The King and eye
It’s a Gayle force on ‘CBS This Morning’
‘CBS This Morning” launched in January 2012 with co-anchors Gayle King, Charlie Rose and Erica Hill and a mandate to cover hard news — while eschewing traditional morning-show staples (lifestyle segments, cute animals, stunts, etc.).
“We had a lot of doubters coming in, no question,” says King. “When we started they didn’t even mention us when talking about morning TV. We weren’t part of the conversation.” They are now. In the past four years, “CBS This Morning” has steadily built its audience, posting 44 consecutive months of growth and averaging nearly 3.7 million viewers — a remarkable about-face for CBS, which historically struggled in the morning.
(Hill was replaced by Norah O’Donnell in September 2012.)
King, 61, spoke to The Post about the show’s success and (of course) her BFF Oprah Winfrey.
Do you attribute the show’s success to its news focus?
We’re clearly resonating with viewers and clearly delivering something they want to see. That’s the beauty of morning TV — there’s something for everyone. I’m friends with people [at ABC and NBC] and we all do things differently. What’s gratifying for me is that people are turning to us. I sort of feel like Sally Field [in her famous Oscar acceptance speech]: “You like us! You really like us!” Most people who sample us say, “Hey, I’m gonna come back tomorrow.” News in the morning doesn’t have to be dry and stale; there’s a way to present it in a very informative, dare I say entertaining, way — not turning it into a comedy routine. I never walk down the street and people say, “You guys suck!” I think that’s very cool. We’ve never wavered from our mission. Never. CBS News is legendary for great storytelling and I think “CBS This Morning” carries on that tradition.
Can you catch NBC and ABC?
It’s possible. This is a business, and everybody who works in the business wants to be Number One. It took “GMA” 17 years to catch “Today” and pass them. I feel like people “get” us and I get a sense they like the content they’re seeing … they’re responding to what they see between Charlie, Norah and I. We play off each other. I can’t fake it. None of us ever fakes it. I’ll give you an example: I remember saying to Charlie [on the air] one day, “Charlie, there should be a ‘ Real Housewives’ marathon at your house” and he said “I think not” and kept on reading. Another person might have laughed and said, “Sure, Gayle, come on over ha ha ha” and my reaction [to Charlie] could have been, “Well, that’s embarrassing” but it wasn’t. I knew damn well he didn’t want to see a “Real Housewives” marathon but the way he handled it, without missing a beat, was so uniquely him. Never at any time do we have a phony moment.
Does it bother you that people always associate you with Oprah Winfrey?
We’re tight. It doesn’t bother me in the least. I’ve said this many times: I see myself in Oprah’s light, not in her shadow. Who doesn’t want to be her best friend? There’s no downside. We’ve been friends since we were 21 and 22 and we’re now 61 and 62. I never think, “Oh, wow, people just see me as Oprah’s best friend.” Anyone who knows me doesn’t see me that way. I’m like, “Yes, I am her best friend — how do you do?” I don’t run away from that.