WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.600 Welcome back to another deep dive. Think about 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:06.120 your own morning routine today for just a second. 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:08.019 Yeah, you're probably listening to us right now 00:00:08.019 --> 00:00:11.060 on demand. Right, exactly. Or, you know, maybe 00:00:11.060 --> 00:00:13.279 you're checking your phone, scrolling through 00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:16.399 some highly curated social media feed. Or flipping 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:18.780 through that endless kind of overwhelming streaming 00:00:18.780 --> 00:00:21.100 menu trying to find something to watch. Yeah, 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:23.420 the idea of sitting down at 9 o 'clock in the 00:00:23.420 --> 00:00:25.660 morning sharp to watch two people simply drink 00:00:25.660 --> 00:00:28.980 coffee, it feels... almost alien in our current 00:00:28.980 --> 00:00:31.739 media landscape. It really does. Yet millions 00:00:31.739 --> 00:00:35.200 of people still do exactly that. So today we're 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:38.859 looking at an unstoppable daytime television 00:00:38.859 --> 00:00:41.700 juggernaut. You probably know it currently as 00:00:41.700 --> 00:00:44.840 Live with Kelly and Mark. It's a fascinating 00:00:44.840 --> 00:00:46.659 anomaly. We're talking about a show that has 00:00:46.659 --> 00:00:48.880 been a fixture in American living rooms for over 00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:51.609 four decades. And looking at the comprehensive 00:00:51.609 --> 00:00:54.170 historical overview provided in our sources, 00:00:54.390 --> 00:00:56.789 our mission today is really to explore how a 00:00:56.789 --> 00:00:59.189 single morning talk show managed to survive. 00:00:59.310 --> 00:01:01.630 Right. Survive massive changes in how we consume 00:01:01.630 --> 00:01:05.450 media. Exactly. Plus, highly publicized behind 00:01:05.450 --> 00:01:08.049 the scenes corporate drama and a constantly rotating 00:01:08.049 --> 00:01:11.420 cast of hosts. And spoiler alert here. They did 00:01:11.420 --> 00:01:14.260 it by fiercely protecting one remarkably simple 00:01:14.260 --> 00:01:17.159 formula. Okay, let's unpack this. Imagine creating 00:01:17.159 --> 00:01:20.420 a television show back in 1983. You want it to 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:22.859 outlast almost every single one of its competitors. 00:01:23.219 --> 00:01:26.239 And over the years, that list of defeated competitors 00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:28.579 would include everyone from Donny and Marie to 00:01:28.579 --> 00:01:31.280 Anderson Cooper. Massive names. Huge production 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:34.219 budgets. Right. and your grand strategy to beat 00:01:34.219 --> 00:01:36.760 them all. Just put two people at a desk, have 00:01:36.760 --> 00:01:39.060 them drink coffee, and let them chat. It sounds 00:01:39.060 --> 00:01:41.420 way too simple to actually work as a multi -decade 00:01:41.420 --> 00:01:44.040 business model. It does, but that simplicity 00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:47.180 is entirely deceptive. To really understand the 00:01:47.180 --> 00:01:49.500 show's blueprint, we have to look at the foundational 00:01:49.500 --> 00:01:51.799 philosophy that was put into place early on. 00:01:51.959 --> 00:01:54.260 Right. Going back to 1993, the show's executive 00:01:54.260 --> 00:01:57.519 producer, Michael Gelman, explicitly stated the 00:01:57.519 --> 00:01:59.980 concept. He said that in a symbolic sense, the 00:01:59.980 --> 00:02:02.659 hosts are a husband and wife. They sit down with 00:02:02.659 --> 00:02:05.260 their coffee mugs and they just chitchat about 00:02:05.260 --> 00:02:07.579 what's going on in the world. They are the audience's 00:02:07.579 --> 00:02:10.180 surrogate morning companions. And that chitchat 00:02:10.180 --> 00:02:12.439 literally became the signature of the entire 00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:15.599 franchise. They call it the host chat. It's an 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:18.520 unscripted on -air conversation between the co 00:02:18.520 --> 00:02:21.620 -hosts that opens every single show. No teleprompters 00:02:21.620 --> 00:02:23.819 for this part, no rehearsed punchlines. They 00:02:23.819 --> 00:02:25.780 just sit down and banter about their weekends 00:02:25.780 --> 00:02:28.539 or the news or their kids. What's fascinating 00:02:28.539 --> 00:02:31.310 here is that this format isn't actually... a 00:02:31.310 --> 00:02:34.449 new idea for broadcasting. Oh, not at all. It 00:02:34.449 --> 00:02:37.090 has deep historical roots tracing all the way 00:02:37.090 --> 00:02:39.969 back to old time radio. Specifically, there were 00:02:39.969 --> 00:02:42.509 radio shows in New York that featured real life 00:02:42.509 --> 00:02:45.689 couples like Ed and Beguine Fitzgerald broadcasting 00:02:45.689 --> 00:02:48.229 their morning conversations. Yeah, Woody Allen 00:02:48.229 --> 00:02:50.770 even parodied this exact style of broadcasting 00:02:50.770 --> 00:02:53.490 in his film Radio Days. And the original host, 00:02:53.629 --> 00:02:56.409 Regis Philbin, actually grew up in New York listening 00:02:56.409 --> 00:02:59.050 to those exact radio programs in his youth. Which 00:02:59.050 --> 00:03:01.680 makes him the absolute perfect vessel to translate 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:04.699 that intimate conversational radio format onto 00:03:04.699 --> 00:03:07.300 television, he intrinsically understood the rhythm 00:03:07.300 --> 00:03:10.240 of it. He understood how to build a parasocial 00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:13.020 relationship. And for anyone unfamiliar with 00:03:13.020 --> 00:03:15.639 that term, a parasocial relationship is essentially 00:03:15.639 --> 00:03:20.020 a one sided psychological bond. You, as the viewer, 00:03:20.199 --> 00:03:22.960 feel like the hosts are your close personal friends. 00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:25.520 Even though they have no idea who you are. Exactly. 00:03:25.879 --> 00:03:28.800 And the show constantly works to bring the viewer 00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:31.340 into that living room environment to strengthen 00:03:31.340 --> 00:03:33.680 that bond. They do that so well with their phone 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:36.900 -in trivia games. After the host chat, they literally 00:03:36.900 --> 00:03:39.360 just call up a home viewer. I love the current 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:42.479 iteration of this. Which evolved into a segment 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:44.400 called Stump Mark. Oh yeah, where the caller 00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:47.539 gives Mark Consuelos two statements about themselves. 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:50.219 One is true and one is false. Right, and if Mark 00:03:50.219 --> 00:03:53.439 guesses wrong, the caller wins a vacation. But 00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:55.340 honestly, the callers always seem way more excited 00:03:55.340 --> 00:03:58.159 about the secondary prize. The mug. Yes, the 00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:00.360 Live with Kelly and Mark mug and a t -shirt that 00:04:00.360 --> 00:04:03.300 proudly proclaims, I stumped Mark. That is the 00:04:03.300 --> 00:04:05.900 perfect example of their strategy. It is incredibly 00:04:05.900 --> 00:04:09.120 low stakes. And that low stakes warmth is precisely 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:12.960 why it dominates the 9 a .m. slot. Over the decades, 00:04:13.219 --> 00:04:15.960 other syndicators and networks tried to emulate 00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:18.660 or compete with this. Shows like George and Alana 00:04:18.660 --> 00:04:22.189 living it up with Ali and Jack. The Morning Show 00:04:22.189 --> 00:04:24.370 with Mike and Juliet. All launched with high 00:04:24.370 --> 00:04:26.970 hopes and ended in very short periods. Because 00:04:26.970 --> 00:04:30.230 you cannot easily manufacture authentic conversational 00:04:30.230 --> 00:04:33.189 intimacy. It requires a specific kind of chemistry 00:04:33.189 --> 00:04:35.649 and a lot of time. And to see how that initial 00:04:35.649 --> 00:04:37.949 chemistry was built, we really have to travel 00:04:37.949 --> 00:04:40.470 all the way back to 1983. The show started out 00:04:40.470 --> 00:04:43.209 locally on WABC -TV in New York. It was simply 00:04:43.209 --> 00:04:45.629 called The Morning Show, hosted by Regis Philbin 00:04:45.629 --> 00:04:48.930 and Cindy Garvey. Garvey left in 84, and Philbin 00:04:48.930 --> 00:04:52.180 hired Ann Abernathy. But then Abernathy got married 00:04:52.180 --> 00:04:54.540 and moved to Los Angeles. Which opened the door 00:04:54.540 --> 00:04:57.339 for a pivotal moment in daytime television history. 00:04:57.620 --> 00:05:01.019 On June 24, 1985, Kathy Lee Johnson, who we all 00:05:01.019 --> 00:05:03.540 know now as Kathy Lee Gifford, officially joined 00:05:03.540 --> 00:05:06.100 Regis. Their dynamic was absolute lightning in 00:05:06.100 --> 00:05:08.360 a bottle. The show became number one in the local 00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:11.660 market, and by September 5, 1988, they exploded 00:05:11.660 --> 00:05:14.120 into national syndication. The title changed 00:05:14.120 --> 00:05:17.160 to Live with Regis and Kathy Lee. We should probably 00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:19.540 clarify what syndication meant for them at that 00:05:19.540 --> 00:05:21.579 time. Yeah, instead of being locked into a single 00:05:21.579 --> 00:05:24.439 network schedule across the country, a syndicated 00:05:24.439 --> 00:05:27.759 show is sold station by station. Meaning local 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:29.860 affiliates all over the country were independently 00:05:29.860 --> 00:05:33.420 choosing to buy and air this show, usually placing 00:05:33.420 --> 00:05:35.980 it right after their local morning news. It gave 00:05:35.980 --> 00:05:39.480 them massive, sprawling reach. And the product 00:05:39.480 --> 00:05:42.279 those local stations were buying was this incredible 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:45.379 dynamic. Entertainment Weekly perfectly described 00:05:45.379 --> 00:05:47.939 their relationship. They called them an agreeable 00:05:47.939 --> 00:05:51.500 mismatch with banter that was... playful, edgy 00:05:51.500 --> 00:05:54.339 and amusing. That agreeable mismatch was a crucial 00:05:54.339 --> 00:05:57.360 element. Kathie Lee brought a relentless open 00:05:57.360 --> 00:05:59.779 book positivity that really resonated with the 00:05:59.779 --> 00:06:01.899 female demographic. But that deep connection 00:06:01.899 --> 00:06:04.420 with the audience was severely tested because 00:06:04.420 --> 00:06:06.899 she had to navigate some incredibly intense public 00:06:06.899 --> 00:06:09.470 scrutiny during her time on the air. There were 00:06:09.470 --> 00:06:13.209 some massive media storms. In 1996, she faced 00:06:13.209 --> 00:06:15.209 accusations that her clothing line was being 00:06:15.209 --> 00:06:17.850 manufactured under sweatshop conditions. And 00:06:17.850 --> 00:06:21.209 then, just a year later in 1997, there was the 00:06:21.209 --> 00:06:23.790 highly publicized affair of her husband, Frank 00:06:23.790 --> 00:06:26.350 Gifford, with a flight attendant. Think about 00:06:26.350 --> 00:06:28.209 the psychological weight of that for a moment. 00:06:28.269 --> 00:06:30.889 Through all of those deeply personal and reputational 00:06:30.889 --> 00:06:34.829 crises, she had to be on the air, live, talking 00:06:34.829 --> 00:06:37.569 to the audience every single morning. The audience 00:06:37.569 --> 00:06:40.629 watched a morning host navigate real -life trauma 00:06:40.629 --> 00:06:43.230 while trying to maintain the lighthearted feel 00:06:43.230 --> 00:06:46.110 of a morning show. That level of exposure ultimately 00:06:46.110 --> 00:06:49.449 made her a massive media target. It took a severe 00:06:49.449 --> 00:06:52.269 toll, leading to her emotional departure on July 00:06:52.269 --> 00:06:55.430 28, 2000. She noted that she had spent over a 00:06:55.430 --> 00:06:57.490 third of her life at the show. It is hard to 00:06:57.490 --> 00:07:00.069 overstate what a huge loss that was. You would 00:07:00.069 --> 00:07:02.569 think losing half of the core duo after 15 years 00:07:02.569 --> 00:07:04.970 together would completely tank the show's ratings. 00:07:05.149 --> 00:07:06.920 Here's where it gets really interesting. When 00:07:06.920 --> 00:07:09.579 Kathie Lee left, Regis and executive producer 00:07:09.579 --> 00:07:12.339 Michael Gelman initiated a massive on air search 00:07:12.339 --> 00:07:14.519 for a replacement. They brought in high profile 00:07:14.519 --> 00:07:17.199 guest hosts like Rosie O'Donnell, Whoopi Goldberg, 00:07:17.420 --> 00:07:20.339 Gloria Estefan and Lisa Rinna. And rather than 00:07:20.339 --> 00:07:22.339 losing viewers, the ratings actually increased 00:07:22.339 --> 00:07:25.339 by 26 percent. They turned a vulnerability into 00:07:25.339 --> 00:07:28.189 an event. The audience was invited to be part 00:07:28.189 --> 00:07:30.389 of the audition process. It wasn't just a corporate 00:07:30.389 --> 00:07:32.829 decision made behind closed doors. It played 00:07:32.829 --> 00:07:35.550 out live in front of the viewers. Exactly. Four 00:07:35.550 --> 00:07:38.370 months into that search, on November 1st, 2000, 00:07:38.790 --> 00:07:42.110 Kelly Ripo auditioned. By February 2001, she 00:07:42.110 --> 00:07:44.449 was officially named the permanent co -host, 00:07:44.670 --> 00:07:48.149 ushering in the era of live. With Regis and Kelly. 00:07:48.310 --> 00:07:50.670 The impact she had was staggering. They called 00:07:50.670 --> 00:07:53.810 it the REPA effect. She reportedly boosted the 00:07:53.810 --> 00:07:56.569 young audience demographic of the show by 80%. 00:07:57.019 --> 00:07:59.540 Major outlets like the Chicago Tribune credited 00:07:59.540 --> 00:08:01.879 her with breathing entirely new life into the 00:08:01.879 --> 00:08:04.060 franchise. But an 80 percent jump in the youth 00:08:04.060 --> 00:08:07.000 demographic. How does a traditional daytime talk 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:09.560 show suddenly pull in a massive young audience 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:12.259 just by swapping one host? It really came down 00:08:12.259 --> 00:08:14.379 to relatability. At the time, Kelly Ripa was 00:08:14.379 --> 00:08:16.879 a working mother starring on a soap opera. She 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:19.079 brought a very sharp, self -deprecating modern 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:21.680 energy to the desk that contrasted perfectly 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:25.100 with Regis's older, cranky New Yorker persona. 00:08:25.420 --> 00:08:32.090 The younger demographic. They became a very steadying 00:08:32.090 --> 00:08:34.129 presence for the audience, spanning multiple 00:08:34.129 --> 00:08:37.029 generations. And that steadying presence was 00:08:37.029 --> 00:08:39.450 needed almost immediately. Just seven months 00:08:39.450 --> 00:08:41.909 into their run together, the September 11 attacks 00:08:41.909 --> 00:08:44.710 occurred. The news coverage actually began 12 00:08:44.710 --> 00:08:46.789 minutes before that day's episode was scheduled 00:08:46.789 --> 00:08:49.289 to start. The show was preempted for a week. 00:08:49.659 --> 00:08:51.779 But when they returned, they were tasked with 00:08:51.779 --> 00:08:54.559 helping to guide their audience through a profound 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:58.320 national tragedy. They had to be that familiar, 00:08:58.340 --> 00:09:01.279 comforting voice in a deeply uncertain time. 00:09:01.419 --> 00:09:03.539 It is incredible how they could be that grounding 00:09:03.539 --> 00:09:06.519 force during such a dark period. But as the years 00:09:06.519 --> 00:09:09.860 went on and the country slowly healed, they also 00:09:09.860 --> 00:09:12.779 proved they knew how to bring the joy back. In 00:09:12.779 --> 00:09:14.559 fact, one of the best ways they did that was 00:09:14.559 --> 00:09:17.740 by leaning into these bizarre, low stakes milestones. 00:09:18.490 --> 00:09:21.129 Regis had this recurring gag where he would challenge 00:09:21.129 --> 00:09:23.490 seniors, specifically he preferred them to be 00:09:23.490 --> 00:09:26.490 over 100 years old, to athletic competitions. 00:09:26.750 --> 00:09:28.669 He would be out there playing tennis, basketball, 00:09:28.830 --> 00:09:30.730 ping pong, and bowling against centenarians. 00:09:31.009 --> 00:09:33.610 It is the ultimate daytime television segment. 00:09:33.669 --> 00:09:37.210 It is joyful, it is slightly absurd, and it perfectly 00:09:37.210 --> 00:09:40.129 balances the heavy news cycles that the audience 00:09:40.129 --> 00:09:43.070 is trying to escape. But eventually, all eras 00:09:43.070 --> 00:09:46.919 must end. In 2011, after 28 years on the program, 00:09:47.159 --> 00:09:50.220 Regis Philbin announced his departure. His final 00:09:50.220 --> 00:09:52.539 show aired in November of that year, capping 00:09:52.539 --> 00:09:55.320 off the Regis farewell celebration season. And 00:09:55.320 --> 00:09:57.279 once again, they found themselves with an empty 00:09:57.279 --> 00:10:00.940 chair. The show was renamed Live. with Kelly, 00:10:01.100 --> 00:10:03.519 and they kicked off another massive guest host 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:06.539 search. This time, they had 60 different men 00:10:06.539 --> 00:10:08.679 and women sit at that desk. The sheer variety 00:10:08.679 --> 00:10:11.759 was wild. Jerry Seinfeld was the very first guest 00:10:11.759 --> 00:10:13.940 host. Then you had everyone from Russell Brand 00:10:13.940 --> 00:10:17.100 to Neil Patrick Harris, Seth Meyers, Kim Kardashian, 00:10:17.340 --> 00:10:19.159 and Jim Parsons. It was an incredible rotation. 00:10:19.460 --> 00:10:22.309 And during this period in 2012, They also debuted 00:10:22.309 --> 00:10:24.850 a new set. They moved into a contemporary downtown 00:10:24.850 --> 00:10:27.610 -style loft, which was their first major set 00:10:27.610 --> 00:10:30.970 redesign since 1997. They were actively modernizing 00:10:30.970 --> 00:10:33.250 the visual identity of the show while searching 00:10:33.250 --> 00:10:35.409 for the exact right chemistry to sit at that 00:10:35.409 --> 00:10:38.049 new desk. And they found that chemistry in a 00:10:38.049 --> 00:10:41.590 very unexpected place. Michael Strahan. the former 00:10:41.590 --> 00:10:44.129 New York Giants defensive end who was working 00:10:44.129 --> 00:10:47.549 on Fox NFL Sunday. He made 16 appearances as 00:10:47.549 --> 00:10:49.529 a guest host before being named the permanent 00:10:49.529 --> 00:10:52.669 co -host in September 2012, launching live with 00:10:52.669 --> 00:10:55.669 Kelly and Michael. Looking at the data, the success 00:10:55.669 --> 00:10:58.769 of that pairing is undeniable. During Strahan's 00:10:58.769 --> 00:11:02.029 tenure, the show averaged a 2 .8 national rating. 00:11:02.350 --> 00:11:04.210 To put that number in perspective, that actually 00:11:04.210 --> 00:11:08.169 beat the 2 .6 rating of the Regis and Kelly era. 00:11:08.330 --> 00:11:10.629 In terms of actual living rooms, that means they 00:11:10.629 --> 00:11:13.649 brought in an average of 268 ,000 more audience 00:11:13.649 --> 00:11:16.590 members daily than they had at the end of Philbin's 00:11:16.590 --> 00:11:19.070 run. They were expanding the audience significantly. 00:11:19.090 --> 00:11:21.129 They were completely crushing it. The show was 00:11:21.129 --> 00:11:24.370 renewed through 2020. But then in 2016, a massive 00:11:24.370 --> 00:11:27.210 piece of corporate drama completely blindsided 00:11:27.210 --> 00:11:29.600 the production. On April 19th, it was suddenly 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:31.919 announced that Strahan was leaving live to join 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:34.960 Good Morning America full time. The catch. The 00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:36.940 network executives didn't tell Kelly Ripa in 00:11:36.940 --> 00:11:39.500 advance. The production staff found out right 00:11:39.500 --> 00:11:42.399 after that day's broadcast, and Strahan announced 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:45.240 it on the air the very next day. But Kelly Ripa 00:11:45.240 --> 00:11:47.279 wasn't there for that on -air announcement. She 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:50.139 absolutely was not. ABC stated she was on a pre 00:11:50.139 --> 00:11:52.659 -scheduled vacation. She was absent for several 00:11:52.659 --> 00:11:55.519 days while the show scrambled to use guest hosts. 00:11:56.009 --> 00:11:58.889 When she finally returned on April 26th, she 00:11:58.889 --> 00:12:00.929 addressed the audience directly right at the 00:12:00.929 --> 00:12:03.210 top of the episode. She talked openly about the 00:12:03.210 --> 00:12:05.389 lack of respect and communication from the network. 00:12:05.610 --> 00:12:07.990 She made it clear how frustrated she was that 00:12:07.990 --> 00:12:10.450 ABC hadn't given her any advance notice about 00:12:10.450 --> 00:12:13.590 negotiations to move her own co -host to another 00:12:13.590 --> 00:12:16.090 show within the same network. If we connect this 00:12:16.090 --> 00:12:18.980 to the bigger picture, this incident perfectly 00:12:18.980 --> 00:12:21.320 illustrates the inherent tension between corporate 00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:24.340 network maneuvering and the authentic trust -based 00:12:24.340 --> 00:12:26.720 relationship that a show like Live absolutely 00:12:26.720 --> 00:12:29.299 relies on. Right. The network executives were 00:12:29.299 --> 00:12:31.779 looking at the hosts like interchangeable chess 00:12:31.779 --> 00:12:34.080 pieces. They thought they could just slide Strahan 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:36.580 over to Good Morning America to boost the ratings 00:12:36.580 --> 00:12:39.019 over there, treating the talent as simple corporate 00:12:39.019 --> 00:12:41.700 assets. But they fundamentally forgot that the 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:44.720 audience tunes in specifically for the authentic 00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:47.580 bond between the co -hosts. It's the ultimate 00:12:47.580 --> 00:12:50.240 corporate blind spot, isn't it? Absolutely. The 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:52.559 executives manufactured a betrayal of trust behind 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:55.139 the scenes, which completely shattered the illusion 00:12:55.139 --> 00:12:57.240 of the husband and wife having coffee concept 00:12:57.240 --> 00:12:59.639 that Michael Gelman had established. Precisely. 00:12:59.960 --> 00:13:03.559 The audience felt that betrayal just as acutely 00:13:03.559 --> 00:13:06.080 as Kelly did because the viewers felt like they 00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:08.179 were an equal part of that morning coffee chat. 00:13:08.759 --> 00:13:11.179 You don't just abruptly reassign someone's morning 00:13:11.179 --> 00:13:13.759 companion without causing a massive rupture in 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:16.480 that parasocial relationship. So Strahan leaves 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:20.200 in May 2016, and we are back to live with Kelly 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:22.919 and another year -long search for a co -host 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:25.860 to rebuild that trust. Which brings us to a period 00:13:25.860 --> 00:13:28.720 of crucial stabilization for the franchise. In 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:31.580 May 2017, Ryan Seacrest was announced as the 00:13:31.580 --> 00:13:34.379 new permanent co -host as well as an executive 00:13:34.379 --> 00:13:37.620 producer. The Ryan Seacrest era. from 2017 to 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:40.220 2023 brought a lot of much needed stability. 00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:43.120 They updated the logo in the studio. And thank 00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:45.259 goodness they had that solid foundation because 00:13:45.259 --> 00:13:47.779 they had to navigate the COVID -19 pandemic together. 00:13:48.019 --> 00:13:50.840 In March 2020, they began broadcasting remotely 00:13:50.840 --> 00:13:53.480 from their respective homes. It was a deeply 00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:56.220 isolating time for the audience. And during that 00:13:56.220 --> 00:13:59.200 period, they also had to collectively mourn the 00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:01.820 passing of Regis Philbin, who died in July 2020. 00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:04.519 They weathered a truly unprecedented storm together. 00:14:04.990 --> 00:14:06.649 They eventually returned to the New York studio 00:14:06.649 --> 00:14:09.389 in September of 2020, sitting six feet apart 00:14:09.389 --> 00:14:12.289 with no studio audience. The logistics of keeping 00:14:12.289 --> 00:14:14.649 the show feeling warm and intimate while maintaining 00:14:14.649 --> 00:14:17.830 strict pandemic protocols was a monumental task. 00:14:18.210 --> 00:14:20.809 But eventually, the sheer logistics of the partnership 00:14:20.809 --> 00:14:25.090 itself took their toll. In February 2023, Seacrest 00:14:25.090 --> 00:14:26.549 announced he would be leaving in the spring. 00:14:26.769 --> 00:14:29.330 Was it a ratings issue or something else entirely? 00:14:29.769 --> 00:14:32.149 It was purely geographical and physical exhaustion. 00:14:33.050 --> 00:14:34.970 Seacrest's primary residence and many of his 00:14:34.970 --> 00:14:36.929 other broadcasting duties were in Los Angeles. 00:14:37.090 --> 00:14:40.269 Oh, wow. The relentless Los Angeles to New York 00:14:40.269 --> 00:14:42.730 travel schedule was simply unsustainable long 00:14:42.730 --> 00:14:45.149 term. So what does this all mean? It means the 00:14:45.149 --> 00:14:47.309 show was staring down yet another transition. 00:14:47.690 --> 00:14:50.529 But the way they handled it this time was absolutely 00:14:50.529 --> 00:14:55.009 poetic. In April 2023, Kelly Ripa's actual real 00:14:55.009 --> 00:14:58.029 -life husband, Mark Consuelos, stepped in as 00:14:58.029 --> 00:15:00.710 the permanent co -host. It is the ultimate, literal 00:15:00.710 --> 00:15:03.950 realization of the show's original concept. Remember 00:15:03.950 --> 00:15:06.990 Michael Gelman's vision from 1993? He said the 00:15:06.990 --> 00:15:10.129 concept, in a symbolic sense, was a husband and 00:15:10.129 --> 00:15:12.730 wife having their coffee mugs and chit -chatting. 00:15:12.750 --> 00:15:15.710 30 years later, it is no longer symbolic in any 00:15:15.710 --> 00:15:18.889 way. It is quite literally a real husband and 00:15:18.889 --> 00:15:20.950 wife having coffee and chatting about their lives. 00:15:21.110 --> 00:15:23.149 And the audience is still entirely here for it. 00:15:23.450 --> 00:15:25.850 the show remains a modern media empire. According 00:15:25.850 --> 00:15:28.350 to the daytime television ratings in our sources, 00:15:28.649 --> 00:15:31.169 viewership still averages 5 million per episode. 00:15:31.409 --> 00:15:33.049 They rank number one in all the big markets. 00:15:33.250 --> 00:15:36.490 New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia. 00:15:36.830 --> 00:15:39.250 They stream on a day delay through Hulu, ensuring 00:15:39.250 --> 00:15:41.409 they capture the audience that can't tune in 00:15:41.409 --> 00:15:44.649 at 9 a .m. And as of April 2025, they move from 00:15:44.649 --> 00:15:47.570 the ABC Broadcast Center into a massive new Disney 00:15:47.570 --> 00:15:49.950 campus in Hudson Square. Through all of these 00:15:49.950 --> 00:15:52.190 decades, they remain the number one syndicated 00:15:52.190 --> 00:15:54.710 talk show. And let's not forget the industry 00:15:54.710 --> 00:15:57.429 recognition. They've won the Daytime Emmy Award 00:15:57.429 --> 00:16:00.470 for Outstanding Talk Show, and their hosts have 00:16:00.470 --> 00:16:03.350 won Outstanding Talk Show hosts multiple times. 00:16:03.610 --> 00:16:05.990 The physical footprint of the show is massive 00:16:05.990 --> 00:16:09.710 as well. They've logged over 200 ,000 miles traveling 00:16:09.710 --> 00:16:11.970 the show on location over the years. They have 00:16:11.970 --> 00:16:14.590 broadcasted from everywhere, from Paris and London 00:16:14.590 --> 00:16:17.190 to the White House and the deck of the USS Intrepid. 00:16:17.309 --> 00:16:19.529 But no matter where they physically are in the 00:16:19.529 --> 00:16:21.789 world or who exactly is sitting in the shares, 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:25.080 the fundamental format remains exactly the same. 00:16:25.320 --> 00:16:27.840 It has been an incredible journey, from Regis 00:16:27.840 --> 00:16:30.659 and Cindy to Regis and Kathy Lee to Regis and 00:16:30.659 --> 00:16:33.600 Kelly to Kelly and Michael, Kelly and Ryan, and 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:36.159 now Kelly and Mark. The faces on the coffee mugs 00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:39.940 changed, but the core promise of a warm, unscripted 00:16:39.940 --> 00:16:42.759 morning chat never wavered. And why does the 00:16:42.759 --> 00:16:45.139 history of a daytime talk show actually matter 00:16:45.139 --> 00:16:47.980 to you, the listener? Because there's a profound 00:16:47.980 --> 00:16:50.360 insight here about the media industry, and it's 00:16:50.360 --> 00:16:53.320 essentially the power of anti -disruption. Over 00:16:53.320 --> 00:16:55.480 the last 40 years, every single media company 00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:58.740 has been obsessed with disrupting, pivoting, 00:16:58.740 --> 00:17:01.639 and innovating with high -concept formats. Live 00:17:01.639 --> 00:17:04.519 went the exact opposite direction. They fiercely 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:07.200 protected the familiar. In a world of intense 00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:09.740 information overload, high -stress news cycles 00:17:09.740 --> 00:17:13.079 and constant anxiety, they realize that people 00:17:13.079 --> 00:17:15.559 don't always want to be challenged or disrupted 00:17:15.559 --> 00:17:17.819 first thing in the morning. Sometimes they just 00:17:17.819 --> 00:17:20.839 want the comfort of routine, familiar faces and 00:17:20.839 --> 00:17:24.579 low -stakes conversation. By offering pure, unbroken 00:17:24.579 --> 00:17:27.660 consistency, they built an unbreakable bond with 00:17:27.660 --> 00:17:30.480 their viewers. A bond that survived sweatshop 00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:33.680 scandals, highly publicized affairs, the tragedy 00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:36.759 of 9 -11, sudden corporate blindsiding, and a 00:17:36.759 --> 00:17:39.079 global pandemic. All just by offering a cup of 00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:41.599 coffee in a chat. This raises an important question. 00:17:41.779 --> 00:17:43.980 As we look to the future. If the show's superpower 00:17:43.980 --> 00:17:47.579 for 40 years has been mimicking a cozy live morning 00:17:47.579 --> 00:17:50.339 breakfast chat, what happens to that model next? 00:17:50.579 --> 00:17:52.940 Future generations are rapidly abandoning scheduled 00:17:52.940 --> 00:17:55.279 appointment television entirely. They're moving 00:17:55.279 --> 00:17:57.200 toward asynchronous social media feeds where 00:17:57.200 --> 00:17:59.720 content is consumed alone at any hour of the 00:17:59.720 --> 00:18:02.279 day. Will the communal magic of the live morning 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:05.339 chat translate to this next era of media consumption? 00:18:05.599 --> 00:18:08.900 Or is this the final perfect form of a television 00:18:08.900 --> 00:18:12.210 format that is slowly fading away? That is a 00:18:12.210 --> 00:18:14.390 fascinating thought to leave you with. Can the 00:18:14.390 --> 00:18:17.130 concept of the morning coffee chat survive the 00:18:17.130 --> 00:18:19.150 eventual death of traditional morning television? 00:18:19.410 --> 00:18:21.349 It is definitely something to mull over the next 00:18:21.349 --> 00:18:23.589 time you pour yourself a cup. Thanks for joining 00:18:23.589 --> 00:18:25.869 us and we will catch you on the next deep dive.