On Demand
Roger Mudd on TV Journalism
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Former CBS Evening News anchor Roger Mudd says that TV journalism is in big trouble these days. He talks about his long career at CBS and how the news world has changed since he’s left is The Place to Be: Washington, CBS, and the Glory Days of Television News.
Events: Roger Mudd will be speaking and signing books
Thursday, April 24 at 7 pm
Bookends
232 East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ
Roger Mudd will be speaking and signing books
Friday, April 25 at 6 pm
Columbus Circle Borders
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The TV news I have love is that possibly unglamorous segment of "Shame on You" and similar consumer advocacy efforts... The format is sublime for TV -- drama, justice and connecting the unprocessed criminals or unidentified jerks with the authorities (their viewers), where police and consumers cannot. The shlock works.
As far as news anchors, I'm not a big TV watcher so I cannot figure out how to view news shows without resenting their brevity and getting made that some people out there actually form their views of the world via a format that is so ill suited for that purpose.
Of course that's from this viewers' perspective -- I also enjoy watching the TV news readers and reporters obviously having a blast!
I think the trouble of TV news just reflects the trouble our excessively corporatized and materialistic society faces. I read a story in the current New Yorker about a crazy Chinese English teacher in China. You see their hunger, their sacrifice. We are fat, dumb and happy. The developing world is lean, alert and hungry.
We are lording sheer economic and military power over the world. But the foundation of that power is crumbling - it just takes awhile.
Is it possible that the bigwig TV journalists, for instance let me just pick Gibson and Stephanopolous, are very out of touch with the American people after years of million dollar salaries and hobnobbing with other rich and famous and powerful folks?
CBS should put Lara Logan as the Anchor. That will bring the audience back
Agree with Lopate, it's hard to tell the difference between the network news broadcasts. There _are_ differences in story focus (I use the remote a lot when I watch), but the general skeins are virtually cookie-cutter (Fox excluded).
The Logan comment is funny--sure, she's really smart, really tough, really focused and brave; and, as Seinfeld might say, "sooooo good lookin'!"
I remember some time in the 80s, seeing a NYC local newscast that had 2 female black anchors. Wow, I thought, we've really come a long way. Never saw it again.
These TV anchors are just making too much money. This puts them in the upper echelons of Washington society. It's like that scene from "Bulworth" where Warren Beatty says to the debate moderators: "What are we talking about here? You're a bunch of rich people asking a bunch of other rich people questions."
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