Will We Soon Have 24-Hours of Today!
As we wind down the year known as 2006, you have to hand it to the folks at NBC. When they get something that works, they don't try to fix it. They just expand it.
This is unlike CBS which had a good thing going with Bob Schieffer on the CBS evening news. He gave the network a boost after Danny boy got the boot. I can visualize the wheels turning in the minds of the big-wigs. "Hey, We need something to really screw up the bottom line. Hey, let's get Katie Couric over here from the Today show. They love her in the mornings and I'll bet 15 million dollars they'll love her in the evening. Hey, the audience is made up of a bunch of sheep. They'll like what we want them to like."
There was one problem. Viewers voted with their remote controls. Oh, there are some who say we need to give Katie time. I don't think time will help. This after chatting with a couple of folks who used to tune in to Katie every morning on the Today show. THEY say she is out of her element on the evening news. I agree. She was Perky and Chatty on the morning shows. She can't be perky and chatty on the evening show. It's not a good fit. The big question is what to do with her now. We'll know the folks at CBS are grasping at straws if they do the colonoscopy thing on live TV.
Meanwhile, the Today show is expanding and it turns out that the lack of KC isn't that big of a deal on NBC. I 'm not sure they miss her. The Today show still makes a ton of money for the network. And there's talk of expanding it to four hours and perhaps adding Kelly Ripa to the mix. Of course you do run the risk of dilluting the product just as local news has been dilluted by the every-other hour of news product we seem to have on some stations. But if it makes some bucks in the short-run, that's the important thing. Afterall, bonuses are based on "what have you done for me lately" not the big picture.
Still, someone has decided to see how far they can stretch the golden eggs of the Today show goose by scrambling them. Hey, it just might work. We'll see in 2007
This is unlike CBS which had a good thing going with Bob Schieffer on the CBS evening news. He gave the network a boost after Danny boy got the boot. I can visualize the wheels turning in the minds of the big-wigs. "Hey, We need something to really screw up the bottom line. Hey, let's get Katie Couric over here from the Today show. They love her in the mornings and I'll bet 15 million dollars they'll love her in the evening. Hey, the audience is made up of a bunch of sheep. They'll like what we want them to like."
There was one problem. Viewers voted with their remote controls. Oh, there are some who say we need to give Katie time. I don't think time will help. This after chatting with a couple of folks who used to tune in to Katie every morning on the Today show. THEY say she is out of her element on the evening news. I agree. She was Perky and Chatty on the morning shows. She can't be perky and chatty on the evening show. It's not a good fit. The big question is what to do with her now. We'll know the folks at CBS are grasping at straws if they do the colonoscopy thing on live TV.
Meanwhile, the Today show is expanding and it turns out that the lack of KC isn't that big of a deal on NBC. I 'm not sure they miss her. The Today show still makes a ton of money for the network. And there's talk of expanding it to four hours and perhaps adding Kelly Ripa to the mix. Of course you do run the risk of dilluting the product just as local news has been dilluted by the every-other hour of news product we seem to have on some stations. But if it makes some bucks in the short-run, that's the important thing. Afterall, bonuses are based on "what have you done for me lately" not the big picture.
Still, someone has decided to see how far they can stretch the golden eggs of the Today show goose by scrambling them. Hey, it just might work. We'll see in 2007
posted by Joe Larkins at 8:10 AM
5 Comments:
Apparently the Today Show definitely doesn't want me for a viewer -- I wouldn't watch before because of Katie Couric, and if they add Kelly Ripa, I'm guaranteed not to watch in the future.
Face it: Today is an institution, I'd say similar to the White House. No matter who's there, it still stands. NBC knows this; CBS does not. Nor do they seem to want to realize it. Remember Bryant Gumbel? He thought he *was* the Today Show, but his tenure on CBS Early Show was no help whatsoever. As for Katie, I think it was a gamble by CBS to put her in the Evening News slot, but they probably figured they were at least getting her off of NBC, which might help their ratings. But again, they forgot my initial premise: that Today is an institution. Today keeps rolling on after 50+ years, and people like Katie, when they "listen to [their] gut", should recognize that THEY are the lucky ones to be on Today, not the other way around.
It certainly seems unprecedented that a single show would occupy 1/6 of any network's daily schedule!
I wonder what percentage of affiliates would opt out of the 4th hour. Come to think of it, I wonder what percentage of affiliates opt out of the current 3rd hour.
A fourth hour of Today is too much. The third hour is too boring. Two hours of Al Roker is too much a day anyways!!!! Please, not Ripa!!! Dog smoke and gun fights!!!
Bring back Bob Schieffer! They don't get any infotainment buzz from him, but I don't think many infotainment lovers watch the news anyway.
I think its telling that in Los Angeles the top-rated newscast has been anchored by a guy named Hal Fishman for a long time. Even in a place nicknamed tinseltown they prefer character to hip, at least when it comes to news.
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