The first reviews of CNN's new morning show New Day are out, and network boss Jeff Zucker will be none too pleased.
TVNewser's Gail Shister lambasted the program, in particular co-host Chris Cuomo who she said "can make a lost-kitten story sound like a mass murder":
With gray-suited Chris Cuomo sandwiched between Christmas co-anchors Kate Bolduan (green dress) and Michaela Pereira (red dress), segments ran at a dizzying pace. That’s heavy voltage before breakfast.
Moreover, CNN dragged out practically its whole roster of correspondents for live talk backs. By my count, there were eight in the first eight packages alone. It was overkill, even for network boss Jeff Zucker. [...]
As for the “comfy and conversational” aspect, that, too, was overdone. While Bolduan and Pereira gabbed like girlfriends around the glass table, the uber-intense Cuomo seemed uneasy and out of place. Face it, the guy can make a lost-kitten story sound like a mass murder.
In fact, Cuomo’s testosterone level is so off the charts that, with the exception of “Early Start” anchor John Berman at about 7:30, only female correspondents were brought on set — Christiane Amanpour, Christine Romans (showing plenty of leg), Pamela Browne, Michelle Turner. We’ll see how long Cuomo remains the only cock in the roost.
Shister also took issue with Cuomo's "annoying habit of referring to his interview subjects as 'my friend.'...These unctuous addresses make Cuomo seem like a politician, which, given his bloodline, is understandable but nonetheless irritating."
She concluded, "Will CNN’s newest 'family' erase the network’s record of failure in the mornings? Zucker, and CNN, are banking on it, but judging by today’s launch, that may be a shaky investment.
Given Cuomo's tradition of perilously liberal bias, we feel the same way.
