Five Questions for Matt Frei
By Kent Gibbons -- Multichannel News, 9/23/2007 8:00:00 PM
On Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. ET, BBC America and sister network BBC World News are launching a new evening-news program, BBC World News America. Its anchor is Matt Frei, a well-traveled foreign correspondent who’s been the Beeb’s Washington correspondent since 2003 (a job that now goes to colleague Katty Kay). He spoke with Multichannel News executive editor Kent Gibbons in New York on Sept. 19.
MCN: Does America need another evening-news program?
MATT FREI: I think it can do with one like ours. Because essentially, it’s different. What you’re going to get from BBC World News America is a window on the world, for Americans who are curious about the world. We will cover stories that most networks will not cover, and we’ll cover them with bureaus in the different places where people don’t have bureaus any more. We’ll cover them with the kind of writing and film work that you no longer see on many cable channels. … I think we’ll be really different to a lot of the stuff that you see. They’re great channels, the cable channels, but you click from one to the other they’re virtually covering the same stuff. When you come to ours it will be different.
MCN: What’s the evidence that Americans want that?
MF: I think the evidence exists in two areas. One is that there’s already quite a big audience for the 6 o’clock World News Service cast, which is simulcast on PBS stations around America. I think it hovers at about a million, plus or minus a few thousand. That’s quite big in cable terms at that time. In fact, I think we beat all the cable [news] networks apart from Fox [News Channel] at that time.
That shows you there’s a demand for it. And then there’s the polling data. Whenever we’ve started a campaign to try to get the BBC out there, the demand for that kind of news is palpable. Opinion polls conducted here and there show that Americans, especially nowadays after 9/11, want to know what’s going on in the rest of the world.
MCN: But people always tell pollsters they watch things like public television.
MF: Yes, it’s a bit like asking, do you read the old classics? Of course I do! [Laughs.] But if you look at the number of people switching on, they clearly do watch the stuff.
MCN: How will you set yourself apart from the BBC News that people already do get on PBS?
MF: We’re going to be doing that show at 6 o’clock. I’ll be anchoring that show. It’ll be some of the same stuff, but this is just a better-resourced program. It has more money attached to it. There’ll be more interviews, more live components, better films made specifically for this show. And then of course you’ll get the same thing again, but in spades, at 7 o’clock on BBC America. We’re hoping that people get a taste of what we’re going to do at 6 o’clock on PBS and then will gradually migrate toward BBC America.
MCN: It’s an older audience that watches the evening news. As CBS’s experiment with Katie Couric seems to demonstrate, they want something steady and reliable and they are resistant to change. Do you think you will draw new people into watching the evening news?
MF: I think we can. We hope to, certainly. And I think if you look at the profile of the average viewer of BBC America, it’s a much younger profile. These are people who like kind of edgy comedy and sort of cool Brit culture that has a certain appeal, has a huge appeal in this country.
If we can do that, with a news program, while at the same time still being a serious news program. If we can be a little bit grittier, a little bit edgier, ask slightly more irreverent questions. I’m not going to be the voice of God, or even a demigod. That’s just not the way it works in Britain.
If you look at the American news market — people are clearly thirsting for information, but they’re getting it from the strangest sources. Jon Stewart, The Daily Show — although it’s a comedy show, it has become almost like an alternate newscast. I guess we would fall in somewhere between Jon Stewart and the nightly news on ABC.
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I watched Matt Frei last night (being a regular viewer of BBC World News on PBS) and was a bit shocked to see him repeatedly talk over and cut-off an interviewee (discussing the traped miners in South Africa) in order to get a conclusory "sound bite" from her.
Of course those responsible for program duration have to make decisions about the length of segments. But here Matt was shutting off the only bit of context being provided to the story.
The provision of useful context is what sets BBC news programs above most of our demestic outlets. Seeing it move in the direction of our domestic sound-bite summaries was more than a little distressing.
I was enormously saddened watching that ...
Stanley Conrad - 10/4/2007 9:37:00 AM EDT -
I`ve heard & watched Mr.Frei on quite a few broadcasts on BBC world. I was not thrilled or too impressed.During most of his presentations, his strident mockery , acerbic phrases - all trying to dig & find only flaws in & with America got on everybody`s nerves here. His sort of promising a different stance in the future remains to be seen.
I will holding my judgement for now & hope for the best.
Rashelle newlin - 9/27/2007 7:32:00 PM EDT
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