Posted on 03/18/2010 1:02:05 PM PDT by OldDeckHand
It's official: Christiane Amanpour has been named the next host of ABC's "This Week."
CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton notified staff today that ABC will " announce today that she is joining that organization to headline one of its programs. " Walton noted that despite the "media speculation," the network where she's worked for 27 years has not yet commented.
Walton praised Amanpour's reporting over the years, and said that her "work burnished our news brand and gave it authority."
"In turn, the CNN imprimatur opened doors for her around the world and provided a global platform for the intelligent, courageous, principled reporting that is her signature," he said. "CNN and Christiane helped make each other great."
Since George Stephanopoulos moved to New York in December to host "Good Morning America," there's been a lot of speculation about who would take over the network's Sunday public affairs show.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Peter Arnett
Christiane Amanpour
Bernard Shaw
My three favorite ME reporters . / GAG
Gag
Spit
Barf
Loogie
If you have a child (or relatives) who are a bit slow or lack basic skills, then by all means, get them enrolled in the communications program at your local college or university.
Ms. Amanpour’s career is proof that you don’t need to have talent to make it in broadcasting; her elevation to host of “This Week” proves that MSM television executives are just plain stupid.
As a former broadcaster, I will give Amanpour credit for reporting from virtually every hell-hole on earth. But she’s as stiff as a board on air, and comes across as haughty and condescending to viewers. This is not an anchor that will attract a large audience on Sunday morning (or any other time). In fact, during her 27-year career at CNN, I don’t think I’ve seen Amanpour even crack a smile on camera, let alone display any personality. Hey ABC—did you ever wonder why CNN never put Amanpour behind their anchor desk? You’re about to find out.
Even more amazing is how ABC arrived at this decision. Where did they conduct the focus groups—Manhattan, Georgetown, or both? Actually, I don’t think the network did any audience research for this hire, because any consultant worth his/her salt would advise ABC against making this hire. If you want to install her as a foreign correspondent, fine. As a studio host—no way.
This is just another example of clueless, liberal TV managers hiring someone on their ideology instead of thier actual qualifications. In the shrinking universe of the MSM, only certain people have the “qualifications” to host a Sunday talk show. If you haven’t worked for another MSM outlet, served in a Democratic administration, married a Democratic operative (or some combination of those critieria), don’t bother applying for the job.
But rest assured: Amanpour won’t last long on “This Week.” It will be the Sunday morning equivalent of Conan O’Brien on the Tonight Show. Wrong person for the program, in a failing media model. Flag the post; viewership for This Week will drop like a rock, and Christiane will be gone in less than 18 months.
I agree with everything you said, except for that last part. Even if when her viewership drops, they'll keep her. I'm entirely convinced that it's no longer about ratings or profit for these people, but solely about ideological narratives, and who can peddle them the best.
Those numbers don’t include the audience for the Sunday afternoon rebroadcast of Fox News Sunday on the Fox News Channel. In fact, the rebroadcast on FNC pulls in almost as many viewers as the first airing on the Fox Broadcast Network. So, FNS actually attracts more than 2 million viewers a week, broadcast and cable. And, using that same criteria, “Meet the Press” easily beats “This Week” because the ABC program doesn’t have a cable outlet.
And that’s the real bottom line. ABC can crow about the Sunday morning numbers, but they’re only a fraction of what David Brinkley and Co. used to pull in the 80s and 90s. The future of “network” news is in cable, not the broadcast networks, and Fox is setting the pace. FNC is on pace to generate $700 million in profits this year, while ABC News is laying off 20% of its workforce.
As the broadcast audience continues to erode, Sunday interview shows will reach the point of no return, i.e., they won’t attract enough viewers to break even, let along turn a profit. Before that happens, Fox News Sunday will move exclusively to cable (as will Meet the Press), while “This Week” and “Face the Nation” will be relegated to the dustbin of TV history.
And Christiane Amanpour will help expedite the process.
Thank You!
Maybe Obama hired her. He owns ABC too.
I hear she is very unhappy at CNN they cut back on interional news so she want outta there
She want get back to her root of international news
Another reason to continue not watching ABC
I know that was a strange marriage.
But then Dems never think about such things.
But she knew and didn’t say anything.
I want all Dems who knew and were complicit, guttet. And filleted.
It's a damn shame. This show has been VERY good since Jake Tapper took over as interim host. Some weeks I think they've put on as good a show as Fox News Sunday, if not better.
Yeah, Jake's probably a big liberal, but the interesting thing is, I can't tell this from his interviews, or from his news reports. I guess having someone reasonably even handed anchoring a news show on one of the dinosaur networks was just too good to last.
Actually you should. Until August when Amanpour takes over. Little Georgie Stephiepoopoo is gone, and interim host Jake Tapper has been doing a terrific job.
ABC News President David Westin, who knows better than you what is good for you, has decided you are a dumb and ugly American who needs more exposure to international affairs, from an un-American perspective.
I thought so too. Even this morning's show with Jonathon Karl was very good. He let Karl Rove annihilate Pfoufe. And, it was a fair fight pairing George Will and Trent Lott against Donaldson/Daschle.
You actually had two conservatives on the show, unlike MTP which usually never has even one conservative on the show.
Of course Comintern Katrina has been a frequent panelist on This Week. I was just imagining, if she's kept on, what the combination of both of them would be like. [[[shudder]]]
If they added David "Igor" Corn, though, it could be funny watching him try to simultaneously grovel at the feet of two Dark Mistresses.
Westin had complained that Jake Tapper and Jonathon Karl weren’t liberal enough. ABC News also hired Ashleigh Banfield recently, another ultra-liberal.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
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