"Buttonholing Cooper"

June 15, 2011

Anderson Cooper talks daytime talk


(Anderson Cooper, right, explains to WJLA-TV general manager and news director
Bill Lord what his new daytime show is all about.)
Anderson Cooper swung by the ABC7/WJLA-TV newsroom this morning – which, in the interest of full disclosure, is about ten paces from my desk – to pitch his new syndicated daytime talk show, “Anderson,” which launches this fall.

Cooper’s not giving up his jet-setting journalist’s life on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” but will be adding new responsibilities with a daytime show before a live audience that he said he’s hoping to make a key part of the program. His executive producer, Jim Murphy, who jumped from “Good Morning America” in February to head up the new show, was in the house too.

Both politely endured my buttonholing Cooper with a few questions.

KH: Who is your must-have guest for the new show?

AC: I’ve been asked that a couple of times. I don’t really know yet. We want to have a mix, from big celebrities to regular people going through real-life crises, to pop culture stuff. I’ve talked to a lot of different people. I did an interview with Lady Gaga for “60 Minutes” lately, and she was like, “Oh, you have a new show out? I’d love to be on.” So that was cool.

KH: What are you most looking forward to about the rhythms and preparation required for a daytime show, compared to your nightly news show?

AC: It’s very different. You can go much more in-depth on storytelling in daytime. And you can tell a different kind of story with much more of an emotional component. And during the night, I’m talking to politicians and pundits. During the daytime, I’m going to be talking to real people who are facing real-life challenges.

KH: What was your takeaway from this week’s CNN debate?

AC: It was interesting. I felt like, OK, this is really the beginning now. The political season has really started. I hadn’t felt that until today. I thought it was kind of exciting. I thought a lot of candidates did a good job of representing themselves. It’s very early, so some people expected more fireworks, or expected Tim Pawlenty to confront Mitt Romney. It didn’t surprise me that that didn’t happen. It’s very early days. I thought they were all kind of sussing each other out and kind of getting a feel for being on that stage.

KH: Who do you think won?

AC: I don’t think there was one particular winner. I thought that Michele Bachmann acquitted herself very well. A lot of people on air were saying she re-introduced herself, and for a lot of people that was the first glimpse they really got of her. And I think she did very well for herself. And Mitt Romney as well.