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The new Early Show
By ERIC DEGGANS, Times TV Critic
© St. Petersburg Times Ask newly named Early Show co-host Harry Smith how CBS's morning program will be different come Oct. 28 -- besides the fact that Smith and three other broadcasters will take over as the show's new hosts -- and he'll answer honestly. He's not sure. "We go into rehearsals next week, and I think we already have a good show to start with," said Smith, who hadn't stood in the same room with his co-hosts until the four gathered for promotional photos Monday morning. "I'll be completely candid: When we met (Monday), I had my antennae out, looking for trouble. But this is going to be a good group. . . . This will be fun." CBS on Monday confirmed reports that Smith would join current Early Show newsreader Julie Chen, former NBC Sports reporter Hannah Storm and former Dallas TV reporter Rene Syler as hosts of a revamped morning show debuting Oct. 28. Instead of the typical two-anchor, weatherman, newsreader format seen on competitors such as NBC's Today show and ABC's Good Morning America, CBS plans to divvy up duties equally among the four hosts. Its hope is to increase spontaneity while presenting viewers with a different format. Just don't suggest to CBS bigwigs that the lineup echoes another daytime show with a quartet of hosts, ABC's The View. "The View is a daytime talk show for women. . . . This is a morning news program for everybody," said CBS News president Andrew Heyward. "We wanted to do something that would still deliver the basic ingredients of the morning news diet. . . . But by having four anchors, we could create an additional, interesting dynamic." Rumors had circulated for months on how CBS would retool its morning show, following news in April that star anchor Bryant Gumbel would leave the program. Gumbel had been part of a major revamp in 1999 that included a new name, new talent (including Gumbel, Chen and co-host Jane Clayson) and a new, $30-million streetside studio. But even though the network makes more money on the current show (mostly because it attracts more advertiser-friendly viewers), The Early Show has dipped in the ratings. It sank from a 10 percent share of the available audience over the 1998-99 TV season to an 8 percent share last season, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research. So, once Gumbel was gone, Clayson and weather forecaster Mark McEwen soon followed (Clayson now reports on the CBS Evening News), paving the way for the update, overseen by former Today show producer Michael Bass. Critics remain skeptical, noting that morning TV ratings move very slowly and that viewers resist constant change. "It's a lost cause, that show," said Marc Berman, a ratings analyst for Mediaweek magazine. "My concern is they have four people, who are not the most high-profile people on TV, fighting a losing battle (for viewers)." Smith, 51, who hosted CBS This Morning from 1987 to 1996, said he first warmed to the idea of co-hosting the show while working as a guest host in July after Gumbel's departure. "What really stunned me was how much fun it was," said Smith, who will continue hosting A&E's Biography series while appearing on The Early Show. "I had forgotten the excitement and adrenaline of doing network TV." At age 51, Smith is at least a decade older than co-hosts Storm (40), Chen (32) and Syler (39). He'll also be the only male, making group photos look a little like the Charlie's Angels cast plus Bosley. ("I did notice that when we were getting our pictures taken," said Smith, laughing. "This will not be tough for me to take.") CBS executives are using a low-key approach to announcing the new lineup. Smith and his co-hosts phoned journalists Monday for individual chats, a sharp contrast to the hype-fest that accompanied the 1999 revamping. "Any successful morning strategy is built on continuity and change," said Heyward. "(In 1999), we did raise expectations too much. . . . This time, we'll let the viewers decide. We're not going to make any grandiose claims for success."
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