Suspended anchorman Brian Williams is anxiously awaiting word on whether he will return to his TV news desk
— but many media pundits believe he's history, the
Los Angeles Times reports.
As Williams counts down the days to finding out his fate from an NBC internal review, speculation is rife that he's "a goner" and a permanent replacement will be named for "NBC Nightly News."
Williams was suspended in February for six months after falsely claiming he was in a helicopter struck by a rocket-propelled grenade during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, when, in fact, it was another chopper nearby that had been hit.
The chances of Williams getting his old job back were dealt a severe blow when reports surfaced from unnamed sources that the review had found several occasions when he had deliberately embellished tales about his reporting during talk shows, interviews, and dinner speeches.
It was even claimed that
NBC was behind the stories as a way of publicly "shaming" Williams into resigning so that the network could work out a deal with the anchor to slash the $50 million he is due to receive contractually over the next five years.
The brutal leaks were designed to send the message to Brian Williams and his superlawyer, Robert Barnett: "You're dead. Now negotiate,"
according to Politico.
The one thing Williams has going for him is that NBC News Chairman Andy Lack is still in his corner. A longtime friend and mentor, Lack groomed Williams to take over from anchor Tom Brokaw and he's in no hurry to show him the door, the Times reported.
"Andy believes viewers want Williams back,"
a source told the New York Daily News.
"The feeling is that [Williams'] problem seems to be more with the media and other reporters than his viewers. If Andy can figure out a way to get him back on the air, he will do it."
But many members of the TV media who attended the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner over the weekend in Washington believe there is no way back for Williams, according to the Times, which noted that there has been no hint so far of any falsehoods or inaccurate reporting during his newscasts.
NBC could bring Williams back and initially face a trust issue with viewers. On the other hand, the network is facing a ratings dilemma without him right now.
Since Lester Holt took over from Williams and became the first solo African-American network evening news anchor, the ratings have slowly gone downhill to a point where an executive with a rival news broadcast said NBC should be "moderately" concerned, the Times stated.
NBC's news program has fallen marginally behind "ABC World News Tonight With David Muir" in overall viewers, although the broadcasts are tied in the 25-54 age range coveted by advertisers.
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