# Are you really that desperate, NBC? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 2, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580 "2012-04-02T14:29:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/1 "2012-04-02T14:29:21Z")
NBC is having Sarah Palin co-host their morning show for a day this week. This, along with using Octomom and a Kardashian for the same foul purpose is in response to ABC using Katie Couric to boost their ratings. Do they really think this will attract viewers? Seems like whoring at its worst, to me. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/2 "2012-04-02T14:48:48Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Do they really think this will attract viewers? What, you don’t think it will? say what you want about Palin but she will attract shit tons of viewers, if only to see what stupid shit will come out of her mouth. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/3 "2012-04-02T15:52:38Z")
hope they get lousy ratings for this ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/4 "2012-04-02T15:56:15Z")
Wow, I remember when the Today show was actually pretty good. Maybe not coincidentally the last time was when Couric was still there. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/5 "2012-04-02T16:04:21Z")
I don’t want to see Palin, Octomom, or any of the Kardashians, but sadly, they all have plenty of fans. This kind of stunt-casting (say that 10 times fast!) is likely part of a longer-term strategy. Even if ratings don’t increase for each particular show that these people are on, I think the hope is that they’ll draw viewers who wouldn’t ordinarily tune in, then perhaps watch again if they like the show in general. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/6 "2012-04-02T16:09:22Z")
Oh, and I thought this was going to be about their editing of 911 calls. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/7 "2012-04-02T16:16:23Z")
May I just say that if you haven’t yet sampled the rebuilt CBS morning show with Chrlie rose and Gayle King, this is definitely the week to do it! ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/8 "2012-04-02T16:27:00Z")
I couldn’t say it better than [Andrew Sullivan:](http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/04/palin-guest-co-hosting-the-today-show.html) > [@](#): > > I assume it’s an April Fool’s, right? It couldn’t be that NBC is so desperate for ratings it has to find an unhinged, delusional, inarticulate know-nothing to guest-host its show just to leverage red America against blue? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/9 "2012-04-02T16:33:00Z")
They said that we will see a different side of Palin. It can’t be her backside, as we already saw that when she abandoned the governor’s job. I don’t watch morning TV. I like NBC’s national news, but my wife now says she’s done with NBC. That pretty much leaves PBS, since I can’t abide Diane Sawyer and don’t even know who’s on the third network. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/10 "2012-04-02T16:41:50Z")
Hope she makes it to the end of the show. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/11 "2012-04-02T16:44:23Z")
Scott Pelley is the news anchor on CBS. He’s driven the show to do more hard news and fewer lengthy fluff pieces than before. He’s more likely to start with a piece of foreign news than NBC, although they’ve also made changes to attract the same audience. I got into the habit of recording both and searching through them for real news back when they were getting too fluffy. There’s been a noticeable change. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/12 "2012-04-02T20:59:52Z")
I’ve read Ann Curry is about to get the boot in favor of some other woman there that Matt Lauer likes better. When that happens, I’m done with the Today Show. They would do better to have rotating co-hosts, like when David Letterman was out ailing for months. So why NOT Palin or a Kartrashian, just to see how they do? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/13 "2012-04-02T22:32:28Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I’ve read Ann Curry is about to get the boot in favor of some other woman there that Matt Lauer likes better. When that happens, I’m done with the Today Show. They would do better to have rotating co-hosts, like when David Letterman was out ailing for months. So why NOT Palin or a Kartrashian, just to see how they do? Interesting, sorta. I thought Curry was the darling of the newsies on NBC. It’s seemed like she’s bucking for an anchor slot with all those trips to the 3rd world. Never cared for the woman, myself. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/14 "2012-04-03T04:26:25Z")
I hope she says some crazy racist thing that has NBC backtracking and issuing apologies all week. Also, didn’t the Today show have a chimpanzee on the cast in the 50s? It’s not like it has ever been that classy of a show. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/15 "2012-04-03T04:36:35Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I hope she says some crazy racist thing that has NBC backtracking and issuing apologies all week. > > Also, didn’t the Today show have a chimpanzee on the cast in the 50s? It’s not like it has ever been that classy of a show. J Fred Muggs, if I remember correctly. I used to watch it sometimes before school. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/16 "2012-04-03T10:03:57Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Wow, I remember when the Today show was actually pretty good. Maybe not coincidentally the last time was when Couric was still there. I didn’t realize the Today show was ever actually worth watching. It seems to me to be 15 mins of real news, tops, and then 3.75 hours of fluff and commercials. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/17 "2012-04-03T10:18:25Z")
Yeah for me, the Today Show will always be that show that was on before David Letterman’s awesome day time TV show that one glorious summer. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/18 "2012-04-03T13:39:15Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I didn’t realize the Today show was ever actually worth watching. It seems to me to be 15 mins of real news, tops, and then 3.75 hours of fluff and commercials. Well to be honest for a few years I watched while getting ready for work, and only saw the first half hour. Maybe that was the only good part. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/19 "2012-04-03T14:19:52Z")
I should point out that Palin actually has experience in broadcast news - unlike many of the other names mentioned. And political figures move to news operations fairly regularly. So to my mind this isn’t too much of a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580/20 "2012-04-03T14:23:09Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > I should point out that Palin actually has experience in broadcast news - unlike many of the other names mentioned. As a [sportscaster](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_palin#Early_career_and_marriage), but I do suppose that it counts. What I find interesting is all of this is happening in April, which isn’t even a “ratings sweep” period. What’s going to happen in May? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-that-desperate-nbc/617580.md?page=2)