Colorado Media Newsroom
June 25th, 2014, 09:25 AM
From The Denver Post:
479
Diane Sawyer is stepping away from the daily anchor grind, ABC News announced today. She will focus on special projects. Ten years ago this would have been shocking news. Even five years ago, when Katie Couric was still in the big chair at CBS News, it would have been a big deal. Now, the last female anchor exits the commercial broadcast network’s figurehead job, and it’s a footnote.
After all, when’s the last time you sat down to a half-hour evening newscast at 5:30 p.m. locally?
From here, it feels as if Sawyer is demonstrating that she has climbed that mountain, succeeded in ratings and respect, and now would rather do interviews and projects. The announcement:
ABC News today announced new roles for anchors Diane Sawyer, George Stephanopoulos and David Muir. Sawyer will lead new programming tackling big issues and extraordinary interviews. Stephanopoulos, Anchor of Good Morning America and This Week, has been promoted to Chief Anchor of ABC News, handling special reports and breaking news. Muir, Anchor of 20/20, will become Anchor and Managing Editor of World News starting September 2.
Beyond the commercial network sphere, two women continue to anchor the nightly broadcast in what is arguably the most serious and thorough fashion: Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff on the PBS NewsHour.
But maybe in 2014 we no longer have to keep track of the first female TV anchors. As the audience fragments, as the figurehead role becomes less important, that’s one glass ceiling that’s been broken.
Similarly, back in the day the presence of Walter Cronkite, then Dan Rather, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw at the anchor desk, signaled an important event unfolding. Now, the network realize they get better mileage out of sending the figurehead anchor on a prestige assignment, letting someone else read the day’s headlines, and then spreading the content around to various online, morning/evening TV and radio platforms. The boost NBC News got from Brian Williams’ sit-down with Edward Snowden is just the latest example.
Sawyer’s walking away from the anchor chair will be remembered as the moment the TV news division acknowledged the pressing need for original content at all times and in all places, is greater than the importance of the dinner-time newscast.
More... (http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/2014/06/25/abc-anchor-shuffle/19047/)
479
Diane Sawyer is stepping away from the daily anchor grind, ABC News announced today. She will focus on special projects. Ten years ago this would have been shocking news. Even five years ago, when Katie Couric was still in the big chair at CBS News, it would have been a big deal. Now, the last female anchor exits the commercial broadcast network’s figurehead job, and it’s a footnote.
After all, when’s the last time you sat down to a half-hour evening newscast at 5:30 p.m. locally?
From here, it feels as if Sawyer is demonstrating that she has climbed that mountain, succeeded in ratings and respect, and now would rather do interviews and projects. The announcement:
ABC News today announced new roles for anchors Diane Sawyer, George Stephanopoulos and David Muir. Sawyer will lead new programming tackling big issues and extraordinary interviews. Stephanopoulos, Anchor of Good Morning America and This Week, has been promoted to Chief Anchor of ABC News, handling special reports and breaking news. Muir, Anchor of 20/20, will become Anchor and Managing Editor of World News starting September 2.
Beyond the commercial network sphere, two women continue to anchor the nightly broadcast in what is arguably the most serious and thorough fashion: Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff on the PBS NewsHour.
But maybe in 2014 we no longer have to keep track of the first female TV anchors. As the audience fragments, as the figurehead role becomes less important, that’s one glass ceiling that’s been broken.
Similarly, back in the day the presence of Walter Cronkite, then Dan Rather, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw at the anchor desk, signaled an important event unfolding. Now, the network realize they get better mileage out of sending the figurehead anchor on a prestige assignment, letting someone else read the day’s headlines, and then spreading the content around to various online, morning/evening TV and radio platforms. The boost NBC News got from Brian Williams’ sit-down with Edward Snowden is just the latest example.
Sawyer’s walking away from the anchor chair will be remembered as the moment the TV news division acknowledged the pressing need for original content at all times and in all places, is greater than the importance of the dinner-time newscast.
More... (http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/2014/06/25/abc-anchor-shuffle/19047/)