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Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Clash Of The Morning News Titans

For those that are fans of the morning news shows, the big story this week has been the return of Katie Couric to a morning co-anchor role; this time however, it is with a different network, ABC and Good Morning America. NBC's Today Show countered by bringing back another former host, their own Meredith Viera, as well as Sarah Palin.  And CBS, pushing with a rare guest  appearance by Oprah Winfrey.  Who needs soap operas when the drams is on which morning show will win the ratings for the week.  Will NBC finally lose its ratings dominance after an extremely long period on top of the leader board?

My wife and I are regular Today Show viewers. But frankly, we have gotten a little tired of the format.  We are in want of more news at the 7 am hour but instead get hit with more programming oriented or other non news interviews.  The personal stories, especially when Ann interviews a guest, have become hard to watch.  She takes on a different voice when she wants to show empathy, but frankly I find it more cringe worthy.  But the Today Show problem is larger than Ann.  It has become about hype not news stories.  The personalities of Al and Ann on screen have  become  larger than the news itself.  And I have struggled to stay tuned in.

Seeing Katie back on the air caused me to switch over and watch.  But beside her, the stories and the way they were hyped and presented, looked almost identical to the Today Show approach.  ABC may see a lift this week, but I don't believe that many will switch over permanently from NBC.

Phone Hacking Gets James Murdoch To Resign, Is Rupert Next?

The British phone hacking scandal that resulted in the closing of News Of The World has claimed another victim.  This time it is BSkyB Chairman James Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch.  The phone hacking issue continues to have legs and has not been forgotten; rather, it may truly indicate that more was going on than was first announced.

"The phone-hacking revelations have led to an ongoing public inquiry, conducted by Lord Justice Leveson, into the culture and ethics of the British press.  Mr Murdoch and his father Rupert are expected to give evidence to the inquiry in the coming weeks."  Could that lead to another resignation?  Perhaps more was known from the  top leadership than initially announced.  We can only watch as the drama continues to unfold.