I thought he was okay.
The Sunday morning landscape has changed considerably over the years. CBS has "Face the Nation." ABC had "Issues and Answers" before it morphed in to "This Week." Back in the day, all the Sunday morning network shows had something in common-- dry as the desert. It was the place the networks sent aging correspondents in decline. It gave the Secretary of the Interior something to do every Sunday. Those minor cabinet secretaries were fixtures on the old morning shows.
Genius Roone Arledge rocked the planet in 1981. "Issues and Answers" was gone. Arledge discovered the news division also produced a kids show called "Animals, Animals, Animals." He grabbed that time period to make his new Sunday show an hour long. Arledge hired David Brinkley away from NBC. By Brinkley's own admission, he had run out of things to do on NBC. The network stuck him with a Friday night magazine show that no one watched. It was scheduled opposite "Dallas" on CBS. NBC had new news division management, CBS veterans, and they were happy to see Brinkley leave. Fools! By the way, upper ABC management wanted someone other than Brinkley, but they did admit Brinkley's hire gave the new broadcast instant credibility.
Those first years of the ABC show were magnificent. Brinkley would read the headlines "since the morning papers went to press." There was a set up piece on the week's major story. An interview or two, and then the panel discussion. Ratings shot up. The other networks copied.
NBC tried Roger Mudd, Chris Wallace, and then Garrick Utley. The show gained some traction when Tim Russert took over.
The truth be known: I didn't like Tim Russert. He was famous for questioning a guest, and then pulling out a piece of video from decades ago, when they said something contrary. Gotcha! I found the technique to be petty and cheap. Plus, Russert spent years in politics before going in to television, and his bias was clear.
CBS held its own as Brinkley's competition. Lesley Stahl was very good. Bob Schieffer managed to hold a guest's feet to the fire and be a gentleman at the same time. I think the show has lost its way a bit in recent years.
ABC lost momentum when Brinkley retired. There was a revolving door for a while. ABC tried to make the show more worldly and less Washington. It discovered viewers like Washington on Sunday mornings. There is now a rotation of hosts, with George Stephanopoulos being the easiest and most comfortable to watch.
If you are watching TV on a weekend morning, you are a news hound. The audience is engaged. Weekend mornings are a good time slot. Believe me, I know!
