FORTUITOUS DISCOVERY FOR KOPPEL.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic Ted Koppel declared that he moved his base of operations Noun 1. base of operations - installation from which a military force initiates operations; "the attack wiped out our forward bases" base air base, air station - a base for military aircraft army base - a large base of operations for an army from ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. to the Discovery Channel, despite the potential for smaller audiences, because it will give him the opportunity to do more substantive reporting. ``Look at the programming on the (broadcast) networks -- it's all but impossible to get a prime-time special on Middle East policy,'' Koppel said. ``I'm doing the kind of programming I want to do, which, for financial reasons, the networks cannot do.'' Koppel addressed journalists attending the semiannual Television Critics Association The Television Critics Association (or TCA) is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian journalists and columnists who cover television programming. They meet in the Los Angeles area twice a year, in January and July, in conferences known as Winter and Summer press tour from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he is working on a story about the detainees there from the war on terror This article is about U.S. actions, and those of other states, after September 11, 2001. For other conflicts, see Terrorism. The War on Terror (also known as the War on Terrorism . ``I have nothing but good feelings about my time at ABC,'' Koppel said, ``but Discovery is a better place to be right now.'' His comments echoed those of Dan Rather the day before, regarding the lack of breadth of hard-news coverage provided by the broadcast networks these days. Rather pointed to a timidity in the networks' corporate executives trickling down to and affecting the news divisions. ``I can understand that Dan would make that point,'' Koppel said. ``CBS News did not act with the greatest heroism in supporting him (in the wake of a botched botch tr.v. botched, botch·ing, botch·es 1. To ruin through clumsiness. 2. To make or perform clumsily; bungle. 3. To repair or mend clumsily. n. 1. story on President George W. Bush's tenure in the National Guard during the Vietnam War Vietnam War, conflict in Southeast Asia, primarily fought in South Vietnam between government forces aided by the United States and guerrilla forces aided by North Vietnam. ). Should that have cost him his career at CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. ? I don't think so.'' Koppel said representing Discovery Channel overseas ``is different, but not in any way I anticipated. When I would say to someone, `ABC News,' they'd say, `Who?' They simply didn't see ABC News. When I say Discovery Channel, they light up -- there is a world of goodwill out there for the Discovery networks. They see Discovery in Iran; they see Discovery in Lebanon.'' After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Koppel said, ``It looked as though the network news divisions would focus again on foreign news -- that has not been the case.'' He called the networks' continued disinterest dis·in·ter·est n. 1. Freedom from selfish bias or self-interest; impartiality. 2. Lack of interest; indifference. tr.v. To divest of interest. Noun 1. in maintaining career foreign correspondents a ``travesty'' and ``something we'll likely be paying for for years to come.'' David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke@dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) KOPPEL Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images |
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