MSNBC

[jazzpno]

13 hours ago, oakville said:

Why hasn't Al Sharpton complained about the removal of so many POC on his network?

I seriously doubt that Sharpton has that kind of influence over TPTB, I'm curious about where his ratings fall.

[oakville]

5 hours ago, Medicine Crow said:

I think that's called "establishing rapport with your guests"????

She is a big phony. I have watched her for years on Morning Joe. She tried to suck up to Trump during the primaries by bragging that her parents were Pro Trump. She turned on Trump when Joe went anti- Trump in August-October. She got into fights with Mika. She dissapeared from Morning Joe after the election. She is an opportunist who is anti GOP on virtually every topic.

2 hours ago, jazzpno said:

I seriously doubt that Sharpton has that kind of influence over TPTB, I'm curious about where his ratings fall.

Apparently, he was powerful enough that NBC-Comcast needed his support to get the merger approved.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/07/27/al-sharpton-affirmative-action-beneficiary-of-the-nbc-comcast-merger

[Medicine Crow]

48 minutes ago, oakville said:

She is a big phony. I have watched her for years on Morning Joe. She tried to suck up to Trump during the primaries by bragging that her parents were Pro Trump. She turned on Trump when Joe went anti- Trump in August-October. She got into fights with Mika. She dissapeared from Morning Joe after the election. She is an opportunist who is anti GOP on virtually every topic.

Apparently, he was powerful enough that NBC-Comcast needed his support to get the merger approved.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/07/27/al-sharpton-affirmative-action-beneficiary-of-the-nbc-comcast-merger

Another flip-flopper who's made it good ... what a travesty!!!  LOL.

[Just Here]

In addition to their regular anchoring duties, Stephanie Ruhle and Ali Velshi will co-host a new weekly Saturday show, Velshi & Ruhle, which premieres this Saturday (May 20th) at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.  Via Forbes:

Quote

The new show, led by executive producer Aaron Volkman, will deliberately avoid the “business show” format. “We’re not running a market show at all, and we’re not doing personal finance,” said Velshi. “It’s this whole category in the middle.”

Conceding that many simply “dismiss business TV as boring,” Ruhle said they would skip the standard-issue “people who talk investing…or worse…just talk about your 401-K and gas prices.”

Instead, Velshi says they will focus on issues like the loss of jobs in certain sectors of the economy, like coal and retail--and whether the president has the power to bring any of those jobs back. “One of the discussions you can have when you have more than two minutes to talk is should it be retail vs. coal, or are they both examples of old technology? That’s one of the advantages of doing it this way.”

According to TitanTV, this is just a half-hour show.  Also, I'm not sure about whether the new show is going to be live or recorded (like "Your Business" with JJ Ramberg).

 

* * * * *

 

On the rating's front, MSNBC had the largest Monday through Friday primetime viewership numbers of any of the Big Three news channels for the week of May 8th, beating both FOX and CNN in total viewers (any age) as well as in the 25-54 demo. (MSNBC press release).

Quote

This is the first weekly win for MSNBC in A25-54 since the week of December 29, 2008 (the first week of 2009 ratings).

In total viewers, MSNBC weekday prime averaged 2.4 million – almost double that of CNN’s 1.3 million and just behind FOX News’ 2.6 million. For A25-54, MSNBC averaged 590,000 viewers (vs. CNN’s 464,000 and FOX News’ 524,000).

Three programs were #1 in A25-54 in their respective time periods: “The Rachel Maddow Show” at 9pm, “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” at 10pm, and “The 11th Hour with Brian Williams” at 11pm. The re-air of “The Rachel Maddow Show” also topped FOX News and CNN at 12am.

 

* * * * *

 

15 hours ago, car54 said:

Actually this coming weekend, my channel guide shows something sports-related in Joy's slot and Joy at noon on Sunday--so who knows?

That's only a one time a year thing. The English Premier League  (soccer) ends its season with all ten final matches played simultaneously due to fairness/competitiveness concerns.*** NBC Sports (which has the English-language rights to the EPL in the United States) is airing all ten of these matches live on the NBC family of networks, essentially as a way to promote/hype its coverage.

 

***For historical background, the Disgrace of Gijón (Wikipedia) was the international watershed moment for these issues.  Also, in these final EPL matches, a win or even just a draw could mean millions of dollars in additional guaranteed revenue, while a loss could mean the opposite, with the worst case scenario being that the team gets relegated down to a lower league, where teams receive millions of dollars less in guaranteed revenue from television rights.

Edited May 18, 2017 by Just Here

[car54]

I love Ali and Stephanie together so I give their show a try.

Nicolle is only bearable when her guy isn't winning. Once she has a dog in the fight she is smug and dogmatic.   Being on the losing side (never Trump) suits her best.

[Kitty Redstone]

This is how I see her as well, car54.  There are many other people I'd rather have had Steve's slot than Nicolle.

Has there been any updates on whether Hugh Hewitt is getting a show?  I just don't understand why they would go down this road.  He never offers reasonable or logical discussion like most of the other Republican/conservative guests or MSNBC commentators, but just the same old echo chamber conspiracy theories and whining.

[jjj]

On ‎2‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 2:26 PM, WendyCR72 said:

Gang, the new policy is, if you want to discuss a program that airs on MSNBC [or Fox News or CNN], if the forum does not exist, you may request one in the New Show Request Thread. The same rule would apply in keeping to context of what aired on that INDIVIDUAL show. (Such as, if one wishes to discuss Rachel Maddow, do so in her show thread; if it does not exist, someone may request a forum...)

But the MSNBC thread is now just for talking about, say, hiring and firing of personalities, what shows are canceled or debuting, that sort of general stuff.

But - as far as I know - general political talk, as always, is no go here at PTV.

Any questions, please PM me.

Chris Jansing actually had *three* hours of hosting on Friday (two in the morning, one in the afternoon; are other hosts on the presidential tour?).  As always, she was terrific, but she seemed completely flabbergasted in the final thirty seconds of her afternoon show, with so many breaking stories.  You could tell she was really reaching to try to find words to convey the significance of all these anvils of news about the White House. 

[Mumbles]

Tonight Lawrence O'Donnell read a NY Post editorial that ran in today's print edition while the chyron read "BREAKING NEWS" that the editorial supported Mueller's appointment. Clearly a complete misuse of the phrase "breaking news."

[Ohwell]

MSNBC (and CNN) is notorious for its "BREAKING NEWS" chyron, even as that same news has been repeatedly reported over the course of the day.   Even though I've gotten used to it, it's still annoying. 

[Milburn Stone]

6 hours ago, Ohwell said:

MSNBC (and CNN) is notorious for its "BREAKING NEWS" chyron, even as that same news has been repeatedly reported over the course of the day.   Even though I've gotten used to it, it's still annoying. 

And even if they used the rationale that some new eyeballs might have just tuned in that haven't heard the news yet, the "breaking news" is often something utterly predictable that never was breaking news in any part of its lifespan--like, "CONGRESS TO ADJOURN FOR RECESS."

The news channels are all so desperate.

[Kemper]

I have never been a fan of Chuck Todd...but has anyone noticed how he is absent a lot lately?  Katy Tur (love her) has been hosting his show at least one day a week; is he ill?  Is MSNBC trying others out in the timeslot, thinking the ratings might improve.  I have no idea what the ratings are like, but for some reason he is just not my cup of tea.  Didn't Drumpf call him Sleepy Eyes?

[HyeChaps]

Chuck is always off on Mondays having worked Sunday on regular Meet the Press. 

[Jaded]

Quote

For the first time in its history, MSNBC ranked number one in both total viewers and the key adults 25-54 demographic during primetime for a full week among the big three cable news networks.

For the week of May 15, MSNBC averaged 2.44 million viewers with 611,000 in the key demo from 8 p.m.-11 p.m. Four MSNBC programs were number one for the week in total viewers in their respective time periods: “The Rachel Maddow Show,” “Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell”, “The 11th Hour” and the midnight re-air of “The Rachel Maddow Show.” Maddow had the top ranked non-sports program in all of cable for the week. On CNN, “Anderson Cooper 360” ranked number one in in the demo for five straight days at 8 p.m. This ties for the longest winning streak on record for the show in that timeslot.

Source: Variety

Edited May 22, 2017 by Jaded

[car54]

Another article about MSNBC's good week.

[shoregirl]

Maybe this will keep them from trying to be fox jr. People seem to want what Rachel, Chris, Lawerence etc are offering 

[Kemper]

Did anyone notice how, when Trump and his minions got on the plane last week for his trip, Brian Williams just could not resist letting everyone know how he had been on Air Force One before.  He detailed where everyone (reporters, staff, etc.) would be sitting.  He just cannot resist bragging and letting everyone know he is the coolest kid in the room.  Can't stand him and his nasal, grating voice.  And to think they may be thinking of putting him on at 10:00.  Replacing my beloved Lawrence O'Donnell.  For awhile, when he was first brought on board, he seemed chastised and was bearable.  Now that he has gotten his footing he has gone back to being unbearable.  I switch to CNN whenever I see his face - which seems to be more and more often; my worst fear is that they will put Mr. Wisenheimer and Megyn Kelly on together for breaking news and political coverage.  They will make Joe and Meekah (who haven't been too bad lately) look like towers of political coverage.

[potatoradio]

Hi, MSNBC -

Potatoradio here. Even though your stable of "lean forward" cableheads is growing emptier and emptier, I'm trying to stick with you. I had JUST gotten over your incessant, cruel use of cheesy election music and had almost forgotten your knee-jerk, neurotic need to introduce new, Very Somber themes for breaking news that's actually breaking news and involves fatalities and is truly horrific. Once again, I beg of you to stop this. Less is more and silence is golden. I would really appreciate being able to watch news about the Manchester bombing without the blasted, soap operatic "We Are Very Solemn Today" music lead in. Believe it or not, I'm already sad and horrified.

Thank you. 

[meowmommy]

22 hours ago, car54 said:

Another article about MSNBC's good week.

Evidence of the old saying, if it ain't broke, destroy it with a sledgehammer, right?

[Kitty Redstone]

14 hours ago, Kemper said:

Did anyone notice how, when Trump and his minions got on the plane last week for his trip, Brian Williams just could not resist letting everyone know how he had been on Air Force One before.  He detailed where everyone (reporters, staff, etc.) would be sitting.  He just cannot resist bragging and letting everyone know he is the coolest kid in the room.  Can't stand him and his nasal, grating voice.  And to think they may be thinking of putting him on at 10:00.  Replacing my beloved Lawrence O'Donnell.  For awhile, when he was first brought on board, he seemed chastised and was bearable.  Now that he has gotten his footing he has gone back to being unbearable.  I switch to CNN whenever I see his face - which seems to be more and more often; my worst fear is that they will put Mr. Wisenheimer and Megyn Kelly on together for breaking news and political coverage.  They will make Joe and Meekah (who haven't been too bad lately) look like towers of political coverage.

I watched 11th hour tonight for the first time in awhile (couldn't find the remote).  One of the guests told Brian that he owed him an hour of beauty sleep due to the late hour, and Brian laughed and said, yeah, who do we see about that.  Screw you, Brian Williams, for trying to maneuver yourself into Lawrence's time slot. 

[telemachus2]

WHY does Joy Reid keep undermining her message by so frequently forcing her not too attractive (sorry, but true!) titties in our faces?? I don't get it.  Cultural differences??

[Ladyrain]

I didn't catch the very beginning of The Last Word so don't know if this was addressed - but it's not a good sign when Lawrence is absent from his own show at the tail end of his contract, with rumors already swirling.  I'm beyond furious that TPTB might remove LO'D.  Why would they mess with a winning prime time lineup, especially when MSNBC has finally beaten CNN and Faux?!  It makes zero sense!!  The mere thought of replacing Lawrence with that pompous ass Williams is nauseating.  Ten p.m. on MSNBC will be dead to me if they do that.   They better be careful; I would assume Rachel carries quite a bit of clout now, and she is definitely in O'Donnell's corner.  Oh god I can't even entertain the thought of her leaving.  I would go completely nuts!!!

[Medicine Crow]

1 hour ago, telemachus2 said:

WHY does Joy Reid keep undermining her message by so frequently forcing her not too attractive (sorry, but true!) titties in our faces?? I don't get it.  Cultural differences??

If you're a woman, shame on you!!!  If you're a man ... there.are.no.words!!!

[telemachus2]

Female & I calls 'em as I see 'em.  Only started watching a.m. Joy & a few other MSNBC shows w/Joy R. in the last few months, yet have seen her many times busting out the cleavage, which makes it harder to take her seriously, IMO.  Other than that, have enjoyed her contributions & generally strongly support her opinions.  FWIW, I have an unreconstructed double mastectomy, but my opinion is not a case of sour grapes.  I've always been a fan of small & natural, personally, but only in appropriate settings, which IMO is not as a professional anchorperson/commentator on TV.  Call me an old-fashioned B.

Edited May 25, 2017 by telemachus2
clarification

[oakville]

7 hours ago, Ladyrain said:

I didn't catch the very beginning of The Last Word so don't know if this was addressed - but it's not a good sign when Lawrence is absent from his own show at the tail end of his contract, with rumors already swirling.  I'm beyond furious that TPTB might remove LO'D.  Why would they mess with a winning prime time lineup, especially when MSNBC has finally beaten CNN and Faux?!  It makes zero sense!!  The mere thought of replacing Lawrence with that pompous ass Williams is nauseating.  Ten p.m. on MSNBC will be dead to me if they do that.   They better be careful; I would assume Rachel carries quite a bit of clout now, and she is definitely in O'Donnell's corner.  Oh god I can't even entertain the thought of her leaving.  I would go completely nuts!!!

I agree that it is bizarre. Maddow refused to resign after Olbermann was fired. I think she is putting her own financial interests ahead of O Donnell. She has a right to do this.

Al Sharpton is doing the same thing when he refused to protest MSNBC's decision to remove MHP, Toure & Tamron Hall.

It amazes me that Williams is still on the air.

[Milburn Stone]

4 hours ago, oakville said:

It amazes me that Williams is still on the air.

I, too, am nauseated by him, but am curious--are his ratings good? (I know MSNBC's are, lately, but Williams in particular?) Someone must be watching him for Andy Lack to want to give him more prominence. Or maybe not!

[Ladyrain]

I am really enjoying Chris Jansing subbing for mush-mouth Greta tonight.  GVS drives me nuts; her hour is the one that I usually veer away from MSNBC,  till Manic Matthews comes on.  It's absurd that TPTB would leave her on while trying to get rid of Lawrence O'Donnell.  I am still in deep denial that Lawrence won't be on again.  I refuse to accept it.  My fervent hope is that he's been absent this week due to tricky contract negotiations and that next week he'll be back in his 10 p.m. slot like nothing ever happened.

[Ladyrain]

39 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I also noticed Ivanka sashaying up the steps of that airplane.  I got the impression that she was very aware of what she was doing, purposely swaying her butt back and forth.  

And yes, I'm sure daddy was proud.  He probably watched that video over and over.

While I liked Chris Jansing subbing for Mushmouth, I did think that Chris interrupted her guests too much.  Stephanie Ruhle does the same thing.

Totally on the same page with you regarding CJ's and SR's interviewing style.  They both do constantly interrupt, especially Chris.  But at least I can understand them when they speak (and speak and speak and speak).  With Greta, it's like listening to a foreign language of which I only know a  few words.  I'm constantly trying to patch together the three or four words out of her mouth that I can decipher with the mish-mash of unintelligible syllables and come up with a coherent sentence. 

[Medicine Crow]

1 minute ago, Ladyrain said:

Totally on the same page with you regarding CJ's and SR's interviewing style.  They both do constantly interrupt, especially Chris.  But at least I can understand them when they speak (and speak and speak and speak).  With Greta, it's like listening to a foreign language of which I only know a  few words.  I'm constantly trying to patch together the three or four words out of her mouth that I can decipher with the mish-mash of unintelligible syllables and come up with a coherent sentence. 

EXACTLY!!!

[Jaded]

  ?

MSNBC President Phil Griffin Signs Deal to Stay at Top of Surging Cable-News Outlet

[Ladyrain]

Lawrence is back!!!  Yay!!!   That's a good sign, right?  Right? 

Phil Griffin is a good sign that Lawrence is staying......right?

Bueller?  Bueller??

[telemachus2]

Can't tear myself away from brilliant reporting, both by MSNBC & other media.  KUDOS!

[Lisin]

Guys please remember that the network forums are not for discussing the content of the shows. They are for discussing the business of the networks, anchors etc. Show forums exist to talk about the content. This is a place to discuss more of the behind the scenes things. 

[Ohwell]

2 hours ago, Lisin said:

Guys please remember that the network forums are not for discussing the content of the shows. They are for discussing the business of the networks, anchors etc. Show forums exist to talk about the content. This is a place to discuss more of the behind the scenes things. 

I'm confused then, because unless some posts have been removed, all I've seen posted here are comments about the anchors and scheduling.   I haven't seen anything about content.  So my question is:  what is meant by "behind the scenes" and "the business of the networks?"  Also, are we not allowed to talk about anchors?  

[potatoradio]

Not sure if this is quite purely business and behind the scenes, so apologies if this post veers off the intended focus of the thread. I've been at home lately and have had (too many) chances to watch the new daytime lineup and puzzle over where MSNBC is trying to go - hoping it's more strategic than just "faux lite." I caught Nicolle Wallace's show and I have to say, she had a really good range of viewpoints on her panel (Kornacki to Sharpton - geeky conservative to progressive preacher - that was entertaining). I've also seen Kasich hailed as a hero on her show for his focus on bi-partisan efforts (imagine...that did used to happen). I'm just wondering if maybe MSNBC is trying to position itself as "bipartisan", or  "fair and balanced for smart people/elites"? Or maybe they're trying to blend moderate conservatives with liberals in anticipation of Brietbart/Faux only getting faker and more extreme under 45 and capture more of the moderates who are looking for any port in a storm.

That would make some sense to me, anyway, and it would be interesting to see if they succeed. Although, if I were in the CEO seat, I'd reverse their shameful whitening trend immediately. You can build bipartisanship without that, you know?

But still...no, no, NO screwing with the prime timers, RM, CH and LO'D unless it's to add PM Joy, OK, MSNBC? Pretty please? I can accept you may need to open up my safe space, but this snowflake is special enough to switch if something really starts to stink....

I am thinking that image or intended audience or shifts in tone are fair game for a thread on the business of networks, but please correct me if wrong. 

[Ladyrain]

Mr. Rain was watching today's rerun of AM Joy.  (And keep in mind that this man probably doesn't know the color of my eyes - and we've been married for like 100 years).  He turns to me and asks, "Why do all the conservative women have blond puffy hair?".  This was an epic observation, coming from him.  I had to explain to him how they're stuck in the man-pleasing 1950s and that liberal women style and coif themselves for themselves.  Now, I don't know if that is 100% accurate, but it sounded good at the time.  But the fact that he - of all people - took notice of that was all the prompting I needed to make a point.

[Lisin]

@Ohwell the offending posts were removed. Posts you still see are fine. 

[stormy]

Lawrence did get a new contract!

[car54]

Ali Velshi just announced that they are giving he and Stephanie Ruhle a slot together on weekdays too--starting Monday at 12:30.

I have watched their weekend show and thought it was good--a little odd that they just do 1/2 hour but I like the chemistry of the 2 hosts.

[Mumbles]

It is disgusting to see Stephanie Ruhle reduced to a panelist on her show hour while the powers that be gave the Comey coverage to lying fabulist Brian Williams.

ETA - he just managed to condescend and insult "middle America" when the camera focused on the US Attorney fired by Trump and said, "People of (small town) Kansas would be excused for not knowing" him.

Edited June 8, 2017 by Mumbles

[HyeChaps]

What an irony to see that lying liar Brian Williams commenting on the veracity of 45 and Comey. 

[car54]

MSNBC, GIVE JOY REID THE 6 PM SLOT!!!!

[Just Here]

The New York Times has an in-depth profile on Katy Tur in today's (June 10th) edition: Katy Tur Is Tougher Than She Looks:

Quote

“I did not want to go to Washington for a number of reasons,” she said, “one of which, the first and foremost of which being I’ve got a personal life now, and I’m engaged. I want to be in New York with my fiancé. And I’m a big believer in reporting from the outside. I’ve always been an outsider. I think being in the White House press corps, it’s difficult to do the sort of journalism that I would want to do.”

...

“Do I miss going out and reporting? I do,” she said. “I feel like it was ripped away from me a little too soon. I want to continue to be a reporter. I don’t see the anchoring thing as like me just sitting behind a desk and reading a teleprompter. I don’t know if they’re going to like me in this role. I don’t know if I’m going to like myself in this role.”

 

Edit: There's some controversy over the article's title:

Edited June 10, 2017 by Just Here
auto-formatting issue / added tweet

[Medicine Crow]

When Chris "threw to" Rachel last night, he didn't seem as bubbly as usual.  Actually, he looked pissed & kinda surly.  Rachel wasn't quite as cheery with her "Thank you my friend".  Just wondering if there's anything going on.

[Mumbles]

Interesting that it looks like the NYT changed the title of the Tur profile.

[potatoradio]

Laughed my arse off at Chuck Todd today - his show opened with a promo for a story on the GA-6 election and, of course, the patented, cringeworthy election music. When he started, Todd said, "ah, yes....that music..." Yo, MSNBC? When even your talent starts to snark on your tired old music "design," it's time to have a come to Jesus moment with your composer. 

[jjj]

I like Katy Tur, but her math was way off today -- twice she said that today, June 20, was the six-month anniversary of Trump becoming president, and that was her theme in her first segment.  What will she talk about on July 20?  I'm surprised that no one told her the right number of months in her earpiece. 

[spiderpig]

This isn't about a regular series, but a one-time special, "All The President's Men Revisited".  Anybody see it?  For those of us old enough to remember, it was a trip in the Wayback Machine.  And I don't care - Redford is still Redford.  He's 80 years old, ferdawgssake!

[BennyB]

Nonononononono!!!!!!  

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/msnbc-gives-conservative-radio-host-hugh-hewitt-a-show-1015923

I knew it was in discussion, but now confirmed.  :-( 

Good news for me...I live on the West Coast, so waaaaaay to early for me to see!

[Milburn Stone]

4 hours ago, BennyB said:

Nonononononono!!!!!!  

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/msnbc-gives-conservative-radio-host-hugh-hewitt-a-show-1015923

I knew it was in discussion, but now confirmed.  :-( 

Good news for me...I live on the West Coast, so waaaaaay to early for me to see!

I'm gonna make the best case I can for that. (Don't know if this is the case Lack makes for it, but it's the case I'd make if I were him.)

"Yes, Rachel and Lawrence are doing great in the ratings. They're doing great in the ratings because our new balance has made us a more credible network, making them more credible in the process. When MSNBC was nothing but 'if Trump is for it, we're against it,' we weren't as credible a news organization. The more we aren't perceived to have a knee-jerk agenda, the more people have come to trust Rachel and Lawrence."

Edited June 22, 2017 by Milburn Stone

[oakville]

On 5/25/2017 at 11:25 AM, Milburn Stone said:

I, too, am nauseated by him, but am curious--are his ratings good? (I know MSNBC's are, lately, but Williams in particular?) Someone must be watching him for Andy Lack to want to give him more prominence. Or maybe not!

I think NBC signed him to a long term contract before the scandal forced him off the air. The NBC tried to get him to take a severance package but he refused. I can't take him seriously as a News anchor . I doubt his contract will be renewed. He has never appeared on Morning Joe despite assurances by Mika & Joe that they like him after his suspension . They always bring on poor old  Tom Brokaw to e the voice of gravitas on any issue. Brokaw must be furious at having to wake up early to be on Morning Joe.