I've given Diane Sawyer over a year and, I'm sorry to say, she just isn't a strong enough anchor. Way too many mistakes and syntax errors. Tonight it felt like she was channeling William Shatner in her delivery.
I do like the World News team and think they have a really compelling staff of reporters/correspondents, but I think it might be time for Diane to move on and hand the anchor spot to David Muir (or Dan Harris).
Lately it seems like David Muir or George Stephanopoulos are always anchoring anyway. Every other time I tune in (I've cut down as I feel Diane has really dumbed down this newscast) it is somebody else and "Diane is off tonight". It seems like she's more interested in traveling around and doing puff pieces on people like Mark Zuckerberg or other unimportant things than reading the news.
"IF THE DEVIL HAD A NAME, IT WOULD BE CHUCK FINLEY!!"
ABC has changed into a solid left network since Sawyer took over. That is really bad, all networks should have no opinion on politics.
shareWell people on the right seems to think that anything that isn't Fox News is left wing. I honestly don't see ABC as being left wing, the broadcast is too dumb to have any political views. They are more interested in pop culture news, cute human interest stories and fluff pieces to concern themselves with politics or leaning one way or the other. It's almost become "Good Morning America: Primetime". I keep expecting to tune in and see some pop star as the World News Tonight musical guest.
"IF THE DEVIL HAD A NAME, IT WOULD BE CHUCK FINLEY!!"
Agreed. I don't care if the program is perceived as left-leaning or right-leaning; I can make judgements for myself. My problem is that the show wastes have of its time on irrelevant special-interest stories and shameless promotion of 20/20 and their 10:00 interview specials. I can see them adding "Please watch a very special edition of Extreme Makeover tonight when I join Ty and try to hammer a nail..."
shareI apologize for being on a rant, but on tonight's broadcast Diane Sawyer did 3 promos for the five minutes they then wasted previewing their special on Gabby Giffords next week. Apparently, they didn't have time for reporting that Greece has a new Prime Minister or that there was a deadly earthquake in Turkey or the new US unemployment figures or any other number of newsworthy stories.
I think the Giffords interview is fine programming for ABC, but the fact that there were over a dozen times during the news this week that Diane Sawyer promoted the interview is annoying at best and, honestly, very desperate sounding. One mention per night should be sufficient.
William Shatner would be awesome! And....NOW....WORLD NEWS...tonight.
shareI've always said that a radio career only depends on the ability to talk and read.
On TV, you also need to add, camera friendly.
But, those first two, Talking & Reading are essential.
I have no ill will against Diane, she seems like a dear person and I'm well aware of how put together she is because she's a year older than me.
Getting right to the point; she's no longer the great reader and speaker she needs to be.
It's beyond the common slurring of words.
Tonight there was a story about a multi-fatality church bus crash in Tennessee.
She needed to get out, "stuck on the interstate".
What we got was, "Struck on the internet".
With no attempt to correct and get it right, because she seemed to have no idea she got it wrong.
I don't care if the incorrect version was on a TelePrompTer; I've read poorly written copy on the air, "cold", and managed to transpose it into sense. That's part of the job.
For the money she's getting paid, the network deserves much better.