Daytime TV Marathon
Over the past few months, I’ve gotten to spend a lot of quality time . . . with my TV. In October, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Emma and while she slept much of the day in my arms, Rachael, Ellen and ladies on The View kept me company.
A few observations from my three-month TV marathon:
- Networks often negotiate to have a celebrity appear on all the talk shows in their line-up. For instance, a star may appear on Good Morning America, Live with Regis & Kelly and The View – all ABC properties. Great for the network, especially when it’s a big name and great for the celebrity and whatever movie/show/cause/product they are promoting. A bit boring for the viewer like me, who is actually watching all those shows in succession – I can’t be the only one! Celebrities should be directed to make the experience for the viewer a bit different with each appearance – tell different stories, show different clips, etc. Some are better at this than others.
- Celebrities are very conscious of their look when they jump from show-to-show, trying to give the appearance that they didn’t tape them all in one day. I saw Catherine Zeta-Jones wearing a green dress with her hair down on Good Morning America, only to appear 30 minutes later on Regis & Kelly in a different dress with her hair up in a chignon. Knowing both shows are live and she only needed to jump in a car to get across the city, made me wonder if this was really necessary.
- Most of the shows are trying to utilize social media in their own way, chipping away at TV’s 4th wall. Regis & Kelly verbally respond to some of their emails, The View captures insider information from audience members and their production staff via “ViewTube” and Rachael Ray has a backstage area designated for her guests to tweet about their appearances. This new layer has brought interesting value to the shows, treating viewers to a look behind-the-scenes.
What do you think of today’s talk show offerings?
