Piers Morgan: "Yes, I have a neck. It’s a little red, it’s a British tan. No-neck Morgan."
Piers' Pearls:
I gain more respect for Larry King every day, to have done this at 77 years old.
Whether you like us or not, the common thread is we are colorful characters and we polarize people in a way that most CNN hosts wouldn’t traditionally. And I think that’s a good thing, I think CNN had to be a little more provocative. When we came in we were getting killed, no doubt about it, by louder more raucous beasts in the jungle.
What do you need to get better at?
The [CNN] promos said I might be dangerous. What I meant is, I wanted to be unpredictable. What I don’t ever want to do is be boring.
I don’t think enough of your personality is coming through on air. Am I wrong?
Probably not yet, I need to develop that side. I’m still a different guy on-screen than the guy you would meet over a drink or two. But at the beginning I just wanted to be solid, tick all the boxes to be accepted as a host, then I can develop my persona on-screen.
So you’re admitting you conformed?
A little bit, yes. I wouldn’t say I went soft, but I certainly think I was more concerned with being a solid performer than doing anything too outrageous. And I’m replacing a guy who was here for a quarter century. So I needed to do a credible job post-Larry, and I think I passed that test. Now the question is, can I excel? That’s what I need to live up to.
How do you think your ratings are so far?
I’m a realist. We started with a huge bang, and we are not at that level now. But we are at a reasonably respectable level to build a rising audience. But it’s going to take a lot of work. And it fluctuates so much with the guests right now. I need to get to a position like I did in Britain, where you develop a persona that in the end it doesn’t matter who you are interviewing. And I am six months to a year from that happening here. I’m a new boy, they aren’t sure what to make of me.
Are you disappointed in the numbers?
CNN is very happy. I’m certainly not worried. Everyone compares the numbers to the day we launched. That’s stupid. If they compare them to a year ago, that’s misleading, because the 9 p.m. audience in the last year halved. The accurate comparison is to the previous four to five months, and in that sense we’re doing well. If you compare me to a year ago, it doesn’t look so good, but why would you do that? I’m not dancing on the rooftops about the figures, but I’m not disappointed.
So do headlines that say your ratings are plummeting bother you?
No, because they have plummeted from the 2.2 million that watched Oprah. But if that’s the yardstick, I think people are being silly. But I’m a journalist, it’s what I would have done. No one wants to blow smoke up my backside, they just want to have a negative story, it’s more fun, I used to do that all the time. But those headlines are silly, and everyone in the TV business knows it.
Has CNN expressed any concern over the ratings?
No. Not one murmur. And nor should they.
What kind of feedback have you gotten from CNN?
They’re thrilled. They just tell me not to forget it’s an intelligent audience. And to remain independent. And being independent right now is a really good thing. Being too far right or left right now is a bit dangerous, given what’s going on in the Middle East. What Americans need is facts.
But don’t television ratings say that is not true? Opinion-driven shows like those on Fox News are on fire.
What I think is that Fox News does better programming. Roger Ailes has done a better job producing compelling television. It can’t be dismissed as right-wing loonies. They have identified an audience and go after it with a passion and a fury and a mad partisan opinion, but it works. I was talking to Rupert Murdoch [at the NBA All-Star Game] and we both agreed, I am not going to get those viewers. And I’m not going to try. Or Rachel Maddow’s viewers.
Did Rupert give you any feedback on your show?
Of course not, he’s the enemy. I’m trying to get Rupert on as a guest. I think he’s beginning to think about it. [Last week] I was at him again, I think he might do it.
I heard someone on Fox Business Channel trashing you recently.
Good. If they’re talking about me, great. I want Fox to trash me every single day, nothing could be better. I love Fox’s aggression. I think CNN should take some of that aggression and fight fire with fire.
Are you arrogant?
I’m self-confident. I think arrogance is based on chronic insecurity. This is a brutal business, you have to be confident. But I like playing up to a certain cocky persona.
Are you insecure?
I’m not that insecure, but I am very self-critical. I love when people say they don’t watch themselves on TV. It’s complete crap—everyone does.
What’s been the best moment in all of this so far?
It’s been surreal. Having Dustin Hoffman tell me he has watched every show. Having Sir Michael Caine tell me the same thing. Having Oprah going out telling reporters this guy is good. Meeting Warren Beatty, whose suite I’m living in. Matt Damon telling me he was watching my show when Anthony Hopkins praised him. These are pinch-me moments.
That’s all celebrity stuff. Are you a starf---er in disguise?
I’ve always been a little bit of a starfucker. I think everybody is. And any journalist who pretends they’re not, the moment you see them with a star, they are.
Did CNN oversell you from the start?
I think in the world of TV, you've got to make a noise, so people will sample you. I don't think it's an option not to oversell.
So were you happy with the way you were marketed?
Some of it looking back was a bit cringe-making. The dangerous thing didn't play out how we thought it would. I wanted to be unpredictable. Looking back, to a certain degree, you're almost positioning yourself in a place you can't get to. What is dangerous? Some Japanese torture show? The marketing was to make a lot of noise. People tuned in, so it was successful, but it may have annoyed some people.
