ABC Revamping 'This Week' (ABCNEWS Schadenfreude!)

Associated Press ^ | September 9, 2003 | David Bauder

[Timesink]

Sep 9, 5:43 PM EDT

ABC Revamping 'This Week'

By DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- ABC is ditching the roundtable, a centerpiece of its Sunday morning political show, "This Week," since David Brinkley started it more than two decades ago.

The network is debuting a new format this weekend for George Stephanopoulos' struggling show, which is now frequently in third place in a competition it dominated during Brinkley's heyday. NBC's "Meet the Press" with Tim Russert is the Sunday morning king.

"This Week" is trying to become more of a news show and less a talk show, Bettag said, citing magazines like Time and Newsweek as models. It will feature more reported pieces; Stephanopoulos joins Democrat Howard Dean on the campaign trail for a piece this Sunday. The program will also debut a new set and graphics Sunday.

The roundtable - where a handful of pundits trade opinions on the timely issues of the day - has lost its uniqueness, said Tom Bettag, executive producer of both "Nightline" and now the Sunday show.

"It was so good in 1981 that every cable news channel fills up on something that is often a pale imitation of what was done," Bettag said. "We're trying to do something that is fresh and smarter. That is not a fresh idea."

Roundtable participant George Will remains, and will team with Stephanopoulos to conduct some newsmaking interviews, Bettag said.

Michel Martin and Fareed Zakaria will contribute reporting and analysis, he said.

Stephanopoulos will also talk to former First Lady Nancy Reagan on Sept. 21 about a book of former President Ronald Reagan's personal letters. Ron Reagan, the president's son, will read some of the letters.

ABC is trying to build a show more suited to Stephanopoulos' talents for explaining what is happening in the political world, Bettag said.

"George has been doing the Brinkley broadcast,' he said, "and we have to do the George broadcast."

[Timesink]

Doomed.

[Timesink]

Schadenfreude

This is the New York Times ABCNEWS Schadenfreude Ping List. Freepmail me to be added or dropped.

[Spyder]

more suited to Stephanopoulos' talents

Now that's an opening straight line for something! Good caption - can anyone come up with a photo?

[OldFriend]

OOOHHHHHHH Ron Reagan reading thom of dadth letterth......

[Steely Tom]

"This Week" is trying to become more of a news show and less a talk show, Bettag said, citing magazines like Time and Newsweek as models. It will feature more reported pieces; Stephanopoulos joins Democrat Howard Dean on the campaign trail for a piece this Sunday. The program will also debut a new set and graphics Sunday.

Wow. This is why I'll never be a highly paid member of the elite New York media; I just don't have this kind of talent.

Imagine the audacity required to come up with a plan like this. Take a show that has been a market leader for decades, run it into the ground by turning it into an outlet for your personal ideology, then jettison the one element that made it unique (and, incidentally, contained the only tiny wedge of conservatism left on Sunday morning, in the person of George Will), in order to imitate a format all ready well covered by print media outlets that are themselves in the process of shedding their audiences!

. (steely)

[staytrue]

Other news shows copied the roundtable format. Fox,NBC,CBS all do it, except they all do it better than ABC. They are changing a successful format, (successful for everyone else but ABC that is) when they should be changing the on air personalities.

[Joe Boucher]

To begin with, little georgie is a yuppie punk.
He is so anti repub and supportive of dems that I just don't even listen to the crap that comes out of his mouth.
A.B.C. can revamp til the cows come in and still little georgie isn't worth tuning in to.
I wouldn't let this piss ant walk my dog more less give him his own show.
What A.B.C. big dog is he involved in blowing to get such a position? Oh that's right, bill clinton.

[CaptSkip]

The program will also debut a new set and graphics Sunday.

Put a new dress and wig on the smelly old HO and she'll get more takers.

[tdadams]

"George has been doing the Brinkley broadcast,' he said, "and we have to do the George broadcast."

In five years, somebody's going to look back at this one decision and say, "What the hell were we thinking???"

[Jimmy Valentine]

They ought to "revamp" his lying lefist behind right off the air.

Regards,

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Why does the phrase "lipstick on a pig" come to mind?

[AMNZ]

I don't think we can publish my thought on that here.

[rabidralph]

Why does the phrase "lipstick on a pig" come to mind?

Don't mince words, just say it: "Lipstick on a man."

[Sgt_Schultze]

Let's see. Steffy was a clinton strategist before X42's election. After election he became a clinton spokesman/defender. He left that job to speak opposite G. Will on the Brinkley show. Now he is the "unbiased" host.

I think Ari Fleisher is now available for hire. Does he have the same chance as Steffy to climb the ranks at ABC News? Of course not. ABC considers Fleisher a right wing partisan and would not annoint him as Steffy-light.

The point is that regardless of ABC's wishes, those of us who might watch the new Brinkley show recognize Steffy as a partisan and a clinton butt boy. They will not succeed with a news program headed by a host as recognizably democrat as Steffy. Twist in the wind ABC.

[steve8714]

One word, Joe...Decaf. Steffi will take care of himself because nobody likes watching him.
Kind of like Rather.

[snooker]

Drop stupid-nopolis on al Jeezera.

[steve8714]

Monica...Hillary...Molly Ivins...Helen Thomas...Boxer...Streisand...Maines...Pelosi...DiFi..
Need I go on?

[q_an_a]

Turn out the lights the party is over. When will ABC and the rest of the networks realize that when the old men leave nobody will be watching the bias. Move on is in fact what is happening.

Voters told VNS, "our 202 vote was in SUPPORT of President Bush!" Do the networks think much has changed or that those people are in love with their leftists ideas? The stock holders will start screaming when the value is down again.

[Jhensy]

Stephanopoulos joins Democrat Howard Dean on the campaign trail for a piece this Sunday.

WOW. WHERE CAN I CATCH THIS AMAZING NEW PROGRAM?!! SOUNDS GREAT!!!

/not

[AAABEST]

LOL!

That kid of his is such a freaking girl, the little wussy was even a ballerina for a while. Him and his faggy emotional problems and poems.