I probably should be “news” in quotes, but be that as it may, I’ve started watching network morning talk shows and find them both repellent and interesting.
For the last like, forever, I’ve watched CNN all day in my office including of course morning television. It was serviceable but after some bad weather when I turned to the local station to see the impending tornado on the teevee, I just left it on ABC. So now in the morning I see Good Morning America, which I had never seen in my life. The blonde host is OK, a little breathless but certainly better than the idiots on NBC. Those two women are dumber’n’ a sack of wet mice. [/Foghorn Leghorn] This I was disappointed to see since I remember enjoying Jane Pauley and Bryant Gumble a million years ago.
So anyway, the celebrity news is a bit thick, but I sort of enjoy the musical guests, when they have them. I just saw Norah Jones, whose singing was beautiful as always.
What’s CBS’s morning show like these days? I remember Harry Smith fondly, but I can’t imagine he’s still around. I probably should give it a look, since CBS Sunday Morning is still about the most awesome show on network television after all these years. (RIP Charles Kuralt.)
CBS has given their morning show a little more gravitas, with Charlie Rose doing most of the heavy lifting in the first hour, and Gayle King handling somewhat lighter features in the second half. It won’t be mistaken for the BBC by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a good deal less celebrity-driven than what NBC and ABC deliver.
Better sample it soon, though. The new show is actually getting lower ratings than its predecessor, and is losing to Fox News’ morning show in at least a half-dozen cities.
Was Robin Givans a sports reporter, or an athlete herself? I think I’ve seen her before.
Robin Givins got her start on Head of the Class, and has always been an actor as far as I know.
Robin Roberts played college basketball and was at ESPN for about a decade before going to another network.
Maybe it’s Robin Roberts on GMA? I need to pay better attention. And thanks for the tip about CBS, kunilou!
ETA: It is Robin Roberts. After being present for so much ESPN-watching in my past, you’d think I’d know her name.
My unconventional schedule keeps me more or less insulated from the foolishness of morning shows. The only one that I have any chance of catching is Today, which they inexplicably choose to rebroadcast an hour of in the 2:05 a.m. slot vacated by Poker After Dark. Watching it is like watching a scary movie at noon … it just wasn’t meant to be done. Why can’t they plug a couple of fun infomercials into that slot? I can hardly get enough of weight-loss products and washed-up musicians hawking unnecessary repackagings of popular hits.
I called attention to the CBS Morning Show with Charlie Rose here when it first kicked off.