EyeOpener (U.S. TV program)
| EyeOpener | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Morning news program |
| Created by | Lee Abrams |
| Presented by | Laila Muhammad Oliver Tull Kevin Roth Neeha Curtis Hilary Kennedy Allyn Hoang Courtenay DeHoff |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Raymond J. Brune (2011–2012) Justin Allen (2012–2016) Chris Myers (2016-2017) |
| Location(s) |
Chicago, Illinois (2011–2012) Dallas, Texas (2012–2017) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 180 minutes (weekday edition) 60 minutes (weekend editions) |
| Production company(s) | Tribune Broadcasting |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndication |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV), 720p (HDTV) |
| Original release | May 9, 2011 – June 21, 2017 |
| External links | |
| Website | eyeopenertv |
EyeOpener is an American syndicated morning news program produced by Tribune Broadcasting that premiered on May 9, 2011 and ended on June 21, 2017. The program utilized a local/national hybrid format billed as a "provocative and unpredictable" combination of general and political news, health, entertainment, technology and opinion segments, mixed with humor and variety elements; stations carrying the program are given the option to provide news, weather and traffic inserts focusing on their local market each half-hour. At the show's conclusion, it was hosted by Laila Muhammad, Oliver Tull, Neeha Curtis, Hilary Kennedy, Allyn Hoang, Courtenay DeHoff and Kevin Roth, who was also the show's meteorologist.
The idea for the program was conceived by Tribune Company chief innovation officer Lee Abrams (who resigned in October 2010). In the spring of 2011, Tribune Broadcasting developed a concept for a morning news program intended for stations owned by the company that did not maintain existing news departments. The program, which was given the title EyeOpener, would incorporate a local/national format (with the intent to syndicate the program to other markets) similar to that of morning news programs on the major broadcast television networks, with three-minute-long national segments conducted in a more free-form style. Steve Charlier, senior vice president of news at Tribune Broadcasting, described the program as a platform in which "comedy meets national news," designed to distinguish itself and stations carrying the program by offering a morning show that stands out from its traditionally formatted competitors.
The program debuted as a test run on May 9, 2011 on Tribune-owned CW affiliate KIAH in Houston, Texas – which maintained a news department, but only carried twice-daily evening newscasts – replacing syndicated programs and infomercials in the two-hour timeslot (from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.); the program's national segments – originally hosted by Kirby O'Connell, Sean Dowling and Adam Lee Campbell – were initially produced in studio facilities at the Tribune Tower in Chicago, which also serves as the corporate headquarters for the Tribune Company. The program was originally hosted by Kirby O’Connell, Sean Dowling (who served as news anchor) and Adam Lee Campbell (who handled consumer, technology and pop culture-related reports), with the hosts appearing in more casual attire. In addition to news, health and parenting advice segments, the program initially also featured more irreverent and humorous features including a how-to segment conducted by a "hunky handyman" character named "Wrench," a commentary segment by Roger Lodge and a social media segment by "Monsignor Jebediah O'Flaherty," a character used as part of a segment lampooning celebrity tweets.
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