The combined audience of the Sunday shows is around 10 million households. While that may not be quite as large as that of "American Idol," it includes the entire Washington establishment, which looks to the Sunday shows to clarify who the important players are, which stories matter most, and what arguments can be considered seriously. The Sunday shows confer status—both on people and on ideas—with greater effect than any other news presentation. They are the place where Washington's power elite goes to make its case, where the boundaries of debate are determined and the talking points presented and probed.
Oh the talking points are presented alright. Tune into one or all, it makes no difference. You will hear the exact same argument made word for word (they all will use the exact same buzzword as per the talking points memo).
Yeah, my favorite was "Gravitas."