Survey: Couric better known than rivals
[...] While 40 percent of all respondents' one-word impressions of Couric had a positive tone (compared with 36 percent for [ABC's Charlie] Gibson and 34 percent for [NBC's Brian] Williams), she also scored higher in words deemed negative (including liberal, biased, bad, annoying and overrated), with 14 percent. This compared with 4 percent for Gibson and 5 percent for Williams.
Color me shocked.While the word most often associated with all three journalists was good, the list of adjectives for Couric included perky, cute, nice, energetic, bubbly and fluffy — words no one raised for Gibson or Williams.
And I am willing to bet they were exceedingly glad.Other words Couric inspired were informed, knowledgeable and smart. But her personality and style were foremost on the minds of the respondents, as opposed to their words describing Gibson and Williams. [...]
One gets the sense that all this has become something of a search for the world's most perfect booger. Posted by Terry Oglesby at August 24, 2006 03:00 PMFluffy?
The whole thing with this focus on the replacements for "giants in their field" strikes me as a little overprecious. One, their field seems to be nothing more than overtly partisan, overpaid, editorializing hackdom. Second, the focus on these heads fails to acknowledge a central principle of this point in time - fewer & fewer people get their news exclusively from the networks.
Let 'em debate it - nobody's really watching anyway.
Posted by: skinnydan at August 24, 2006 03:17 PMWho are these people? Why should I care?
Posted by: Nate at August 24, 2006 03:54 PMI take it neither of you want to see what I blew into my handkerchief, either.
Spoilsports.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 24, 2006 03:58 PMMaybe if it looks like Elvis or the Virgin Mary, but probably not then either.
Now, if you gently wafted (using your mouth) a picture of a young Maureen O'Hara, I would definitely look.
Posted by: skinnydan at August 25, 2006 08:04 AMNow if network newsreaders looked like THAT, I'd watch. Of course, I'd still have to turn the volume down...
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 25, 2006 09:01 AMDid that picture of Ms. O'Hara inspire the song "When Irish Eyes Are Smilin'"? Hubba hubba.
[If you turned down the volume when watching her, you would be the quiet man.]
Posted by: Marc V at August 25, 2006 09:42 AMHeh--well, technically I'd be the Deaf Man.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 25, 2006 09:49 AM