Let The Good Times Roll

Who would have believed just a couple of years ago that in 2006, all three major network newscasts would feature new anchors. Many would (and do) say, "Who cares?" a reaction reinforced by the ratings. Fewer and fewer Americans depend on the major networks' nightly newscasts to tell them what happened each day and, worse yet, it's part of a trend that shows no signs of abating.

Nevertheless, by the time Katie Couric signs on as the anchor The CBS Evening News in September, all three of the networks will have had recent turnovers. In fact, NBC's Brian Williams, who signed on as Tom Brokaw's successor on December 2, 2004, is now the dean of the nightly anchors on NBC Nightly News. At ABC, Charles Gibson gained a few weeks on Couric by taking over the helm of World News Tonight.

Will Couric's star power be enough to propel CBS to number one? Does Williams have anything to worry about in holding on to NBC's traditional number one slot? Or can Gibson's maturity secure first place for ABC? Perhaps more importantly, will the network newscasts evolve over the next few months or years into something very different from what they present today? Or will they follow the standard trend of denying the reality of their own obsolescence until they officially become anachronisms? Experience suggests the latter. Stay tuned.