MSNBC: Phil is gone, Weak ratings snuff Donahue

NY Daily News ^ | 2-26-03 | RICHARD HUFF, TV Editor

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Phil Donahue is done talking for MSNBC.

The network canceled his prime-time program yesterday, ending a return to television for the legendary talk-show host that began in July.

"We're proud of the program, and we're disappointed that the show was not able to attract the viewership we had hoped for and expected," MSNBC general manager Erik Sorenson said in a statement.

Donahue was unavailable yesterday, but is expected to release a statement today.

Taped episodes of the program will air tonight and tomorrow. Next week, an expanded version of "Countdown to Iraq" will air from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

MSNBC lured Donahue back to TV as part of yet another plan to boost its ailing prime-time fortunes.

But despite a 30-year career, Donahue's presence wasn't enough to turn the network around. The show started with an average of 630,000 viewers, but by September had hit a low of 383,000.

In November, MSNBC programmers tried to juice the telecast by having Donahue work before a studio audience. Ratings creeped up, but nowhere near expectations.

During the past month, the show averaged 446,000 viewers. In comparison, Fox's Bill O'Reilly drew 2.67 million and CNN's Connie Chung averaged 985,000, according to Nielsen Media Research.

"I think MSNBC felt that the way to beat Fox was to do a liberal version of what Fox was doing and Phil was a good person to do that," said Steve Friedman, former producer of NBC's "Today" and CBS' the "Early Show." "I don't know if they were really committed to that."

Friedman suggested that MSNBC's lineup didn't complement Donahue's show.

Ironically, Donahue's viewership was the largest of any program on the network, including "Hardball With Chris Matthews."

"There was some improvement" with Donahue," said MSNBC spokesman Alan Winnikoff. "But it wasn't sustained or consistent and we didn't see any opportunity for long-term growth."

Donahue was paid $1 million a year to do the show, which, when combined with network's promotion costs for the show, made it an expensive experiment.

"Phil was the cornerstone of the new MSNBC," Friedman said, "and that cornerstone never developed."

There was speculation, immediately denied by MSNBC's Winnikoff, that Donahue was dismissed because of his anti-war views.

Having "Countdown" with Lester Holt anchoring the 7-9 p.m. slot should work fine, provided there's a war. However, if a confrontation is avoided, MSNBC programmers will have to shift gears.

The network recently signed a deal with Jesse Ventura, the grappler who became Minnesota's governor and is now a talk-show host, to anchor a program. There have also been talks with Sam Donaldson about anchoring a program, although that deal seems to be moving slowly.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

[syriacus]

No one had to tune into Donahue's show because viewers knew ahead of time what would be said.

[Maceman]

What if they gave a Donahue show and nobody came?

[timydnuc]

And the left wonders why people don't want to listen to them. They'll never get it, not now, not ever.

SOCIALISM DOESN'T WORK! NEVER HAS, NEVER WILL.

[smith288]

He was fired because of his anti-war stand. Americans, showed by the polls, support our effort to oust Saddam. hearing him clamor on and on about how atrocious it would be and how we would be committing war crimes turns Americans off...thus, his ratings sucked.

[JohnHuang2]

Re: #1 pic -- ROFLOL

[JohnHuang2]

Donahue, incidentally, opposed military action against the Taliban, even after 9/11.

[Claire Voyant]

Memo to MSNBC: NEVER start to build on a crumbling cornerstone....idiots. Donahue wouldn't have been mothballed for 25 yeras if ANYONE had wanted to hear what he had to say.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Phil and his predictably pathetic cronies on the left still believe in the "can't we all just get along" myth - even when confronted by the stark evil displayed on 9/11.

[JohnHuang2]

Exactly. And they wonder why shows like Donahue's go down in flames.

[Bluntpoint]

"Friedman suggested that MSNBC's lineup didn't complement Donahue's show."

Typical liberal delusionary thinking:

If only they had a 4 hour block of communist/socialist programing, then Donahue would have succeeded as the "corner stone" for their forward thinking network.

Geesh!!!

[smith288]

Why didnt they do the Liberal thing and PUMP MORE MONEY into the program like liberals do with our tax money?

Why not? Because its their money (MSNBC).

[retiredtexan]

Oh come on, he must have more time(a year at least) to prove that americans are stupid enough to watch and listen to any of his crap, just as the inspectors must have all the time (at least 12 years) they need to dig up iraq and find some acorns.

[PGalt]

Their cornerstone (slickly packaged propaganda) is their tombstone when countered with the truth. Life is short. "just gimme some truth"

[bullseye1911]

We're proud of the program, and we're disappointed that the show was not able to attract the viewership we had hoped for and expected," MSNBC general manager Erik Sorenson said in a statement.

Which explains, exactly why it failed, as will the demonrats in 2004.

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All of your talk shows are belong to us.

[Cincinatus]

Ironically, Donahue's viewership was the largest of any program on the network, including "Hardball With Chris Matthews."

This is the funniest line in the whole article.

[Drango]

We're proud of the program...

Dang! They canned his @$$. I'd hate to see what they'd do to a show they didn't like....

[wbill]

Waiting for Dims to implement the 'Fairness Doctrine'. Maybe the reason that Libs are unsuccessful radio / TV hosts is because America isn't buying what they're selling.

We can only hope.

[jraven]

THIS JUST IN! In a move to attract younger audiences, MSNBC has hired Merv Griffin.