|
Web Directory Search Home
Store
Current News: a dictionary of current search terms and popular interest topics.
MSNBC
Type Cable news television network
Country United States
Availability United States, Canada
Slogan "A Fuller Spectrum of News"
"The Place for Politics"
"America's Fastest Growing NewsChannel"
Owner 82% NBC Universal
18% Microsoft
Key people Dan Abrams, General Manager
Launch date July 15, 1996
Website http://msnbc.com
MSNBC is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States and Canada. Its
name is a combination of Microsoft Network and NBC. Additionally, the online
news site MSNBC.com is the source of news for MSN, featuring stories from
MSNBC, NBC, original pieces and sometimes exclusive content, visited
internationally.
Two partnerships with the name MSNBC were founded in 1996 by Microsoft and
General Electric's NBC unit, which is now NBC Universal. Although Microsoft
and NBC shared operations of the company at its founding, it was announced
on December 23, 2005 that NBC Universal would purchase a majority stake in
the television network, which left Microsoft with 18%. The two companies
remain 50-50 partners in msnbc.com.
MSNBC cable is currently America's 3rd most watched cable news channel,[1]
behind Fox News and CNN but ahead of Headline News. It has however, beaten
CNN on various occasions, thanks in part to the popularity of Countdown with
Keith Olbermann and the programs that follow, MSNBC Live with Dan Abrams and
the MSNBC Doc Block. The news station broadcasts primarily out of its
studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.[2] On October 20, 2006, it was announced
that MSNBC will soon be moving from Secaucus to NBC's main headquarters in
New York City.[3]
MSNBC, like sister channel CNBC, shares the NBC logo of a rainbow peacock.
History
Development
Microsoft would invest $220 million for a 50% share of the cable network,
while MSNBC and Microsoft would share the cost of a $200 million newsroom
based in Redmond, Washington. NBC supplied the space with an 18 month old
America's Talking network. Roger Ailes, then president of America's Talking,
was passed over when NBC executives were looking for someone to run their
new cable news operation. Ailes subsequently joined News Corporation as
president of the newly-formed CNN rival, Fox News Channel.[4]
Launch
MSNBC was launched on July 15, 1996 at 9 a.m. EDT, not in Redmond, but from
studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The first show, which was anchored by Jodi
Applegate, broadcast a lineup of news, interviews, and opinions.[5] During
the day, rolling news coverage continued with The Contributors, a show that
featured Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham, as well as interactive programming
coordinated by Applegate, John Gibson, and John Seigenthaler Jr. Stories
were generally longer and more detailed than the stories running on CNN at
the time.[6]
MSNBC originally demonstrated the interactive value of the Internet. The
network's first slogan was It's Time to Get Connected, and e-mail addresses
and phone numbers were displayed regularly.[7]
Primetime featured an hour-long interview program called Internight (which
showcased the stars of NBC News),[8] followed by the network's flagship
newscast, The News with Brian Williams, and The Site, a show about the
Internet and computers co-hosted by Soledad O'Brien and a computer-generated
character played by Leo Laporte.[9] The first Internight included an
interview with President Bill Clinton, who took questions from callers and
e-mailers.[10] Other shows that made use of the internet included News Chat
featuring Mary Kathleen Flynn, and a look into the past with Time & Again
anchored by Jane Pauley. Black Entertainment Television host Ed Gordon also
contributed to the new network by hosting the Saturday version of Internight.
The start was a bit rocky due to a series of changes in management and
continuing internal squabbles over the direction of the network. In
addition, NBC affiliates were concerned that the cross-promotion would
divert viewers from their own programs, although that fear abated as the
years passed.[11] However, MSNBC was often first to break news. It broke the
story of the crash of TWA Flight 800 eight minutes before CNN, ushering in
an era of hypercompetitiveness between the news channels that continues
today.[12]
MSNBC signed a simulcast agreement with Infinity Broadcasting station WFAN
to carry the Imus in the Morning radio show, which began on September 2,
1996.[13] In November 1996, the network moved to the new Secaucus
studios.[14]
Not just the Net
The original goals of the network attracting a younger, tech-savvy audience,
failed to materialize. In September 1997, MSNBC laid off 20% of its
staff[15] and canceled The Site due to low ratings and the death of Princess
Diana, causing howls of protest from its viewers, many of whom considered
O'Brien a cult figure.[16] The network began moving away from its Internet
roots and began covering fashion and celebrity like the other news
channels.[17] In October 1997, Internight was replaced with The Big Show,
hosted by Keith Olbermann, in hopes that his irreverent style would spike up
ratings.[18] After its first year, the network had 24,000 households viewing
it per night, paling by comparison to the 578,000 of CNN and the 30,000 of
Fox News (which was four months younger than MSNBC)[19]
The MSNBC web site remained relatively successful, becoming the most-used
online news site in 1997,[20] 1998,[21] and 1999.[22] MSNBC significantly
increased during the impeachment of Bill Clinton, following a new covering
the Big Story format that provided saturation coverage for the top stories.
Keith Olbermann left over MSNBC's continuing focus on the impeachment. He
returned in 2003 as host of Countdown, currently the network's most popular
show. When Olbermann left "The Big Story" he was replaced by John
Hockenberry, who achieved some success. Hockenberry's Edgewise program
focused on newsmakers and showed off Hockenberry's documentary skills.
Ratings began to drop after the impeachment trial was completed. Fox was
beating MSNBC in numbers of viewers per 24 hours, which was more impressive
considering MSNBC's distribution advantage. NBC News stars began shunning
the network. Low-rated chat shows such as Watch It, and Equal Time, a
Crossfire knockoff, filled out the schedule.[23] Hockenberry was replaced
after six months by a rebroadcast of Hardball from CNBC.[24]
That show was replaced by Headliners and Legends, a biography program that
has been a weekend staple on the network ever since. Also in 1999, the
management of MSNBC replaced midday news coverage with a delayed broadcast
of NBC News Today called Today on MSNBC and repackaged Dateline NBC stories
into MSNBC Investigates, a decision that angered NBC affiliates. On the
other hand, 1999 saw a partnership with the Washington Post that permitted
more integrated coverage on the web site.[25]
On April 3, 2000, a three woman anchored show named Home Page hosted by
Ashleigh Banfield, Gina Gaston, and Mika Brzezinski began.[26] Along with
Home Page, MSNBC tried to attract female viewers by signing a deal in
February 2001 with Detroit radio station WJR to simulcast the first two
hours of The Mitch Albom Show. While the pairing was a ratings winner, both
shows would eventually be canceled: Home Page due to sinking ratings; and
The Mitch Albom Show due to its constant preemptions and some disagreements
with the MSNBC management.
2000 also saw John Gibson, one of the original MSNBC hosts, leave the
network. His confrontational tenure as the host of the Feedback primetime
program foreshadowed his opinion program on the Fox News Channel.[27] MSNBC
continued to repackage NBC News programs (Special Edition and Crime Files),
and during the 2000 presidential election cycle, reporters and interviews
were cycled constantly between broadcast NBC and the cable news channel.[28]
MSNBC also commissioned original documentaries similar to The Discovery
Channel for use as filler on weekends. Later in the year, Lester Holt
received kudos for his daily coverage of the Florida election controversy,
allowing MSNBC to beat Fox News during November 2000.[29]
Ratings issues
MSNBC continued to trail both Fox and CNN. With the success of Fox News
Channel, MSNBC tried to emulate the Fox News Channel's emphasis on opinion
hosts.[30] In January, Mike Barnicle got a show on MSNBC, but it was
canceled in June 2001 due to high production costs.[31] In June, as a sign
of the continuing trouble of MSNBC, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that he
wouldn't have started MSNBC knowing what he knew now.[32] After the
September 11, 2001 attacks, MSNBC did prove useful as an outlet for NBC News
to provide up-to-the-minute coverage, in contrast to broadcast NBC's longer
stories. CNBC and CNBC Europe, with little financial news to report, ran
MSNBC for many hours of the day following the attacks. The year also boosted
the profile of Ashleigh Banfield, who had escaped injury while covering the
World Trade Center on September 11. Her Region In Conflict program
capitalized on her newfound celebrity and showcased exclusive interviews
from Afghanistan.
2002 continued MSNBC's focus on opinion journalism and low ratings. MSNBC
scored up to triple the usual ratings during the 2002 Winter Olympics (of
which it aired several events), and not for its news programming.[33] Alan
Keyes is Making Sense debuted in January, featuring the conservative
one-time candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination.[34] MSNBC
rebranded itself as America's NewsChannel, with a patriotic theme
proclaiming MSNBC to be fiercely independent.[35] Jerry Nachman joined MSNBC
as its editor-in-chief and host of a news analysis program in May, and
liberal talk-show pioneer Phil Donahue began hosting an evening talk show in
July.[36] The News with Brian Williams was moved to CNBC, leaving MSNBC with
primarily opinion shows in the evening. Afternoons replaced the rolling news
coverage with talk shows featuring Curtis Sliwa, Ron Kuby, Bill Press, and
Pat Buchanan.[37]
The experiment did not last long. Keyes was gone by July. Sliwa and Kuby
were removed in October, and Nachman's show was moved in October. Donahue's
ratings plunged spectacularly, from 660,000 households his first week to
just 136,000 households his sixth week, a drop of 80%.[38] The network was
regularly beaten in the ratings by CNN Headline News. Overall, ratings
dropped 36% from the previous year.[39] MSNBC publicly proclaimed support
for Donahue and moved some shows around to try to stabilize his ratings,
which helped increase his viewership to 446,000 households.[40]
Nevertheless, the cancellation of his show would stick in the craw of some
left-leaning viewers for years. They saw it as an indication that executives
had no faith in liberal viewpoints. Donahue himself claimed that MSNBC was
trying to "out-fox" Fox by removing him and adding Joe Scarborough to the
lineup.[41] Donahue's time slot was replaced by "Countdown with Keith
Olbermann".
In March 2003, MSNBC featured a weekend show hosted by conservative radio
host Michael Savage, which turned out to have been an embarrassing move when
Savage snapped at a prank caller on his show, calling him a "pig" and a
"sodomite," telling him that he "should get AIDS and die" and "go eat a
sausage and choke on it." Savage was immediately fired.[42]
On December 23, 2005, it was announced that NBC Universal would acquire an
additional 32% share of the television network from Microsoft, solidifying
its control over television operations and allowing NBC to further
consolidate MSNBC's backroom operations with NBC News and its other cable
properties. MSNBC.com will continue to be 50% owned by both NBC and
Microsoft, and its operations will be largely unaffected. NBC will have the
option to buy the remaining 18% share from Microsoft after two years. Due to
Microsoft's declining influence, rumors are currently circulating in the
broadcast industry that the network will eventually be rebranded as NBC News
Channel, which is currently used for the network's news service to NBC
affiliates.
In June of 2006, Don Kaplan of the New York Post (owned by News Corporation,
who also owns Fox News Channel) wrote a column titled "Do We Need MSNBC?"
Addressing MSNBC'S low ratings, Kaplan quoted CNN co-founder Reese
Schoenfeld, who said that "Everybody compares MSNBC to Fox and CNN - when
its real competition is Headline News". Schoenfeld pointed out that the
ratings for MSNBC and Headline News are roughly the same, about 300,000
viewers on average and that "by comparison, Fox and CNN regularly average
three or four times as many viewers." In the column Kaplan even joked that
"the running joke in TV news is Fox and CNN are news channels with websites,
but MSNBC is a website with a cable channel".[43]
New leadership
On June 7, 2006, Rick Kaplan resigned as president of MSNBC, after holding
the post for two years.[44] Following the announcement, it was announced on
June 12, 2006, that Dan Abrams, a nine-year veteran of MSNBC and NBC News,
had been named General Manager of the NBC News 24-hour cable news channel,
effective immediately. NBC News Senior Vice President Phil Griffin will
oversee MSNBC. Griffin will also continue to oversee NBC News’ Today and
Abrams will report to Griffin. Dan Abrams will step down from his weekday
show "The Abrams Report" but will remain as NBC Chief Legal Correspondent
and contribute to NBC and MSNBC news programs.
On June 29, 2006, Abrams announced a revamp to MSNBC's early-primetime and
primetime schedule. On July 10, Tucker (formerly The Situation with Tucker
Carlson) started airing at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET (taking over Abrams' old
timeslot), while Rita Cosby's Live & Direct was taken off the schedule.
Cosby instead was given the role of primary anchor for "MSNBC Investigates"
at 10 and 11 p.m. ET, the new programming that took over Cosby and Carlson's
timeslots. According to the press release, "MSNBC Investigates" promises to
"...complement MSNBC's existing programming by building on our library of
award winning documentaries." [7]. The move to taped programming during 10
and 11 p.m. is likely a direct result of the success the network saw with
their Friday "experiment" by replacing all primetime programming with taped
specials. MSNBC will be broadcasted in HD starting in 2008.
Carriage issues
As a result of a carriage agreement, MSNBC is currently not available to
Verizon Fios TV subscribers in Verizon's Northern New Jersey grouping as
well as areas in New York City. The reason for the lack of availability is
an exclusive carriage agreement that MSNBC entered into with Cablevision,
which services the areas in question. [8] The terms of the agreement (i.e.
when the exclusive agreement expires) are unknown. The result of the
agreement is that a competing content provider will be unable to offer MSNBC
from where the broadcast originates. Also, as Verizon's subscriptions rise,
MSNBC will be increasingly unavailable in one of the largest markets in the
United States unless viewers subscribe to a second provider (either
Cablevision or one of the satellite TV providers).
Broadcasts outside the US
MSNBC is only shown in the United States, Canada and parts of Latin America.
In Europe, Asia and Africa MSNBC is not shown on a channel in its own right.
However, MSNBC is shown for a few hours a day on the 24 hour news network
Orbit News in Europe and the Middle East. During breaking news MSNBC is also
shown occasionally on sister network CNBC Europe.[citation needed]
In Turkey, NTV-MSNBC is the news network of the Turkish broadcaster NTV
Turkey. The network is a joint partnership between the two, although very
little Turkish content makes its way onto English MSNBC. English content on
MSNBC is translated to Turkish. [9] In the UK, during major US breaking news
the now closed ITV News Channel (ITN) occasionally showed MSNBC and some of
its reports appeared in the ITV News bulletins. For a brief time a Canadian
version was developed in 2001 called MSNBC Canada, however it was soon
discontinued in 2004 and the American station began airing in Canada.
Online
Msnbc.com, is the online news outlet for the NBC News family, including
networks shows such as Today, NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC as well as
MSNBC TV. In addition to NBC News content and material produced by the
site's own staff, msnbc.com also hosts articles and features from several
partners, including The Washington Post and Newsweek magazine.
The web site is developed in Redmond, Washington on the Microsoft campus and
news content is produced out of newsrooms in Redmond, Washington, New York,
New York, and London, England. It is the news provider for MSN, the portal
site and online service operated by Microsoft, but is editorially and
financially separate.
Msnbc.com is currently in a fierce battle with CNN.com for the position of
top online U.S. news site. The site's use of the MSN Video Player, which
relies on Windows Media Player video compression technology had rendered the
msnbc.com video incompatible with the Macintosh platform, which drew
criticism for excluding Mac users from taking full advantage of the site.
The video has since been updated and is now available on the Macintosh
platform via Flash Video. The updated msnbc.com logo is beginning to appear
in various places on the site, such as the video player, hinting a possible
revamp soon. On April 2, msnbc.com launched with the new logo, a new slogan,
"A Fuller Spectrum of News," and more features, including RSS feed-enhanced
screensavers and games.
Programming
Current programming
* First Look, an early morning news program, hosted by MSNBC Anchors and
featuring weathercasters from NBC Weather Plus
* Morning Joe, a morning news program, hosted by Joe Scarborough and
featuring regular panelists John Ridley, Willie Geist, and Mika Brzezinski
* MSNBC Live MSNBC's daily hard news programming, focusing around the news
of the day; hosted by MSNBC Anchors and Correspondents
* CNBC Market Wrap, a short review of U.S. market moves of the day,
replacing regular bottom of the hour news-breaks during early afternoons;
hosted by Margaret Brennan
* Tucker, formerly The Situation with Tucker Carlson, a program featuring
host and guest analysis about the news of the day, hosted by Tucker Carlson
* Hardball, hosted by Chris Matthews, features a mix of political and other
news, in addition to interviews with politicians and debate about political
issues between analysts
* Countdown, a sometimes irreverent look at the day's top news, at 8 p.m.
Hosted by Keith Olbermann, Countdown is styled like a radio music countdown,
starting with the day's number five story (usually the top story of the day)
progressing to number one (which is usually superficial)
* MSNBC Live with Dan Abrams, a weeknight program focusing on assorted
issues, hosted by Dan Abrams.
* MSNBC Doc Block, a program featuring two documentaries from MSNBC's
resources of award winning documentaries
* MSNBC Documentaries, a general title for documentaries from NBC's Dateline
program and various documentaries produced in-house to air on MSNBC
* Headliners and Legends, a program profiling the life/career of 'headliners
and legends' throughout history, hosted by Lester Holt.
* Your Business, a program featuring small business-oriented news and
analysis, hosted by JJ Ramberg
* Meet the Press with Tim Russert, a same day re-air of the weekly
Sunday-morning interview show carried on the NBC network, focusing on
talking to political leaders about issues affecting the nation at the
moment.
Former programming
* A Region in Conflict
* Alan Keyes is Making Sense
* America's Voices
* Ashleigh Banfield: On Location
* Barnicle
* Buchanan and Press
* Charles Grodin
* Connected: Coast to Coast
* Countdown:Iraq
* Crosstalk NBC
* Curtis & Kuby
* Deborah Norville Tonight
* Donahue
* Edgewise
* Equal Time
* Feedback with John Gibson
* Hockenberry
* Imus in the Morning
* InterNight
* Jesse Ventura's America
* Lester Holt Live
* Morning Blend
* Morning Line
* Morning Line
* MSNBC Adventurer
* MSNBC Reports (Live Broadcast, now consists of Dateline reruns)
* Nachman
* National Geographic Ulitmate Explorer
* NBC News @ Issue
* NBC Newswire
* News Chat
* Newsfront
* Remember This?
* Rita Cosby: Live & Direct
* Saturday Final with Lawrence O'Donnell
* Special Edition
* The Abrams Report
* The Big Show with Keith Olbermann
* The Mitch Albom Show
* The Mitchell Report
* The Most with Alison Stewart
* The News with Brian Williams
* The NFL Now with Mike Francesa
* The Savage Nation
* Scarborough Country,
* The Site
* The Situation with Tucker Carlson
* Time and Again
* Today in America
* Today on MSNBC
* Watch It! with Laura Ingraham
* Weekend Magazine with Stone Phillips
* Weekends with Maury and Connie
Weekday Schedule
5:00 AM 6:00 AM 9:00 AM 5:00 PM 6:00 PM 7:00 PM 8:00 PM 9:00 PM 10:00 PM
MON - FRI First Look Morning Joe MSNBC Live Hardball with Chris Matthews
Tucker Hardball with Chris Matthews Countdown with Keith Olbermann MSNBC
Live with Dan Abrams MSNBC Doc Block
* Hardball with Chris Matthews is repeated at 7:00 PM. If news breaks, than
a live version would be broadcasted.
MSNBC/NBC personalities
Current hosts/anchors
* Dan Abrams
* Peter Alexander
* Ron Allen
* Gary Archibald
* Jane Arraf
* Tom Aspell
* Ron Blome
* Mike Boettcher
* Contessa Brewer
* Tom Brokaw
* Campbell Brown
* Dara Brown
* Mika Brzezinski
* Pat Buchanan
* Tucker Carlson
* Jean Chatzky
* Kevin Corke
* Tom Costello
* Ann Curry
* Kristen Dahlgren
* Lisa Daniels
* Rehema Ellis
* Richard Engel
* Martin Fletcher
* Susan Filan
* Michelle Franzen
* Dawn Fratangelo
* Dawna Friesen
* Stephanie Gosk
* Jay Gray
* Leanne Gregg
* David Gregory
* Donna Gregory
* Charles Hadlock
* Tamron Hall
* Chris Hansen
* Michelle Hofland
* Lester Holt
* Chris Jansing
* Bill Karins
* Alison Kartevold
* Jinah Kim
* Michelle Kosinski
* Hoda Kotbe
* Matt Lauer
* George Lewis
* Jennifer London
* Jim Maceda
* Chris Matthews
* Jackie Meretsky
* Lisa Meyers
* Keith Miller
* Andrea Mitchell
* Natalie Morales
* Mark Mullen
* Monica Novotny
* Kelly O'Donnell
* Norah O'Donnell
* Keith Olbermann
* Jeannie Ohm
* Michael Okwu
* Mark Potter
* J.J. Ramberg
* Jeff Ranieri
* Jill Rappaport
* Milissa Rehberger
* Chip Reid
* John Ridley
* Amy Robach
* Eugene Robinson
* Fred Roggin
* Al Roker
* Tim Russert
* Kerry Sanders
* Martin Savidge
* Joe Scarborough
* John Seigenthaler
* Bill Seward
* Janet Shamlian
* David Shuster
* Mario Solis
* Nancy Snyderman
* Stephanie Stanton
* Alison Stewart
* Don Teague
* Bobbie Thomas
* Anne Thompson
* Kevin Tibbles
* Meredith Vieira
* Mike Viqueira
* Brian Williams
* Pete Williams
* Alex Witt
Past hosts/anchors
MSNBC is derided by broadcasting analysts for its "revolving door" tactics
when it comes to talent, i.e. rapidly canceling shows and having its anchors
depart after only a couple of years with the network. None of MSNBC's
current anchors have been with the network since its conception.
Past MSNBC shows featured hosts such as :
* Dan Abrams
* Mitch Albom
* Natalie Allen
* Jodi Applegate
* Ashleigh Banfield
* Mike Barnicle
* Dara Brown
* Michael Brunker
* Patti Ann Browne
* Pat Buchanan
* Colette Cassidy
* Cheryl Casone
* Virginia Cha
* Connie Chung
* Rita Cosby
* Ann Coulter
* Monica Crowley
* Ann Curry
* Lisa Daniels
* Laurie Dhue
* Phil Donahue
* Maurice DuBois
* John Elliott
* Bill Fitzgerald
* Gregg Jarrett
* John Gibson
* Alexis Glick
* Bud Hedinger
* John Hockenberry
* Lester Holt
* Laura Ingraham
* Laurie Jennings
* Kristine Johnson
* Alan Keyes
* Dan Kloeffler
* Ron Kuby
* Bob Kur
* Leo Laporte
* Frank Luntz
* John McLaughlin
* Sean McLaughlin
* Randy Meier
* Andrea Mitchell
* Natalie Morales
* Rob Morrison
* Bill Moyers
* Christy Musumeci
* Deborah Norville
* Jerry Nachman (deceased)
* Soledad O'Brien
* Lawrence O'Donnell
* Jane Pauley
* Stone Phillips
* Maury Povich
* Bill Press
* Ron Reagan
* Forrest Sawyer
* Michael Savage
* Sam Shane
* Curtis Sliwa
* Bianca Solorzano
* Melissa Stark
* Lori Stokes
* Sharon Tay
* Jesse Ventura
* Brian Williams
* Jessica Yellin
Satellite radio
As of September 4, 2006, MSNBC is no longer offered on XM Satellite Radio
due to scheduling changes across the XM platform.[45]
Criticism and controversy
MSNBC has received criticism for its programming and journalistic ethics.
Media Matters for America, a liberal group, has stated that MSNBC carries a
conservative bias, meanwhile a conservative media watchdog group, Media
Research Center, has argued that MSNBC has a liberal slant. Media Matters
claims that shows such as Tucker, The Savage Nation, Scarborough Country,
Smerconish Live, Imus in the Morning, and Hardball [10] [11] [12] show a
conservative bias. MRC points to Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Hardball,
and The Stephanie Miller Show programs most frequently as examples of
liberal bias on MSNBC.[citation needed]
The most well known criticism has been from Fox News Channel and its pundit
Bill O'Reilly, who has criticized the network repeatedly, citing that the
network is "in trouble" because its liberal slant is pushing viewers away.
Many MSNBC hosts fire back, however, from Tucker Carlson criticizing Bill
for doing stories that have no redeeming value, to Keith Olbermann citing
various "inconsistencies" and listing "Billo" several times as the "Worst
Person In The World," to Joe Scarborough challenging O'Reilly's contentions
that MSNBC is "moving to the left."
Recent criticism of MSNBC has pointed-out that their programming contained
708% more references to the death of Anna Nicole Smith than to the Iraq war
on February 8, 2007 [13]. Some have opined that the channel appears to be
trying to blatantly pander to the so-called "security mom" housewife
demographic in the daytime, as soft-spoken, non-threatening female anchors
discuss subjects like Anna Nicole with a sort of breathless giddiness, while
purposefully avoiding long discussions on frightening and disturbing world
events (especially the Iraq conflict). Unlike CNN or Fox, the majority of
MSNBC news anchors are young white females (although their political pundits
are mostly older white males).
In early April 2007, shock jock Don Imus, whose radio show Imus in the
Morning was simulcast on MSNBC, made comments about the Rutgers University
women's basketball team. The comments sparked outrage, as many individuals
considered the comments to be both racist and sexist. Initially, this
resulted in a two-week suspension of Imus' program from MSNBC starting the
week of 16 April 2007. However on April 11, 2007, two days after this
announcement, MSNBC announced that it canceled the simulcast, effective
immediately as sponsors started withdrawing their advertisements from the
show. CBS Radio, who owns both the radio show's flagship station (WFAN in
New York) and its syndicator (Westwood One) initially suspended Imus, later
announcing they had canceled his show, effective late in the day on April
12, 2007. NBC News, as well as Imus has apologised to the Rutgers Basketball
team for the remarks.[46] MSNBC began filling the 6-9 AM slot with a series
of rotating talk hosts which includes Michael Smerconish, Stephanie Miller,
Tucker Carlson, Larry Elder, and Joe Scarborough. Scarborough's program,
dubbed Morning Joe, has aired consistently since late May, and appears
poised to become the network's permanent replacement for Imus in the
Morning.
In April 2007, NBC News and MSNBC received heavy criticism for airing
pictures and videos sent to them by Cho Seung-Hui, the man who killed 32
people at Virginia Tech University. In less than a day NBC news avoided
airing the video and pictures sent by Cho Seung-Hui.
MSNBC Logos
1996-2001
The network's first logo, it combines MSN with NBC.
2001-present
Combining MSN with NBC, this logo still in use as a secondary logo.
2001-2002
This logo was utilized in the aftermath of 9/11, in the "America's News
Channel" phase. From this point on, the "N" in the logo was changed from red
to match the rest of the letters' colorations. The peacock is colored with a
pattern of the flag of the United States.
2006-present, MSNBC on-air new logo
Before the graphics and logo change, the Doc Block began using this version
of the logo. Since August 21, 2006, MSNBC started to use this logo as the
network's new official logo.
2007-present, MSNBC online new logo
Since April 2, 2007, a deviation from the original font and look previously
used since the company's inception; used on MSNBC's website.
References
1. ^ January Numbers…, Inside Cable News blog, January 31, 2006
2. ^ Collins, Scott Crazy Like A Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat
CNN, ISBN 1-59184-029-5
3. ^ Job losses, big changes coming at NBC News
4. ^ Collins, Scott Crazy Like A Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat
CNN, ISBN 1-59184-029-5
5. ^ Jodi Jodi Applegate WNYW biography: [1]
6. ^ Collins, Scott Crazy Like A Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat
CNN, ISBN 1-59184-029-5
7. ^ Beato, G. Media Circus, April 11, 1997, Salon Magazine [2]
8. ^ Goodman, Walter. "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; New and Familiar Faces In News
Channel Debut", The New York Times, July 23, 1996. [3]
9. ^ MSNBC at Ten; Remembering The Site. [4]
10. ^ Burelle's Transcripts: [5]
11. ^ Siklos, Richard. "This Little Peacock is Showing Some Pluck.
BusinessWeek, August 17, 1998.
12. ^ Towery, Terry. "MSNBC proves it is ready." Peoria Journal Star, July
21, 1996. Page C12
13. ^ Bianculli, David: "BEST OF 'IMUS IN THE MORNING' ON MSNBC? THEM'S THE
BREAKS." New York Daily News, September 29, 1996.
14. ^ Collins, Scott Crazy Like A Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat
CNN, ISBN 1-59184-029-5
15. ^ Flash, Cynthia. "MICROSOFT LEARNS COSTLY MEDIA LESSON". Tacoma News
Tribune, September 24, 1997. Page C9
16. ^ "MSNBC CHANNEL CANCELS `THE SITE,' AWARD-WINNING TECHNOLOGY SHOW".
Seattle Times, September 21, 1997, Page E4.
17. ^ Pope, Kyle. "Future Seems Bright at MSNBC Despite Tiny Ratings." The
Wall Street Journal, October 28, 1997, page B1
18. ^ Bauder, David. "`BIG SHOW' A TALL ORDER FOR OLBERMANN". Cleveland
Plain Dealer, October 17, 1997, page 5.E
19. ^ Johnson, Peter. "MSNBC hasn't plugged into a big audience yet." USA
Today, June 4, 1997.
20. ^ PR Newswire: "MSNBC.COM RATED #1 ONLINE NEWS SITE FOR 1997", January
20, 1998
21. ^ PR Newswire: "MSNBC.COM RATED #1 ONLINE NEWS SITE FOR 1998", January
19, 1999
22. ^ PR Newswire: "MSNBC.COM RATED #1 ONLINE NEWS SITE FOR 1999", January
22, 2000
23. ^ Jensen, Elizabeth. "Cable News Rivals Prepare for Life After Monica".
Los Angeles Times, February 12, 1999. Page A1.
24. ^ Mifflin, Lawrie. "Too Few Viewers for 'Hockenberry'." The New York
Times, July 12, 1999. Page C12
25. ^ "Washington Post, NBC to collaborate". Houston Chronicle, November 18,
1999. pg. 4
26. ^ Curpisin, Tim. "MSNBC wants to be women's `Home Page'". Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel, April 3, 2000.
27. ^ "Gibson Jumping to FNC." New York Post, August 16, 2000.
28. ^ Saunders, Dusty. "NBC SCORED EARLY SUCCESS IN ANNOUNCING BUSH WIN",
Rocky Mountain News, December 15, 2000.
29. ^ Lavin, Cheryl. "HOLT HITS THE NEWSROOM RUNNING FOR MSNBC." Chicago
Tribune, November 24, 2000. Page 1.
30. ^ Moss, Linda. "MSNBC Shifts Shows" Cable World, July 2, 2001.
31. ^ E! Online, Bits and Pieces, June 26, 2001.
32. ^ [Ballmer: Would not launch MSNBC again. http://news.com.com/2100-1023-268073.html]
CNET News.Com, June 7, 2001
33. ^ Bauder, David. "BAD DECISIONS HURT MSNBC" Associated Press, February
25, 2002.
34. ^ Huff, Richard. "MSNBC GETS KEYES TO TALK." New York Daily News,
January 8, 2002.
35. ^ Battaglio, Steven. "MSNBC STARTS TO SPELL OUT NEW APPROACH." New York
Daily News, April 12, 2002, page 139
36. ^ Jensen, Elizabeth. "Donahue's Back, With No Plans to Be Neutral." Los
Angeles Times, July 10, 2002. Page F1
37. ^ Bard, Ed. "MSNBC relying on personalities as it revamps lineup."
Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. June 13, 2002.
38. ^ Bauder, David. "CAN'T PHIL THE BILL? / Donahue's numbers sinking on
MSNBC" Houston Chronicle, September 4, 2002, Page 10
39. ^ deMoraes, Lisa. "MSNBC's Nachman Takes One for the Team" Washington
Post, October 5, 2002. Page C07
40. ^ Huff, Richard. "MSNBC: Weak ratings snuff Phil Donahue" Knight Ridder
Tribune News Service. February 26, 2003.
41. ^ Huff, Richard. "DONAHUE LIBERALLY FIRES BACK AT MSNBC" New York Daily
News, February 27, 2003. Page 89
42. ^ Lowry, Brian. "Savage gets the boot after on-air anti-gay outburst"
Los Angeles Times, July 8, 2003. Page E1.
43. ^ [6], New York Post Columnist Asks 'Do We Need MSNBC?'
44. ^ Rick Kaplan Exits: Effective Immediately, President Of MSNBC Steps
Down, TVNewser, June 7, 2006
45. ^ XM Radio - Programming Updates, accessed August 21, 2006
46. ^ MSNBC drops simulcast of Don Imus show. MSNBC.com. 11 April 2007.
read the
copyright
|