While Lester Holt will anchor “NBC Nightly News” from Havana on Friday, rival ABC newsmen David Muir and George Stephanopoulos have been bickering over who would cover the big story.
Sources tell us that Muir and Stephanopoulos were both angling to be in Cuba as the American flag is raised over the US Embassy. But, in the end, neither anchor ended up going because ABC didn’t get permission to bring its “Flyaway” satellite truck into Cuba.
One industry source said, “David and George have a big rivalry. Both were jockeying to go, neither wanted to share the spotlight. ABC considered sending them both, then had to scrap the plan because they couldn’t get their dish in to broadcast live in HD.”
The source added, “Not only is there a dish issue, there is a male diva issue at ABC.”
Network insiders said they sent Jim Avila because of his previous Cuba coverage, and they’ll go live by purchasing satellite time. An ABC rep said of the anchor feud, “Whoever is shopping this ridiculous rumor should really find a more productive way to spend their time.”