White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of one of the most powerful clubs in America.

Will Couric Stay At CBS?

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Katie Couric at CURE Annual Chicago Benefit April 16, 2010

With her contract expiring at the end of May, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric has a big decision to make. But as David Bauder from the Associated Press reports, “her next choice is likely to be fraught with more risk, and may not truly be hers.”

Folks have been speculating for some time whether Couric would remain behind the anchor desk. But talk heated up last week when “60 Minutes” head Jeff Fager was named CBS News chairman with Bloomberg’s David Rhodes at his side. Deciding whether Couric remains after her current contract expires at the end of May will likely be their first point of business.

Couric, the first solo female anchor of a network evening newscast and veteran “Today” co-host does have options. Bauder writes: “Couric has discussed the syndicated talk show market with her good friend and former colleague, ex-NBC Universal chairman Jeff Zucker. A shorter-term extension with CBS to stay put, at least through the 2012 election, is possible, as is a move to cable where other big TV personalities have found homes, such as Oprah Winfrey, Conan O’Brien and Martha Stewart. Of course, the Web is yet another alternative for Couric in today’s marketplace.”

Bauder quotes WHC Insider‘s own Tammy Haddad:
“She’s got to find a place where her interview skills are used,” said Haddad, a veteran TV producer who worked with Couric in the 1990s. “She has that rare ability to make something happen every time she interviews somebody and every time she’s on-screen.”

Couric’s former “Today” partner, Bryant Gumbel, created his own niche with his well-respected “Real Sports” show on HBO, Haddad noted.

To read the full article go HERE.

Obama: Media Maestro

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Dec. 7, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

It may have been Steelers vs. Packers out on the field last night but Bill O’Reilly tried his best to get President Obama to fumble during their pre-Super Bowl interview on Fox News.

As Susan Milligan points out in US News, the President deftly handled O’Reilly’s line of questioning and observes that Obama’s “behavior indicates he is unwilling to engage in petty political food fights.”

O’Reilly: “Does it disturb you that so many people hate you?”

Obama: “You know, the truth is that the people—and I’m sure previous presidents would say the same thing, whether it was Bush or Clinton or Reagan or anybody—the people who dislike you don’t know you.”

The objective of Milligan’s piece was to point out media irresponsibility. But the O’Reilly/Obama interview is also another example of what John Harris and Jim VandeHei explore today in POLITICO: how the President is “playing the press like a fiddle.”

He is doing it by exploiting some of the most long-standing traits among reporters who cover politics and government — their favoritism for politicians perceived as ideologically centrist and willing to profess devotion to Washington’s oft-honored, rarely practiced civic religion of bipartisanship.

Click here to read the entire article on POLITICO.

White House Press Complain About Access

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The infamous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil may have spotted his shadow yesterday signifying an early spring but it remains to be seen how quickly relations thaw between the press corps and the White House.

People around the world have been watching the reports of tens of thousands of Egyptians flooding the streets of Cairo calling for a regime change. The White House response to the clash between anti-government protestors and supporters of President Hosni Mubarak has been guarded, making few statements on what is being called a major foreign policy crisis.

Left without substantive updates on the situation in Egypt and shut out from the President’s Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the White House Correspondents Association sent a letter to Press Secretary Robert Gibbs complaining that “for two straight days the full press pool is being shut out of events that have typically been open and provided opportunities try to ask the President a question.”

The letter, written by WHCA Executive Director Julia Whitson, was sent in advance of the President’s signing of the New START Treaty, the new nuclear arms reduction pact with Russia.

“We are writing to protest in the strongest possible terms the White House’s decision to close the President’s Cabinet meeting on Tuesday and his signing of the START Treaty today to the full press pool.

The START treaty was held up as one of the President’s most important foreign policy priorities for almost a year dating back to the trip to Prague last spring. We are concerned that now his signing of it is open to still photographers but closed to editorial, including print and wire reporters and television cameras.” Read the full letter at mediabistro.com.

In the end, the White House stuck by its decision and allowed only a small group of photographers into the Oval Office for the signing of the treaty.

As reported in The Hill, Gibbs said the decision to keep reporters out of the signing was based on fear they would shout questions to the President about Egypt, and continued to defend the decision by stating it was “part of the coverage plans that have been in place for a bit now.”

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, March 20th is the first day of spring…

Barbara Walters producer to Piers Morgan

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Katie Thomson with Nicholas Kristof at Goldman Sachs Reception in NYC, September 2010

Katie Thomson, one of ABC News‘ top producers is named Senior Broadcast Producer for “Piers Morgan Tonight.” Here is an excerpt from the CNN press release:

Thomson joins CNN from ABC News where she spent 15 years working primarily with legendary journalist Barbara Walters, delivering and producing award-winning interviews for 20/20 and The Barbara Walters Specials.  She has produced interviews with the last four presidents, celebrities, and top newsmakers of the day including Barbara Walters’ interview with Monica Lewinsky which was seen by more than 70 million viewers and was the highest-rated news event ever broadcast by a single network.

“I’m thrilled Katie Thomson is joining the Piers Morgan Tonight team. She brings unmatched experience and leadership in the booking and producing of big-name interviews and she will be instrumental in helping lead a talented team of bookers and producers,” said Jonathan Wald, executive producer of Piers Morgan Tonight.

To read the full press release go here.

Comcast-NBC Universal Merger Approved

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Voting 4 to 1, the Federal Communications Commission has granted approval of the merger between cable and Internet giant Comcast and NBC Universal, a subsidiary of the General Electric Company (GE).

The approval comes with a number of conditions and enforceable commitments, including the fostering of competition in the online video marketplace; increasing local news coverage; expanding children’s programming; enhancing availability of Spanish-language programming; offering affordable broadband services to low-income Americans and increasing broadband access to schools, libraries, and underserved communities. Read more on the merger decision at POLITICO.

The Department of Justice announced its final approval of the settlement this afternoon. Comcast and NBCU can now proceed with their venture “conditioned on the parties’ agreement to license programming to online competitors to Comcast’s cable TV services, subject themselves to anti-retaliation provisions and adhere to Open Internet requirements.”

A statement released by DOJ outlines “that the proposed settlement will preserve new content distribution models that offer more products and greater innovation, and the potential to provide consumers access to their favorite programming on a variety of devices in a wide selection of packages.”

Ben Sherwood Back at ABC News

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He’s written the great American novel, had it turned into a movie (starring heartthrob Zac Efron, no less). So what do you do now, award-winning journalist, bestselling author and digital media entrepreneur Ben Sherwood?

Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney/ABC Television Group can tell you: Sherwood’s the new president of ABC News, responsible for all editorial, programming and digital aspects of all ABC News programs on the ABC Television Network, ABC News Radio, ABC News.com and ABC News NOW.

It’ll be a return trip home, although no longer sitting at the kid’s table. Sherwood was previously an investigative producer on ABC’s “PrimeTime Live”, and then Executive Producer of “Good Morning America” from 2004-2006 until he left to concentrate on his writing career. He’s publishedThe Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud (2004) or “Charlie St. Cloud” known to moviegoers, and The Man Who Ate the 747 (2000) which is being developed into a motion picture and Broadway Musical.

Sounds like Sherwood is whistling a happy tune, according to the official Disney/ABC press release Sherwood says: “It’s a great honor and privilege to be asked to lead this amazing news organization and I am humbled by the opportunity. For more than 20 years, I’ve known firsthand of the passion, excellence and integrity of the people who work for ABC News. I am thrilled to be coming back home, and look forward to harnessing our innovation and creativity to build on our great history of success.”

Sherwood is taking over for David Westin who announced in September he was stepping down after thirteen years.

The Rally To Restore Fear In Media Reasonably Successful

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In case you missed it this weekend, a tiny rally was held on a tiny piece of land in downtown Washington, DC. And then The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear blew up in the faces of the very folks covering it, while those attending the event laughed and swayed as if at a revival.

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Sherlockian's Graham Moore On Sherlock

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Graham Moore at the White House with actress Rita Wilson and mother, FLOTUS COS Susan Sher, at the screening of HBO’s The Pacific.

Susan Sher’s son, Graham Moore, makes his HuffPost debut!

Graham Moore, is a first time novelist, but to Washingtonian he is the younger son of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Chief of Staff, Susan Sher.
Moore’s first  novel, The Sherlockian, will be published in December by 12 Books, home of the great Christophers — Hitchens and Buckley.

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Re-Introducing The National Journal

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Let’s forget the Midterm and focus on the more important news: National Journal’s relaunched itself today. The gist of Atlantic Media’s relaunch? Unified newsrooms!

Yes, NJ has combined CongressDaily and The Hotline into itself to form another political media hydra to wage war (and share links with) Politico, CQ-Roll Call and The Hill. But there’s also focus on original video content, faster web production and the new new cover story interview with President Obama 2.0.

The full release is after the jump.

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