Don’t cry for Rosie…or Barbara

Barbara Walters may have got what she wanted by having Rosie pump up some interest in "The View," but she also took a pretty big hit here.  She was consistently embarrassed.  She sat there while Rosie made these off-the-wall, undocumented and often totally irresponsible statements.  This media trailblazer just sat there, never really challenging Rosie -- never really having a “view” to speak of.  She may have been embarrassed, but in the end it was like making a deal with the broadcast devil who could pump up your ratings but destroy 30 years of broadcast credibility in the process.  Apparently it was a deal Barbara was willing to make. 

Don’t kid yourself, Barbara Walters had had enough.  There was no way she wasn’t in on this deal to let Rosie go.  And Rosie had had enough.  As crude as she was on the air (even though she did some pretty charitable things) she had to know that when she spoke at the highly publicized Matrix Awards for women in the media and scholarship event in New York City this week, she said and did some things that would seal her fate.  You have to know your audience.  Apparently Rosie didn’t even care. 

Going after Rupert Murdoch at the event was no big deal, but when she made reference to Donald Trump saying that she had always wanted to “give an old, bald billionaire a boner” she was in big trouble. But when she followed up by grabbing her crotch and speaking directly at Trump while looking into the camera saying “eat me” that was about it.  You have 17-year-old young women in that room being honored and recognized for their accomplishments.  They were getting scholarships from the awards committee using funds that were raised for this very nice and prestigious event.  They were looking for role models—women in the media that they could look up to. 

And then there is Rosie, grabbing her crotch saying “eat me” and then making the most inappropriate and asinine comments about Trump. You know you are in trouble when you make Donald Trump a sympathetic figure who is one of the biggest media blowhards around.  I’m figuring at that point everyone involved said enough is enough.  Let’s end this little experiment before it gets any worse. 

So there you go.  Rosie’s gone in June.  But don’t worry, she is going to get another gig.  She is likely not to be on set with anyone else because clearly she doesn’t play well with the other kids.  She doesn’t have much of a track record of being a media team player.  She’ll go to cable, maybe HBO or Showtime, maybe even satellite.  She can use whatever foul language she wants and no one will care.  She can make off-the-wall, outrageous and undocumented political or social comments directed at people’s personal appearance.  She can make ethnic impressions that can offend millions, and it won’t matter much because the standard will always be different in daytime on broadcast television than it is for certain cable outlets and now satellite. 

But as for Barbara Walters, I say she has a hard time recovering any credibility she might have left.  As for "The View," soon you’ll see it in your rear view mirror.  I can’t imagine the show getting any meaningful traction at this point.  But I say a 10-year-run on network television in daytime with decent number is in this crazy media business is pretty damn good run.  I know most of us would take it in a minute.  Bye Rosie, catch you on the rebound. 

Write to Steve Adubato at . 

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