not have either."
who saw it????
does anyone actually watch that perky little couric???
"Ms. Couric has shown that she is capable of doing better..."
I missed that event.
she is just not very bright.
she's turning in to larry king.
I'm with you.
When did Katie show that she was more than make-up and teeth?
And another shameless ploy to direct us to Couric's blog...which no doubt will exhibit fawning drool from all the sob sisters in the nation.
I'm "gonna hafta" write her one day yup - (or maybe not).
Lord save us from this pap broadcasting.
Who?
Oh boy, there is a news story that never gets any coverage. Hey, how about a news story of the victories in Iraq or the numerous positive things that our soldiers are doing in Iraq.
It hardly fits with their campaign to market her as "Kate Couric" with the larger gravitas.
Five of the ten people who watch CBS Evening News liked it.
| DFW viewers apparently don't like Katie Couric |
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| Posted by Excuse_My_Bellicosity On 12/23/2006 10:17:24 AM CST · 15 replies · 289+ views Pegasus News ^ | December 22, 2006 | staff D-FW viewers apparently just don't like Katie Couric, even when her CBS Evening News has a big hometown angle. Couric's exclusive interview with Dallasite Karen James, widow of Mount Hood climber Kelly James, fell flat in the local Nielsens Thursday. It placed a distant fourth at 5:30 p.m., even though the anchor blew in and out of Dallas that morning and devoted the entire second half of her newscast to the James interview. Here's a telescoped look: NBC Nightly News -- 149,940 homes Fox4 local news -- 130,900 homes ABC World News -- 116,620 homes CBS Evening News -- 73,780... |
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I didn't watch it, but for anyone who did, was there any mention of the fact that none of three was a local, and that the entire cost of the search and rescue will fall to the State of Oregon?
Any mention of the fact that there will likely be no insurance proceeds for any of the families because most insurance carriers exclude death from that kind of activity from the policy??
Didn't think so.
"When did Katie show that she was more than make-up and teeth?
When she dressed as Peter Pan and flew...One of her more imfamous Halloween customs on her former morning show.
Ease up on her.
Its fairly clear to just about everyone that with her: there is no "there" there.
She's merely a reflection of the morons at corporate who think they know whats best for all of us morons out here in the "heartland".
Those wonderful liberal Mainstream Media Mavens.
And afterall, nobody wants to hear about Sandy Berger...
My question is-how did she work blaming Bush for the death into the interview, because I KNOW she did blame him in some way shape or form.
Shameless ploy to get ratings, which didn't work, written by CBS.
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