November 07, 2006

Anchors jockeying for position on Election Day (NYT)

By Nancy Vialatte

The changing landscape of network news has provided an opportunity for anchors to make their mark today, says the New York Times.

Election coverage will be handled in prime-time by Brian Williams, Charles Gibson and Katie Couric for the first time since Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw left their desks and since Peter Jennings passed away.

�Among those of us who do this, it�s one of our favorite nights,� Williams tells the NYT. �It�s like any other special live event. You tell people what you know. And, witness Tom (Brokaw) and the others on 9/11, you tell them what you don�t know. And you tell them what you�re waiting for.�

Gibson piped in saying, �It has to be in context. If there is any danger in a night like this, it�s being too diffuse, so people don�t know where we are.�

�For the (New) Big 3 � an elite club whose membership was cemented Sept. 5, when Ms. Couric took over the �CBS Evening News� � tonight�s prime-time broadcasts represent a crucial opportunity to retain the viewers they have and perhaps win over new ones. For Ms. Couric, who has thus far been stuck in third place in the ratings, as judged by the overall audience she attracts each night, the coverage of the contests would seem particularly important.�