Russert made Meet the Press an essential Sunday talkshow. Russert was responsible, reasonable, and respectful. He was also very likeable and came across as a regular guy who was (by every report) a devoted husband and father to his family. Let's be clear, Russert was a liberal who could drive conservatives up the wall at times. But we never stopped watching MTP and most conservatives could find muct to admire about Russert.
NBC News has a big problem trying to find a replacement for Russert. There are few reporters who have the skills and talent to host MTP. NBC has three options:
- NBC could hedge their bets and rotate various hosts into the slot.
- MTP could go back to the original format of the program when they had a panel of three reporters who would take turns questioning the guest.
- NBC might bring back someone from retirement like Tom Brokaw to add credibility to the program.
A bigger problem for NBC News is the impact of Russert's death on their image. The biggest name now associated with the news division is Keith Olbermann. Unfortunately, Olbermann is everything that Russert was not: crude, rude, disrespectful, etc. Olbermann is a hack and would completely tarnish NBC's reputation. With Russert's death the way is now clear for Olbermann to begin to exert more control over the news division at NBC. What a disaster!
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