Letter to NBC

The Today Show has been a part of my morning routine for as long as I can remember, but as of this day I am no longer a viewer. Here is the letter that I sent to them:

Dear Today Show Executives,

I am writing to inform you that I am done with the Today Show as of this day. As a faithful viewer for many years, I simply cannot take it anymore! The last straw was a segment (which aired today 6/25/10) regarding “fun summer drinks” where the host ran through the segment so fast (under one minute) that it was pointless to even have the segment at all. I cannot tell you how tired I am to be directed to your website to “get more information”. Your website shouldn’t be a replacement for an informative segment. Viewers barely have time to sit down and watch portions of your show let along hit your website to fill in the missing information. If you deem it important enough to talk about, than give the viewers enough time to enjoy it.

I might have been able to get past Meredith Vieira’s condescending attitude and ridiculous guest questions, I might have been able to get past Al Roker’s stupid jokes, and I might even have been able to get past Natalie Morales’ constant interruptions of the guests, but I cannot get over the shear and utter waste of time your program has turned into.

I, frankly, am looking for some hard hitting questions and informative interviews. I don’t need to see the mother of an abducted child who can only weep through the interview as one of your hosts asks ridiculous questions like “do you think he/she is still alive?” or “what do you want your child to know”. We already know the answers and all you are serving to do is upset the mother further and bring heartache to the viewers. In addition, the-cousin-to-the-brother-of-a-neighbor-to-the-suspect is not an “exclusive” interview; it is your show’s desperate attempt to be relevant.

The transitions between stories are also a source of great irritation and disgust. If you insist on doing a story about a bludgeoned-to-death college student, do not immediately follow it with a story of a lost turtle, or worse yet transition straight to the "funny" weather guy. Your executives might be able to adjust their emotions at the drop of a hat, but as a general rule the at-home audience needs a little more than 2 seconds to digest and reflect on the horrible story you just showed.

I recognize that the Today Show is geared towards “soft news”, stories about puppies and kittens and tropical vacation spots with a touch of the real world mixed in for good measure, but this show is so ridiculous and so out of touch with what real Americans are worried about and, in my opinion, vacant of any real substance, I cannot for one more minute waste my life watching a single segment of it.

Proof that I am not completely off my rocker: the Today Show's top stories for today include a year dead child molesting celebrity, a lost turtle, and tips to beat the summer heat. I don't know about you, but I couldn't live without this information.