Reports are circulating that CBS is about to fire Rome Hartman, executive producer of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, and replace him with Rick Kaplan, who until last year was president of MSNBC.Hartman was named executive producer in November 2005, and helped reshape the broadcast after Couric took over the anchor slot in September. After the requisite curiosity period wore off, the ratings for the newscast deteriorated; it now pulls in lower ratings than it did at the same time last year, when Bob Schieffer was anchoring. The soft-news components of the broadcast were apparently what turned viewers off, and, even though those issues were already being addressed by Hartman, it apparently wasn't enough to save his job.
This has been a bad month for news producers, hasn't it? Remember, John Reiss was fired from his post as the EP of the NBC Nightly News last week, replaced by Alexandra Wallace. Jon Banner, EP of ABC's World News, is pretty safe right now, though, especially considering his broadcast recently regained the first place slot.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-08-2007 @ 10:57AM
Justin said...
I have successfully avoided watching CBS's schmaltzy Evening News since the hard-hitting, "in-the-trenches" Couric took over. I don't see a new EP making any difference.
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3-08-2007 @ 11:07AM
Rick said...
Fire Couric and CBS looks like they're admitting a mistake. But let the executive producer take the fall, and CBS looks like they're acknowledging the problem with decisive action.
Put Vieira behind the desk, and move Katie to Iraq where she can make all the soft sugary pieces she wants, interviewing daddies who miss their kids or something.
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3-08-2007 @ 12:24PM
Porchland said...
Rick, you're an a@@hole.
I wouldn't say Meredith Vieira is much safer than Katie Couric.
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3-08-2007 @ 1:40PM
Rick said...
I certainly meant no disrespect to the troops by the trivialization Couric's presence would bring them.
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3-08-2007 @ 2:27PM
Anthony said...
I know from experience that Rick can get the job done, but when he comes in, he shakes everything up. His brand of shake up is a big as he is... and he's no lightweight fellow either. With Rick at the helm you will probably notice an immediate change in the on-air look of the show... personnel reassignments, a push to more hard news stories, investigative stories, new faces reporting.... he's a big fan of Jeff Greenfield... CNN may want to see where his contract stands..... and yes Rick can come off as a jerk sometimes... but he's a good guy, great ideas... and I think had he stayed with CNN they would be the true news leader over Fox.
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3-08-2007 @ 3:33PM
Smiley said...
Their ratings aren't low enough so they have to bring in the guy who presided over the destruction of CNN and the tremendous failure of MSNBC.
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