Comments on: Couric to Cronkite: “More emphasis when you say my name.” http://www.bloggernews.net/112516 High-quality English language analysis and editorial writing on the news. Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:34:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Chicago CBS Viewer http://www.bloggernews.net/112516#comment-160131 Chicago CBS Viewer Thu, 20 Dec 2007 04:55:26 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/112516#comment-160131 The overall problem here has always been with Moonves and CBS Vice-President for News Shaun McManus (son of long-time ABC Sports legendary broadcaster Jim McKay). They let the whole Dan Rather / Bush-GuardService-Gate matter mislead them into believing that one breakdown in procedure, if not ethics . . . that not marshalling "Gunga-DAN" from spreading himself too thin between mother nature's hurricanes and Washington, D.C., hypocrisy...somewho meant they were to stop trusting what works. The pioneering practice of CBS News to "...tell them what you're going to tell them ... TELL them ... then tell them what you told them", in everything from promotion to broadcast execution never failed them from Murrow through Collingwood through Edwards through Cronkite and up to only ONE item of any consequence through Rather. Why stop with Couric? The return to what I knew CBS to be for more than 40 years has been refreshing and long overdue. If CBS wants a younger audience, suggest it study where its young viewers are watching VIACOM programming overall and place 2 to 4-minute highly-target news snippets in the MIDDLE COMMERCIAL BREAK SLOT. Perhaps along the lines of the really good "IN THE NEWS" segments done on Saturdays years ago (although replacing the likes of the late, great Christopher Glenn who voiced them will not be easy). Largely, it's time to move on from the Couric/CBS non-story overall, and, although you didn't really explain how the title of your commentary fits what you wrote, it MIGHT HELP if Walter were asked to do a re-take! The overall problem here has always been with Moonves and CBS Vice-President for News Shaun McManus (son of long-time ABC Sports legendary broadcaster Jim McKay). They let the whole Dan Rather / Bush-GuardService-Gate matter mislead them into believing that one breakdown in procedure, if not ethics . . . that not marshalling “Gunga-DAN” from spreading himself too thin between mother nature’s hurricanes and Washington, D.C., hypocrisy…somewho meant they were to stop trusting what works.

The pioneering practice of CBS News to “…tell them what you’re going to tell them … TELL them … then tell them what you told them”, in everything from promotion to broadcast execution never failed them from Murrow through Collingwood through Edwards through Cronkite and up to only ONE item of any consequence through Rather. Why stop with Couric?

The return to what I knew CBS to be for more than 40 years has been refreshing and long overdue. If CBS wants a younger audience, suggest it study where its young viewers are watching VIACOM programming overall and place 2 to 4-minute highly-target news snippets in the MIDDLE COMMERCIAL BREAK SLOT. Perhaps along the lines of the really good “IN THE NEWS” segments done on Saturdays years ago (although replacing the likes of the late, great Christopher Glenn who voiced them will not be easy).

Largely, it’s time to move on from the Couric/CBS non-story overall, and, although you didn’t really explain how the title of your commentary fits what you wrote, it MIGHT HELP if Walter were asked to do a re-take!

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