NBC faces blowback for booking a Trump town hall Thursday up against Biden's on ABC.

[Eugene]

Source: New York Times

LIVE Updated 2 minutes ago

2020 Election Live Updates: Trump Tweets Support for California Republicans Who Installed Fake ‘Official’ Ballot Drop Boxes

-snip-

NBC faces blowback for booking a Trump town hall Thursday up against Biden’s on ABC.

President Trump may not be debating Joseph R. Biden Jr. on the same stage on Thursday night as originally planned. But the two candidates will still face off head-to-head.

NBC said on Wednesday that it would broadcast a televised town hall with Mr. Trump from Miami on Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern — the exact time that Mr. Biden will appear on ABC for his own town-hall-style event in Philadelphia.

The decision to schedule Mr. Trump directly against Mr. Biden generated a swift backlash on Wednesday among top Democrats and media pundits, who said NBC was allowing the president an opportunity to blot out his opponent on the airwaves.

Vivian Schiller, a former news executive at Twitter and National Public Radio who previously worked at NBC, called the timing decision “shameful” in a Twitter post. “The point of a news organization is to serve the public. This is the opposite,” Ms. Schiller wrote.

Mr. Biden’s town hall has been on the books since last week, after Mr. Trump, who had recently contracted the coronavirus, rejected plans to convert the second formal presidential debate into a virtual matchup; the debate was eventually canceled.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/10/14/us/trump-vs-biden?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage#nbc-faces-blowback-for-booking-a-trump-town-hall-thursday-up-against-bidens-on-abc

Link to tweet

[Moostache]

1. All NBC networks and employees who participate in this at all are dead to me.

They can all roast in hell for throwing a drowning, flailing, disease-spreading asshole a financial lifeline...

Joy?
Rachel?
Nicolle?

You show up to work and utter so much as a single syllable about this shameful event and you will disappear from the world of informed media for me forever. No second chances this time around...

Free TV for a broke campaign after that campaign torpedoed the LEGITIMATE debate process? That is NOT news, its propaganda. That network is not an honest broker, it is a corporate shill. Any "talent" that partakes in the event AT ALL is not a legitimate reporter, its a whore...taking pimp money to sell their soul for lucre...

Good bye NBC, MSNBC, CNBC. Goodbye to the spineless turds that remain employed there following this shameless attempt to stir up a horse race in a contest that had Secretariat running away from the field...this is the equivalent to firing a tranquilizer dart into that horse on the back stretch for advertising cash.

Fuck them all.

[forgotmylogin]

15. The slight silver lining in this - Trump will expect better ratings.

Since they're up head to head, if Joe wins the time slot, the rage-tweeting will be HILARIOUS.

[ananda]

23. I was thinking along similar lines.

Biden is sure to get better ratings.

[Klaralven]

32. Trump is sure to get better ratings

Everybody slows down to gawk at a flaming, twisted wreck - even if it is on the other side of the median.

[Bev54]

53. The point of this is not about ratings for most

It is about the irresponsible and reckless decision by NBC to provide this broke campaign with reward after he refused to the terms of the second debate. This should be considered an illegal campaign contribution. I am so disgusted with them all continuing the despicable behaviour they showed in 2016.

[riversedge]

76. "This should be considered an illegal campaign contribution." WELL SAID.

[Auggie]

78. Yeah .. and if Joe wins the time slot the ratings will be FAKE

[SayItLoud]

80. I disagree. Freak shows and car accidents out draw civil informative content.

[cwydro]

33. Why are you calling out the female hosts?

Interesting.

[Moostache]

35. Sorry about that, but they are the trio that have hosted the debate analysis...

It is NOT a conscious omission on my part to state that the main debate analysts should be first to account if they cover this atrocity...but if you want to throw Brian Williams on there to add balance in your mind, please feel free to include him as well, though in my mind he is already pre-disgraced and irrelevant anyway.

[cwydro]

38. There are other male hosts than Brian Williams.

Smh.

[Moostache]

45. Sorry, you see an agenda and I see a narrow focus on the coverage I meant

I apologize if you truly feel that I am in some way taking shots only at female MSNBC hosts...the rest of the screed is pretty much generic, but you clearly are offput by it and that was not the intent.

Mea Culpa.

[cwydro]

86. Probably because you chose to use the "w" word in reference to them.

Yes, I was offput by that. Wouldn’t have thought a thing if you’d included the male hosts.

I’d have agreed with you, actually.

[phylny]

64. They are the only ones I watch.

Not anymore.

[DallasNE]

69. It Will Likely Be Lester Holt

2nd choice, Chuck Todd. There is no 3rd choice.

I'm sure they let Trump pick the moderator and set the terms and that speaks volumes. No news organization worth their salt would allow that to happen so corporate pressure?

I actually anticipated this happening but on Fox News rather than NBC.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

82. It's sabotage.

Evil greedy sabotage. Fuck them with a rusty flagpole!!!!!!

[LakeArenal]

2. NBC has jumped the shark.

Shame. I wouldn’t even watch MSNBC if I could get it here.

Sick of Reid’s bias
Chuck Todd
Ari Melbe
Steve Kornacki

Even Rachel takes too long to get to the point.

Keith is gone
Gave Kelly a job
Gave Shep a job
Tweety gone
O’Brien gone
Harris-Perry gone
They are telling us who they are.

[ResistantAmerican17]

10. You took a bold stand, calling out some talking heads who are very popular here in DU parts.

May I glom on?? First, I HAVE changed the channel and stopped watching. Second, Rachel is sharp, but she just repeats the same things over and over and over. You can tune back over in 15 minutes and it’s still the same phrase, word, etc.; Kornacki—just too hyper for me; really like Chris Hayes but damn, that cat asks 4 minute questions with his take, and the guest talks for a minute 20. Nichole Wallace has great “reporters and friends”, and I watch religiously because I think something’s going to touch her last nerve and she’s gonna let the profanity rip!! Anticipation!
Finally —- head scratching NBC decision to give the shithead free air time.

[LakeArenal]

14. Not a bold stand. It's only one opinion in millions.

Just happens to be mine. I doubt seriously in NBC cares about what I think

I like Nichole a lot. But she’s a Republican at heart so I don’t trust her or Steve Schmidt.

Like O’Donnell cuz he really promotes Katie Porter a lot.

Hayes has never been enjoyable to watch tho I think he’s mostly okay.

I forgot that NBC fired Tamron Hall for Kelly.

[ancianita]

16. So tell us what's so wrong with them; most important, what you want in cable news & anchors.

I'd like to hear your thinking on this.

[LakeArenal]

57. Independent impartial reporting.

Non-corporate owned news.
Don’t know if it exists
No more botherism
Quit taking interviews with liars with lies that go unchallenged
Quit trying to make it a horse race.
Not show your bias
Report deplorable shit like it’s deplorable.
Challenge all misinformation or do t even report it.
Quit letting trump use tax dollars to campaign by repeating trumps failings religiously.
Put the focus on the election not trump rallies against masks and Hunter Biden.
Quit firing folks to hire worse folks.

I can still watch other news outlets.
Use the internet. Don’t need NBC. Thought I did. But lived without it for a year. Bought an Amazon fire to get MSNBC. Already don’t watch it a lot.

Not sure why my opinion causes such interest it’s one opinion.

[USALiberal]

65. Lol! Ok! Nt

[ResistantAmerican17]

68. Brianna Keiler is one name that comes to mind as a straight forward real deal type.

I will admit that I only found her when I started “working from home” because of her time slot, but I notice that she eviscerates lying gas bag republicans and she seems pretty on the mark.

[calimary]

37. Good points.

I still love Rachel - she's the "show of record" at our house and the one show not to miss. I always feel like I'm attending a master class in something, and it fascinates me how she backs into the lead.

Chris Hayes - meh. He's not my favorite. Your criticism is certainly accurate. But I'm frankly still smarting over how fervently he pushed Bernie Sanders on his show in 2016. Had him on once a week, for Pete's Sake! I find myself thinking - this kid has a primetime show? What about all the other folks who are good enough but were passed over, for him?

Nicolle Wallace is pretty good, too. She does have potential and I love the way you expressed what you hope to see. She seems genuine. Anticipation, INDEED! But, that said, she's a former GOP actor in this drama, so I can only say she "seems" that way. I want to like her - but I have a basic distrust of anyone who has a "used to be GOP-anything" in their resume. HAVE THEY really seen the light? HAVE they seen the error of their republi-CON ways? Or how soon will they "go back home" to their bad old ways? Which is the same way I feel about talking heads like Steve Schmidt and Rick Wilson and so many others now. I don't completely trust them. Glad they're on our side - NOW. Glad they SEEM to have had some sort of epiphany, and reject their old thinking - SEEMINGLY, anyway. But I need to see more longterm PROOF of that. I need to see a track record here. Over years. AND different presidential administrations.

Like Lawrence O'Donnell, and I trust him. HE has a longterm track record of reliability.

Ari Melber should lay off the "look how hip I am" stuff. Quoting rapper lyrics to make a point - does everyone in his audience understand the fine points of that particular poetry?

One of my real favorites is Katy Tur. I used to work with her dad from time to time - at least when we were all out there in the field, covering stuff. She's impressed me tremendously. She's done the "toiling in the back of the vineyard," and has earned the anchor position she has now. She does a GREAT job and can come up with a real haymaker of a question, or a point, on a fairly regular basis. I like how she thinks!

AND, bias here - I've always appreciated how she'll give the time check at the top of her show in Pacific time first, and THEN the Eastern time. When I was working - news managers and decision makers at the network level behaved as though the West Coast just didn't exist. It was all New York-centered, ALL THE TIME! And if it happened in New York, it led the newscast, whether you cared or it affected you at all - in Los Angeles, Seattle, Vegas, Phoenix, or Coeur d'Alene. I remember being an anchor on NBC Radio when New York City hd a power failure. I was ORDERED to lead with it. I argued - Hey, I'm in Burbank, here. What do I care that there was a power failure in New York? Why is that the lead story for me? And the answer came back (FROM my producer in New York) - that power failure affects five million people, so you WILL lead with it. And I did. Wasn't happy about it and I disagreed on behalf of everybody west of the Mississippi, but I complied.

As for Joy Reid, I always like seeing somebody who "toiled in the back of the vineyard" for quite some time finally getting elevated from the minors to the majors. She earned this! She's a little scattered sometimes, but that's forgivable.

[calimary]

44. As far as the programming decision to run a trump town hall the same time ABC is airing a Biden

town hall -

STUPID! WRONG! MISGUIDED! IDIOTIC! WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? They couldn't have programmed it an hour AFTER Biden so viewers could get a full picture of both candidates? Makes me suspicious of the NBC brass. Agenda much? And it hurts to see this. I'm personally offended, as a former employee of NBC News. I was so proud of that! Right now, not so much.

Hope their ratings go into the toilet - where trump already is comfortably ensconced. (Hmmm... appropriate somehow!) I will be watching the BIDEN show.

[LakeArenal]

87. Me too.

[True Blue American]

59. The only shows I still watch

Are Ali Velshi, long time fan of his. And Nicolle. She is funny and allows her guests to talk with out the long winded questions of Scarborough.

The rest are just repeats all day long.at least CNN gives some news.

But this Trump insult drove me away.

[llashram]

17. why yes they did and so have you

[LakeArenal]

90. That's an opinion. I respect it.

Exactly how am I jumping the shark?
I have no show to jump.

[USALiberal]

27. With that logic I suggest you stop watching any news! nt

[Upthevibe]

61. USALiberal....

I'm completely with you......I'm not going to quit watching Nicole, Joy, Rachel, Lawrence....

[bdamomma]

101. I will be watching

Joe on ABC.

I will continue watching Ari, Joy, Rachel, and Lawrence.


But a very destructive move for NBC. They could have given the con another night.

[LakeArenal]

92. Seems like I'm not the only one but hey, again that's your opinion.

You get to have it. But you don’t get to tell me to watch or not watch.

Enjoy your trump love fest.

[George II]

39. I agree 100%. Don't know what their thinking is, but maybe Comcast is calling the shots now?

As for the personalities?

Velshi has an agenda
Mitchell is washed up
Todd is just politically naive, and biased
Reid is definitely biased
Kornachi is a plagiarizer
Ari Melber is tolerable
Chris Hayes is a hack
Maddow dances around too much and is too melodramatic (and what's with drawing circles on her paper?)
O'Donnell is pretty good
Brian Williams is a perfect cure for insomnia

The only one really worth intentionally tuning in is Nicolle Wallace. Sad that an ex-republican is the best on that network.

[ResistantAmerican17]

52. Love your analysis but the last paragraph was an arrow straight gut punch.

“Sad that an ex-republican is the best on that network.”

[phylny]

67. What is Reid's bias?

Not a “gotcha” question, I really don’t know.

Thanks!

[George II]

79. No disrespect intended, but I can't answer that question.

[IcyPeas]

3. ... the anger toward NBC for scheduling a town hall against Biden is palpable

Link to tweet

[In_The_Wind]

4. I may not watch NBC for the rest of this year.

[Kahuna]

11. Ditto.Nt

[SWBTATTReg]

5. I will no longer watch NBC. This is sicking to me and smacks of partisanship. Chuck Toad ...

probably thought in his small mind that he was doing the scoop of the century and instead, he's enabling more lies, more distortions to fill the airwaves w/ trump's ranting and raving, while distracting from Mr. Biden's town hall. All to game more ratings for NBC.

[Mike Nelson]

6. Agree...

... and, yes, I'm not interested in the commentary from Rachel, Joy and Nicole. They can say he was bad and cash their hefty paychecks without my participation in any way.. This has Trump's fingerprints all over...

[ancianita]

18. Good point about Trump's fingerprints. The ol' broke horse gets to stay in the media horse race.

And the race owners get their ad profits.

Fuck these guys.

[Pepsidog]

74. I would like to see Rachel, Joy, and Nicole moderate the event.

[dalton99a]

7. NBC execs are turning this into a TV ratings contest, Trump vs. Biden

and to enrich themselves in the process

[Wellstone ruled]

19. You just spoke the truth.

Comcast Media has not book many Ads from the Trump Campaign. Last time around,they posted a 1 Billion dollar Profit for this quarter all on Trump and Clinton Ads.

BTW,this is a Chuckie Toad move.

[JHB]

34. It should be registered as a donation to the Trump campaign

[Amishman]

40. I'm fine with it being a ratings contest

One more thing for Trump to lose head to head before the big one!

[LiberalLovinLug]

47. and they don't care what kind of viewer, as long as its viewers

I suspect there will be a lot of channel flipping, and Hate Watching.

But I think this may play into Biden and the Democrats advantage. Any actual undecided voters, or other 2016 Trump voters that are wavering, will be able to flip back and forth and compare the two. Folks that may not have planned on watching any of the Biden townhall. And dimes to donuts, Trump will make some crazy idiotic statements. I just pray that any host will not simply let him ramble on with a litany of lies. Without Biden there, there is no one else to challenge his duplicity.

[sprinkleeninow]

73. $$$$

The O'Jays~'For The Love of Money'

[Doodley]

8. They will just let Trump spout lies. They are incapable of holding him to account for what he says.

[ancianita]

66. Everyone should notice that besides the bullshit he's suddenly loving Americans AND

even uses Democratic talking points about stuff like Covid, scientists, health care and how "we are all in this together," and how he's cut their medicine prices and will distribute a vaccine at low or no cost, and prove he's invincible by kissing everyone. No more "I'm the only one who can fix it".

Tryin' to get those national poll numbers up.

[C_U_L8R]

9. The very least they could do is run it at a different hour.

This is such a bonehead move.

[bullwinkle428]

12. Could NBC be any more blatant in showing how desperate they are to

cling to their "Trump-sized ratings" for another 4 years??

[Miguelito Loveless]

13. NBC is making so much money on Trump

they will back him to the very end.

[Rice4VP]

20. I sent them a scathing email. I can't

stand phony Savannah Guthrie and I hope that the prime time line up and Nicole speak out against this crap.

[triron]

62. Me too.

[Rhiannon12866]

21. Shouldn't Trump be in quarantine??

[SoonerPride]

22. No, trump should be in prison.

[Amishman]

46. Come on now, we shouldn't imprison the mentally ill

The most appropriate place for him is an assisted living facility for those with dementia

[Rhiannon12866]

72. Well, that goes without saying

And we all expect him to end up there, hopefully sooner rather than later. But right now, shouldn't he be in lock down because he has the virus, rather than holding mass gatherings where he can infect other people?? What is anyone thinking that they can condone this?!

[Music Man]

24. It is shameful.

A true "what the actual fuck?" moment.

Talk about rewarding the bully.

[TheBlackAdder]

25. I kept a full FiOS HD package for HBO and MSNBC. I got sick of MSNBC and cut the TV cord.

.

MSNBC is really starting to blow.

Rachel, Lawrence & Joy alone could not warrant keeping the TV package.

.

[ancianita]

26. NBC is too big to be influenced by the American public's opinion of this decision.

NBC News is owned by NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The network is headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, with additional major offices near Los Angeles (at 10 Universal City Plaza), Chicago (at the NBC Tower), and Philadelphia (at the Comcast Technology Center). NBC is one of the Big Three television networks, and NBC is the oldest major broadcast network in the United States.

American women as a demographic, and their allies, should be boycotting all watching. NBC has been accused[of tolerating a culture of sexism and sexual harassment among its employees (especially within upper management and among senior anchors) and also of covering up indiscretions committed by prominent figures in the company through intimidation campaigns against victims that include a widespread use of non-disclosure agreements. This may have exposed the company to pressure by Harvey Weinstein to delay and/or terminate reporting on Weinstein's criminal abuse of many women.

We could take out a full page ad in the New York Times, or write a letter with the long list of our signatures, to George Cheeks & Paul Telegdy, the current CEO's -- with sufficient time. Which I don't think we have.

But I don't think we could change their decision, even if we did both.
But I do think they should know we're not in their audience, and that our stand is "fuck NBC's ratings."

Guess the best thing we can do is not watch.

[LakeArenal]

88. Watch Joe. I'll be with him and you.

[ancianita]

96. Okay. Then we can talk.

[IllinoisBirdWatcher]

28. K & R

[stillcool]

29. if there were any doubt, it has just been removed.

what a slap in the face to their viewers.

[Bubs55]

30. Pathetic.

More viewers will tune into the trump clownery show because they want to be amused.

[pwb]

85. Highlights will do for trump.

I am watching Joe.

[whttevrr]

31. Boycotting NBC, MSNBC, and Peacock

[USALiberal]

36. I emailed [e-mail] , doubt it does anything

[archiemo]

91. I did too. Can't hurt. n/t

[Talitha]

41. I'd like to know why FOX isn't hosting Dump - thick as thieves and all...

[roamer65]

43. FOX doesn't want the shitty ratings.

That’s why. Dump is toxic.

[ResistantAmerican17]

54. Did a "spit take laugh".....

[roamer65]

55. It's true.

FOX doesn’t want that much political garbage spilling over from their fake news network. It will KILL advertiser revenue, especially TOXIC TRUMP.

In Detroit, their O&O station keeps a healthy distance between the two.

All about the $$$$$$$.

[Talitha]

56. Hahahahaha!!!!

[roamer65]

42. This is going to predict the election.

Dump is going to LOSE.

[spanone]

48. Thank you Vivian!

[grobertj]

49. I just sent an email to NBC's managing editor conveying my disgust with their decision.

It likely won't change anything, but I hope they'll get millions on email and letters.

[triron]

60. I sent them a nasty one as well. Fuck NBC. Goodbye.

[BainsBane]

50. Why do they want to infect their audience?

Usually corporations think about liability. What idiots.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

51. Wow, the Mega corp donor give him free advertising AGAIN!!! WTF

are they thinking and they get to spread Covid at the same time. A twofer

[Mersky]

58. Betrayal is apparently just business as usual in America

tRump is already using taxpayer money to campaign, he doesn’t need handouts from NBC Comcast. I know better than to get cable through them - already got burned when their technician that upgraded my service took my old box that I was charged for years later, because they have no incentive to have good inventory systems or checks.

It’s Comcast doing this, and I am pissed. I’ll be watching ABC for the Biden’s town hall.

[Scruffy1]

63. My boycott is pretty meaningless.

That's because I've been boycotting television most of my life. You can never trust any corporate media.

[zentrum]

70. Shameful.

[Pepsidog]

71. NBC makes it really difficult to like. So much against Dems already. Dickhead has commanded the

the headlines for 4 years so why give him more.

[roamer65]

75. COMCRAP.

[Joinfortmill]

77. The ratings should be interesting

Oh, and phuck NBC.

[Baclava]

83. Blatant ratings whoring by NBC, that's what it is.... Giddy-up, its horse race time!

[world wide wally]

81. Pretty chickenshit of NBC to be perfectly honest.

But, I don't think the pundits have much to do with it.

[BarbD]

84. We the viewer have the choice between ABC or NBC or, my favorite TCM.

This past year I have been trying to maintain my sanity by carefully selecting what I watch -- especially in the evening before I go to bed.

I watch Nicole Wallace from 4-6. Skip Ari because at 82 I am totally lost with his rap references. I will flip in and out with Joy and Chris, but look forward to Rachel at 9. I like the way her mind works. And, by the way, really enjoyed her book, "Blowout". By the time I get to Lawrence, the New York Times has put up its next day crossword puzzle so he does not have my full attention.

It is going to take a great deal of determination and strength to get through the next few weeks. I am grateful for DU in helping me.

These discussions are my salvation.

[PCIntern]

97. Wait...WUT?????

You don’t get his rap references? Nobody gets his rap references.

I have to tell you, that thing he does is some of the weirdest shit I’ve ever heard. I was thinking of doing a parody of him using lines from songs from musicals. He might say, “Pelosi rode back into town in what could’ve been a surrey with the fringe on top “ or when he introduces his guest panel, he could say, “We’re gonna rocket tonight, we’re gonna jazz it up and have us a ball!”

[BarbD]

99. You have made an old lady happy to hear she is not totally unhip.

[Totally Tunsie]

89. So, watch Biden's TH so that he gets the ratings, and

DVR Chump's to watch later.

Not much difference, really, than if they were broadcast at two different times. It'll still take 2 hours to watch both (assuming they're an hour each).

Don't most people with TV/Cable have the ability these days to DVR? I'm not sure I see much of a difference watching it as I suggested. You can even DVR both to have them available to re-watch if so desired.

[ananda]

93. That's what I'm planning to do.

!!!

[Totally Tunsie]

95. ik,r? I'm not sure I understand the problem

everyone is having with this. If the THs were broadcast at two different times, one would still invest the same amount of time watching both. Much ado about nothing, IMO.

[Blue_true]

98. If you DVR, that counts as you watching. nt

[Totally Tunsie]

102. If the networks had scheduled the Town Halls at separate times

and you were to watch both, they'd both get the rating.

As you say, if one DVRs and watches one later, they both still get the rating. So what's the difference?

Either way, one gets to see both shows, and both get the rating.

My point was that I'm having a hard time getting anxious about the networks running the THs at the same time...there are OPTIONS!

[Celerity]

94. Not shocked at all. NBC lost massive credibility when they hired

the completely lying hack Joy Reid. She continues to this day to stand by her lie (proven to be a lie beyond a shadow of a doubt) that she was hacked and did not write any of her homophobic posts. Hell, a DU real time post from way back then (which copied real time, within an hour or so, one of her homophobic rants) proves she is a liar. She also lied and insinuated that the FBI was going to eventully arrest some mysterious hacker, lololol. Fuck NBC, fuck Joy Reid. I do not buy for one minute that she instantly saw the light and now is pure as the driven snow about us LGBTQ folk. NBC showed their true colours by hiring a credibility-destroyed journo like her. So nope, not shocked at all they are shilling out for Rump. All the big networks are whores for the dollar.

[UCmeNdc]

103. NBC just helped Trump!

[Celerity]

104. same as CBS last time (and the others did so as well)

Leslie Moonves of CBS in 2016 "It may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS.

The big banner headline across the top of the New York Times homepage as Tuesday got underway — “TRUMP’S TAXES SHOW CHRONIC LOSSES AND YEARS OF TAX AVOIDANCE” — might give the impression that Donald Trump is finally on the verge of political downfall. Don’t believe it for a moment. The same kind of mistaken belief has led many to put undeserved trust in a corporate-media system. But the New York Times isn’t going to save us. Neither is the Washington Post, MSNBC, CNN or any of the other mass-media outlets, “liberal” or otherwise. To a large extent, the corporate media — especially the TV networks that gave Trump billions of dollars’ worth of free airtime while raking in enormous ad revenues — made him president. The advertising-and-ratings-bedazzled head of the CBS network, Leslie Moonves, uttered an infamously emblematic comment eight months before the 2016 election, in the midst of a campaign that Trump dominated with TV coverage: “It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS.”

Less well-known are other statements that Moonves also made while speaking to a Morgan Stanley conference in February 2016. “Man, who would have expected the ride we’re all having right now?” And: “The money’s rolling in and this is fun.” And: “I’ve never seen anything like this, and this is going to be a very good year for us. Sorry. It’s a terrible thing to say. But, bring it on, Donald. Keep going.” And: “Donald’s place in this election is a good thing.” At the same time, CNN president Jeff Zucker — who presided over the network’s “all-Trump-all-the-time” policy during the 2016 primaries — was privately offering guidance to candidate Trump. Zucker had helped build the Trump myth years earlier when he was at NBC presiding over Trump’s “Apprentice” show, which turned out to be financially and politically crucial for his path to the White House. Under the ongoing reign of the casino economy, the corporate house is set up to always win.

[bdamomma]

100. I will

be watching Joe on ABC.

[UCmeNdc]

105. Chuck Todd should be ashamed

Link to tweet