Seacrest, In ... to host the Emmys

Love him or hate him, (I'm ... ahem ... in the first camp), there's no denying that Ryan Seacrest is among the hardest working men in show business. From his exhausting gig as the face of American Idol every spring to collaborations with the E! cable channel, a weekly hosting turn of the American Top 40 countdown program, and a morning radio show in the Los Angeles market, the diminutive media linchpin is carving out his claims to be the country's next Dick Clark.

News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) FOX Network, which airs American Idol, announced that Seacrest will serve as host for the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, to be aired live on Sunday, September 16. In a press release from the network, FOX's president of alternative entertainment, Mike Darnell, asserted that "Ryan Seacrest is known and loved by television audiences around the world ... he's a consummate host of major live broadcast events and a proven talent who always makes it look easy..."

Ken Ehlrich, executive producer of the Emmy broadcast this year, promises that Seacrest will help infuse this year's Emmys with a "freshness, enthusiasm and professionalism [into] some of the innovative things we have planned."
Personally, I'll be even more likely to tune into the awards show with Seacrest hosting. He's quick on his feet, sharp, and funny in a manner often stifled by his Idol gig (or so I allow myself to believe). And like it or not, Seacrest is also an indelible part of today's TV fabric.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.