Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, August 21, 1993                   TAG: 9308210272
SECTION: SPECTATOR                    PAGE: S-19   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BARRY GARRON THE KANSAS CITY STAR
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TWO TALKING HEADS BETTER THAN ONE?

"I do think it's important and I think it is one way that we can be a little different," said Jeff Zucker in a phone interview. With eight other newsmagazines already on the air, even small differences can help distinguish one show from another.

The pairing on "Now With Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric," (Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on WSLS-Channel 10), comes at a time that interest and speculation is keen about what might happen to the 5:30 evening news as America knows it.

In July, CBS, with Dan Rather's blessing, moved Connie Chung into the co-anchor chair. ABC is still flying solo with Peter Jennings and has no plans to change the evening newscast that ranks first with viewers.

NBC is not considering a co-anchor for its evening newscast, either, but women are sharing the duties of hosts on newsmagazines on all three networks.

Lesley Stahl is a member of CBS' "60 Minutes," Walters is paired with Hugh Downs on ABC's "20/20," and Jane Pauley joins Stone Phillips on NBC's "Dateline."

Chemistry really hasn't had much of an impact, except in the case of Diane Sawyer and Sam Donaldson on ABC's "PrimeTime Live." At first there was an abrasiveness between the two, but putting each in a different city seems to have solved that.

Brokaw and Couric haven't worked together much. The last time was coverage of the Arkansas ball during the inauguration festivities for President Clinton.

"It was a very free-form program, and we had a lot of fun just playing off each other and kidding around," said Couric, also interviewed last week.

"I think we'll have a good time together. I think it's nice to have a good rapport. I don't think it's the most important thing. I think the most important component of any newsmagazine show is to have good, well-told, compelling stories. And that's what we're putting our emphasis on, as well."

Brokaw, interviewed earlier, thinks the most important reason NBC News selected him and Couric is that they are among the network's best-known news people.

"If you're looking at launching a new program, you want to put the strongest people that you have in front of that program," Brokaw said.

Zucker says the audience will see two engaging personalities, although Brokaw doesn't get a chance to show his much because of his position.

"Those other magazines, most of the time, do have their anchors in straitjackets and what I would like, where appropriate, is for Katie and Tom to not be in straitjackets and to let their personalities show through a little bit."

That aside, "Now" won't be a radical departure from the eight other newsmagazine shows, Zucker said.

"Now" will try to be current, he said. It will feature live reports of important national stories. When there is no momentous news, the show will use taped stories and interviews.

"We want to be topical," Zucker said. "I'll have no compunction about blowing off something that's been promoted. If something's more relevant, you got to go with it."

He said the best shows will have a mix of live segments and taped pieces.

To launch the show and work out the bugs, the only parts of the first few shows expected to be live will be the introductions to stories by Brokaw and Couric.

The show will have six correspondents, but none of them will be on the air at first.

"In the first couple of shows, it really will be Katie and Tom," Zucker said. "Then the goal is for Katie and Tom to do one spot a show."

The executive producer thinks the large number of newsmagazine shows is a response to changing public tastes.

Viewing audience preferences changed from prime-time soap operas in the 1980s to newsmagazine shows, he said.

"These shows really have become the dramas of the '90s," Zucker said. "They have really taken the place of those one-hour dramas.

"What you see in a lot of these magazine hours is that a lot of these stories are unfolding dramas . . . These stories, these true stories, you couldn't write these stories.

"Right now, these are working and right now they're working for the networks and they've taken the place of the dramatic series, to a degree. That won't last forever and eventually, I think, the best shows will survive."