Added: 02/15/2006 |
The History of CBS Morning ShowThe CBS Morning Show started in 1999 with hosts Jane Clayson and Bryan Gumbel, who were replaced by the current hosts in 2002: Harry Smith, Julie Chen, Rene Syler and Hannah Storm, in addition to weatherman Dave Price. The show also has a dedicated team of correspondents, doing short segments on vital issues, including Martha Quinn, Bob Vila, Bobby Flay, and Martha Stewart, featured in this role.
The Saturday Show premiered in 1997 under the name CBS News Saturday Morning. Currently it is hosted by Tracy Smith and Russ Mitchell, with Ira Joe Fisher providing the weather reports. In addition to news, the CBS Early Show features lifestyle segments, like the music segment "The Second Cup Caf," and the cooking segment "Chef on a Shoestring." Broadcast live, the Saturday Show starts at 7a.m. from the GM Building on Fifth Avenue in New York. However, depending on the local affiliate, the show may air at different times.
Throughout its history, the CBS Morning Show has strived to assume the position of a leading morning show on American television. In recent years it has managed to improve in the ratings, however not enough to win against such prominent morning shows as ABC Good Morning America, and NBC The Today Show.
Following its first incarnation as the CBS Morning Show in 1954, the gag writer Walter Cronkite was expected to compete against the Today Show, hosted by Dave Garroway. The years after his dismissal witnessed a variety of names tried by CBS, including Jack Paar, Dick Van Dyke, and Will Rogers, Jr. Although the name of the show was changed to Good Morning, it wasn't a success with viewers. In 1956 Good Morning was removed from the air, replaced by the children's program Captain Kangaroo. Five years later CBS returned to the news battles, starting the program Calendar, hosted by Mary Fickett and Harry Reasoner. Calendar was kept until 1965.
In order to be able to compete with the Today Show, CBS launched the pair "the beauty and the grouch," emphasizing ideas and news over celebrity gossip. The program faced some changes in 1981 when its name was changed to Morning. Featuring extensive pieces from CBS News bureaus, the ninety-minute program was anchored by Diane Sawyer and Charles Kuralt. As part of major restructuring changes at CBS News, the management brought in George Merlis and Bill Kurtis to make morning news more competitive. Thus, the show became CBS Morning News again. In 1987, CBS This Morning was premiered with the original hosts Harry Smith and Kathleen Sullivan, and weatherman Mark McEwen. The hosts used to move frequently from one room to the other of a set designed to resemble a house. In 1989 the show was changed to a more traditional show format. Before the program was replaced with the CBS Morning Show in 1999, it was hosted by Thalia Assuras and Russ Mitchell. Having lasted for more than twelve years, This Morning was the first respectable show format of CBS, which has better ratings than any of the previous morning show efforts. However, it still cannot get out of its third place behind GMA and Today.
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