Command Change

When the TV networks announce major executive shifts, the sound in the background is often the thud of rolling heads. But last week's replacement of Reuven Frank as president of NBC News transpired with no audible percussions. Frank, 52, had let it be known for some time that he was tired of administrative work. Five years ago he had brought in ex-Newspaper Editor Richard C. Wald as a News vice president. Last June, when Frank made Wald his second in command, it seemed clear that Wald was being groomed to succeed his patron. With that change accomplished, Frank now plans to return to producing news documentaries.

Still, the networks rarely change a winning team, and NBC News has recently had some lukewarm seasons. As a producer, Frank first united Chet Huntley and David Brinkley during the 1956 convention coverage, but the pair's breakup in 1970 left a vacuum in NBC's flagship evening news that has never been satisfactorily filled. ABC's aggressive team of Harry Reasoner and Howard K. Smith has chipped away at NBC's ratings, and CBS remains ahead in the competition. On the plus side--in prestige if not revenue--NBC is the only network running regularly scheduled documentaries in prime time.

Wald, 41, brings considerable experience to the post (at 35 he was managing editor of the New York Herald Tribune). His handling of NBC's $100 million annual news budget will get close scrutiny, both from Madison Avenue and competitors. "We'll make changes," Wald said, "but not immediately." As if to stress the amicable nature of the change in command, he summoned a quip for his first day on the job: "I plan to continue in the grand tradition of American journalism, and I'll figure out tomorrow what that is."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.