Bob Costas and Anderson Cooper Diss Cable News Networks And Their Tabloid Fixation…

When television is good, nothing–not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers–nothing is better .But when television is bad, nothing is worse….Sit down in front of your television set [and] I can assure you that you will observe a vast wasteland. [Newton Minnow, May 1961]

Note: This foreboding message was delivered before the advent of Cable Television when TV programming on only 3 channels – ABC, NBC and CBS – contributed to the dumbing down of America. Just imagine what Minnow would say about the veritable doldrums that constitute TV programming today – on over 500 channels, 24/7 – and contribute to the dumbing down of the entire world….

Bob Costas is no Newton Minnow but he demonstrated last week that he is prepared to convey Minnow’s message to our generation.

Unfortunately, with Costas, I am constrained to plead – “don’t hate the messenger”. Because, in so many ways, Costas comes across on TV like a white Bryant Gumbel: as a brilliant, articulate and telegenic broadcaster who, at times, displays such a pip-squeak, holier-than-thou streak that I’m invariably conflicted about complimenting his terrific performances.

Case in point:

CNN executives had high hopes for boosting their ratings when they signed Costas earlier this summer to guest host the popular “Larry King Live” show. The contract called for Costas to substitute for King for 20 shows this year. And, he’s done 6 to date. CNN president Jon Klein heralded the prospect of Costas sitting-in by swooning that

…Bob’s broad range of interests, his quick wit and his deft interview skills will engage viewers in the best King tradition….We are delighted that he will be filling in for Larry from time to time.

Indeed. And, by all accounts, Costas performed well for the first 3 nights of his 4-night gig. Then last Thursday, when he was scheduled to engage King’s gaggle of regular talking-heads in badinage about Dennis “BTK” Rader and Natalee Holloway, Costas refused!

Here’s how he explained his unwillingness to add his voice to this Cable Television farce:

I didn’t think the subject matter of Thursday’s show was the kind of broadcast I should be doing….I suggested some alternatives but the producers preferred the topics they had chosen. I was fine with that, and respectfully declined to participate.

Now, who can argue with that! In fact, with due respect to Natalee’s Mummy Beth Holloway – who was scheduled to make her regular appearance – Costas should be applauded. Because, any TV personality who has enough integrity to shun the “teenager missing in Aruba” media orgy redeems his profession (ever so slightly) and shames his colleagues quite appropriately.

But, as I indicated, I can never quite compliment anything Costas does without some degree of conflict. In this case, it stems from the fact that he conveyed the right message but in the wrong manner. After all, as a guest host, he had a duty to respect and perform consistent with the nature of King’s show which – as everyone knows – is to talk any sensational news story to death (OJ, S. Petersen, M. Jackson etc).

Therefore, Costas should’ve made the show’s producers aware of his principled revulsion to such mindless banter before signing his contract. As it was, in dissing the affable King whilst guest hosting his show, Costas came across like a self-righteous hypocrite. See ya “Later” Bob!

Apropos self-righteous hypocrites, Anderson Cooper actually outperformed Costas last Tuesday with his assertion on Charlie Rose that

CNN is all about serious topics…that’s what we do.

He then added – in true pip-squeak, holier-than-thou fashion – that his rivals on FOX and MSNBC are all about Natalee Holloway fluff, 24/7. (Incidentally, he said this in the context of promoting his heart-wrenching and very informative documentary on starving babies in Niger.)

Fair enough. Although, given the Costas episode referenced above, one has to wonder what Cooper’s Natalee-obsessed colleagues at CNN (especially Nancy Grace) think about his patently fallacious assertion….

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