At one point, watching the nightly news was almost a civic duty. The Pew Research Center reports that 60 percent of Americans watched the evening broadcasts in 1993. That gap could widen even more as online video improves, and people can watch the stories they want anytime they want. Genesis of the anchor Nightly televised newscasts were introduced in 1948, when journalists had 15 minutes to read the day's headlines. It wasn't until 1963 that the broadcasts were expanded to 30 minutes and nervous executives wondered if they could fill the time.
Analysts say they are one of the few things keeping viewers from defecting to other media sources.
The network used several broadcasters to report the event, and, as in a relay race, it had Mr. Cronkite be the principal, or anchor. I don't think so. The softer approach has helped NBC hit the top spot with its broadcast, even if it irks some viewers, including Cronkite, who prefers only news. NBC has also created a unified front across its news, cable, and Internet outlets, which could protect its news division from extinction. For ABC's Peter Jennings, the idea that the news could disappear seems remote, despite the cost-cutting at networks now owned by large corporations.