Brian Stelter here at 10:40pm ET on Thursday, January 20 with the latest on Netflix, "The Gilded Age," Generation Z, Adele, and more. But first, three bits of intel about three different morning TV shows...
Morning TV stability?
Gayle King, who just celebrated her 10-year anniversary on the CBS morning show, has decided to renew her contract and remain with the network, according to sources close to the matter.
This may put an end to the speculation, some of it far-fetched, about King taking her talents to a rival network. Then again, King's renewal hasn't been confirmed by CBS, and any new deal most likely never will be. King is said to be discreet about contract matters. As one of the sources noted, as with any contract, until it's signed and dated, anything could happen.
But King's future has been a guessing game both inside and outside CBS for months, so any end to the guessing is a step forward for CBS News boss Neeraj Khemlani. He revamped and renamed the morning show last fall and surely doesn't want to rethink it again so soon. In TV, stability counts for a LOT...
Speaking of AM TV...
Earlier this week a celeb news site posted a story headlined "When will Robin Roberts return to GMA?" with some tweets from fans wondering the same thing. The backstory is intriguing -- and illuminates how networks handle Covid curveballs on short notice.
ABC News routinely conducts Covid tests on employees. (Remember the false-positive chaos at "The View?") Early on Tuesday, about an hour before "GMA" showtime, Roberts tested positive, sources told Oliver Darcy and me. Then Amy Robach, who would have filled in for Roberts, tested positive as well. Suddenly "GMA" was down a co-host. Sources described a scramble behind the scenes. Janai Norman, who was at the studio getting make-up for a live shot, was tapped to co-host -- with about 15 minutes notice!
Norman, a correspondent and weekend "GMA" co-host, had filled in on the weekday edition during holidays -- but Tuesday was her first time sitting between Michael Strahan and George Stephanopoulos. She was a natural, and her social media feeds filled up with compliments from friends and fans. Cecilia Vega, who normally hosts in Roberts' place on Fridays, came up to NYC to fill in on Wednesday and Thursday...
Robin Roberts is doing well
Roberts may resume hosting next week from home, depending on her Covid tests, one of the sources said. That's what "Today" did when Savannah Guthrie was positive.
After we asked ABC News for comment about this story, Roberts tweeted, "Appreciate the concern about my absence this week on @GMA. Unfortunately I tested positive for Covid. Grateful my symptoms have been mild and that I'm doing well. Looking forward to returning as soon as I can."
"Today" is not touring Beijing
NBC's long-term deal with the Olympics means that the "Today" show's telecasts from the host cities are the stuff of legend. I even tagged along for the morning franchise's broadcast at the Tower of London during the Summer Games in 2012. The cast traveled to Tokyo for the Summer Games last year despite the challenges associated with Covid. Thanks to the time difference, Olympics in Asia are usually beneficial to the "Today" show. But this time around, for the Winter Games in Beijing, "Today" is not going on the road. Craig Melvin will anchor from the host city but the rest of the morning show will remain in NYC, I'm told. The main reason: China's restrictive travel rules and stringent Covid restrictions.
>> Savannah Guthrie will still co-host the Opening Ceremonies broadcast, but not from Beijing...
>> Early 🔌: Legendary sports broadcaster Bob Costas will join me on Sunday's "Reliable Sources." Scroll down for more Olympics media news...
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
Staying on the TV news theme:
-- "NBC News Digital executive editor David Firestone is retiring in mid-May after 45 years in the journalism business, the last five of them at NBC..." (TVNewser)
-- ABC is setting a new "GMA" "podcast push," Alex Weprin reports... (THR)
-- CNN+'s programming announcements continue to generate attention: Wolf Blitzer is adding a nightly news show called "The Newscast" and Fareed Zakaria is adding an original series called "Flashpoint..." (CNN)
Bob Costa is joining CBS
When Bob Costa set out to write "Peril" with Bob Woodward, he took a leave from the Washington Post and gave up both his TV jobs, as moderator of "Washington Week" on PBS and a political analyst with NBC/MSNBC. He focused exclusively on the book for a year – and that has set him up for his next act. On Thursday, CBS News said Costa is joining the network as chief election and campaign correspondent. Khemlani said "Bob will contribute to our political coverage across CBS News – including our network, streaming and digital platforms – as we prepare for the midterms and the upcoming election cycle." The NYT's Michael Grynbaum interviewed Costa about the move...
NOW FROM TV NEWS TO TALK...
Fox's new Saturday night lineup
For more than a year, Fox held very public on-air tryouts for its 7pm time slot. Last week the network finally settled on Jesse Watters. Many -- but not all -- of the other contenders for the job have received other plum positions. The promotions continued on Thursday with Brian Kilmeade -- who some people thought would get the 7pm spot -- getting a Saturday evening show of his own. (He will remain on "Fox & Friends" and the radio.) Another 7pm fill-in, Lawrence Jones, will have a show Saturdays at 10pm. (Dan Bongino will move up an hour to 9.) Fox's press release said Jones, 29, is "the youngest Black solo host of a program in cable news."
>> Among the other 7pm contestants, Trey Gowdy was given a Sunday night hour and Jeanine Pirro was promoted to "The Five." More interesting, perhaps, are the fill-ins who haven't been visibly promoted. I'm not talking about Maria Bartiromo, who is on six days a week, or the new-ish weekend morning hosts Will Cain and Rachel Campos-Duffy, or even Pete Hegseth, who is a huge presence on Fox Nation. But what about 7pm fill-ins Lisa Boothe, Tammy Bruce, Mark Steyn, Katie Pavlich, and Ben Domenech? Fox execs have a huge number of egos to juggle...
Netflix shares tank
"For now," Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings said Thursday, we are "staying calm." That's what Hastings told investors after the company posted Q4 earnings and "a bad outlook for its future growth," Frank Pallotta reports.
Investors dumped Netflix shares after the close, and the #'s were the talk of the media biz Thursday night. The WSJ's big bold headline in Friday's paper is "Netflix Lowers Forecast For New Sign-Ups." One worried analyst called the guidance "borderline catastrophic." Lots of people made "Don't Look Up" jokes.
The streaming world is complicated and the Covid "overhang" is making it even trickier, the company told investors. But "for the first time," the Journal's Dan Gallagher wrote, "Netflix also acknowledged in its letter to shareholders that the deluge in new streaming services from rivals 'may be affecting our marginal growth some.'" Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw put it this way: "Netflix just delivered its worst year of subscriber growth since 2015. It's forecasting its worst start to the year in at least a decade."
Still, there's a lot to appreciate about Netflix's performance -- like the 8.2 million new subscribers that came aboard in Q4. Growth is getting harder and harder, but "we continue to grow in every country and region in which these new streaming alternatives have launched," the company said...
White House's 1/20 TV tour
Thursday's interviews were partly about cleanup but were mostly about amplifying President Biden's one-year-in message. VP Kamala Harris appeared on the three network morning shows; National Economic Council director Brian Deese appeared on CNN; and press secretary Jen Psaki appeared on Fox and CNN. (Justin Baragona's Daily Beast headline was "Jake Tapper Grills Jen Psaki Harder Than Fox News Did.") Psaki will also be on "The View" Friday morning...
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- On the anniversary of Biden's inauguration, Mehdi Hasan went through "Biden's successes" in sixty seconds, then "Biden's failures" in sixty seconds... (Twitter)
-- Dan Froomkin's press conference post-mortem: "Reporters blame Biden for not uniting the country; Biden blames Trump — and Fox..." (Press Watch)
-- An example of the right's narrative about Biden: Elle Reynolds listed the "biggest botches, failures, and mess-ups Of Joe Biden's first 12 months..." (The Federalist)
-- One year in, and we're still learning more about the coup attempt: WaPo has new details on how OAN personality Christina Bobb helped the Trump campaign in their efforts to overturn the election... (WaPo)
-- Trump's latest stunt: Sending "every House Republican a copy" of MZ Hemingway's book "Rigged," along with a signed note from the former president." NYMag's headline: "Trump Invites Congress to His Election-Lie Book Club..." (Intelligencer)
1/6 committee releases more Hannity texts
Oliver Darcy writes: "Sean Hannity's private texts are (once again) proving what a dishonest propagandist he is. In its Thursday letter asking Ivanka Trump for her cooperation, the 1/6 committee released another batch of messages from Hannity that offer further proof he was worried about Trump's dangerous rhetoric and the people the President was listening to. In one message, Hannity told former press sec-turned-Fox-host Kayleigh McEnany 'no more stolen election talk,' to which she replied that she 'love[d] that' and would 'help reinforce.' In another message, Hannity told McEnany that 'no more crazy people' should be allowed near Trump, to which McEnany replied, 'Yes 100%.' Of course, while Hannity and McEnany were privately saying these things, he was publicly serving as a mouthpiece for Trump. In fact, McEnany appeared on Hannity's program 24 times that we can count between Election Day and January 6 -- and neither of them seemed too concerned about Trump's election lies..."
>> Darcy adds: "Hannity referred to 'crazies' in his text. Does that include his pal Rudy Giuliani, who we now know led the fake electors plot to overturn the election?" 🤔
>> Trump called into Hannity's show on Thursday and ignored this latest news...
Judge denies InfoWars host's motion to dismiss
Oliver Darcy writes: "Infowars host Owen Shroyer faced a legal setback on Thursday, with a judge denying the right-wing conspiracy theorist's attempt to dismiss four misdemeanor charges related to the January 6 insurrection. The judge rejected the notion that Shroyer was being charged because of his (fringe) political views. CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz has more here..."
FRIDAY PLANNER
The March for Life takes place in DC...
Biden speaks during the US Conference of Mayors' annual winter meeting...
"Ozark" begins the first part of its fourth and final season on Netflix...
EPSN won't send staff to Winter Olympics
Oliver Darcy writes: "ESPN said on Thursday that it will not send its staff to China to cover the Winter Olympics, citing 'concerns about Covid-19 and other Covid-related restrictions.' The sports network said that instead, it will 'focus on covering the Games remotely with a robust plan that will roll out prior to the beginning of competition next month.' ESPN said it had previously planned to send four reporters to China. The news came one day after NBC said it would not send its announcing teams, also citing Covid concerns..."
Journalists will use burner phones and laptops
Darcy adds: "Those who are heading to China will betaking extra precautions, not only to protect themselves from the pandemic, but also to safeguard themselves from unwanted Chinese snooping. WaPo's Paul Farhi reported Thursday that some journalists will be doing their work in Beijing on burner phones and burner laptops. 'The better-safe-than-sorry measure highlights the wariness among some of the thousands of journalists who are expecting chilly working conditions in the Chinese capital,' Farhi wrote. Read his full story here..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- "Why is 'West Elm Caleb' trending on TikTok?" Here are some answers... (NBC)
-- "A Senate panel approved antitrust legislation forbidding the largest tech platforms from favoring their own products and services over competitors', scoring a win for backers of stricter Big Tech regulation against fierce industry opposition." Next step, the Senate floor... (WSJ)
-- Best story of the day: Colin Jost, Pete Davidson, and a comedy club co-owner have bought a defunct Staten Island Ferry with plans to turn it into a "live entertainment space and event venue with comedy, art, and food..." (Vulture)
"NPR reporting on Supreme Court mask controversy merits clarification"
That's what NPR's public editor Kelly McBride says. She assessed Nina Totenberg's reporting about the masking dustup and found that "Totenberg's story merits a clarification, but not a correction. After talking to Totenberg and reading all justices' statements, I believe her reporting was solid, but her word choice was misleading." Here's why...
The risks of one-woman bands
This might be the most national attention that West Virginia TV station WSAZ has ever had. A video of reporter Tori Yorgey being sideswiped by a car during a live shot went viral on Wednesday night and Thursday. "She hit the ground with a thud and popped back up to finish her live shot," WaPo's Jennifer Hassan wrote. "While many on social media applauded Yorgey’s ability to keep calm and carry on with her broadcast, the incident highlights the risks that reporters can face while doing their jobs — and raises questions about how newsrooms and television stations can ensure the safety of their staffers." During the live shot Yorgey called herself a "one-woman band," a nod to the TV industry practice of "one-man band" live shots, when the same person is the engineer and camera operator and reporter.
As CNN's Dianne Gallagher wrote on Twitter: "STOP SENDING REPORTERS OUT ALONE TO RUN THEIR OWN LIVE SHOTS. Especially in the dark. Especially on the side of the road. Especially in severe weather. But really, in any circumstance, it's unsafe and unfair to the journalist AND community." Yet it's sure to continue -- due to financial strains and competitive pressures and other factors. So are there better ways to do it?
FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR
-- Kristin Huguet Quayle, an Apple veteran, is the company's new head of worldwide PR, John Paczkowski scoops. She is replacing Stella Low, who joined Apple less than a year ago, and is "departing to spend more time with her family..." (BuzzFeed)
-- Meta is "working on plans to allow users to create and sell non-fungible tokens as Facebook’s parent company seeks to join the rush of companies trying to capitalise on the digital collectible craze," Hannah Murphy and Cristina Criddle report... (FT)
-- Twitter is also embracing NFTs, "allowing some users to use nonfungible tokens as their profile pictures," Salvador Rodriguez reports... (WSJ)
-- TikTok parent company ByteDance "saw its total revenue grow by 70% year on year to around $58 billion in 2021," Yingzhi Yang and You Xie scoop... (Reuters)
On this week's "Reliable" podcast: Insights about Gen Z
Harvard Kennedy School IOP polling director John Della Volpe, author of the new book "Fight: How Gen Z Is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America," is my guest on this week's "Reliable Sources" podcast. We talked about what the media gets wrong about the teens and young adults of Generation Z. Among many other points, he made an interesting observation about Gen Z "turning away from traditional media to preserve their mental health." Listen in via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your favorite app...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE
-- The WSJ's Jason Anders has been named a deputy EIC... (WSJ)
-- Salon's editorial union "has voted unanimously to ratify their second collective bargaining agreement with the WGA East," David Robb reports... (Deadline)
-- Winston Cho reports on how AMC has "scored a win" against "Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman and show EPs who are "seeking a bigger stake in the zombie franchise..." (THR)
Adele postpones Vegas
Sandra Gonzalez reports: "Adele has announced the postponement of her Las Vegas residency, one day before it was set to kick off, saying Covid has rendered it impossible to move forward. In a tearful video posted to Instagram, an apologetic Adele said her team "tried absolutely everything we can to put it together in time and for it to be good enough for you, but we've been absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and Covid.' Details here..."
'Downton'-adjacent real estate
Brian Lowry writes: "HBO's 'The Gilded Age' isn't exactly 'Downton Abbey,' but Julian Fellowes' latest creation is the next best thing, focusing on the tensions between old-money families and 'the new people,' who have more recently acquired their wealth, in New York during the 1880s. Like 'Downton,' there's a sprawling cast and plenty of upstairs-downstairs intrigue. And incidentally, there's a second 'Downton' movie due in March." Read Lowry's full column here...
FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX
-- Kate Aurthur and Ethan Shanfield reveal that "The White Lotus" season two will be set in Sicily... (Variety)
-- The finale of "Hawkeye" helped the Disney+ series hit a series high in streaming rankings, Rick Porter writes... (THR)
-- Meanwhile: Monica Marie Zorrilla reports that "Daredevil" is "blazing hot again" on Netflix after its characters have been integrated into the MCU... (Variety)
-- "A Christmas Story" sequel is "in the works at Legendary and Warner Bros," Justin Kroll reports... (Deadline)
The long Dark Knight
Credit to Brian Lowry for that headline, and this item: "Warner Bros.' 'The Batman' will clock in at nearly three hours, continuing the trend of super-sized superhero movies. While theaters usually wince at that kind of length, one suspects they'll just be grateful to have a title that people will surely be desperate to see..."
A long shelf-life
Brian Lowry writes: "'The King's Daughter' isn't particularly notable, with Pierce Brosnan starring in a bland family-friendly adaptation of a fantasy novel financed in part by Chinese companies. But the real story is how long the movie languished, having been produced in 2014, then delayed for multiple reasons before finally finding a distributor. In the interim, two of the movie's co-stars, Kaya Scodelario and Benjamin Walker, married and had two children. It opens (finally) on Friday." ScreenRants' Parker Sack has more of the backstory here...
FOR THE RECORD, PART SEVEN
By Lisa Respers France:
-- In interviews with NBC and ABC, Bob Saget's widow Kelly Rizzo shared her final communication with him...
-- Dolly Parton celebrated her 76th birthday in her "birthday suit..."
-- Mariska Hargitay says her "Law & Order: SVU" character Benson's "been in love" with Stabler...
-- According to this interview with Vogue, Machine Gun Kelly designed Megan Fox's engagement ring to hurt coming off...
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST...
Pet of the day!
Reader Dana Rosenberg emails: "Ringo Starr is a three-year-old, 80 lb. standard poodle who lives in the beachside town of Carpinteria, CA. He loves the surf..."
Thank you for reading! Email your feedback anytime. Oliver will be here tomorrow with weekend reads...
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