NBC’s Done It Again

Exit Piers Morgan (left); Enter Howard Stern. Really?

NBC, the television network that’s ranks 4^th in the broadcast ratings race (only the WB keeps it out of last place) has shot itself in the foot again by making a controversial change to one of its most popular shows.

If you’ll remember over the last 20 years moves made by NBC has sparked the two of the most infamous power battles in the history of the TV business. Both of them involved the iconic late night talk show, The Tonight Show.

The first happened in the early 1990’s and involved the choice of a replacement for the legendary host Johnny Carson, who was retiring. The network overlooked the obvious and logical successor, David Letterman in favor of the less popular choice, Jay Leno. The decision resulted in Letterman’s departure from the network to host a competing show on CBS.

Then in 2009 NBC in an effort not lose Letterman’s successor to the “Late Night” talk show, Conan O’Brien, made the dumbest “its not broke so let’s fix it” move since the introduction of new Coke.

They replaced Leno with O’Brien as Tonight Show host and moved Leno to a 10PM prime time show. It was a monumental failure lasting only 8 months.

Both of these infamous NBC faux pas are explored in the books “The Late Shift” and “The War For Late Night” both by Bill Carter.

I’ve mentioned these NBC mistakes to rant about what I perceive as a choice by the network that ranks right up there with them. It involved one of my favorite summertime TV shows and one of NBC’s rare ratings successes, America’s Got Talent.

Because he’s now the host of his own talk show on CNN, one of the 3 judges on AGT, Piers Morgan has left the show. That leaves Sharon Osborne as the only remaining original judge on the 3 person panel. Comedian Howie Mandel replaced David Hasselhoff at the start of the show’s 2010 season. NBC in it’s infinite wisdom has signed to replace Morgan…(drumroll please) Howard Stern (“you lose” music from “The Price Is Right”).

I can't think of a worse choice in all media. How does he fit into this show? What does he know about talent? If the person auditioning is not dancing around a pole, stripping or taking their clothes off, how does Stern know if they’ve got talent or not?

Howard Stern is on Sirius satellite radio because he is too vulgar for broadcast radio. How is he going to fit in on a “family” network show? Can you see Howard Stern making a judgement call on someone like Kaitlyn Maher or Jackie Evancho? 

While Pier Morgan was not the most likable guy on the show his harsh judgement were coated in pure honesty. While his judgments might  have on the mean side rather often he wouldn't say them if they weren't genuine. Stern has a reputation for being caustically mean and crude. His nastiness is extremely self serving. How will this fit into the atmosphere of AGT?

I will never know because I will never watch another minute of “America’s Got Talent.” I’m sure several of the other people I know who watch the show will probably won't either. You have to wonder just how many of the show’s 14 million viewers and it’s many advertisers who want to reach a “family based” demographic will abandon the show as well.

So once again NBC makes a bad decision when replacing a person vital to the continued success of one of its most popular programs. Perhaps someone should tell NBC executives that continuing to do the same thing (in this case stupid choices for the people involved on their popular shows) and expecting different results is the quintessential definition of “insanity.”

I’ll miss AGT very much but I’ll get over it just like I did with “American Idol.”