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David Brinkley died this week at the age of 82. Before he left his full-time post behind the news desk seven years ago, he had anchored a news show for four decades - longer than anybody else in the business. Veteran television executive Av Westin joins Brooke to reflect on the life and legacy of David Brinkley.
Lately, many celebrity entertainers are getting political, and their agents are getting nervous. But while these celebrities risk their profits by knocking the war, leading media consultants are advising their clients to make money by promoting it. Vivian Goodman reports on the interplay between patriotism and ratings.
Following last week's assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, the government has imposed a state of emergency and imposed restrictions on the media. Among the more than 1,000 people who have been arrested is Ceca Raznatovic, the country's most famous pop star and the widow of a notorious warlord. Agence France Presse correspondent Alexandra Niksic fills Bob in on the story.
Lately, a number of prominent celebrities have been adding their voices to the chorus of antiwar sentiment. But while familiar names may garner attention for the antiwar movement, could celebs be hurting the cause by attracting the wrong kind of attention? Slate.com's Rob Walker thinks so, and makes his case for Brooke.
For years, Bob could hardly stand the saccharine sweetness of TV's most famous neighborhood-guru. But then he started watching his children watch Mr. Rogers. Fred Rogers died this week at the age of 74, and it got Bob thinking about the important role that Mr. Rogers played in his own family.
MSNBC pulled the plug this week on Phil Donahue's short-lived talk show. Network execs claimed the show wasn't attracting enough viewers. But was the move a matter of simple numbers? Donahue, who was pulling MSNBC's highest ratings, claims he's a casualty of the network's sprint to the right. Rick Ellis of allyourtv.com agrees, and tells Brooke why.
Ron Ziegler, the notorious Press Secretary for Watergate-era Richard Nixon, died this week at the age of 63. He will go down in history as perhaps the worst-regarded spokesman of the late 20th century. Brooke reflects on Ziegler's place in history, and on the point at which loyalty becomes a liability.
Roone Arledge, who died this week, has been dutifully eulogized as a giant of modern broadcasting, first with ABC Sports, then as president of ABC news. The creator of "Wide World of Sports," Monday Football" and the slow-motion replay made no less of a mark on TV news than on TV sports. But by the end of his career many of his pioneering innovations had begun to turn on him, Bob explains.
