m Changed Cho Seung-Hui to Cho Seung-hui (lowercase "h" in "hui"). |
→Mail from a mass murderer: added 2001 Anthrax attack |
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In 1993, ''[[Dateline NBC]]'' broadcast an investigative report about the safety of General Motors (GM) trucks. GM discovered the "actual footage" utilized in the broadcast had been rigged by the inclusion of explosive incendiaries attached to the gas tanks and the use of improper sealants for those tanks. GM subsequently filed an anti-defamation lawsuit against NBC. NBC publicly admitted the results of the tests were rigged and settled the lawsuit with GM. As a result of the controversy, several Dateline producers were fired. |
In 1993, ''[[Dateline NBC]]'' broadcast an investigative report about the safety of General Motors (GM) trucks. GM discovered the "actual footage" utilized in the broadcast had been rigged by the inclusion of explosive incendiaries attached to the gas tanks and the use of improper sealants for those tanks. GM subsequently filed an anti-defamation lawsuit against NBC. NBC publicly admitted the results of the tests were rigged and settled the lawsuit with GM. As a result of the controversy, several Dateline producers were fired. |
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===Mail |
===Mail Incidents=== |
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====Mail enclosed with Anthrax ==== |
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{{see|2001 anthrax attacks}} |
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After the [[September 11, 2001]] attacks, a letter postmarked containing anthrax was addressed to then ''NBC Nightly News'' anchor [[Tom Brokaw]] as part of the [[2001 anthrax attacks]]. Brokaw wasn't harmed, but two NBC News employees were infected. |
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====Mail from a Mass Murderer==== |
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{{see|Virginia Tech massacre}} |
{{see|Virginia Tech massacre}} |
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On [[April 16]], [[2007]], [[Cho Seung-hui]] stormed through a classroom building at [[Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University]] at [[Blacksburg, Virginia]] and randomly shot and killed 30 people, injuring 29 others. Two hours earlier, he had slain two other people at a [[dormitory]] in another part of the campus. |
On [[April 16]], [[2007]], [[Cho Seung-hui]] stormed through a classroom building at [[Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University]] at [[Blacksburg, Virginia]] and randomly shot and killed 30 people, injuring 29 others. Two hours earlier, he had slain two other people at a [[dormitory]] in another part of the campus. |
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Revision as of 01:18, 20 April 2007
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. Its current president is Steve Capus. It is the top-rated broadcast news division and has been for a decade.
The network was long known as "America's News Leader" but in the fall of 2006 the network also started using the slogan "Wherever You Go, There We Are." This slogan promotes its television, cable, radio, Internet and mobile device outreaches. Even though they use "Wherever You Go...", they continue using the "America's News Leader" slogan as well.
Current shows
- Early Today
- Today
- Weekend Today
- Meet the Press with Tim Russert
- NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams
- NBC Nightly News Weekend Edition
- Dateline NBC
NBC News Syndicated Productions
Other productions
NBC News provides content for the Internet, as well as cable-only news networks CNBC and MSNBC.
Additionally, NBC News broadcasts radio news bulletins at the top of the hour, distributed by Westwood One, a radio service owned by NBC's competitor, CBS. Listen to the latest headline bulletin by clicking here (subject to availability).
In 1982, NBC News began production on NBC News Overnight with anchors Linda Ellerbee, Lloyd Dobyns, and Bill Schechner. That program was cancelled in December 1983, but in 1991, NBC News aired another overnight news show called NBC Nightside, which originated from Charlotte, North Carolina. The four-plus hour show was anchored by Kim Hindrew, Tom Donavan, and Tom Miller. Kim Hindrew left for WMC in Memphis and was replaced by Tonya Strong. NBC Nightside lasted until 1999 and was replaced by re-runs of the Tonight Show and Late Night.
NBC News Channel, which in no way is a predecessor to or an early name of MSNBC, is a news video and report feed service, similar to a wire service, providing pre-produced national and regional stories with fronting reporters customized for NBC network affiliates. It is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
History
Although the operations of CBS News have received more attention from historians of broadcast journalism, NBC's operations often even received higher ratings. From 1956 through 1970, the television broadcast team of Chet Huntley and David Brinkley consistently exceeded the viewership levels attained by CBS News and its main anchor Walter Cronkite. The pair, together with fellow correspondents Frank McGee and Jay Barbree, distinguished itself in the coverage of American manned space missions in the Project Mercury, Project Gemini and Project Apollo programs, during an era when space missions rated continuous coverage. (An entire studio, Studio 8H, was configured for this coverage, complete with models and mockups of rockets and spacecraft, maps of the earth and moon to show orbital trackage, and stages on which animated figures created by puppeteer Bil Baird were used to depict movements of astronauts before on-board spacecraft television cameras were feasible.
Studio 8H is now the home of the NBC entertainment program Saturday Night Live.) The dominance ended when Huntley retired. (Huntley died of cancer in 1974.) The loss of Huntley, along with a reluctance of RCA to fund NBC News at the level CBS was funding CBS News, left NBC News in the doldrums. NBC News did not recover viewership levels until after General Electric acquired RCA.
Among many exclusives
NBC News got the first American news interviews from two Russian presidents (Putin, Gorbachev), and Brokaw was the only American TV news correspondent to witness of the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
In the second Iraq war, NBC News and main anchor Tom Brokaw covered the war like no other television company, in part owning to the willingness of GE to fund it. NBC Newsman David Bloom pushed through the GE and U.S. Department of Defense bureaucracies permission to construct a mobile news vehicle that could transmit live video broadcasts from the battlefield. The "Bloom-mobile" brought satellite images and videos (clear, detailed) into homes across America and Europe, live and one-on-one. Bloom did not live to accept the accolades after the armed conflict; he died of natural causes unrelated to combat during the final phase of the fighting.
NBC News also benefits from the GE corporate structure by having the ability to take reports from its cable counterpart MSNBC.
Dateline investigation rigged
In 1993, Dateline NBC broadcast an investigative report about the safety of General Motors (GM) trucks. GM discovered the "actual footage" utilized in the broadcast had been rigged by the inclusion of explosive incendiaries attached to the gas tanks and the use of improper sealants for those tanks. GM subsequently filed an anti-defamation lawsuit against NBC. NBC publicly admitted the results of the tests were rigged and settled the lawsuit with GM. As a result of the controversy, several Dateline producers were fired.
Mail Incidents
Mail enclosed with Anthrax
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, a letter postmarked containing anthrax was addressed to then NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw as part of the 2001 anthrax attacks. Brokaw wasn't harmed, but two NBC News employees were infected.
Mail from a Mass Murderer
On April 16, 2007, Cho Seung-hui stormed through a classroom building at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University at Blacksburg, Virginia and randomly shot and killed 30 people, injuring 29 others. Two hours earlier, he had slain two other people at a dormitory in another part of the campus.
Cho took time between the two shooting episodes to prepare and mail a large package to NBC News in New York containing messages about his anger at the wealthy and alluding to the slaughter that was about to take place. Although the package was sent overnight mail, it was not received until 11a.m. on April 18 because of Cho's confusion over zip codes and the address of NBC's headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
The package contained a DVD showing video clips of Cho speaking and more than two dozen photos of Cho, including 11 of him thrusting pistols at the camera. A postal worker delivering the parcel to the network's Rockefeller Center offices recognized the addressor and alerted NBC security people. They immediately reported the package to the FBI. Meanwhile, NBC made copies of the contents and aired carefully edited pieces on its evening news and cable programs. Snippets from the package, including still photos, videos and voice narration, were also made available to competing news outlets who agreed to credit the network as the source.
NBC Nightly News
NBC's primary news show is NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Williams assumed anchor duties in December, 2004 upon the retirement of his predecessor, Tom Brokaw.
Current and past personalities
Broadcasts abroad
NBC Nightly News is shown on CNBC Europe. MSNBC is not shown outside the Americas on a channel in its own right. However, both NBC News and MSNBC are shown for a few hours a day on Orbit News in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. MSNBC is also shown occasionally on sister network CNBC Europe during breaking news.
Theme Music
The theme music for most of NBC's news television programs use the composure "The Mission," by John Williams, for its theme song. The song has five parts to it and was first used by NBC in 1985.
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