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Dear Viewers,
Each night we think our show is "set" as we approach the 10 p.m. hour and we get comfortable. Tuesday night was no different and, as is the norm, we got our "cages rattled" as 10 p.m. approached. What rattled us last night? The news that Pope John Paul II (search) had been taken to the hospital in Rome. We were on constant watch since if he got sicker, we would have dumped our planned show and do a complete hour on the breaking news of his health.
I have previously prepared for the inevitable death of the pope and so I was ready — but you never feel completely ready in this business. My assistant downloaded and printed from the FOX "Brainroom" (our inside research department) the material the research department has prepared on the pope. I have read the material before, but needed to refresh my recollection. It is quite thick (two inches?) but also fascinating. Many may forget or not know that the pope was instrumental in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.
Throughout the show and at every break, I asked my producer in New York, "Any news on the pope?" We had to be ready to make a jump to breaking news should it occur. As it turned out, there was no change in his condition and we did our show as planned.
Click on the link in the video box above to watch video of my interview with Chet Lynch from Tuesday night.
Wednesday night tests your loyalty! We are on at MIDNIGHT Eastern — yes, midnight! Because of the State of the Union (search) speech, each prime time show gets moved back two hours. If you are in the Pacific Time Zone, you have no excuse!
Yesterday the poll question provoked not only votes, but many, many e-mails. I was surprised that it provoked e-mails — usually only votes. I have re-written the poll question below for those of you who did not (neglected to?) read it and vote and posted a handful of written e-mails to me about it. (And I just grabbed some e mails... topic was deliberate, but content was random.)
POLL QUESTION: Medicare's new prescription benefit will cover sexual performance drugs like Viagra. What's our opinion?
A. This is good idea
B. This is bad idea
C. This is absurd
D. This is a great idea
E. None of the above
Click here to see the results of the poll.
E-mail No. 1
Greta...
Most of your poll questions are juvenile and serve no purpose.
Ray Garrett
St. Simons Island, GA
ANSWER: OK, not all the poll questions are perfect… some are fun, some are serious. This one is serious since it involves federal money and how you think it should, or should not be spent.
E-mail No. 2
You are getting as bad as ABC, NBC, CNN, and CBS. Viagra is a drug to help correct a problem! Not simply a sex enhancement drug! If you had asked the question properly you would get totally different voting results.
I see you are starting to spend more and more time on the Jackson case which I have zero interest in. How can you continue to trivialize your reputation and reporting skills?
Colin Case
E-mail No. 3
Dear Greta,
I found your poll question today and subsequent results interesting and revealing. Not too difficult to tell the demographics for your polls... this one at least.
In a few years, I'm sure I'd have responded "Great Idea."
Hope all is well with you. You're the best.
Regards,
Pete Marr
Sparta, WI
E-mail No. 4
Greta,
Your Tuesday poll is misleading. For some men receiving drugs for the treatment of prostate cancer, these "performance" drugs might be their only hope of a sex life of any kind. Your poll question leads the reader to assume this is for the average guy. In which case, it would indeed be absurd.
Karen Anderson
E-mail No. 5
I am really embarrassed if my son or brother are in the room and a commercial comes on about drugs that help with erections, like Viagra...we do not need to hear this in our own house... I change the channel, and many times do not switch back to that channel for the evening... it's very disgusting.
Theresa A. McCarty
E-mail No. 6
Greta,
In reference to your poll "Medicare's new prescription benefit will cover sexual performance drugs like Viagra." I voted that it was a good idea. I feel that most people fail to realize that a happy and healthy sexual relationship is needed for a happy marriage. If this drug can help a married couple out with any sexual difficulties they may have and increase their happiness I'm all for it.
Bill M.
Ft. Campbell, KY
E-mail No. 7
The government is going to pay for erections and our guys in Iraq make less than your local fast food shift leader. It is the end of the world, Greta.
E-mail No. 8
Greta,
There are so many other valuable medicines that Medicare needs to authorize. The fact that Viagra (a man's medicine) is being approved, shows, once again, that it is the men who are making the rules. Nothing was said about approval for drugs for women's sexual intimacy issues. Personally, I think is it beyond absurd to have either approved under Medicare.
Leigh Sparks
Abbeville, AL
E-mail No. 9
This is in regards to the e-mail from Karen Southard regarding the "old geezers" that need Viagra to have sex and she thinks insurance shouldn't pay for it. Put yourself in the shoes of others Karen. It's not just a drug for old geezers as you say. If you husband or significant other was having sexual dysfunctions and you felt rejected by him because he never could have sex with you, you would think different. Viagra is far from a party drug. It is for men who want to continue having a sex life with their wife, girlfriend, whatever. It is for the woman's benefit as well as the man. You make it sound like sex is filthy and dirty, but then I bet you feel that way about it or you wouldn't have made those comments. Seek therapy… you will be a happier person.
Sarah
MS
E-mail No. 10
Greta,
Love your show and your unique commentary that is not found in other shows. The coverage of the disappearance and discovery of Cindy Lynch was super. I even found the Savannah Morning News online. Question: Why do some cases like this get complete attention on your show and not on others, and vice versa? There are other murders and disappearances, but why do many get the news and others do not?
This is not negative of you or your producers... just a wondering question I have had.
Thanks for all you do... glad you got a flight out of Atlanta. Now do a show on why they said the flight was booked and others could not get on, but there were many empty seats!
Keep up the hard work.
Paul Dickerson
ANSWER: Paul — I appreciate your note. As for why the Lynch disappearance and death got attention and others did not, the answer is quite simple: just a roll of the dice. Unfortunately so many people disappear each year (day?) and we can't cover them all. I have so many family members who write me about family members murdered, or missing and we can't cover them all. Once we do cover a story, we try and follow it closely so that we can complete the story.
Of course some stories don't get solved, or linger — like the missing couple who sold the yacht in Southern California, the murdered federal prosecutor from Maryland, the two young women from Napa Valley, etc. We check every day for news so that we can update you, but many investigations stall. As an aside, sometimes national media attention helps to keep police aggressively working on the cases and yes, sometimes, I suspect, we get in the way (which is not what we want to do.)
Greta
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