To the Point

Boardroom versus the Newsroom: Media Consolidation

Although Nightline makes money and still beats Late Night in the ratings, it doesn't pull in the young lucrative audience that advertisers crave. While Ted Koppel concedes that he understands ABC's financial motivation for replacing his program with David Letterman's or some other entertainment show, he insists that homeland security and the war on terror make "thoughtful analysis of national and foreign policy more essential than ever." But does such programming still have a chance? Will news as we know it fall victim to the bottom line? We hear about recent court decisions, FCC rulings and corporate mergers, with former officials of the FCC and NBC News, and a consumer advocate for online media competition. Newsmaker: Bush to Impose 30 Percent Tariff on Steel Imports White House officials have leaked word that President Bush has decided to impose tariffs of up to 30 percent on imported steel. With the industry demanding 40 percent, the move was described as a compromise to minimize backlash from foreign leaders. Michael Mann, European correspondent for The Financial Times, has reaction from Europe and the latest on the steel trade wars. Reporter's Notebook: Ominous Escalation of Middle East Violence In the Middle East, violent surges and occasional cease-fires have escalated into an ominous stream of suicide bombings and helicopter attacks. Dan Ephron, special correspondent for Newsweek, has more on the ongoing violence, the Saudi peace plan and increasing despair among Israelis and Palestinians.