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Robert Feder: Insane?
By JOHN F. KUCZAJ
Last Tuesday, Robert Feder devoted his Sun-Times column to Channel 11's "Chicago Tonight" program . While he made a good point in criticizing Laura Washington's quixotic columns about the show, I'll have to vehemently disagree with his characterization of the appointment of Bob Sirott as "a particularly smart choice."
I'm tired with the Ponce-bashing already! Now it's Feder's turn to jump the pile! John Callaway was a great host and an awesome interviewer but now he's gone--quit moaning about Ponce not being good enough to succeed Callaway. No one would have been good enough! How do you succeed a legend? Certainly not with Bob Sirott.
Bob Sirott is not some kind of savior. He's less like John Callaway than Ponce. At best, Sirott is a journeyman media personality. That is to say, he's done a lot of things in his career...none of them have been particularly spectacular but all have been done well. True, Sirott has his audience, but the problem is that people's opinions seem to be polarized on him. You either like him or hate him. Not so with Callaway or Ponce. The problem with a polarized personality is that you have immediately limited your ratings potential since you are really appealing to a niche audience.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see if Feder is right that "Ch. 11 finally wises up with Chicago Tonight." Personally, I'm dreading what's going to happen to the show. I have this fear that some knot-head behind the scenes is going to try to "liven up" the show in order to attract a "more desirable" (read: younger) audience. I fear that this is the same knot-head that has already decided to piss in the pool that is "Chicago Tonight" by making the asinine decision to go with dual-topic shows. Have you seen this? Two segments covering totally different topics with two different panels. I would call the result a train crash, but I don't want to sully the reputations of railroad workers. It's happened twice in each of the last 2 weeks!
It's an utter calamity.
The beauty of Chicago Tonight was that it was a one hour debate squeezed into 30 minutes. It was a show that HAD to get to the meat of the matter due to time restrictions. They have to continue the discussion through the credits because they ran out of time. Yes, they did their best, but 30 minutes is hardly enough time for an educated debate.
Until now...apparently someone at Net-doesn't-work Chicago has decided that 30 minutes was too MUCH time and we should split the show into two segments. The result? Instead of probing deeply into issues in the time-tested Chicago Tonight manner, we get a gloss-job. Forget the arguments, we need to spew the issues fast because our next segment on graphite vs. lead pencils is coming up.
Let me go on record and say right now that whomever decided to break the show into two segments is a complete and utter fricking idiot. No question. No debate. No doubt. The person that made the decision has little knowledge of whatever their job is and needs to be pelted with I-55 road kill during the next pledge drive, which by my estimation is next week. The moron making this change is on par with the braniacs who decided Channel 2 should go "If it bleeds it leads" after Walter left and the guy who thought Jerry Springer would enhance the credibility of Channel 5 news. Fire that person!
Chicago Tonight is a 30-minute discussion program focusing on one topic in the news and featuring guests with diverse and varying viewpoints on said topic, led by a moderator. That's the beauty of the show. Mess with it and you're messing with nitro.
That having been said, I'll give the new show a chance when it debuts.
Hopefully it won't suck as badly as I dread it will, but I'll reserve final judgment.
Will it be smart? Or will it be like "Fox Thing in The Morning?"
We'll see.
Feder suggested that a welcome addition would include "pieces with Sirott's wife and former co-host, Marianne Murciano." I strongly disagree with that. Ratings for "Fox Thing" went in the crapper when Bob & Marianne started liking each other...what would the point be in putting her on the air other than blatant nepotism and the desire for two incomes?
IF that happens, THAT would be moment "Chicago Tonight" Jumps the Shark.
Musings
By JOHN F. KUCZAJ
I was thinking the other day about how mediocre politicians with lots of clout and little regard for the average vote enjoy having things named after them (The Thompson Center, Stroger Hospital, etc.) and was wondering why no one's mentioned the fact that someday the illogically-named Millennium Park WILL be re-christened Richard M. Daley Park. I expected Mark Brown or John Kass to have jumped on this already, but then again, maybe it's too early. If I were to bet on it, I'd say that Kass would jump all over it first but Mark Brown is a wily fellow and may surprise me. Considering the misguided planning, laughable cost overruns and the humongous goofy wiener sculpture for a park that few demanded or wanted; Richard M. Daley Park may be an apt legacy for Boss Daley.
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