CBS starts viewers’ mornings differently

Emphasis on news makes show stand out from competitors.

In 1982, CBS uprooted “Captain Kangaroo” from its weekday berth after 27 years. The beloved children’s show got the heaveho to make way for a breakfasthour news show to go up against ABC’s “Good Morning America” and NBC’s “Today.”

For the next 30 years, that didn’t go so well. One misfire after another kept CBS a ratings also-ran. It was as if kindly Captain Kangaroo was getting payback for CBS doing him wrong.

Then, five years ago, that quixotic quest bore fruit with the debut of “CBS This Morning.” After three dismal decades, CBS had brought something fresh and useful to the morning TV realm. For that remarkable feat, it seemed the Captain decided to lift his curse.

True, “CBS This Morning” (averaging 3.69 million viewers for fourth-quarter 2016) remains in third place, behind nip-and-tuck front-runners “GMA” (which averaged 4.66 million viewers for the quarter, edging out “Today” by 84,000) and “Today” (which, ave r a g i ng 4.7 9 mil l i on v i e we r s i n December, e ke d out a 98,000-viewer monthly win).

But CBS’ audience is steadily i n c r e a s i n g , w i t h y e a r - o v e r - year growth for 50 consecutive months, while the gap erodes bet ween “This Morning” and its rivals.

Airing weekdays from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. EST, “CBS This Morning” is a relative newbie to “GMA” (which premiered in 1975) and “Today” (born in 1952). And for viewers who haven’t yet gotten on board, it may most simply be described as blessed relief from those competitors. It is thought-

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