Morning news-talk shows are a pretty interesting thing. If you've ever watched one, you can find yourself being either really annoyed or finding out something you hadn't already heard. These types of shows are popular because they are hosted by charismatic television personalities who the viewers invite into their homes on a daily basis. This simple and consistent connection keeps people tuning in and in some cases can actually start their day off to a happy start.
In fact, these programs are not the only ones that make daytime television what it is. Soap opera fans report that they feel like they know the characters that they see each day, in some cases for years, even decades. The characters are therefore much different than the characters we all see in movies or television shows. These people see the characters through their triumphs and failures, through marriages and divorces and through multiple cast changes. Yes, daytime television is truly unique in many ways.
The amounts of topics that are discussed in morning news talk shows are extensive. Hard news stories are normally covered in separate sections, broken up by a light beat story on a diet-fad or an interview with an actor plugging their latest project. Add a cooking segment into the mix and there goes a pretty successful episode, which is just another day in the life.
I honestly could not imagine a greater job. It would be like receiving the star treatment for waking up every morning to talk about issues that really have no direct impact on my life but get paid for doing it.
On Wednesday afternoon, CBS has decided to completely revamp their morning programming division. Charlie Rose, known for his hard-hitting PBS news coverage, and Gayle King, best friend of Oprah Winfrey and editor of "O" Magazine will be the new hosts of their reincarnated morning program.
"The Early Show" has been in ratings purgatory for quite some time. They are consistently the lowest rated morning news talk program of their type, which also includes NBC's "The Today Show" and ABC's "Good Morning America." The new program, which CBS hopes will revitalize their daytime viewing audience, is set to debut Jan. 9, and this may cause a stir-up in the ratings and a change in the program that people tune into each morning.
Rose and King both have proven public appeal, and CBS' decision is likely based on that. Daytime ratings, like all television ratings, are determined through the Nielsen ratings, a service that measures the amount of viewers that television shows receive. This television season, "Today" has averaged 5.24 million viewers. "Good Morning America" has averaged 4.77 million viewers. "The Early Show" has averaged just 2.83 million viewers.
Ratings are important to network executives, as they help determine the amount of advertising revenue that the show will receive. The more popular a show, the more money advertisers are willing to put toward the show, and in turn, the network, production companies and advertisers are all happy.
Morning news-chat programs are not the only daytime shows struggling. The television soap opera is slowly fading away, despite some of the shows being around before television was even invented. With recent cancellations of CBS' "Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns" as well as ABC's "All My Children" and "One Live to Live" many have been left questioning whether the soap opera is a dead art-form.
While CBS and ABC seem to be backing out of the soap opera business, with CBS airing just two and ABC with only one remaining, NBC is determined to save their last remaining soap opera. "Days of our Lives" has aired on NBC since 1965, and despite massive budgetary cuts, and other shows of the genre going away, NBC is determined to save the brand that has called the network home for decades.
Many people have blamed the demise of daytime television on the fact that there are now more women in the workplace, but networks are constantly trying to figure out programming that will draw in larger audiences, particularly younger audiences, which equal more advertising revenue for the network.
There are many things that daytime television has succeeded with. For some people, their favorite daytime shows bring them the joy in their life they need to kick off their day. Despite a decline in viewers, that kind of influence over people is something that is not easily tangible. I hope that daytime television will not one day consist of infomercials and bad cable-access broadcasts. In my plea to the networks, I say this, "As long as there are kids playing hooky or being ‘sick,' there will be an audience."
