MSNBC Takes Incendiary Hosts (Olbermann, Matthews) From Anchor Seat

[Newsjock]

Source: New York Times

MSNBC tried a bold experiment this year by putting two politically incendiary hosts, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, in the anchor chair to lead the cable news channel’s coverage of the election.

That experiment appears to be over.

After months of accusations of political bias and simmering animosity between MSNBC and its parent network NBC, the channel decided over the weekend that the NBC News correspondent and MSNBC host David Gregory would anchor news coverage of the coming debates and election night. Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews will remain as analysts during the coverage.

The change — which comes in the home stretch of the long election cycle — is a direct result of tensions associated with the channel’s perceived shift to the political left.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/08/business/media/08msnbc.html?ref=business

[BrklynLiberal]

1. But a shift to the right by any other network is not a problem...

or the OBVIOUSLY biased approach of FAUX NOISE

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Guess ratings don't matter.. kissing repuke ass is more important.

[BrklynLiberal]

16. What a complete crock of crapola!!!!!! the networks can show any bias they want, as long as it

is supportive of the repukes. This is nauseating...

And Brokaw and Williams can both eat shit..They will be able to handle it well, after all, they are already kissing asses.

The McCain campaign has filed letters of complaint to the news division about its coverage and openly tied MSNBC to it.
<snip>
Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams, the past and present anchors of “NBC Nightly News,” have told friends and colleagues that they are finding it tougher and tougher to defend the cable arm of the news division,

[DogPoundPup]

65. Brokaw and Williams will gladly defend the cable news arm of the

White House propaganda machine just as they do now, day in and day out.

[janetle]

226. They LOVE McCain. He's a war hero!

I cannot stand how Brokaw and Williams just melt with love over McCain. My Dad was a war hero and POW and it doesn't mean he was qualified to be president by any means. He had a lot of issues to deal with and he did and turned out to be a great father.

But give it up Brokaw and Williams--you are looking like fools.

[DaLittle Kitty]

67. IS... RIGHT WING FASCIST IN CHARACTER AND CONTENT! Support John Russell For Congress in Florida!

www.johnrussellforcongress.com

[mallard]

147. Re: "supportive"

Hey, the mainstrem media have an election to win - what can we expect?

[Buns_of_Fire]

155. McPOW's campaign "filed letters of complaint" -- ooooh, sounds SERIOUS, doesn't it?

Peons write letters. Peons write emails. Peons call. But John-Boy and Saracuda FILE their displeasure (to the Federal Election Whining Commission or Billo Reilly, I imagine). Words cannot adequately express how very very IMPRESSED I am.:eyes:

[lynnertic]

168. I wondered what kind of backlask KO would get for calling out that disgusting

9/11 video that they played before McCain's acceptance speech. He expressed his unhappiness and how he thought that the cynical use of the images was simply to conjure up the anxiety of the time.

[Rhiannon12866]

213. I wondered about that, too...

He was absolutely right on. I had the same reaction...x(

I've always been worried about a backlash against Keith's outspokenness, but I was hoping that his ratings would make up for it...:-(

[movonne]

105. This is a setup to steal this election...we have nothing but the internet..

[BallardWA]

197. I absolutely agree

The fix is in.

[katty]

223. agree--only the net

[medeak]

106. OReilly doesn't anchor elections does he?

Andrea Mitchell, Gregory, Brokaw, Brian Williams et all seems more professional to have them in the chair asking Olberman and Matthews for their opinions. It doesn't sound like M & O will be entirely excluded.

[bjobotts]

142. Hope not.He's stupid. David Gregory is a right wing spin machine.

[bjobotts]

144. Extremely disappointing

[Warren Stupidity]

163. Sure of course, lets not upset the complete rightwing bias

on the media, that would be unprofessional.

WTF?

[ooglymoogly]

211. Thanks Polly for your fine input.....Sounds like such a great pug

talking point. Apparently you do not watch these people most of your waking hours as I and many here on DU who know where these folks lean. When the truth hurts as NBC-MSNBC has come to learn, they FIX it and Olbermann has come to symbolize the truth and he has been fixed.

[cui bono]

245. Have you heard the questions Gregory asks on his show?

Completely biased. Never asks Republicans hard questions, always interrogates Dems.

Ever since he became Rove's dance partner he's been a right wing tool.

[Ned_Devine]

253. tell me you're joking

Brian Williams is an admitted Limbaugh fan. Brokaw drools over McCain

[BlueKansan]

212. MSNBC is not Fox

There was a time, long ago, when I couldn't suss out Chris Matthews' political leanings -- or Olbermann's either, for that matter. After the 2004 election, the gloves came off. More specifically, after Dan Abrams became GM, things changed. Keith began to get away with murder. Matthews began to drop hints he was a little left of center. I loved it.

I've watched both Matthews and Olbermann since they began hosting both their shows -- ten years for Matthews, going on five years for Keith. I never miss them. So I say this with love for both guys -- they've gone too far -- especially Olbermann. He's become too full of himself. He pontificates too much. If there were a far right version of Keith Olbermann, it would look like Rush or Bill-O. Maybe even Rush. Sorry, but I really believe that.

My disappointment with Keith really began in earnest when he essentially banned Dana Milbank from 'Countdown' when Milbank quoted Obama out of context. IOW, he cut Milbank's mike. My husband reminded me that we have never heard Keith debate an adversarial guest on his show -- because he only hosts people who agree with him. Think about that -- it's true. I loathe Bill O'Reilly, but you know, even Bill-O hosts guests he disagrees with. Frankly, I like DU, but I prefer Politico because it isn't as one-sided.

If you think Fox now has to demote Bill-O just because MSNBC has demoted Matthews and Olbermann, you're not thinking clearly. What Fox does has nothing to do with MSNBC. What has happened to cable news is that Fox went far right, MSNBC went far left, and CNN is still as dry and boring as ever -- but at least offers some semblance of neutrality. If CNN would ditch Rick Sanchez, I'd probably watch them a lot more.

[Proud_Lefty]

234. Olbermann is the only one who reports truth

It's amazing how truth these days is considered far left. Notice how the liars with nothing backing up any of their claims are considered far right. In this scenario, I'll take the far left any day because I won't be satisfied with anything less than the truth. I'm glad he doesn't have anyone on with opposing views as it's refreshing not to have to listen to all the b.s. We just hear substance that always has substantial back-up. Yes, Keith Olbermann throws in his opinions, but unlike the others, his opinion makes complete sense based on facts. Everyone else is clearly bought and paid for. Most of us see through it, don't you?

On edit: Bill Moyer is also a truth teller. He's awesome.

[coznfx]

238. Comcast's Great MSNBC Robbery ...

About 1 1/2 to 2 years ago, here in the mid-Willamette Valley area of Oregon, Comcast 'rearranged' which network got assigned to which cable channel on 8 or 9 of their channels.The day after receiving an explanation letter from them (the usual: deleting several less popular stations in order to add networks in great demand by 'us, their valued customers'; 'changes to affect Standard Cable customers only' - no changes to any Digital Cable channel (those assigned to channels higher than 125); 'these changes reflect our commitment to providing our customers the programming they want'; blah, yada, etc.), MSNBC vanished!!

The other changes basically swapped A&E and USA Network-type channels around, or grouping similar channels closer together. Guess which station took MSNBC's channel ... the TV Guide Channel! Unreal!!

Loyal KO viewers bitched a bitch! Comcast magnanimously offered to to provide a box ( for only $1 a month) which would allow viewing of MSNBC. Otherwise, it is now only available to Digital Cable Subscribers (at almost double the price of Standard Cable, which itself is ridiculously priced at around $50 a month.).

I too now rely on the internet for my KO fix!

It's a good thing Comcast is as liberal as the media in this country, or we'd probably get Faux News on EVERY channel! Any other region have a similar experience with Comcast??

[cui bono]

246. MSNBC is no where NEAR far left.

While I agree with you that KO can get a little full of himself - I particularly cringed when he attempted to belittle Glenn Greenwald because he criticized him and he didn't even know who Greenwald was and that he is an excellent mind.

However, no longer using a reporter because they did their job incorrectly is different than shutting off someone's mic who is telling a truth you simply do not want to hear.

MSNBC is no where NEAR far left. Even with KO and the addition of Rachel Maddow it is still center. Since when did the truth get put on a left-right spectrum? So the stations that peddle govt. propaganda are right and the stations that tell the truth are left? (that is telling right there, isn't it?) You are buying into the framing that the right wing has created as well as buying into the left being a bad thing. The far left has absolutely NO voice in the corporate media. All they will give you is center views that they label far left so you think you are getting "both" sides, when in fact there is at least a third side that is never heard from at all.

[BlueCaliDem]

251. Wow. Reading your post tells me Politico is a better home for you.

Every truth-teller from Olbermann to Rick Sanchez on CNN you've vilified but you defend Fixed News and Bill Orally?!?

Something stinks here and seeing you've only got 16 posts under your belt says enough for me.

When HuffPost tr0//s start mentioning democraticunderground.com I know they've been here and they have the same modus operandi as, well, you.

Yeah, politico is much more right of center so I agree with you, that it's a better place for you too.

[bluestateguy]

2. Matthews is just like an impulsive 4-year old child who has eaten too much candy

He goes which ever way the wind blows, interrupts his guests, talks 150 miles per hour and gets too emotional.

[Drunken Irishman]

7. Which is why I love him. ;)

[democracy1st]

99. At least Chris wasn't 100% behind everything the GOP did

[BlueCaliDem]

137. Yeah, but Mega-Mouth has been pretty tough on the rented-right-wing...

...propagandists sent out by the GOP and corporate head-honchos to help in the dumbing down of Americans.

He was on the path of redeeming himself... and is now promptly demoted.

Who still believes we don't live in a Fascist State after this clear attempt to kill any opposing voices not of the GOP and corporate stables?

[Snail Darter]

150. The Fascist Problematic

CaliDem04 said, "Who still believes we don't live in a Fascist State after this clear attempt to kill any opposing voices not of the GOP and corporate stables?" I agree that fascist governments kill dissenters. I've spent a long time trying to figure out why Bushco lets dissenters live, unlike other fascists. It seems like even little ol' Franco would have at least jailed Keith and Chris, and we don't even need to make mention of what Mussolini or Hitler would have done to them! So I don't get Bushco. Are some fascists just too lazy to kill dissenters?

[Enthusiast]

180. It isn't necessary to kill

dissenters, one only needs to silence them. Besides, killing Keith O would only call attention to the true nature of these fascists. This is why their takeover has gone unnoticed by the uninformed majority.

[BlueCaliDem]

198. Your attempt at sarcasm is poor at best. Do better. And while you're at it

... learn comprehensive reading.

I wrote "...kill any opposing VOICES..." I said nothing about Bushco dictatorship tactics already implemented on the American people and Iraq a la Gitmo.

Oh, and it's BLUECaliDem04, Snail Farter - I mean darter.

[Mr Rabble]

209. It's actually better for the regime to have dissenters.

It gives the appearance of NOT being an outright fascist state.
Meanwhile, dissent is crushed regardless of the method. Killing dissenters has obvious negative consequences...

[BlueKansan]

217. That's a good description of Matthews

He's all over the map. Has he been mainlining caffeine? He used to just interrupt his guests. Now he goes on and on, interjecting movie metaphors and asking some pretty dumb questions. Remember early in the primary season when he was promoting some stupid Lawrence of Arabia analogy to some candidate? (No, it wasn't Obama...) Remember when he couldn't stop playing SNL clips of Darrel Hammond's spoofs of him? Talk about starstruck -- how nauseating.

Matthews used to get the very best guests. Did you ever wonder why Hillary never appeared on 'Hardball' this season? I never did. I knew she'd never give him an interview. He's too

And listen, I'm saying this as someone who has seen just about every 'Hardball' broadcast for the last ten years. I'm worried about him. He's starting to channel Larry King.

[Drunken Irishman]

3. Of course, take the two people I like and move 'em for people I don't.

FUCK YOU NBC!

[ooglymoogly]

204. Don't just talk! Send emails to nbc, MSNBC, repug thugs Brian Williams and Tom Brokaw

and especially Repug thug David Gregory. This is a major bolder thrown at the even hand and one giant leap toward stealing the election for the pugs. I will now only turn to MSNBC to watch Kieth Olbermann and never even fly over NBC.

[Wabbajack_]

257. Luv yer button

I totally thought of that when I learned he was black irish.

[rusty charly]

4. A channel’s perceived shift to the political right? Okey-dokey!

A channel’s perceived shift to the political left? RUN!

[MadrasT]

5. I'm sorry...

...so they're saying GREGORY is an unbiased anchor????? :wtf:

This is sad news...

[tblue]

6. Crap. Gregory is so limp.

[Diane R]

8. ONE network isn't in the tank for the fundies, and that's apparently too much. This is mind control

[Cleita]

9. It's true and I was only hoping it was a Drudge rumor.

Sigh! I don't need to turn the TV on at all now for the elections. I will just monitor my computer like I did for the last one.

[Duval]

230. Perfect solution,Cleita. Will also do that. n/t

[DeepBlueC]

10. Gregory...fucking great!

He's been so even-handed that he doesn't let truth become too intrusive. It is unfair to the liars.

[rwheeler31]

11. Disgusting

[grasswire]

12. I've never considered Tweety to be incendiary.

He's too much of a Beltway *player* to be that.

[Cleita]

23. He wasn't sucking up to the RW during the Dem Convention.

I guess that's incendiary.

[Captain Hilts]

71. He interupts his guests constantly, spits while he talks and is often rude.

Other than that, he's great.

Keith is FAR more professional.

[katty]

224. ridiculous, Tweety?! RW got america by the balls when Tweety

can't sing from his center to right seat.

[LibDemAlways]

13. So they are going to stick pro McCain asshole David Gregory

in the anchor seat? Their ratings will tank.

The suits at NBC are idiots. People watch Olbermann because he is one of few voices on the left. Why the hell can't people on the political left be represented? This kind of shit pisses me off no end.

[Amonester]

118. "Why the hell can't people on the political left be represented?"

Simple. Because the CEO of NBC is a Repub and when President Obama will raise taxes on the have-ever-more class, he will not like it at all, so he is scared shitless about the idea of a future President Obama and Vice-President Biden will come true. So he's doing all he can for that not to happen. But he will fail.

Hope it's clear enough, now.

OTOH, who cares for TV stations when We Have The World Wide Web?

[LibDemAlways]

128. I'm well aware that GE owns NBC and that

they have a financial interest in the outcome of the election.

But pissing off Keith's viewers will inevitably lead to lower ratings which means less ad revenue. They are cutting off their nose to spite their face.

[Amonester]

134. The crooks of the have-ever-more class don't care.

If that happens, they'll just find another way to rip-off the lower classes even more.

That's how they've always done it in the last 30 years, and they R sure they'll do it again and again.

They know there are un-educated suckers born every second...

Proof : look at McInsane's curent numbers!

[billyoc]

14. Boycott MSNBC, Maddow and all.

Fuck 'em.

[Cleita]

21. Oh good, then they will throw her off the air for low ratings. BS. n/t

[Frisbee]

68. I agree, wrong strategy...

watch Keith and Rachel and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE on MSNBC. Show them that the only reason their ratings had been climbing were because of Keith and Rachel. Fuck everything else. Catch the debates on C-Span or PBS.

[lynnertic]

167. Hell, boycott the TV And stream their shows from the website.

Then they get some real numbers to play with.

My cable company Comcast doesn't even carry MSNBC, having dropped that station early this year in my market.

[liberalhistorian]

237. Mine doesn't carry

it, either. In fact, CNN is the only cable news channel it carries for the basic package.

[kenfrequed]

193. Bingo!

That is the tactic. Through negative resistance we can convert Olbermann and Maddow into the networks flagships.

Boycott absolutely EVERYTHING else.

[Drunken Irishman]

26. People need to realize MSNBC will have no clue if you're watching or not...

Unless you have a Nielsen Box to record what you're watching.

I'm guessing many DUers do not and so all the boycotting in the world will not be known.

[billyoc]

28. I assume people know that a boycott involves contacting their sponsors about it.

A big assumption, sometimes.

[Drunken Irishman]

32. Not by DU standards...

When I see boycott, people always mean it by just "not watching".

As I think the poster below you thought, too.

[ComplimentarySwine]

36. What about set-top boxes?

DirecTV/Dish/etc?

[Drunken Irishman]

43. I don't know...

[quakerboy]

61. Um

It is my understanding that with modern cable boxes, they do not need a nielsen box(obviously only with cable viewers). I would be happy to be corrected.

[Cleita]

74. I have a Neilsen Box.

My choices actually are exponated for my demography. However, Neilsen isn't the only thing they go for. It's all the telephone calls, emails and letters that figure in too.

[alittlelark]

98. Tivo and other DVR services make a list of recorded programs

Ostensibly to give you suggestions due to your preferences. Those lists are available. I worked with Tivo for a few years.

It may not be included in the Neilson ratings, but they have that information.

[HootieMcBoob]

178. If you have a satellite receiver

such as DirecTV or Dish what you watch is used and often received by the networks as I understand it. So, what we may not necessarily need to be neilson families in order to have our watching patterns count.

[mwb970]

189. I don't see how satellite viewing can be reported.

Are you suggesting that home satellite receivers transmit viewership data back through the satellite? Satellite bandwidth is way too expensive to use it to measure millions of channel selections in real time, IMHO.

[mwb970]

187. Cable boxes are two-way. They report what you are watching every minute or so.

The two-way feature is ostensibly to authorize pay-per-view requests and such, but they also use it for audience measurement.

My company once had a half-hour program on the local cable system. After the show, they would show us graphs depicting viewership levels through the whole show. "You lost 100 viewers when you changed to that subject" - that sort of thing.

Satellite viewing or off-the-air rabbit-ears style viewing cannot be measured.

[HughMoran]

39. That would be the Republican thing to do

I really don't think your overeaction is helping.

[Overseas]

194. NO, just watch the debates on CSpan and let MSNBC know you're doing that.

Just boycott David Gregory debate coverage. Easy.

Like others say, don't stop supporting Keith and Rachel, the two who have dared to issue scathing criticism of the worst presidency in US history.

[dmr]

210. I agree. I watched MSNBC's coverage because of Olbermann

but now that he will be sidelined I'm going back to CSPAN just as I did in years previous.

[LSK]

244. yes, we can always watch FIXEDNOISE

Any other brilliant ideas for us???

:eyes:

[budkin]

15. Worst news in a long long time...

Keith is about the only guy who speaks truth to power and now he's going to be "removed." Methinks this is just part of the Pukes strategy to steal the election yet again.

[BrklynLiberal]

22. Just shows how tightly owned the media is by the repukes and their lackeys.

I cannot believe that McSame had the nerve to file a complaint about MSNBC coverage...when every other network in the world is fawning and drooling over him...

If this isn't Fascism...I don't know what is...

[Pirate Smile]

17. I'll watch CNN. Gregory sucks. He is truly horrible.

[jjr5]

52. CNN is biased too.

[The Hope Mobile]

66. CNN is one of the worst! I try not to even read their political

stuff as it almost causes the gag reflex. Extremely slanted!:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :shrug:

[jjr5]

132. Man, MSM is becoming a wasteland.

Keith and Rachel are really the only points of light out there. Oh yeah and KARE 11 news, a CBS station in Minnesota. I'm from Minnesota and ppl there call it the DNC support channel. It's so slanted towards the left, it's slightly amusing.

[kenfrequed]

195. Uhm

Hate to be picky but...

Kare 11 is an NBC

Wcco 4 is CBS

Which of the two are you talking about? Neither of them seems all that liberal to me, but I admit I haven't watched television news much lately. Let me know.

[jjr5]

255. My mistake!

I mean WCCO through CBS. Sorry for the error.

[kenfrequed]

260. thats ok.

Though I never noticed them being all that liberal. They do accomplish a bit more investigative journalism than other local outlets.

[BlueCaliDem]

140. To be fair, during the day, CNN is better than MSNBC.

I'm a political junkie and flip between channels from CNN to C-Span to MSNBC and ever since McBush canceled the interview with Larry King they (CNN) have gone negative on him as if to say: "This is what we do to the Democrats - and what we'll do to you if you don't agree to appear on King's show."

I'm pretty sure the moment McSame agrees to go on King's show, it's all lovey-dovey once again and Obama will be vilified just as originally planned.

Welcome to FASCIST America! Mussolini would've pinked a tear away were he alive today. His dream society has come true.

[LonelyLRLiberal]

103. CNN did a big segment on one Sunday morning show about MSNBC's anchors

They included Olbermann, Matthews and one piece where Scarbrough got into a big pissing match with someone (I can't remember who it was). They made it sound like MSNBC's coverage was just one big pissing match among the commentators and anchors.

[Politicalboi]

228. Joe was arguing

With Davis Shuster. I won't watch if Keith isn't going to anchor the elections.

[LonelyLRLiberal]

258. I wish he could write most of the questions at least.

I figure no one will ask any hard questions, and they'll get off on stupid stuff.

[Kittycat]

18. Now what freaking channel am I going to watch?

Gregory is worse than CNN, but better than Fox. I still fucking hate him.

[davidwparker]

31. C-SPAN? That would be one.

[onefreespiritedchick]

89. Agreed! Gregory is worse than CNN

And, doesn't try to hide it.

[kayell]

160. How about......None!

The internet opens up a wide array of different ways to get news (and entertainment), and if you use it right, without tons of mind-numbing corporate sponsorship.

You may want to do some checking into the effects of television on the human brain. Not good. A big part of why we're here today.

[Sukie]

19. I think emails to MSNBC are in order.

Let them know if you liked Keith doing the anchoring.

[The Wizard]

101. I'll let them know

that lurching to the right won't work. The Nazis already have the rest of the broadcast media in their pocket. By refusing to cater to the majority, they exhibit poor business acumen. If you own any GE stock tell the board of directors you're very unhappy with this moronic decision.
it just means spending more time on line and Comedy Central where the fake news has more validity than the propaganda pushed by all the others.

[tpsbmam]

179. Absolutely -- here are some email addresses.....

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

[mmonk]

20. Who do we write to?

[Sukie]

A site to get email addresses

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10285339/

[mmonk]

34. Thanks

[poverlay]

92. I just sent the most angry letter possible. n/t

[BlueCaliDem]

141. [email protected] I believe. eom

[bemildred]

24. I guess we all could learn to read again. nt

[Bette Noir]

110. Except that I cancelled my local newspaper

after they fired most of the reporters, and get their stories from AP. We all know how unbiased AP has become.

[BlueCaliDem]

143. At the moment, CNN isn't all too bad. They've gone neg on McBush...

...ever since he canceled his appearance on The Larry King Show because the McPain camp thought Campbell Brown was too mean to Tucker something or another when she asked him to name ONE thing Pontius-Palin did in command of the Alaskan National Guard.

She was persistent but not half as obnoxious or tough on that Tucker guy than Brokaw was on Biden today on MTP.

[geekgrrl]

25. Gregory is SUCH A HACK!! I am SO UPSET! Keith is the best-- and I've always stood by MSNBC bc of him

I'm so thoroughly disgusted.

I wonder how Chris and Keith are taking this-- they ought to be pretty pissed. Don't they anchor 2 of the top rated evening news commentary shows? Don't they have something to argue with?

How will I survive election night?

[davidwparker]

27. So, we the left, reward MSNBC by having our TVs tuned to their network we

notice that "perceived shift to the political left" and DO NOT watch it when it is the usual RW nonsense that befits our corporate-ocracy.

Oh, and watch FSTV.

[Seeking Serenity]

29. People do know that "Countdown w/KO" isn't going anywhere, right?

They aren't dropping their No. 1 show.

Y'all know that, right?

[CANDO]

33. They dropped Donahue........it was their # 1 show!

eom

[Seeking Serenity]

41. But MSNBC is NOT dropping Countdown.

The linked article makes absolutely no mention of them cancelling "Countdown."

Y'all do understand that, right?

[CANDO]

55. I know that......but watch and see how long until they do.

eom

[SoCalDem]

154. Don't count on it..

Olbermann won't take this lying down.. He walked away before from "the Big Show"..

This is MSRNC wanting it both ways.. obviously the RNC is calling the shots , since any dem presence at their little shindig last week was tepid at best, and mostly absent...and this after a week of rabid scumbaggery by the repubilicans who infected OUR convention.. I predicted it would be that waym but deep down I had hoped for some parity..

The sad mess that our media has become, is sickening.. There is NO "major" news venue that is not overrun with right wingers..and ANY voice that threatens their stranglehols, in the least, is shouted down, and silenced:grr:

[CANDO]

30. Never a problem shifting to the right though!

This is like firing Donahue all over again. Fucking NBC. Watch them shit can Keith and Rachel very soon....wouldn't want them influencing the election in any way!

[Lorien]

35. The difference between repugs and Dems

repugs hammer away at management until management caves. Dems think that sending letters and making phone calls doesn't make a difference, so they don't do it. I have a friend who is a news director for a local station. She has also worked with major news agencies in DC. She says that if the station gets ten or more HARD COPY letters on an issue, the management takes notice. The GOP gets this, but we still haven't caught on. That's why they are the small-but vocal-minority that has become the squeaky wheel that the media heeds.

[benfranklin1776]

49. You are absolutely right.

McBush's camp wrote formal letters of complaint to the network and pummeled them relentlessly till they caved. This "work the umps" strategy is a staple of their playbook for many years, but not a lot of work is required on their part usually since the corporate media is so Republican friendly. However we seem reluctant to do the same. When I say we I don't mean people here at DU but the campaign staffers who make these decisions. As exNewsweek reporter Robert Parry has long documented at consortiumnews.com the corporate media bends over backwards to favor Republicans, yet we never call them out publicly for it and hammer them during campaigns like we should for their self evident bias. Obama's campaign should file the exact same letters of complaint with MSNBC when inevitably Brokaw and Williams bend over to curry favor with McBush and company, as well as other networks that do the same. The last two Presidential campaigns should have put to rest the notion that the corporate media is a fair arbiter. So while a deluge of hard copy letters from us is a good thing and a good idea, I think involvment by the campaign is a must as well. They cannot continue to pretend this bias does not exist.

[John Q. Citizen]

37. Recommended so people know wtf happened. Corporate fear shuts them up.

[rg123]

38. Not Surprised

You could see the big shift right during the whole evangelical convention. The only person who was really calling the McCain campaign out was Rachael other then Keith when they tried to imply Iran was responsible for 9/11. This is not good news. I hope Rachael does not let them shut her up.

[robinlynne]

40. the ONE mainstream station which had some real news....

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

44. Oh, but Scarborough and Buchanan can continue to blather on...

<snip>

The McCain campaign has filed letters of complaint to the news division about its coverage and openly tied MSNBC to it. Tension between the network and the campaign hit an apex the day Mr. McCain announced Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. MSNBC had reported Friday morning that Ms. Palin’s plane was enroute to the announcement and she was likely the pick. But McCain campaign officials warned the network off, with one official going so far as to say that all of the candidates on the short list were on their way — which MSNBC then reported.

Some staff members said the tension led to the network’s decision to keep Mr. Olbermann in New York for the Republican convention, after he ran the desk in Denver during the Democratic convention. MSNBC said that he stayed in New York to anchor coverage of Hurricane Gustav. But some workers say there were other reasons — namely, that Mr. Olbermann was concerned about his safety in St. Paul, given the loud crowds at MSNBC’s set in Denver.

NBC Universal executives are also known to be concerned about the perception that MSNBC’s partisan tilt in prime time is bleeding into the rest of the programming day. On a recent Friday afternoon, a graphic labeled “Breaking News” asked: “How many houses does Palin add to the Republican ticket?” Mr. Griffin called the graphic “an embarrassment.”

According to three staff members, Jeff Zucker, chief executive of NBC Universal, and Steve Capus, president of NBC News, considered flying to the Republican convention in Minnesota last week to address the lingering tensions.

<snip>

[complain jane]

42. Tweety's been absolutely gushing over Palin.

Glad to see him go.

[Parker CA]

47. I will only watch Countdown and Maddow until they

too are taken off the air. Then I will never tune in again.

This is ridiculous.

Pukes must be in a much worse situation than they appear to be are if they are really resorting to these kinds of tactics.

Strange that CNN seems to be the only network in the last couple days really calling the pukes on their BS.

I will watch their until they abandon objectivity once again.

[Stellen]

45. This is the exact incentive I needed to disconnect the cable.

So NBC/MSNBC, you say good bye to this raw number: .|..

[ticapnews]

46. I'm shocked it took this long

General Electric and Universal did not become conglomerates by rocking the boat.

[Wetzelbill]

79. exactly right

[mzmolly]

48. I enjoyed watching Olbermann and Matthews do election

coverage. I'm glad they'll both be analysts.

[David Zephyr]

50. The Message? "Mr. Olbermann, meet Dan Rather. And the rest of you better get your asses in line."

The corporate media is now reigning in their talking heads to do their job: deliver the White House to the GOP again.

[jjr5]

56. I feel like this all has to do with media censorship of Palin.

All of a sudden right wing analysts started complaining that news anchors and the media were "liberal" and didn't respect gov. Palin. There may be a link. We should definitely send hard copy letters. Who's with me?


NBC News
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, N.Y. 10112

[Snarkoleptic]

51. After dancing with KKKarl Rove, little davie has ZERO creditibility.

[Judi Lynn]

162. Thanks so much for posting that photo of this clown endorsing these dreary, clumsy maggots.

A man could NEVER compromise himself more than he has managed to do.

He's a pathetic, willing tool of the worst criminals the country has ever seen.

[chill_wind]

53. Thank the RNC and the McCain campaign directly. Read the full piece. Sickening.

"..In prime time, the channel averaged 2.2 million viewers during the Democratic convention and 1.7 million viewers during the Republican convention.

The success of the Fox News Channel in the past decade along with the growth of political blogs have convinced many media companies that provocative commentary attracts viewers and lures Web browsers more than straight news delivered dispassionately.

“In a rapidly changing media environment, this is the great philosophical debate,” Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, said in a telephone interview Saturday. Fighting the ratings game, he added, “the bottom line is that we’re experiencing incredible success.”

But as the past two weeks have shown, that success has a downside. When the vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin lamented media bias during her speech, attendees of the Republican convention loudly chanted “NBC.”



(...)


"...The McCain campaign has filed letters of complaint to the news division about its coverage and openly tied MSNBC to it. Tension between the network and the campaign hit an apex the day Mr. McCain announced Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. MSNBC had reported Friday morning that Ms. Palin’s plane was enroute to the announcement and she was likely the pick. But McCain campaign officials warned the network off, with one official going so far as to say that all of the candidates on the short list were on their way — which MSNBC then reported."

[NoodleyAppendage]

54. Sounds like GE is hedging their bets on the election. If Obama was far ahead, this wouldn't happen.

GE is just worried now that McGrampy & the Nazi might come to power, in which case they don't want to piss them off. If Obama were running stronger, I bet this wouldn't be a problem.

J

[kristopher]

57. I'm not surprised.

Keith has no finesse, he is a sledgehammer.

Gregory is an absolute puke with only one goal, to become another Russert (in all the worst ways).

Perhaps they'll eventually land on Rachael. She wields words and truth like a master surgeon with a fine scalpel.

....
....
....this sucks.

[JDPriestly]

93. Keith is great. Scarborough is the sledgehammer -- and a much

more obnoxious one. They should have rid themselves of Scarborough. I would never watch him. Olbermann was their best draw, the best they had.

[kristopher]

151. You talk like he died.

He's still there and doing his usual show.

Scarface is a dick and if there is justice in this world he will be reincarnated as a slug that gets salted.

[JDPriestly]

225. Thanks. I had misunderstood the post. My husband also corrected

my misunderstanding.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

58. I plan to watch the debates on C-SPAN

I'd rather not have any commentary.

[Purveyor]

59. MSNBC's ratings are so 'in the tank'....who gives a shit? eom

[SteppingRazor]

60. Eh, I think it's a good thing.

I would rather have Olbermann in an analysist role, giving him far more leeway to speak his mind on the news of the day, than in having him behind a desk going to that ridiculous group of Pat Buchanan, et al. to see what they think. David Gregory's not a crazy right-winger. He's a fairly reliable, moderate anchor. Replacing Olbermann with him frees up space for Olbermann to be even more opinionated than before -- of course, it may not play out that way, but I'm still curious to see what form the new news takes.

[Eric J in MN]

77. Yes, maybe he'll express his opinion more this way. NT

NT

[fjc]

201. Thanks for the only cool-headed reply so far.

Love Keith, but there's some things he can't do by way of his constitution. Being the kind of anchor that most MSM outlets want ain't one of em.

[amandabeech]

254. I usually like MSNBC like most here, but

I had to change the channel several times because the essentially unmoderated panel got so out of hand that I simply couldn't watch it anymore.

There were times when I thought that Chris and Keith were going to "take it outside."

And Pat Buchanan isn't my fave, but I don't want to see him die on the air, either from a coronary or by being strangled by Rachel Maddow.

Someone has to defuse the wild stuff, and neither Olberman nor Matthews were able to do it.

Gregory will get his chance, but I'm not sure that he's up to it.

Paging the ghosts of Huntley and Brinkley. Mr. Huntley, Mr. Brinkley, please pick up the NBC courtesy phone in the lobby.

[AlbertCat]

62. So it's MSNBC's fault...

.... the Repug Convention & McCain's "big" speech sucked?

[Name removed]

63. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[crimsonblue]

80. Hi Freeper..

I suspect you won't last long before you get a nice Digiorno!

[VOX]

82. Thanks for playing! And you won't go home empty-handed; here's a nice slab of cool marble for you!

Enjoy! :bounce:

[Ghost Dog]

157. Yup.

DU has a right to be biased, unlike the non-existant 'mainstream media'. Corporate media, like all monopolies and cartels, needs to be broken up.

[Larkspur]

94. Countdown is not imploding

It still beats O'Lielly's show.

[Plucketeer]

139. windjumper?

Izzat like "breaking wind"? T'would seem so.

[tomg]

64. Maybe next they will decide to replace Jon Stewart

with Larry the Cable Guy.Assholes.

[glowing]

69. So, I suppose as it is, they will lose my support.. David Gregory is a shill.

He is extremely biased for Republicans.. E-mail please. Seriously, can we have one channel with a normal viewpoint from the left.. The Repigs own every other channel. It is seeminly apparent that the work is in for the theft of the '08 election. Hopefully Keith and Rachel will help deafen some of the spin... CNN is using their UNscientific poll to somehow suggest that McCain and Obama are tied. Who, on a Sunday, is taking that poll besides people spaming it. AND then they come on to say, hey look at the CNN poll.. like it is significant. Faux Noise is obviously biased. CNN is trying its best to keep up with FOX.. the big networks, NBC, CBS, and ABC are so bland and hyped towards the Republicans, it makes me want to puke.

[jjr5]

131. Even better, type a letter -

and send it to:

NBC News
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, N.Y. 10112

[glowing]

149. Ok, will do. I can multi-task.

[ChiciB1]

185. Too Bad We Are Relegated To Watching ONLY Democracy Now or C-Span or

some alternative news to actually get informed. I actually stopped watching MSM for the most part and stuck with the others, but I still hear this crap from alternative channels.

Let me correct, I hear MSM's news repeated by them by way of being informative as to what is going on. They just keep us informed about this kind of stuff, not agree with them.

[TheModernTerrorist]

70. Olbermann and Maddow

I will continue to watch them. I may even sneak in a bit of Tweety from time to time (his antics amuse me). Other than that NBC can rot in hell.

... I might even stop watching The Office -_-"

[AlbertCat]

72. Ahhhhh....here's the real complaint!

from the article:

The McCain campaign has filed letters of complaint to the news division about its coverage and openly tied MSNBC to it. Tension between the network and the campaign hit an apex the day Mr. McCain announced Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. MSNBC had reported Friday morning that Ms. Palin’s plane was enroute to the announcement and she was likely the pick. But McCain campaign officials warned the network off, with one official going so far as to say that all of the candidates on the short list were on their way — which MSNBC then reported.

“The fact that it was reported in real time was very embarrassing,” said a senior MSNBC official. “We were told, ‘No, it’s not Sarah Palin and you don’t know who it is.’ ”

So, McCain's people were mad at MSNBC for telling the truth. And now NBC is ashamed it did and is bullied into changing hosts.

OK I get it!

[firedupdem]

76. Such Bull Shit, what's next? n/t

[Eric J in MN]

73. Have right-wing hosts ever been called "Incendiary"...

...in a NY Times headline?

Sean Hannnity
Bill O'Reilly
Brit Hume

[skyounkin]

88. Not even when their books

are found in the houses of sociopathic murders.

THIS IS TOTAL BULLSHIT!!!

[rainman99]

75. Send emails to [email protected]

The far right has probably staged one of their mass protests against coverage
that differs from their views. We just have to send our opinions, too.

[Bette Noir]

123. Thanks for the address.

I've sent my note, telling them that I watched their election coverage for 6 to 9 hours/night when Olbermann and Matthews were sharing anchor duties, but that I will not watch Gregory.

Let them put that in their pipes and smoke it.

[LynnTheDem]

78. Why not have Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin anchor?

Shouldn't have any worries then about a "perceived shift to the left".




Poor America; at one time so brilliant. Now so fucking dumb.

[VOX]

81. The MSNBC suits can call it "political left"; I call it "common sense." And MSNBC is now dead to me.

It was nice to have coverage that ran counter to the usual right-wing cable fodder.

Of course, it was too good to be true.

[AldebTX]

83. Well There Goes the Fun

Whats wrong with a little fireworks. Gregory BORES me.

[MarjorieG]

84. Guess Gregory's bias okay. If they'd just not tried to talk so much.

Too many anchors sent, and that's management's fault. Tension for trying to fill time equally and with all of them frayed nerves.

[budkin]

85. Curious to see Keith talk about it on Countdown

[lligrd]

86. Guess There Will Be No Need To Turn The TV On Then

In fact, I'm thinking the first place I should cut back is cable television.

[onefreespiritedchick]

87. For the life of me, I do not understand...

How Faux news can continue their Right-Wing agenda, but the Left cannot or barely. It is as if we cannot have a voice? "The Liberal Media", yeah right.

[EV_Ares]

91. Thats the plan man, pretty soon we will only have the internet and go to

european papers to get the news.

[Olney Blue]

90. This upsets me.

[WatchWhatISay]

95. What about Scarborough's incendiary comments?

What about Pat Buchanan's rightwing biased ranting?

And David Gregory's tap dancing with Rove?

So in the end they'll be left with David & Doc-Bloc? And no audience at all.

[enough already]

96. So, this is what it's like to live in nazi Germany...

I want to jump out a window tonight. This is unreal. SOMETHING has to be done about this NBC bullshit. Can't we organize a protest at 30 Rock or something? I'm fucking seething right now.

[fjc]

203. Geez. Nazi Germany. Get a life.

[ClayZ]

97. Keith and Chris are the only ones we watch!

K and R

[ChazII]

100. No guts, no glory

guess the execs are chickens at heart.

[BayjanDem]

102. Are we SURPRISED?????

The corporate media (insert WHORE) clearly doesn't want to rock the right wing leaning boat. I'm surprised K.O was anchoring at all. NBC had a chance to separate itself. This is outrageous. Wake TFU America.

[shellgame26]

104. I'm so fucking sick and tired of this bullshit!

ENOUGH OF THIS CRAP!!! THEY ARE TRYING TO STEAL THE ELECTION AGAIN. THIS WILL BE 3 FUCKING TIMES NOW. THE ONLY THING TO DO AT THIS POINT IS TO BOYCOTT THE PARENT COMPANIES.

[AzDar]

107. I'm guessing it's the McCain campaign...working the refs again.

:puke:

[Roxy66]

108. OMG.....I am sick to my stomach. They are trying to stomp out our voice!!!

[young_at_heart]

109. The country I've known for 68 years is no more---I miss it!

It's so hard to fathom that anyone with cognitive ability can support Republicans of today----sad, sad, sad!

[bobd0]

130. I try to tell people that all the time but it's like they're in some kind of stupor

And they can't recognize what's happening right in front of their eyes.

When, or if, they ever wake up it's going to be too late.

It's probably too late already.

[wisteria]

111. I won't watch. Gregory might as well be working at Fox News.

I suppose this is his reward for dancing with Rove at the last Press dinner. This was the only station I felt good about watching. News people that went beyond the BS. Now we are back to the corporate media because we are close to election time. I am not going to play there games. I simply will not watch.

C-span will be where I watch the debates and gain further information on the candidates.

[Borgnine]

112. The truth is inherently liberal.

Which is way Republicans have been whining about the media being bias for the last few decades.

[tularetom]

113. Senile drunk Tom Brokaw's behind this

He has always resented Olbermann's rapid rise within the network hierarchy because he didn't pay his dues as a reporter. And because he occasionally interrupted when brokaw was giving a republican an on air blow job.

[savistocate]

116. Send emails----Yes brokaw -jeolousy& his /like him

polit BIAS.

[AlphaCentauri]

114. Most likely msn wants to secure an advertisement contract

[jaxx]

115. I sent my email.

It makes me sick.

[Gman]

117. I wondered how long this would last

NBC was the first network to pull back on declaring Florida for Gore in 2000. The President walked around the newsroom election night 2000 and kept pressuring people to call Florida and the election for Bush.

I'm surprised they kept it up this long.

[McCamy Taylor]

119. David Gregory s***s John McCains d**k.

I know this will be deleted, and I apologize for the bad language, but it's true. They must not have liked KO's comment about the 9/11 docudrama that tried to blame Iran for 9/11 that he said revived his PTS memories.

[pyro858]

120. Shut your Tv's off

We all know the media is full of crap, so why watch it.

[McCamy Taylor]

121. Appropriate strategy is watch CNN when it covers stuff Gregory is anchoring.

CNN is better anyway---better support team, graphics, maps--the works. Only watched MSNBC because of KO. If there is an event that both networks are covering, watch CNN and then get the KO commentary from DU.

Keep watching Countdown and Rachel Maddow to keep their ratings high. Boycott Gregory and his show. Hell, Matthews is better than that kiss ass Gregory. At least Matthews has honest opinions, and he is intelligent even if he has no impulse control.

Tom Brokaw is such a McCain/RNC toady. He must be getting a big fat paycheck from some defense contractors. I remember when he was an idiot on the Today Show.

I strongly recommend that people read my journals about the MSNBC coverage of the primaries to refresh their memories about who said what---so that they can remember how certain people like Brokaw pandered for McCain all the way back on the night of the Iowa primary, declaring him the presumptive GOP nominee before he ever won a primary.

[RNdaSilva]

152. Thanks for saving me the time typing...agree 100%.

On 'meaningful' threads I try to find someone that agrees with my viewpoint. Saves typing for these tired old digits. You're spot on.

Cafferty, et al, on CNN is a good balance.

Michael Moore on Larry King Live the other night was a good show.

You should begin a new thread stating the above.

[WhiteTara]

122. Gregory...the back up traitor for MC Rove

I can't stand that POS. I will have to grit my teeth to watch them. Damn. Even Micky or Minnie Mouse would be less objectionable than that TWIT

[RamboLiberal]

124. What a crock of shit

Signs were there last week when they sent KO back to NY to "cover the hurricane". I have a feeling they are not going to keep KO - I have the feeling he has the integrity to take their crap. The loser in this may be Rachel.

I've sent off my email to MSNBC for all the good it will do. And I will continue to email.

Note KO and Tweety will be still on as analysts for the debates. So I'll be real curious to see how this is handled.

Problem is of course that MSNBC is the only cable news net tied in to one of the big 3 networks, CBS, ABC, NBC. Sure CNN does some contributions to CBS but CBS could give a damn less how Anderson Cooper covers politics on CNN. Its Brokaw and Williams and the news management of NBC (plus I wouldn't be surprised Jack Welch is meddling behind the scenes) who have their shorts in a twist.

I wish NBC would just spin out MSNBC and let them be their own network and their own identity and not worry if they are embarassing the brand.

Well once more the RW noise and whine machine has won!

[bobd0]

125. "Incendiary hosts"???

Those guys are too far to the right for me.

And the times (small t's intended), former "newspaper of record", has gone so far right they're almost back at left again. How does any "news organization" as unprovocative as the times dare tag anyone "incendiary"? A wet baby diaper would appear incendiary juxtaposed with the times.

I rarely watch TV news anymore, or TV for that matter, period. I'm convinced subliminal messages are being used on unsuspecting viewers. There is no other way to explain the current psychological miasma America is in. It has to be mind control and, IMO, TV is a well tested tool for accomplishing that task.

No kidding.

[organic]

126. What Liberal Media?

This is why I always laugh my ass of whenever I hear some pissy Republican whine about how they are *boo-hoo* so wrongfully maligned by The Right Wing-Run Media. Excuse me?

First off, the networks are "run" by revenue from commercial sales. aka: sponsors. Big money. Big companies. Big interests. aka: Republicans. Secondly, most Presidents and/or CEO's of major networks golf at the same country club The Bushies do.

I'll miss Olbermans disclaimers and apologies for the biased, idiotic and reprehensible behavior (*see the rerunning of that 9/11 insult at the RNC) of his MSNBC fascists...er....colleagues.

[brentspeak]

127. Predictable that Brokaw complained

About as gutless a journalist as you can get.

[bobd0]

129. The Greatest Bloviation

Brokaw SUX.

[organic]

133. What Right-Wing Media??

This is why I always laugh my ass of whenever I hear some pissy Republican whine about how they are *boo-hoo* so wrongfully maligned by The Right Wing-Run Media. Excuse me?

First off, the networks are "run" by revenue from commercial sales. aka: sponsors. Big money. Big companies. Big interests. aka: Republicans. Secondly, most Presidents and/or CEO's of major networks golf at the same country club The Bushies do.

I'll miss Olbermans disclaimers and apologies for the biased, idiotic and reprehensible behavior (*see the rerunning of that 9/11 insult at the RNC) of his MSNBC fascists...er....colleagues.

[LVjinx]

135. Olbermann and Matthews were both way over the line, especially towards Hillary

I'm glad to hear they've gotten demoted.

[Plucketeer]

145. Yeah

Maybe if you're lucky, they'll put Coulter and Matalin in their places for you!

[RamboLiberal]

146. Tweety was a bit sexist at the beginning but KO

was only calling the Clinton campaign on the crap they were pulling on Obama - now some of which McCain is using in his ads.

[NurseLefty]

136. I wonder if KO will have a Special Comment for his bosses at NBC

- though probably not, as they could do away with him altogether. I am very, very frightened about what is happening to our press.

:scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared:

(BTW, I've been away from DU for a while. Been busy with life. Glad to be back.)

[Dead Elephant]

138. I bet it was Keith Olbermans responce to the RNC exploiting 911

He expressed his disgust with the GOP's exploitation of 911 at the RNC before McSame's speech.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330268604456&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DSelling

[Hippo_Tron]

148. Couldn't they just balance it out by adding Scarborough to the lineup?

I'd rather hear Keith speak truth and Scarborough spew bullshit than two supposedly "neutral" anchors just spew bullshit.

[slay]

153. Anybody heard of FOXNEWS?!?! Why can we not have some SMART liberal people

to counter those Foxnews idiots? Oh yeah - cause they republicans BITCH and MOAN like the little pussies they are about the "liberal" media when in fact right wing hatred dominates the radio as well as their OWN FUCKING "NEWS" CHANNEL. There is not a SINGLE major even semi-liberal news channel - NOT ONE! God damnint I wish some media groups would stand up to these assholes. Kill your TV - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (evidently)!!! :grr: :mad:

[RNdaSilva]

156. Some MSNBC contacts.

Sent email messages, probably to no avail, but...

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Mail Addresses:

MSNBC TV
One MSNBC Plaza
Secaucus, N.J. 07094

NBC News
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, N.Y. 10112

[radfringe]

158. looks like I'll be watching the debates on C-Span

I'll set up DVR to record Olbermann, and Maddow

but aside from channelsurfing pauses for the crawler... pffffffffttttt..

[Zombie2]

159. I'll be watching on CSPAN.......

...and as always, I'll tell everyone I know to do the same.

CSPAN :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Waiting For Everyman]

161. Then my "experiment" with MSNBC "appears to be over" too.

I wrote those nitwits last night and told them so too. I'll stick with PBS and C-SPAN from now on, and catch Keith & Rachel online.

[Hugin]

171. Good plan and well put.

Same with me.

I've got my alternative news sources and I'll go back to them.

[Vinca]

164. David Gregory is going to take over - a McBush water carrier.

These fucking companies are worried about losing their war profits - that's the real excuse. I'm spitting mad.

[zenj8]

165. Gregory is nowhere near the caliber of Olbermann

David Gregory is clearly not objective. I will continue to watch Olbermann, Maddow, and as much of the election coverage on MSNBC as I can. If Gregory becomes intolerable, I will try CSPAN or CNN (they have been watchable lately).

[Cptn_Krunch]

166. Support for Keith Olbermann

I read the news a few hours ago about NBC/MSNBC's decision.
I have been emailing everyone connected with Olbermann.

This is the text of my email;

Hi there,

Please forward this email to Keith, for some reason MSNBC has neglected to provide an email address for Mr Olbermann.

Keith,
I read this morning that you, along with Chris Matthews, have been deleted from "anchoring" election coverage by the powers that be at NBC/MSNBC.

I stopped watching broadcast and cable news years ago because of their inability to cover current events in a manner that doesn't insult the intelligence of their viewing audience.
If a news organization wants to talk to adult Americans like we're not as smart as a fifth grader that is their right of course, but they should be aware that most young Americans under the age of eleven are not watching broadcast or cable news.
So if they want to reach that demographic they should try to get their news programming on one of the juvenile channels.

What caught you in my eye was the buzz about your show, "Countdown", I encountered a little over a year ago in the course of my cruising for news on the web.
The internet being my primary news resource nowadays.
I have tried to catch your "Countdown" show as often as possible since the first evening I watched it/you.
Excellent coverage and commentary of current events, and at times you even drive me to research a particular quip or quote you've made.
Actually, in all honesty, your show is the only news show that I will sit down for.

And now...this morning I read that you have been banned by NBC/MSNBC from live coverage of the '08 election because you have hurt "someone's feelings".
Well, tell the "powers that be" at NBC/MSNBC that I decided to watch the DNC and RNC convention coverage on "MSNBC" instead of CSPAN only because you would be there to co-anchor those events.
By the way, I really thought the "get a shovel" comment you made to Joe "dirt" Scarborough was completely appropriate and hilarious!
So, if your "Polly Annish" bosses want to restrict your exposure to your "Countdown" show then they will effectively limit my viewership of MSNBC to five hours a week.
Although I will be giving Ms Maddow a day in court this evening to see if her show is worthy of me doubling my cable news viewing to ten hours a week. ;)
I think the "powers that be" at NBC/MSNBC have made a big mistake in their decision to pull you from their live '08 election coverage.
I was looking forward to seeing and listening to you during the debates and election night coverage.

To conclude, thank you for the only "decent" reporting of current events available to Americans on cable/broadcast TV.
I hope that you have many more years of access to to the American public, whether or not you continue to work for the "nervous nellies" at NBC/MSNBC or not.

Best regards,
Your ever ardent viewer and loyal listener,
XXXXXXXXX

[babylonsister]

169. First, they take them out of the debates. How long before KO is looking

for a new job? I hope he addresses this, and I too will be writing some e-mails.

Let's create some tension from the left, too.

[Hugin]

170. Just like they ditched Donahue and replaced him with the Weiner Man.

Like Weiner wasn't incendiary... :eyes:

I guess they think the fix is in the bag.

[sasha031]

172. MSNBC Drops Olbermann, Matthews as News Anchors

Source: WashingtonPost.com

MSNBC is removing Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews as the anchors of live political events, bowing to growing criticism that they are too opinionated to be seen as neutral in the heat of the presidential campaign.David Gregory, the NBC newsman and White House correspondent who also hosts a program on MSNBC, will take over during such events as this fall's presidential and vice presidential debates and election night.
The move, confirmed by spokesmen for both networks, follows increasingly loud complaints about Olbermann's anchor role at the Democratic and Republican conventions. Olbermann, who regularly assails President Bush and GOP nominee John McCain on his "Countdown" program, was effusive in praising the acceptance speech of Democratic nominee Barack Obama. He drew flak Thursday when the Republicans played a video that included a tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, saying that if the networks had done that, "we would be rightly eviscerated at all quarters, perhaps by the Republican Party itself, for exploiting the memories of the dead, and perhaps even for trying to evoke that pain again. If you reacted to that videotape the way I did, I apologize."But NBC News journalists, who often appear on the cable channel, did see a problem, arguing behind the scenes that MSNBC's move to the left -- which includes a new show, debuting tonight, for Air America radio host Rachel Maddow -- was tarnishing their reputation for fairness. Tom Brokaw, the interim host of "Meet the Press," said that at times Olbermann and Matthews went too far.


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090800008_pf.html

[9119495]

173. This just in...I drop MSNBC for election/debate night coverage!

[demnan]

174. That's right

the only fun thing about watching them has been that we occasionally get a word in edgewise.

[sasha031]

175. I have Comcast which dropped already dropped MSNBC

No partisanship there:puke: but I would catch some of it online. These bastards never stop...

[Myrina]

176. what absolute fucking bullshit.

... too opinionated to be seen as neutral in the heat of the presidential campaign ... " ?????


:wtf: :nuke: :wtf:

[travelingtypist]

177. Too bad the P-word is sexist.

That's what I called them in my email. I hope everybody starts screaming at them,
big time.

[footinmouth]

181. I love these guys

but I have to agree. I watched their convention coverage. I flipped around through CNN, FOX and MSNBC. I always went back to Chris and Keith because they left me in a happy place and told me what I wanted to hear. I knew it was only their perception, but it was the same as mine and I felt good. Looks like I'll have to watch the returns on cspan (yawn).

[Khaotic]

182. It Was Only a Matter of Time

It's not as if a DoD contractor like GE was going to mess around forever.

They're war profitters ... what can we expect?

[protect our future]

183. Amazing, how our country is scammed into believing the myth

of the left-wing bias -- that it exists in the MSM -- when, in truth, a left-wing bias is NOT ALLOWED on your viewing screen if too many people might be exposed to it. A right-wing bias however is perfectly fine.

[ChiciB1]

184. I've Been Saying For Years Now... WE MUST UNITE Against This Kind Of Stuff!

Just writing them and expecting THEM to listen to us is really USELESS!! How many times have thousands upon thousands if not hundreds of thousands people written and only received the "standard reply" by them?

Goes something like, thank you for contacting us, we appreciates your interest and while we CAN'T answer every letter, blah, blah, blah!

If Repukes "steal" ANOTHER election, will people then begin to realize that nothing less than A REVOLUTION is the only answer?? I know, I've been saying it since forever, but I have NO OTHER answer... we will NEVER get our voices heard until we rise up. And I'm well AWARE that many, many of you think this is over the line, but give me another solution or some "alternative" action we can take to STOP THIS!!

I live in Florida and still vote, but I can't say I actually believe my vote has been counted for years now. I just heard a guy call in on C-Span saying that IF ANYONE WANTED "fair and balanced news" they should watch FOX NEWS!!

Puuullleeeezzze!!!!

[valerief]

186. Boy, the M$M are doing all that they can to move people to the intertubes

for news, aren't they? I mean, who the hell would spend time watching Gregory? Only those people who'd prefer to watch Fox or its companion network CNN.

[Spiffarino]

188. I don't have a problem with it

As long as KO is still in the mix, having a seasoned journalist in the lead isn't necessarily a bad thing. Even Faux Noise keeps Hannity and their other bloviating jackasses out of the lead seat. Brit Hume - right winger that he is - is an experienced journalist who knows how to play the game.

KO is too prone to giving his opinion and no matter how right he is (and he was dead-fucking-on about the disgusting RNC 9/11 video) you can't let your opinion spill over into your reporting.

The upside of this is KO is now free to call it as he sees it. He doesn't have to be "objective" any longer and can spill his guts to the audience. I anxiously await hearing from a free Olbermann.

:popcorn:

[L. Coyote]

200. It's not like they are tying their tubes. This is okay by me too.

If anything, it adds credibility to KO's network and puts pressure on Faux to separate news and opinion.
The exec's know what they are doing, I'd say, and are acting in the interest of the Network.
They are distinguishing themselves in the faux-blather world of biased news reporting.

Olberman's strong point is his ability to express opinions.
He should be employed doing what he does best.
And, he probably agrees with this decision because of that.

[marions ghost]

215. Time will tell

If Olbermann and Matthews agree with this decision how will we know? :shrug:

[MessiahRp]

235. Still the major problem with this is...

This suggests that David Gregory is somehow unbiased (which has been far from the truth in his inability to stay neutral rather than support McCain on that Road to the White House show). Same as Fox suggesting Brit Hume is unbiased.

And all the while these "unbiased" people as they are presented to the average viewer, carry water and protect John McCain it further waters down any responses to the BS given by Olbermann or Matthews if they get to respond at all on the panels because the audience will already be trained to believe that they are the partisans so they should respond negatively to anything McCain says even if it is an outright lie. The non-partisan, "fair" journalist David Gregory who is protecting McCain is doing so because he's being fair.

Aka the perception will be that attacks from McCain or even rebuttals to McCain lies will be partisan and Gregory's repeating talking points and smears will be legit because they come from the "balanced moderator".

There is a perception shift that will occur to the regular viewer who may not be as into politics as the people here on DU and that seems to be the suggested effect they want here.

Rp

[RamboLiberal]

190. Why the hell did MSNBC have to air their dirty laundry in public?

Makes them look like a bunch of fools! I hate to say it but they were a bit of an embarassment during the Dem convention beginning with the location of the stupid outdoor set.

But my gosh they needed to take them all in to a room and just lay down the law like any management would do and iron out the problems there. Not take the story to the NYT.

Stupid.

IMHO while I think KO may be a bit of a prima donna(probably can't stand some of the stupidity/bias he has to work with), Tweety and Scarborough are definitely prima donnas, I think there's a lot of jealousy of KO at the network and a lot of people out to get him. And that Brokaw and Williams are jealous of him and think him not in their league. News to those 2 - you're the old media. I doubt if network news in its current form will last the nest few years if the decade. KO and Rachel are the future of news/political talk.

Tells me the management is the biggest bunch of jerks!

[marions ghost]

216. I liked the outdoor set at the convention

It made me feel like there really are people who care what happens in politics out there. Real people, average Americans, not only talking heads and networks. OK I'm sure some were plants but it seemed real enough. I thought maybe they got the idea from reality shows. Show democracy as it is, not all slicked up to project some image or other. Show some of The People. Great marketing idea, don't you think?

[Not_Giving_Up]

191. I e-mailed them...maybe we can force a change

I reminded them that KO is responsible for their ratings jump in the last few years, thanks largely to the Special Comments. Those of us on the left deserve a voice. As long as Billo has a job, KO should be untouchable. I won't boycott KO or Rachel, but they can cram the rest of the programming where the sun doesn't shine.

[redirish28]

192. Well, I will be boycotting MSNBC when it comes to the debates and

Election night coverage UNLESS this ruling change

[Overseas]

196. Thanks to NBC for promoting CSpan !! CSpan Folks !!

Putting David Gregory in as debate anchor will help CSpan gain viewers. That's great.

[silex]

202. I second that motion

because of the convention coverage I have never watched Cspan so much. Now I know I made the right move.:applause:

[JEB]

199. Way to go NBC

Demote your hugely successful Reality Based anchor, Keith Olbermann. I'm sure you did this for business reasons and not to placate your Right Wing bosses. We can't let too much Truth be shown to the public. After all where would the GOP be if all their lies were exposed?

[ooglymoogly]

205. Your headline calling Olbermann incendiary is not acceptable

to me nor should it be, I hope, to anyone on DU.

[AnneD]

206. Since WHEN did telling the truth become incendiary????

This isn't America anymore and if McCain wins....the nail is in the coffin.

[baldguy]

231. When talking about the GOP, its only incendiary *because* its the truth.

[Strawman]

207. David Gregory is even more of a dolt than Wolf Blitzer

And that's saying something.

[ShortnFiery]

208. Gregory's newfound love affair with HIMSELF, has made him even more dull and doddering.

:puke:

[fascisthunter]

214. Did Anyone Really Think the Corporate Owned Media would be unbiased?

People, not here, but in government had to have seen this coming.... corporations are controlled by corporate interests which favor Republicans and conservative corporate friendly democrats.

You now see the privileged deciding what we, the average American citizen will and can see for news coverage. That's fascist control of our media....

[Divine Discontent]

218. I called! everyone else please call and say "viewer comment line, please"

then tell them you're ticked off/offended/disgusted that Olbermann and Matthews have been yanked from hosting and that was the only reason you watch MSNBC.

[Divine Discontent]

219. 212-664-4444 212-664-4444 212-664-4444 CALL CALL CALL

ask for viewer comment line.

I thought the number would have been given in this thread by now

[barbiegeek]

220. Tell MSNBC off

email msnbc that they are major cowards for benching Keith & Chris.

email NBC that you will only watch Keith and Chris and NEVER NBC!!!

email microsoft and complain

Tivo or set your satellite to record only Keith NEVER brokaw (right wing tool)

[livetohike]

221. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[quidam56]

222. THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW tonight at 9 !!!!!

Hope you knock the socks off Hannity tonight Rachel. Your brilliant tenacity is admirable, you are a fresh voice to the msm. Hannity and his minions spout deceit and deception which has sadly become "The American Way" www.samsva.org

[bdamomma]

227. I will only support Keith and Rachel and then the TV goes off.

Keith has Obama on tonite too.

[Dinosaur13]

229. It's actually a good thing and i'll tell you why.

First of all, I love KO and he is not going away. Countdown is the one program that makes it worth even having a TV. He will be moved to the pundit desk with Rachael and Pat Buchanan. Have you seen Rachael in that setting?

He'll be able to say exactly what's on his mind, which is the best thing that could have possibly happened.

peace and steady on.

[TxBlue]

232. Support Keith Olbermann and Sign Petition to bring him back!!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bringback/

NY Times has reported that NBC is taking Keith Olbermann off anchor duties from election night coverage. Seems to be due to Mcnasty operatives whining to NBC execs that they were afraid coverage was not unbiased. Read more here:

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/msnbc/msnbc_removes_olbermann_matthews_from_anchor_election_duties_93756.asp

This is so bogus. What is this?? Smells of r o v ian m af i a

BTW I really like Keith O. and Rachel M. They are replacing Keith with David Gregory. Ick! and boring and a k r ov e drone. Please go to this site and sign this petition:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bringback/

If they get rid of Keith there really won’t be unbiased reporting!

[barbiegeek]

233. Email with complaints

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

[newtothegame]

236. Some thoughts

Hi all, I am a long-time lurker and short-time poster on DU. Media bias is probably one of the most frequently discussed topics I've seen on here, at least since finding DU in 2004.

The way I see it is pretty simple Media is a business. Just like if I owned a lemonade stand or sold widgets on the internet. You're creating a product that people want to buy. Media is no different; it is profitable and creates a product that the consumer finds value in. So why do we always demand that it behave differently than any other business? Would we like every newspaper and news show to be non-biased? Sure, it'd be great if the public could be informed without political commentary. But if you started your own newspaper, would you appreciate people screaming bloody murder for regulations and laws to change the way you do business simply because they don't like what you say? Big Media is really just your town newspaper on a larger scale; they're both businesses. They both are creating a product for profit. Big Media has a legal right to disseminate what they want; is it morally right? No. Do we always like what they say? No. Do the repukes? No. But we can't force them through laws, regulations and "media fairness" rules to think our way. We need to 1) speak with our dollars against their advertisers and 2)create a product that people want. Fox News and RW radio have thrived on this by creating a product that hate mongering war-lovers enjoy; we've somewhat done the same with Olbermann, but for some reason Air America never got even close to the popularity of RW radio. I know we're selling a message that people believe in, so what's the deal? Is it just not sexy or entertaining enough because we don't purposely stir up hate in our listeners and viewers like RW radio and falafel boy?

[L0oniX]

239. Welp there goes their ratings ...down the drain.

:puke:

[ciking724]

240. Maybe Warren Buffet can put up money for new cable news network

Maybe Warren Buffet can put up money for new cable news network and use Keith and Chris as anchors. Buffet is an Obama support and, therefore, sane. It would pull viewers from all the other major networks, just like CNN did over a decade ago.

[superconnected]

241. Actually CNN just took the high road which faux isn't about to do.

They didn't want to be the left wing equivalent to fox (biased news) and I think they're right.

And yeah I love those anchors but they belong on Air America not on a national news channel toting their own (and my) values. News should not be politically biased.

[Willo]

242. Let me get this straight...KO keeps Countdown, right?

If that's correct I'll save my fight.

We should all know by now that live coverage of the political events are best watched on C-Span, PBS or online. Without the talking head interruptions and yes, that means KO as well. If I tune in to hear Obama I don't want to hear Keith speaking over him.

I'd rather KO in an arena where he can speak freely and have my full attention.

MSNBC has made it much easier for me to define my viewing schedule...KO, Maddow and that's all she wrote.

I have to say, corporate media denial is far scarier than the oft-sniffed at "low information voters".

[JonLP24]

243. I hate MSNBC ownership

They get rid of Donahue who had the highest rated show on their network because he would be an uncomfortable face. Can they figure out why they had the highest ratings during DNC.

[Unbowed]

247. Too bad Redford wouldn't expand Sundance to include a News Channel.

He could even team with George Soros - at least for the financial end of things.

Put Michael Moore on as an anchor. Al Gore as news director.

All truth all the time no matter who it pisses off.

[ObamaKerryDem]

248. Well, that sucks...

Keith and Chris (and Keith in particular..)were the two damn best anchors, at least out of the MSM's coverage. And the McSame crowd has the nerve to bitch about "the liberal media bias"? What the fuck ever! :grr:

Thank God they will still be allowed to be commentators, though. Otherwise, it would be off to C-Span for me...

[JfortheDonks]

249. What Happened To Free Speech?!

I don't care if they are news anchors, or what their positions are there, Keith and Chris should be allowed a little freedom of speech. Listening to "Morning Joe" is enough to gag everyone, too, but yet, we have to digest "that", don't we?! I love both Keith and Chris - you guys ROCK!!! Yeah, thank God they can at least be commentators.

[jcla]

250. For REAL news watch PBS's Jim Lehrer

I was waiting for this ax to fall. I really loved Countdown with KO! The commentary was GREAT!

[The Craw]

252. So MSNBC wants to tack to the radical right? I'm sure they'll bring back Michael Savage

If I wanted to watch the right wing scum propaganda network, I'd watch FOX. Is MSNBC aiming to fire Kieth? If McCain gets elected, don't be shocked if Keith Olbermann mysteriously disappears and is never seen again- many of these reich wingers have long been calling for his-and our arrests for speaking the truth.
If so, Rachel's show may be short lived....What's next- bringing in racist right wing scum like Michael Savage?

[greyghost]

256. MSNBC is going to regret this when the next ratings book comes out.

[ljm2002]

259. Incendiary?

Okay, I can see using the adjective for Olbermann, given his hard-hitting segments on his show on MSNBC. He's partisan and makes no bones about it. It's one reason he's so popular -- sorta like the right wing partisans. People really do prefer someone who takes a stand, to someone who mealy-mouths around. But I digress.

Matthews??? He has been a right wing tool half the time, and when he's been overtly partisan, it has been during intra-party squabbling like during the Democratic primary when he was rabidly anti-Clinton.

And now he's being described as an "incendiary" host? WTF?

Oh, right. Instead of promoting Republics and the Bush administration, he has veered a bit to the center and now, when the Republics outright lie, he calls them on it. And then there was the "To hell with my critics" thing, where he (rightly) noted what a great speech Obama made at the Democratic convention. I guess that makes him incendiary. I guess the truth, er, burns or something.