• NBC News Chief Andy Lack Needs to Save MSNBC Before Trying to Bring Back Brian Williams as 'Nightly News' Anchor

    When it was announced that former NBC News chief Andy Lack would be returning to his old position at the network, all the focus was on the Brian Williams fiasco. It seems fairly likely that Lack will want to at least attempt to figure out how to successfully bring his friend back to the anchor seat of 'NBC Nightly News,' and while that task seems pretty huge, given Williams's admission of having an embellishment problem, it may not be Lack's biggest problem to tackle. MSNBC is tanking in the ratings, so figuring out how to keep the news network afloat is actually something Lack has done before. During his last tenure as news chief, he found the balance that helped MSNBC to stay uniquely competitive, and now he will struggle to do it all over again.

  • Katie Couric Wore Out Her Welcome at NBC Years Ago

    It's not much of a secret that Katie Couric has been angling to find her way back to network news. She left Today back in 2006 for seemingly greener pastures at CBS. That didn't last for long and then Couric did two seasons of her own talk show for ABC. She's currently working for Yahoo, but the desire to reach the kind of audience that she once did remains strong. Since Andy Lack has been confirmed to have inked a deal to return to head up NBC News there have been rumors that he might want to bring Couric with him.

  • Allison Williams Puts Wedding on Hold, Insists Her Father Brian Williams is Trustworthy

    NBC has spent the last few weeks dealing with their main man, Brian Williams', fall from grace in the most public of ways. He is currently suspended for 6 months from anchoring NBC Nightly News because of what appears to be a chronic embellishment problem. It seems that the more digging the network did, they more they've uncovered Williams' need to make himself part of many heroic news stories. The problem is that he had a hard time keeping his facts straight until real cracks in his recollections began to show. While the focus has been on Williams, his family, including daughter Allison Williams, has also been affected by the scandal.

  • Geraldo Rivera Believes NBC Has No Intention of Bringing Brian Williams Back

    Leave it to Geraldo Rivera to make real sense out of the scandal swirling around Brian Williams. NBC suspended their top anchor for six months for embellishing at least one major news story. Unfortunately, Williams seemed to find it necessary to make himself a bit of a hero within his own reporting rather than just telling it like it was, and unfortunately that kind of flaw is fatal in the news business. Rivera believes the network basically offered up a "death penalty" to Williams's career without actually firing him, and therefore has no intention of bringing him back.

  • A Morality Clause in Brian Williams's Contract Will Determine His Fate at NBC

    Brian Williams has always had the ability to tell a great story. It is one of the things that has endeared him to NBC viewers for the last decade. Williams would be sent out in the field to work, and then when he popped up as a guest on a late-night talk show, the stories would be epic. Now we know that his tales may not have been rooted in truth and it is that embellishment problem that has prompted NBC to suspend Williams for six months without pay. There is already a debate over whether or not he will ever return, and the fallen anchor's fate may be decided by a morality clause in his contract.

  • 5 Musical Misremberings: Vanilla Ice, Nicki Minaj and More Astonishing Misleading Music Stories a la Brian Williams

    Brian Williams has been having a bad last few weeks but you can't say he didn't have it coming: The NBC Nightly News host has taken a six month unpaid suspension with regard to a "misremembering" he reported, claiming to have been aboard a helicopter shot down by an RPG during his coverage of the Iraq war more than a decade previously. To what extent his story is false remains to be seen—was the helicopter right in front of him the one to actually be brought down, or was he more than half an hour behind?—but let it be known that we wasn't the first, nor probably the last celebrity, to tell a fat one. Here are but five musical performers who wove tall tales, some of which weren't figured out for quite a while.

  • 'Restless' Jon Stewart Announces He Will Leave 'The Daily Show' Later This Year

    First we learned that Brian Williams was suspended from "NBC Nightly News," and then a few hours later Jon Stewart announced during a taping that he will be leaving "The Daily Show" later this year. Stewart took over the anchor desk from Craig Kilbourn in 1999 and has used sarcasm and quick wit to win over viewers while holding typical news readers and politicians accountable. His reason for leaving? Stewart explained that he feels "restless" and that the show and fans deserve better than a "restless host."

  • Brian Williams Suspended From NBC for Six Months Without Pay for Compromising Network's Credibility

    It was obvious that NBC was going to have to take some kind of action against Brian Williams. Last night, the decision was announced that the fallen anchorman has been suspended for six months without pay for compromising the network's credibility. In the last two weeks, he has apologized for "misremembering" whether or not he had been in a chopper hit by RPG fire in 2003. The network has been investigating various instances in his reporting where he has made himself a heroic part of various stories, and apparently the bottom line is that their top guy has been pretty dishonest on a regular basis.

  • Brian Williams Unwelcome at Emergency Meetings With NBC Top Brass to Decide His Fate

    "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams's future, not just with the network, but in the entire industry is hanging in the balance, and we are hearing that things are not looking too great for him. At first he had been included in the network's troubleshooting around issues with his credibility, but now it is clear that Williams has been completely frozen out of the discussion. He was also unwelcome at emergency meetings with top NBC brass to decide his fate.

  • Lester Holt Is Being Prepped to Take Over for Brian Williams -- Permanently

    As Brian Williams's credibility continues to crash and burn at NBC News, the network desperately needs someone to step up and reassure viewers that it is credible, and right now the best man for the job is Lester Holt. His on-air presence is calm yet rock solid. He has filled in for nearly everyone in his 15 years at the network, including Williams, and his way of delivering the news reeks of credibility and certainty. Holt is certainly the man who can keep "NBC Nightly News" afloat while the network decides what to do with Williams and what seems to be quickly turning into a repeated problem with "misremembering" particular events. Holt is being prepped to take over for Williams permanently.

  • Rosie O'Donnell Calls Brian Williams a 'Liar' While Presenting an Award to HBO Honcho

    The story about Brian Williams admitting that he "misremembered" whether or not he was in a chopper hit by a grenade in Iraq in 2003 has taken on a life of its own in recent days, hasn't it? Not only is that one account being disputed, but apparently Williams has enjoyed painting himself as a hero quite often, so NBC News is looking into many of the reports he has filed to fact check him. In the meantime, the "NBC Nightly News" anchor has willingly opted to take an open-ended leave of absence, according to CNN, but the longer he is gone, the worse it will look for his future with the network. Everyone has been weighing in on Williams becoming part of the news, including fellow headline-grabber Rosie O'Donnell, who called him a "liar" while presenting an award to an HBO honcho.

  • Katie Couric is Reportedly Interested in Brian Williams' Job at NBC News

    Brian Williams is in a world of trouble over at NBC News and that means that a handful of veteran reporters are wondering if his missteps could provide an opportunity that doesn't come along very often. Williams is currently taking a leave of absence from NBC Nightly News for "misremembering" whether or not he was in a chopper that was hit by RPG fire in 2003. Once the network figures out what else Williams may have inaccurately remembered in his other tales of heroic actions, his fate will be determined. One familiar face just waiting for the opportunity to have a meeting with NBC is none other than Katie Couric.
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