CONTAINING LINKS TO 58103 STORIES FROM THE NETWORKS' NIGHTLY NEWSCASTS
TYNDALL YEAR IN REVIEW
TOP TWENTY STORIES OF 2011

minsTotalABCCBSNBC
Libya: Moammar Khadafy slain685152273259
Egypt: Hosni Mubarak ousted489114170206
Federal budget, deficit, debt477123214140
Japan quake, tsunami, N-disaster389106136147
Rep Gabrielle Giffords shot368131114124
Tornado season35812499134
Unemployment stuck near 9%2637811273
Afghanistan fighting continues2285310666
Osama bin Laden manhunt ends179546560
Hurricane Irene soaks northeast178455677
British royal wedding171794548
Winter weather165703461
NYSE-NASDAQ market action153276859
Syria: anti-Baath regime protests143267838
Penn State football rape scandal142463363
Floods along Mississippi River129432759
2012 Herman Cain campaign121344640
Occupy Wall Street protests111314039
Michael Jackson’s doctor on trial108561636
London tabloids hacking scandal106274038
Total Top Twenty Stories4959141917721767




SPLIT DECISION ON HARD NEWS, GLOBALISM

minsTotalABCCBSNBC
International (non-USFP)310585810811166
International Avg (1988-2010)28631061937865
Hard News8124228927333102
Hard News Avg (1988-2010)8386275529102720
Features/Interviews/Soft News6716251522561945
Feat/Invw/Soft Avg (1988-2010)6807223521912382


REPORTERS' USE OF BUREAUS

minsTotalABCCBSNBC
Foreign Dateline2194521794879
Washington DC28578529891016
Domestic Dateline7292282323552114
Non-Reporter Stories24976088521038
Total Annual Coverage14840480449905047


PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TRENDS

(penultimate year)199119951999200320072011
Three-Network Total1462943391671072790
2011 Subtotals (mins)ABC 245CBS 266NBC 280


The Arab Spring and a Japanese catastrophe made for global headlines. Normally, the networks rev up foreign coverage only when the US is embroiled abroad. Yet, sans such crises, the international newshole was larger than in any year since 1991.
NBC led with the Fukushima tsunami and the ouster of Hosni Mubarak; CBS focused on the fighting on Libya and the crackdown in Syria. By contrast, ABC belied its World News title by cutting back abroad—apart from Prince William's wedding.
ABC spent least time on hard news, least time on the Top Twenty stories, from which, besides the royals, only the late Michael Jackson attracted its special attention.
CBS, under its new anchor Scott Pelley, spent most time on the economy and on the year's major foreign policy story, the war in Afghanistan. CBS led on the budget, on unemployment, on the stock market, on real estate, and on poverty.
NBC, a corporate sibling of the Weather Channel, covered the tsunami most heavily, and also tornado, hurricane and flood. In the past 24 years, only 2005 saw more natural disaster news, the year of Hurricane Katrina.
Bully for the Republicans! Previous years when only one party had a Presidential primary contest were sleepers—1995, 2003. This time the GOP came close to matching 2007’s early headlines.
The Most Newsworthy Woman of the Year was Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, shot in the head yet surviving; the Man was dictator Moammar Khadafy, not so much.


TOP 20 MOST USED REPORTERS (Anchors excl)

networknameassignmentmins
ABCDavid MuirDomestic343
ABCJake TapperWhite House283
NBCRichard EngelForeign246
NBCChuck ToddWhite House226
CBSNancy CordesCapitol Hill226
ABCJim AvilaDomestic211
ABCJonathan KarlCapitol Hill/Campaign205
NBCTom CostelloDC Bureau201
CBSAnthony MasonEconomy198
CBSDavid MartinPentagon193
ABCSharyn AlfonsiDomestic191
CBSBill WhitakerDomestic171
NBCAnne ThompsonEnvironment170
NBCAndrea MitchellState Department166
CBSBen TracyDomestic151
CBSMark StrassmannDomestic150
CBSElizabeth PalmerForeign148
CBSChip ReidWhite Hse/DC Bureau147
CBSJim AxelrodDomestic145
CBSDean ReynoldsDomestic/Campaign144