TopicsOn The Media is produced by:
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.
