Just mentioning the names floating around as so-called “successors” to Tim Russert, as NBC News Washington bureau chief and moderator of Meet the Press, reveals the meteor crater at the network after his stunning death last Friday.
In no particular order of inadequacy, this piece in today's New York Times lists the following lightweights:
Keith Olberman. Crown Prince of Pompous.
Katy Couric. Katy Couric??? (Cue Howard Dean’s Iowa screech in 2004.)
Brian Williams. See William Hurt in “Broadcast News”.
Chris Mathews. Makes Bill O’Reilly look like Eric Sevareid.
David Gregory. Gravitas-free.
Andrea Mitchell? Definite maybe. Along with Gwen Ifill. Hey, can Brokaw be coaxed out of the pasture?
Russert's death makes Cronkite’s retirement at CBS and Johnny Carson’s exit from the Tonight Show look like a non-events in terms of vacuum-creation. What’s NBC News’ brand promise now—Watch us 'cuz we’re not Fox? MSNBC’s already taken that one. And Fox is burying them. God rest Tim Russert’s soul. We’ll not see his like again and we're all the lesser for it. NBC News most of all.
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