Gail Shister
TVNewser Columnist
Now that he’s plucked the Peacock, John Hockenberry says there’s only one place he would work in TV.
“Jeff Fager, please give me a call,” he laughs. “60 Minutes is still the best job in television.”
Dumped by NBC in spring ’05, Hockenberry skewers his alma mater as well as his former show, Dateline, in the January/February issue of MIT Technology Review.
Named a Distinguished Fellow at MIT’s Media Lab in September, Hockenberry, 51, has been associated with the cutting-edge technology program since the early ’90s.
Among a plethora of shots in the piece, Hockenberry likens NBC Universal czar Jeff Zucker to “a toy action figure from The Simpsons or The Sopranos.”
Yo, John, any worries about a backdraft from torching that bridge? “I hardly expect a call from that part of the world,” he says dryly. “They’ve got so many flames over there, anyway.”
Truth be told, Hockenberry is in no hurry to return to the tube. His new public radio show, out of New York’s WNYC, is expected to launch in March or April.
Co-hosted by ABC and CourtTV alum Adaora Udoji, it’s designed to compete with NPR’s popular Morning Edition, Hockenberry says. It will air live weekdays, most likely from 6 to 10 a.m., and will be distributed by Public Radio International.
Hockenberry compares the as-yet untitled news/interview show to Don Imus‘, “but not as silly and racist as he is.” (Keep lighting those matches, J!)
After the tight constraints of Dateline, Hockenberry looks forward to showing his true character on the air.
“I’m smart, fast and furious and occasionally funny,” he says. “Unless you’re in live conversational media, your personality doesn’t come through.”