Posted 3:40 PM by Gene

The age has TWO EDWARD R. MURROWS!

May 27, 1997

I just wanted to send a quick note to my friends at WMAQ, and congratulate them on the hiring of Jerry Springer. Even if he is gone now.

I'm proud to be part of a network that finally just admits that news has become pure entertainment.

Since I happen to be in the entertainment industry and have a little history with local news (my father was an anchorman), and Jerry Springer (l've known him most of my life, and my father gave him his first broadcasting job), I thought I'd give you some pointers.

1.) Put a tote board behind the desk numbering off people killed that day. You know. . . break it into categories.

2.) Ring a bell off every time a child is abducted or missing.

3.) Do a five-part series on string bikinis--good or bad. (Scratch that, you did it for last month's sweeps.)

4.) Fire all the other on-air people who stand up for journalism (they can cause trouble).

5.) Get Siegfried & Roy to do the sports and weather. (Siegfried likes sports.)

6.) Get Jerry back to cover other stories. Let him do a sweeps piece on why it's dumb to write checks to hookers in Cincinnati. (Something he's an expert on.)

7.) Give free Cadillacs to anyone in the Chicago area who watches your news and learns anything of value or truth (you'll save a lot of money there).

8.) And finally, never, never kid yourself that Jerry Springer is a journalist or that you are anything more than a tabloid show with nicer hair.

You should be embarrassed.

I applaud the anchors who left.

--George Clooney, TV actor

And that's the way it is. George Clooney in New York saying, good night, and good luck -- and COURAGE.

LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES "MOONER" MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONVEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!