WP: MSNBC General Manager Dan Abrams will continue "branding" network as haven for political junkies

[DeepModem Mom]

For MSNBC, Time to Get Political
November's Shouting Over, A Network Finds Its Voice
By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 20, 2006; Page C01

MSNBC has seen the future, and it is politics.

Delivered with plenty of opinion.

Preferably with lots of cameo appearances by big-name news stars from the mothership.

The perennial third-place cable news channel enjoyed a nice bump in the ratings during the midterm campaign, in part because the likes of Brian Williams, Tim Russert, David Gregory and Campbell Brown broke away from their NBC duties to help out.

"We've found a voice as of late, and a large part of that voice is politics," says MSNBC General Manager Dan Abrams. And although he doesn't plan to put on "all politics all the time until 2008," Abrams says he wants to continue "branding" MSNBC as a haven for political junkies....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/19/AR2006111901027.html

[Skidmore]

1. Well, Dan, it would be nice if you could maybe have a little more

representation from the left of the political spectrum. I adore KO, but a steady diet of Tweety, Tucker, and Scarborough doesn't get me to view more hours of the day.

[originalpckelly]

2. I have to say I love the new format...

It is very enjoyable compared to the crap they used to have. They need to stop showing those damn "documentaries" and put real politics shows back on the air at that time of night.

[Cosmocat]

3. I think that is the way to go ...

I am 40, and I was a AVID sports fan in my younger years ...

I was BIG time into the NFL draft back in the mid 80s ... People were slightly bemused by it, and I was kind of a geek in that regard ... I was also into fantasy sports at that time and in the early 90s, before it got really big ...

I guess, I am saying I was ahead of the curve on that ...

I get the same feeling about politics right now ... I think that media and technology has brought the inner workings of it much closer to bear ... Just as people got STARVED for more in depth analysis of sports, I think people are going to start looking a little more closely at politics ... It might even get the point of being cool to follow it ...

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. I've been wondering if he had a little "talk" with Matthews

or just put him in a locked room decorated with Countdown ratings and made him read viewer emails.

Friday's show was another one of those "Damn you Tweety! You have me watching again!" moments. Ron Christie didn't know what hit him! :rofl:

[Kingofalldems]

5. Kurtz is upset that Olberman leans left

Funny I have never heard him complain about Fox. In fact, a few years ago I had an email exchange with him in which he stated Fox was not biased. And he's a media critic! :rofl:

[babylonsister]

6. I knew Howie couldn't NOT bash Olbermann. From the article:

Some of the election coverage was anchored by Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, and Keith Olbermann, whose show "Countdown" has become a nightly feast of Bush-bashing.

"His program could become a model for the newscast of the future," Abrams says. "It's a mix of straight news reporting with lighter fare and occasionally with some opinion."

Some opinion? Not only does Olbermann steer clear of conservative guests, he has added an occasional "special comment" segment in which he recently urged President Bush to apologize to American troops for starting and mishandling the war, going on to suggest that "you are not honest" and "you are far more stupid than the worst of your critics has suggested."

Olbermann said last spring that he is not ideological but that his growing conviction about the administration's failings puts him "in the same part of the ballpark as a lot of liberals."

Get used to it, Howie. :eyes:

[napi21]

7. Not giving any credit to Olberman?

I think ratings for political shows always rise before an election. Especially a heated one like this last one. It also seems like some decent amount of credit should be given to Olberman and his "Special Commentary", and even Scarboro after he started ranting on ourseverly unpopular President!

[KharmaTrain]

8. Dan's Been A Fresh Air At That Network

Those who read my screeds here know I can be quite critical of the mediatypes, but Abrams has earned my respect.

He has opened up the network...getting it away from being a Faux wannabe when they hired Bow Tie Boy and Rita...and gave Olbermann the freedom to breathe and then to fly.

A couple years ago, I remember someone posting here an email they got from Olbermann...right after he got on the air...encouraging him to speak freer than he had. Keith said he'd love to, but had to play within the lines...Abrams opened up the whole field for him.

Another good thing he's done is forced the bookers...the people who get the "gets" or talking heads on shows to be more balanced. They've brought on the Cliff Schecters and Rachel Maddows to beat down the right wing spin and beat them at their own game. It's made for far better television and triple digit ratings increases are proof it's not just resonating here.

Tweety lives on Planet Tweety...and even he's had to whistle a different tune. I think most of that is his confusion between what he's been told and what's happened...he's like the guy who wakes up with a hangover and tries to figure out what happened to him last night...and whose this woman in my bed???

My hopes are the NBC/Universal budget cutters don't carve too deeply into the network. Rumors have floated that CNBC and MSNBC will merge...with Business during the day and Tweety, Olbermann and Joey at night.

[Clark2008]

9. God, he needs to get out of the Beltway.

No one watched because of those same, tired newsreaders: they watched because of Keith Olbermann and Keith Olbermann alone.

Kurtz - you're a putz who wouldn't know good television if it popped up and bit you on the ass.

[meldroc]

10. Let's hope this works out.

I for one am absolutely sick of MSNBC's Doc Block - nothing but Lockup, crime documentaries, To Catch a Predator. It looks like the Doc Block was engineered to raise the crime-and-justice related fear level of the viewers, which seems very biased towards the GOP.

Maybe now things might be a little more balanced.

[DeepModem Mom]

12. Yes -- what the heck is with the doc block? It's like MSNBC becomes...

a different network. Or it's just filling airspace.

[warrens]

11. The election night coverage was the best I ever saw

And they hung in there ALL night. I'm a convert, except for that little weenie Tucker. I watch Lou Dobbs instead.