The Access
Stephen Colbert spent eleven years on CBS accumulating what the broadcasting industry calls "access." Access to senators. Access to presidential candidates. Access to the people who write the books about what is wrong with America, and then come on television to discuss the books, and then leave.
He had all of them on the show. They sat in the chair. He asked them things. This is, in broadcasting, the word they use: access.
The Late Show on CBS ended last week. It reached approximately 2.4 million viewers on an average night. (I am providing this number because it exists and because numbers that exist are the kind of numbers worth having.)
The following week, Colbert hosted a program on Michigan public access television. Jack White was there. Jack White plays guitar. He was, apparently, available.
"Public access," for those unfamiliar, is television the public can broadcast and the public can watch. It is called public because of the public. The public does not always show up. The public has things going on. Three counties in Michigan had access to the broadcast. This is what public access means: anyone can watch, which is different from anyone watching.
For eleven years, Colbert had private access to everyone who mattered. Now he has public access, which means everyone has access to him. This sounds like an upgrade. It is not described as an upgrade.
The transition is notable because the word stayed the same. Access. Same word. The word survived the move from CBS to cable channel 23. The word is flexible this way.
CBS is no longer part of the story. CBS has retained access to the archive. The archive runs on a server somewhere. The server does not do interviews.
Colbert will figure out what comes next. He has access to time, now. Time is the thing people have wanted until they have it. His next move has not been announced. The announcement would require a platform. This is also a kind of access problem.
Jack White, for his part, plays guitar. He has not commented on his availability for future public access broadcasts. His availability appears to be ongoing.