"Coming Up....Wittys From the Wolf-ster!..."

I don’t flip over to CNN looking for laughs.

The comedy stylings of Wolf Blitzer notwithstanding.

So, it’s just a scoche disheartening to see D.L. Hughley show up with a weekly show on the Cable News Network.

And, just so we’re clear, my issue with the idea of putting a standup comic (and a minor league one to boot, but that’s just my personal taste) on a network that has, heretofore, been solely about the business of news is that there can only be one reason for doing it.

“The best things in life are free/
But you can keep em for the birds and bees/
Now give me money/
That’s what I want”

Let me endeavor to be reasonable here.

The “info-tainment” concept isn’t new to the era of cable/satellite TV.

One of the most revered icons in all of broadcast TV news history was made to do a little weekly fluff and fold back in the fifties to help pay for the network’s groceries.

“CBS presents the award winning newsman, Edward R. Murrow and….Person to Person…..this week, Ed talks with Liberace!”

So, there’s precedent.

But, CBS wasn’t solely a news channel.

For every Ed Murrow, there was a Mary Tyler Moore.
For every Dan Rather, there was a Lucy Ricardo.

Ted Turner defied the conventional wisdom of the times when he stuck his financial neck out to create a channel that would do nothing twenty-four seven but report the news.

And the gamble paid off, because CNN is consistently the most highly rated channel of its kind to be found.

That said, it’s perfectly understandable, given the current economic climate, why a news network might feel the need to “diversify” a little and go looking for profit dollars down other roads.

But, it’s a little sad at the same time.

Because any time you fix what aint broke, you can never go back to the original glory.

Hardee’s hasn’t been close to the same since they started serving chicken.
KFC ain’t much to cluck about since they started serving breakfast.

And CNN is never really going to be the same now that they’re serving up warmed over “Daily Show” from Comedy Central.

On the other hand, if you think Jack Cafferty is a borderline sourpuss now, just wait until they have him reporting Britney Spears next meltdown as breaking news.

Now, that’s funny.