I want Bill Hemmer back.

As a self-admitted CNN junkie, I tend to have it on in the background when I'm doing things at home. Puttering around the house, playing on the computer, or taking an afternoon nap -- "CNN is there".

On June 17, the day after my last day in the classroom this year, I turned on CNN's "American Morning" only to hear Soledad O'Brien tell the viewers that it was her co-anchor's last day. Firing up Google, I learned that Miles O'Brien was being moved to AM and Bill Hemmer was, basically, leaving.

I have always found Bill Hemmer to be warm, engaging, sympathetic, and funny. He always seemed to be genuinely concerned about the people and events he was covering, and seemed to have a broad range of general knowledge. Add to this the fact that I found him easy on the eyes and I thought, you know, I'm really going to miss that guy.

Given this, and the fact that I'm the kind of person who really doesn't like change, the idea of O'Brien-Squared each and every morning was not something to which I looked forward with joy. Besides, I liked Miles O'Brien well enough but have always found him to be a bit of a broken record when it comes to the space program. I think it's fabulous that CNN has someone who knows that much about it, and can relate it to the general public in terms that most people can understand, but, at the same time, does he offer anything else? I decided to wait and see.

Tomorrow will mark four weeks since Bill Hemmer left. Miles O'Brien is, of course, at Cape Canaveral, waiting for Discovery to launch. Yes, I know that it's the first shuttle launch since Columbia was lost two years ago (which I watched live, by the way, as Miles commentated). But when they postponed the launch yesterday, I hoped I'd get a bit of a breather. No such luck. More Miles, more space, more in-depth analysis of the feelings of each and every person who manufactures all of the widgets that make up the shuttle. Please do not misunderstand me -- I believe that the space program deserves coverage, and I'm probably a little more interested in it than the average person, but making up stories in order to justify his being there is really nauseating. Is it really important that I know there are eleven technical meetings today? If the shuttle is delayed until September, is he going to stay there until it flies?

On top of all of the space stuff, Miles has been in his glory with Hurricane Dennis, talking over the meteorologists with regards to the weather as if it were vitally important that he impart his own knowledge on the situation. And then there's the inevitable "And how will this affect the shuttle launch?" If I'd been one of the weather folks, I would have choked him by now. Especially the New Yorkers, since he's made more than a few cracks about the people of NY. (Maybe he wants to go home to Atlanta just as much as I want him to?)

In the past four weeks, aside from the London terror attacks, American Morning has been, in many ways "The Miles O'Brien Space and Weather Show". Soledad doesn't seem herself at all, the ditching of Jack Cafferty, and the changing of the set to one of "hard news" have all added to the cold, clinical feeling that now greets morning viewers. To be frank, it's painful to watch. It's the difference between waking up to the radio and that gawd-awful shrieking alarm that they can hear one city away. I hate it.

Bill Hemmer, where are you?

See: Bill Hemmer's Last Hurrah