I eagerly waited for the new Kathleen Parker/ Eliot Spitzer show on CNN. I thought that these two talented and knowledgeable people could pull it off; however, I was wrong. For some strange reason the suits at CNN seem to think that every show has to have some silliness involved to hold our attention. Wrong. Silly is just that, silly.
Having several short segments doesn’t work either. If you are going to discuss a topic then discuss it. These segments are more like promos or teasers. The most annoying thing is having people talk over each other. Nothing is gained by this. It is just plain frustrating and boring. It’s what killed Crossfire. If you are going to have guests who are important to listen to, then treat them like guests who are important to listen to. I am not interested in the least about what your guilty pleasure is. My feeling is that the fault lies in the offices of the network. These are the same people who brought us Rick Sanchez and his never ending bloviating.
Putting on my communication consultant hat, the program violates almost every rule of effective communication. Entertainment at its best is good communication. There are too many topics, too many segments, no real focal point, too much silliness and too many guests whose time is wasted. I don’t know how long CNN is prepared to stay with this turkey, but in my mind it will be gone long before Thanksgiving.
