Diane Sawyer — Immediate Effect

[Sylph]

Diane Sawyer has immediate effect on ABC's 'World News'

[bellcurve]

+1

I think people gravitate towards Sawyer because she asks the questions everyone in America wants to ask. We saw this for years in her celebrity interviews(Whitney Houston probably being the one that is most noted).

The Obama interview was A+ excellence. She asked tough questions without coming off as extremely biased and even when she asks softball questions, she's still unrelenting.

The Ahmadinejad interview was classic Sawyer as well.

Aside from Sarah Palin(because I felt like they were both on the same level), Katie tries to pull off interviews like this, but she comes off as a bratty school newspaper reporter. And Brian Williams is safe snoozeville. Diane Sawyer pushes boundaries, but she remains tasteful when doing so.

I hope they keep her in that seat for at least ten years.

[DaytimeFan]

When I was in North America for Christmas I became addicted to World News with Diane Sawyer. She is fabulous. The best anchor to hit network news in decades. I hope she does this job for as long as she chooses. She looks fantastic and seems to have the energy to match!

[bellcurve]

Just so Sylph can have some balance(I know how much he loves to burst a bubble)...

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/01/25/la-times-gives-a-pr-smooch-to-diane-sawyer-but-her-relative-ratings-are-not-improved/40021

The LA Times gives Diane Sawyer’s World News a big puffy PR smooch up in an article with the sub-head of “The evening newscast’s ratings have spiked 8% since she took over as anchor four weeks ago.”

In her first four weeks as anchor, “World News” averaged 8.8 million viewers, a spike of 8% over its season-to-date average, though it still trails the top-rated “NBC Nightly News.”

via latimes.com.

Looks like ABC PR has spun its magic spell, because while World News 4 week viewership vs. its season average increased by 8% (7.6% to a second digit), NBC’s increased by 9% (8.7%), and even laggard Katie Couric’s CBS newscast increased by 7% (7.3%).

And it’s also nonsense to attribute those recent increases to Sawyer (or Couric, or Williams), they’re primarily Haiti earthquake induced.

Of course, along with all the PR puffery in the piece, it might make a bit less impact if the sub-head had been “Her ratings are about the same compared to NBC and CBS as the last guy”.

Pucker up!

[Sylph]

I like watching many news programmes. It gives me perspective and I just plainly like to follow all.

Generally, I prefer interviews, and I do think Sawyer is great, but do not like reporting/reports. How much can you squeeze in several minutes? It's the... Superficiality I guess which bothers me. Clearly, it's the limit of the medium, that I understand, but I always like to investigate something thoroughly.

And I'm glad that they all went up, let's see what happens until the next disaster/scandal.

[bellcurve]

I think we can definitely look forward to more "in-depth" interviews and (via Brian Ross)investigative journalism with Diane in charge. I think she and the people at ABC News are aware of how aggravated people have become with superficial two second mentions and fluff pieces.

I'm not sure if this is even possible, but Diane could easily get her numbers up to NBC News territory if she does more interviews with people like Ahmadinejad and Obama. I'd love to see her interview Scott Brown about how what his plans are (RE: Health Care) once he is sworn in.

[alphanguy74]

I've been tuning into ABC nightly news lately, where I used to watch CBS... and I have to say, Diane Sawyer is the sh!t. I didn't mind Katie Couric, but after comparing her to Diane... there's just no competition. Something about Couric doesn't come off right. I don't know if she's too "perky" looking, or if she seems like a fluff reporter who "fell into" serious, hard news. But she almost comes across as someone who is pretending, I just can't put my finger on it. Diane comes across as someone who lives and breathes the news, she speaks with more dignity, more authority. I can certainly see why the ratings are spiking. I'm going to continue to watch her.

[Sylph]

[bellcurve]

HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!

I was so down with this review until I read that Katie Couric is "every woman." I can't speak for women(because I'm not one), but what is so everywoman about a pan up shot from her heels up when she initially did the Evening News? What is so every woman about her delivery? Couric comes off as a bratty, sophomoric school newspaper reporter when interviewing the heavy hitters. She's so desperate to be taken seriously and it shows.

The reporter made interesting and great points about Diane(both good and bad), but his shock about Diane's ratings rising because Katie appeals more to Middle America sensibilities is just wrong.

People have gravitated to Diane, some out of curiosity and others because she features more interesting stories and asks the tough questions. Also, you have to look at the stories she features. I can't speak for the competition, because I haven't seen either of their programs in ages, but Diane's program features far more interesting pieces about stuff that should concern us or piss us off(a more professional, much less crazy crazy Glenn Beck if you will). For example: her second day anchoring World News, investigative correspondent Brian Ross featured a story about the TSA Employees doing a two week convention at a swanky, high priced hotel with lots of complimentary food and alcohol. Paid for with OUR tax dollars!? Who doesn't want to watch a story like that and get angry about it when your choices are yet another Global Warming story on NBC Nightly News or the umpteenth story about Heart Disease that you can catch on any news channel?

Diane features stories people want to watch, people want to see. In these shady economic times, people are more interested in where their money and their tax dollars are going. ABCNews is wise to follow this trend and it's obvious they're listening to what the people want to. Whether it will push them into first place, who knows(likely not). But Diane is a proven ratings grabber.

[DRW50]

Sawyer spent decades in primetime. She only went to morning in the first place to bail GMA out.

I'm not even that interested in any of the news anchors, they all come across as fake and condescending to me, but to compare Diane Sawyer and Katie Couric is absurd. Sawyer has been presenting what amounts to strong news (by network standards) for quite a while now. Primetime Live might not be on the level of Peter Jennings but it's not the same as guffawing with balding Matt Lauer. Couric's biggest calling card was her years as the perky, loveable Today host. Yes, she became harder and colder as the years passed, but that didn't make people like her more, it did the opposite. She was the morning news version of Kathie Lee, or Meg Ryan, a hard shell of what had once been a genuine smile. No one cared about Katie as a newsperson or a primetime presence. And CBS viewers were even less likely to care.

It's like comparing Katherine Hepburn to Debbie Reynolds.

[Sylph]

Oh, Carl, I love it how you pull something out and rip it apart even if it's not the point. Like that primetime thing.

Couric and Sawyer are comparable because they do the same thing — anchor the evening news. That alone makes them comparable. And the comparison is even better/more interesting if it's about two completely different women.

[DRW50]

I think the daytime/primetime comment is a part of the point because it sets up an equivalence that these two ladies are similar. That they are both from daytime and are now anchoring the news. Morning shows are just a footnote in Diane Sawyer's career. Couric, aside from some stints here and there no one cared about, was only known for her morning show stint.

They do have some things in common, but then, so do Sawyer and Brian Williams, yet the article barely even mentions Williams.

[alphanguy74]

It's a matter, I think, of her appearing to be out of her depth.

I like her because of the intelligence, professionalism, and gravitas she brings to her work. When it comes to news, I want someone who is really SERIOUS and shows it.

[JaneAusten]

I think she brings some credibility to the role. Diane Sawyer did not grow up on GMA she was a reporter and worked at CBS as a reporter, a news anchor fillin, and was on 60 minutes for a few before joining ABC amd held various news related roles at ABC before joining GMA. I find her more professional and credible. Doesn't make her so, it's just my impression of her.

But I'd have to agree. Why compare Sawyer to Couric. Where's Brian Williams in this whole matrix. It's funny how no one in any of these articles or columns talks about him or NBC News much

[Sylph]

Because they are women in what once was — and really still is — a male-dominated area. That's another thing they have in common (news anchors + both are women).