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  3. For three frustrating decades, CBS has been the biggest loser in the morning

For three frustrating decades, CBS has been the biggest loser in the morning

游客2023-12-12  23
问题     For three frustrating decades, CBS has been the biggest loser in the morning. Now, rather than trying to beat Today and Good Morning America at their own game, the network wants to change the rules.
    In a bid to move upscale, CBS came extremely close to signing Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the hosts of MSNBC’s political chatfest Morning Joe—so close that they were promised complete creative control and the deal was set to be announced. But as the duo was having second thoughts about the switch, NBC chief executive Steve Burke killed the idea, saying he wouldn’t let them abandon one of his favorite shows.
    So CBS’s Early Show unveiled Plan B, tapping veteran PBS talker Charlie Rose and Oprah pal Gayle King, an unorthodox pairing that could produce a more cerebral program—or simply a snoozefest. It’s a gamble that the rival shows privately denigrate, given their ratings success with a formula heavy on crime and celebrities. But even some of their own stars are uneasy wading into that swamp.
    At GMA, there is no longer talk of a newsier, politics-laden program led by George Stephanopou-los, the onetime Clinton White House aide brought in last year from the wonky world of Sunday-morning television. Instead, a new producer has pushed the ABC show firmly down the tabloid path, to the point where co-host Robin Roberts has argued they have gone too far. "I’ll be honest, it’s been an adjustment for me, the lighter fare, " she tells Newsweek. "I want to be No. 1. I don’t want to sell my soul to the devil to be No. 1."
    Today co-host Ann Curry, who specializes in humanitarian disasters, voices a similar lament: "I’m at my core a hard-news reporter. I want more spinach and less sugar in this big meal we give viewers. Sometimes I feel personally our balance isn’t quite right. I fight for stories that matter."
    The lighter side is working for GMA, with the program lately cutting the Today show’s perennial lead in half, trailing 500, 000 viewers behind the NBC show’s audience of 5. 3 million. Still, Today remains TV’s most profitable program, delivering more than $ 500 million in annual revenue. It is catering to a largely female audience, especially after 7:30, which explains why news on Today and especially GMA quickly gives way to Justin Bieber stories and missing-toddler updates.
    Today (which is twice as long as the other, two-hour shows) has dominated the morning wars for 13 years and routinely lands the biggest interviews. Today producer Jim Bell insists that while ABC has gone "lowbrow" and CBS is going "highbrow, " his show features a "healthy mix."
    The program has been a bit uneven since Curry replaced Meredith Vieira in June. The secret ingredient on the breakfast menu is a casual intimacy, the Katie-and-Matt, Charlie-and-Diane chemistry that can prove utterly elusive. Some NBC insiders see Curry, who was passed over five years ago, as uncomfortable in her new role. Curry admits to having "a lot of apprehension" at first: "I feel like Cinderella, like I’m dancing with the prince at the ball and I’m wearing a pretty dress."
    ABC faced a similar dilemma in pairing the intense Stephanopoulos with the empathetic Roberts, who shared with viewers her struggle with breast cancer. "Teams are made up of different people with different strengths playing different positions, " says Stephanopoulos. Roberts had to get used to his solo stylo they almost never chat during the show when the cameras are off, with Stephanopoulos usually tapping on his BlackBerry.
    The greatest threat to Today’s long reign is what happens when Lauer’s contract expires in 2012. Friends say he is tired of the morning grind and might well leave, which would give GMA a rare opening. The Today show’s winning streak "is legendary, " says Roberts. "We want that crown."  [br] CBS’s Early Show is more likely to focus on
选项 A、small talks.
B、urban crime.
C、social problems.
D、movie stars.
答案 C
解析 推断题。由CBS’s Early Show定位至第三段。第二句指出“It’s a gamble that the rival shows privately denigrate，given their ratings success with a formula heavy on crime and celebrities．”，可见其他电视台对CBS新节目加以诟病的原因是现在这些电视台高收视率的节目主要是围绕犯罪和名人话题。在最后一句指出“But even some of their own stars are uneasy wading into that swamp．”之后，作者在第四段举例加以说明，由首句可知现在的节目内容趋向轻松，这正是其他电视台的通行做法。结合第三段首句中的“a more cerebral program一or simply a snooze fest”可以判断，CBS的新节目因其不合常规而遭人诟病，[C]属于严肃话题，因此最符合文意。
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