Perhaps NBC News was really wise to bring back Andy Lack to try and save the day because it is going to take someone with solid experience to right this ship. He was with the network from 1993 to 2001, and in that time solidified Today and NBC Nightly News and also groomed Brian Williams so Tom Brokaw could retire, leaving their evening news program in good hands. Lack knows how to maneuver through scandals and disastrous ratings, which is good since he is now dealing with both. Nightly News struggles to hold the top spot, but MSNBC has hit an all-time ratings low during the first quarter.
We learned a few weeks ago that NBC Nightly News has been rebroadcasting during the wee hours of the morning since earlier this year, and apparently those viewers had become a factor in the program winning the evening news ratings battle. While Lester Holt has stepped in for Brian Williams and has done a respectable job, the numbers from those overnight broadcasts have helped NBC keep the lead over ABC, but that is about to change.
According to a report by Deadline, "NBC News no longer is able to factor those wee-hour reruns of its Nightly News into the broadcast ratings as of this week, since media buyers asked the network to stop running their clients's ads in those rebroadcasts. Starting last night, [March 31,] those rebroadcasts on some NBC affiliate stations did not include national ads. Lacking national spots, Nielsen does not rate the broadcasts, which cannot then be merged into the franchise's ratings," explained an insider.
One of Lack's biggest problems is the sinking ship known as MSNBC. The first quarter results are in and MSNBC has dropped 39 percent in its demo, which is absolutely disastrous. If Lack figures out what to do with MSNBC and manages help NBC Nightly News keep a lock on those first-place ratings, then he will have time to figure out whether or not to try and bring Williams back to the anchor desk.
Readers: What do you think is more likely: Lack steadying MSNBC or successfully bringing Williams back to network news? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.
