We’re no longer in the days where every program is super well crafted. But at the heart of the programs that make it to the top, you’ll find that the key internal code was done by a few people who really knew what they were doing.
Television viewers, they've been around a long time. They've been watching this thing now for 50 years. I mean, they know exactly what's happening when it comes to television programming. You can't put anything over on them anymore.
At the end of the day, my focus will be to make the 'Evening News' as strong from an editorial perspective as it possibly can be.
When you had just three and then four channels, I could always find something that was watchable because the standard of TV was much higher. In those days, they had so much more money to put into so many less programmes.
An infinite number of monkeys typing into GNU emacs would never make a good program.
There's nothing that can replace quality programs in a non-profit.
The long and short of it is, we need more rigor in all kinds of programs.
I think people tuned in a lot to see Barbara when she first came here and they just didn't like the show they saw. I think it was dull. It was sterile.
With network, shows are pulled half the time after three episodes whether they're good or they're not good. It's a numbers game. With cable, they can take a lot more liberties.
That test should not be about ratings. What should weigh is the knowledge that a public broadcaster delivers programmes that matter.
We tried our damnedest to make it a special entertainment, but I'll admit I'm a contributor to the decline in TV standards.
Viewers don't care how big media companies are. They care whether they can dump those they don't like, whether because of lousy service or because of crummy shows.
I respect the game that goes on of putting this against that, but I don't respect, nor do I enjoy, an awful lot of the actual programs that go on the air.
The University of Houston is a program that should have national relevance.
TRP ratings affect me. There are times when the ratings are so low that we feel that we could have done something more. But that is about it. I don't stress over it too much.
