CNN needs an overhaul from top to bottom. It let Fox take away its position in cable news and has continued to slide. Cooper and Morgan haven't helped. Maybe Bourdain can and, yes, he shouldn't be limited to weekends and food. He can be on the human interest side what O'Reilly is to news, a ubiquitous gad fly with a point of view.

Here's the point: the ratings system is broken. It doesn't adequately reflect cable, DVR or other devices being used to receive programming. The demos are an old fashioned way to measure a show's value and only reflect network usage, which is dwindling. 13 million viewers for "Jesse Stone" should count for something. Who is stupid enough in today's world to think that over 50's aren't consumers. They eat, drive, own TVs, phones, clothes etc. and are more likely to spend for these things if advertisers have the intelligence to communicate properly to them. Programmers are lazy, myopic boobs for the most part. Just look at what's on the schedule for the new network season. Hopefully some more aggressive programmers at some of the up-and-coming broadcast outlets will see the virtue in attracting 13 million viewers to a show and pitch their potential advertisers accordingly. If Tom Selleck is good enough for "Blue Bloods" her certainly deserves more Jesse Stone shots. If the networks continue to piss off a chunk of their remaining viewers, and that older audience starts abandoning shows like "NCIS," they'll be in even bigger trouble than they already are in as they continue to lose viewers in their cherished demos for the reality glut of shows like "American Idol" and its ilk. There are a lot of AARP members out there watching TV and spending dough.