What Are We Going to do About Today?

  December 12, 2011 by Beth Temple

Today (the show) seems to be grappling with it’s future and we’re all watching. It’s interesting when a ‘network jewel’ has the same challenge as a whole industry – do we stay with journalism traditions or do we embrace ‘reality’ culture? It couldn’t be clearer than the choice that Comcast has to make: keep Matt or add Ryan?

The solution is right under their noses and most viewers already consider it to be the format of the show anyway. It just needs to be formalized and the contract negotiations are a good starting point. Comcast can have their Matt and their Ryan too.

If it is true that Matt wants less time on the couch, give him the 7-7:30am slot (call it ‘Start Today’) – 30 minutes of real news: political, world, interesting – curated journalism without the Kardashians. Maybe it goes until 8am. Then turn it over to Ryan for lifestyle reporting where talk on cooking, health, pop culture and suggestive selling can dominate and propagate (they are doing something similar now at the 10am hand-off).

When there is a crisis that requires more than 30 minutes, keep Matt on and shift the show to reflect the urgency of the content. Viewers are already time-shifting their shows, why can’t the shows do a little time shifting as well?

Bottom line: let’s de-couple the idea of news and nibbles as being the same thing. We’ll all be better for it – come Today and Tomorrow.

12. December 2011 by Beth Temple
Categories: Blue Sky Thinking, It's broke, let's fix it, Media/TV/Cable | 1 comment