Subrata De/NBC
As B&C gets set for its 25th Hall of Fame ceremony on Oct. 20 at New Yorks Waldorf Astoria, we are taking a look back at the many ways the medium of television has changed as a business and as a part of culture. Todays installment: the news business.
The last generation of news anchors as stars began in the early 1980s (inspired by the alpha example: Walter Cronkite) and ran through the early 2000s with Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings and Dan Rather.
Tom Brokaw took over as anchor of NBC Nightly News in 1982 and retired in 2004-replaced by Brian Williams (more on that later).
Peter Jennings helmed ABC News' nightly newscast from 1983 to 2005. His successors had much shorter runs. Elizabeth Vargas, Bob Woodruff and Charles Gibson filled the seat at different points for the next few years. Diane Sawyer followed from 2009 to 2014, after which David Muir took the top spot.
Similarly on CBS, Dan Rather had over a two-decade run as anchor of CBS Evening News, anchoring from 1981-2005 (Connie Chung co-anchored from 1993-1995). Rather had arguably the toughest task in replacing the legendary Walter Cronkite.
Bob Schieffer served as a stop-gap between Rather and Katie Couric's run from 2006-2011, the first woman to anchor a network newscast alone. Scott Pelley has held the position since 2011.
Rather's departure from CBS Evening News emphasized the vanishing of star anchors, with the final blow coming this year as Brian Williams fell from grace.
A segment from Rather that appeared on 60 Minutes II in 2004 questioned then-President George W. Bush's service in the National Guard, which was later found to be based on false documents.
Nearly 10 years later and broadcast's best hope for a star anchor has been forced out of his job and transferred to MSNBC for another journalistic sin: lying.
Williams was suspended for six months this February for fabricating an experience in 2003 during the Iraq War, a story he had told multiple times. Williams claimed a helicopter he was aboard had come under fire, a conflation which he has now recanted.
Lester Holt, who had been the interim anchor while Williams was serving his suspension, was named the permanent replacement in June. NBC News eventually reassigned Williams to MSNBC, which he started Sept. 22.
The downfall of the nightly news star is not due to a lack of capable new anchors or credibility. The difference between 1991 and today is similar to the differences in most sectors of the TV industry between then and now: options.
There are whole worlds of options available now that were either in early stages or hadn't really been considered.
Cable News Network, the first 24-hour news channel, launched in 1980 through the efforts of founder Ted Turner, who already had success with the first cable TV network in TBS.
Though the network struggled to keep up with its more established competitors, CNN made a name for itself in 1986 with its coverage of the Challenger disaster and again in 1991 with its live coverage during Desert Storm.
Its biggest competitors, Fox News and MSNBC, debuted in 1996.
Fox News launched under Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes' guidance, branding itself the fair and balanced network in opposition to the other biased liberal networks.
Microsoft and NBC teamed up to launch MSNBC. NBC bought out Microsoft's share of the network later and finally parted ways in 2012. The three networks came to epitomize news as entertainment with an emphasis on personality.
CNBC, HLN (formerly CNN2), Bloomberg, Fox Business Network, ABC News-Univision venture Fusion, Glenn Beck's TheBlaze, and Al Jazeera America have also contributed to the wealth of options available to news-hungry viewers.
In addition to other news networks, broadcasters now have to vie for the attention of millennials with satirical news programs like The Daily Show and social media like Twitter with newsfeeds that can look like news tickers during high-profile events.
Cronkite was often billed as the most trusted man in America, and while trust might not have eroded between anchor and viewer, it's hard to be any version of The Man when the viewing options are practically endless.
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
15/10/2025
Across the world, early-career reporters are interrogating systems that shape daily life, from mortuaries and classrooms to the corridors of legal education and...
15/10/2025
St. Louis Blues Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in New Pregame Open VideoThe NHL franchise worked with production firms 2WEI and 4th Floor CreativeBy Mark J Burns,...
15/10/2025
Cobalt Digital, G3DVu, Proxima Vision, and Telos Alliance Renew Premier Sponsors...
15/10/2025
By Paige Bethmann
Before my grandmother passed away in 2019, I went to visit her in the hospital where she'd been for a few weeks. When I arrived, the nurs...
15/10/2025
Two years ago, Spotify set out to grow the entire publishing industry by making ...
15/10/2025
People turn to DJ for a listening experience that feels personal, dynamic, and j...
15/10/2025
Las personas recurren a DJ para vivir una experiencia de escucha personal, din m...
15/10/2025
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen and luminary actor Jeremy Allen White came togethe...
15/10/2025
At Spotify, we're all about supporting rising talent and helping them connec...
15/10/2025
New SBS Documentary Series THE CANCER KILLERS Premieres 4 November on SBS & SBS ...
15/10/2025
SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with bold, illuminating stories across th...
15/10/2025
One of humanity's most profound questions continues: Is there any place in our galaxy suitable for life beyond Earth? NASA intends to find out, with the hel...
15/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
15/10/2025
Scality, a global leader in cyber-resilient storage software for the AI era, today announced the advancement of its comprehensive AI ecosystem certification pro...
15/10/2025
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today unveiled key highlights of the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, scheduled for Feb. 15 19 at the Westin Rancho Mirage Go...
15/10/2025
At NAB Show New York 2025 (Stand 244), Interra Systems will showcase the future of media QC, monitoring, and captioning, highlighting its award-winning, AI- and...
15/10/2025
Grass Valley today announced that RMC BFM, part of the CMA-CGM Group and France's third-largest private media group, has chosen Grass Valley's productio...
15/10/2025
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future of hybrid, s...
15/10/2025
Rakim to Join Berklee's Hip-Hop Hall of Fame at Signature Series Concert The rap icon becomes the latest inductee, following luminaries such as Roxanne Sh...
15/10/2025
Berklee Brings Live Music to the Head of the Charles Student artists will perform on multiple riverfront stages during the 60th anniversary of the world's...
15/10/2025
CobbTV, the government access television channel for Cobb County, Ga. recently acquired an automated playout system from Pebble, a global provider of automation...
15/10/2025
OSLO, Norway Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future...
15/10/2025
NEW YORK The NBA is making major changes to the NBA App and NBA TV as it takes control of them from TNT Sports, which has long managed the league's digital ...
15/10/2025
SAN MATEO, Calif. In what promises to be a major expansion of interactive features and personalized content on the DirecTV platform, the operator and Glance hav...
15/10/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Roku has launched changes to its user interface (UI) that the streaming platform says will better showcase original programming on the platform...
15/10/2025
LOS ANGELES Software-defined data storage and data services provider OpenDrives has elevated Alex Dunfey to chief technology officer, responsible for driving th...
15/10/2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE October 15, 2025: Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), the UAE-based AI-powe...
15/10/2025
Sheldon Nichols and Will Trickett to find and prepare more classic cars for budget conscious would-be owners from Wiser Films
UKTV have recommissioned the clas...
15/10/2025
Wednesday 15 October 2025
Nick Cave
JPEG (275 KB)
Explore the creative univer...
15/10/2025
Wednesday 15 October 2025
From breaking up with your partner to quitting your job - new polling shows some messages are just too scary to send
Over a fifth (...
15/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz unveils compact MXO 3 oscilloscopes with 4 and 8 channels: Advan...
15/10/2025
Back to All News
Revenge Series The Resurrected' Captivates Audiences Across Asia
Entertainment
15 October 2025
GlobalTaiwan
Link copied to clipboard
...
15/10/2025
Back to All News
Bringing the Best in VFX and Virtual Production Together as Eyeline
Jeffrey Shapiro
CEO, Eyeline
Business
15 October 2025
GlobalCanadaInd...
15/10/2025
Deployed by Astound Business Solutions, Harmonic's Primary Distribution Solution Ensures Outstanding Video Quality and Seamless Ad Insertion at the Edge
SA...
15/10/2025
Collaboration extends a trusted relationship as RMC BFM invests in scalable, fut...
15/10/2025
Series coming in 2026 stars Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Justine Mitchell and Jason O'Mara released today
RT today released first look images of new comedy-drama ...
14/10/2025
SVG Europe Summit 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAYNetworking event that preceded IBC2025 shone a light on elite live sports innovation acro...
14/10/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Author Rich Podolsky on Writing Madden & Summerall: How They Revo...
14/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Michael Reiners, Coordinating Producer, FloRacingThe Illinois State grad steers a vast schedule of motorsports events at tracks across the countr...
14/10/2025
Content protection: Getting the right management for your DRM By Neal Romanek
Friday, October 10, 2025 - 10:11
Print This Story
Eluvio power the EPCR'...
14/10/2025
As League Takes Over Ops, NBA TV and NBA App Add 60 Games, Weekday Studio Show, ...
14/10/2025
Time and effort: World's largest student-led broadcast prepares to go On Air...
14/10/2025
(L-R) Guest, Kimberly Robinson Jones, Geeta Gandbhir, Pamela Dias, and Takema Ro...
14/10/2025
Lossless ist jetzt mit Spotify Premium verf gbar.
Verlustfreies Audio war eine...
14/10/2025
La qualit Lossless est disponible sur Spotify Premium.
Le format sans perte de...
14/10/2025
For the seventh edition of Spotify and FC Barcelona's artist jersey series, ...
14/10/2025
Spotify is committed to bringing the best listening experience to all our users, and that includes parents and families. That's why we're expanding mana...
14/10/2025
Since its debut, the Spotify Original podcast Caso 63 has been more than just a story; it's been a cultural sensation. The science fiction thriller captivat...
Subrata De/NBC 
