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ABC says Muir replacing Sawyer at ‘World News’

By WTOP Staff

DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — ABC News is making a generational change at the top of its evening newscast, replacing Diane Sawyer with 40-year-old understudy David Muir in an attempt to take a run at longtime ratings leader Brian Williams at NBC’s “Nightly News.”

ABC also announced Wednesday that George Stephanopoulos will add the role of chief anchor for live news events and election nights to his current jobs as “Good Morning America” co-host and host of the Sunday-morning “This Week” political show.

The exit of Sawyer, 68, is not unexpected. She will remain at ABC News to concentrate on doing prime-time specials and landing newsmaking interviews, where theoretically she’ll have less internal competition with Barbara Walters semi-retired and Katie Couric now at Yahoo.

When Muir starts as “World News” top anchor on Sept. 2, it makes that role a men’s club at the broadcast networks again, as he joins Williams and Scott Pelley of the “CBS Evening News.”

In a plugged-in world, network evening newscasts are a vestige of another time. Yet the three broadcasts together averaged 21 million viewers last week, with the audience usually smaller in the summer. ABC has been a steady No. 2 behind NBC for years, even predating Sawyer taking over as anchor in 2009, but has made inroads in recent months among younger viewers.

Two years ago ABC’s “Good Morning America” toppled another longtime champ at NBC and new ABC News President James Goldston has his sights set on doing the same in the evening.

Muir has been groomed for the job. He steps in as anchor when Sawyer is away, as he did last week, and once anchored the weekend newscast. His “Made in America” reports give him a high profile on “World News” and travel around the country.

From Syracuse, New York, Muir swept floors as a teenager in a local television newsroom and got his first on-air job in that city. He is a graduate of Ithaca College, just like Bob Iger, head of ABC’s parent Walt Disney Co.

“On this incredibly humbling day, I think of the 12-year-old boy with a dream of being a reporter and seeing the world,” Muir said in a statement. “I never could have imagined seeing that world with Diane Sawyer.”

ABC didn’t make news division President James Goldston or any of the anchors available for interviews.

When Muir is host, “World News” tends to be faster-paced with more stories, said Andrew Tyndall, a news consultant who monitors the content of evening newscasts.

“It’s the same newscast with a different face,” Tyndall said. “I don’t know what Muir brings to the newscast that Sawyer wasn’t bringing.”

Tyndall infuriated many at ABC last winter with a report that criticized the “Disneyfication” of “World News.” He said the broadcast has become more focused on consumer and entertainment news and less on global concerns, preoccupied with what people are talking about rather than what is happening.

With his role at the helm during big news events, Stephanopoulos will take over a duty traditionally held by the evening news anchor. ABC does not want to disrupt the team of Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts that has led the network to the top in the lucrative morning lineup. The new duty guarantees him the chance to be involved in the more substantive news stories that interest him.

He’ll continue at “This Week” two or three times a month, with Martha Raddatz filling in during weeks Stephanopoulos is off.

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David Bauder can be reached at dbauder@ap.org or on Twitter@dbauder. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/david-bauder.

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Online:

http://abcnews.go.com/

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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