Sullenberger caught in network crossfire

Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger (pictured) made his first public comments about the Hudson river plane crash at the weekend, saying that he and his crew "were simply doing their job" - but not much more than that. According to the Hollywood Reporter, this is because he had been told to hold fire by US's two biggest networks, CBS and NBC, who have been engaged in a ferocious booking war to get the first exclusive interview with the heroic pilot.

At first it seemed that NBC had won, announcing two days after the crash that Sullenberger would be interviewed on its Today programme.  However, its executives later had to backtrack, saying that the interview had been postponed because the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation required a little more time before allowing Sullenberger to speak.

But during that interregnum the fish had got off the hook, so to speak. Now CBS's 60 Minutes has Sully's first interview. The pilot will be interviewed by Katie Couric, who anchors CBS Evening News, and it will be broadcast in a special show on February 8.

Needless to say, NBC are spitting tacks. "What Captain Sullenberger did in the cockpit on Flight 1549 was heroic and admirable," said a spokesman. "Unfortunately, people close to him have not acted nearly as admirably over the past few days. They gave us their word and then broke their commitment." ·