FOX's Terry Bradshaw is getting some heat for an insensitive remark aimed at Kansas City head coach Andy Reid. I think it was just Terry being Terry. He meant no harm. Still, it was a stupid thing to say. Considering the fine stable of talent FOX has, it would have been easy to find someone better at podium/trophy presentation duties than Terry Bradshaw.
There was a mass shooting at Michigan State University Monday night. I spun the radio dial on my way to work early Tuesday morning, looking for the latest information. It would be several minutes before top of the hour network newscasts. It was a bad atmospheric night. The Philadelphia, New York and Chicago "all news" stations weren't coming in good. On one local talk station, a silly man was talking about UFO's or something like that. On another, a couple of guys were bashing one of the political parties. The top of the hour arrived. The network newscast on the oldies station was cut off after a few seconds by an apparent computer error. I finally pulled in a network newscast on another station. Friends, it shouldn't be this hard. Broadcasters, we are our own worst enemies.
Two AM stations in Las Vegas go silent for good at the end of this month. The owner sold the land where the towers are located. The land is worth more than the stations. One ran sports. The other featured conservative talk. This makes me sad.
CNN management is getting raked over the coals for a proposal to give Charles Barkley a prime time news and interview show. I'm no snob. You don't need a journalism degree to ask questions. I point to actor David Hartman, who knocked it out of the park as the first host of ABC's "Good Morning America." Hartman was curious, smart, sensitive and involved. He had a combination of warmth and gravitas. Barkley? I'm not so sure.
CBS is said to be replacing "The Late Late Show" with a comedy game show. Yay for thinking outside the box, but this is just a blatant attempt to save money. There is some great comedy talent out there, and while I was less than thrilled with James Corden, it's a shame to watch this franchise go away. I thought Corden got off to a great start, but "Late Late" became just another smarmy Hollywood smooch fest. I really miss Tom Snyder's intelligence and Craig Ferguson's edginess.
Speaking of Craig Ferguson, he and Sony are shopping around a new half hour show for late night. It appears to be a comedy clip show and it's called "Channel Surf." The syndicator says there is room for a new half hour on schedules because of a lack of sitcom reruns entering the field. I love Craig Ferguson, but I don't see this effort getting a lot of traction.
Industry publications say NBC will make a huge bid to get back in the NBA business in a couple of years. Basketball isn't my thing, but I thought NBC did a good job with the league twenty years ago. But then again, Marv Albert is retired and Bob Costas has left the network.
