Couric's Not Only Thing Networks Should Toss

Evening news shows on their last legs

By Will McCahill, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 15, 2008 9:11 PM CDT

Copied

Couric's Not Only Thing Networks Should Toss — "Why can't Williams give me a quick five-minute news fix when host Howie Mandel cuts away from those leggy models on Deal or No Deal?" BusinessWeek's Ron Grover wonders of NBC's anchor. (AP Photo)

Evening network news, with or without Katie Couric aboard, is going nowhere, Ron Grover writes in BusinessWeek—then offers suggestions on what the TV giants should do to hook viewers:

Make the news available on the viewers' time: Get big-name anchors on tape earlier, and put those newscasts online.

Feed the couch potatoes among us in small, easily chewable chunks: No reason, Grover writes, NBC couldn't give us five minutes of Brian Williams between shows, or CBS couldn't pepper some Couric between sitcom offerings.
Drop the big 6:30 newscast altogether: Networks can rely on affiliates to spread the word, and such a move would be a financial boon—with a huge savings in not having to pay star anchors.

(More Katie Couric stories.)

Report an error