How About a Morning Show For the Sullen And Sleepy?

Happy-talk TV might get more viewers if it reflected how the day really begins for most of Us.

- BY JEFF GREENFIELD

WHILE IT'S TRUE that network television isn't what it once was, morning news shows (and their hosts) still command big money.

The shows reap several hundred million dollars a year in profits; top anchors earn eight-figure incomes.

Which is why it's so remarkable that these networks are missing a potential gold mine in what they air. These shows offer a morning filled with the sheer pleasure of the early hour: their promos feature huge smiles, chuckles, laughter, people who couldn't be happier as the day begins.

But is this how the day really begins for most of us here on Planet Earth? As you drag yourself out of bed, confront the missing toothpaste, try to put together one kid's science project, search for your last clean shirt, remember to bring the car in for a balky brake, have a frank and open exchange of views with your other kid about lunch-or as you just try to follow the current chaos of the news, from trade wars to assorted disasters-how eager are you to tune into a television show where impeccably groomed, bright-eyed, hail-fellow-well-met personalities beckon you to celebrate the day? Me neither.