The possible future of TV network news was on stark display this week -- at Comedy Central.
Visiting "The Daily Show," the cable network's buzz-generating fake newscast, Brian Williams, the newly minted anchor at NBC, joked with the host about the media's endless fascination with Princess Diana and Julia Roberts' newborn twins. After the crowd laughed heartily at a few dry one-liners from Williams, host Jon Stewart wondered aloud, "Why do I think you'd be better at this job than I am?"
That might not be such a far-fetched proposition.
With Williams taking over tonight for Tom Brokaw, 64, on "NBC Nightly News," and Dan Rather's announcement last week that he is leaving "CBS Evening News" in March, the often-staid broadcast news divisions appear ready to embrace change.
Everything seems to be on the table. Networks might push newscasts to later in the evening to adapt to family schedules and commuters. Anchors such as Williams will increasingly turn up on early morning shows and Internet chat rooms to gain more exposure, and broadcast executives hope, viewers. And yes, they will make frequent guest appearances on entertainment programs like "The Daily Show," which has become a proxy newscast for many young viewers.
"When Brokaw and Rather and [ABC anchor Peter] Jennings were hired, the purpose of the evening newscast was to give viewers what the gatekeepers thought was important, with a stamp of approval from seasoned professionals," said Marty Kaplan, associate dean of USC's Annenberg School for Communication.
"Now, I'm not sure the audience believes in the legitimacy of the gatekeepers or even cares what they have to say.... I don't think the new anchors will be inhabiting the same set of assumptions as before."
Entertainment values -- employed fully by Fox News Channel in its successful decade-long battle against CNN -- are becoming paramount.
Jonathan Klein, the former Internet executive named as CNN chief last month, warned against an overabundance of fluff but emphasized the need to engage viewers in prime time. CBS chief Leslie Moonves joked to reporters this week that the evening news might be anchored by the cast of "Friends." But he quickly turned serious, saying: "People are going to have to look at news differently, and certainly we are."
There are signs of change already.
