Posts Tagged ‘CNN’

Piers Morgan Tonight vs. Larry King Live

Friday, April 15th, 2011

I’m sure when Larry King retired and his long-time show Larry King Live ended there was a lot of speculation about Piers Morgan and whether he’d be able to “replace” Larry King.  We all know it’s always a tough job to fill the shoes of a predecessor…expectations loom and of course comparisons are made.  

I was an occasional Larry King Live viewer, and I’ve remained an occasional Piers Morgan Tonight viewer just the same – initially due to curiosity because of how he was being “sold” to viewers in the lead up to the launch of the new show.  

Is Piers Larry?  No, but he shouldn’t be – he’s Piers, and that’s why CNN hired him for the new show – to appeal to a changing viewer demographic.  Is he shaping up to be all that we expected from the hype?  Not quite (and Larry King would agree) – he’s not that “dangerous”, but Piers is landing some great interviews!  One of the things I do like in him as an interviewer is that he is actually a bit “softer” than Larry, and he (so far) doesn’t interrupt his guests!  He may not have the long-time relationships with many guests that the older King developed over time, but he does seem to have a reasonable “arsenal” just the same, and likely the potential to develop these over time just as Larry did. 

I thought it was very bold of Piers to launch his show with one of the world’s best, and most popular interviewers as his first guest/interview, namely Oprah Winfrey.  On the one hand it showed that he could land the great interviews, just like Larry, but in watching the interview it was clear that he was in awe of Oprah, and he instead came across as somewhat timid and lacking in confidence – not the “dangerous”, arrogant, killer interviewer he was built up to be.  In many ways it felt like a very awkward interview, but good for him for going out on a limb for his first interview, and of course in the end getting the “thumbs up” endorsement from Oprah!  There was method to his madness!

While the initial ratings for the show weren’t where CNN would like them to be, I think they’ll find that this might be transitional as people get used to the “real” Piers Morgan vs. the one they were “sold” (or over-sold).  That, or maybe they got it wrong and Piers isn’t a good – or better – fit than Larry for the viewer demographic.  I guess time will tell whether the Piers Morgan brand succeeds in its appeal.

What do you think?  Is Piers Morgan a good replacement for Larry King?  Were we over-sold?

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Football player sets an example putting education before sports

Friday, March 12th, 2010

I was moved the other day when I watched some CNN coverage about college football star Myron Rolle and his impending return to football – after taking a controversial break to focus on his education after receiving a Rhodes Scholarship. 

Interestingly, what moved me wasn’t his return to football, and hope to make the NFL draft – which was the focus of the coverage – but the fact that he had taken this break and chosen education over sports.  If you don’t know Myron Rolle, he is a Black American – the American stereotype for many professional sports stars these days.  I thought to myself “good for him”.  Unlike CNN, my angle on this story was that he – as a prominent college football star – was setting a good example for millions of American kids – particularly the Black American ones – showing them that school is important, and even more important than excelling at sports. 

This hit home even more when they showed a clip of Rolle heading into or out of practice, walking by a bunch of young kids hanging around for his autograph.  When he gave one of them his autograph he said to the kid “Do you know what RS stands for?” and then said “Rhodes Scholar” as he walked through a doorway.  I thought this was brilliant…he was taking the opportunity to focus on education, not just sports stardom!  Whether that was his intent or not, I don’t know, but I still thought it was powerful.  (Judging by the focus of his website, it was intentional.)  One criticism:  he probably missed an opportunity to really hammer home on the message by adding a one-liner description of what a Rhodes Scholar was, presuming that many would not know, and would therefore miss the point. 

Regardless, I thought it was a great “societal” message.  I hope that the media focus on whether he can convince people he’s committed to football despite his continued interest in furthering his education doesn’t overshadow the real message to kids – putting education first.   Good on you Myron!

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