Feisty Side of Fifty/Baby Boomer Women

CBS Gives Wrinkles a Thumbs Up!

As a woman over 50, I’m not a big believer in the “invisibility factor.” We boomers are just too out there and too plentiful to be overlooked. Nevertheless, there are places where youthful faces far outnumber ours. One example is, of course, the TV news. It seems the suits at both the national and local levels share a fondness for young women broadcasters with big hair and killer legs.

The irony is that the majority of younger people prefer to get their news from either the Internet or the spoof-news shows like “The Daily Show” and the “Colbert Report.” Boomers—who after all are the TV generation—still like gathering information by reading newspapers and watching the tube. And I, for one, could do with a little less eye-candy and a little more substance from the reporters.

Voila! Enter the new “CBS This Morning.” Behind in the ratings for years, the network is now trying an innovative approach: put real anchors on the job—those with both professional chops and considerable life experience to deepen their perspective.

Charlie Rose, still a fine looking man, plays his role as elder statesman with the intelligence and thoughtfulness he’s exuded for years. Gayle King, who came to be known to most of us by way of her friendship with Oprah Winfrey, brings her considerable talent in addition to her perspective as a mature woman of color. And Erica Hill, the youngest of the group, has served as co-anchor on a variety of news shows on CBS and CNN.

I hold no stock in CBS and make no suggestions as to your viewing preferences. I’d just like to say it’s nice to watch the news delivered by people with grown-up faces and demeanor. In their article announcing the new show, the network made note that this broadcast was being beamed from the same building that brought us Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite. And, from someone who remembers them both, that says something to me!