Piers Morgan's Solid Debut

Piers Morgan Tonight debuted to a strong 2.1 million viewers on Monday, with Oprah Winfrey as the premiere guest. CNN reported that Morgan's audience was 219 percent bigger than the network's average audience during its fourth quarter last year, when Larry King aired his final episodes after 25 years with the network. On the eve of Morgan's debut, CNN had the second-most viewers amongst other cable news channels; during Larry King's reign, the network was generally in third place after Fox News and MSNBC. And though it’s a strong start, it will takes weeks to determine whether Piers Morgan Tonight will be CNN's new hit show. The New York Times reported that Morgan is well aware that he will be judged according to his long-term performance on the network, which will determine whether or not he can improve their ratings in the future. "If I do, I'm a genius. If I don't, I'm a half-wit. There is no middle ground," Morgan said. His interview with Howard Stern will air Tuesday; Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday, Ricky Gervais on Thursday, and George Clooney on Friday.