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One of the reasons why when Elvis dies or the Son of Sam is captured ABC News' ratings go up is because people who don't normally watch news are watching then. The question is, do you want to attract people who don't watch network news or fight over the people who do?

If you're a content brand, you have to be in every place your audience is. Sometimes your audience is on the couch and wants to watch a 30-minute show, and sometimes they're checking their Facebook feed and want to see something that's only a minute long.

Give news a little more time, and don't request that they also, in their news time, entertain. We're not entertainers. We're journalists. And we need more time to do our job well.

That's what people want to watch - somebody telling a story. So if you go in and tell a story that makes sense to them, that touches them, then they're going to watch; then they'll tell a friend and that type of thing. In terms of how many people are watching in a given week, it's more the advertiser's job, not mine.

I enjoy what I do, but I also do it on time because my audience is very pervasive; they're everywhere, and they will constantly remind me if I'm not on time.

The perception is that more important people watch news in the evenings than in the mornings.

There's certainly pressure to find your audience early. You need to paint the picture, but it's tough trying to find the balance between a show that people can tune in on any given week while still grabbing the people who are there every week.

A show needs time to find an audience, and they're very quick to pull them off the air now.

In the United States, the mainstream news outlets like to portray themselves as observers, content to let events play out without interference. But in Britain, where crusading journalistic campaigns are part of the tradition, it is far more acceptable for reporters to become active participants, with a specific outcome in mind.