The Morning Program was CBS’s entry in the morning time slot for just under a year in 1987. It famously bombed. The show was produced by the entertainment division of CBS and thus had less of a focus on news. Mariette Hartley and Rolland Smith anchored while Bob Saget provided comedic relief. There was a live studio audience each day. The show was panned by critics and ratings reached new lows. In late 1987 the show was replaced by the first iteration of CBS This Morning, which was again produced by CBS’s news division. The Morning Program’s theme was composed by the great Marvin Hamlisch.
Marvin Hamlisch – The Morning Program theme
Courtesy of the Museum of Television Production Music.
(7 votes, average: 3.86 out of 5)
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This show was terrible. It was a gamble on the totally non-evident notion that folks would want a jaunty variety show _instead of_ news in the morning. It was counter-programming at its worst — throw spaghetti at the wall (it’s linguini) and see what sticks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGMvOI2BHAg
Hamlisch’s music wasn’t bad, though (wasn’t good either). Irony here is, I think some version of Hamlisch’s GMA theme was still playing over on ABC at the time.