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| Piers Morgan fires parting shot at the NRA in final CNN show | Piers Morgan fires parting shot at the NRA in final CNN show |
| (5 months later) | |
| There was no big celebration for Piers Morgan, no cake delivered to his desk on-air, no interviews with his favorite guests, no serenade from Bette Midler. On the last episode of CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight, the former British tabloid editor exited mostly quietly, after three years of ho-hum interviews and poor ratings. | There was no big celebration for Piers Morgan, no cake delivered to his desk on-air, no interviews with his favorite guests, no serenade from Bette Midler. On the last episode of CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight, the former British tabloid editor exited mostly quietly, after three years of ho-hum interviews and poor ratings. |
| For 58 of his 60 minutes, Morgan, a dutiful CNN-er until the end, talked exclusively about The Plane. Or, as CNN chyrons have branded the subject for what seem like hundreds or thousands of consecutive hours: "THE MYSTERY OF FLIGHT 370". | For 58 of his 60 minutes, Morgan, a dutiful CNN-er until the end, talked exclusively about The Plane. Or, as CNN chyrons have branded the subject for what seem like hundreds or thousands of consecutive hours: "THE MYSTERY OF FLIGHT 370". |
| In those 58 minutes, Morgan interviewed CNN contributor (and fellow Brit) Richard Quest about the latest in the search for Malaysia Airlines flight 370, the son of a passenger onboard, and a panel of four experts – CNN's "safety analyst" and "aviation analyst" among them. | In those 58 minutes, Morgan interviewed CNN contributor (and fellow Brit) Richard Quest about the latest in the search for Malaysia Airlines flight 370, the son of a passenger onboard, and a panel of four experts – CNN's "safety analyst" and "aviation analyst" among them. |
| "Breaking news", Morgan said at the beginning of a mid-show segment. "We're waiting for word." | "Breaking news", Morgan said at the beginning of a mid-show segment. "We're waiting for word." |
| The missing flight has provided a strange twist to the end of Morgan's brief CNN career: his ratings, like all of CNN's ratings, have been up. The network's laser-like and frequently absurd focus on the all-things-MH370 has worked out. And as Morgan himself pointed out on Twitter on Friday, hours after announcing that his final show would be that evening, he scored CNN's highest ratings in the crucial 25-54-year-old demographic the previous Thursday. | The missing flight has provided a strange twist to the end of Morgan's brief CNN career: his ratings, like all of CNN's ratings, have been up. The network's laser-like and frequently absurd focus on the all-things-MH370 has worked out. And as Morgan himself pointed out on Twitter on Friday, hours after announcing that his final show would be that evening, he scored CNN's highest ratings in the crucial 25-54-year-old demographic the previous Thursday. |
| But like they always do, the "breaking news" events on which CNN crests will fizzle out, and the network will struggle again to grow a more organic primetime viewership. And, to be truthful, it doesn't so much matter who CNN throws before the cameras during these events – the television-owning public, due to some strange vestigial instinct, still flips to CNN during moments of high, developing drama. | But like they always do, the "breaking news" events on which CNN crests will fizzle out, and the network will struggle again to grow a more organic primetime viewership. And, to be truthful, it doesn't so much matter who CNN throws before the cameras during these events – the television-owning public, due to some strange vestigial instinct, still flips to CNN during moments of high, developing drama. |
| Morgan made his decision to retire shortly before a disappeared airliner threw CNN this lifeline. "It’s been a painful period and lately we have taken a bath in the ratings," he told the New York Times in February,while announcing his plans to vacate. In the same interview, he attributed his failure to connect with American audiences to his accent, and the sense that Americans don't enjoy having a Brit explain – or lecture – their own culture to them. | |
| “Look, I am a British guy debating American cultural issues, including guns, which has been very polarizing," he told the Times, "and there is no doubt that there are many in the audience who are tired of me banging on about it."Thus Morgan's excuse for poor ratings in the month since his decision: “If only I didn't care so passionately about guns, perhaps I wouldn't have chased away a grand American audience.” | “Look, I am a British guy debating American cultural issues, including guns, which has been very polarizing," he told the Times, "and there is no doubt that there are many in the audience who are tired of me banging on about it."Thus Morgan's excuse for poor ratings in the month since his decision: “If only I didn't care so passionately about guns, perhaps I wouldn't have chased away a grand American audience.” |
| It's this self-serving narrative of martyrdom, however, that exhausted even those who would have been sympathetic to Morgan's repeated condemnations of America's lax guns laws. Morgan turned his vilification among gun-rights activists into a performance vehicle for winning himself more attention. | It's this self-serving narrative of martyrdom, however, that exhausted even those who would have been sympathetic to Morgan's repeated condemnations of America's lax guns laws. Morgan turned his vilification among gun-rights activists into a performance vehicle for winning himself more attention. |
| When a jokey White House petition to deport Morgan back to Britain was signed by 100,000 people (online petitions are not difficult to sign) he could have ignored it for the farce it was. Instead, he used it to fuel pity for himself,vowing to continue his brave work in the face of such righteous resistance. | When a jokey White House petition to deport Morgan back to Britain was signed by 100,000 people (online petitions are not difficult to sign) he could have ignored it for the farce it was. Instead, he used it to fuel pity for himself,vowing to continue his brave work in the face of such righteous resistance. |
| When ludicrous and flamboyant conspiracy theorist radio host Alex Jones began raving maniacally about gun-control advocates, Morgan could have avoided that, too. But he went for the ratings and invited the clown on his show, making a mockery of the gun debate he supposedly cared so deeply about. | When ludicrous and flamboyant conspiracy theorist radio host Alex Jones began raving maniacally about gun-control advocates, Morgan could have avoided that, too. But he went for the ratings and invited the clown on his show, making a mockery of the gun debate he supposedly cared so deeply about. |
| That's why only the tiniest violin should greet Morgan's departure: his focus on the issue seemed mostly determined to promote himself and his show, not the cause of strengthening America's gun control laws. Not that that worked, either. | That's why only the tiniest violin should greet Morgan's departure: his focus on the issue seemed mostly determined to promote himself and his show, not the cause of strengthening America's gun control laws. Not that that worked, either. |
| Still, if he does leave any legacy, it will be his tirades against guns in America, and that's how he spent the final two minutes of his show – in a rant against the National Rifle Association. | Still, if he does leave any legacy, it will be his tirades against guns in America, and that's how he spent the final two minutes of his show – in a rant against the National Rifle Association. |
| "The gun lobby in America has bullied this country's politicians into a cowardly silence," he hectored, one last time. "My point is simple: more guns doesn't mean less crime, as the NRA repeatedly tries to tell you." | "The gun lobby in America has bullied this country's politicians into a cowardly silence," he hectored, one last time. "My point is simple: more guns doesn't mean less crime, as the NRA repeatedly tries to tell you." |
| He alluded to those who have called him anti-American. Not so, he said, at his most saccharine. "I'm so pro-American, I want more of you to stay alive." | He alluded to those who have called him anti-American. Not so, he said, at his most saccharine. "I'm so pro-American, I want more of you to stay alive." |
| Perhaps the accent played a role, and it's no surprise that Morgan would want to develop a go-to excuse like “I was just too honest” to explain his show's failure. | Perhaps the accent played a role, and it's no surprise that Morgan would want to develop a go-to excuse like “I was just too honest” to explain his show's failure. |
| But the main reason his show never picked up traction is beyond his control: it's hard to build a hit show, and it's even harder to build a hit show on CNN at 9pm. Even the fondly remembered Larry King, whom Morgan replaced in the slot, suffered miserable ratings at the end of his tenure. | But the main reason his show never picked up traction is beyond his control: it's hard to build a hit show, and it's even harder to build a hit show on CNN at 9pm. Even the fondly remembered Larry King, whom Morgan replaced in the slot, suffered miserable ratings at the end of his tenure. |
| Primetime cable news audiences are relatively small, and the few partisans who do live for this sort of thing already have their Rachel Maddows or Megyn Kellys to deliver the daily, pandering blow-by-blow. | Primetime cable news audiences are relatively small, and the few partisans who do live for this sort of thing already have their Rachel Maddows or Megyn Kellys to deliver the daily, pandering blow-by-blow. |
| Whether it's King, Morgan, or someone else, not many people are tuning into CNN at 9pm, and few candidates are likely to change that. If CNN president Jeff Zucker could get his wish, he'd just run documentaries in the slot each night. | Whether it's King, Morgan, or someone else, not many people are tuning into CNN at 9pm, and few candidates are likely to change that. If CNN president Jeff Zucker could get his wish, he'd just run documentaries in the slot each night. |
| So farewell, Piers Morgan, and don't worry: it wasn't your fault. Mostly. | So farewell, Piers Morgan, and don't worry: it wasn't your fault. Mostly. |