Williams Not in Iraq to Boost Ratings, NBC News Chief Says

Mar 05, 07:59 PM

Current Headlines: The competition is whispering that NBC anchor Brian Williams' trip to Iraq this week is a ratings stunt, a charge that enrages network news chief Steve Capus.

"That is gross, disgusting," says Capus, his voice rising. "I would expect better from people in this industry. We don't put people in harm's way as cheap ratings ploys.

"At some point, people have to understand we're not playing a game here. It's not all about demographics and this and that. We're talking about somebody going into a war zone to cover a war."

Williams' wife, Jane, is angry, too.

"I am profoundly offended that anyone could imagine ratings being more important to Brian than his family," she says in an e-mail. "We have been talking about this in our house for months and months."

Williams arrived in Baghdad Sunday and is expected to report from there through the week. He's the first Big 3 anchor to go to Iraq since ABC's Bob Woodruff was seriously injured in a bomb blast there 13 months ago.

To some, NBC's timing appears suspect, Nielsen-wise.

After almost 10 years at the top, "Nightly News" was beaten by Charlie Gibson's "ABC World News" in the February sweeps. It was ABC's first sweeps crown since 1996.

The trip was not an attempt to bring attention back to NBC, Capus says. The network began planning Williams' third trek to Iraq more than four months ago. In terms of security in the region, "we felt there was a window of opportunity to get in there and see it with our own eyes."

After the Woodruff incident and the serious injury to CBS correspondent Kim Dozier and death of two of her crew members, none of the networks was in a hurry to send marquee players to Iraq, according to Capus.

"Those were two high-profile incidents. I think all of us thought, `Let's minimize the number of high-profile journalists in the region and continue to assess the situation.' It was a gut-check time for all of us."

Security, of course, is everyone's most pressing concern.

"Whenever I talk to an executive at any other news organization _ AP, CBS, ABC, Reuters _ we all eventually get to the conversation of `How are your guys doing in Baghdad?'" says Capus.

Williams "has an enormous amount of security and we feel good about it," he says. "You can never totally guarantee someone's safety, but we've done everything we possibly can."

Just-named "Nightly News" czarina Alexandra Wallace (see below) says, "I've been walking around keeping my fingers and toes crossed."

It probably doesn't hurt that Williams is traveling with retired four-star Army Gen. Wayne Downing, a former member of President Bush's White House antiterrorism staff.

Still, Capus acknowledges he's jittery.

"Everybody is nervous. I'm nervous for Brian and for the group we've got in there on a daily basis, but I don't know how we can cover a war without putting our people into dangerous situations."

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Speaking of "Nightly," NBC's Wallace on Monday was named executive producer, as expected.

Wallace, formerly a senior VP in charge of "Nightly," replaces John Reiss, who lasted just 21 months. She's the first woman to run a network evening newscast since ABC's Kathryn Christensen a decade ago.

Wallace, 41, joined NBC in March 2005 as exec producer of "Weekend Today" and senior producer of "Today." Before coming to NBC, she worked at CBS in various roles, including senior broadcast producer for "The Early Show" and producer for Dan Rather's "CBS Evening News." She began her career at CBS's London bureau.

Wallace "is a great producer and a great leader who happens to be a woman," says NBC News president Capus. The only downside? The news division will miss Wallace's skills as an administrator. "This is a sacrifice to the front office of NBC News," Capus says.

As for Reiss, "we're talking," Capus says. "I hope he stays."

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NBA star Shaquille O'Neal will carry the weight in a new ABC reality show set for this summer.

The six-episode series (no title yet) will follow the ginormous Miami Heat center in his crusade to help Florida elementary school and junior high kids lose weight.

A veteran of reality shows "Fear Factor" and "Punk'd," Shaq also has appeared in such big-screeners as "Kazaam."

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