After hearing Jon Gosselin on "Good Morning America" Tuesday accuse his wife, Kate, of everything from stealing his wedding ring to "beating" him down, you might think there would be nothing left to say.

But you would be wrong. ABC News saved more trash and slash from a three hour interview Chris Cuomo did with Jon for a 30 minute prime-time segment on "Primetime: Family Secrets" Tuesday night. And as bad as the story of Jon and Kate had become in the tabloids, it got worse with this ABC News interview with the dad of what was once a very popular reality TV show about a beloved American family.

"What happens behind closed doors, doesn't always stay behind closed doors," viewers were told as a sleazy tease to the program. 

Continue reading "Jon Gosselin tells more 'Family Secrets' on ABC" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (89)
Categories: ABC
        

NBC's "Today" show got the first big interview with Kate Gosselin, but  ABC's "Good Morning America" got the more emotional, less seemingly rehearsed one with her divorcing husband, Jon, on Tuesday.

Jon Gosselin, who has been depicted as a slacker and party boy for the last several months, came out breathing fire in the interview with GMA's Chris Cuomo that aired Tuesday morning. He said he despises Kate and can't stand to sit on the same sofa with her to tape their reality TV show. More of the conversation will air Tuesday night on "Primetime: Family Secrets" at 10 on ABC.

From co-host Diane Sawyer to Cuomo, the GMA team set out to recontextualize the Battle of Jon and Kate in keeping with the dueling spouse whom they have access to. As Sawyer put it in her introduction, "... here for the first time, telling his side...."

Continue reading "Jon Gosselin tells 'GMA' he despises Kate" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 7:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (72)
Categories: ABC
        

In a major and uxexpected move, ABC News anchor Charles Gibson announced that he will retire at the end of the year, and Diane Sawyer will become the anchor of ABC's "World News."

The 66-year-old Gibson said in an email to ABC News staffers Wednesday that he had planned to retire as early as 2007, but that unexpected events in the news division resulted in him staying on. Longtime anchor Peter Jennings died in 2005, and then his replacement, Bob Woodruff, was seriously injured in Iraq in January of 2006.

Gibson, a former Congressional correspondent and co-host of "Good Morning America," has been a steadying influence on the flagship broadcast for ABC News. The 34-year veteran of ABC News says he will continue as a contributor after he steps down from the anchor desk and full time status. But the details of that contributing arrangement have yet to be determined.

Continue reading "Diane Sawyer to replace Charles Gibson at ABC" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: ABC
        

ABC News anchorman Bob Woodruff has reurned to Iraq where he was seriously injured by a roadside in 2006 shortly after becoming anchor of World News.

His first report from Iraq was scheduled to air Monday night on World News with Charles Gibson, but a sandstorm interfered with satellite transmission, according to the network, and the piece is now scheduled to air on Tuesday's Good Morning America. Woodruff is traveling with Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In a blog post written before he left, Woodruff explained his reasons for returning to the conflict that almost took his life.

Continue reading "ABC's Bob Woodruff goes back to Iraq" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: ABC, Cable and Network News
        

ABC announces a fall schedule today loaded with stars of former hit network shows -- Courteney Cox, Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton.

Cox, formerly of Friends, will star in Cougar Town as a single mother raising a 17-year-old son.

Heaton will also be playing a mom, this one from the Midwest and the middle class - hence the title, The Middle.

The most promising new series of the trio looks to be Grammer's Hank, which will feature the former star of Frasier as a one-time Wall Street player returning against his desire to a small-town home. 

As you can see, there's a lot of "former" and "one-time" in the "new" ABC schedule. The most noteworthy cancellation is Samantha Who, but most analysts expected that to happen.

Continue reading "ABC goes for the old: Cox, Grammer and Heaton" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 7:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: ABC, Network TV
        

I have written a couple of times this spring about hating the way in which it has become standard operating procedure in network drama to kill off characters in May sweeps season-enders for shock value. Fans build deep attachments to some characters, and producers should respect that.

Thursday night, Grey's Anatomy ended its season with two bangs -- and I think one of them was gratuitous.

Here comes two spoilers if you TiVo'd and have not yet viewed. But the news is all over the place that Drs. Izzie Stevens and George O'Malley appear to be gone. Izzie's flat-line finale following her struggle with brain cancer seemed inevitable and dramatically justified -- not to mention the fact that many expected Katherine Heigl, the actress who plays Stevens, to be leaving the show.

Continue reading "Grey's Anatomy: Did two characters have to go down?" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
Categories: ABC
        

Last week in writing about the tight ratings race on Sunday mornings, I used the term "hard-charging" to describe George Stephanopoulos and his ABC show This Week. The charge continues this week with the one-time senior aide to Bill Clinton scoring an interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Stephanopoulos raced off to Tehran when the call came through that Ahmadinejad would be willing to talk -- showing exactly the kind of hustle I believe the healthy competition among the top Sunday morning public affairs shows is generating.

Stephanopoulos also delivered an engaging blog post about the interview and his trip. I wonder how the other Sunday shows will compete with this. This is one ratings race that so far, at least, seems good for journalism.

Continue reading "ABC's Stephanopoulos charges on with Ahmadinejad " »

Posted by David Zurawik at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: ABC, Cable and Network News, TV and Politics
        

Peabody Awards for 2008 will go to one of the most diverse and socially-responsible lineups of programs in the history of television's oldest and most prestigious award. They range from ABC TV's serialized drama, Lost and HBO's John Adams miniseries to CNN's coverage of the presidential election and NBC's Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. YouTube, Saturday Night Live and The Onion were also honored.

In terms of Baltimore flavor, ABC News won for its Hopkins documentary, a sequel to Hopkins 24/7 that followed the lives of doctors and patients at the world-renowned hospital. WBAL-TV (Channel 11), Baltimore's NBC affiliate, will share a Peabody with 24 other stations owned by Hearst-Argyle -- for reporting by a TV group on political candidates and races.

"All-access filmmaking in the corridors and operating rooms of a fabled teaching hospital produced human drama of open-heart intensity," the judges said of the Hopkins series.

Continue reading "From Hopkins series to SNL, Peabodys get it right" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: ABC, Baltimore Television, NBC, PBS
        

What do you make of this fact: Lost scored its lowest rating ever for an original episode with this week's episode?

Do you think it might be the end of expensive, serialized, scripted drama in network prime time? Or is Lost losing its grip on a mass audience?

I hate to say it, but ABC could make more money with cable channel TLC's Jon and Kate Plus 8, a loved and hated reality show about the everyday lives of a super-sized family. The demographics are better, and it costs less then 10 percent what Lost costs to make. (Read about Jon and Kate topping Heroes and 24 in young female demographics here.)

Say goodnight to the nights of of large ensemble dramas. Say hello to Jay Leno and shows like Jon and Kate -- as the downsizing of network prime-time TV accelerates.

Posted by David Zurawik at 7:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: ABC, Ratings, Scripted Series
        

With all the high-visibility hearings on Capitol Hill and President Barack Obama appearing everywhere on TV last week, it is easy to overlook a piece like the one that follows from ABC News and abcnews.com. But this behind-the-scenes bit of reporting is the kind of solid, hard-work journalism that tells you what folks are saying off-camera.

It involves Rick Klein, of ABC News, canvassing members of the Senate Democratic caucus on the question of their support for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

No one covers Congress better than CNN's Dana Bash, as she showed this week in nailing Sen. Christopher Dodd for his role in the A.I.G. bonuses. But this little textbook effort in nuts-and-bolts reporting by Klein also deserves high praise for the information and context it offers viewers trying to judge the confusion at the Treasury Department against President Obama's widely-publicized statements this week that he has "complete confidence" in Geithner.

Continue reading "Some praise for good work by ABC News on Geithner" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: ABC, Cable and Network News, TV and Politics