Monday, January 25, 1999
Sawyer, Gibson buy time for GMA
BY JOHN KIESEWETTER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
While watching Diane Sawyer's first week on Good Morning America last week, as rain washed away the last traces of snow, my 6-year-old son wandered into the room and asked: “When are the school closings?”
I'll be honest with you. We're not a morning TV family. The only time we turn on the tube before school is to see if school has been canceled.
So when I took time to review Good Morning America, and its competitors, I was struck by the variety — and sameness — of morning television.
Talking heads fill the airwaves, as usual, but on more channels than I expected.
The morning TV landscape certainly has changed since Ms. Sawyer anchored the CBS Morning News 15 years ago.
Now similar shows air on NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and C-SPAN. WXIX-TV (Channel 19) airs a two-hour local newscast, while WKRC-TV (Channel 12) broadcasts CBS' hybrid local-national This Morning.
Often they're all talking about the same stories. Last week they were: the impeachment trial, the State of the Union address, Kosovo, colon cancer studies, Olympic bribes and bad weather.
On the same day, NBC's Today and GMA both did live shots with Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and lengthy taped features on Brick, N.J., which has an abnormally high number of autistic children.
So a TV personality who can break through the clutter is crucial. That's why so much attention (and money) has been paid to Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, Bryant Gumbel and Joan Lunden.
That's why ABC sent Ms. Sawyer and Charles Gibson to GMA, which has lost 25 percent of its audience in two years.
Granted, I had not watched Lisa McRee or Kevin Newman that much, but I had heard complaints from those who did. (Favorite story: Mr. Newman asking the Lassie trainer if the collie with him was the original 1950s TV star. Would that make her 308 years old in dog years?)
If I was counting on GMA making in excess of $150 million a year — as ABC is — I would make changes, too.
I might even do what ABC did: change everything on GMA but the white-and-blue coffee mugs.
New set. New fireplace. New anchor table. And two old familiar faces, former GMA co-host Charlie Gibson (1987-98) and news superstar Diane Sawyer.
Good rapport
The two old pros added instant credibility to ABC's sinking ship, as expected. I particularly enjoyed their devil-may-care attitude about waking up at 4 a.m. and working for the giant Disney/ABC empire.
• Mr. Gibson referred to ABC's expanding prime-time news franchise, which Ms. Sawyer co-hosts twice weekly, as “20/20/20/20.”
• He closed last Monday's debut by telling her: “Guess what! There's another show tomorrow! It's not like that 20/20 jazz when you can take some days off!”
• Introducing a segment about research into extraterrestrial communications, Ms. Sawyer said scientists were wanting “to hear from somebody not of this world — and I'm not talking about Sam Donaldson.”
• Noting that Pluto may be reclassified from a planet to an ice ball, Mr. Gibson remarked: “As a loyal employee of Disney, I don't want to see Pluto downgraded ever!”
But their good-natured ribbing about their predicament also leaves the impression that they're just passing through. They appear to be two loyal corporate mercenaries who know the penance will end in a few weeks or months (the subject of much speculation in the press).
That's ABC's big problem.
Viewers know Ms. Sawyer and Mr. Gibson are short-timers. GMA won the ratings on Tristate Nielsen meters for the Monday premiere, probably out of curiosity, then the ratings fell back to normal (third) the rest of the week.
In the Tristate, CBS' This Morning ties NBC's Today 7-8 a.m. because CBS gives Channel 12 and other affiliates more than half of the first hour for local news. Overall, Today wins with a 6.8 rating here, followed by This Morning (5.9), GMA (3.9) and 19 in the Morning (2.5).
ABC has painted itself into a corner with the Sawyer-Gibson team. GMA hasn't experienced any immediate boost, and it might not see much long-term growth either.
Morning show ratings build slowly over time as we gradually accept an anchor team as “family.” But why should we invest time in ABC's new shotgun marriage, knowing that they will soon split, only to be replaced by the next Lisa McRee and Kevin Newman?
John Kiesewetter is Enquirer TV/radio critic. His column appears Monday and Wednesday. Write: 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202; fax: 768-8330.
John Kiesewetter is Enquirer TV/radio critic. Write him at 312 Elm St., Cincinnati, 45202.
