This story appears in the April 20 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
If you’re a ruthless tyrant, an American hero or a star with a story to tell, the must-stops for getting your message out are right here. Despite the near infinite amount of outlets and platforms, the fastest and smartest players — whether in broadcast or cable, morning or late-night, politics or even comedy — still drive the national conversation.
The death on April 7 of Mike Wallace — who for nearly four decades was 60 Minutes’ resident pit bull — is a timely reminder, if we needed one, of the power of rigorous journalism to turn newsmen and women into newsmakers.
In addition to its primary function of keeping viewers informed, entertained and moved to action, TV news continues to mint superstars: Matt Lauer (THR's cover subject, who just signed a new Today deal that will make him the highest-paid anchor in history),
Diane Sawyer (her news bona fides are so well-established, it’s hard to imagine she was ever viewed as a beauty-queen lightweight by Wallace, no less),
Anderson Cooper (his globe-trotting humanism and unflagging energy have led to not one but three jobs) and Bill O’Reilly (his independent streak has kept him atop the cable-news ratings for 125 consecutive months).
And, of course, in this era of political skullduggery and death-match campaigning, the satire of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert has earned them both unparalleled influence (215,000 people attended their 2010 rally in Washington) and status as the incredulous and absurdist voices of a new generation. Meanwhile,
David Letterman continues to conduct among the most incisive interviews of every political season, asking questions his peers in TV news dare not (“It seems like everyone’s gone wacky in the Republican Party,” he said to John McCain during a January Late Show appearance. “Is it the influence of the Tea Party, or am I over-examining this?”)
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THR COVER: Matt Lauer on His 36-Hour 'Today' Negotiation, Ann Curry and NBC's Trayvon Martin Mistake
It might be 3,000 miles from Hollywood, but New York still is the media capital of America, where a steady stream of actors, musicians and authors clamor for a slot on Lorne Michaels’ newsmaking Saturday Night Live, the broadcast morning shows, Kelly Ripa's revolving co-host chair and, yes, Wendy Williams’ bawdy daytime chat show.
The Hollywood Reporter's second annual Power List honors the anchors, executives, late-night impresarios and media moguls who drive the news cycle, influence the entertainment industry, take us into the lives of the famous (and infamous) and keep us connected to our world.
Click below for THR's 35 Most Powerful People in Media list.
- Roger Ailes Chairman and CEO, Fox News read more
- Jim Bell Executive Producer, NBC’s "Today" and 2012 London Olympics read more
- Mika Brzezinski & Joe Scarborough Co-hosts, MSNBC "Morning Joe" read more
- Steve Capus President, NBC News read more
- Stephen Colbert Host, executive producer, Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" read more
- Anderson Cooper Host, CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" read more
- Bob Costas Commentator, NBC Sports & Olympics read more
- Katie Couric Host, executive producer, "Katie" read more
- Ann Curry Co-host, NBC's "Today" read more
- Jeff Fager Chairman, CBS News; Executive producer, "60 Minutes" read more
- Jimmy Fallon Host, "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" read more
- James Goldston Senior VP content and development, ABC News read more
- Phil Griffin President, MSNBC read more
- Sean Hannity Host, Fox News' "Hannity" read more
- Arianna Huffington Founder, The Huffington Post read more
- Steve Kroft Correspondent, CBS' "60 Minutes"read more
- Matt Lauer Anchor, NBC's "Today" read more
- David Letterman Host, CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" read more
- Rachel Maddow Host, MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" read more
- Lorne Michaels Creator/executive producer, "Saturday Night Live" .read more
- Piers Morgan Host, CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" read more
- Bill O'Reilly Host, Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" read more
- Scott Pelley Anchor/managing editor, "CBS Evening News" .read more
- David Rhodes President, CBS News read more
- Kelly Ripa Host, "Live! With Kelly" read more
- Robin Roberts Anchor, ABC’s "Good Morning America" read more
- Charlie Rose Host, Executive Producer, "Charlie Rose;" Co-host, "CBS this Morning;...read more
- Diane Sawyer Anchor, ABC's "World News" read more
- Ben Sherwood President, ABC News read more
- George Stephanopoulos Anchor, ABC’s "Good Morning America"; Host, "This Week" read more
- Howard Stern Host, SiriusXM Radio; Judge, "America’s Got Talent" read more
- Jon Stewart Host, Executive Producer, "The Daily Show" read more
- Barbara Walters Contributor, "ABC News;" Co-Host/ Executive Producer, "The View" read more
- Brian Williams Anchor, Managing editor, "NBC Nightly News" read more
- Wendy Williams Host, "The Wendy Williams Show" read more
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