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Diane Sawyer, On the Ground And in High Gear
When Sawyer asked Syrian President Bashar al-Assad about his country's role in the murder of a former Lebanese prime minister -- even mentioning suggestions that his brother-in-law was involved -- Assad said there were only "accusations" but no "evidence."
Sawyer's "20/20" special last month on poverty in Camden, N.J., examined a subject that has largely vanished from the media, deemed depressing and unappealing to the affluent viewers prized by advertisers. She focused on a handful of children, one of whom, a 4-year-old homeless boy, said he wanted to be Superman so he could help his family. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, viewers sent the boy stacks of Superman comics, pajamas and blankets. A 13-year-old girl mailed $200 of her bat mitzvah money to him.
  The "Good Morning America" anchor in the streets of Iran recently and in Syria, below, with President Bashar al-Assad. (Abc Photos) |
Sawyer says she and her team had to overcome "a feeling on the part of a lot of people that no one would watch and there was not a way to give these kids a voice." She is pleased with the "stunningly generous" response -- which, of course, flows only to the featured few captured on camera.
In between that story and her recent trip, Sawyer squeezed in a visit to Washington for a freewheeling session with all 16 female senators.
Will she stick with the morning shift? Everyone at ABC tiptoes around Sawyer, because she is vital to the network's success. Having agreed, with Gibson, to temporarily rescue "Good Morning America" back in 1998, she has the right to opt out whenever she wants.
Sawyer, it turns out, can deflect questions as smoothly as she asks them. "Honest to goodness, I've been working flat out," she says. "I am so happy, and that's all I've been thinking about and doing right now."
Sneaking Into First
It's just one week in a long battle, but last week's ratings win for ABC's "World News" had to be a gratifying milestone for Gibson.
Often overshadowed by the accolades for NBC's Brian Williams, the ratings leader who won a slew of awards for his Katrina coverage, and the tsunami of publicity that surrounds CBS's Katie Couric, Gibson has quietly built an audience in his eight months as anchor. He is a familiar presence from his 19 years on "GMA," with a comfortable style that is anything but flashy.
"World News" averaged 9.7 million viewers for the week of Feb. 5, edging "NBC Nightly News," with 9.5 million. The "CBS Evening News," which is enjoying a modest rebound after bottoming out, trailed with just under 8 million.
Not that Gibson is about to crow. "One week doth not a trend make," he says. "It's a good, spirited competition."
It's true that ABC benefits from strong lead-in audiences, fueled in part by Oprah Winfrey, but "World News" has been stuck in second place for a decade. Gibson was initially passed over by ABC in favor of Bob Woodruff and Elizabeth Vargas but got his chance after Woodruff was injured in Iraq and Vargas became pregnant. At 63, he has won over older viewers who may have been fans of interim CBS anchor Bob Schieffer.
Gibson insists he doesn't pay much attention to the Nielsens. "You cannot pursue ratings for ratings' sake," he says. "All we can do is do the best broadcast you can, and the ratings will follow."
Ubiquitous Olbermann
Look for Keith Olbermann to start popping up with some words of wisdom on "NBC Nightly News."
The occasional appearances are part of the new four-year contract that the acerbic MSNBC host signed last week after a 91 percent rise in ratings since his show's 2003 launch. But he says the liberal firebreather who delivers those anti-Bush denunciations on "Countdown" won't be showing up at Brian Williams's side.
"I don't think that 'Nightly News' is necessarily the right environment for straight political commentary," Olbermann says. What he has in mind are produced essays about "the passing of a political figure, or a milestone event in the entertainment world or the sports world." Sometimes, "if you have a position as a commentator, you know to leave that at the door."
NBC News President Steve Capus told reporters he isn't worried about Olbermann wearing "different hats," saying: "He knows where to draw the line." Capus sounded thrilled that the cable guy, who quit MSNBC in 1998 with a swipe at management, is sticking around.
Missing Detail
CNBC host Larry Kudlow recently interviewed Catholic League President Bill Donohue, who ripped two liberal bloggers with John Edwards's presidential campaign for their swipes against religion, but Kudlow failed to note that he serves on the league's board of advisers. "I should have mentioned it," Kudlow says. "I plead guilty."
