"Evening News" Shakeup: Early Reaction
(CBS)
Mr. Hartman, a respected veteran at CBS News, had joined the program about a year before Ms. Couric arrived, and had introduced several stylistic changes in its format. Some, like a nightly editorial by commentators outside CBS News, were not well received by many critics and some members of the staff. The most widely heard complaint has been that the newscast was sacrificing hard news reporting for more features and interviews.CBS News:
For Kaplan, a broadcast news veteran, the job will be a homecoming of sorts. He worked at CBS for a decade early in his career, including a period as an associate producer for the CBS Evening News…Associated Press:
Couric took over from [Bob] Schieffer shortly after Labor Day last year and came in with a mandate to try and shake up an evening news format that differs only slightly among the three networks and hasn't changed dramatically in years. For her first two weeks, Couric led in the ratings. But she hasn't returned there since…Last week, we took a camera inside the "Evening News" lineup meeting, where producers discuss what will run on that night's show and where it will run. Hartman was the central figure at the meeting, and if you want to get a sense of his style and personality, I recommend you check it out."The lesson of the last six months is that it's very difficult to reinvent the wheel," said Andrew Tyndall, a consultant who monitors the content of broadcast evening newscasts.