It's not that I didn't find Aaron Brown's act risible. (harryshearer.com/leshow, search "Aaron Brown" for details) People on modern-day American television can't just be thoughtful guys, assuming that Mr. Brown is one. They have to play one; and, given that newscasters aren't actors, that means overplay. Of course, emotional guys have to play their role, too, but, in modern-day American television, we know which of those two acts inevitably wins out.
Nonetheless, it's worth pausing over some of the quotes uttered by CNN's honcho du jour Jonthan Klein as he shoved Mr. Thoughtful out the door for Mr. Emotional. From the NYT:
The evidence, [Klein] said, was in the ratings and the number of people, "both in the audience and among observers of the industry" who have been talking about him. Mr. Cooper's 7 p.m. show had 36 percent more viewers over the last month compared with a year earlier. The 11-to-midnight portion of "Newsnight" has also gained viewers with Mr. Cooper on the show the last month. That hour has been up about 27 percent over the previous occupant, a replay of Mr. Dobbs's newscast.
Mr. Klein also noted that Mr. Cooper has started to turn up as a character satirized on "Saturday Night Live" on NBC, a development that he said was "a sure sign" that people were becoming more aware of him.
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
"Anderson's the man, obviously," Klein said. "The whole country is talking about Anderson, and it only made sense to find a larger showcase for him."
From the AP:
"He's got a refreshing way of being the anti-anchor," he said. "He's not quote-unquote reporting at you. He's just being himself. He's asking the questions you would like answered. He's getting involved the way you might. You feel that he's a regular person that you can trust talking to you. He brings such a passion to the storytelling that's infectious."
So, let's review: people are talking about him, he's being satirized on SNL, he's like a regular person. Wow, takes me back. It's just like hearing Fred Friendly talking about Ed Murrow, isn't it?
