Anchors Away: Brokaw, Rather, And Jennings
By Vincent Fiore (12/06/04)
The changing political landscape has brought with it a changing of the Old guard media as well. For nearly four decades, Americans have in one capacity or another received the country's news through the eyes of Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, and Dan Rather.
But the world does indeed turn, and with it, a revolution of media change has come about.
In 1994, some 41 million viewers--a huge number--got their nightly news from either CBS, NBC, or ABC. Ten years later, that figure dwindles to 26 million. Much history and numerous events have transpired to bring about this abandonment of viewership from the alphabet media.
In brief, technology has made it possible for the discerning (read as: fed up) news junkie to seek other alternatives, and find them. Talk radio supplies the news to approximately 22% of Americans, up from 12% in 1995. Cable-television outlets, like Fox and CNN, account for 41%, up from 23% in 1995. The Internet, where some reportedly just wear “pajamas” when reporting news, is up from 3% in 1995 to 15% today.
While the new kids on the block have steadily risen, the old standbys have fallen. In the early nineties, 65% of Americans heard their news every day from the nightly networks. Today, that figure is 43%. Even the genesis of media, the daily newspapers, has lost ground in the last 10 years.
In the heyday of broadcast news, circa 1969, Americans huddled around the television set to listen to the pioneers of the modern day anchor, legends like Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley, and David Brinkley. Today, it's become a rarity of sorts to sit down at the dinner table at 6 p.m. and watch as our parents did for years, the once all-knowing and authoritative images of Peter, Dan, and Tom.
And who’s watching these guys nowadays? Demographically, the big three networks average viewer is 60 years old, and getting older all the time. Instead of trying to broaden its demographic appeal to younger audiences by program and format changes, the networks respond by selling more commercial time to pharmaceutical companies.
In contrast, today’s “new” news generation, generally between the ages of 21 and 55, gets the news not only from a variety of sources, but virtually anytime they want it. This too diminishes the need for a national news anchor, as more than anything, the Brokaws and Rathers are being supplanted by choice and convenience.
But something was happening for the country to want seek a change. With the continuous airing of Brokaw, Jennings, and Rather—night after night and event after event—people began to see that they were getting more than just the unvarnished news.
Simply put, the news was being reported with a political and ideological urgency that reflected the liberal leanings of America’s most visible news patriarchs.
Predictably, the establishment media still denies this charge of bias as some sort of “right wing” plot hatched by over-zealous conservatives hell-bent on destroying the media’s power to act as Washington’s “official non-partisan fact-checker.”
Yes, the talking heads at CNN and the New York Times will still deny it, but the difference now is that any lingering doubts that were once there, are nearly all but banished from consideration, as even that dirty little secret, the “hiding in plain sight” liberal media, cannot deny their own over-zealous efforts this past election.
Quantitatively, it is real. It is precisely why the Dans and Toms, and eventually the Peters, are getting out, because they cannot hide behind the label of “unbiased journalism” any longer. Through their very actions throughout the years, especially this past election year, Americans know with certainty that these “mainstream” voices of the news do not represent the mainstream at all. Aside from those of us locked into the pattern, or the legacy of loyalty to ABC, CBS, and NBC, no one’s watching anymore.
Between Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw, they amassed a combined 45 years as their network’s chief news and political anchors. Though both have formed a lasting legacy of liberal ideology that still heavily infects their profession today, they also bear the legacy of having inspired the creation of—surprise—more reliable and balanced media outlets.
For this, I say “thank you.”
The liberal media have suffered some serious blows these past few years, but they are far from out. There will be new liberal patriarchs like Brian Williams, who takes over for Brokaw this week. There will be a warm, progressive body to fill Rather’s anchor chair, though hopefully minus the “Texasisms” the he was so fond of saying.
After the anchor era passes, I expect the arrogance and elitism associated with the likes of Dan Rather and company to continue to make their decisions for them, without regard to what is really important to people—factual and impartial truth in reporting.
But I cannot help but think that the arrogance displayed by the Old Guard media is the best thing that could happen for the new media pioneers to continue their meteoric rise. For without competition, there is no cause.
“Good night, Tom.”
“Good night, Dan.”
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