Time to Bury the "Meet the Press" Format

Meet the Press is boring, predictable, stodgy, and... boring. There, I've said it. Someone had to, especially now that Tim Russert, the 18-year moderator of the show has moved on to wherever television journalists go after they've given their final sign-off from this earthly plane -- and let me be in the minority by refusing to speculate on his after-life destination -- it's time for the NBC weekly Sunday morning news program to ditch their old format and leave the 20th century behind.

Last weekend, NBC summoned Tom Brokaw out of his Montana retirement McMansion to host Meet the Press and one question lingered: Has he really gone native by wearing cowboy boots on-air? Cool. However, watching Brokaw manage the old-fashioned Snoozeville format made me realize just how dated the program has become when compared to MSNBC's Countdown and Hardball, or even, CNN's Anderson Cooper and, yawn, Wolf Blitzer's The Situation Room.

While Brokaw led Meet the Press with affable true-blue professionalism, without the gravitas and tradition of Russert's bulging blue eyes and lawyerly questioning technique -- posing the question, listening to the rambling answer without interruption and then ambushing the guest with his/her former statements in direct contradiction to what they've just said -- the show was a flat-liner. It wasn't Brokaw's fault. It's the format, stupid!

The longest running television show in international broadcast history, Meet the Press is showing all of its 60 years. Enough already of the one-on-one absurdly polite interviews -- which Russert specialized in as a way to keep the Beltway big dogs returning to his program and which had the effect of adding almost no meat to the political discourse of the day.

A prime example of this systemic program weakness (aptly spun by the network and Russert's pals as a positive during the interminably long post-Russert death rattle brattle on television) was this past Sunday when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't answer one question from Brokaw. Instead, the governor stayed on message, talking about what he wanted to discuss rather than answering Brokaw's questions, and as Russert would have done before him, Brokaw politely let 'The Arnold' ply his partisan schtick.

I couldn't help but imagine Keith Olbermann or Chris Matthews in the same spot as Brokaw and how differently they would have managed the Schwarzenegger interview. Pow! Pop! Bam!

Sure, they are wildly entertaining, offering their opinions freely and interrupting politicians, political operatives and guest pundits. But, somehow both Olbermann and Matthews come across as more honest than the so-called honest, objective political reporters of the past who are still operating inside the Beltway. They're also a whole hell of a lot more interesting than Tim Russert or Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press.

It's time to bury the old Meet the Press format and replace it with a new host and a new format that more closely connects to the visual and content pitch of the 21st century, where bloggers and Internet speed can be matched with the heavy-duty interviews in the hands of someone who isn't afraid to give an opinion or piss-off a powerful Beltway politician.

Comments

[coastcontact]

MTP has been on television for forty years. Tim Russert refined this program to the point that the unprepared were destroyed by their own statements. This program must be doing something right as it has $50million in annual revenues. I do agree that Tom Brokaw is the wrong person for this show. Chris Matthews would definitely pick up the pace. The network ought to consider going outside their current hosts to obtain the services of Bill Moyers or someone else of his caliber.

[BillieJohn]

Maybe a little makeover would be in order, but not an extreme one IMHO. I am a big fan of COUNTDOWN and also a steady watcher of HARDBALL, but I don't think I would like a lot of high-octane presentation on Sunday morning.

I am hoping and rooting for Gwne Ifill...she really has the right mix of hosting skills and she is extraordinarily smart.

I do however, agree with the comment about Joe Scarborough and will add Pat Buchanan to the list.

And, to my chagrin, Monica Crowley seems to be lodged as a regular on the McLaughlin Report....yuk.

[thewolf1]

Given that "Hardball," "Countdown," and, for that matter, "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" appear each weekday evening, I'm not sure what Ms. Davis finds so galling in the presence of "Meet the Press" for an hour on Sunday morning. I'd agree that typical MTM guests tend to be older, and certainly the commercial breaks for stock brokerages, Viagra, etc. are skewed to an older audience.
Admittedly this may bore younger people who are awaiting punch lines in the news. Still, it's Sunday morning and other than Saturday night the time least likely to attract younger viewers. Thankfully, for them, MTM here in Austin is immediately followed by something called "Hot on Homes," in which a twenty-something young lady in a tight sweater tours obscenely expensive McMansions which no one of her age -- other than rich scions or drug dealers -- could possibly afford. Enjoy!

[audacitymedia]

I take exception to altering the format of MTP too much unless there is a marked decline in ratings or an attempt to appeal to a new demographic. I'm not sure you could do that without alienating the current Sunday morning demographic. I rather liked Russert's ability to let politicos bury themselves. And despite my being a big advocate and admirer of Countdown, one cannot really consider this an unbiased news show. There are few conservative commentators on Countdown. Keith feeds guests with well phrased questions to which guests usually reply "absolutely". Such leading questions aren't the kind suitable for MTP and Olberman has already said he isn't qualified for the job. I don't think he could or should be expected to alter his style as it already has brand quality. Hardball, on the other hand, is a little more representative of both sides of the political debate but Mathews political tourrettes is a bit annoying. I like his passion but I wish he would ask the question and get out of the way instead of endlessly rephrasing. Now if they would just put Scarborough out to pasture with Tucker, MSNBC would be a first rate cable network.

It has been amusing to watch the bias of the cable network feeding frenzy over the primary election cycle. MSNBC obviously pro-Obama, CNN as the Clinton News Network, and Fox as the pundit for McCain. At least the medium is fairly represented even if the individual networks are not.

[ofbbg]

My suggestion - Keith Olberman!! With his journalistic skills and "never tell the truth when a lie will do" attitude, he could sit there and talk to himself for an hour each week.