Thursday, December 27, 2007

Reality Show by Howard Kurtz

Ever wonder what the major TV anchors like Brian Williams, Katie Couric, Charles Gibson and Dan Rather are like off camera?

Kurtz's book provides a good deal of insight into the backgrounds and passions of the network news anchors. With the possible exception of Dan Rather, just about all the anchors were portrayed favorably in this book. Brian Williams, in particular, comes off as an authentic, nice guy who is devoted to his job, co-workers and family.

This book is very well written and researched. It's a bit lengthy (434 pages) but there are very few dull spots so the reader is engaged from beginning to end.

The reader also gets an overview and history of the network news business at NBC, CBS and ABC. Plus there are a lot of stories about back office intrigue and politics to keep the reader entertained.

Highly recommended.

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