Charlie Rose, Gayle King join CBS mornings

And heeeere we go again: CBS yesterday announced a new show that will bring both Oprah's best friend and one of PBS' veteran interviewers to the morning in the hopes of reversing a stigma that stretches back almost to the dawn of TV.

Charlie Rose and Gayle King were introduced to reporters, who were told that the new program will be serious -- but not too serious. CBS News president Jeff Fager said it'll be "about who we are -- original reporting and great storytelling." Rose -- who will keep his PBS nighttime show -- and King -- who will drop her OWN show -- both promised a rededicated effort to bring viewers to what has been network morning TV's version of a bad recurring dream. (They'll be joined by Erica Hill, who stays on from the current "Early Show.")

"CBS has a new spirit today," said Rose. And while that may or may not be true, CBS also has an old morning problem. What are the newcomers up against? Let's break it down:

"Today" and "Good Morning America" have long given most viewers what they want -- well-packaged news, lifestyle pieces and weather. The new show starting Jan. 9 is expected to be renamed and will dispense with weather but otherwise promises what appears to be a standard morning show, albeit more news-driven. Morning TV -- 7-9 a.m. -- is in fact the most glacial of time periods, and bleary-eyed, under-caffeinated, habit-enslaved viewers simply don't shop. That's the biggest challenge here.

Quite a crowd has shuffled through the CBS morning air; dozens of hosts and anchors have come and gone since the 1950s, leaving viewers dazed and confused. They came. They all went: Walter Cronkite, Will Rogers Jr., Mike Wallace, Joe Benti, Bill Kurtis, Phyllis George, Mariette Hartley, Forrest Sawyer, Faith Daniels, Harry Smith, Paula Zahn. Most viewers just gave up.

So some final advice to CBS as it embarks on this newest adventure. Keep Charlie and Gayle around a while. Who knows? Viewers might actually hang around this time, too.