Mark Knows It All

In case you haven’t been paying attention, network news is collapsing. The latest in a series of announced cutbacks comes from ABC News which announced that it is closing all of its physical news bureaus across the country except for the one in Washington. It will keep a minimum staff at various locations relying on the local affiliates for staff and bricks and mortar support. This follows an announcement by CBS News, until recently the gold standard for network news, that it will lay off hundreds of employees. The biggest casualty will most likely be anchor Katie Couric, whose contract is expiring. Word has it that CBS is talking to Anderson Cooper to replace her at a substantially lesser salary. The networks claim that this is the result of a proliferation of news sources including the likes of Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, other cable television outlets, the internet, yada yada yada. That, obviously, is a great part of the problem. Back in the day, Americans would gather around their televi