NEW YORK (AP) – In handing Brian Williams a six-month suspension for misleading viewers, NBC Universal chief Steve Burke says his chief anchor deserves a second chance. Whether he actually gets one is an open question.
Time is renowned for its healing powers but in this case, time also offers reasons for the split to become permanent. NBC Universal bought time with the suspension, hoping to remove an unflattering spotlight on its most prominent personality after he falsely reported flying in a helicopter hit by an enemy grenade in the Iraq War.
Veteran Lester Holt will fill in. With “Nightly News” atop the ratings for almost all of Williams’ decade-long tenure as its lead anchor – and back into the 1990s with Tom Brokaw – Holt will be watched closely to see if he can maintain that lead. If he can, that may lessen NBC’s desire to bring back a more costly anchor with doubts cast on his trustworthiness.
ABC in the past year maintained and even improved its “World News Tonight” ratings after replacing well-known anchor Diane Sawyer with David Muir. That indicates viewers care more about the content of the broadcasts than its anchors, said Andrew Tyndall, a consultant who monitors the evening newscasts.
“Not only is (Williams) dispensable, the business model is wrong,” he said.