Brian Williams Doesn’t Want to Anchor a Network News Show, and Can Anyone Really Blame Him?

Seven years after being removed as anchor of the NBC Nightly News, Brian Williams has reportedly been offered another opportunity to host an evening network newscast, this time for CBS. But he is apparently not interested. And given the current news media ecosystem, in which hyper-partisan “analysis” has exponentially more influence than traditional journalism… who can blame him?

According to a report from CNN’s Oliver Darcy, Williams was twice-sought for the job currently held by Norah O’Donnell. Darcy writes:

According to the sources I spoke with, CBS News president and co-head Neeraj Khemlani recently tried to recruit Williams for the network’s flagship evening news program. Two of the sources I spoke with said that Khemlani, who assumed his role less than a year ago and has been working to poach talent, tried at least twice. But it was to no avail.Williams, the people I spoke to said, simply isn’t interested in the evening news job — which says a lot about not only Williams’ turn-

of-fortune, but also the diminishing allure of anchoring a nightly broadcast news program, once considered to be one of the most prestigious positions in journalism.

Putting aside the current standing of CBS News — and any internal drama possibly at play — the idea that anyone would turn down a network news anchor spot would be laughable not so long ago.

But it’s clear that Brian Williams does not want to become the next Jeff Glor. Oh, you don’t know that name? He was the one-time CBS Evening News host that was replaced by O’Donnell. He now continues to live in relative anonymity despite an impressive career, journalistic bona fides, and holding such a prestigious position.

And that’s precisely the issue: the straight reporting of the big three nightly news programs wields just a fraction of the influence boasted by the partisan opinion pumped out by the big three cable news networks — including MSNBC, which Williams just left.

Yes, the network evening news anchors still draw considerably more viewers than Tucker Carlson or Rachel Maddow. But if an elected official wants to make “news,” speak directly to a similar-minded constituency, or get noticed by the press, their first choice is cable, not network news.

For Mediaite readers of a certain age, the idea that the network news anchor chair is a less valuable seat than a cable news hosting chair may seem preposterous. I recall a time when many

American households would self-identify by what network news show they watched. (For the record, I grew up in a Walter Cronkite home, but we switched to a Peter Jennings home after he retired.)

Cronkite is still considered the platinum standard of broadcast journalism, and his “analysis” on the Vietnam war probably did as much to change the hearts and minds of many Americans as any protest march or concert. But that was a different time in news information, when there was but one half-hour of televised news, instead of a constant stream of digital news and 24-hour cable news analysis.

When huge news happened in the 70s and 80s, people would tune in to network news. I distinctly remember watching ABC’s Frank Reynolds reporting live in wall-to-wall coverage of the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.

Consider what currently happens when massive news happens today, however, whether it be a school shooting, impeachment trial, or even perhaps an international war.

On stories like those, Americans do not turn to David Muir the way they did Cronkite, or Jennings, or Tom Brokaw. Now it’s cable stars such as Fox News’ Bret Baier or CNN’s Wolf Blitzer who are more likely to capture a greater share of the most passionate viewers.

Brian Williams is a very entertaining host whose turn hosting the 11th Hour on MSNBC was smart, funny, and informative. It was an opinion show, just like

nearly every other prime time program on cable news (though some shows stretch the limits of opinion and truth more than others).

Think about the last time a network news show created content shook the nation. It was likely Lester Holt’s interview with former President Donald Trump that revealed why he fired FBI director James Comey. That was more than four years ago. Network news is in a pretty significant slump.

It could be that Williams doesn’t want to go back to that world because he knows he can be far more influential elsewhere. And that says more about the current political-infotainment ecosystem than nearly anything else.