• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, August 1, 2011

He's a regular guy. He bikes in New York City; takes subways; gets low-rent haircuts. He's Anderson Cooper.

All this is in a promo for his new syndicated talk show.

What viewers get is a familiar news face, doing unfamiliar, certainly more friendly, things -- like biking riding without a helmet, and guessing we need to see his trademark silver coiffure to really know it's Cooper.

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution's "Anderson" is trying to figure out how to conquer the void left by you-know-who -- the big "O", who has gone on to cable pastures (though not necessarily better pastures, at the moment).

In an interview with Broadcasting & Cable, Cooper says he wants his show to be "smart, honest, and provocative." Trouble is, Cooper left out a very big word -- something many daytime TV viewers still need. That word is "entertaining."

That is what Oprah Winfrey masterfully wove together for 25 years. The question is whether viewers still need this mix, or whether it is time for "smarter" daytime television without the glitz. Network news figure Katie Couric wants to move into the same territory as Cooper with her forthcoming syndicated talk show.

Anyway you look at it, syndicated television -- where talk shows can garner significant ratings -- needs to improve.

Like other areas of broadcast TV -- and increasingly cable networks -- syndication is seeing viewer erosion, as consumers move to other entertainment areas -- digital video, video gaming, and social networking, to name a few. TV marketers are still buying in -- but overall syndication advertising revenues are lower, according to some estimates. Still, TV executives cling to the usual saying: All you need is one good hit.

Cooper is, of course, personable. But Winfrey went deeper, connecting with viewers because of her willingness to discuss her personal history and relationships. Cooper, at the moment, says he is not interested in that.

Maybe he has a point. Maybe, in key advertising-selling periods, he'll at least rely on what Winfrey, and other syndicated talk show hosts, have always counted on to bring in viewers when all the smart and provocative stuff fails -- celebrities and big film/TV content.

Some might tell Cooper that's an honest assessment of the business these days.