Top Of The Morning: Inside The Cutthroat World Of Morning TV (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
I thought this was a great story but it didn't go deep enough. Basically everything this book goes into has already been covered and there isn't much new here. It does go into more detail on why GMA moved past Today which is quite interesting. It is also fascinating when it details the history of the rating wars between the two and also mentions the various CBS story incarnations which allows it to offer a full view of the morning scene. Where it falls apart is it makes Matt Lauer out to be the main bad guy, but then tries to say he wasn't with the Operation Bambi story. It also makes the GMA team out to be happy and fun together when, as we recently saw, there are deep gaps in there as well. I think this story would be been much better without the agenda.Still I recommend it for those who are interested in media. I must admit, I don't watch the Today show or Good Morning America, although I used to think they were respectable when I was younger. And I also must admit, I only read half the book or so, because I just didn't care all that much about people who are stars, who should in fact be making the news the real star or important part of people's day.Now, like I said before, I don't know what the morning shows were like 20 or 30 years ago, but when I do turn on the tv at that hour, it seems so fake. I mean, there must be more going on than just reality shows. It seems kind of sad to me that our society or part of our culture has turned out this way. Is that really what viewers want to see? I read a lot of journalism, and it seems like morning TV isn't going to be the future say 20 to 30 years down the road, if they have this kind of controversey.I think I read half the book, because it was interesting reading about the Today show, and in particular, Ann Curry. It seems like she had some really loyal fans and maybe she didn't fit into the whole Today show family mold, but she was daring to be different, and I think that is important that she tried. I really liked hearing about the behind the scenes stuff, because, when you think about it, these newscasters are really the stars of their program. Maybe that wasn't always the case, but if you look at GOod Morning America and then the Today show, which now seems like it's trying to be like GMA, then the newscasters are the stars. That just doesn't seem right. But, then again, it must be tough to find news stories time after time, day after day, but with their salary, maybe they should do a story that they know needs to be told, even if it makes them uncomfortable. Thanks for reading.
What do You think about Top Of The Morning: Inside The Cutthroat World Of Morning TV (2013)?
An easy read that takes you behind the scenes of morning TV.
—lauriebonjo
I love stories about the inside working of television.
—sally22
