The Few, The Feud: TV Broadcasting Companies Battle in SOC 118

By Miranda Faber, Editor


The recent merger between NBC and CNN news networks has brought forth an interesting and difficult dynamic between the 118 broadcasting organizations. Because NBC and CNN have joined forces, the competition has become increasingly heated between the self proclaimed “America’s News Leader” and Fox, who pride themselves on “Fair and Balanced” reporting. Perhaps the most prominent reason the battle between the broadcasting companies has reached such heights stems from their longstanding alleged political biases. Fox news has notoriously been claimed to promote stories and vantage points that prefer conservative morale, while NBC has long been said to provide coverage that favors left wing political stances. Tensions arose between the two organizations after last Thursday’s in class presentation of “Meet The Press,” hosted by NBC.



My fellow staffers from the Times and I found it extremely odd following the entertaining broadcast hosted by NBC’s anchor, Fabian Gonzalez, that Kristin Cook, reporter from Fox, had not appeared on the show. What struck our attention was her prompt arrival to the set that day, dressed to impress and quite clearly expecting to participate in the day’s debates and news presentation. However, Miss Cook did not appear on the show, and instead made an informal announcement to the audience following “Meet The Press,” encouraging members of the press and campaign teams to stay up to speed via the Fox News website and reminding her audience that Fox was indeed still a viable and reliable news source, though they did not participate in the edition of “Meet The Press.”



Although viewers seemed baffled by this plea for recognition and entirely confused as to why the Fox reporter did not appear on the television show, most seemed to think little of the situation and moved on to work on individual campaign projects and reporting. This was not the case, nor the reaction, of the Fox news team who seemed deeply frustrated by their lack of participation. After speaking to Ms. Cook and Terra Rossetto, Producer and fellow Reporter from Fox, it was easy to see why. In a personal interview Thursday, I spoke to the two Fox correspondents to gain insight as to the unraveling feud between their own broadcast network and NBC. Ms. Cook explained to me that she had personally spoken with delegates from the NBC/CNN team on Tuesday, asking “what to focus on…and what to reference” in the upcoming show. She was told “We’re going to cover all sides of the spectrum” by one of the reporters, and was given no indication that she would not be included in the upcoming discussion and reporting. And so, with this information and advice, Ms. Cook came prepared to provide information on the current status of the Preliminary Election, with specific info on “Super Tuesday, which wasn’t even covered” according to Ms. Cook during our interview. She was extremely disappointed that she was unable to inform viewers of the implications of the election which will tell the outcome of more than 20 states and is only 13 days away. “I was frustrated by it all,” said Cook who continued by adding “I was very, very prepared. I had a wealth of info.” According to Cook, the anchor informed her just prior to the show airing that they were not planning on including her, and Ms. Cook was forced to sit as an audience member of the live show.



However, according to NBC anchor Fabian Gonzalez, who hosted the first 118 edition of “Meet The Press,” he felt that Ms. Cook had seemed misinformed, and that according to the tradition of “Meet The Press,” it was not typical for anyone other than print media sources to be present. Gonzalez, alongside Timothy Jue, the field producer for NBC, claimed that he felt badly for the miscommunication, and offered Ms. Cook a spot after seeing that she had put ample preparation into the upcoming show. He informed me during an interview Tuesday “I said come on, sit down, we’ll grab a chair.” He said he distinctly remembered offering this invitation as the representative from Davis Enterprise was late to appear and had failed to respond via e-mail regarding their potential spot on the show. According to Mr. Gonzalez, Cook’s response was anything but appreciative, claming that the Fox reporter told him “If I don’t have to be on camera I don’t want to,” which seems hard to believe given Ms. Cook’s vehemence regarding the situation and the interview I conducted with her Tuesday.



While it is unlikely we will ever know what truly went on between the two networks, one thing is sure, the battle of the broadcasters has officially begun.