I admit I used to enjoy watching MSNBC, well up until 2011 as I tired of the extreme Left turn the network had taken and the stale reporting that ensued. So I am not surprised when The Wrap released an article the other day talking about possible shakeups at MSNBC by News Honcho Phil Griffin.
This will make the 3rd shakeup since 2013 to stop the miserable free fall of what used to a decent media outlet. Rescheduling, firing, re-hosting and blah blah trying to save what once was reporting into a giant Left Wing partisanship infomercial.
It’s not that the ratings are dismissal, heck MSNBC and CNN run close in numbers. However, their combined rating numbers still fall a million and change short of rival FOX. Who am I kidding; thanks to the folks at Zap2it.com, MSNBC and CNN’s ratings from 5pm-11pm barely break the average 600k viewer mark, while the average FOX rating sits around 2 million.
Many like to believe the decline began some time ago with the ouster of Keith Olbermann. I was never a fan of Olbermann, even when he sat over at ESPN. I found his feat of “the most intelligent man in the room” a constant almost rip-off of comedian Dennis Miller onomasticon allusion of theatrical words rather vexing to the mind.
Yet Olbermann gave the peacock their own version of an overbearing odious muckraking blowhard that worked in the ratings battle. Yet egos come forth and someone’s ass has to hit the pavement. As egotistical as Olbermann was, he was their cash cow for Liberal reporting.
Olbermann has been gone for some time now and the numbers have yet to go up. Only during the campaign season have the ratings gone up, the rest of the time they’ve dipped and become stagnant. Which leads me to think of what is truly wrong over at the 30 Rock nest?
For me the answer is quick; too many partisan personalities reporting the Left view of the political pendulum and not enough hours in the day to actually report a full story. Plus the personalities that squat behind the desk, well they’re unlikeable.
I could use 3/4 of this blog to grade the entire Monday thru Friday MSNBC line up, but that would only be disingenuous to my blogging mantra of “never write more than one can read during the average crap (thank you Michael Gold).”
(Personal note- I’ve been told that’s an average of 8 minutes)
It’s safe to say Morning Joe is a sure bet of staying its present course, even after getting beat by CNN’s New Day in the recent ratings release. I still have a soft spot for this show as it goes against the norm of the “tabloidy” morning shows on other networks with its roundtable political talk. Mika’s liberalism works with Joe’s conservatism even as many see Joe as a sellout to the network’s game plan and lost his way.
However, it works the headlines longer than the other shows that give only minutes so they can get the videos of ski jumping cats and toddler diaper marathons airtime.
Following the coattails of MJ is now the extended time and renamed The Rundown. Telemundo’s talented Jose Diaz-Balart now reads the teleprompter and again does very well, even if the ratings don’t show. But the rest of the network needs pink slips.
Normally the hours of 11am-5pm, TV becomes a void of game shows, soap operas and cooking shows. So news becomes nonexistent for many as the day wanders till roughly 500p when the kids are home and dinner is burning in the oven.
It all begins with Ed Shultz and ends to Rachel Maddow, if there were no more proof of Leftie in the House comedy I can’t find it with the 30 Rock cast.
Actually I shouldn’t place Ed Shultz amongst this group but I have to as he’s always good for a “Stroke” moment when his face is boiling red and one must wonder if he’ll spontaneously combust live on the air.
But MSNBC really shot itself in the foot, well actually both feet, when contracting Al Sharpton to host his own program. This is the biggest Left card played by MSNBC and it’s choking them. The hiring of Al Sharpton is a slap in the face of many. Yes I have issues with Al Sharpton in more ways than one. He’s the Liberal version of Donald Trump; a publicity whore with bad hair, always looking for a way to get their name in anything.
But to follow one egotistical personality with another is too much even for the most Liberal of minds to handle. Yes, I’m talking about Chris Matthews
What happened to this guy? He was once considered one of the best politicos on the air. I believe he was once considered a replacement for late (and great) Tim Russert’s Meet the Press chair. Yet Matthews has become the ugliest cheerleader of the Left and President Obama. If Hillary gets the nod, well if the bathroom door is locked, don’t knock you don’t want to interrupt Chris’s “me time.”
Mr. Griffin, if you want to give the viewers good entertainment, why not combine Sharpton and Matthews for a comedy hour, as neither have been taken seriously for some time now.
But, here comes the biggest issue with MSNBC, the hours of 8p-10p, or as I call it “The Monologue Hours.”
Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow, twins born from different mothers who feel it’s best to have a 10 minute monologue before the actual story are presented. And that story normally last 2 minutes, but by the time they breathe from their monologues the story has become mute as one either has changed the channel or fallen asleep.
Grant it, their resumes are impressive, but the on air personality makes one feel like they were just scolded like a puppy for peeing on the floor or sat through an insurance lecture.
Putting Chris Hayes against Bill O’Reilly is like putting a Mini Pinscher and a Rottweiler in the ring. Lots of slobbering and whining with expected results of an ass whopping.
FOX wasn’t losing a ratings battle with Hannity against Maddow, but the genius of moving Hannity to 10p and inserting Megyn Kelly into the 9pm slot, well it only deepened the ratings bruises already dealt.
I’m not in belief FOX is the greatest Media network either, as one can get lost with all the busy graphic nonsense. It’s close to information overload with news scrolls, guest credentials, flashy headers and of course the host barking into the screen while trying to read their teleprompter.
One can see a change in colors of sort with the peacock, as they are slowly turning their away from Obama presidency and looking towards 2016. They have to admit, their best ratings are during the election cycle. But without a Democratic political clown car to chase, they are left with this dirty stalker style reporting of 2016 GOP hopeful Jeb Bush.
Yes there are other GOP’ers lining up, but as FOX is only targeting Hillary Clinton, MSNBC has to cover some sort of opposition. Merely mentioning other candidates doesn’t quench the Liberal palette like a Bush namesake quite does.
Of course, this leaves me to think what will FOX and MSNBC do without a Clinton/Bush 2016 run?
Yes, yes, from 2000 thru 2008 it was easy to point at Fox News and call it the safe haven for the GOP to find hugs, kisses and pats on the butt style questions. If it was MSNBC’s intentions to follow that notion with a Liberal feel, well it worked and failed at the same time, which is not easy to do so congrats on that.
I doubt Mr. Griffin will read this little bit of dribble, but if he truly wants to make the peacock fly, it’s time to drop the partisan garbage by dumping the hacks behind the desk and get back to true reporting.
OK that’s it, slap the tap on some Anzus and here’s hoping MSNBC doesn’t sign Rosie O’Donnell to a contract because we’re gonna need a bigger clown car.
CHEERS!
