Customer Reviews

Breaking News

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4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I work in the broadcast news industry, so I liked reading about a lot of the behind the scenes scenes in the upper echelons of my business. As a novel though, there were some shortcomings. As posted earlier, the ending was underdeveloped. The last 20 scenes or so were no longer than one or two pages, and many of them were shorter than one page. If MacNeil could have extended some of these scenes to 3-5 pages long, the reader would have benefitted from the extra details. The short chapters he uses throughout the book are a bit ironic, especially after his main character Grant criticizes Marty for constantly making edits and stories shorter. MacNeil does the very thing he criticizes the younger generation, represented by Marty, for doing. Also, the whole plot had the feeling of a big office soap opera at times.
The strong points come from the insight MacNeil spreads throughout the book about the tv news industry. And the Hollygo blogger idea was ahead of its time, for the late 1990's.

I found the book revealing and easy to read. The story is quite good, although Munro is portrayed a bit too one-dimentional. Having read MacNeil's previous biographies, I recognized many of the situations, especially in reference to historical events. I came away with the feeling that MacNeil drew heavily on his own experiences as a journalist. This book is not so much a novel, but an observation of the current state og network news, based on personal knowledge.

Macneil presents a compelling insight into the competing agendas in modern journalism. The struggle between the conservative,experienced Munro[perhaps a fictional Jennings],who prides himself on examining what he sees as real news & issues,and the forces of the market such as the increasing amount of tabloid journalism present on the main networks[perhaps a swipe at Brokaw],is presented in an entertaining dialogue. The intersecting issues,such as the rise of new talent,political infighting,and the role of media intrigue,adds to the reality of Munro's dilemma. Macneil's obvious inside knowledge of the tv news divisions and the stuggles they face with cable,news magazines & the internet make this book even more compelling. Overall,an essential book for any student of the media,politics & corporate backstabbing.

I've never been a fan of the Big Three nightly newscasts, and after reading Mr MacNeil's "Breaking News" I know why.

The younger producers these shows now have do not understand the tradition of how news was (and should still be) presented. During WWII, Mr Lorne Greene was one of the readers of national broadcasts at CBC Radio. With his deep voice, and taking into account the sometimes overwhelming reports of how the war was going in the early days, he was called the Voice of Doom. These broadcasts were not for entertainment, but to inform, and I suppose considering the time, to combine the strengths of a nation towards one task.

Today, it can easily been seen, the function of TV is to advertise. Viewers expect dramatic pictures, and feel good stories: video from the latest plane crash or which vendor on Broadway has the best pretzels.

Mr MacNeil also presents in detail just how crazy things have got to when it comes to paying these talking heads. The newsreader HAS to draw the audience, not to inform them but hold them for the commercials. I guess that is one of the reasons I always liked the MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour on PBS. No commmercials and a whole hour of news. The networks should learn you can't present a whole day's worth of national and international news in 22 minutes.

Mr MacNeil also shows us, from the inside, how the media makes the news instead of only reporting it. I don't want to give away anthing from the plot, but when one 'reporter' does an interview that became the news.

Finally, I have to add, the concept of the Hollygo character was some of the most interesting reading. If there was any mystery in "Breaking News" it had to ber 'her'!

I've read the reviews posted here previously, and agree with much of what has been said. But the comments of some reviewers are puzzling. You're right -- this book is not "great literature". But then, it wasn't meant to be. This is an insightful novel, nicely written, by an author who knows the world of TV news and has some interesting things to say about it. I found the characters to be believable, the situations engaging, the dialogue realistic, and the humour bang-on. This is, I believe, Mr. MacNeil's third novel, and I look forward to reading many more from him in the future.

I loved this book! MacNeil write with piercing clarity of the world he knows so well. Food for thought, it made me want to race to watch the next newsbroadcast. I'll be searching for Brenda and Gregory Peck at 6 o'clock tonight for sure!

I enjoyed reading this book. Perhaps it was because I found myself identifying with the characters, or perhaps it was pondering what Robert MacNeil feels about the state of television news today.

Unfortunately, I found that there was very little too the plot. The novel just kept going along, and I didn't find any story dragging me in, though I did continue to read.

I found the book did provoke my thoughts in terms of what TV news I watch and why, and was interesting enough that I didn't have to drag myself to finish the book.

The ending was unsatisfying for me, but I did enjoy reading the book, and "connected" to many of the characters, so while I can't give this book a high rating, I certainly can't deny that I enjoyed reading it.

MacNeil's new novel is disppointing to say the least. The characters are flat and poorly developed.

The plot, thin and uninteresting attempts to grab the readers' attention by meaningless forays into extraeneous, ridiculous scenes. One such example is the attept by a "georgeous" stewardess to lure our hero into a nefarious tryst during a flight.

That someone of the stature of Mr. Macneil should stoop so low as to publish such trash is ironic confirmation of the those aspects of modern journalism that the book attempts to ridicule.

Generally entertaining page-turner that also skewers network 'teeveenews." However, it runs out of steam at the end with a somewhat weak tying up of the strands in the story

The characters in Macneil's new book are deftly drawn, obviously from his experience as a TV newsman. Macneil's Grant Munro, the aging "Gregory Peck" of the network news business provides the reader with plenty to like -- and plenty to wonder about. Although the ending is pat, the issues raised and the surprisingly compelling plot make this a good read. It would have been nice to see some of the characters more fully developed, especially Munro's arch rival Ann Murrow, a face-lifted, flesh-tearing tvnews magazine opportunist with a strong sexual appeal.