No more presidential debates for PBS anchor Jim Lehrer
Jim Lehrer says to keep the presidential debates coming, just don’t ask him to moderate any more.
The veteran PBS anchor, now in semi-retirement at 77, said he is through after moderating 11 presidential debates between 1988 and 2008, the Associated Press reports. That is one of the reasons he has written a book, “Tension City: My View From the Middle Seat” (Random House), an account of the debates with which he has been involved that gives his perspective and those of the candidates.
Television networks have announced plans for at least 12 more debates in the coming months. Some viewers and participants, such as Texas Gov. Rick Perry, may think there are too many debates. Not Mr. Lehrer.
“We’re probably going to have a debate with everybody underwater hanging by their thumbs,” Mr. Lehrer said. “They’ve tried everything. I think that’s great.”
The events have been potent programming for TV networks this fall. Four of the seven Republican candidates’ forums this year have attracted more than 5 million viewers, the Nielsen Co. said. By contrast, of the 16 Republican and Democratic debates before November 2007, only one had more than 3 million viewers.
The current campaign also illustrates how influential debates are. Mr. Perry, for example, sank like a stone in opinion polls after a series of lackluster showings.
Besides Mr. Lehrer’s experiences, the book includes interviews with all but one president and general election candidate since 1976. Mr. Lehrer did the interviews as an oral history project for the Commission on Presidential Debates, enabling him to capture President Reagan’s thoughts before the onset of Alzheimer’s. Al Gore is the lone exception; Mr. Lehrer said he figures the 2000 disputed election is still too raw for him.
His advice to future moderators is to “spend a lot of time in front of the mirror saying, ’This is not about me, this is not about the moderator, this is about the candidates,’” he said. “Get out of the way whenever you possibly can. Facilitate the debate. That’s what you’re there to do.”
He is not interested in any more debate invitations for himself.
“Enough is enough, you know?”
Amazon, Netflix ink deals with ABC, Walt Disney
Amazon and Netflix announced separate deals Monday to stream television shows from the Walt Disney Co. and ABC TV network, Agence France-Presse reports.
Amazon, which offers unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows to Amazon Prime members, said the agreement with Disney-ABC Television Group includes rights to shows from ABC Studios, the Disney Channel, ABC Family and Marvel.
It includes such ABC TV hits as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Lost,” Disney’s animated series “Phineas & Ferb” and Marvel’s “Spider-Man.”
Amazon is beefing up its online video stable ahead of the Nov. 15 launch of the Kindle Fire, its rival to Apple’s iPad tablet computer.
The Seattle-based Amazon is offering buyers of the Kindle Fire a free month of Amazon Prime, whose members pay $79 a year for free shipping and receive other benefits, such as unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows.
Amazon’s director of video content acquisition, Brad Beale, said Amazon expects to have nearly 13,000 titles available in Amazon Prime instant video by early next year.
Amazon also has licensing agreements with CBS, Fox, PBS, NBCUniversal, Sony and Warner Bros., among others.
The deal between Netflix and Disney-ABC Television Group is an extension of their existing licensing agreement and includes a bigger lineup of shows than the deal with Amazon.
In addition to “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Lost,” the Los Gatos, Calif.-based Netflix also will offer ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” “Private Practice” and “Ugly Betty,” Disney’s “Hannah Montana” and other shows.
Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.
CNN expected to unveil new morning lineup
After rejigging its afternoon and evening programming schedule, Time Warner’s CNN is looking to unveil a new morning lineup with Soledad O’Brien, the New York Times reported.
The cable news network’s plans will effectively dismantle its “American Morning” block, which has been a weak ratings performer, the paper said.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the new early schedule, which could be unveiled this week, will have Ms. O’Brien, one of CNN’s former morning anchors, on air from 7-9 a.m. on weekdays, and Ashleigh Banfield, a former correspondent for ABC News, will co-anchor with another person from 5-7 a.m.
One co-anchor possibility is Zoraida Sambolin, a former morning anchor from Chicago, according to the Times.
Kardashian marriage ends after just two months
The producers of Kim Kardashian’s reality show say the reality TV starlet was to file for divorce Monday from NBA player Kris Humphries after two months of marriage.
Miss Kardashian wed Mr. Humphries on Aug. 20 in a star-studded wedding that was made into a television special.
“Keeping Up With the Kardashians” Executive Producer Ryan Seacrest in a Twitter post confirmed a TMZ.com report that the reality starlet would file divorce papers Monday in Los Angeles.
A news story on the website of E! Entertainment Television, which airs Miss Kardashian’s show, also confirmed that a divorce is imminent.
The divorce, if finalized, would be Miss Kardashian’s second. Mr. Humphries last played as a forward for the New Jersey Nets.
A phone message to Miss Kardashian’s divorce attorney, Laura Wasser, was not immediately returned.
• Compiled from Web and wire reports
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