Howard Kurtz talks with Brian Williams about the see-saw battle the evening news race has become. Kurtz concludes Williams’s “light touch” (hosting SNL, guesting on Jon Stewart, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien) has helped the broadcast win back viewers.
It doesn’t hurt that Williams has been front and center this primary season moderating five debates. Kurtz writes, “Unlike Williams, his anchor rivals lack a cable outlet. Couric lost her one shot at moderating a presidential debate because of the writers’ strike, while Gibson has moderated once, quizzing both parties’ candidates in January.”
And in a Mount Rushmore analogy, Williams says, “I’m up there with my chisel day after day.” And of the competition: “We’ve got two very good chiselers chasing us.”
Says World News EP Jon Banner: “You think the presidential race is competitive? I think the evening news is just as competitive. We’ve been trading wins back and forth, especially in the key demographic. This is a tie ballgame.”