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May 25, 2012

Is it time to cancel Nightline?

by Bob Sassone, posted Jun 5th 2006 3:11PM

McFaddenI'll admit that I haven't watched Nightline since Ted Koppel left. And I also have to admit that I didn't really watch it that much when Ted Koppel was still there either. I'm a Letterman/Charlie Rose guy.

Anyway, Brian Lowry over at Variety has been watching it, and he thinks that the show has gotten much worse, and it's really a shadow of its former self:

"Divided into a trio of stories as opposed to Koppel's single-topic approach, the new Nightline betrays the demographic tyranny that has beset the news business in general - pressured to provide lighter, more culture-oriented coverage that feels particularly incongruous given the program's prestigious history."

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gidget

Well, the show has gotten bad since Ted Koppel left. As far as I'm concerned, they could cancel it with no tears.

However, I understand that despite the decrease in quality, the ratings have actually (inexplicably) risen since Koppel left.

June 07 2006 at 8:52 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
ZOODLES

I thought Nightline was destined to be doomed the moment I heard ABC named that creep Martin Bashir as co-anchor, it was already bad enough they hired him for PrimeTime Live, someone with obviously no ethics, after what he did to Michael Jackson, Princess Di, and many others.

June 07 2006 at 2:54 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Preston

Yes they should cancel Nightline. Ted Koppel made that show happen. But ABC wants to keep that franchise going with that show the same way that NBC does with The Tonight Show. They should replace it with some old 70s or 80s movies that have been collecting dust for 20 to 30 years! The reporting hasn't been that good since Koppel retired. People prefer seeing Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC or other news networks now over Nightline.

June 06 2006 at 4:12 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Dean

Should Nightline be cancelled?

Yes. The show is a shadow of its former self, and Moran, McFadden and Bashir aren't fit to carry Ted Koppel's can of hairspray. What was once a distinctive program featuring serious news and interviews has become just another outlet for infotainment fluff. Best to just put it out of its misery.

June 05 2006 at 10:49 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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