Scott Pelley: Doing Well Here
The difference between TV news and the Buffalo News couldn’t have been more on display than on the coverage of this Tuesday’s report that Roswell Park Cancer Institute plans a clinical trial on a vaccine that may prevent a relapse of various cancers.
The local stations led with the story and spent a considerable amount of time talking about the significance it not only has on curing some cancer patients but also perhaps curing the Western New York economy.
I immediately thought, “Wow. Curing cancer. That’s the kind of story that the network newscasts surely would use and perhaps even lead their newscasts with.”
To my surprise, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams didn’t touch it Tuesday night.
I also thought that that it could be a page 1 story in the Wednesday edition of the Buffalo News. So I looked for it. And looked for it. And looked for it.
I finally found a one-column head and a short story by the Buffalo News’ highly-respected medical reporter Henry Davis on the back of the B section, near the weather.
The play of the story suggested to me that the News’ editors may have felt it was premature to shout as loudly as the local TV stations about curing anything until the trial is concluded and the results are tabulated. Let’s see and read how it plays after the clinical trial is over.
Much is being made nationally of the declining national ratings for President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night. The Prez did OK here, getting a combined rating of 17.3 points (representing 17.3 percent of TV households) on the four local network affiliates, led by a 7.0 on Channel 2, the NBC affiliate. Of course, additional viewers were watching on CNN and the other cable news channels. The combined rating isn’t anywhere near what the NFC conference finals had Sunday, but it would be the highest non-football rating of the week locally and about 70 percent higher than “American Idol.”
Inquiring minds want to know how the new Charlie Rose-Gayle King version of the CBS Morning News is doing locally. It starts out decently in the first half-hour after getting a strong lead-in from Channel 4’s “Wake Up,” but then slips to its usual third-place rating in the 2s. NBC’s “Today” still dominates here.
On the other hand, the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley appears to be on a local roll. NBC remains an even stronger No. 1 here because of the lead-in from Channel 2’s stronger 6 p.m. news. But Pelley’s newscast is a strong No.2 locally, with the help of Channel 4’s lead-in from its 6 p.m. news. ABC’s “World News Tonight” with Diane Sawyer is a weak third here, primarily because of the poor lead-in from Channel 7’s third place 6 p.m. news.
I’ve been getting daily annoying Twitter messages from local supporters of the ABC soaps that have been canceled and replaced in the afternoon by the cheaper talk shows “The Chew” and “The Revolution.” Locally, the new shows aren’t averaging a 2 rating yet on Channel 7. But it is a marathon and not a sprint and afternoon shows generally don’t do all that well these days.
pergament@msn.com
Alan Pergament was the television critic for The Buffalo News for 28 years. He currently is an adjunct professor at Buffalo State College and Medaille College, teaching courses in communications. He also writes a monthly column on the media for Buffalo Spree magazine.
“On the other hand, the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley appears to be on a local role” .
I think the idiom “on a roll” was intended here.
Correct.
I questioned as well why Roswell’s news wasn’t making national news. All we could think of was, as you suggested, it was “just” in clinical trial stage. Weird – it’s still pretty big news.
I must say that I was also surprised that the Roswell story did not get more national attention, not even a blip.
I tried watching the new Early Show but after Gayle’s pathetic interview with Mrs. Obama and worrying that Charlie Rose may keel over at any moment I had to turn it back to Today where everyone actually looks like they want to be there. I just get the feeling that Gayle is thinking “Why am I even here, I don’t have to work, Oprah will take care of me”.
I’m sorry, maybe it’s because I’m a guy, but I like the new CBS morning news format. More news, less of the “missing white woman”/”true crime” stuff that seems to dominate the other channels’ morning shows (especially GMA). I find myself watching CBS as my go-to morning news as of late.
Then again, as a meteorologist, I have to say would it kill them to have a weather guy? It doesn’t have to be a goofy, comic one (which they apparently want to avoid like the plague) but a professional, mild-mannered meteorologist could easily fit the tone of the broadcast.
I didn’t know that they no longer had a weather person. That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense considering there always seems to be a weather related story for one reason or another either on a daily or weekly basis lately. Maybe you can apply for the job, you could be the next Al Roker or Sam Champion.