Ed Sullivan, whose show (originally entitled The Toast of the Town) had a shaky start. On first viewing it, even the unerring Paley insisted that Sullivan be temporary. (His evident "anti-talent" would inspire the classic remark that "Ed does nothing, but he does it better than anyone else on television.") But Sullivan's talent wasn't his presence on camera; rather, as with Paley, it was his connections and an eye for the talent of others, and his show gradually took off until it became the most watched on Sunday evenings by a broad margin.

Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, loc. 450