Posted on 04/19/2005 1:16:59 PM PDT by Right Wing Assault
Former ABC News reporter/anchor Sam Donaldson is ready to say the last rites for network news because it will soon lose its dominant position as Americans' primary source of news. "I think it's dead. Sorry," he said during a breakfast panel Tuesday at the National Association of Broadcasters' convention in Las Vegas. "The monster anchors are through."
Even though 30 million viewers still turn to networks news each night and garner ratings well above CNN and Fox News, networks news operations long ago lost their role as the sources Americans rely on during time of major breaking news, said Donaldson
"God forbid, if someone shot the President, which network would you turn to? It will be cable, the Internet--something other than General Hospital being interrupted."
Increasingly, viewers will continue turning to alternative sources for everyday news as well, he said.
Donaldson was joined on the panel by CNN political analyst Jeff Greenfield and CBS Sunday Morning's Charles Osgood., both of whom were less pessimistic about network news' future.
"If it's dying, it's dying a very slow death," Greenfield said. Although the network news monopoly was "smashed" by cable, broadcast news will redefine itself, thought he didn't yet know how.
Osgood said the network news can remain competitive with other platforms but must be constantly reevaluated to remain competitive--a fact that makes him glad he's at the tail end of his career rather than the beginning. "It used to be when we wanted to make a show more appealing to more people, the first thing we did was design a new set."
During their talk the three reporters came out in favor of a federal shield law that would allow journalists to protect the identity of their sources without threat of jail.
Donaldson, however, said journalists shouldn't have blanket protection when lives are at stake, but didn't know how to draft a law that would balance the need to ensure that journalists can protect whistle blowers but won't impede legal investigations.
The three also agreed that that Internet bloggers have had a generally positive impact on news because mainstream reporters are forced to better verify their information and pare opinions out of their work or face he wrath of scrutinizing critics.
Sam if only it was so. Unfortunately Peter Jennings is not Network News.
I wholly doubt 30 million individuals tune in to network news every evening. Cut that number by one-third and divide by two.
It's almost like they sat in their anchor chair doing play-by-play as the world passed them by.....
I never watch ABC news but I have to say Peter Jennings did a great job debunking the Kennedy assasination conspiracists on the History Channel. He all but called Oliver Stone a sleaze-ball and liar. It was a public service in my opinion.
Well, Sam ought to know - he had a big part in killing it.
I check in here if I think something critical is up. FR is often ahead of the networks. Plus you get more and better detail here and sometimes there are even freepers on the scene.
If it wasn't for the drug industry there would be no commercial dollars for network news shows.
But why did that have to be on the History Channel? Why can't the networks have the nuts to do something like that??
Maybe if they had reported news instead of their liberal point of view the competition would have been relegated to obscurity.
Yessssssss!!!!!!
The bass turds did it to themselves.... ;o)
I remember "back in the day" when CNN first started and The Big Three were poopin' popsicles back then, LOL! It has been a slow, painful death to watch...but they certainly brought it upon themselves, and Thank God for all the other news outlets of today!
I feel much better informed due to alternative news and the net. I used to have a few liberal leanings, and they are totally gone now. It's amazing how easy it was to manipulate and brainwash us all those years.
"If it's dying, it's dying a very slow death," Greenfield said. Although the network news monopoly was "smashed" by cable, broadcast news will redefine itself, thought he didn't yet know how. "
and there are still people using film cameras who think digital photography is a fad that will eventually fade away.
"...I would say it was a case of suicide.
I would say it was a case of FreeRepublic roadkill...."
I would say it was a case of Arkancide.
It'll beef up it's sponsors! "Tonight Headlines: Politics (brought to you by the DNC); Crime (brought to you by the RNC); Science (brought to you by GreenPeace); and our special feature "Investigating Presidential Secrets", brought to you by the Hillaryin'08 Campaign ."
Or murder, maybe. Definitely a homocide.
Hmmm, maybe the problem is that broadcast news already redefined itself sometime during the last 40 years or so. The definition as it stands today is something like:
"Leftwardly biased, DNC lapdogs"
Maybe the next "redifinition" will put them where they truly belong, among the ranks of such "news" sources as The Weekly World News.
Donaldson, however, said journalists shouldn't have blanket protection when lives are at stake, but didn't know how to draft a law that would balance the need to ensure that journalists can protect whistle blowers but won't impede legal investigations.
Gee Sam, here's an idea: how about you and all the other journalistic hacks out there are subject to the same laws as everyone else?
Self-important b*tt-wipe.
30 million people is slightly over 1/10 of the population, sounds about right, there's at least that many people old enough to not seriously contemplate any other primary source of news.
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