| Last of a dying breed
Every morning from 7-9, Fox-Philadelphia is "Living the Vida Local" with the up-and-coming news and entertainment program, "Good Day Philadelphia." By LAURA NACHMAN So, what can one expect when watching "Good Day
Philadelphia?" Plenty of laughs, thanks to the wise-guy antics of
Jerrick, once of the Sci-Fi network, who became co-anchor in the fall of
1999. There are more jokes throughout the show between Jerrick, Archer,
and weathercaster Sue Serio than most Fox sitcoms.
However, in Philadelphia's most recent ratings period of May 2000,
"Good Day" was fourth in its timeslot with a 2.0 rating. ABC's
"Good Morning America" was first with a 6.0, NBC's "The
Today Show" was second with a 5.0, and "The Early Show"
on CBS was third with a 2.3. Each ratings point averages around 26,000
homes.
But as the last locally based wakeup show in the Philly market, the
program is showing signs of improvement.
John Mussoni, Fox-Philadelphia news director, is not concerned.
"We don't want to compete with NBC, CBS, and ABC. We are looking to
create a new audience, one that didn't watch morning programs in the
past. We know that Philadelphia is entrenched in its viewing habits. We
just want to be part of people's (channel) surfing patterns, which we
think is happening."
The show features weather and traffic every 15 minutes, live features
from Philadelphia news veteran, Janet Zappala, movie reviews from Bill
Wine, Hollywood updates based from Los Angeles by Drexel Hill's Molly
Mayock, and in-studio guests - including plenty supplied from the Fox
network.
Even if there weren't any guests, Jerrick, Archer and Serio could do
fine on their own. "We actually enjoy each other's company
off-camera, there's a real camaraderie here " laughed Archer who
began her tenure at Fox as the news anchor for the show. Serio, formerly
of WHYY TV-12 and several area radio stations, added, "we talk to
each other on the air the same way we talk off the air."
For the on-air talent, the day is much longer than 7-9. Serio, of
Media, awakens at 3 a.m. and is in the studio by 4 a.m. for weather
graphics. Serio, who resembles Emme, the plus-sized host of E!'s
"Fashion Emergency," jokes that she sees her husband,
Fox-Philadelphia weekend sportscaster Bill Vargus, in passing sometimes.
Jerrick and Archer, who are both single and live in Center City, agree
that the early morning hours can be difficult, but it's a sacrifice they
are happy to make. After the show ends at 9 a.m., it's on to production
meetings to determine the next day's content.
Mussoni added, "We wanted to do a morning show because we knew
mornings were growing. Noon has been done. It took the "Ten O'Clock
News" around five years to find its niche, and we feel 'Good Day'
is on the same path. "
One recent morning, "Good Day" was live in Havertown with
coverage of a plane crash and Serio did her weather report from
Monsignor Bonner High School in Upper Darby. National happenings weren't
ignored, as the show featured a live report from Nashville about the
"Country Music Association Awards" and an interview about
cancer with former NFL star Chris Spielman from Cleveland.
However, something that practically was ignored was sports, as
"Good Day" does not utilize a regular sportscaster. Results
from the previous evening are glossed over with a voice-over. When asked
why, Mussoni stated, "We could have had one of our sportscasters
tape a report from the night before, but we felt that didn't do
anything. We feel that most people have their sports news from the
previous evening's newscast."
Around 50 people are involved with the weekday broadcast. "The
crew knows that they are on to something good and they take an ownership
in the show," said Mussoni.
Serio added, "Everybody always asks 'Are you having that much
fun?' The answer is 'yes we are having that much fun.' "
Thursday, October 19, 2000
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