Commentary

Shake-Up At CBS News Raises Key Question: Who Cares?

I have been around long enough to remember when stories about network news anchors would send certain reporters on the TV beat into hyperactive tizzies.

For reasons that I either never quite understood or simply refused to accept (as we contrarians are wont to do), I never shared their excitement over news-anchor and news-division stories.

Other reporters seemed to be in awe of the broadcast network News Divisions -- words so sacred that they were judged to be proper nouns and therefore capitalized.

It was as if these other reporters on the TV beat actually believed that Network News (capitalized) and their deep-voiced anchormen were the very embodiment of journalistic integrity, accuracy and profundity. And maybe they were, once upon a time.

This subject arises this week following the news that Susan Zirinsky, current president of CBS News (and a CBS News lifer as a long-time producer and executive there), has engineered a shake-up of on-air assignments affecting two of the CBS news division's daily shows.

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The changes are these: Jeff Glor will no longer be the anchor of “The CBS Evening News.” He will be replaced by Norah O’Donnell. She is moving from “CBS This Morning,” where she was a co-host with Gayle King and John Dickerson.

On “CBS This Morning,” Gayle King will remain, but Dickerson -- who was once a very capable anchor of “Face the Nation” -- now becomes a correspondent for “60 Minutes” and a contributor to CBS News’ coverage of elections.

Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil will take up the open co-host spots on “CBS This Morning” with Gayle King.

The press release from CBS News on Monday morning was a classic of overblown oratory. “CBS ANNOUNCES NEW ANCHOR TEAM FOR FLAGSHIP BROADCASTS,” read the headline in all caps on this release.

Note the use of the words “flagship broadcasts,” one of those anachronistic phrases from decades past when broadcast networks were much more important, and they thought of their news shows as vital “flagships” whose leadership set the tone for the rest of the company. Meanwhile, the “rest” of the company's output included “Green Acres” and “Gilligan's Island.”

Memo to CBS News: There are no “flagship broadcasts” anymore. You might even say those “flagships” have sailed off into the sunset along with the rest of TV news.

Elsewhere in this press release came a stream of highfalutin' adjectives applied to support the greatness of CBS News air talent. O’Donnell is described as “highly respected,” “award-winning” and “distinguished.”

King was also noted as “award-winning.” According to CBS, her interviews are “game-changing,” her storytelling “compassionate,” and her “ability to connect with audiences” is “unrivaled.” Yes, she has no rivals when it comes to audience connection! No rivals!

Anthony Mason’s work was described as “exceptional.” Tony Dokoupil is “a brilliant writer.” Together, they’re a “dynamic team,” gushed this press release.

What a bunch of hogwash it all is. The press releases announcing the last dozen or so of these exercises in air talent musical chairs probably used much the same verbiage. Well, if all those predecessors were so great, then why are they being replaced?

One reason might be: Simply describing TV newsmen and newswomen as “brilliant,” “unrivaled” or “passionate” about their work does not make them so.

Or to put it another way, on a typical day at typical moments during any of these shows, you will never turn one of them on and suddenly be thunderstruck by the passion emanating from the likes of Norah O’Donnell or John Dickerson.

The new shining, brilliant and compassionate faces of “CBS This Morning” will arrive May 20. Meanwhile, a date for the distinguished Norah O’Donnell to start as anchor of “The CBS Evening News” was not provided, but it will be some time this summer, the release said.

Then, Norah is moving to Washington as “Evening News” shifts its headquarters this fall from New York -- a city generally regarded as the center of the known world -- to the nation’s capital, which, compared to New York, is a provincial backwater. 

The CBS press release said the move is being made in order to give this nightly newscast “unique access to top lawmakers,” as if the communications technology does not exist today to make this access just as possible from New York City.

Oh, well. Maybe someday this CBS flagship will decide to run up its sails once again for a voyage back to New York. Until then, bon voyage.

3 comments about "Shake-Up At CBS News Raises Key Question: Who Cares?".
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  1. Nick Romano from Romano Consulting, May 7, 2019 at 1:42 p.m.

    Certainly agree with the premise of the piece. The question is where does Jeff Glor go and what's the backstory on making this change? Other than the fact Gayle King had a contract and demanded that O'Donnell and Dickerson be directed elsewhere. Just wondering. You also got to wonder how long the DC experiment lasts when everything rotates aroundWest 57th Street?

  2. Douglas Ferguson from College of Charleston, May 7, 2019 at 2:56 p.m.

    And where is Connie Chung?  Just whisper it to me. 

  3. Paula Lynn from Who Else Unlimited, May 7, 2019 at 11:21 p.m.

    The people writing these press releases are not the same as the ones from 20 years ago so you can take it from there.

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