I've enjoyed the heck out of this week's Apollo 11 hoopla, and a few things stuck out at me as I watched old footage from 50 years ago. Walter Cronkite talked-- a lot! Other than the astronauts, Uncle Walter was THE face of the American space program, and his enthusiasm was contagious. The NBC crew was matter of fact. The ABC team of Frank Reynolds and Jules Bergman struck the right chord. Unfortunately, ABC News was an "also ran" back then, and no one noticed. We shall not see a time like the summer of 1969 ever again.
Norah O'Donnell took over as anchor of the "CBS Evening News" back on July 15th. It's a solid broadcast, as it was under Jeff Glor. It took only a few days before the newspaper headlines appeared, saying the ratings were plummeting. Hey, give it a chance! There is an audience shift any time there is an anchor change, and most broadcasts need time to build momentum. There is no such thing as instant gratification.
I mentioned this before, and it's still happening. Bill O'Reilly's midday 15 minute radio show has picked up more big market affiliates. I just wonder what happens next.
Hurricane Barry, thankfully, wasn't a huge storm earlier this month. You can see the disappointment on the faces of the staff at The Weather Channel.
Former CNN Headline News anchor Bob Losure passed away recently. 72. Losure was on Headline News when it did 30 minute newscasts, around the clock. It was a marvelous and much needed service, and it's sad that we don't have anything like that any more. Losure was smooth and calm and professional. I'm sorry he's gone.
ABC's Sunday night game show block was number one in the ratings this past week. It shows there is still an appetite for a good game show, and people want fresh programming during the summer. I wish there were more games on weekdays, like the old days. Yes, there were some dogs, but also, some gems.
Once again, radio shines during an emergency. I was listening to WCBS and WINS during the recent New York City blackout. It was outstanding work. Unfortunately, so few stations are prepared to step up when times are tough.
I caught some of former Railriders announcer John Sadak doing a New York Mets game. Great work!
The Mike Wallace documentary opens this weekend. I can't find a local theater playing it yet.
The trailer for the Tom Hanks/Mister Rogers movie have dropped. I'll level with you. Fred Rogers was never my thing, but I did meet him in the mid 90's. He was the genuine article. That kind and gentle man you saw on TV was exactly the same as the one you met in person. You might find me in a theater in November.
