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Reality Show: Inside the Last Great Television News War
Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings: They were on a first-name basis with the country for a generation, leading viewers through moments of triumph and tragedy. But now that a new generation has succeeded them, the once-glittering job of network anchor seems unmistakably tarnished. In an age of instantaneous Internet news, cable echo chambers and iPod downloads, who really needs the evening news? And, by extension, who needs Katie Couric, Brian Williams, and Charlie Gibson?
But the anchors still have a megaphone capable of cutting through the media static. Their coverage of Iraq helped turn the country against that bloody war, and they are now playing a leading role in chronicling the collapse of George Bush's presidency and the 2008 race to succeed him. Yet, even as the anchors fight for ratings supremacy, the mega-corporations they work for have handed them a bigger challenge: saving an American institution.
In this freewheeling, intimate account of life atop the media pyramid, award-winning bestselling author Howard Kurtz takes us inside the newsrooms and executive suites of CBS, NBC, and ABC, capturing the deadline judgments, image-making, jealousies, and gossip of this high-pressure business. Whether it is Couric trying to regain her morning magic while coping with tabloid stories about her boyfriends, Williams reporting from New Orleans and Baghdad while worrying about his ailing father, or Gibson weighing whether to follow his wife into retirement while grappling with having to report the explicit details of sex scandals, Kurtz brings to life the daily battles that define their lives.
The narrative reflects an extraordinary degree of access to such corporate chieftains as Jeff Zucker and Les Moonves, star correspondents, and the anchors themselves. Their goal: create an on-screen persona that people will tune in to and trust. Yet they are faced with a graying, shrinking audience as younger viewers flock to Jon Stewart, whose influence on the real newscasts is palpable. Here is the untold story of what these journalistic celebrities think of their bosses, cable competitors, bloggers, and each other.
- GenresNonfictionJournalismTv
480 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
3 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 1, 2007
What can I say? I'm a news junkie and I was drawn to Kurtz's book like a moth to a lightbulb. In addition to behind-the-scenes stories about tv news organizations and personalities, Kurtz writes about mainstream media coverage of the Iraq war--- and some of it is new information! Also, If you need more reasons to feel outraged and desperate about the machinations and lies of the Bush administration, you'll find them here.
August 11, 2008
I didn't like this half as much as Kurtz's other stuff... there didn't seem to be any discovery or point to his detailed chronicling of news anchordom in America, it just kind of kept on going and going. Maybe I'm just that disenchanted with news altogether.
June 20, 2008
I wasn't surprised I enjoyed this book, even though I'm more of a fantasy and anything than current affairs type of person. Yet, after reading this, I've purchased only current affair books that have to deal with journalism. It opened my eyes to a world I had no idea what was making it tick. One watches the news and that is all you see. One doesn't see the business side of it or, in fact, any of the inner workings.
One of the things that stood out was the chaos that surrounded Katie Couric's departure from the morning show AND long time family to embark on the night time ride. It was incredible to see how much she had to go through in order to be acceptable, even though she really never achieved that goal. The many changes she undertook and the lack of understanding the differences between night time and day time news were poignant. I'm very surprised no one suggested she slow down and slowly change the newsast. Celebrity status can distort the mind.
Another, was I never knew much about the individuals I see or saw on screen every day. I saw what they appeared to be, but I was entirely shocked to find out that Brian Williams was just a replacement for Tom Brokaw at first, and that Charles Gibson really didn't even want to anchor, but ended up with the job in some round about way. I also had no idea that Brian Williams traveled that much for his job. It really is the most time consuming job ever created. Yet, his newscasts reflect his determianation and hard work.
I found it quite entertaining that each anchor was on great terms with the other, but they fought hard when it came to ratings. I enjoyed learning that they all fought the battle differently and each had some time in the top slot. Brian Williams wrote blogs and read blogs, traveled to New Orleans and Iraq, and even had a one time gig on Saturday Night Live. Charles Gibson stayed away from the spotlight and never read what people wrote about him. Couric was the shinning star with celebrity icing to seal the deal.
Mostly, the important thing I learned from this book was the competitiveness of the industry. I found it quite scary yet challenging at the same time. The anchors have so much riding on them and so many people counting on them, that they can't be human and mess up. Even if they happen to be perfect they can still be sitting in the chair one night and out on the street the next. Then, there are exceptions. Others get lucky like Bob Schieffer and have a ride of a lifetime while it lasts.
It is very stressful and seems like the industry is on the path to have the bubble burst. Yet, Edward Murrow started it off so high that anything less than perfect would seem kitcsh. Every person in those newsrooms have to fight and scramble to get their way and get their stuff on air. It's a brutal existence, yet oh so rewarding when it all goes to plan. It demonstrates that one has to always be thinking on his or her feet and know what their skills are in order to truly put on an incredible national newscast.
Overall, I found the book highly amusing and enlightening for anyone going into the business or simply a student of the workings of the world. It was a very easy book to read, even being over four hundred pages. I easily read it in about 5 days. It's a real look into this world on news that no one knows unless you're living in it.Who knew that they held informal conferences with the President, but weren't allowed to quote him directly? It definitely is a must read.
One of the things that stood out was the chaos that surrounded Katie Couric's departure from the morning show AND long time family to embark on the night time ride. It was incredible to see how much she had to go through in order to be acceptable, even though she really never achieved that goal. The many changes she undertook and the lack of understanding the differences between night time and day time news were poignant. I'm very surprised no one suggested she slow down and slowly change the newsast. Celebrity status can distort the mind.
Another, was I never knew much about the individuals I see or saw on screen every day. I saw what they appeared to be, but I was entirely shocked to find out that Brian Williams was just a replacement for Tom Brokaw at first, and that Charles Gibson really didn't even want to anchor, but ended up with the job in some round about way. I also had no idea that Brian Williams traveled that much for his job. It really is the most time consuming job ever created. Yet, his newscasts reflect his determianation and hard work.
I found it quite entertaining that each anchor was on great terms with the other, but they fought hard when it came to ratings. I enjoyed learning that they all fought the battle differently and each had some time in the top slot. Brian Williams wrote blogs and read blogs, traveled to New Orleans and Iraq, and even had a one time gig on Saturday Night Live. Charles Gibson stayed away from the spotlight and never read what people wrote about him. Couric was the shinning star with celebrity icing to seal the deal.
Mostly, the important thing I learned from this book was the competitiveness of the industry. I found it quite scary yet challenging at the same time. The anchors have so much riding on them and so many people counting on them, that they can't be human and mess up. Even if they happen to be perfect they can still be sitting in the chair one night and out on the street the next. Then, there are exceptions. Others get lucky like Bob Schieffer and have a ride of a lifetime while it lasts.
It is very stressful and seems like the industry is on the path to have the bubble burst. Yet, Edward Murrow started it off so high that anything less than perfect would seem kitcsh. Every person in those newsrooms have to fight and scramble to get their way and get their stuff on air. It's a brutal existence, yet oh so rewarding when it all goes to plan. It demonstrates that one has to always be thinking on his or her feet and know what their skills are in order to truly put on an incredible national newscast.
Overall, I found the book highly amusing and enlightening for anyone going into the business or simply a student of the workings of the world. It was a very easy book to read, even being over four hundred pages. I easily read it in about 5 days. It's a real look into this world on news that no one knows unless you're living in it.Who knew that they held informal conferences with the President, but weren't allowed to quote him directly? It definitely is a must read.
April 17, 2008
Reality Show was a book I wanted to read ever since Dale Cressman brought it to our beginning reporting class. I was first interested by the subject of the book. I had never read a book about current news personalities, and to find one that talked about people I have always wanted to know more about was fantastic! I bought it as soon as I could and began reading.
Overall, this was a great read. I enjoyed very much how many news personalities Howard Kurtz was able to cover in this book. Learning about more than just the "big three" network news anchors was very insightful for me. There are so many stories about each reporter, anchor, etc. that it was continually fascinating and interesting to read!
The details were so intricate and captivating. For example, one part of the book talked about how CBS and the White House got back on speaking terms after Dan Rather ran the report about President Bush's military service based on falsified documents. Bob Scheiffer played a key role in restoring the peace between the two organizations by conducting a solid, fair interview with President Bush that made headlines. Little details like this are only known to those of us who take the time to read about them. This is only one example of many instances where little details are made known.
The chapters did not flow like other books. Usually, a different news personality or organization was covered in each chapter. The book did not contain a consistent "story" that flowed from beginning to end. This was refreshing as far as learning about the different characters goes, but it was sometimes difficult to remember the many people involved as they "bounced around" from chapter to chapter.
I give this book a very high rating because of the information it contains, the details which are packed in, and the amount of knowledge one can gain through reading it. I want to read it again to pick up more facts and retain more of what Kurtz wrote. But until then, I recommend it to anyone who wants to become a television journalist. It is a must-read!
Overall, this was a great read. I enjoyed very much how many news personalities Howard Kurtz was able to cover in this book. Learning about more than just the "big three" network news anchors was very insightful for me. There are so many stories about each reporter, anchor, etc. that it was continually fascinating and interesting to read!
The details were so intricate and captivating. For example, one part of the book talked about how CBS and the White House got back on speaking terms after Dan Rather ran the report about President Bush's military service based on falsified documents. Bob Scheiffer played a key role in restoring the peace between the two organizations by conducting a solid, fair interview with President Bush that made headlines. Little details like this are only known to those of us who take the time to read about them. This is only one example of many instances where little details are made known.
The chapters did not flow like other books. Usually, a different news personality or organization was covered in each chapter. The book did not contain a consistent "story" that flowed from beginning to end. This was refreshing as far as learning about the different characters goes, but it was sometimes difficult to remember the many people involved as they "bounced around" from chapter to chapter.
I give this book a very high rating because of the information it contains, the details which are packed in, and the amount of knowledge one can gain through reading it. I want to read it again to pick up more facts and retain more of what Kurtz wrote. But until then, I recommend it to anyone who wants to become a television journalist. It is a must-read!
April 10, 2008
This book would be a great source for an interesting book about TV news and how it's changing in the face of new media.
That's what the book claims to be, of course, but once you get past the first couple chapters, you realize that it's nothing more than a long camera shot inside the Big Three news rooms. An unedited camera shot. With lots of dead air, and lots of the same thing happening over and over again.
The author presents a comprehensive look at the traditional role of the key players, Brokaw and Rather and all the other old talking heads, what they are thinking and doing. But what they are thinking and doing is boring. And the author does not really deal with new media or what impact it's having on the networks.
He mentions that at various times, some of the anchors have thought about starting blogs. Hot diggity! They're jiggy with technology!
At chapter six, I started skimming. By nine, I was flipping whole sets of pages at a time. It felt like reading one of the soap-opera comics newspapers used to carry, where you could pick up after a month and the same people are still driving in the same car, talking about the same shocking behavior of their town doctor.
Not great.
That's what the book claims to be, of course, but once you get past the first couple chapters, you realize that it's nothing more than a long camera shot inside the Big Three news rooms. An unedited camera shot. With lots of dead air, and lots of the same thing happening over and over again.
The author presents a comprehensive look at the traditional role of the key players, Brokaw and Rather and all the other old talking heads, what they are thinking and doing. But what they are thinking and doing is boring. And the author does not really deal with new media or what impact it's having on the networks.
He mentions that at various times, some of the anchors have thought about starting blogs. Hot diggity! They're jiggy with technology!
At chapter six, I started skimming. By nine, I was flipping whole sets of pages at a time. It felt like reading one of the soap-opera comics newspapers used to carry, where you could pick up after a month and the same people are still driving in the same car, talking about the same shocking behavior of their town doctor.
Not great.
February 2, 2008
OK, finally finished this one last night. The news junkie in me loved it, though I'm not sure it would be much fun for a non-news person to read.
My earlier comments: I'm about half way through this book, but the holidays have kept me away from it as of late. (Just haven't been in the reading mood.) But being the journalism-junkie that I am, it is interesting. Critics have criticized (wow, how redundant of me) it for not going very deep with some of the issues facing the TV news business. Honestly, I've just found it fascinating that the faces we, or at least I, consider so loyal to a single network are ALWAYS being courted by the competition.
As my friend Michael would say, it's all about the benjamins.
My earlier comments: I'm about half way through this book, but the holidays have kept me away from it as of late. (Just haven't been in the reading mood.) But being the journalism-junkie that I am, it is interesting. Critics have criticized (wow, how redundant of me) it for not going very deep with some of the issues facing the TV news business. Honestly, I've just found it fascinating that the faces we, or at least I, consider so loyal to a single network are ALWAYS being courted by the competition.
As my friend Michael would say, it's all about the benjamins.
January 29, 2011
Besides the moaning of Kurtz on 'The Internet steals content from newspapers', this book was really good and offers details on how CBS selected Katie Couric, how Dan Rather believed he was wrong in his firing after receive fake documents on George W. Bush's military record and the several anchors that ABC went through after Peter Jennings died. The book also has a chapter about the Daily Show and reporters that were upset with the Bush administration that wanted positive stories during the Iraq war in 2003-4.
May 24, 2008
I am a person who likes to know what is going on behind the scenes. When I have gone to a TV show taping, I am more interested in what happens during the breaks. It is fascinating to see the make-up artist doing touch-ups, the camera men resetting, and the producer talking to the stars.
This book gave a lot of insight regarding what happens behind the scenes in network news, but I found it to be somewhat boring for the most part.
This book gave a lot of insight regarding what happens behind the scenes in network news, but I found it to be somewhat boring for the most part.
January 31, 2010
It is fun to get the inside-baseball perspective on our vessels for the news, and certainly the big three newscasts still feel important, even if I don't watch them, but with the millions of news outlets vying for our attention at any moment, diluting out the bias and individual influence and whatnot, it was hard to read the book without a certain "who cares?" attitude. Still, a fun behind-the-scenes drama with recognizable and influential folks.
July 30, 2011
This is one of Kurtz's best books. I found his analysis of the last big network news war engrossing, especially his thesis that these shows are becoming irrelevant.
All three networks - CBS, NBC and ABC - spent small fortunes hiring these anchors and revamping their shows yet produced little encouraging results beyond the boomers and seniors market.
I encourage anyone curious about the inner working of network news to check it out.
All three networks - CBS, NBC and ABC - spent small fortunes hiring these anchors and revamping their shows yet produced little encouraging results beyond the boomers and seniors market.
I encourage anyone curious about the inner working of network news to check it out.
March 28, 2008
This book was interesting as far as seeing what really goes into the news behind the scenes - at the same time it made me even more cynical about what is broadcast on the three "regular" stations. It's disheartening to see how news anchors and their parent companies can spin certain issues and try to sway millions of people who onle see the 60-90 second blubs and soundbites.
October 31, 2007
This is a really interesting look at television news that was incredibly informative, even for a news junkie like me!
March 24, 2008
A behind the scenes look at the major networks evening news. Includes the transitioning from Brokaw, Jennings and Rather to Williams, Gibson and Couric.
October 23, 2008
Entertaining. Interesting to see behind the scenes at network news. Info on the personalities, how the top anchors got to be where they are, and what they are like.
September 18, 2010
An entertaining gossip rag.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews