Daypart Phenomenon

This weekend SNL put out this very effective takedown of Fox And Friends, the Fox News morning show. And while I buy the premise, which is that the hosts are clueless and the show plays to the lowest common denominator, you can't say this is a thing limited to Fox. I am struggling to find evidence of a morning news show on radio or television that isn't pitched at a 5th grade level.

All Things Considered! Okay, that was easier than I thought. Now try to come up with two.

I am aware of the SNL parody because I heard an excerpt of it on the Stephanie Miller Show, which they will freely admit is as stupid as it comes. If you want less biased stupidy in the Los Angeles Area, there's always KTLA (Tribune) or KTTV (Fox) in addition to the networks. But the factor they all have in common is the viewer is assumed to be an idiot. And don't get me started on Morning Zoo radio programs, which strain to find enough offensive material to fill 3 hours five days a week.

What is it about the morning that makes media people assume we'll be unable to take mature evening-news-type news? It's a serious question. I assume that the ratings are high for these shows, so obviously we're all eating it up, but why? Why only the morning?