This week on Reliable Sources: Why did cable TV runaway with the runaway bride? Sally Quinn has a theory:
| KURTZ: …Let me turn to Sally Quinn. This woman is clearly a few fries short of a happy meal, what — are you fascinated by this story? What is the appeal of it? QUINN: I think the appeal of it, if you look what is in the news this week or last week, Social Security, the filibuster and the horrible bombings in Iraq, what do you want to know about? I want to think about the runaway bride, because it means it’s either not going to be boring or it’s not going to be depressing. And so it’s… KURTZ: So this is a deliberate decision to lighten up for the audience that doesn’t want to hear about these political… QUINN: I think so. Yes. And I think that… KURTZ: … and foreign policy stories? QUINN: But I also think that the audience — that we out there, are either so depressed or so bored by a lot of the things that are going on, or so disgusted, that this is something that everyone can relate to and everybody can talk about it. And you don’t have to know anything. So it’s not like you have to understand the filibuster or understand Social Security. Everybody can have an opinion. That’s what’s fun about it. SHISTER: Yes, but, Howie, that’s what this story was for cable TV. It was a filibuster. (LAUGHTER) |
> Also: Steve Friedman says The Today Show was “poorly produced” by Tom Touchet: “He tried to Good-Morning-Americanize The Today Show.”
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