It’s Okay for MSNBC to be the Liberal Network, But for God’s Sake Own It

[babylonsister]

http://thedailybanter.com/2015/02/okay-msnbc-liberal-network-gods-sake/


It’s Okay for MSNBC to be the Liberal Network, But for God’s Sake Own It

Bob Cesca on February 23, 2015


snip//


More than anything else, the left will embrace MSNBC when it stops being ashamed of its reputation as the Liberal Network. Imitating Fox News Channel’s shallowness and shrieking anger, but with a sometimes-liberal spin, doesn’t work. Clearly. MSNBC should be running more hard news stories, first and foremost, but in the form of in-depth investigations, rather than throwaway, easily digestible headlines. It should look to 60 Minutes by way of The Daily Show rather than Hannity by way of Rush Limbaugh as a template; look to Jon Stewart’s winning process of deconstructing a news story and then reconstructing it in a way that’s both compelling and salient (Maddow is really good at this, by the way).

And for heaven’s sake, don’t be afraid of being liberal. You can be really, really liberal as long as it’s smart, insightful liberalism, and not stupid, superficial liberalism. Regarding the latter, I won’t name names, but a few stupid liberals do exist on MSNBC.

If there’s one lesson to draw from O’Reilly and Fox News Channel, it’s this: they make no apologies for being who and what they are, and that level of confidence works. Audiences can sense it. But if a network is always running away from its reputation, or unsure of which direction it’d like to go, it’s a recipe for failure — as we can plainly see in MSNBC’s ratings lately.

There’s a rumor circulating that in the wake of canceling Farrow and Reid, Griffin might attempt to pull MSNBC away from being the Liberal Network. Cutting-and-running from its reputation might be the worst decision Griffin could make. First, no matter what Griffin does, MSNBC will always be labeled as liberal. Always. Second, Griffin never programmed a fully Liberal Network (see Morning Joe for three full hours a day). And contrary to some analysts, there’s nothing wrong with having both a liberal cable news network and a conservative one. For 200 years, most American towns have had a liberal newspaper and a conservative one. Knowing our collective history, there’s nothing unusual or untoward about having the same dichotomy in television — a liberal network and a conservative network — as long as they’re accompanied by sources for hard news.

In the face of the rapid corporate consolidation of radio and television, the worst thing that could ever happen would be to forfeit the game, leaving zero representation of the left on cable, especially given the juggernaut ratings of Fox News Channel.

The key to the problem isn’t the existence of a liberal network, it’s the existence of a liberal network that isn’t entirely sure whether it wants to be liberal in the first place and, from there, not knowing exactly how to program to its target audience. That’s MSNBC’s fatal flaw, and at this point it doesn’t look like Phil Griffin is up for the challenge.

[randys1]

1. Truth has a liberal bias. Because liberal ideology does the opposite of conservative in every way.

Liberals believe all truth should be out in the open, even the truth that makes us uncomfortable, cons do not.

Liberals believe all countries and societies matter, cons do not.

All MSNBC has to own is that they tell the truth.

Well, other than from 6am to 9am when that murderer, oops, I mean former congressman Joe is on.

[Fumesucker]

2. Great article but I think the author is too charitable..

The Suits *loathe* being the "liberal" network, they'd rather eat poison ivy casserole but Fox has taken the right so thoroughly no one else can swim the stinking Styx to that side.

[blkmusclmachine]

17. The 1% don't WANT the 99% to have a voice. None at all.

[merrily]

26. True. And MSNBC tried to take the right, with Imus, Carlson, etc., but failed

[F4lconF16]

3. Can I just say...

MSNBC reminds me a lot of a certain "liberal" party here in the US.

*cough*

[upaloopa]

4. Every time Tweety says something like he likes

Kasich like he did last week I turn him off for a number of days.

[napi21]

7. When Kasich says something I agree with, I give him credit.

Like when he said (talking to his Pubbie associates) "It's a BIG mistake to shut down the Dept. of Homeland Security. First of all, the Repub will be blamed for it, and second, it puts our Country at risk! Let it run through the courts!" I actually think that's what Tweety was talking about when he made that remark.

[upaloopa]

9. I moved from Dayton to Los Angeles in 1982

because the state was getting too conservative for my tastes. Nice to know Montgomery county still votes blue

[arcane1]

5. How about simply an honest network? An echo chamber serves no one.

A REAL news network wouldn't operate that way.

[monmouth4]

6. I would love for MSNBC to get rid of Griffin. He is the problem as far as I can tell...n/t

[liberal N proud]

8. Why are there no successful liberal networks or radio stations?

I hear that from liberal friends all the time.

I always contend the answer to that question is in the liberal psyche alone. While the conservative mind is easily molded and willing to conform to group think, the average liberal is not. Liberals are literally wired to have a mind of their own, to think for themselves. This makes it difficult to have a show or network that can hold enough audience to justify it's existence.


We are by nature going to develop our own unique opinion based on facts, not what some talking head thinks we should think.

[brewens]

14. As a proud liberal, I think I enjoyed Crossfire back when CNN owned the road, more than I've liked

any political program since. Sure, the conservatives on there, Bat Puchannon, Sununu and Novak would piss me off, but not so much that I couldn't stand to listen to them. That's a big difference. I don't thin FOX "News" dares put a serious liberal on and give them a fair shot. They'd piss off their viewers. MSNBC treats conservatives that will come on pretty well.

[JHB]

25. Even there, though, the "right" host was far more right than the "left" host was lefty

Tom Braden, Michael Kinsley, etc.

Crossfire's formula was a fire-breathing conservative "from the right" vs a milquetoast centrist "from the left". That redefining of what counted as "left" is part of what dragged the entire political spectrum rightward, under cover of "providing balance".

[brewens]

30. Yes. You got a point there. We didn't get guys on the left pounding the table for a national

medical plan like Canada has or anything else really.

[colsohlibgal]

10. The Sticking Point

It's not just Griffin, it's the corporate ownership of MSNBC.

I agree they would do better if they went truly progressive. Bring in people like Thom Hartmann, give Amy Goodman a more visible platform, bring back Cenk. Right now not only do they have "Morning Joe" they have other shows trending more third way than truly progressive. Because of that I hardly watch it anymore. I used to DVR Kornacki on the weekends but was disappointed by some of his tone deafness talking to true progressives so I quit doing that.

[tabasco]

11. Is that the "liberal" network that continUes to employ Joe Scarborough?

Please, just turn off corporate propaganda.

NONE OF IT IS LIBERAL.

[progressoid]

33. And fired Phil Donahue.

Fuck em.

[nichomachus]

12. If MSNBC is the "liberal"network, we are screwed. N/t

[babylonsister]

19. Compared to faux, it surely is. nt

[Cha]

13. It sounds to me like Phil Griffin isn't up to the job of running a successful network.. take a

lesson from Will McAvoy on Network, Phil.

[Vinca]

22. I think you nailed the problem.

He doesn't have a clue when it comes to programming. Never has. Remember when Tweety used to be on at both 5 and 7?

[Cha]

24. Yep.. and I just realized I wrote "Network" but I meant "Newsroom"! And, Newsroom people were

straight shooters.. not some bullshit like joe scar & co.

[Panich52]

15. Maybe Comcast is gettibg revenge f/ lib oppositionvto TWC merger

Comcast, like any big cable corp is going more RW; lib MSNBC's good f/ em moneywise, but they feel it's leveled out. You know, with that multitude of lib tv & radio.

Hell, thete's even talk of booting Chris Hayes & moving Maddow to 8p.

MSNBC source said:

“Going left was a brilliant strategy while it lasted and made hundreds of millions of dollars for Comcast, but now it doesn’t work anymore...The goal is to move away from left-wing TV.”

Just what doesn't work? Are they unaware of the Scarborough- slamming going on? That Maddow, Hayes, Reid & others have a very loyal audience?

So I'm back to the revenge theory....
..

[rurallib]

16. The key here is Comcast - at some point they will tire

of letting liberals have even a small megaphone and that will be that.
I suspect the wrangling over net neutrality is probably stretching their limit since Comcast so badly wants to own the nets.

As for Cesca's point, I would say Olbermann probably had about the right formula - very smart commentary with some chuckles.
Free Speech TV has some good stuff, but boy they are a lonely outpost - but growing.

[Generic Brad]

18. CNN already owns the mushy middle

I have no desire for more of the same. It's like the folks at NBC are committed to losing.

[Scuba]

20. MSNBC is not "the liberal network." Never has been.

[progressoid]

34. No shit.

When they got rid of Phil Donahue, you knew they had other intentions.

[brooklynite]

21. It must be tiring to see a conspiracy everywhere

If corporate America didn't want MSNBC to be liberal, they'd fire everyone. The SIMPLE answer that makes more sense is that people aren't watching the shows that ARE put on (maybe liberals don't sit around and watch TV all day like conservatives do?), so the owners are looking for a formula that draws an audience?

[merrily]

28. Which "conspiracy" are you referring to? Who are the alleged conspirators?

[brooklynite]

29. The conspiracy of "Corporate Media" wanting to "kill liberal voices" on TV

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026274193#post17

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026274193#post16

[JonLP24]

23. Bingo

When it comes to television (though I go video reports from Vice or documentaries primarily) I usually go with RT America for "liberal" networks. The 24/7 networks are all bad, RT America is just a little better.

However, I agree 1000% with the suggestions with the article and if I were MSNBC, I'd pay close attention.

[merrily]

27. "Liberal" and "Democratic" are not synonyms. Neither are "liberal" and "establishment."

According to Cenk, MSNBC tried to kick him out of a show because he was not establishment enough.

Moreover, NBC News, which is "the boss of" MSNBC" leans right.

[Bluenorthwest]

31. Got to say, Bob Cesca is not a liberal, he's a strident centrist deluxe.

He is one of the most self serving and dishonest so called writers that I have ever encountered. Much straight male privilege in his work. I'm trying to be nice about this. If Cesca said the sky is blue, I'd need a visual verification prior to accepting his statement.

[grahamhgreen]

32. They fired Silbermann & Cenk... They're DNC, not progressive.