1 of 1- TheLagerLad
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MSNBC Going Back to Playing it Straight?!
If this is true, I applaud the move. Although I'm a little surprised there wouldn't be a lefty counter-balance in cable news going into a presidential election cycle.
.....In the longer term, these sources said, the Rev. Al Sharpton—a larger-than-life personality who attracts a 35 percent African-American audience but continues, after 3½ years of nightly practice, to wrestle with his Teleprompter—could eventually be moved from his weeknight 6 p.m. slot to a weekend time period, as MNSBC President Phil Griffin attempts to reverse significant viewership slides by accentuating straight news over left-leaning opinion.
“Everybody in the food chain from top to bottom understands that the Olbermann era is over,” said an MSNBC source, referring to the glory days during George W. Bush’s administration when incendiary liberal Keith Olbermann regularly attracted a million viewers—many of them seeking refuge from White House and Republican talking points.
The MSNBC source said, “Going left was a brilliant strategy while it lasted and made hundreds of millions of dollars for Comcast, but now it doesn’t work anymore...The goal is to move away from left-wing TV.”
I think you're going to see a lot of different United States of America over the next three, four, or eight years. - President Donald J. Trump
- Common Sense
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Re: MSNBC Going Back to Playing it Straight?!
Looks like they are cleaning house!
From Politico:
MSNBC pulls 'Ronan Farrow', 'Reid Report'
Earlier this month, MSNBC registered its lowest full-day rating in nearly a decade, drawing an average of 55,000 viewers in the all-important 25- to 54-year-old demo. In January, MSNBC's daytime ratings for January were down 20 percent in total and 37 percent in the demo when compared to the previous year. In prime time, total viewership was down 23 percent, while the demo dropped by 39 percent.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” former vice president Biden said during a campaign event in Texas on Monday. "All men and women created by — you know, you know, the thing.”
- Just Fred
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Re: MSNBC Going Back to Playing it Straight?!
I would welcome the change, too. While I rely on BBC and Reuters to give me the straight news, it would be nice to have a news outlet in the USA that wasn't slanted right or left. I'm smart enough to sort through the poop and make up my own mind. I don't need someone to tell me that they will "do the thinking for me so I don't have to."
Somebody on one of those infotaniment radio/tv 'news' outlets actually said that, but I forget who it was.
Last edited by Just Fred (2/20/2015 5:29 pm)
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Re: MSNBC Going Back to Playing it Straight?!
Latest January 2015 viewership reports show CNN making most gains, MSNBC sinking, and FOX overall with year to year declines despite still being overall CABLE champ.
There will always be interest and money in left/right wing news shows. That is just the way it is. However, when you want to compare viewership of news programs the non-cable network news programs still beat all of them combined hands down. We will see what the Brian Williams fiasco does to its listnership, but Lester Holt for the meantime seems to be a good replacement.
"Do not confuse motion and progress, A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress"
- Goose
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Re: MSNBC Going Back to Playing it Straight?!
Perhaps the pendulum just went a bit too far and is coming back towards actual news.
The partisan stuff gets awfully boring.
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- TheLagerLad
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Re: MSNBC Going Back to Playing it Straight?!
Goose wrote:
Perhaps the pendulum just went a bit too far and is coming back towards actual news.
The partisan stuff gets awfully boring.
The interesting thing from the article I didn't know, although perhaps I shoud have, is that it doens't matter that MSNBC's ratings are horrible, becuase they make thier money on subsciber fees paid by the cable companies. And since Comcast is one of the two major cable companies in the country and owns MSNBC's parent company, they obviously are going to keep their sunsciber base.
I suppose in theory they could just run a loop of Al Sharpton performing ballet all day and make money.
I think you're going to see a lot of different United States of America over the next three, four, or eight years. - President Donald J. Trump
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Thread Starter- Goose
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Re: MSNBC Going Back to Playing it Straight?!
I'd rather see Al doing an Arabesque than ever sit thru the Ed show again.
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- TheLagerLad
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Re: MSNBC Going Back to Playing it Straight?!
Looks like they are cleaning house!
From Politico:
MSNBC pulls 'Ronan Farrow', 'Reid Report'
Earlier this month, MSNBC registered its lowest full-day rating in nearly a decade, drawing an average of 55,000 viewers in the all-important 25- to 54-year-old demo. In January, MSNBC's daytime ratings for January were down 20 percent in total and 37 percent in the demo when compared to the previous year. In prime time, total viewership was down 23 percent, while the demo dropped by 39 percent.
I watch Ronan Farrow once and he was just horrible. Never saw the Reid report.
There are rumors that they are going to let Chris Hayes go. He should be kicked off primetime, for sure. His show isn't very good. But instead of firing him, they should give him his Saturday and Sunday shows back. Up was the bes thing on cable news at one point. I would actually learn something while watching it. The guy who replaced him turned Up into all left wing all the time and removed dissenting viewpoints.
I think you're going to see a lot of different United States of America over the next three, four, or eight years. - President Donald J. Trump
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Thread Starter- Goose
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Re: MSNBC Going Back to Playing it Straight?!
Isn't Ronan some boy wonder they tried to sell as the next Dan Rather?
Saw him once and it was awful.
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- Just Fred
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Re: MSNBC Going Back to Playing it Straight?!
The interesting thing from the article I didn't know, although perhaps I shoud have, is that it doens't matter that MSNBC's ratings are horrible. Lager
I'm glad you brought that up. Similar thing happened to Rush Limbaugh a year or two ago. He said something stupid and ridiculous (real surprise) and some sponsors bailed. No matter, some well-heeled right-wing mucky-mucks picked up the tab to keep him on the airwaves. He's a useful tool.