Top of the Morning - Brian Stelter

Top of the Morning

By Brian Stelter

  • Release Date: 2013-04-23
  • Genre: Social Science
Score: 4
4
From 129 Ratings

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

Reviews

  • Must read.

    5
    By usingfromjersey
    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

    5
    By Lippy Louise
    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.
  • Great Read

    5
    By sjsla
    Very informative. I learned a lot about an aspect of morning television, and its personalities, that I did not know before. One downside is that the writing often becomes flippant and informal - like I was reading a TMZ blog entry. However, soon enough, the writing is back to solid reporting.
  • Top of the morning

    5
    By Nicholascot
    Great book but most was already known through online articles prior to the book being published. Some info was not ever revealed and I appreciated that. Wish the author would be more interactive and nicer on twitter.
  • Top of the morning

    1
    By Autumn5683
    I going to reas the sample , but I can"t buy the book because it Doesn't support Ann Curry! I hate good morning America for That. It would be nice if more people support Ann Curry!! She got the shaft!
  • Too good to put down!

    5
    By Booknewser
    I have been waiting for this book for a long time. I am a tv news junkie that reads TVNEWSER several times a day. I don't normally read books, but I read this one in less than 48 hours! It is too good to put down!