Steve Myers
Nov. 21, 2011
2:13 pm
MediaWire Memo
John Keegan, the new director of technology for NBC News, comes from Fox News. Bonnie Optekman becomes vice president for emerging technologies, overseeing delivery of NBC News television content on different platforms. Ryan Osborn has been promoted to senior director of digital media, and Craig Kanalley moves from The Huffington Post to take over as social media editor.
The memo from Vivian Schiller, chief digital officer for NBC News:
(more...)
- Tools:
- Permalink
-
Steve Myers
Nov. 14, 2011
4:33 pm
- Tools:
- Permalink
-
Jim Romenesko
Aug. 15, 2011
8:53 am
TVNewser |
Oshkosh Northwestern
The "NBC Nightly News" anchor is now on his fifth executive producer in seven years -- no big deal, he says. “The last two have gone on to become NBC vice presidents," he tells Gail Shister. "A lot of [turnover] has been quirks of timing. Running ‘Nightly’ is a job I would wish on no one. There’s a lot of pressure to maintain our standing and standards. They are all friends of mine in life." || Meanwhile, three people at the Sheboygan (Wis.) Salvation Army
were hospitalized Friday after a disturbance that began over something aired on "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams." A 51-year-old man suffered a cut to the head, a 27-year-old woman complained of jaw pain, and a 24-year-old man complained of pain to his left arm.
- Tools:
- Permalink
-
Jim Romenesko
June 2, 2011
12:39 pm
NBC Universal
Vivian Schiller steps into a new position at NBC News, and reports to NBC News president
Steve Capus. She starts the job in mid-July. A release says:
Schiller will lead the digital strategy for both NBC News and MSNBC to ensure future growth and innovation. Her responsibilities include strategic oversight of the network’s digital extensions on the web and in mobile, interaction with the Joint Venture that oversees the msnbc.com digital network, as well as providing direction to the network’s new emerging properties such as EducationNation.com and theGrio.com.
Schiller was forced out as NPR chief executive in March after a series of debacles. She joined the radio network in January 2009, after managing day to day operations at NYTimes.com for about three years. Schiller said in March that she planned to stay in journalism, and acknowledged that the controversy surrounding her last days at NPR was “very stressful.” She added that she felt an obligation to stay strong because she “didn’t want to fall into the caricature of what women under pressure would be like.”
- Tools:
- Permalink
-
Jim Romenesko
May 31, 2011
1:34 pm
Yakima Herald
A Yakima Herald story about
Gaby Rodriguez -- the high school student who faked pregnancy for a school project -- reported in the 25th and 26th paragraphs:
[A boyfriend] appeared with Gaby live on NBC's "Today" show May 10, along with her mother and principal Trevor Greene, who was in on the secret.
She initially planned to appear on ABC but backed out of that agreement, opting for NBC, which, according to [Sharlene] Martin, her agent, offered Gaby a scholarship. Martin didn't say how much it was worth.
I've e-mailed NBC News spokeswoman
Monica Lee for comment. ||
UPDATE: An NBC spokeswoman says: "We licensed the footage for a nominal fee which we disclosed in the piece. There was no 'scholarship' (to what??) offered."
- Tools:
- Permalink
-
Jim Romenesko
May 12, 2011
3:43 pm
Wall Street Journal
The program could air as soon as the fall, reports
Jessica Vascellaro.
Brian Williams will host the show and other NBC news personalities are expected to contribute to the long-form segments. Vascellaro writes in her subscription-required story:
The new NBC program will have a harder news focus than "Dateline NBC," which often has a crime bent, people familiar with the matter said. One of these people said the network is hopeful it can draw higher rates per thousand viewers for its advertising than that program.
The new hour of news in the evening would represent a relatively inexpensive way for NBC's new leadership to fill the hours in the network's sagging prime-time line-up, relieving pressure on its new entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt to find scripted prime-time hits to pull the network out of its rut.
- Tools:
- Permalink
-
Jim Romenesko
May 2, 2011
10:38 am
FutureofCapitalism.com
"We didn't have a secret meeting where we said, 'maybe we should just go left,'" former NBC Universal chief
Jeff Zucker said at Saturday's annual alumni luncheon of the Harvard Crimson. "People started watching
Keith Olbermann," and programmers planned the rest of the schedule to "flow" with his show.
Ira Stoll has more Zucker comments:
Zucker said GE chief executive Jeffrey Immelt was a "very supportive" boss. "GE never interfered with the coverage ever. You end up overcovering them because you don't want to be accused of not covering them."
Regarding NBC prime-time lineup: "It was 5% of our bottom line, but it was 105% of our perception. I put two people into those [prime-time programming] jobs, and they both failed. I screwed that one up twice."
About Jon Stewart's claim that CNBC contributed to the economic crisis. "I think he was completely out of line on that one. Everybody's looking for a scapegoat."
Read Stoll's account of the lunch at FutureofCapitalism.com
- Tools:
- Permalink
-
Jim Romenesko
Apr. 25, 2011
1:31 pm
New York Magazine
"Still, if you’re looking for it, you can occasionally see a glimmer during the 'Nightly News' of [the comedian]
Brian Williams we’ve come to know," writes
John Swansburg. He’s found a way to inject a touch of levity into the lately all-too-depressing business of delivering the news, to elicit a smile without giving up his gravitas. That’s how finely tuned his comic instrument is." One example:
Over the winter, in one of the feel-good segments that round out the newscast, Williams highlighted the story of the Caltech men’s basketball team, which had just won its first conference game since the Reagan era. “There’s no turning back for the Division 3 Caltech Beavers,” Williams deadpanned. “The Beavers are on fire.”
> From 2007: Why the fuss over Williams appearing on "Saturday Night Live"?
> From 2009: Williams is more comfortable about showing his comedic side
- Tools:
- Permalink
-
Jim Romenesko
Mar. 31, 2011
3:27 pm
The Daily Nightly
That's how
Brian Williams describes
his blog, The Daily Nightly, and yet there's nothing there about the "straightforward editorial decision" -- as NBC's spokeswoman
calls it -- to ignore GE's $0 tax bill. How about it, Brian? ||
Ryan Chittum: GE flubs a pushback against the New York Times.
- Tools:
- Permalink
-
Jim Romenesko
Mar. 30, 2011
7:31 am
Washington Post
“NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams” has yet to mention that General Electric -- America’s largest corporation and one of NBC's parent companies -- essentially avoided paying federal taxes in 2010. An NBC spokeswoman says ignoring the story "was a straightforward editorial decision, the kind we make daily around here," but to others, "NBC’s silence looks like something between a lapse and a coverup," writes
Paul Farhi. ||
TVSquad.com: Jon Stewart calls out NBC for not reporting GE's $0 tax bill.
- Tools:
- Permalink
-
