CBS Morning News

The CBS Morning News is the name historically given to a morning news program on CBS between 5:00 AM and 6:00 AM ET. CBS's current morning news program is called The Early Show, which currently competes with NBC's The Today Show and ABC's Good Morning America. CBS's attempts at counterprogramming in this slot have never experienced the success of "Today" or "GMA".

1980s: "They shot it in the head."

Change came to the program in 1981, when the program was retitled Morning and anchored by Charles Kuralt. Upon the program's expansion to 90 minutes, Diane Sawyer joined the show as co-anchor. The program featured long pieces from CBS News bureaus, and many viewed it as a highbrow, classy newscast in the best CBS tradition. Unfortunately for Kuralt, changes at the CBS Evening News would put him out of a job.

Related Topics:
1981 - Charles Kuralt - Diane Sawyer - CBS Evening News

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As part of the restructuring which occurred at CBS News owing to Dan Rather's ratings problems, management decided morning news programming should be more competitive, and brought in Bill Kurtis, and a former producer of Good Morning America, George Merlis, to revamp the broadcast. Most CBS News insiders credit Merlis with nearly doubling viewership numbers by March 1983. For his trouble, Merlis was fired.

Related Topics:
Dan Rather - Bill Kurtis - Good Morning America - 1983

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The program then became a case study in how not to manage a news organization. Former beauty queen Phyllis George was brought in as a co-anchor when Sawyer left for 60 Minutes, and managed to alienate viewers and violate standards of journalism when, during an interview with an accused rapist and alleged victim who had recanted her story, she encouraged the two to hug.

Related Topics:
Phyllis George - 60 Minutes

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After some convulsions on the part of both CBS management (who blanched at paying three million dollars for someone to do nothing) and George, Maria Shriver and Forrest Sawyer made a grim effort to broadcast a respectable show. However CBS News management had other ideas in September of 1986. As Dr. Bob Arnot, the show's medical correspondent put it, "They shot it in the head."

Related Topics:
Maria Shriver - 1986

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In 1987, CBS premiered "CBS This Morning". In 1990, Paula Zahn joined the show and joined co-host Harry Smith and weatherman Mark McEwen. In 1996, the show was revamped and McEwen and Jane Robelot, who had been the show's news anchor, took over as co-hosts. Before the show was replaced with the "Early Show" in 1999, Russ Mitchell and Thalia Assuras hosted the show.

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