Top of the Morning
Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV
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4.0 • 129 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
CNN correspondent Brian Stelter reveals the dark side of morning television with exclusive material about current and past morning stars, from Matt Lauer to Katie Couric.
When America wakes up with personable and charming hosts like Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos, it's hard to imagine their show bookers having to guard a guest's hotel room all night to prevent rival shows from poaching. But that is just a glimpse of the intense reality revealed in this gripping look into the most competitive time slot in television.
Featuring exclusive content about all the major players of the 2000s, Top of the Morning illuminates what it takes to win the AM -- when every single viewer counts, tons of jobs are on the line, and hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake. Stelter is behind the scenes as Ann Curry replaces Meredith Vieira on the Today show, only to be fired a year later in a fiasco that made national headlines. He's backstage as Good Morning America launches an attack to dethrone Today and end the longest consecutive winning streak in morning television history. And he's there as Roberts is diagnosed with a crippling disease -- on what should be the happiest day of her career.
So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and discover the dark side of the sun.
Praise for Top of the Morning
"Mr. Stelter pulls back the curtains and exposes a savage corporate world that might have been inhabited by the Sopranos." -- Washington Times
"A troubling look inside an enterprise as vicious and internecine as a soap opera." -- Kirkus Reviews
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Beneath the smiles and sunshine, TV’s morning shows are hiding a dark underbelly. CNN media critic Brian Stelter goes behind the scenes to reveal the cutthroat world of infotainment in Top of the Morning. (The real-world stories in the book cover some of the same territory as The Morning Show, a new series on Apple TV+ that stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.) Drawing from interviews and anecdotes, Stelter uncovers all the drama of these popular programs. From Robin Roberts announcing her cancer diagnosis on Good Morning America to Ann Curry’s brutal heave-ho from Today, he paints a fascinating and often emotional portrait of morning news’ key power players. Think of Top of the Morning as a backstage pass to the gladiatorial combat of the a.m. show wars.
Customer Reviews
Great Inights to What's Going on While Most of Us Are Still Asleep
Whether you're a broadcast TV or news junkie, or into celebrity news, this book is an intriguing read. Written very well and not gossipy, it dives deep into the world of morning TV. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and look forward to more books from the author in the future!
Must read.
Exciting. Fast paced. The world of morning television is programmed toward women. But, it is run by men. Men who are super competitive.
Top of the Morning
Awesome! It finally confirmed many of the things I had already suspected. It was a page turner. He told it like it was.
Matt Lauer is a flaming AH and Ann Curry got the shaft. Actually, Ms Curry is too good for NBC. They wanted her out because she is so much better and smarter than the remaining morons with the exception of Al Roker.
They are all playing to the wrong crowd. We (in this household) are past the age group known as the "demo". We haven't watched NBC much. We prefer GMA.