Post by Naj on Jan 31, 2006 19:29:52 GMT -5
PASADENA, Calif. — The notion of a crowded anchor desk seems to be fading at CBS News.
“I think that having one person as the primary anchor is the way to go,” Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports, told the Television Critics Association during its winter TV press tour.
That person would be “the face of CBS News” during breaking news, election coverage and more, he said. While ducking specifics, he said the anchor:
n Probably will be from outside the network.
n Won’t bring along a handpicked executive producer. Rome Hartman, a CBS News veteran, got that job Jan. 9 and is keeping it.
n May or may not be Katie Couric, whose contract at “Today” expires in May. “All I can say is, there’s an incredibly small number” of possibilities, McManus said.
Leslie Moonves, the CBS CEO, had been talking up the possibilities of a multianchor newscast. However, McManus disagrees and said Moonves is willing to go along with him.
McManus, the son of sports anchor Jim McKay, took over the news job nine weeks ago. It would have been better to name an anchor from within, he said, but CBS hadn’t developed people with high-enough profile.
He mentioned some reporters by name, including Russ Mitchell, John Roberts and Mika Brzezinski (the daughter of former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski). He said there will be announcements coming with “increased roles, increased designations” for some people.
Ironically, the newscast ratings with Bob Scheiffer have been on the upswing. Schieffer has made it clear that he doesn’t want the job long-term, McManus said.
In other CBS news, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler is making no guarantees network TV’s only consistent movie slot will be back next season.
“The ’Hallmarks’ have been done well,” Tassler said of the “Hallmark Hall of Fame” films. “The (disaster films) have done well.”
Other original films in the “CBS Sunday Movie” slot have floundered. Tassler was particularly surprised when an ambitious miniseries about Pope John Paul II drew weak ratings.
There are only four “Hallmark Hall of Fame” films each season. After that, the network will have crime-show reruns and theatrical films on Sundays, against the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics.
CBS does have one major miniseries in the works. That’s “The Comanche Moon,” the prequel to its acclaimed “Lonesome Dove” cowboy tale. Larry McMurtry, the “Lonesome Dove” author, is writing the script with Diana Ossana. They wrote the script for “Brokeback Mountain.”
Beyond that, there’s always the possibility that CBS — which has had a Sunday night movie on air since 1986 — will build on “Cold Case” to stuff Sundays with drama hours.
For all of its emphasis on crime hours, CBS is also talking about diverting. Tassler discussed the possibility of:
n A variation on the British “Game Show Marathon.” It would start with six celebrities, eliminating one until they get to a winner. And each week would have a different classic game, such as “Beat the Clock,” “Match Game” and “The Price is Right.”
n Some efforts at unusual dramas. “Threshold” won’t be back, Tassler said, but one unusual pilot film, “Jericho,” set in an eccentric little town, beginning when the people there see a nuclear cloud over Denver.
n Continuing reality shows. “Rock Star” will be back, but Tassler isn’t saying which rock group will be involved. “Amazing Race” will return to a broad, five-continent scramble, Its smaller “Family Edition” slumped in the ratings.
n And a possible summer change that could intrigue viewers: CBS is considering creating a variation on the “telenovelas” that have been ratings sensations on Spanish-language networks.
Tassler said she’s seen many of them, even if she didn’t understand them.“ I saw them in Spanish when I was a kid, because my grandmother was watching.”
Telenovelas are like soap operas but have a beginning and end. “You have a big, sexy, juicy love story,” Tassler said, plus action and outdoor settings.
So far, CBS has five novelists, including Nicholas Sparks, working on possibilities for the English language programs. One might be chosen, Tassler said, for a 13-week, twice-a-week summer run.
Gannett News
“I think that having one person as the primary anchor is the way to go,” Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports, told the Television Critics Association during its winter TV press tour.
That person would be “the face of CBS News” during breaking news, election coverage and more, he said. While ducking specifics, he said the anchor:
n Probably will be from outside the network.
n Won’t bring along a handpicked executive producer. Rome Hartman, a CBS News veteran, got that job Jan. 9 and is keeping it.
n May or may not be Katie Couric, whose contract at “Today” expires in May. “All I can say is, there’s an incredibly small number” of possibilities, McManus said.
Leslie Moonves, the CBS CEO, had been talking up the possibilities of a multianchor newscast. However, McManus disagrees and said Moonves is willing to go along with him.
McManus, the son of sports anchor Jim McKay, took over the news job nine weeks ago. It would have been better to name an anchor from within, he said, but CBS hadn’t developed people with high-enough profile.
He mentioned some reporters by name, including Russ Mitchell, John Roberts and Mika Brzezinski (the daughter of former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski). He said there will be announcements coming with “increased roles, increased designations” for some people.
Ironically, the newscast ratings with Bob Scheiffer have been on the upswing. Schieffer has made it clear that he doesn’t want the job long-term, McManus said.
In other CBS news, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler is making no guarantees network TV’s only consistent movie slot will be back next season.
“The ’Hallmarks’ have been done well,” Tassler said of the “Hallmark Hall of Fame” films. “The (disaster films) have done well.”
Other original films in the “CBS Sunday Movie” slot have floundered. Tassler was particularly surprised when an ambitious miniseries about Pope John Paul II drew weak ratings.
There are only four “Hallmark Hall of Fame” films each season. After that, the network will have crime-show reruns and theatrical films on Sundays, against the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics.
CBS does have one major miniseries in the works. That’s “The Comanche Moon,” the prequel to its acclaimed “Lonesome Dove” cowboy tale. Larry McMurtry, the “Lonesome Dove” author, is writing the script with Diana Ossana. They wrote the script for “Brokeback Mountain.”
Beyond that, there’s always the possibility that CBS — which has had a Sunday night movie on air since 1986 — will build on “Cold Case” to stuff Sundays with drama hours.
For all of its emphasis on crime hours, CBS is also talking about diverting. Tassler discussed the possibility of:
n A variation on the British “Game Show Marathon.” It would start with six celebrities, eliminating one until they get to a winner. And each week would have a different classic game, such as “Beat the Clock,” “Match Game” and “The Price is Right.”
n Some efforts at unusual dramas. “Threshold” won’t be back, Tassler said, but one unusual pilot film, “Jericho,” set in an eccentric little town, beginning when the people there see a nuclear cloud over Denver.
n Continuing reality shows. “Rock Star” will be back, but Tassler isn’t saying which rock group will be involved. “Amazing Race” will return to a broad, five-continent scramble, Its smaller “Family Edition” slumped in the ratings.
n And a possible summer change that could intrigue viewers: CBS is considering creating a variation on the “telenovelas” that have been ratings sensations on Spanish-language networks.
Tassler said she’s seen many of them, even if she didn’t understand them.“ I saw them in Spanish when I was a kid, because my grandmother was watching.”
Telenovelas are like soap operas but have a beginning and end. “You have a big, sexy, juicy love story,” Tassler said, plus action and outdoor settings.
So far, CBS has five novelists, including Nicholas Sparks, working on possibilities for the English language programs. One might be chosen, Tassler said, for a 13-week, twice-a-week summer run.
Gannett News
