Morning Network shows

Cafe Society
1

I go to the gym most mornings around 7am and use the elliptical machine staring at a bank of 12 tv’s showing a bunch of channels. I keep my music going, but still stare at the silent shows airing.

It seems like shows like GMA never actually get to any stories, but instead just do promo after promo after promo, mixed in with a million commercials and breaks to local weather.

It’s like a commercial ends, the hosts say hi to each other, spend a few minutes doing promos for upcoming stories, then switch to local news, then more promos, then commercials.

Does anyone here watch these shows? They seem so fragmented that it’d (and does) drive me nuts.

I always watched them as a kid and they always seemed pretty decent. But what I’m seeing (and not hearing) from GMA and Today seem to indicate that they have gone way down hill.

2

The only time I watch them is when I’m off from work, and then it’s mostly for background noise.
Ditto for morning talk shows.

That said, GMA, I guess, has been a tradition with me. My mother used to watch it, so I guess I’ve gotten comfortable with the format. If I look at Today or CBS This Morning it’s very jarring to my psyche. That said, you’re right – mostly filler/commercials with the occasional fluff interview thrown in. Then again a lot of people don’t want to think too deeply while drinking their morning coffee.

3

Fortunately in Chicago we have the WGN Morning News which in terms of on-air talent blows away, every other morning show.

I think they do keep it light and “fluffy” as people in the morning are moving so quick getting ready for work that they aren’t really focused anyway

4

They’re fragmented on purpose because the audience isn’t really watching – they just zone in and out for a few minutes.

The only part I regularly watch is the first 22 minutes of Today – the “news block.” And most days it isn’t all that newsy.

5

How true.
I usually set my TV (that is my alarm) to turn on at 7:30 AM so I miss the actual news. All I ever hear is fluff.
The other day they were talking about unhealthy foods, fair enough, but one of the “expert talking heads” was a woman who looked so anorexic, it was almost a joke to have her giving “healthy” food tips.
Unless my memory is totally gone, the Today show used to do some relatively interesting news stories all morning, with only the occasional fluff pieces. Now it is mostly crap.
Plus, I think they believe everyone watching has an income = average stock broker on Wall Street:
“How to invest your $500,000 nest egg.”
“25 ways to prepare leftover lobster.”
“Christmas gifts on a budget - under $500 each.”
“Quick, fun getaway trips to Bali, Tahiti and Monte Carlo.”