First thing today, we would like to congratulate David Gregory on becoming the moderator of MTP and we wish him long success, thus a new era begins for the program.
However, it's going to be the same old story for a while - economic gloom and all the talk to fix it. For good measure, political scandal takes politicians' eyes off the ball and that's where today's program began. Mr. Gregory spoke with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D) and Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn (D) about Embroiled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The new moderator asked the attorney general with regard to her statements if there was some political motivation on her part. It's one of those questions that carries no merit but has to be asked, it's like the new standard in network interviewing.
With all the talk from the two guests mentioned above and then NBC's Political Director, Chuck Todd, and Chicago Sun-Times' Mary Mitchell after them, there's a simple bottom line to this entire drama. Governor Blagojevich is unable to see through his prime directive of the office he still holds, which is to serve the people of his statement. At this point, whether he is indicted or exonerated, he will remain unable to fulfill this duty. Therefore, step down immediately and if he can not see to himself to do that, remove him. Period.
Given the ensuing roundtable discussion with regard to the automotive bailout and the general economy, the above is (and here's a gross understatement) counterproductive is every way.
The aforementioned roundtable consisted of Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D-MI), Fmr. Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA), Fmr. Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, Wal-Mart President & CEO Lee Scott, and Google CEO Eric Schmidt. With the exception of Carly Fiorina, it was an interesting mix of opinions and perspectives. And make no mistake, the reason that we single out Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, is because she slashed thousands of jobs and left the company is tremendous debt then collected the proverbial golden parachute... She said that because states have different, or more attractive as the case may be, business taxes that companies located simply based on that. To a small extent, that's true, but it sure helps in Alabama, for example, when Senator Richard Shelby manages $800 million+ in financial incentives for foreign auto to locate in his state. And now he is putting their interest ahead of America's interest. Her insights prove shallow.
Of course Gov. Granholm is going to defend the assistance to the auto industry - she's the governor of Michigan for Christ's sake, but her reasoning like everyone else's is steeped in common sense. In this economic state, we can not let the American auto industry go down. Her point that the tax burden would be far more costly to the American people than the bailout. The unemployment filing alone would be inside body shot. Too many job loses and the ripple effect... Well, let's just say that the ripples would be big enough to surf. Now here's the exchange between Governor Romney, former Presidential candidate, and Mr. Gregory:
GOV. ROMNEY: Well, I, I am glad to see that the proposal that was made by the chief executives of the Big Three didn't get accepted. They basically came to Washington saying, "Give us, give us a check so we can continue to fund business as usual." Look...
MR. GREGORY: Fourteen billion dollars is what they were, what they were...
GOV. ROMNEY: Well, and originally they wanted a lot more than that.
MR. GREGORY: Right.
GOV. ROMNEY: And I'm glad to see there was some progress made over the, the ensuing weeks. But, frankly, I think all Americans agree that we want a domestic automobile manufacturing sector. We don't want to see this go away.
There is a contradict in what he said, he is glad they didn't get the money, but doesn't want to see the auto industry go away... hmmm. Or should we sharply parse words and interpret "All Americans" does not include him? Mr. Romney's economic perspective comes from extraordinary long-term wealth, which has long seen him separated from the economic mainstream. Does he truly understand the struggle out there?
Maybe it's quite a populace post we written today, at least one more overt than usual, but the focus is all too obvious. It's painful for us to write BECAUSE it's so obvious. Why do we need to write it. But speaking of populace, two valuable perspective manifested themselves through two CEOs - Lee Scott of Wal-Mart and Eric Schmidt of Google. These two companies are modern American touchstones for business, Wal-mart as the pre-eminent retailer and Google proving itself essential to the web.
However, Wal-Mart is our economic existential dilemma. Generally, Americans dislike the business practices that Wal-Mart instills, from worker healthcare benefits and wages to trying to influence how their employees should vote. But Americans also like the low prices that Wal-Mart offers and that's why they go there. What was most impressive was the research Mr. Scott mentioned. For example, he discussed "Wal-Mart Moms" family eating habits, knowing how much they consume, but also the amount of leftovers they're eating. And you worry about someone knowing your social security number? Wal-mart's staked out in your refrigerator! (Please indulge our small bit of humor.)
But let's leave this week's column with this quote from Mr. Eric Schmidt. Fittingly, it is the CEO of Google who would state that, "This is not a time to be self-serving and that America can innovate its way out of anything." It's time to stop just talking...
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Monday, December 08, 2008
12.8.08: New York Times Article on David Gregory
Just in case your interested....
Big Shoes that can't be filled, but Mr. Gregory is tasked with keeping up the ratings lead. And one more comment with regard to yesterday's post - The reason this column did prefer Mr. Todd was that he is more inviting a personality to the average viewer, but ratings numbers demand that the executives go with a more solid interviewer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/business/media/08talk.html?scp=3&sq=Meet%20The%20Press&st=cse
‘Meet the Press’ Changes, and Hopes Its Rank Won’t
By BILL CARTER
NBC News used the occasion of an appearance by President-elect Barack Obama on “Meet the Press” on Sunday to make official its appointment of David Gregory as the next permanent moderator of that venerable political discussion program.
The news of Mr. Gregory’s selection had leaked out in reports last week. On Sunday, Tom Brokaw, who became interim host in June after the sudden death of Tim Russert, said that he would step down. Mr. Gregory’s first program will be next week.
Mr. Russert had lifted “Meet the Press” to a long period of dominance among the Sunday morning shows, establishing himself in the process as perhaps the most formidable interviewer on television.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Gregory, who is 38, acknowledged that the task before him was challenging. “I’m honored,” he said. “I feel humbled and very excited. I’m not nervous or apprehensive about it, but it is daunting.”
The change comes as the Washington power-broker lineup is about to be recast with the arrival of the Obama administration. Calling this “a critically important time for the country,” Mr. Brokaw said on Sunday’s program that “more people are paying attention” to the weekly network Sunday programs than at any time since 1968.
That combination of factors has NBC’s competitors anticipating an opportunity to alter the dynamics of Sunday morning talk.
George Stephanopoulos, the face of ABC’s program “This Week,” said he saw genuine opportunity in the changeover, though he said, “There’s no question that ‘Meet the Press’ is a powerful brand.”
It is the oldest program on television, and like other programs started by NBC in the medium’s early days — “Today” and “The Tonight Show” — “Meet the Press” is a television institution. Still, it is hardly invulnerable. In the 1980s, ABC’s “This Week” dominated for a decade.
Mr. Russert reversed that, first by persuading NBC to expand “Meet the Press” to an hour to match “This Week,” then by ratcheting up the intensity of the interviews. But now NBC’s competitors see an opening.
“I think the post-Russert era begins now,” said Chris Wallace, the host of “Fox News Sunday.”
This year, NBC has averaged about 4.5 million viewers on its Sunday morning show, “This Week” about 3.4 million, and CBS’s “Face the Nation,” hosted by Bob Schieffer, about 3.1 million.
“Fox News Sunday” on the Fox network has about 1.6 million viewers, but that number jumps to about 3 million when the program is repeated in the evening on the Fox News Channel. The other cable entrant in the competition, CNN, is also about to make a change, with John King set to take over its “Late Edition” Sunday morning program soon from its host, Wolf Blitzer.
Maintaining the dominant position Mr. Russert established is clearly an important consideration. Steve Capus, the president of NBC News, said that he was most interested in the program sustaining a reputation for “tough but fair” interviews.
Mr. Gregory said that he felt “the great sense of purpose in the program.”
Under his new contract, he will continue to have a presence on “Today,” serving as the regular substitute host for Matt Lauer. But he will give up his interview program on NBC’s all-news cable channel, MSNBC.
NBC also extended the contract of Betsy Fischer, the executive producer of “Meet the Press,” who attended American University in Washington at the same time as Mr. Gregory.
None of the programs have ambitious plans to shake up the format. Ms. Fischer said any changes under Mr. Gregory would be “gradual and seamless.”
There isn’t much you can do differently with a program based on a face-to-face interview. The competition is generally not over how the programs are put together but who the guests are.
Some competitors suggest that Mr. Stephanopoulos may have an advantage because he worked in a Democratic administration populated by many names that are making a comeback.
“George obviously does have close relationships with people from the Clinton White House,” Mr. Wallace said. Mr. Stephanopoulos said, “I’m going to draw on every relationship I have.”
Mr. Schieffer, host of “Face the Nation,” recalled that Mr. Russert considered himself “the curator of a national treasure” and added that he had always been impressed with Mr. Gregory’s talents. “Tim is irreplaceable,” Mr. Schieffer said, “but somebody has to do it.”
Mr. Gregory, the new curator, will be under considerable pressure — and scrutiny. Mr. Stephanopoulos pointed out that “Brokaw is handing David about a one-million-viewer lead.”
Mr. Schieffer said, “It’s going to be tough competition. I wish David the best — and I’m going to try to beat his brains out.”
Big Shoes that can't be filled, but Mr. Gregory is tasked with keeping up the ratings lead. And one more comment with regard to yesterday's post - The reason this column did prefer Mr. Todd was that he is more inviting a personality to the average viewer, but ratings numbers demand that the executives go with a more solid interviewer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/business/media/08talk.html?scp=3&sq=Meet%20The%20Press&st=cse
‘Meet the Press’ Changes, and Hopes Its Rank Won’t
By BILL CARTER
NBC News used the occasion of an appearance by President-elect Barack Obama on “Meet the Press” on Sunday to make official its appointment of David Gregory as the next permanent moderator of that venerable political discussion program.
The news of Mr. Gregory’s selection had leaked out in reports last week. On Sunday, Tom Brokaw, who became interim host in June after the sudden death of Tim Russert, said that he would step down. Mr. Gregory’s first program will be next week.
Mr. Russert had lifted “Meet the Press” to a long period of dominance among the Sunday morning shows, establishing himself in the process as perhaps the most formidable interviewer on television.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Gregory, who is 38, acknowledged that the task before him was challenging. “I’m honored,” he said. “I feel humbled and very excited. I’m not nervous or apprehensive about it, but it is daunting.”
The change comes as the Washington power-broker lineup is about to be recast with the arrival of the Obama administration. Calling this “a critically important time for the country,” Mr. Brokaw said on Sunday’s program that “more people are paying attention” to the weekly network Sunday programs than at any time since 1968.
That combination of factors has NBC’s competitors anticipating an opportunity to alter the dynamics of Sunday morning talk.
George Stephanopoulos, the face of ABC’s program “This Week,” said he saw genuine opportunity in the changeover, though he said, “There’s no question that ‘Meet the Press’ is a powerful brand.”
It is the oldest program on television, and like other programs started by NBC in the medium’s early days — “Today” and “The Tonight Show” — “Meet the Press” is a television institution. Still, it is hardly invulnerable. In the 1980s, ABC’s “This Week” dominated for a decade.
Mr. Russert reversed that, first by persuading NBC to expand “Meet the Press” to an hour to match “This Week,” then by ratcheting up the intensity of the interviews. But now NBC’s competitors see an opening.
“I think the post-Russert era begins now,” said Chris Wallace, the host of “Fox News Sunday.”
This year, NBC has averaged about 4.5 million viewers on its Sunday morning show, “This Week” about 3.4 million, and CBS’s “Face the Nation,” hosted by Bob Schieffer, about 3.1 million.
“Fox News Sunday” on the Fox network has about 1.6 million viewers, but that number jumps to about 3 million when the program is repeated in the evening on the Fox News Channel. The other cable entrant in the competition, CNN, is also about to make a change, with John King set to take over its “Late Edition” Sunday morning program soon from its host, Wolf Blitzer.
Maintaining the dominant position Mr. Russert established is clearly an important consideration. Steve Capus, the president of NBC News, said that he was most interested in the program sustaining a reputation for “tough but fair” interviews.
Mr. Gregory said that he felt “the great sense of purpose in the program.”
Under his new contract, he will continue to have a presence on “Today,” serving as the regular substitute host for Matt Lauer. But he will give up his interview program on NBC’s all-news cable channel, MSNBC.
NBC also extended the contract of Betsy Fischer, the executive producer of “Meet the Press,” who attended American University in Washington at the same time as Mr. Gregory.
None of the programs have ambitious plans to shake up the format. Ms. Fischer said any changes under Mr. Gregory would be “gradual and seamless.”
There isn’t much you can do differently with a program based on a face-to-face interview. The competition is generally not over how the programs are put together but who the guests are.
Some competitors suggest that Mr. Stephanopoulos may have an advantage because he worked in a Democratic administration populated by many names that are making a comeback.
“George obviously does have close relationships with people from the Clinton White House,” Mr. Wallace said. Mr. Stephanopoulos said, “I’m going to draw on every relationship I have.”
Mr. Schieffer, host of “Face the Nation,” recalled that Mr. Russert considered himself “the curator of a national treasure” and added that he had always been impressed with Mr. Gregory’s talents. “Tim is irreplaceable,” Mr. Schieffer said, “but somebody has to do it.”
Mr. Gregory, the new curator, will be under considerable pressure — and scrutiny. Mr. Stephanopoulos pointed out that “Brokaw is handing David about a one-million-viewer lead.”
Mr. Schieffer said, “It’s going to be tough competition. I wish David the best — and I’m going to try to beat his brains out.”
Sunday, December 07, 2008
12.7.08: The Future - The President-Elect and The Program
It is a new phenomenon to listen to the person in charge and actually want to hear what they have to say instead of anticipating dread, which has been the case for the last eight years. Today's much publicized guest - President-Elect Barack Obama. Let's face it, for the average American, it's panic time - we're officially in a recession, we've been shown the worst job loss statistics in the last 24 years, and we're going to see an American institution - the U.S. auto industry - is on its deathbed... And as anyone would remind you - that's just on the home front.
But as the President-Elect stated, that is his No. 1 priority, an economic recovery plan. This column watches and reads a lot of interviews and we've never witnessed a definitive answer to any of the problems we're facing. With that said, it is slightly comforting to know that the next President has a firm grasp of the nuances and the problems but there is no quick fix, ready solution, easy answer, or word of encouragement right now.
Mr. Obama has increasingly said that even though a short term is essential, we have to focus on the long term so that we don't have a repeat these systemic problems. He stated that again today and there has been much talk of Infrastructure projects to put people back to work. It's about time. This sounds like a 'new' New Deal and this is what is needed. What we first must understand is that even though we may not be collectively in a place as bad as when we were in the Great Depression, today's potential for things being much worse is right at our doorstep. The financial industry is a much more complicated working beast than it was in the 1930's so the pitfalls are much more dangerous.
Also, with respect to this 'new' New Deal comparison, it must be said that America needs a collective change of attitude and we hope that the President-Elect will bring this to the country. Waiting this long to address infrastructure is typically American. Instead of practicing preventive medicine in the form of steady infrastructure maintenance, we've handled it like our own personal health - let it go until its way too late and then radical surgery is required. Instead of a daily dose of fitness, we forego it and eventually rely on cosmetic surgery. Now we're at that point where not even a plastic surgeon can help.
Mr. Obama frequently talks about resetting and it is exactly what we have to do. It seems counter-intuitive to spend through a recession but that's exactly what needs to be done and the government is the only one who has the money right now so rightly, the President-Elect stated that we can not worry about the deficit in the short term.
With this said, the President-Elect has been measured in his statements about the auto industry. He's said they've made mistakes but they are the backbone of American manufacturing. Eventually, he gets to a statement resembling - we want them to succeed but we don't want them coming back in six months with hats in hand, but it's one of the few things he doesn't on which he does not have a sound of conviction. We constantly hear about GM, Ford, and Chrysler as one - the big three as if they have always been a collective. This is simply not the case and they should be treated as individuals. When things were going well, they did not have this sense of collective identity, but now that they're in grave trouble... What they have collectively in common is poor management and having no sense of the future of industry. The deterioration of manufacturing, as a whole, in the U.S. has been occurring for years. What the President-Elect conveys in this interview and beyond is a calming effect that he understands the problem. This was the essence of the interview, void of no tangible solutions. Are these solutions that he speaks about coming on January 20th? The philosophy that shared success by all Americans is the key to long-term prosperity seems like an obvious notion now, but this has not been the case as exemplified by the current administration. The audacity of hope...
The domestic economic conundrum makes foreign policy almost seem cut and dry in terms of what to do - country by country. Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, India, and Pakistan are collectively linked, yes, but all have their individual solutions as well. The President-Elect, in this interview, recognized this and has put a team in place, one which this column endorses, to handle these relations. The most complicated of which remains Iraq. On a campaign promise, Mr. Obama said that he would end the occupation of this country. We predict that it will never be fast enough for the hard left. However, there is a responsibility for the United States to do the right thing and not leave Iraq in chaos or with doubt about its own future. It will take longer than 16 months. Mr. Brokaw mentioned the term residual force... Become familiar and comfortable with this term as it will be with us for some time.
Mr. Obama has pulled together an all-star team for a cabinet and the names do inspire confidence - Clinton, Richardson, Holder, Geithner, Napolitano... our only worry is that the posts vacated by these individuals will not be replenished with the same talent in kind, but only time will tell.
_____________________________
Now, with regard to the future of Meet The Press... After much speculation and a mid-week leak, all curiosity has been laid to rest and David Gregory will be taking over as host. The final four, as it were, consisted of Mr. Gregory, Chuck Todd, Andrea Mitchell, and Gwen Ifill. When looking at that list, the choice becomes obvious. As previously stated in this column, the drawback to Mr. Todd is that he doesn't have the interview experience, just crunching election numbers. Granted, he did bring a new precise calculus to it, but that's not enough to be Moderator. Andrea Mitchell has guest hosted MTP in the past and may do so in the future, but frankly, what a snooze fest when she does. Ms. Ifill, on the other hand, is more than qualified and ready to be Moderator, however, why would you want to leave PBS and the News Hour - our equivalent of BBC 1 News? You don't so it became a process of elimination.
In the most recent past, Mr. Gregory elevated his profile as NBC's combative White House Correspondent. In terms of network news, 'combative' is not considered a compliment. However, it was the only dose of sobriety that the public had seen from the White House Press Corps in the face of ridiculously misdirected statements coming from the White House at the time. What is key is that Mr. Gregory, at 38, will be the long-term Moderator and will grow into the desk. He talked about bringing a sense of purpose to his work on Meet The Press and as discussed, there is no other in which people are paying more attention. This column is looking on with its own sense of purpose and growing with him.
But as the President-Elect stated, that is his No. 1 priority, an economic recovery plan. This column watches and reads a lot of interviews and we've never witnessed a definitive answer to any of the problems we're facing. With that said, it is slightly comforting to know that the next President has a firm grasp of the nuances and the problems but there is no quick fix, ready solution, easy answer, or word of encouragement right now.
Mr. Obama has increasingly said that even though a short term is essential, we have to focus on the long term so that we don't have a repeat these systemic problems. He stated that again today and there has been much talk of Infrastructure projects to put people back to work. It's about time. This sounds like a 'new' New Deal and this is what is needed. What we first must understand is that even though we may not be collectively in a place as bad as when we were in the Great Depression, today's potential for things being much worse is right at our doorstep. The financial industry is a much more complicated working beast than it was in the 1930's so the pitfalls are much more dangerous.
Also, with respect to this 'new' New Deal comparison, it must be said that America needs a collective change of attitude and we hope that the President-Elect will bring this to the country. Waiting this long to address infrastructure is typically American. Instead of practicing preventive medicine in the form of steady infrastructure maintenance, we've handled it like our own personal health - let it go until its way too late and then radical surgery is required. Instead of a daily dose of fitness, we forego it and eventually rely on cosmetic surgery. Now we're at that point where not even a plastic surgeon can help.
Mr. Obama frequently talks about resetting and it is exactly what we have to do. It seems counter-intuitive to spend through a recession but that's exactly what needs to be done and the government is the only one who has the money right now so rightly, the President-Elect stated that we can not worry about the deficit in the short term.
With this said, the President-Elect has been measured in his statements about the auto industry. He's said they've made mistakes but they are the backbone of American manufacturing. Eventually, he gets to a statement resembling - we want them to succeed but we don't want them coming back in six months with hats in hand, but it's one of the few things he doesn't on which he does not have a sound of conviction. We constantly hear about GM, Ford, and Chrysler as one - the big three as if they have always been a collective. This is simply not the case and they should be treated as individuals. When things were going well, they did not have this sense of collective identity, but now that they're in grave trouble... What they have collectively in common is poor management and having no sense of the future of industry. The deterioration of manufacturing, as a whole, in the U.S. has been occurring for years. What the President-Elect conveys in this interview and beyond is a calming effect that he understands the problem. This was the essence of the interview, void of no tangible solutions. Are these solutions that he speaks about coming on January 20th? The philosophy that shared success by all Americans is the key to long-term prosperity seems like an obvious notion now, but this has not been the case as exemplified by the current administration. The audacity of hope...
The domestic economic conundrum makes foreign policy almost seem cut and dry in terms of what to do - country by country. Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, India, and Pakistan are collectively linked, yes, but all have their individual solutions as well. The President-Elect, in this interview, recognized this and has put a team in place, one which this column endorses, to handle these relations. The most complicated of which remains Iraq. On a campaign promise, Mr. Obama said that he would end the occupation of this country. We predict that it will never be fast enough for the hard left. However, there is a responsibility for the United States to do the right thing and not leave Iraq in chaos or with doubt about its own future. It will take longer than 16 months. Mr. Brokaw mentioned the term residual force... Become familiar and comfortable with this term as it will be with us for some time.
Mr. Obama has pulled together an all-star team for a cabinet and the names do inspire confidence - Clinton, Richardson, Holder, Geithner, Napolitano... our only worry is that the posts vacated by these individuals will not be replenished with the same talent in kind, but only time will tell.
_____________________________
Now, with regard to the future of Meet The Press... After much speculation and a mid-week leak, all curiosity has been laid to rest and David Gregory will be taking over as host. The final four, as it were, consisted of Mr. Gregory, Chuck Todd, Andrea Mitchell, and Gwen Ifill. When looking at that list, the choice becomes obvious. As previously stated in this column, the drawback to Mr. Todd is that he doesn't have the interview experience, just crunching election numbers. Granted, he did bring a new precise calculus to it, but that's not enough to be Moderator. Andrea Mitchell has guest hosted MTP in the past and may do so in the future, but frankly, what a snooze fest when she does. Ms. Ifill, on the other hand, is more than qualified and ready to be Moderator, however, why would you want to leave PBS and the News Hour - our equivalent of BBC 1 News? You don't so it became a process of elimination.
In the most recent past, Mr. Gregory elevated his profile as NBC's combative White House Correspondent. In terms of network news, 'combative' is not considered a compliment. However, it was the only dose of sobriety that the public had seen from the White House Press Corps in the face of ridiculously misdirected statements coming from the White House at the time. What is key is that Mr. Gregory, at 38, will be the long-term Moderator and will grow into the desk. He talked about bringing a sense of purpose to his work on Meet The Press and as discussed, there is no other in which people are paying more attention. This column is looking on with its own sense of purpose and growing with him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)