Olbermann knew the difference between news and commentary.īut in the past two weeks, that line has been blurred. While some critics argued that the assignment was akin to having the Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly anchor on election night - something that has never happened - MSNBC insisted that Mr. Matthews, the host of “Hardball,” began co-anchoring primary night coverage, drawing an audience that enjoyed the pair’s “SportsCenter”-style show. “They have banked the entirety of the network on Keith Olbermann,” one employee said. As a result, his identity largely defines MSNBC. Olbermann raised his voice, his ratings rose as well, and he now reaches more than one million viewers a night, a higher television rating than any other show in the troubled 12-year history of the network. Olbermann in 2003 but it found its voice in his gnawing dissent regarding the Bush administration, often in the form of “special comment” segments.Īs Mr. His program “Countdown,” now a liberal institution, was created by Mr.
Olbermann, a 49-year-old former sportscaster, has become the face of the more aggressive MSNBC, and the lightning rod for much of the criticism. (The New York Times and NBC News have a content-sharing arrangement exclusively for political coverage.) The employee, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity because the network does not permit its people to speak to the media without authorization. Fighting the ratings game, he added, “the bottom line is that we’re experiencing incredible success.” “In a rapidly changing media environment, this is the great philosophical debate,” Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, said in a telephone interview Saturday.
The success of the Fox News Channel in the past decade along with the growth of political blogs have convinced many media companies that provocative commentary attracts viewers and lures Web browsers more than straight news delivered dispassionately. In prime time, the channel averaged 2.2 million viewers during the Democratic convention and 1.7 million viewers during the Republican convention. Although MSNBC nearly doubled its total audience compared with the 2004 conventions, its competitive position did not improve, as it remained in last place among the broadcast and cable news networks. Instead, the coverage frequently descended into on-air squabbles between the anchors, embarrassing some workers at NBC’s news division, and quite possibly alienating viewers. Lawrence O'Donnell on the 2018 midterm electionsĬheck back next week for more MSNBC moments.Executives at the channel’s parent company, NBC Universal, had high hopes for MSNBC’s coverage of the political conventions. This time, the party that got the most votes won. Two big stories of night are record turnout and example after example of an electoral system designed to make it harder for people to vote. Rachel Maddow, on President Trump saying Friday he doesnt know Matthew Whitaker, after saying the opposite last month on Fox & Friends I have stuff in my fridge older than the president's recollection of his own new attorney general. Chris Matthews on moments of silence, and Congress' political inaction on gun control I know it's well-intended in some cases, but usually it's a throw-away line by a staffer who knocks off some script, some product, some wordage for somebody political to make it sound like they give a damn. Joe Scarborough on GOP losing seats in the House He had to work that hard to offend as many voters as he did. This guy was so bad, he was so horrible, so toxic, that you would have to go back to Richard Nixon committing crimes and Republicans having to run under that scenario. They lost third of the seats in two years nationwide.The worst defeat for Republicans since Watergate.
Mika Brzezinski, to the women who ran in the midterms We owe, I owe, a profound debt of gratitude to these women for putting themselves out there.exposing themselves to the risks, attacks that come with running for public office. Did you see what Mika & Joe, Chris, Chris, Rachel and Lawrence had to say on MSNBC? In case you missed it, we've picked their best moments for you, noted and quoted.
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