MSNBC should consider going all 'all news' on prime time
It's bad and even more bad news for MSNBC. I guess the straw that broke the camel's back was Baltimore Sun media critic David Zurawik saying this:
You know, everybody says what’s Andy Lack, the new president of NBC, or chairman of NBC News going to do with Nightly News and Brian Williams? No, what is he going to do with MSNBC?
He’s got 24-hours a day of mess over there. People don’t watch it. It’s unwatchable. Even if you were an ideologue you can’t watch that channel anymore.
And I've been saying this for years about MSNBC. They took a really wrong turn, Phil Griffin the president over there, took a really bad turn in trying to go hardcore ideology. They didn't know how to do it and they have lost the news credibility and I think it hurts the NBC brand, as well.
I agree with Mr. Zurawik. I tried watching it the other night, and it is awful. They can't speak two sentences at that network without bashing Bush! It is pathetic, childish, and suitable for those still cheering at the "yes we can" rally.
Here are a couple of suggestions for Mr. Lack of NBC.
First, pull the plug on the current programming. Just do it. How much worse do your ratings have to get?
Second, go back to the early days of cable news and borrow a page from the old Headline News network. In other words, run 30-minute newscasts for much of the day. Believe it or not, some people actually want to watch something other than opinion. Not everybody is home to catch the nightly news!
Third, find one solid liberal and pair him up with a conservative for one hour every night. I mean a solid liberal, not any of the clowns on the payroll right now. No one in the current MSNBC lineup has any credibility left, and that includes Chris Matthews, who used to be pretty good until he started the house wine.
MSNBC should go 24-hour news without the Bush-bashing associated with the network. It may work. At least, it will stop the implosion!
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