The journey has ended for Soledad and Miles O'Brien, says CNN. The dual anchors of lackluster American Morning are being demoted reassigned elsewhere, to be replaced by new acquisitions John Roberts (Dan Rather's understudy at CBS) and Kiran Chetry (the recent transfer who "famously" reported for Fox News and CNN in a single, freewheeling afternoon).

And while this marks the second shakeup at the "flagging" news show in two years, the show's emphasis on "straight news over light features" may have more to do with its sliding ratings than the quality of its anchors.

After all, the show starts broadcasting at 6am. And, from the looks of it, early-birds aren't exactly enthralled by reports of soaring gas prices, imminent recessions and the inevitable social security crisis. Not surprising, considering the general rule of thumb seems to be: coffee first, deplorable state of economic affairs second.