Ed Sherman reviews 'Monsters in the Morning' - Day One

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: North-Jiggetts show debuts: First impressions : Posted by Ed Sherman : at 1/12/2009 8:58 AM CST on Chicago Business : Got to experience what it is like to wake up with Mike North this morning. All I can say is that I feel sorry for his wife, BeBe. : Just a joke, Mike. : The assignment was to view Mr. North and Dan Jiggett's new show, "Monsters in the Morning," which airs weekdays from 6-9 a.m. on Comcast SportsNet. : Now, this will be first impressions more than a review. To be fair, new shows take time to develop and hit their stride. A morning program isn't like a Broadway play or a concert. It is going to evolve. What you saw today isn't going to be the same as what you'll see from "Monsters" six months or even a year from now. : Also, I took in all three hours. Only Mr. North's mother and people with nothing to do will watch the show wire to wire. Most people will sample 15-20 minutes tops while getting ready for work. The experience is much different that way. : Having said that, when Mr. North said early on, "We've got 2 hours, 55 minutes to go," I definitely braced myself for a long morning. : Here are some of my first impressions: : The legendary rock group Chicago did the opening theme, inserting "Monster" lyrics to the music of its song "Old Days." It is a nice touch for us old-timers, but I couldn't help but wonder if it will resonate with the younger viewers? : Mr. North opened by noting his partnership with Mr. Jiggetts at WSCR. "So we took a little bit of a break, what's the big deal?" : The attire of the hosts definitely is casual. Mr. Jiggetts wore a dark sweater, while Mr. North had a vintage White Sox T-shirt that said Chicago on it. I have the same one. Hey, Mike, did you get yours at Nordstrom too? : Mr. North said, "Mom, I'm on TV wearing a T-shirt in the morning." : The first hour was a bit slow, as the hosts seemed bent on taking care of title sponsor NextStep Medical Staffing. There was a long interview with the company's CEO David Hernandez. : Mr. North said he is going to tone down his act a bit for television. However, when Mr. Hernandez presented him with NextStep attire, Mr. North said, "We have an examination for the (female) interns after the show." : Mr. Jiggetts said, "Easy, easy." : Jen Patterson fit in nicely with the sports, weather and traffic updates. Of course, that's when you heard her. She suffered from the dread first-show glitches as her microphone was off a couple of times. : The show picked up in the second hour with Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz making an appearance in the studio. Mr. Wirtz always is entertaining. : However, it was interesting to note that Mr. Wirtz complained that the NHL's national cable outlet, Versus, is difficult to find. Mr. Jiggetts quickly mentioned that Versus is owned by Comcast. : The highlight of the show was a visit from Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley during the 8 a.m. hour. Mr. North had fun with the mayor, asking him to fix his parking tickets and what garb he wears to watch football games. : The mayor stumped for the Olympics and continued to throw out the notion that Chicago could support a second NFL team. That won't happen because of two words: Da Bears. : The show seemed to pick up its pace in the third hour, as Messrs. North and Jiggetts bantered in the final segment. : Mr. North said, "Dan and I used to agree 80% of the time. It was the other 20% when things went haywire." : First-show concerns: : I know Mr. North wants to give his advertisers a big bang for their buck, but he is going to have to be careful not to go overboard. Long in-show commercials will have viewers reaching for their remotes. : If the show is going to do live calls, they'd better be really, really good calls. Unlike radio, it looks awkward seeing the hosts sit there in silence on television while a bad caller stumbles and rambles on with nothing to say. I still think the show might be better off responding to e-mails from viewers. : Will the show be able to continually deliver good guests? With three hours to fill every morning, "Monsters" will need a steady stream of A-list guests who stop by the studio. They aren't going to get Mr. Daley or Mr. Wirtz every day. That will be a big challenge for producer Ryan McGuffey. : Anyway, Day 1 is in the books for "Monsters." There's some potential here. Let's see what it looks like a few months from now. : (Crain's)

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