The Early Show
From Free net encyclopedia
Template:Infobox television The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City, 7 to 9 a.m. (8 to 9 a.m. in some markets with cut-ins during the 7 a.m. hour) (EST), Mondays through Fridays.
Contents |
About the Show
In 1979, CBS premiered Morning, to compete with Good Morning America and The Today Show. It originally was an hour-long program, before extending to 90 minutes by 1981, and two hours a year later. It featured various hosts and correspondents from CBS News such as Charles Kuralt, Diane Sawyer, Bill Kurtis, Bob Schieffer, Maria Shriver, and Phyllis George. It was never successful in the ratings, and CBS cancelled the program in 1987.
By 1987, CBS renamed its morning news program CBS This Morning, with hosts Harry Smith, Kathleen Sullivan, and weathercaster Mark McEwen. Sullivan would be replaced by Paula Zahn in 1990 and later Jane Robelot in 1996. McEwen would later replace Smith in 1996. It too, was never successful in ratings, and became the predecessor to The Early Show.
The current hosts are Julie Chen, Harry Smith, Hannah Storm, Rene Syler, and weatherman Dave Price. There is also a weekend edition titled The Saturday Early Show, which is hosted by Russ Mitchell and Tracy Smith. The Early Show features celebrity interviews and light entertainment and news pieces. It usually places third in the ratings behind NBC's The Today Show and ABC's Good Morning America. In recent years, it has improved in the ratings, but not enough to win in the time period against the two other morning shows, who are both trying to win first place.
The Early Show began in 1999 with hosts Bryant Gumbel and Jane Clayson. They were replaced in 2002 by the current team of four. The show also has a number of "correspondents" who do short segments on specific issues; Martha Stewart, Martha Quinn, Bobby Flay, and Bob Vila, among others, have been featured in this role. Stewart's participation garnered headlines on June 25, 2002, due to her obsessively chopping vegetables for a salad while refusing to answer Clayson's questions regarding her stock fraud scandal -- Stewart stopped contributing to the program after the appearance, which was immortalized in an NBC TV-movie of Stewart's life a few months later.
Much like NBC's The Today Show and The Tonight Show, the title The Early Show is analogous to that of CBS's late-night talk show, The Late Show.
The Saturday Early Show
The Saturday Early Show premiered in September 1997 as "CBS News Saturday Morning". It is currently co-hosted by Russ Mitchell and Tracy Smith; Ira Joe Fisher provides weather reports. The show features news and lifestyle segments, including "Chef on a Shoestring" (a cooking segment) and "The Second Cup Cafe" (a music segment).
The Saturday Early Show is broadcast live beginning at 7:00 a.m. EST from the GM Building on Fifth Avenue in New York City, across the street from Central Park. However, it airs at different times depending on the local affiliate.