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Top producer out at NBC 'Nightly News'
2007-03-01
NBC is replacing the executive producer of its "Nightly News" just as chief rival Charles Gibson and ABC celebrate a milestone victory. NBC's John Reiss will be reassigned after less than two years on the job, according to a network executive who spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because it was a personnel matter. The change was expected to be announced within a week. "Nightly News" has been atop the ratings for much of the past decade, a status that didn't change with the smooth transition of anchormen from Tom Brokaw to Brian Williams. But Gibson, who has anchored ABC's "World News" since June, inched closer and broke through during February. It was the first time ABC proved more popular than NBC during a ratings "sweeps" month since November 2001, and the first time ABC won among both viewers in general and the key 25-to-54-year-old demographic since 1996, according to Nielsen Media Research. "After all that we've been through, this does mean a lot," said Jon Banner, executive producer of "World News." So far this year, "World News" has averaged 9.5 million viewers each night, up from 9 million at the same time in 2006. NBC has dropped from 10 million to just under 9.8 million, while CBS has gone from 8 million to 7.6 million, Nielsen said. The change at the top of "Nightly News" has been in the works for months, the NBC executive said. It was first reported this week by the Web site Radar Online. NBC executives would not comment on the change Thursday, a spokeswoman said. There have been reports that Williams and Reiss have not been getting along, a key factor in the change. But there are also internal worries at NBC that "Nightly News" has been losing favor among female viewers, which has helped to drive Gibson's success. The experience of Gibson, who turns 64 next week, may also be attractive in contrast to Williams and CBS' Katie Couric, who are both in their 40s. The evening news audience is one of the oldest, on average, in television. "It's about time the old guys have an advantage somewhere. We're not the most courted group in society," said Bob Zelnick, a former ABC News correspondent who's head of the journalism department at Boston University. He believes Gibson's experience is a key factor in his rise. Banner said it took time for viewers to become accustomed to Gibson in his new role, and for he and Gibson to become comfortable in doing the broadcast together. They have sought to highlight the reporting of ABC's correspondents, he said. With an assist from lead-in "Dancing With the Stars," ABC and Gibson beat its rivals last November in its prime-time election coverage, perhaps giving new viewers a chance to sample his work. "The competition is stiff," Banner said, "and that's better for all of us." Banner has been at the helm at "World News" through some tough times in recent years: the illness and death of Peter Jennings, and the ill-fated co-anchor team of Bob Woodruff and Elizabeth Vargas. Woodruff was badly hurt in a roadside bombing in Iraq; Vargas stepped down after becoming pregnant. At NBC, the personnel change is somewhat reminiscent to when the "Today" show switched executive producers two years ago when ABC's "Good Morning America" was threatening to overtake it in the ratings. NBC can only hope for similar results: the "Today" show widened its lead and hasn't been topped since. ___ ABC is owned by the Walt Disney Co. NBC News is a division of the General Electric Co. CBS is owned by CBS Corp.
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