The best show doesn't always win the a.m. race.
By Ken Parish Perkins
Those of us who watch morning television do so religiously and
painlessly for the simple fact that you can spend an hour or two
with
Today or
The Early
Show or
Good Morning America and
never actually watch it, as though it's radio or that houseguest
you hear and see but have the luxury of ignoring. Stories whiz by
like horses in full gallop; the pert hosts, weather forecaster, and
news reader chuckle, chat, and giggle; and all the while, you're
dressing or eating or eating while dressing. The priority isn't to
get information as much as it is to merely get on with your day
with some background noise.
While the lives of others are being reported on each morning on
your tube, yours is happening at that moment in time, which often
provides a kind of intriguing blend of reality and wish
fulfillment. That's why morning television shows have the most
loyal audiences of any daytime programming, although
loyalty here is used loosely. You
tune in and out as you please, you're under no pressure, and,
most of all, there's really no compelling reason to hear a
different set of pert hosts, weather forecasters, and news
readers chuckling, chatting, and giggling. So you stay
put.
Once a show's in a solid ratings lead, as
NBC's
Today has enjoyed for a decade now, it's difficult for
the needle to move. What it takes is a big-time screwup, though at
this moment, I can't even fathom what that would be.
Today has survived losing Jane Pauley
and Bryant Gumbel and appears to have weathered the Katie
Couric defection to the "serious" stuff on
CBS Evening News.