Morning Shows Go All Robin Williams
Forget the conflict in the middle east, the problems in Iraq, the heavy rain in Motown, because comedian Robin Williams has died.
You can be sure that presidents and kings have gotten less airtime than network morning television devoted Tuesday morning to the death of Robin Williams.
The NY Daily News writes that all three major network morning shows - "Good Morning America" on ABC, "The Today Show" on NBC and "CBS This Morning" on CBS - made Williams the dominant theme of their Tuesday programs.
Each had "Robin Williams" logos and Williams photos for backdrops. Each also focused on his career, not on the details of his death, which was suicide at the age of 63.
"He was one of the titans of television," said Charlie Rose on "CBS This Morning." "He was impossible to categorize. . . a guaranteed laugh."
Robin Roberts of "Good Morning America," one of numerous hosts who had clips of previous interviews with Williams, called him an unmatched guest who "kept you on your toes" with his rapid-fire answers and riffs.
Television devoted so much time to Williams Tuesday morning that eventually some of the hosts and guests ran low on things to say. At that point they let Williams take over, falling back on multiple clips from his movies and TV appearances.
When Matt Lauer of "Today" interviewed Meryl Streep about her new movie, he first asked about Williams.
A return to raglan news is expected Today.