NEW YORK — I hate to say it, but I told you so.
Remember when ABC/Disney announced with much fanfare the hiring of
Dennis Miller as the color commentator for “Monday Night Football”?
I
predicted the network would be sorry about the choice.
“First of all, Dennis Miller is a foul-mouthed, profane, unfunny jerk,” I wrote. “His constituency, as ABC will soon find out, is extremely narrow. More to the point, as a so-called comedian, he is every bit as political as Rush Limbaugh — just not nearly so well-informed.”
I added, prophetically: “Just watch Dennis Miller. … This man comes to the broadcast with an agenda all his own. It’s called pushing the envelope of taste and propriety.”
But even I, with my uncanny instincts on such matters, could not have guessed just how quickly Dennis Miller would self-destruct.
Of course, as I suggested, Miller has done nothing for ratings. But worse, his off-color comments during last week’s game have set off a brushfire of concern at the network.
As I told you in my previous commentaries on this subject, I don’t watch “Monday Night Football” and I wasn’t about to start because of the addition of Dennis Miller to the booth. So, I will rely on a credible account reported by
Matt Drudge.
Here’s how he tells the story: “As ABC was showing Packers coach Mike Sherman on the screen, Al Michaels commented on how odd it was to see Sherman with two microphones, a separate one coming from each headphone.
“‘Wow, quadraphonic,’ Michaels said.
“Miller quickly chimed in: ‘F—— bomb, it’s Dolby, man.’
“ABC quickly went to a break without any laughter from Michaels.
“After reviewing a tape of the broadcast, executives concluded Miller could have said ‘Freakin’ bomb, it’s Dolby, man,’ according to an ABC source.”
Yeah, but that would definitely be out of character for Dennis Miller.
Do you believe this guy? This is network television — primetime, family hour, sports programming, wholesome, good, clean fun. Miller ought to be sentenced to watching his own HBO specials for that offense.
So, what’s the point?
I got into this whole matter not because I care about “Monday Night Football,” but because I could not believe ABC/Disney was passing up the chance to get Rush Limbaugh as a color commentator. That’s who ABC/Disney passed over in favor of Miller. It was a mistake. ABC/Disney booted the ball. It fumbled.
Well, guess what? Apparently, now that Miller has done just what you would expect him to do, ABC/Disney has reopened discussions with Rush.
Now Rush doesn’t need me to promote his personal and professional agenda. He’s done quite nicely on his own, thank you. That’s not the purpose of this column. The purpose is to illustrate just how out of touch network executives are with the American people.
These folks pull down huge salaries to make decisions that could be made better and smarter by my 8-year-old daughter — maybe even by my 2-month-old daughter.
But let me point out the obvious about Rush. It is not an overstatement to say that Rush Limbaugh saved AM radio. What he accomplished in talk radio syndication was unprecedented. And it came at a time when the industry was beginning to wonder about the future of AM.
More than 20 million people listen to Rush regularly. Does ABC/Disney have any appreciation for what it takes to get 20 million people listening to anything in the daytime? I don’t think so.
The truth is that Rush might have been the only man alive in America today with enough juice to turn around the sagging ratings of “Monday Night Football.” Think about it. Who else could do that? Is there a Howard Cosell out there somewhere eluding my attention? It’s not Dennis Miller — not by a long shot.
As I said before, just the possibility of Rush filling the job at ABC has garnered the network more publicity for “Monday Night Football” than I have seen in a decade.
It would be cool if ABC/Disney officials learned a lesson from all this and belatedly signed Rush to a deal. I might even take up watching “Monday Night Football.”
Why? Because, as I have said before, Rush Limbaugh is simply one of the greatest entertainers in the world today. He saved AM radio and he can save “Monday Night Football.”
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