Brian Williams' New Boss Gets Tough NBC Nightly News exec producer sizes up the competition

There was a change at the top at NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams last week when Alex Wallace replaced John Reiss as executive producer. Wallace, a vice president at NBC News and a former Weekend Today producer, comes in just as Nightly News is in its toughest ratings position since Williams took over for Tom Brokaw at the end of 2004. In this past February-sweeps period, ABC World News with Charles Gibson scored its first across-the-board ratings win (in total viewers and in the ad-friendly demo of news watchers aged 25 to 54) since 1996. The Biz talked to Wallace about the challenges she's facing and the decision to send Williams to Iraq, making him the first evening-news anchor to travel into the war zone since ABC's Bob Woodruff was critically injured there last January.

TVGuide.com: ABC's newscast has always gotten a bump from its Oprah Winfrey lead-in during sweeps months, but for years NBC Nightly News still managed to hold onto its lead in the ratings. Why didn't that happen this past February?
Alex Wallace: It's a good horse race with all three shows. We've got three good shows on the air, and I think that contributes to the tightness of the race. I do think it's always been cyclical.

TVGuide.com: But this is the first one you've lost since 1996. The landscape has been the same. Oprah was there before.
Wallace: I think two weeks from now we'll be back on solid ground. I get your point, but I'm not worried about where we are or where we're going.

TVGuide.com: Brian Williams made a great transition; he certainly knows what the evening-news viewer wants. Why isn't he the dominant No. 1? Did the competition get better?
Wallace: Season to date, Brian is the dominant anchor. But Charles Gibson and Katie Couric are good at what they do, too. You can't slam the competition. We all put on good shows. I think we put on the best one.

TVGuide.com: Could it be that people are beginning to find Charlie? Are viewers migrating there because people are comfortable with him after all those years on Good Morning America?
Wallace: I think he's likable. I think it's a good show. I also do honestly believe that what's been happening over the past few weeks is temporary. I think some viewers have probably found him. It's a good show.

TVGuide.com: Brian was not always wearing body armor while reporting in Iraq this week — it's a little unsettling.
Wallace: We've said this on air every single time: They're in the middle of Camp Victory [the army's headquarters outside of Baghdad]. The moment they go anywhere where there is a shred of danger they put [armor] on. I appreciate your point. A lot of viewers are writing in about that. We've also made a point of being very frank with the audience every single time and saying, "Here's why I don't have it on right now."

TVGuide.com: Brian's trip to Iraq came right after the sweeps loss and the departure of your predecessor. Explain why the timing was so coincidental.
Wallace: You would never do it for that reason. It would be a reason to not do it. It's hard to get into Iraq — it takes weeks. There is a whole procedure in place. We have to get extra people in there for him, we have to prepare our Baghdad bureau [for his arrival]. The conversation started months ago. I heard about it a few weeks back. My gut is the first conversation was between Brian and [his wife] Jane. But we held off a little because it was Bob Woodruff's week [reporting on his brain-injury recovery]. We didn't want to look like there was any connection at all. Bob Woodruff should get his time to tell his story. I totally see the coincidence in the timing. I swear to you they are not related. I think Brian honestly feels that if his guys are out there reporting the story, he needs to do it, too.

TVGuide.com: There's been a lot of noise made about making these newscasts more available online. Do you have evidence that people who see video clips or Brian's blog online have started watching NBC Nightly News on TV? Are you getting any younger viewers via this approach?
Wallace: We've had tremendous response to Brian's blog. We've also been doing the video blog. Can I say I've gotten X number of viewers because of it? No, but I think it's important. You want to reach a new audience, and you want to reach your same audience in a new way. I'm amazed that when I go on the New York Times website, they're all doing television pieces. Technology has changed all of our jobs. It's more an appreciation of our changing times than a pure "let's go find 24-year-olds."

TVGuide.com: Evening-news broadcasts have been around for more than 50 years, but you're only the third female executive producer of one of them. Does that mean anything to you?
Wallace: Hopefully, there will be many more of them. I've actually been amazed at how many women throughout the industry have e-mailed me and called in the last 24 hours — all from other networks and print — saying, "You go, girl!" That's been nice and surprising.