“CBS Mornings” anchor Gayle King will blast off into area Monday – because the present’s rankings sink to document lows.
The rankings stunt — wherein King will take an 11-minute journey into orbit together with pop star Katy Perry and Lauren Sanchez, aboard her fiance Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin vessel — will do little to spice up viewership as a result of the present wants a significant overhaul of its woke programming and lackluster anchors, business consultants advised The Put up.
“CBS Mornings” drew fewer than 2 million complete viewers in every of the final two weeks of March, in keeping with the latest Nielsen rankings – falling farther behind rivals “GMA” and “Today.” These exhibits pulled in 2.8 million and a pair of.6 million complete viewers, respectively.
In 2017, when King co-hosted the present alongside anchors Charlie Rose and Norah O’Donnell, the perennially last-place program racked up a median of three.6 million complete viewers per week and was narrowing the hole on its rivals.
Scores have fallen throughout the board over the previous decade, however business insiders pin a part of the blame for the dramatic decline at “CBS Mornings” on the present’s “light” and “alienating” programming.
One of many sources pointed to a March 26 interview with “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Bob the Drag Queen, who was publicizing his first novel, “Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert,” which the morning present’s web site described as a “gender-bending story where the historic icon appears in modern-day America to tell her story through a hip-hop album.”
“That’s not what people want to watch. I don’t think if you’re programming for your audience you do things like that,” the particular person stated.
“It’s become a niche New York show.”
Simply as problematic is the dearth of chemistry between King — who signed a one-year contract extension final 12 months — and present co-anchors Nate Burleson and Tony Dokoupil, sources stated.
Burleson, a former NFL participant, “doesn’t have gravitas in news reporting” and Dokoupil comes off as “smug,” stated a former morning present producer, likening them to “sidekicks.”
“CBS needs someone who’s an equal to Gayle. Neither of those two do that,” the supply added.
A second supply known as Dokoupil “bland as a piece of white bread,” regardless of his fiery interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates in October, wherein he grilled the writer over his pro-Palestinian framing of Hamas’ conflict with Israel.
The supply stated the trade confirmed Dokoupil’s ardour and persona – which he hardly ever reveals on air.
A CBS insider refuted the criticism, saying: “Our team has the best chemistry in the mornings – on and off the air, period.”
CBS Information didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Final month, CBS brass took a step in attempting to treatment the rankings freefall, naming veteran morning present producer Tom Cibrowski as president of CBS Information.
The previous ABC Information exec, who oversaw “GMA” throughout one in every of its most profitable eras, has already made an impression on “CBS Mornings” staffers, a supply with data advised The Put up.
Throughout his first week, Cibrowski got here to the set at 6 a.m. and launched himself to the crew, holding conferences with producers, together with Thomas, who was stated to be “ecstatic” about working with “someone who knows what he is doing,” the supply stated.
Nonetheless, he has his work lower out for him amid funds cuts on the community as CBS mother or father Paramount seems to be to shut its stalled merger with Skydance Media.
“They have no money to hire new, good people, but Tom can change the quality of the work and the story selection,” the supply stated.
Within the meantime, the present will flip its consideration to stay protection of King’s foray into area, although execs shouldn’t count on earth-shattering rankings, one other media observer advised The Put up.
“It’s a stunt. Why tune into the show? What are you going to miss?” the supply stated.
A second supply quipped: “Lauren Sánchez’s best assets will be covered up in a spacesuit.”
