Where's Nancy Reagan when we need her???? May God be with her as she struggles with the deteriorating condition of one of the best we ever had.
Posted on 08/18/2002 3:58:35 PM PDT by Paul Atreides
"The fall may be the make-or-break time for MSNBC," NEW YORK TIMES TV hotshot Bill Carter is preparing to write in Monday editions.
According to newsroom sources, Carter is set to warn how "future investment and promotion budgets for the channel" may be at risk during the coming months, as the all-news network continues to slump in the ratings, lead by the nearly still-born DONAHUE.
The pressure is coming from the very top of the MSNBCNBCGE tree.
Earlier this year, at a meeting of NBC's top management, Jeffrey Immelt, the chairman of GENERAL ELECTRIC, specifically cited MSNBC as the area of NBC that most needed attention. "He gave the order," a senior NBC executive has told Carter said, "and the order was, 'Fix it."'
As for the ailing DONAHUE, MSNBC prez Erik Sorenson tells Carter: "We're in the silly season. The news is so slow; it's been the summer of kidnappings. That plays more toward [CNN's] Connie [Chung]. Her show is cotton candy. It's all tabloid, all the time."
Sorenson said that come fall DONAHUE will start to take advantage of more hard news developments. "We'll have an election to cover and a war in Iraq," Sorenson said.
Beyond that, look for Donahue to book more celebrities. "He's going to have Oprah on and Harrison Ford and George Clooney," Sorenson said. "I don't honestly expect to have an answer on this until November."
Developing...
Where's Nancy Reagan when we need her???? May God be with her as she struggles with the deteriorating condition of one of the best we ever had.
When MSNBC fails please give me the Golf channel or something useful as a replacement.
The wife loves her.
Probably a lot of people would chip in, if they found a thread with "FDR" in the title . . .I'm sure you're right, but it's sorta "old" news
All it takes to make it new is to point out the obvious fact that RWR was the best president of the twentieth century; liberals have to counter with their idol, FDR--and the topic is fresh.In one term RWR whipped inflation, got the country going again, and stopped the energy crisis; in his second term he transcended Communism.
In his first two terms FDR floundered around trying to figure out what might cure the Depression, and wringing his hands while Hitler made Germany into the menace which, in concert with the USSR, started WWII. And, be it noted, FDR did nothing to succor the Jews of Europe.
Those who suppose that nobody could have prevented WWII must explain why Roosevelt the Great didn't know in the mid thirties what the hour demanded. Churchill did in fact know. FDR didn't do it, which probably enabled him to win election to a third term--but marks him as less than the statesman the hour demanded.
I view MSNBC as the Ralph Nader of television networks. Their job is to peel away enough votes on the left side to keep CNN always looking over its left shoulder as it tries to deal with Fox on its right. It worked on Gore, and it can work here, too. |
You might have a point there Nick. Divide and conquer? Don't you know the muckity mucks at CNN are having some sleepless nights over their market share loss to FoxNews. However, unless they're doing some creative accounting of their own, CNN doesn't seem to be suffering much on the bottom line, even with some of their sponsors re-negotiating contracts. Odd. Something else at work here?
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I do not want MSNBC to die. I want it chipping away at CNN from the left, however ineffectively. Any death of MSNBC will simply strengthen CNN. It's better for us if the two of them split the liberal audience; that way they both lose money (or at least struggle).