TV ANCHOR: . . . continuing now with the news, this sad item out of Los Angeles: Former presidential candidate Ronald Reagan has died at the age of 93.

Reagan, you may recall, was a Hollywood actor-turned-Republican politician who lost to Jimmy Carter in the 1980 presidential race.

For perspective, we turn now to politician analyst (William Anderson.) (Feel free to substitute another made-up name.) William, how will we remember Reagan?

TV COMMENTATOR: I think Reagan will be remembered mostly as a curious footnote in political history. The idea that a washed-up B-movie actor could come so close to winning the presidency of the United States is really quite astounding – I certainly don't think we've seen anything like it since then. It really just goes to show what desperate straits the country was in back in those days.

TV ANCHOR: As I recall, that election against Carter was a close-run thing. A lot of people thought Reagan might actually win.

TV COMMENTATOR: That's right, (insert made-up name of anchor.) Carter was bedeviled by the Iranian hostage crisis, rampant inflation, national malaise, all the rest. And Reagan did lead in some of the polls that fall. But in the end, the country decided that going with Reagan was just too risky -- he was too old, too conservative, too inexperienced in foreign policy. And, to be honest, a lot of people simply thought he wasn't smart enough to do the job.

TV ANCHOR: Of course, Carter's second administration turned out to be just as much of a mess as his first one.

TV COMMENTATOR: One reason why the country went heavily for the Republicans in 1984. After their flirtation with the conservative Reagan in 1980, the Republicans nominated a more moderate political professional – former ambassador George H.W. Bush, who, of course, defeated Democrat Walter Mondale in a landslide in '84.

And Reagan spent the rest of his career doing what he had been doing, making speeches around the country until he finally retired from what he called the mashed-potato circuit in the early '90s.

TV ANCHOR: Thank you. That was William Anderson (or whatever name you used above.)

Coming up next, in sports, an Olympic preview – and why the East German weightlifting team is expected to win the gold.

We'll be right back after these messages.

(Lights out.)

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Cast of two:

TV anchor

TV commentator

You’ll need a desk and chairs to simulate a news desk. The actors can use the script as a news script.