7 September 2006

Now that the dust has settled with Rosie and Katie's debuts this week--I thought I'd weigh in on their performances so far.


ROSIE: I like her, but was never crazy about her (like my partner is.) She's an out and proud lesbian. And an out lesbian with a wife and family--that she loves to talk about. Having such a big presence on a prominent daytime TV show--that a lot of "Middle America" watches--is huge. No, she doesn't represent all of us gays, but having a positive image does help us. Sure, on the first show she dominated the other panelists, but that was to be expected and it was okay. She pulled back a bit on the next day. It will constantly be a balancing act for her: moderating a show, hitting her time cues, making sure everyone has a say, not overpowering others---while being "Rosie." Strong, quick, funny, smart, and provocative---but not TOO provocative or strident (this is ABC afterall--they, and other networks, don't like to take chances.) At the end of the day, they pay Rosie to be likeable and funny--not to be a lightning rod. She'll find her groove and the show will REAP the ratings bonanza. On a production note--I'm always amazed at how amatuer-ish the production values are on that show. The new set's colors are cool and the big screen is awesome--but there's no "depth" to the set, there are problems with the mics, "swish" pans (cameras moving around on the air), running the video on the big screen at the wrong time, and the video clips are generally way too short.



KATIE: Loved her early on in her career when she was a hard-scrabble reporter here in Washington and then moved her way up the NBC ladder. She was cute and perky and scrappy. Then--she became a diva. And people (like me) got sick of her. And all those innane "Today" show segments didn't help either. (The on-air colonoscopy, the self-absorbed features on what Katie (and Matt, Al and Anne for that matter) wanted to be when she grew up, Katie's likeness in butter sculpture, the stupid Halloween outfits, etc.) People question her journalistic integrity. They say she can't do hard news, that she's a liberal. Blah, blah, blah. Some of the criticisms are founded. And now it's up to CBS and for Couric to prove them wrong. In her first two broadcasts this week, Katie was strong, empathetic, credible, and attractive. The set is top notch. She mixed it up a bit with interviews, features. The second night featured a little more harder news and they upped the story count. They have to keep the show moving along--the first night was way too slow. Interviews with "experts" and their "free speech" segment where semi-famous people spout off on whatever the want--add little value. You can get "experts" and opinion 24 hours a day on cable. This show -- and network news in general--is in an epic struggle to stay relevant. People don't have to wait until 630p to get their news anymore. There's cable and the internet. To offer something different. Katie and the CBS Evening News will get a short-term bump in the ratings--but then it will fall off. But I have to say, watching a woman anchoring a solo network newcast for the first time in history DID give me goosebumps.