[updated] Christiane Amanpour's challenge: Broadening 'This Week' as ABC News shrinks

By turning to Christiane Amanpour -- one of the world’s most recognized journalists -- as host of “This Week,” ABC hopes to send the message that Peter Jennings’ legacy endures even as the network is slashing its news staff and scaling back foreign operations.

Jennings, who died in 2005, projected a sophisticated worldview developed during extensive overseas reporting assignments. Amanpour brings with her similar international sensibilities.

Amanpour, who was born in London and grew up in Iran, has worked at CNN for 27 years, including the last 20 as a foreign correspondent, traveling to such strife-torn countries as Rwanda, Iraq and Afghanistan. Amanpour, in an interview, said she intended to increase the focus on foreign affairs on the Sunday-morning program. Previous host George Stephanopoulos made his insider's knowledge of Washington the show's hallmark.

The challenge for Amanpour will be to strike a balance between international and domestic policy debates while continuing to satisfy an audience that has come to expect large doses of inside-the-Beltway skinny and analysis of U.S. politics. If Amanpour can attract new viewers -- those who normally don’t tune in to the Sunday-morning news shows -- it would be a boost for ABC News, which has lost ratings momentum for some of its key programs.

“I would be disappointed if Christiane would become another Washington insider,” said Charles Bierbauer, a former top correspondent at CNN and ABC who is now the dean of the University of South Carolina’s College of Mass Communications. “Christiane could very well be the one to infuse a broader perspective -- and that wouldn’t hurt us.”

"This Week's" perspective for years has been squarely on the nation's capital. The show is produced from the Newseum in Washington, with a view from the set overlooking the U.S. Capitol. Amanpour plans to take over “This Week” in August, staying at CNN through the end of April.

“We are much more accustomed to seeing Christiane wearing a bush jacket and in a market in Baghdad or Bosnia,” Bierbauer said, rather than leading a round-table discussion in a studio. “But we are all capable of making these adjustments -- we’re journalists.”

In announcing her hiring, ABC News President David Westin said: “All of us know how much the international and the domestic have come to affect one another – whether it’s global conflict, terrorism, humanitarian crises or the economy. And our international reporting has long been a hallmark of ABC News, part of the legacy Peter Jennings left for us.”

Westin hinted to Washington insiders that, though their importance to the show would not be diminished, “This Week” would attempt to depart from the worn format of left/right political debates.

“Christiane will bring the international and the domestic together,” Westin said. “Our audience has come to us for years to see differing points of views expressed in intelligent and compelling ways; now the different points of view will be expanded beyond partisan politics alone.”

The question will be whether ABC will continue to retrench, and if so, how that might affect “This Week” and its international aspirations.  Amanpour said she expected to report from overseas “when it is appropriate,” even though ABC has closed foreign bureaus.

ABC, owned by Walt Disney Co., last month said it would cut as much as 25% of its news-division staff -- up to 400 employees.

“Look, it’s a very painful time, there is no doubt about that,” Amanpour said.  “But I am committed to doing serious journalism and ABC, over the years, has waved the flag of journalism. If I can continue that, then I will be proud.”

Amanpour, 52, will be the first woman to be the solo anchor of a network Sunday news program. [updated 12:20 p.m.: Amanpour will not be the first woman to solo anchor a Sunday show.  Lesley Stahl claims that distinction, moderating "Face the Nation" on CBS from 1983 to 1991.]  After David Brinkley left “This Week” in 1996, Cokie Roberts co-anchored with Sam Donaldson. In 2002, Stephanopoulos took over and during the last 18 months made significant gains against the longtime juggernaut for NBC, “Meet the Press.”  But ratings for "This Week" have slipped in recent weeks.

When asked if she would change her style, Amanpour said, “I don’t think there is any currency to me changing my style. The answer is no. I can’t be anything other than myself.”

-- Meg James

Photo: Neilson Barnard / Getty Images

Comments

[Terik Ororke]

I am so glad for her. She is an excellent reporter. In recent months, I believe that CNN has gone the way of "yellow" journalism and I would hope that others leave CNN and see it for what it really is. They claim to be number 1 or the best, but have grown so big that they try to influence thought all over the world while maintaining that they are neutral. They do have many great reporters who could serve the public better in a different place. She has taken a bold but a good step.

[Edward]

I am at a loss to understand why another talking head explains" it all" to me -distinguished British ( best part of London undoubtedly) accent or not?Why anyone votes for a journalist as the "most trusted man(the late Cronkite) in America ?Does" a little sugar help the medicine go down"? a lyric in a favorite song of some in my demographic is "I'm Free" from the rock opera " Tommy' declares "freedom tastes of reality" Amen But that doesn't include corporate spin.Sorry you took the gig Christiane ,thought you were at your most human sitting in the Royal Albert Hall enjoying Cream with the rest of us.

[Hamid Pasha]

Stay with CNN its a trick to get you out of the way.

[Grandpa]

Christiane Amanpour... hubba hubba!

[hksjjm]

With the news that Christiane is taking over I am actually interested in tuning in to "This Week" whereas it would never have occured to me to watch before. Good luck to her!

[js153]

In San Francisco one can watch BBC's world news plus WorldFocus plus DW's Journal several times daily. I doubt they would be broadcast were there not an audience. I myself prefer international news; there just isn't any -- or any of value -- on the networks. Ms. Amanpour will be welcomed and I will even watch the show.

[zap]

I find her to bais on the liberal side so I won't watch her, she bashes USA to much.

[emacee1701]

This sounds like Christine is being put in as a possible replacement for Diane Sawyer. Christine: International reporting experience like Jennings. Diane: America's Jr. Miss and Tricky Dick lackey.

[Quisitor]

Not a smart move. She would be a headliner on Air America, but people are wanting a more balanced analytical look at the news. CNN and MSNBC ratings are below the cartoon network. I don't want to listen to a biased know it all.

[G. Asamere]

Christiane, Welcome ABC-This Week !!
I am pleased to see Christiane Amanpour comes to “ABC-This Week.” Her international experience would help ABC News to see the World with a different prism. It would have been a seamless transition had she been recruited early to take George Stepanopolis’ position. Stepanopolis, after succeeding Brinkley, was terrific in managing the program in a balanced manner especially, in handling George Wills’ ideologs filled with concrete thinking and blind-sided arguments. The few weeks after the absence of Stepanopolis, “ABC-This Week” was a free ride for George Wills’s imposition of his personal view because of weaker and biased substitute anchormen who often joined him. The best example was the program on 3/21/10, in which the substitute anchorman joined George Wills view. I am glad Sam Donaldson was there to stop them. Amanpour I trust would keep such biases in check and restore the tradition and stature of ABC-This Week.

[frank]

This is one of the dumbest decisions ever made by a network news division. Regardless of what you think of the politics of Fox, CNN and MSNBC, look at their ratings. One is soaring, the other two are tanking. So what does ABC do? It hires a woman who was recently picked for a list of top 25 liberal journalists. So ABC is following the strategy used by the brainiacs at MSNBC and, to some degree, at CNN: Go left--and see your ratings tank.

The next brilliant idea is to shift more of the news focus to foreign affairs. Now, many people will claim they want to see more news about foreign matters. They may say it, but they don't really mean it. When Amanpour does shows on the situations in the Ukraine or Turkey or Malaysia, viewers are going to turn the channel to shows that are doing pieces on issues that are closer to their interests, like jobs and health care.

Another problem for Amanpour is her personality. She might appeal to European elites, but I don't see average Americans hankering to see her every week.

[Timber]

A very interesting choice, and it's a good show, well-balanced. Karl Rove kind of disgraced himself this morning, showed his inner tea-bagger.

As much as I like George Will in the role of Hamilton Burger, intended to counter ex-moderator GS's alleged liberal bias, it may be time to retire the Resident Curmudgeon. There are plenty of GOP lunatics out there for Donaldson, Krugman, Vanden Heuvel, et al to chew up and spit out.

I'm curious how she'll get along with Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborn Boggs.

[Steve]

Hello Zap, I find her to bias on the liberal side so I WILL watch her, she bashes the USA far too little . . .