What's Eating the Left's Media?

[Valin]

The American Propect:

 

Paul Waldman

May 30, 2013

 

After a decade of ferment and crisis, politics has settled into a less urgent period, and that's bad for liberal media.

The liberal media may be in a funk. MSNBC is getting some of its worst ratings in years, and Digby tells us that liberal blogs have experienced serious declines in traffic since the election as well. So why might this be happening?

 

There are two answers, neither of which would give you much solace if your job depended on raising TV ratings or bringing in more ad revenue for your web site. The first is that outside events, in the form of the natural ebb and flow of the political world, have conspired against the liberal media. The second is that the modelliberals talking about politicsis affected by that ebb and flow in a way conservative media aren't.

 

Let's take a quick look at the last decade or so in the life of liberalism.......(Snip)

 

 

But look where we are now. The policy arguments we're having don't seem as earthshaking. Enough has happened that liberals' ideas about President Obama are complex and ambivalent. The next election seems a long way off. Republicans have succeeded in ginning up some faux-scandals, but none of them seems a real threat to the President, so they don't look worth getting too worked up over. So is it any surprise that liberals don't feel the need to read 20 blogs a day and watch five hours of cable news?

 

(Snip)

 

 

 

[Valin]

HuffPo: MSNBC Lands In Fourth Place In May; Maddow Hits Ratings Lows

Jack Mirkinson

05/30/2013

 

(Snip)

 

MSNBC's prime time numbers were down across the board. Rachel Maddow delivered what the Hollywood Reporter said were her lowest total viewing figures in her show's history, and she even fell behind timeslot rival Piers Morgan—a very rare victory for the CNN host. Chris Hayes also delivered sharply lower ratings than the man he replaced, Ed Schultz, did in 2012. Both of them, along with hosts from Chris Matthews to Al Sharpton to Martin Bashir, landed in fourth place in their timeslots—a marked change from their normal second-place status. ("Morning Joe" did manage to come in second in its slot in total viewers.)

 

(Snip)

 

 

 

Oh Darn...and me being fresh out of sympathy!

 

 

(Note: Vid of two metrosexuals talking deeply and profoundly about this)

[Valin]

The Fix Is In: How MSNBC Can Party Like It’s 2012 Again

Joe Concha

May 31st, 2013

 

 

Blah Blah Blah Snark Snark Snark

(Snip)

 

But to use this column to simply point out details around the obvious would be a tedious, repetitive exercise (See: MSNBC is struggling mightily, here are the numbers, film at 11). So instead, let’s use this space to explore how to fix the programming network’s issues via unsolicited (and humble) advice to Mr. Phil Griffin, MSNBC President.

 

Note: These will be reality-based suggestions. Ideology/political positions of the network will not be discussed (perhaps a column for another time). Budget/production costs, talent availability, contracts, etc., will all be taken into consideration. So no, I can’t just tell Griffin to hire Jon Stewart for $20 million annually and put him at 8:00 PM. And no, I can’t have him fire his entire primetime lineup, become centrist or right, and start anew.

 

First, let’s set the table around what’s going wrong from a programming perspective…

 

 

(Snip)

 

 

To remedy these issues without dropping a ton of dough on new talent, Mr. Griffin should do the following:

 

1) Replace Matthews with Hayes at 5:00 PM

2) Allow Matthews to run at 7:00 PM only

2) Move Maddow from 9:00 PM to 8:00 PM

3) Move Lawrence O’Donnell from 10:00 PM to 9:00 PM (more on the 10:00 PM replacement in a moment)

 

(Snip)

 

_____________________________________________________________

 

I want them to bring back Fargo's own Crazy Ed!!!

 

 

Oh I got it!!!

The Schultz & Sharpton Reality Hour

With special guest.....Keith Olbermann!!!