The Daily Nightly began on May 31, 2005. As Brian wrote in his first post it aims to provide a narrative of the broadcast day and a window into the editorial process at NBC Nightly News. Brian weighs in every weekday and NBC News correspondents and producers post regularly.
Brian Williams became the seventh anchor and managing editor in the history of NBC Nightly News on December 2, 2004. Read his full biography.
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Tonight's NBC Nightly News will look very different to veteran viewers. We're experimenting tonight with something close to what our friends at PBS call an "underwriter" -- a single sponsor for the entire broadcast. Tonight, Philips has purchased the entire half hour. The commercial breaks will be limited (just two of them) and extremely brief. The comments I receive most often from viewers that I meet have to do with the content of the news itself... and our commercial load. We love our sponsors of course, all of them... they pay for all we do here... but for those interested in consuming as much news as possible with the fewest interruptions, we think you'll find tonight's format to your liking. We plan to do it again, and keep experimenting with it. I'd love to use it as a model for a new way to do business, but luckily for my company, I have absolutely nothing to do with the business side of NBC News. You WILL see a discernible difference in the amount of time devoted to NEWS in tonight's broadcast -- it is just a few minutes shy of the entire half hour, and that makes us all very happy. (Editor's note: We've set up a special feedback page where you can share your views with the broadcast and Philips. Just click here.)
Back to what I do for a living: Tonight we'll have thorough coverage of the state of the Iraq war and the domestic debate. While Wednesday will find us originating the broadcast from Washington (where I will interview both Secretary Baker and Congressman Hamilton after they release their report), there is much to discuss in the interim. We will also check in with the homefront tonight, perhaps in more than one place, to see how Americans view this war right now (answer: it depends), along with the overall "mission" and the Commander in Chief.
Lisa Myers has a special piece of reporting tonight, on a post 9/11 reform we all just THOUGHT was in place. We'll check in on the California fires tonight (thankfully, the news seems good from Ventura County), and we will close the broadcast tonight with a special story I've prepared -- a story we had a lot of fun shooting today.
OK, more news means more work and more writing, so off to the newsroom I go. We hope you can join us on tonight's special edition of the broadcast.
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'NBC Nightly News' Tries Advertising Monogamy Monday night's broadcast of NBC Nightly News featured a modern incarnation of old-school advertelevision -- the entire broadcast was "underwritten"...
Posted on Dec 5, 2006 5:32:10 PM at: Gawker
Early Nightly is up
More news less Madison Ave., is a very good thing. But then CCTV9, China has been doing this for years. They also do some other things very well. Watch and learn.
Richard, Springfield, MO (Sent Dec 4, 2006 7:41:40 PM)
This evening's broadcast with limited commercials was a good idea. I would recommend keeping this new format. Congrats BW on your two-year anniversary in the anchorman's chair. -Vanya
(Sent Dec 4, 2006 7:30:04 PM)
Kudos to Phillips, NBC Nightly News and Mr. Williams for daring to be different! I had given up on network news, save for PBS, because of all the interruptions for pharmaceuticals and adult diapers. If what you've done tonight becomes a new paradigm, I may give you another look. Oh wait ... there's still the "small" matter of how supposedly professional journalists have given the president and his rubber-stamp congress a pass on so many important constitutional issues over the past six years.
I am a politically independent citizen who is very concerned about the damage that has been done to our society and the environment by those for whom the first word is key (and the second, cynical) in the phrase, "bully pulpit."
But, I digress. Let me again congratulate your sponsor, Mr. Williams and the network on tonight's newscast. It's a start.
Kaatje R., Dallas, TX (Sent Dec 4, 2006 7:22:50 PM)
It was great viewing the news and not having to watch every middle-aged medicine known to man. It made the news more cohesive not having to be interrupted every couple of minutes.
(Sent Dec 4, 2006 7:12:13 PM)
Love the format with fewer commercials... we NEED more news.
And .. congratulations on 2 years! For all the challenges facing media companies these days, there certainly seems to be more "news" than we used to have. Covering it all and still enabling us to learn enough to understand it has been a challenge you've more than met. Thank you. You came along just when we needed you most.
Lynn G. Minneapolis, MN (Sent Dec 4, 2006 7:11:33 PM)
Going to cover the bait and switch the democrats pulled on 9-11 reforms? cool :-)
Any step towards the News Hour model is the "right" one. Put a former Marine in charge of the filter too. :-)
Dave, Tn (Sent Dec 4, 2006 4:48:19 PM)
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