On CBS News
Sep. 23rd, 2004 11:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lionkingcmslThere are some that are calling for the ouster of Mr. Rather.
There is apparently a ground swell of opinion against the veteran news caster in regard to those "memos" and subsequent behavior after people started to question their validity.
Mr. Rather and CBS News have apologized about the story. Is that enough? Should Mr. Rather resign gracefully? I don't know.
However, I will remind, those that think that Mr. Rather is safe in his position as news anchor, that TV news is business. BIG business.
It probably is safe to assume that CBS will be watching the Nielsen ratings for its CBS Evening News with Dan Rather for the foreseeable future. If there is a major viewer loss, then CBS will possibly rethink its contract with Mr. Rather.
There is more however. CBS' parent company, Viacom, may, and possibly will, be pressured by its advertisers on the Evening News. I know as a company, that was advertising on a news show, I would expect a level of fair, responsible and accurate reporting to be done. If I felt that this was not the case then I would at least threaten, if not in actuality, pull my ads off of said programming, and possibly off the entire network.
This type of financial pressure, coupled with the possible loss of millions of viewers would put the CBS News/Dan Rather relationship on rather (no pun intended) shaky grounds.
As I have said, it is not for me to say if Mr. Rather should be ousted, either by him resigning or being fired, or not, but this is a reminder to people the news is no longer a "public service" of the broadcast companies, like it once was. It is now very big business, and if you don't fit in with the company's "vision" then out you go, no matter what your name is or status may be.
There is apparently a ground swell of opinion against the veteran news caster in regard to those "memos" and subsequent behavior after people started to question their validity.
Mr. Rather and CBS News have apologized about the story. Is that enough? Should Mr. Rather resign gracefully? I don't know.
However, I will remind, those that think that Mr. Rather is safe in his position as news anchor, that TV news is business. BIG business.
It probably is safe to assume that CBS will be watching the Nielsen ratings for its CBS Evening News with Dan Rather for the foreseeable future. If there is a major viewer loss, then CBS will possibly rethink its contract with Mr. Rather.
There is more however. CBS' parent company, Viacom, may, and possibly will, be pressured by its advertisers on the Evening News. I know as a company, that was advertising on a news show, I would expect a level of fair, responsible and accurate reporting to be done. If I felt that this was not the case then I would at least threaten, if not in actuality, pull my ads off of said programming, and possibly off the entire network.
This type of financial pressure, coupled with the possible loss of millions of viewers would put the CBS News/Dan Rather relationship on rather (no pun intended) shaky grounds.
As I have said, it is not for me to say if Mr. Rather should be ousted, either by him resigning or being fired, or not, but this is a reminder to people the news is no longer a "public service" of the broadcast companies, like it once was. It is now very big business, and if you don't fit in with the company's "vision" then out you go, no matter what your name is or status may be.
