Bill Press: Disney proves it's all about Mickey Mouse

WASHINGTON (Tribune Media Services) -- It's hard to feel sorry for somebody making $31 million a year. So don't feel sorry for David Letterman.

It's even hard to feel sorry for somebody making $10 million a year. So don't feel sorry for Ted Koppel, either.

The only ones to feel sorry for in the whole brouhaha over Letterman and Koppel are the American people, for we are the ones being shortchanged by the networks.

In the end, Letterman opted to stay with CBS. But who cares whether Letterman performs his stupid pet tricks on ABC, CBS or NBC? He's a very funny and talented entertainer. He'll always find a place somewhere. What should concern us all is that, in order to snag Letterman, ABC was willing to toss Ted Koppel and "Nightline" overboard. It's part of the dumbing down of TV news.

"Nightline" was born as a special program -- "The Iran Crisis: America Held Hostage" -- to track the plight of American hostages in Iran. The broadcast proved so popular with viewers, ABC decided to continue it as a nightly, in-depth look at the biggest issues of the day.

It has lasted 23 years. It is still arguably the most informative news show on television. Ted Koppel is the best anchor -- and he consistently beats David Letterman in the ratings.

So why jettison Koppel for Letterman? In one word: money. While "Nightline" attracts more viewers, Letterman's comedy act attracts more young viewers, age 18 to 49, who, in the eyes of sales executives, are inclined to buy more products. This means the network can demand more money for commercials during its 11:30 p.m. broadcast. The bottom line, in other words, is the bottom line.

Now, make no mistake: Television is a business. The networks, like any other business, must turn a profit in order to serve shareholders. And anybody who works in television knows that no matter how good you are, you can be gone tomorrow if management thinks someone else might be better for the bottom line.

But that's not the whole story. Here's what too often gets lost in the argument: Television is more than just a business. It is also a service. The networks have been granted free use of publicly owned airwaves, in return for which they are required by law to provide a certain amount of public-service broadcasts. This is a duty that networks are trying more and more to avoid.

And, under Disney, ABC's the worst. Back in 1996, when Disney bought ABC, veteran television newsmen warned that the entertainment giant would someday turn the mighty TV channel into the Mickey Mouse Network. It didn't take them long.

This isn't the only example of ABC's thumbing its nose at serious news. Two years ago, it invited "Titanic" star Leonardo DiCaprio, rather than one of its seasoned political reporters, to interview President Bill Clinton in the White House.

Today it seems to be forcing most of its big-name journalists out the door: Ted Koppel is told his show is no longer relevant; Cokie Roberts is leaving "This Week"; Sam Donaldson may soon follow; and the New York Times reported that Peter Jennings' head may be next to roll, when his contract comes up this summer. Soon the only "serious" newsman left may be Regis Philbin.

But ABC's not alone. CBS and NBC are almost as bad. Even today, when the nation is at war and there are so many critical issues to discuss, each of the three networks dedicates only half an hour a day to serious news. And even that is not all news.

In 1981, a typical 30-minute nightly news broadcast contained 23 minutes and 20 seconds of straight news. Today's average breakdown is: 19 minutes for news, 1:10 for teases and 9:50 for commercials.

Consider this: A daily newspaper contains about 100,000 words of news; the average nightly newscast, only 3,600. And still today, despite competition from cable channels, most people say they get most of their news from nightly network news. Now you know why Americans are so uninformed.

That's why ABC was wrong to take such a cavalier attitude about "Nightline." It's not that Ted Koppel is so important, it's that democracy is. Democracy depends on an informed electorate. We need more solid TV news, not less.