“Kathie Lee will always have plenty to say. However, at the time she departed from ‘Live With Regis…,’ the audience was experiencing a fatigue factor with her act. TV history does not always suggest recapturing the past works. Anyone remember ‘Jack Paar Tonite’? ‘The Roseanne Show’? Phil Donahue on MSNBC? Lucille Ball in ‘Life With Lucy’?”
Steve Beverly, professor of broadcasting, Union University, Jackson, Tenn.
“As the fourth hour of ‘Today’ is evolving as both an extension of the brand but also its own program, bringing on one of daytime viewers’ favorites, Kathie Lee, can provide the needed differentiation for that program. So it could turn out to be a smart move.”
Bill Carroll, VP and director of programming, Katz Television Group