Trying to explain why Need to Know, the PBS public affairs show that appeared in the Friday night timeslot vacated by Bill Moyers Journal and Now, has gotten such a cool reception from viewers, co-host Allison Stewart seems to blame nostalgia. "Obviously you can't replace Bill Moyers," says Stewart
(Show Tracker, 8/5/10). "That's just a ridiculous notion."
The funny thing is, Bill Moyers was replaced: When he left Now to resume doing Bill Moyers Journal, David Brancaccio took over as host, later joined by Maria Hinojosa. Under their tenure, Now retained its loyal following, because Brancaccio and Hinojosa were pursuing the same kind of independent investigative journalism that Moyers had aspired to–the kind of programming that PBS was created to air because it's unlikely to be produced by commercial networks.
If those same viewers find Need to Know lacking, it's not because Stewart and co-host Jon Meacham aren't Moyers–it's because they don't understand the journalistic values that Moyers represented.
About Jim Naureckas
I haven't seen the show but I can identify with the sentiments expressed here. The Sun-Times used to have a columnist, Zay N. Smith who just kind of did snarky blurbs, though he did have a history of pretty hard-hitting journalism involving corrupt city officials. Due to the company's cheapness, they dropped him. Now the paper, IMO, doesn't have half the value it once did. Coincidentally, the stock value tells about the same story.
I haven't seen the show either, but I've seen a number of Meacham's written and verbal quotes. For example, last February in Newsweek he blamed US citizens for problems getting meaningful reform passed in Washington, pooh-poohing the thought that the president and congress are to blame as simple "fun."
It always makes me want to roll my eyes when these rich and powerful media gatekeepers who bond with rich and powerful senators in holy groupthink use such tortured logic to do an end-run around the fact that politicians, with the media's steady aid, have long been ignoring the wishes of many millions of non-rich American citizens who've been calling for serious change for decades.
Jon Meacham and his league are smart guys. Maybe smart enough to know how to provide cover for politicians who tell them the American people want more military might, more freedom for corporate giants, more nonviolent lawbreakers in prison, etc., when the contrary results of their own polls are staring them right in the face.
What I am noticing, as a Boomer who is adjusting to forced retirement, that NPR and PBS, like many small businesses in my town, have not been grooming suitable replacements for their key staff, so whole traditions and things that work are being lost. What a shame!
Bill Moyers might want to retire and should – our lifespans are limited. But he could have been involved in guiding and training a new replacement who was up to the challenge of maintaining the quality that Moyers represents. Instead our country had to quit 'cold turkey'.
An exception might be the PBS News Hour where several people are being groomed to take over from Jim Lehrer. PBS locally is spending much more time fundraising and uses too many re-runs. And the advertisements are getting in the way.
Something did change about PBS during the Bush administration – I guess we should look to their favorite pets to find the answer about what is spoiling PBS.
Altogether, its a great post, but you might have spent a littlemore time with it. but a great post
I totally agree with Ben's comments on August 7. We will miss Bill Moyers. I understand that he really wanted to retire? However, we have never heard any explanation about David Brancaccio and Maria Hinohosa's departure from PBS? I do think PBS owe us an explanation.