Lessons Learned on Morning News

The rule of thumb for morning news shows traditionally has been that the 7-to-8 a.m. segment is reserved for “hard news” or controversial issues. That’s still generally true.

But the definition of hard news has changed, and now the journalistic bulwarks are often breached by rivulets of fluff in the form of celebrity interviews, diet advice and news of the weird.

I spent a recent week watching the first hour of the ABC, CBS and NBC morning news shows and found that, in general, they report on the same big stories. All of the shows featured celebrity stories in the second (and sometimes the first) half-hour, with ABC’s “Good Morning America” focusing considerable attention on famous faces, including Mariah Carey.

It might be said that watching a week’s worth of programming is perhaps not the fairest way to judge any show. With the exception of election years, summer is traditionally a slow news time, and this particular week did not sizzle with hot headlines. But looking at it another way, what better time to study how news producers make the best of a week in the doldrums?

Lesson One from this exercise: Domestic news rules, from fires in Western states to Washington policy matters to computer viruses to toy safety recalls. International news is not sexy, particularly if it doesn’t bleed or involve someone you might see regularly in People magazine.

For example, front-page stories in major newspapers July 30, a Monday, included a symbolic vote by Vieques residents to eject the U.S. Navy from the island, a landslide victory for Japan’s governing party, and Palestinians and Israelis skirmishing at the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The three shows mentioned these, but only in news headlines.

The first hour’s top stories Monday: on NBC, a Chandra Levy update; on ABC, a follow-up on an Iowa adoption case; and on CBS, an explosion at an Ohio fair. (To be fair, ABC and NBC did longer segments on an international story in Monday’s first hour, that of a Chinese-American scholar detained by China and released.)

As with the cable news networks, the Levy story was prominent. Tuesday was the only day that no major segments were shown in the first hour. NBC’s “Today” followed the Levy disappearance for four days, and CBS’ “The Early Show” for three.

When high-profile interviews were offered, most shows used them. On Thursday, Dr. Robert Dowling, the doctor who performed the surgery involving the first mechanical heart, was seen on all three programs. Two of three (ABC and CBS) prominently featured interviews with Pam Grunow, widow of Barry Grunow, the teacher killed by teenage student Nathaniel Brazill.

Each program had scoops or exclusive interviews during the week, but even those focused on sex, Kennedys and crime. Celebrity, pop culture and lifestyle stories were easier to find, in one case in the first half-hour. “Good Morning America” chronicled Mariah Carey’s illness in a prominent slot, 7:15 a.m., on Friday. Shelley Ross, executive producer of “Good Morning America,” said the story was important because Carey is a superstar with a lot of fans.

Similarly, “The Early Show” presented lunchtime workout tips at 7:47 on Friday.

Celebrity chat sometimes became star worship. On Thursday at 7:40, “Good Morning America” featured the first of a two-part interview with Angelina Jolie about her movie “Original Sin.” GMA national correspondent Don Dahler fairly slobbered on Jolie: “The movie opens with those incredible lips of yours looking on a theater screen about the size of king-size pillows on a bed made for trouble.”

About the same time (7:43 on Thursday), Katie Couric on “Today” committed no lesser crimes in her talk with Jolie’s co-star, Antonio Banderas.

Despite the movie’s lukewarm reviews, Couric spent time tediously dissecting the plot and then got down to the nitty-gritty: “I know the buzz has been about the sex scenes. Antonio! I saw more of you than I ever thought I would in this movie!”

Barring breaking news, is there a formula for content in the first hour?

Yes and no. “Today” is the only program that features 22 minutes of uninterrupted news, beginning at 7 a.m. Allison Gollust, spokeswoman for “Today,” said it would be unusual to see celebrity news in the first half-hour. “And you wouldn’t see a cooking segment at 7:35,” she said.

Steve Friedman, senior executive producer with “The Early Show,” said there are no rigid rules. “The idea is to tell people what’s going on when they get up, then ease into the program. If there’s a lot going on, you don’t ease,” he said.

Because viewers need a little order at the beginning of the day, it’s also important to be somewhat predictable, he said. You may not like what “Today” or “The Early Show” are doing, he said, but “you know what they’re going to do. At ABC, it’s hard to understand what’s going on.”

Ross disagreed, comparing the viewing of “Good Morning America” to the reading of a newspaper, with the first half-hour as the front page and later the inside sections.

So who was first in the ratings that week? “Today,” which has been the No. 1 morning show for the last seven years, came in first with 5.26 million viewers, followed by “Good Morning America” with 3.63 million and “The Early Show” with 2.25 million.