TYNDALL YEAR IN REVIEW
TOP TWENTY STORIES OF 2019
NEXT YEAR's PRIMARIES (3-network totals)
IMPEACHMENT: LEAD-UP TO TRIAL
REPORTERS' USE OF BUREAUS
mins | Total | ABC | CBS | NBC |
---|---|---|---|---|
President Trump impeachment | 493 | 171 | 168 | 154 |
Ukraine-US: Zelensky-Trump call | 325 | 112 | 118 | 95 |
Russia-US: election interference | 298 | 100 | 100 | 98 |
Winter weather | 249 | 118 | 68 | 63 |
Boeing 737 MAX fleet grounded | 209 | 47 | 78 | 84 |
Hurricane Dorian in Bahamas | 204 | 69 | 72 | 64 |
Syria civil war: Kurds zone, Idlib | 185 | 49 | 90 | 46 |
Border controls on Mexico line | 170 | 49 | 65 | 56 |
Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal | 152 | 50 | 43 | 60 |
Federal budget, deficit, shutdown | 149 | 47 | 55 | 47 |
College applications bribe scandal | 142 | 48 | 38 | 56 |
Iran-US frictions in Persian Gulf | 128 | 40 | 42 | 45 |
Tornado season | 127 | 51 | 41 | 34 |
Smoking: e-cigarette vaping risks | 126 | 23 | 52 | 50 |
Wild forest fires in western states | 124 | 49 | 36 | 39 |
2020: Joe Biden campaign | 120 | 41 | 46 | 34 |
School safety, violence prevention | 110 | 33 | 28 | 49 |
TV's Jussie Smollett fake attack | 109 | 43 | 31 | 35 |
Christmas holiday season | 108 | 30 | 38 | 40 |
Measles outbreak: skipped shots | 106 | 19 | 41 | 47 |
Total Top Twenty Stories | 3634 | 1188 | 1250 | 1195 |
Total Campaign 2020 Coverage | 398 | 129 | 139 | 130 |
NEXT YEAR's PRIMARIES (3-network totals)
year | Single Party race | mins | Both Open | mins |
2019 | Democrats | 398 | 2015 | 1031 |
2011 | Republicans | 790 | 2007 | 1072 |
2003 | Democrats | 167 | 1999 | 339 |
1995 | Republicans | 294 | ||
1991 | Democrats | 146 |
IMPEACHMENT: LEAD-UP TO TRIAL
year | Trump | mins | year | Clinton | mins |
2019 | Impeachment | 493 | 1998 | Impeachment | 458 |
2019 | Ukraine Call | 325 | 1998 | Starr Report | 1473 |
'17-'19 | Russia Probe | 1297 | '94-'97 | Whitewater | 864 |
REPORTERS' USE OF BUREAUS
mins | Total | ABC | CBS | NBC |
Foreign Dateline | 1268 | 371 | 487 | 410 |
Washington DC | 3044 | 1009 | 1057 | 978 |
Domestic Dateline | 7831 | 2444 | 2387 | 3000 |
Non-Reporter Stories | 2136 | 792 | 860 | 484 |
Total Annual Coverage | 14279 | 4616 | 4791 | 4872 |
The center of journalistic gravity has shifted towards Capitol Hill. Donald Trump still dominates the news agenda but now as the object of inquiry rather than initiating agent. Both CBS and ABC had Congressional correspondents--Nancy Cordes and Mary Bruce--lead their DC coverage, not the White House.
The Mueller investigation was followed by the Ukraine phone call, which was followed by impeachment. Trump's hearings were covered in equal depth to Bill Clinton's. As for the underlying misbehavior: Russia was more newsworthy than Whitewater; but Ukraine fell far short of the Starr Report. Zelensky is no Lewinsky.
The build-up to Campaign 2020 was much lighter than four years ago, but normal for a one-party primary. Economy coverage always peaks in recessions: so no news is good news.
CBS changed anchors and location. Norah O'Donnell is in the nation's capital where she continues to focus on wars, foreign policy, and race-&-immigration: think Syria and Mexico.
NBC relies less on its anchor, more on correspondents--led by Almaguer, Gosk, Gutierrez--to narrate domestic news. Health is a main beat: drug costs, opioids, measles shots, vaping.
ABC's emphasis on breaking news means it covers policy abstractions like justice reform and climate change lightly. But it leads with their symptoms: crime video and weather extremes.
Who could have predicted so much airtime for Felicity Huffman, Jussie Smollett and the late Jeffrey Epstein?
Most Newsworthy Woman of the Year is Capitol Hill's Nancy Pelosi. The Man has no name: the Ukraine Whistleblower.
TOP 20 MOST USED REPORTERS (Anchors excl)
net | name | assignment | mins |
NBC | Miguel Almaguer | Domestic | 322 |
ABC | Mary Bruce | Capitol Hill | 299 |
CBS | Nancy Cordes | Capitol Hill | 264 |
NBC | Tom Costello | DC Bureau | 261 |
ABC | Jonathan Karl | White House | 233 |
NBC | Stephanie Gosk | Domestic | 227 |
NBC | Gabe Gutierrez | Domestic | 226 |
NBC | Kristen Welker | White House | 197 |
NBC | Hallie Jackson | White House | 197 |
NBC | Peter Alexander | DC Bureau | 193 |
CBS | Paula Reid | White House | 174 |
ABC | Linsey Davis | Domestic | 170 |
ABC | Matt Gutman | Domestic | 166 |
ABC | Steve Osunsami | Domestic | 151 |
NBC | Morgan Chesky | Domestic | 149 |
NBC | Richard Engel | Foreign | 148 |
NBC | Pete Williams | Justice | 147 |
NBC | Kristen Dahlgren | Domestic | 147 |
CBS | Steve Hartman | Human Interest | 141 |
CBS | Ed O'Keefe | Campaign Trail | 137 |
TRENDS IN COVERAGE SINCE 1988