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If I were Anderson Cooper, I would enjoy a very brief honeymoon period over this and I use the word loosely, promotion.
If network brass are capable and eager to oust a respected and prominent anchor like Aaron Brown, does Cooper, Zahn, or anyone else have a secure future on network television? The answer is a resounding, NO.
Network television is very much like the fashion industry, what is the flavor du jour is not necessarily the flavor of choice tomorrow.
We are no longer reside in the era of true journalism. We have entered an embarrassing pantheon of photo journalism. Edward R. Murrow was hardly a photogenic icon, heck, he used to smoke on the air. For that matter, neither was Cronkite, Severeid, Brinkley, Reasoner, Downs, you get the picture.
The on-air personas today have to look like a particular type of runway model first and report news secondly. After all, the demographic is what these changes are all about; well that and the income of said demographic.
This is not to disparage younger news anchors or reporters. The truth of the matter is, the priority in television journalism today is looks, then, ability. I think, I may just stick to my papers or even the radio.
