Way back in August, I listed my choices for the three worst anchors on television. I said in that post that "later this week" I was going to name the best news anchors on television. Apparently, "later this week" meant seven months later. Sorry about that!
Here are my choices for the six best news anchors currently on television. Feel free to disagree and argue with me in the comments section (as if you need any suggestion from me for that).
1. Katie Couric (CBS), Charles Gibson (ABC), and Brian Williams (NBC): You don't get to be the anchor on the evening network news broadcasts without being the cream of the crop, and these three people are the best. Williams is an old pro who deserved to take Tom Brokaw's seat when he retired, and Gibson is a solid veteran. As for Couric, a lot of people point to her bad ratings as proof she can't do hard news, and I say that's ridiculous. Her show has been number three for quite some time, even before she took over, for reasons way beyond her control. She's quite good. In fact, when I watch the network news at 6:30pm, she's the one I turn to first.2. Kyra Phillips (CNN): You know that feeling you get when a favorite TV personality is on vacation or is in repeats (for me it's David Letterman)? You get truly bummed out when you see the show is in repeats or that a substitute host is in their place. That's how I feel when I turn on CNN in the afternoon and Kyra Phillips isn't in the anchor seat. Like right now. She's been in Iraq for the past couple of weeks doing special reports, and the people they have filling in for her just can't do her mix of hard news, great questions, and light news stories. Kyra, please come back.
3. Russ Mitchell (CBS): If CBS hadn't gone with Couric, Mitchell would have been a great choice. He's the news anchor of The Early Show too and fills in for Couric (as does Harry Smith).
4. Jim Lehrer (PBS): Just straight-forward, no nonsense news. Probably the closest we have to a Walter Cronkite type anchor every night. It's refreshing to just turn on the news and get the news.
Who would you add to this list, and is there anyone I mentioned above who shouldn't be there?















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
3-18-2008 @ 10:29AM
Ralph said...
Definitely Bill Hemmer of Fox News
Reply
3-18-2008 @ 10:46AM
Davin Peterson said...
Because everybody likes Charles Gibson and his experience helps this explains why ABC News ratings are doing well.
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3-18-2008 @ 11:07AM
sitruc said...
Of course I clicked to see how you would rank Katie Couric, Charles Gibson and Brian Williams.
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3-18-2008 @ 11:13AM
sjohnmassoud said...
Well we know that the writer of this story is a communist. Since Katie Couric's ratings are in the tank, along with NBC's, and that most journalists do not take Couric seriously as a news anchor, either the writer has had a pharmaceutical moment here, or is a good socialist in the Paul Krugman/Neal Gabler tradition.
Note that no one from Fox News was mentioned.
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3-18-2008 @ 11:54AM
bsgfan2003 said...
Just because there is no mention of a Fox anchor does not give sufficient justification to call someone a Communist.
For the record, I am one person who does not think Bob is a Communist based on his TV Squad writings.
3-18-2008 @ 11:22AM
mc said...
My favorite, besides Cronkite, was the late Don Harrison, an original from CNN2 (now Headline News). He was great to listen to in the morning reporting straight forward on the news (no extra chat). AND, he reported from behind a desk never moving from place to place (I still don't understand how standing on a mezzanine changes the way a story is done compared to sitting at the desk from which you were reporting the previous story). Chuck Roberts was also good before the change to being more entertaining.
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3-18-2008 @ 11:42AM
Thomas said...
Charlie Brooker sums up my feelings about TV news:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RRmE0_n0K4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgUK0WqScUA
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3-18-2008 @ 11:58AM
const said...
How predictable Sassone would go the uber-liberal route. This belongs on a daily kos website rather than TV Squad. Also, he really went out on a limb to choose the three network people as #1.
Brave commentary there!
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3-18-2008 @ 6:34PM
johngaltx said...
This is the man's OPINION. You can agree or disagree, but to attack a man for stating an OPINION that you do not agree with is beyond contempt.
3-18-2008 @ 6:37PM
Anna TV Squad said...
My personal favorite is still Soledad O'Brien. She's wicked smart (that's for you, Bob), but is not being used to her full potential on CNN.
Thanks for not listing Anderson Cooper. Blech.
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3-18-2008 @ 12:47PM
Buckly said...
I'm guessing he didn't list any Fox "News" anchors because Fox doesn't do actual news. Now if the category was Best Propaganda Mouth Pieces, then Fox would win in a clean sweep! Although, would if have hurt you Bob to single out the network hosts? Pretty cheap ranking them all the same.
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3-18-2008 @ 12:58PM
Franklin said...
How original! You must be the 49,576th lib to say something along those lines, probably while watching Olbermann retch what you believe to be "news". Put down the bong and try inhaling oxygen for once.
Anyone who's read more than two of Bob's articles knows exactly why he didn't include anyone from FOX News.
3-18-2008 @ 1:12PM
Buckly said...
My favorite part about Fox News watchers is how they think that they are the only network that gets it right while EVERY OTHER NEWS CHANNEL has a liberal bias. Your absolutely right, Franklin. All of media is against you. Uh oh, I'm late for the secret meeting. Gotta convince the world that people love Obama!
3-18-2008 @ 1:26PM
Franklin said...
It's cute how you say all that as if you think I have any care or concern for what you think. Like so many of your peers, you 20-something know-it-all-already types, you're far more comical than you have the capacity to grasp.
3-18-2008 @ 2:23PM
bsgfan2003 said...
Buckly: You paint Fox news watchers with a very general brush. I don't think "every other news channel has a liberal bias", as you said.
There are "propaganda mouth pieces" (as you put it) everywhere, on both sides in every form of journalism.
Please reconsider your statements.
3-18-2008 @ 4:01PM
Buckly said...
bsgfan2003: I am certainly aware that each channel has their mouth pieces (ie Olberman, O'Reilly), what I am referring to to the general reporting. Fox News does have an obvious slant towards the right. Usually the argument I hear from its viewers is that every other channel slants towards the left. If you have a suggestion for unbiased reporting (not the opinion shows that I mentioned earlier), I'd be glad to hear them. I can't get anyone to agree on that.
While I am sorry if you were offended, I think my comments pale in comparison to that of Franklin's personal attacks as a drug user and a "know it all" who can't to seem to grasp how comical his opinions are. That sort of response is just vile and obviously from a very hateful person (I know I know, who doesn't care what I think).
3-18-2008 @ 4:34PM
bsgfan2003 said...
Very, nice of you.
O.K - In terms of general reporting for Fox, how about Shepard Smith?
Overall, I find comfort with Charles Gibson, I tend to like the older non excitable people.
In terms of the harsh remarks, I guess that there are flame throwers on both sides, and people who like to stir the pot. (Something I too can be guilty of, from time to time :)
3-18-2008 @ 12:50PM
dkcincos said...
My favorite is Robin Meade from the CNN morning news.
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3-18-2008 @ 2:20PM
Oreo said...
I wouldn't list anyone from CNN or Fox.
And Charles Gibson is number one, Brian Williams two, and Katie Couric 1,968.
Reply
3-18-2008 @ 11:59PM
jeremy Wilson said...
It baffles me why, after 18 months on the air, there are still those who find Katie Couric "too soft," "too perky," "lacking gravitas." To all those who are inclined to remark negatively to Couric, I'd ask where does your bias lie? Are you a member of the Religious Right, one of Ann Coulter or Laura Ingraham's drones? Are you a grandfather from the bible belt, who feels uncomfortable and down right unwilling to get your news from anyone who doesn't come equipped with the same package as you? Or are you just one of the countless Americans who thinks they know everything about anything, meanwhile they haven't tuned into the show since it first began. No one is denying Couric started off rocky, but it was an experiment. CBS tried to appeal to the younger generations because, well, that's who'll be watching in the years to come. But as it turned out, they were tuning out, and the only audience left was the grandfathers mentioned above. They tried it, it failed, they fixed it. Since then, it's just a "hard news" as anything Brian or Charlie put on air, if not more so. The point is, you can't let the past dictate sometimes for the present and the future. No one has the right to comment on someone's job performance if they've been tuning it out for months on end, and are only going by what the self-appointed critics of TV land tell them. THINK FOR YOURSELVES! IT'S NOT ILLEGAL YET!