MSNBC To Launch New Primetime Lineup Beginning Monday, July 15

MSNBC TO LAUNCH NEW PRIMETIME LINEUP BEGINNING MONDAY, JULY 15
Published: June 10, 2002

MULTIMILLION DOLLAR MARKETING CAMPAIGN HERALDS "DONAHUE" AND NEW PRIMETIME LINEUP

SECAUCUS, N.J. -- June 10, 2002 -- MSNBC, America’s NewsChannel, which is rebranding itself as the cable news network that goes beyond the day’s headlines to provide fiercely independent analysis of the news, will premiere a new primetime lineup on Monday, July 15, it was announced today by Erik Sorenson, President and General Manager, MSNBC.

“On July 15, MSNBC will have unique programs, exclusive to MSNBC, with smart, independent anchors - Phil Donahue, Ashleigh Banfield, Chris Matthews, and Jerry Nachman - in primetime,” said Erik Sorenson, President and General Manager, MSNBC. “MSNBC’s agenda is to serve our viewers with analysis of the day's news from all perspectives. In the complicated times in which we Americans live, MSNBC’s goal is not only to cover the news but also to provide analysis and insight into how the day’s events affect every one of us.”

Beginning on July 15, which also marks MSNBC’s sixth anniversary, the network will premiere “Donahue,” a new series that heralds the return of veteran talk show host Phil Donahue to television after a six-year absence. “Donahue” will telecast Monday-Friday at 8:00 PM ET. “Hardball With Chris Matthews,” MSNBC’s highest-rated nightly telecast, currently at 7:00 PM, ET, will move to a new timeslot, 9:00 PM ET, Monday-Friday. “Ashleigh Banfield: On Location,” cable television’s only regularly scheduled primetime series produced entirely outside the studio, currently seen at 9:00 PM ET, will be telecast one hour later at 10:00 PM ET, Monday-Thursday.

Leading into primetime, in the 7:00 PM timeslot Monday-Friday, MSNBC will premiere “Nachman,” a new series of news analysis by veteran television and print journalist Jerry Nachman (New York Post, WNBC-TV New York, WCBS-TV New York).

All of MSNBC’s new primetime programming will follow a new format, with 90 second news updates at the top of the hour and at the half hour, anchored by MSNBC Correspondents. As a 24-hour news channel, MSNBC will provide continuous coverage of breaking news whenever warranted.

MSNBC will promote its new primetime lineup and the new ‘Donahue’ series in a multi-million dollar advertising and promotion campaign -- the network’s largest campaign ever -- beginning July 1. The campaign will include advertising and promotional appearances on the NBC Television Network. National print advertising will appear in TV Guide, USA Today, Newsweek, Time, People, and U.S. News & World Report. Nationally MSNBC will also run a schedule of spots on network radio. In addition, MSNBC will target four major markets - New York, Boston, Chicago and Washington, D.C. - where there is a high concentration of cable news viewers as well as MSNBC subscribers - for an overlay of radio, local cable and print advertising. Outdoor advertising on commuter trains and phone kiosks will also be used in target markets.

Following are show descriptions for MSNBC’s primetime lineup, effective July 15:

“Nachman” (7:00 PM ET) - In a personal and unpredictable style, veteran newspaper and television journalist Jerry Nachman (New York Post, WNBC-TV New York, WCBS-TV New York) bumps up against the biggest issues of the day in this nightly series of news analyses, taking maximum advantage of his 30 years as a fabled newsman and calling on a colorful cast of characters he has developed as friends throughout his career.

“Donahue” (8:00 PM ET) -- A new Monday-Friday series by veteran television personality Phil Donahue features nightly interviews with newsmakers, reporters, and analysts, exclusively on MSNBC. The events of September 11 - and how news has became more dramatic, complicated, and compelling - caused Donahue to return to television after a six-year absence. For three decades, Donahue, who is credited with inventing the talk show format, has interviewed world leaders, celebrities, newsmakers and people from all walks of life. He has a developed a special skill for examining human behavior, focusing national debates on political and social issues and providing a democratic forum for presidential candidates.

“Hardball with Chris Matthews” (9:00 PM ET) - Each weekday night, from the MSNBC studios in Washington D.C, Chris Matthews explores key political issues. Matthews will anchor MSNBC’s election coverage for the 2004 and 2008 Presidential elections. “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” consistently MSNBC’s highest rated program, features interviews and debates with prominent politicians, newsmakers, and big leaders from Washington. One of the highlights of “Hardball’s” coverage of the 2000 election was the “Hardball College Tour,” which featured televised town meetings at Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Clemson, University of Southern California, Michigan State, St. Anselm College, Winona State University. “Hardball” premiered on MSNBC in 1999, after a successful launch on CNBC in 1997.

“Ashleigh Banfield: On Location” (10:00 PM ET) - Ashleigh Banfield takes viewers to various locations across America and around the world for a close-up look at the people and their struggle for survival, politics and the struggle for power. “Ashleigh Banfield: On Location” is cable television’s only regularly scheduled primetime series produced entirely outside the studio, always on location. Bob Arnot serves as MSNBC's Special Foreign Correspondent, and reports from hot spots around the world for "Ashleigh Banfield: On Location.” Banfield, who joined MSNBC in 2000, covered the events of September 11 from the World Trade Center’s Ground Zero in New York City for eight days before departing to Islamabad, Pakistan. Since then, she has reported LIVE from Afghanistan, England, Israel (Tel Aviv and the West Bank), Jordan, Lebanon (Beirut) and Syria.

ADDITIONAL MEDIA CONTACT:
Cheryl Daly, MSNBC Media Relations 201/583-5012
cheryl.daly@msnbc.com

For three decades, Donahue, who is credited with inventing the talk show format,

Phil Donahue invented the talk show format?? I guess people like Dave Garoway, Jack Paar, Joe Pyne, and Irv Kupcinet were just wasting all those years, waiting for Phil to come along and show them to the light.

More accurately put, Phil Donahue invented the daytime, "Yes,-I'm-a-pervert-but-I-was-abused-as-a-child"-type of publically displayed victimology, subsequently picked up by Sally Jessy, Jenny, Oprah, and a thousand other aether pollutants.

Donahue and MSNBC -- they deserve each other.

Banfield is funnier than Saturday Night Live". Just attempt to abstract yourself from her combination women's college liberal / wiccan blather and she's the most hysterical pantomime / Marx brothers act on TV. ( By the way that nose does come off with those glasses, as suggested on the Imus show. )

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