Phil Donahue most likely to exit, stage left

USA Today ^ | Peter Johnson

[MindBender26]

Phil Donahue's days at MSNBC are numbered.

NBC News executives, under pressure from corporate owner General Electric to improve ratings, are likely to cancel his talk show by year's end.

If Donahue gets the ax, it'll be the strongest indication yet that star power alone doesn't make you a hit on cable and that, with a variety of viewing options available, cutting it there is tough.

[Jhensy]

Dollars to doughnuts that right now some clueless NBC programmer is pitching Tubby With The Baseball Cap for his fifteenth chance at guaranteed ratings failure. If not him, I'm sure Al Franken and his stellar track record will be available.

[navigator]

MSNBC America's Snooze Channel

[Bigg Red]

Who's Phil Donahue?

[finnman69]

Does anyone now exacly how long Alan Keyes had before he was cut?

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

I always see CNN on in bars and hospitals and airports and other public places; fortunately no one is watching, but I think they phoney up the viewer numbers by assuming there are people watching.

[GOPJ]

If Donahue is one hand clapping, is his audience the forest?

[GOPJ]

The fat lady not only sang, she took 12 bows, and left the building... It's over.

No doubt there are many careers at MSNBC other than Donhue's on the line if (and when) his show fails.

[Vinnie]

I wouldn't watch Donohue if he had Catherine Zeta-Jones in the nude on his show.

Did I say that?? Let me think about that one.

[Sonny M]

My question, why did Donahue get this long, while Keyes was dropped so damn fast? Actually, I think we all know the answer to that one. Personally, and not speaking as a conservative. I think things would have been a lot better if they had put together a Keyes and Donahue show together much like Hannity and Combs in a debate show type of format.

[LaGrone]

I would love to see him go. However, I would expect them to throw another lefty into his time slot. Same ol, same ol.

[Las Vegas Dave]

I would expect them to throw another lefty into his time slot. Same ol, same ol.

It's the "SLICK WILLIE SHOW", and his little sidekick, bent member!

[GulliverSwift]

I think things would have been a lot better if they had put together a Keyes and Donahue show together much like Hannity and Combs in a debate show type of format.

That would be about as fair as having Lennox Lewis fight George Stephanopolous. Libs would never stand for that.

Granted, they don't have anyone who can really argue at all.

[GulliverSwift]

Next to go: Peter, Dan, and Tom. Well, I can dream, can't I?

This will never happen because the network news divisions are completely isolated from market pressures. IMO, MSNBC will probably replace Dona-hole with a debate-type show. Speaking of which, I've never watched the Buchanan-Press show, can anyone tell me how it's going?

[weegee]

If a tree falls in the woods, does anyone hear it?

If a Donahue gets axed by PMSBSNBC will anyone know it???

These deep philosophical questions need answers someday.

To find out, they are hiring Leonard Nimoy to reprise his role (not as Spock) as the host of "In Search Of..."

In the first episode, they will see if anyone notices that Donahue's program is no longer on the air. They will test this by airing unbroken footage of a forest for an hour without a host. Producers are hoping that a tree will fall but they are not at this time planning of using the Dateline NBC tactic of rigging an explosive device to get the desired result...

[Capt_Hank]

Hey Vinnie.... I would keep one eye closed..... Catherine is one sexy woman. Can you imagine her in one of those Victoria Secret outfits? Damn......!

[clintonh8r]

Phil: It's not nice to call the voters stupid just because you don't agree with them. I guess we're stupid for not watching you, huh? I mean, it's the only logical explanation.

[stands2reason]

Maybe he's come over to The Side Of The Light ^TM since I'd last seen him....of course, I, like most people, don't watch MSNBC--I only recall catching him on weekends during the 2000 Election fiasco. He'd really tick me off. I always wanted to slap him.

[Jorge]

What? After all the fanfare in the liberal media about how Donahue's star power would rescue prime time TV from the dominance of FOX?
I watched him once or twice for a few minutes and couldn't believe how awful his show was.
Looks like he's slipped big time in the ratings since his fabulous debut.

I can't believe they kept him on this long.

[Sonny M]

Donahue would probably go for it, though he would get pummeled. I actually like debate type format shows, when they are done right, like Hannity and Combs. A donahue and Keyes would be interesting with a black conservative versus a white liberal, it'd have people throwing fits either way.

[okie01]

"They should pull the plug and put Phil Donahue out of his misery rather than watch millions more be flushed down the toilet. A money-maker for MSNBC he ain't."

Dead air would probably be more profitable for MSNBC.

More entertaining, too...