Memo to the Today Show: Don't Make Me Defect to Good Morning America

NBC's Today show has lately taken on the air of Ripley's Believe It or Not. The last few weeks have seen a disappointing parade of features on assorted accidents: a couple of shark attacks, a nail through the head, divers lost at sea and other assorted personal mini-disasters. This all culminated with an astounding four features on poor Farah Fawcett -- coverage more promotional than newsworthy -- in what was no doubt an NBC directed effort to try and make their money back on the $5 million reportedly paid for her documentary.

I like the show's anchors and was heartened to see that they too are tired of this cavalcade of calamities. After a quick mention of another bizarre accident as reported in an Australian newspaper, Meredith Viera, in one of her refreshing loose-cannon moments, jokingly cried out "Book 'em!" The rest of the morning team and crew burst into laughter, knowingly. It must be dizzyingly dull, if not embarrassing for those with real news chops, like Meredith, to endlessly ask survivors if, um, "you were afraid?"

And it's dizzyingly dull for me. But of course television is a business and apparently this is what people want to see. It gets ratings. This is all part of the long bemoaned sorry state of American television among not just the "cultural elite" but a lot of just plain normal folks who feel television has been dumbed down beyond recognition. And now it's infected our news programming too. When we're not being fed tales of personal calamity, we're watching interviews with reality show winners, losers, and miscreants. We're hearing about Octomom and Jon and Kate Plus 8 and -- stop the press -- Jon's philandering -- out of the mouths of Matt Lauer et al.

But the last shark attack was really the straw that broke the camels' back. So after many years at NBC, I may have to change horses. It's funny how we get stuck on one network for all our morning needs. At least I have. I think it's because my parents watched Today and like any brand, we pledge allegiance until long after the product stops giving us what we need, switching reluctantly.

I dipped my toe in the water and made a quick hop over to Good Morning America. I was pleasantly surprised -- Green Day was the morning's concert. Ah, a little edgy, that GMA. The band's punkish lead singer Billy Joe Armstrong gamely interacted with Robin Roberts and her cohorts.

Curiously, after the first song, they broke for a cooking segment featuring barbecue. Though timely, right before Memorial Day, it was certainly an unusual choice for intermission at a rock show. Providing counterpoint to Billy Joe's black eyeliner? Straddling a line between attracting a younger demographic while appeasing the at home Moms?

I know, I know, I have other choices. I could watch CNN and I do watch the BBC, but they don't break for local news. Doesn't CBS's The Early Show reach an older demo (much to their chagrin)? Maybe I'll give them a try. Or just stick with my New York Times, in silence, and maybe a little NPR in the shower. Of course I know I can be getting all my news online, but old habits die hard.

What's your morning news habit?

Comments

[lazlogasky]

Here's my analysis:

TODAY
(THE GOOD)
- Matt Lauer still is the best male anchor in morning TV.
- They had the best set, graphics and they're the "first".
(THE BAD)
- Meredith Viera is not that bad but isn't actually better than her predecessor Katie Couric.
- They should try something new, nothing's new on the show.

THE EARLY SHOW
(THE GOOD)
- Maggie Rodriguez is the perfect addition.. she loves the camera and gets the big interviews, she ask the best questions too. However, I think that if they kept Hannah together with Maggie, then it would be a perfect team and they might beat GMA.
- The theme music is very lively...

(THE BAD)
-the new orange-yellow graphics isn't good compared to the blue-purple design they used when they relaunch the show in January 2008. I hope they came up with that again.. so fresh for morning TV.
- Julie Chen shouldn't handle the hard news, give to Rodriguez. Chen is good only to ight segments.. Giving the show a third hour would be a good idea and just give that to Chen she'll handle the light segments.

GOOD MORNING AMERICA
(THE GOOD)
- the set is good
- the graphics are decent.. better than the orange theme Early Show.
- Robin Roberts is great to watch

(THE BAD)
- Diane Sawyer always ask softball question and sometimes I wonder if she's drunk, seriously, try to watch some of her videos on YouTube..
- nothing's special on

[murphysgirl]

I've noticed this trend myself. Just this morning they shipped Meredith over to London to interview the winner of Britian's Got Talent. Why would a show waste so much money to send a top anchor over there when they could've done a satellite interview?

The first hour used to be a concentration on politics and foreign policy. Now it just just a five minute segment with analysis from a Republican pundit. I flip over to GMA and their interview style is way worse. Chris Cuomo is completely Republican biased, and Diane Sawyer talks so slow and softly it takes forever to just ask one question.

[beckrmr]

This show has just plunged in its newsworthy stories, and what about all hte coverage they give themselves? Many stories are on the anchors, hobbies, families, blah -ridiculous! We stopped watching just a few weeks ago- ahhhh it feels so good. NPR or online is the only way to go.

I believe the actual "news" may be about 3 minutes...­..

[BowlyJones]

GMA is just as vapid.

[SarahQ]

I switch between all three morning programs- CBS, Today and GMA. I believe ever since Meredith Viera was brought on the Today show has gone steadily downhill. She acts so silly and is the worst interviewer (other than Ann Curry-who I can't get off my screen fast enough!) Matt Lauer acts embarrassed most of the time, like he is trying to reign in his rowdy children. Viera is very unprofessional and Ann Curry should learn to actually let the guest speak after she asks a question. She also needs to learn to pace her speaking-she is either speaking a mile a minute until she sounds winded or she is deliberately slow obviously for timing the end. None of the morning shows are very good but this one is in a steady and steep decline!

[HalowFan]

The Today Show is embarrassingly bad. I quit watching when the show started devoting the second half hour to Drew Peterson.

[JakeMontero]

any moring show > today show

[MidnightTrain]

What's up with the a.m. void across the board? The field has been wide open for some time now. It would n't take that much to steal the ratings in this time slot.

[booker52]

I channel surf in the morning, if a piece comes on that I deem boring, I switch. I find myself switching alot, it's all lacking.

[Genius]

They are ALL soo YESTERDAY! Especially the "reality show" garbage. I can't believe this is even a topic of conversati­on...
This is the dumbing down of America that we seriously need to address.

[valbrownuk]

ah, i just saw a term I didn't know, "anchortainers". perfect.

[SpencerCat]

You are very patient, Val. I watched the Today show all my life but gave up 4 years ago. The Early Show on CBS is no better. This morning their lead story was Susan Boyle swore at someone! Followed by the state of Jon & Kate's marriage. With Adam Lambert from American Idol coming up in the next hour. UGH.

The only reason I turn on the TV in the morning is to make sure nothing horrible happened overnight. Once I confirm that, I am free to turn off their inane babble. And then I turn on NPR.

[sammcity]

Don't even watch anymore. The today show ceased to have any journalistic value quietly over the last few years moving twords gossip and useless fluff content or sensationalism. Reporting on lottery winners, bad music guests (think Miley..eww­ww), and hosting reality losers on the show.... Your viewers moved on with out you.

[posttheist]

...I've also noticed that when they do take up serious political issues, they will voice Repub talking points and not the left's... I feel as if they are NOW trying to do a two sided issue since they didn't for 8 years with Bush and are feeling the Dark/Right side more and more prominentl­y...

[AnnieFay]

I'm in complete agreement. There are so many actual news stories not being reported on regular network TV. Even if they're after fluff, they could do better fluff - do an actual, long-enough, instructional segment on home vegetable gardening, which so many Americans are trying for the first time this year, do a story on the various community gardens that are springing up all over the country, do a story on service dogs - anything other than the garbage they've been feeding us at increasing rates in ever-speedier 30 second segments that have the hosts trying to speed-talk through their lines and still make it seem like they're having actual conversations.

[DodgerDean]

It's probably kind of true about watching what your parents watched. I still gravitate toward NBC (Huntley/Brinkley, Garroway/Muggs). Heck, I sat in Willard Scott's lap when he was Bozo...