David Bauder of the Associated Press writes today about what the year has in store for the broadcast networks’ morning shows. With the launch of “CBS This Morning,” and uncertainty over Matt Lauer’s future at NBC, 2012 “looks to be pivotal,” Bauder writes. “This Morning” executive producer Chris Licht weighs in on how CBS can capitalize on the changing morning landscape:
“Right now viewers basically have two choices,” Licht said. “They have the ‘Today’ show and they have the ‘Today’ show (imitator) with probably a little bit more broad appeal stuff. Those two shows are very similar but are both good at what they do. We need to try to find a third thing. Maybe viewers don’t know if they like it or not because it doesn’t exist right now.”
The network won’t be forcing spinach on its viewers, figuratively speaking. But it won’t promote a “cult of personality” either, Licht said.
Advertisement“If people want to feel like they’re part of a family, it will evolve organically,” he said. “I am not trying to sell that Charlie and Gayle go out for drinks and they’re just part of one big happy family — here we are, with a slow motion of them hugging each other. That’s not what this is.”
TVNewser columnist Gail Shister will review “CBS This Morning” after the show’s debut next Monday.