CBS "Early Show" To Devote Entire Show To Hero Pilot Monday

NEW YORK — The ever competitive world of morning network television will see an intriguing battle for viewers on Monday: the hero pilot vs. the tired mom.

After an uncharacteristic loss in the booking competition, NBC's mighty "Today" show struck back late Thursday by announcing that Ann Curry's interview with Nadya Suleman, the California woman who gave birth to octuplets, will air on Monday.

"Today" is airing a quick tease of its interview on Friday.

Both ABC's "Good Morning America" and CBS' "The Early Show" are being visited Monday by pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who landed a disabled jet in the Hudson River with no fatalities last month. CBS is devoting its entire show to the story of U.S. Airways Flight 1549.

"Today" producers thought it had a commitment from the Sullenberger family that the pilot would first sit down with Matt Lauer, and were angered when the pilot and his crew elected to be interviewed by Lauer's old partner, Katie Couric, on CBS' "60 Minutes" this Sunday.

An angry "Today" show said it was no longer interested in talking to Sullenberger.

"The Early Show" is perpetually third in the morning ratings. But it sensed a rare opportunity to get noticed with Sullenberger, especially since its show can be promoted on "60 Minutes" and the Grammy Awards the night before.

Besides the crew members, "The Early Show" will talk to rescuers and survivors, and hear a performance from Australian singer Emma Sophina, a passenger who was moved to write about the experience. It will be the song's public debut.

The flight made its unusual landing on a frigid day Jan. 15 after birds flew into the plane's engines.

"It's a chance for America to celebrate these heroes," said Zev Shalev, executive producer of "The Early Show."

Comments

[x004Ronin]

10:17 PM on 02/08/2009

Given the types of people the media loves to devote airtime to (Joe the Plumber, washed up Hollywood celebrities, etc.), it doesn't hurt for children to keep hearing about a guy who became famous simply because he performed very well in a very difficult situation and therefore saved lives.
If we keep hearing about him in a month, I'll be annoyed, but until then, let him enjoy it.

[rf dude]

10:47 AM on 02/07/2009

How long before

we tire of our hero

and find his clay feet?
--

[ajmediator]

01:12 PM on 02/07/2009

And how exactly do we benefit from the revelation that he, like all humans, has clay feet?
Why is it so necessary to make such a discovery? Can you not share in his joy or do you feel Sully needs to be brought down to the level of the mere mortal. What do you possibly gain from tarnishing his moment?

[ajmediator]

10:10 AM on 02/07/2009

I'd be willing to bet that the people who really count as to who they see as a hero, are the passengers of Flight 1549. Ask them what a hero is................. I'm sure you'd be set straight.
Apparently letting this fellow have his 15 minutes of fame, albeit an extended version, triggers some level of "why him and not me" type of behaviors as evident in recent posts herein. The term sour grapes pops into my mind. For what reason, I'm baffled.
A quick review of aircraft history of water landings clearly places Mr. Sullenberger in a category all his own. Let him have his day.

[cloudmaker]

07:25 AM on 02/07/2009

Yes, the pilot did a good job. He was trained to do a good job. But what
else could he do to save the lives of his passengers,not to mention his
own? He is admirable, but he is not a hero. We have lost track of what a
a hero is. We throw that word around for any remarkable feat. Long ago
when the jet crashed into the Potomac, into ice cold water, a man
watching from the bridge leaped into the water to save lives at the
risk of losing his own. That is a hero. What a pity we have all let this
word become so meaningless.

[ThePhantom]

10:28 AM on 02/07/2009

cloudmaker

Sully is indeed a hero in that at an hour of maximum peril, he performed unemotionally and with an astonishing level of skill.

You may say that any pilot could have done this, but you would be wrong.

A pilot, like a soldier, puts his life in peril, by choosing to be in the air many hours every year. This guy performed astonishingly well - a perfect performance when the slightest error would have meant many deaths.

He met the danger and was not afraid of it. He overcame it, for the benefit of many.

If Sully is not a hero, then there are no heroes.

[cloudmaker]

05:27 PM on 02/07/2009

Nonsense. A pilot doesn't think flying is a major risk and is therefore
not putting his life in peril. He was as surprised as anyone else.
He did a great job in a crisis. That is admirable, commendable, but
it is not heroic. There are heroes. Sully is not one of them. Let us not
diminish the valor of others by making everyone a hero just as everyone
in school these days has to come away a winner.

[trudem2]

07:45 PM on 02/06/2009

"CBS Early Show to Devote Entire Show to Hero Pilot Monday".....

Oh, please! Can we get a grip??! A skilled pilot does what he is trained to do and fortune is on his side... can we just acknowledge that and leave out the hero worship?

[JM28]

02:51 PM on 02/06/2009

Come on folks! This is just plain diversion as the entire world is plunging off the abyss.

And yes, I am very thankful of the experience of the Pilot and the professionalism of the crew in saving all the lives on that USAir flight.

[Chavez08]

01:53 PM on 02/06/2009

The airline would make a ton of money charging people extra to have Sully as their pilot. I know I would pay it!!!

[keepingthemhonest]

12:31 PM on 02/06/2009

Please "reporters', it was a remarkable and professionally executed ditching of Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, BUT, in all fairness and correctness, THE BIRDS DID NOT FLY INTO THE PLANES ENGINES!! Rather, the aircraft flew into them. Why do we humans always need to be the victims?

[Anastasia]

03:31 PM on 02/06/2009

Good point. Never thought of it that way.

[jpmdevildog]

11:54 AM on 02/06/2009

In recognition of successfully landing US Air flight 1549 in the Hudson River last January, Sullenberger is being given his own morning talk show on Fox.

http://weeklyworldnews.com/celebs/hero-pilot-tv-show/

[unite4change]

11:38 AM on 02/06/2009

I thought this deserved a repost:

http://www.openleft.com/showComment.do?commentId=146670


Short and interesting read.

[Harinama]

11:24 AM on 02/06/2009

gosh, is anyone ELSE sickened by the squeaky clean, always perky morning show staffers?

i feel a little upchuck every time i see them,and their mindless chatter.

[poster1122]

10:44 AM on 02/06/2009

I don't agree that focusing on the pilot constitutes a "mania" because the story had lasted longer than a day or two (or even a week or two). While I may not be interested in learning much more about the people involved, it's also true that unlike most people who make the news, the pilot actually did something to merit the positive attention.

It'd be a mania if he was bumping off equal or more relevant items on these morning shows. I'm not convinced the octuplet mom, steve martin's banjo album, radiohead's grammy chances, etc, etc. qualify.

[rabiddog6708]

10:22 AM on 02/06/2009

Let Sully have his 15 minutes in the media spotlight.......the man has certainly earned it, which is more than can be said for some.....like Joe the Plumber.

[blood1]

10:16 AM on 02/06/2009

jWhat amazes me is that this shows are willing to pander to these issues at all.

They are incapable of addressing the really important issue of the day: ECONOMY, so they dumb down to a single sentence this and spend hours trying to talk to someone (Sully) who just wants to get his life back to normal.

And MSM wants to know why they are loosing viewers? Spending hours talking about "fluff" and not presenting a fair and balanced discussion about the real issues of the day is so wrong-headed. But with their large salaries, maybe they just don't care! Their comeback will be: that is not the Mission of their Show . Well, maybe they should re-consider their mission - which is more important, what do the American people want to know about- a woman who had octopulets or a failed economy?

[Thinklongterm]

09:52 AM on 02/06/2009

Break up the media!