Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite just poured some drinks and rolled over in their graves. Ed Bradley is throwing up.
CBS News has announced they’ve chosen yet another former NFL player t ohost one of their shows. Akbar Oluwakemi-Idowu Gbajabiamila is going to co-host the low rated talk show called “The Talk.” He is also a commentator on the very serious news show, “American Ninja Warrior.”
This seems like a plot from “Murphy Brown,” a satire about TV journalism.
“The Talk.” an abysmal program, replaced “As the World Turns” a decade ago. Les Moonves created the show as vehicle for his wife, Julie Chen, to compete with ABC’s “The View.”
Akbar joins a motley crew including Sheryl Underwood, Amanda Kloots, and Jerry O’Connell. This is a meeting of no minds, although O’Connell is funny. Kloots has managed to turn the death of her husband, Broadway star Nick Cordero, into an Eve Harrington moment par excellence. Underwood’s charms are a mystery. But there they are.
Akbar follows Nate Burleson, another ex NFL-er, who replaced serious journalist Anthony Mason on “CBS This Morning,” now retitled “CBS Mornings.” While it’s great to see African American men join CBS News, maybe they should be professional journalists. There are plenty of Black correspondents who are probably really pissed at these announcements.
And what’s next for CBS News? Profiles of Kim Kardashian on “60 Minutes”? The whole thing is preposterous and sad.
But hey, congrats to Akbar and to Nate. I think they’re being used. But hopefully this will be good for their careers. They should get in touch with Sally Quinn to ask how CBS did with her years ago.
Praise God for this exciting news. It is an absolute honor to be joining @TheTalkCBS as a co-host! I am so excited for this new generation of such a hallmark establishment in daytime television. To be a part of this diverse group, is truly a dream & a new statement for this show. pic.twitter.com/VJ8JGE1VAt
— Akbar Gbajabiamila (@Akbar_Gbaja) September 2, 2021
