The Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz writes about the Sunday morning shows, and the new landscape that has emerged in Tim Russert’s absence.
“The throne is empty,” says FOX News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace.
David Gregory, the new Meet the Press moderator, realizes the undertaking is a “big deal.” “I’m trying to bring as much passion as I can, and I hope viewers are seeing it,” he says. “My voice is still evolving in this…Just like Tim did, I’ve got to go out there and earn it.”
This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos (of the #2 Sunday morning show in Q1 ’09) says, “You do get more comfortable in your role and more confident in your presentation,” while Bob Schieffer of #3 Face the Nation says, “We’re doing exactly what we’ve always done.”
• More: — BaltSun: “We are living in a golden age of some exceptionally fine Sunday morning, public affairs, TV programs. And, as much as some critics say an emphasis on ratings often comes at the expense of good journalism, I think this ratings competition is making each of the two top programs better.”
— LAT: “After years of toiling in the shadows of a giant, ABC’s Sunday morning public affairs program, ‘This Week With George Stephanopoulos,’ is finally beginning to step into the spotlight once exclusively occupied by NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’