Correspondents for the major television networks like ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News have sat in the first two rows of the White House briefing room for so long that they have come to view it as a birthright.
It is not just a matter of prestige to see NBC’s Peter Alexander or CNN’s Kaitlan Collins occupy that prime real estate in the 49-seat room. They are much more likely to be called upon by the press secretary.
So when President Trump’s team said last week they were shaking up the seating — with some of the big names to be shifted to rows farther back — the reporters were offended and worried about their shrinking influence.
The White House Correspondents Association, which currently handles seat assignments and has for decades, said the administration “should abandon this wrongheaded effort and show the American people they’re not afraid to explain their policies and field questions from an independent media free from government control.”
MAGA faithful cheered the seating rearrangement. Former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer said, “Yes to this, keep it going.”
Given everything else that’s going on — stock markets crashing, mass government layoffs, controversial deportations — this seems, on its own, like small potatoes.
But it is part of a power struggle that will impact the three network evening newscasts and how Americans get their news.
Inside the James Brady Briefing Room, the seating assignments — marked by brass name plates — have stayed the same with a few additions of new networks or print outlets. But that is changing in the second Trump term, given the mutual hostility between the president and most of those who cover him. When an NBC News reporter questioned Trump recently at the Kennedy Center, he deflected, saying, “Who are you with?”
“NBC News,” the reporter replied. “I don’t want to talk to NBC anymore,” said Trump. “I think you’re so discredited.”
The White House has already taken over the press pool assignments and has barred the Associated Press from participating over its refusal to refer to the Gulf of America.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the shakeup will create more room for digital outlets, smaller networks, and online influencers, and is more reflective of how media are consumed today. She already has a rotating “new media” seat, which often, but not always, is occupied by a conservative journalist or podcaster.
What’s more, the seating shift is more likely to favor those on the right, but perhaps not exclusively.
Does it really matter where top-of-the-heap journalists sit? With all of the other attacks on the media, the real issue is who is called upon to ask questions and who isn’t.
These developments aren’t the only bad news for network news organizations. Viewers — especially younger ones like Gen Z — are moving toward streaming and social media. Advertising revenue has generally declined for ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News programming since 2020, in both the morning and evening time slots.
Still, they’re not vanishing any time soon. First-quarter 2025 ratings for the evening news programs show ABC News maintained its lead, averaging 8.13 million total viewers. CBS News and NBC News, however, showed declines. NBC averaged 6.6 million total viewers, and last-place CBS had 4.59 million total viewers. ABC’s evening news ratings are about as much as the network’s show, The Rookie, as streamed on Hulu.
In the hallowed days of yore, perhaps typified by the famously straight-arrow Edward R. Murrow, the nightly broadcasts were just 15 minutes before eventually doubling in length with sponsorships baked into the news.
The evening news anchors were national celebrities in the era of Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, and Dan Rather. The next generation featured such bold-faced names as Diane Sawyer, Brian Williams, and Katie Couric, who was famously paid $15 million a year.
Now, in an age of austerity, some of the anchors can walk through airports unrecognized. Networks are laying off staff and cutting big-name salaries — hiring Jeff Glor in 2017 at CBS, and Tom Llamas, who was just tapped to succeed Lester Holt at NBC.
The other night when I watched the CBS Evening News, the nationally obscure Maurice DuBois — who joined the program in January — has been paired with the well-known John Dickerson. It’s an awkward team, rarely talking to each other but literally trading off lines even within the same story, creating a stilted effect.
Trump, who popularized the term fake news, has sued the likes of CBS and NBC, and collected $16 million when ABC settled a lawsuit based on inaccurate remarks by George Stephanopoulos.
Trump has branded major news outlets the “enemy of the people,” and in fairness, there is little argument that the coverage he draws is overwhelmingly negative.
The merging of television and everything else is blurring the lines. Each day on The New York Times‘ home page, a reporter appears on video and narrates a package on a top story. Podcasters like Joe Rogan perform in front of cameras and clips appear on social media. Anyone with an idea can post a video on TikTok or Instagram.
Many TV executives believe streaming is the answer. But that, especially for the old-fashioned evening news, means they’re competing for mindshare with Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and so on. Average viewers will only fork over so much for subscriptions.
While the network anchor desk is designed to focus undivided attention on one or two anchors by training cameras straight on their faces, it’s a maneuver that Donald Trump, who became a national TV figure with The Apprentice, now quietly employs.
When he’s talking to the pool in the Oval Office, there’s only one camera on him and him alone, not reporters. When he calls on reporters, he doesn’t mention their names. They’re just faceless voices off-stage. There’s only one star of the show.
Does all this mean that network news will disappear anytime soon? No. But the erosion of its viewership and advertising dollars is leading them down a slippery slope to irrelevance. They need to be saved before it’s too late.
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Network news is at the mercy of the networks themselves who are poised to slowly disappear. When you don’t bring the younger generations along, growth stops, revenue drops, ratings recede. It’s happening now for networks, therefore news is affected. The entire network approach from entertainment to news needs a restructure and a fresh presentation to survive the coming decades. The tipping point is NOW, younger demos simply are not tuning in. Networks need to reach them where they are and with what they want. It’s not what networks are presenting.
I agree wholeheartedly. CBS is trying something new with two anchors, one an unknown, and it doesn’t feel fresh and new. I’m afraid the younger generation is long gone. News comes from TikTok and bite-sized social media clips. They are not watching anythings for a half an hour. I think Gen X and Boomers still love the content and format, but they will age out quickly. Just as a lot of them have stopped reading actual newspapers. Thanks for your comment. Very insightful.