
“What manner of mayhem is this!” Who would have imagined that they would meet again? In an “art imitates life” surrealistic twist, Katie Couric and Sarah Palin are slated to become principals in the Morning Show Wars. Will viewers take sides? Is this “competitive reality TV” writ large? At first, I saw this convergence as a creative April Fool’s gag. But if you’re reading this, then it’s no longer April 1st, meaning the story is true and went to post. The inevitable question: Who will win the Morning Show Wars? What battles will be waged? How will they be won? Is the war between networks, or is something less savory at play?
Whether there is room for both seems to depend on what stories Katie and Sarah cover. No one expects similar approaches to reporting the facts of the same story. That would be the most revealing. Yet, covering the same story is not a likely strategy.
Should viewers become politicized and polarized the ratings numbers could fare well given a divided electorate. Yeah I’m afraid some will bring a partisan perspective to the proceedings. But you have to believe at least one network is betting on it.