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MSNBC
TypeCable news television network
Country
 United States
AvailabilityUnited States, Canada
Owner82% NBC Universal, 18% Microsoft
Key people
Dan Abrams, General Manager
Launch date
July 15, 1996
Official website
msnbc.msn.com
General Electric and Microsoft own MSNBC. MSNBC is on an all out war to defeat Republicans this November. Let GE and Microsoft know that Americans are tired of liberals in the news media. Don't buy anything made by GE or Microsoft. It time to boycott GE and Microsoft!!

MSNBC, a combination of Microsoft and NBC, is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States and Canada, and a news Website.

MSNBC was founded in 1996 by Microsoft and General Electric's NBC unit, which is now NBC Universal. Although Microsoft and NBC shared operations of the company at its founding, it was announced on December 23, 2005, that NBC Universal would purchase a majority stake in the television network, which left Microsoft with 18%.

MSNBC cable is currently America's third most-watched cable news channel,[1] after Fox News and CNN, but ahead of CNBC and CNN Headline News. The news station broadcasts primarily out of its studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.[2] On October 20, 2006, it was announced that MSNBC will soon be moving from Secaucus to NBC's main headquarters in New York. [6]

MSNBC, like sister channel CNBC, shares the NBC logo of a rainbow peacock.

History

Development

Microsoft and NBC announced on December 14, 1995 that they would be creating MSNBC. The stated purpose was to combine the resources and reputation of NBC News with the technology of Microsoft to bring an integrated news service on the Microsoft Network and cable television. Microsoft would invest $220 million for a 50% share of the cable network , while MSNBC and Microsoft would share the cost of a $200 million newsroom based in Redmond, Washington. NBC supplied the space with a 18 month old America's Talking network. Roger Ailes, then president of America's Talking, was passed over when NBC executives were looking for someone to run their new cable news operation. Ailes subsequently joined News Corporation as president of the newly-formed CNN rival, Fox News Channel.[3]

Launch

MSNBC was launched on July 15, 1996 at 9 a.m. EDT from its studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The first show, which was anchored by Jodi Applegate, broadcasted a lineup of news, interviews, and opinions.[4] During the day, rolling news coverage continued with The Contributors, a show that featured Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham, as well as interactive programming coordinated by Applegate, John Gibson, and John Seigenthaler Jr. Stories were generally longer and more detailed than the stories running on CNN at the time.[5]

MSNBC originally demonstrated the interactive value of the Internet. The network's first slogan was It's Time to Get Connected, and e-mail addresses and phone numbers were displayed regularly.[6]

Primetime featured an hour-long interview program called Internight (which showcased the stars of NBC News),[7] followed by the network's flagship newscast, The News with Brian Williams, and The Site, a show about the Internet and computers co-hosted by Soledad O'Brien and a computer-generated character played by Leo Laporte.[8] The first Internight included an interview with President Bill Clinton, who took questions from callers and e-mailers.[9] Other shows that made use of the internet included News Chat featuring Mary Kathleen Flynn, and a look into the past with Time & Again anchored by Jane Pauley. Black Entertainment Television host Ed Gordon also contributed to the new network by hosting the Saturday version of Internight.

The start was a bit rocky due to a series of changes in management and continuing internal squabbles over the direction of the network. In addition, NBC affiliates were concerned that the cross-promotion would divert viewers from their own programs, although that fear abated as the years passed.[10] However, MSNBC was often first to break news. It broke the story of the crash of TWA Flight 800 eight minutes before CNN, ushering in an era of hypercompetitiveness between the news channels that continues today.[11]

MSNBC signed a simulcast agreement with Infinity Broadcasting station WFAN to carry the Imus in the Morning radio show, which began on September 2, 1996.[12] In November 1996, the network moved to the new Secaucus studios.[13]

Not just the Net

The original goals of the network attracting a younger, tech-savvy audience, failed to materialize. In September 1997, MSNBC laid off 20% of its staff[14] and cancelled The Site due to low ratings and the death of Princess Diana, causing howls of protest from its viewers, many of whom considered O'Brien a cult figure.[15] The network began moving away from its Internet roots and began covering fashion and celebrity like the other news channels.[16] In October 1997, Internight was replaced with The Big Show, hosted by Keith Olbermann, in hopes that his irreverent style would spike up ratings.[17] After its first year, the network had 24,000 households viewing it per night, paling by comparison to the 578,000 of CNN and the 30,000 of Fox News (then four months younger than MSNBC)[18]

The MSNBC web site remained relatively successful, becoming the most-used online news site in 1997,[19] 1998,[20] and 1999.[21] MSNBC significantly increased during the impeachment of Bill Clinton, following a new covering the Big Story format that provided saturation coverage for the top stories. Keith Olbermann left over MSNBC's continuing focus on the impeachment. He was replaced by John Hockenberry, who achieved some success. His Edgewise program focused on newsmakers and made use of Hockenberry's documentary skills. Ratings began to drop after the impeachment trial was completed. Fox was beating MSNBC in numbers of viewers per 24 hours, which was more impressive considering MSNBC's distribution advantage. NBC News stars began shunning the network. Low-rated chat shows such as Watch It, and Equal Time, a Crossfire knockoff, filled out the schedule.[22] Hockenberry was replaced after six months by a rebroadcast of Hardball from CNBC.[23]

That show was replaced by Headliners and Legends, a biography program that has been a weekend staple on the network ever since. Also in 1999, the management of MSNBC replaced midday news coverage with a delayed broadcast of NBC News Today called Today on MSNBC and repackaged Dateline NBC stories into MSNBC Investigates, a decision that angered NBC affiliates. On the other hand, 1999 saw a partnership with the Washington Post that permitted more integrated coverage on the web site.[24]

On April 3, 2000, a three woman anchored show named Home Page hosted by Ashleigh Banfield, Gina Gaston, and Mika Brzezinski began.[25] Along with Home Page, MSNBC tried to attract female viewers by signing a deal in February 2001 with Detroit radio station WJR to simulcast the first two hours of The Mitch Albom Show. While the pairing was a ratings winner, both shows would eventually be cancelled: Home Page due to sinking ratings; and The Mitch Albom Show due to its constant pre-emptions and some disagreements with the MSNBC management.

2000 also saw John Gibson, one of the original MSNBC hosts, leave the network. His confrontational tenure as the host of the Feedback primetime program foreshadowed his opinion program on the Fox News Channel.[26] MSNBC continued to repackage NBC News programs (Special Edition and Crime Files), and during the 2000 presidential election cycle, reporters and interviews were cycled constantly between broadcast NBC and the cable news channel.[27] MSNBC also commissioned original documentaries similar to The Discovery Channel for use as filler on weekends. Later in the year, Lester Holt received kudos for his daily coverage of the Florida election controversy, allowing MSNBC to beat Fox News during November 2000.[28]

Ratings issues

MSNBC continued to trail both Fox and CNN. With the success of Fox News Channel, MSNBC tried to copy the Fox News Channel's emphasis on opinion hosts.[29] In January, Mike Barnicle got a show on MSNBC, but it was cancelled in June 2001 due to high production costs.[30] In June, as a sign of the continuing trouble of MSNBC, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that he wouldn't have started MSNBC knowing what he knew now.[31] After the September 11, 2001 attacks, MSNBC did prove useful as an outlet for NBC News to provide up-to-the-minute coverage, in contrast to broadcast NBC's longer stories. CNBC and CNBC Europe, with little financial news to report, ran MSNBC for many hours of the day following the attacks. The year also boosted the profile of Ashleigh Banfield, who had escaped injury while covering the World Trade Center on September 11. Her Region In Conflict program capitalized on her newfound celebrity and showcased exclusive interviews from Afghanistan.

2002 continued MSNBC's focus on opinion journalism, and low ratings. MSNBC scored up to triple the usual ratings during the 2002 Winter Olympics, and not for its news programming.[32] Alan Keyes is Making Sense debuted in January, featuring the conservative one-time candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination.[33] MSNBC rebranded itself as America's NewsChannel, with a patriotic theme proclaiming MSNBC to be fiercely independent.[34] Jerry Nachman joined MSNBC as its editor-in-chief and host of a news analysis program in May, and liberal talk-show pioneer Phil Donahue began hosting an evening talk show in July.[35] The News with Brian Williams was moved to CNBC, leaving MSNBC with primarily opinion shows in the evening. Afternoons replaced the rolling news coverage with talk shows featuring Curtis Sliwa, Ron Kuby, Bill Press, and Pat Buchanan.[36]

The experiment did not last long. Keyes was gone by July. Sliwa and Kuby were removed in October, and Nachman's show was moved in October. Donahue's ratings plunged spectacularly, from 660,000 households his first week to just 136,000 households his sixth week, a drop of 80%.[37] The network was regularly beaten in the ratings by CNN Headline News. Overall, ratings dropped 36% from the previous year.[38] MSNBC publicly proclaimed support for Donahue and moved some shows around to try to stabilize his ratings, which helped increase his viewership to 446,000 households.[39] Nevertheless, the cancellation of his show would stick in the craw of some left-leaning viewers for years. They saw it as an indication that executives had no faith in liberal viewpoints. Donahue himself claimed that MSNBC was trying to "out-fox" Fox by removing him and adding Joe Scarborough to the lineup.[40] In March 2003, MSNBC featured a weekend show hosted by right-wing shock-jock Michael Savage, which turned out to have been an embarrassing move when Savage snapped at a prank caller on his show, calling him a "pig" and a "sodomite," telling him that he "should get AIDS and die" and "go eat a sausage and choke on it." Savage was immediately fired.[41]

To fill Donahue's timeslot, a new show, Countdown, debuted. Originally it was focused on the war in Iraq, but eventually, it became a vehicle for Keith Olbermann to return his irreverent style to the network after his self-imposed exile from news.[42]

On December 23 2005, it was announced that NBC Universal would acquire an additional 32% share of the television network from Microsoft, solidifying its control over television operations and allowing NBC to further consolidate MSNBC's backroom operations with NBC News and its other cable properties. MSNBC.com will continue to be 50% owned by both NBC and Microsoft, and its operations will be largely unaffected. NBC will have the option to buy the remaining 18% share from Microsoft after two years. Due to Microsoft's declining influence, rumors are currently circulating in the broadcast industry that the network will eventually be rebranded as NBC News Channel, which is currently used for the network's news service to NBC affiliates.

New Leadership

On June 7 2006, Rick Kaplan resigned as president of MSNBC, after holding the post for two years.[43] Following the announcement, it was announced on June 12 2006, that Dan Abrams, a nine-year veteran of MSNBC and NBC News, had been named General Manager of the NBC News 24-hour cable news channel, effective immediately. NBC News Senior Vice President Phil Griffin will oversee MSNBC. Griffin will also continue to oversee NBC News’ Today and Abrams will report to Griffin. Dan Abrams will step down from his weekday show "The Abrams Report" but will remain as NBC Chief Legal Correspondent and contribute to NBC and MSNBC news programs.

On June 29, 2006, Abrams announced a revamp to MSNBC's early-primetime and primetime schedule. On July 10th, Tucker (formerly The Situation with Tucker Carlson) started airing at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET (taking over Abrams' old timeslot), while Rita Cosby's Live & Direct was taken off the schedule. Cosby instead was given the role of primary anchor for "MSNBC Investigates" at 10 and 11 p.m. ET, the new programming that took over Cosby and Carlson's timeslots. According to the press release, "MSNBC Investigates" promises to "...complement MSNBC's existing programming by building on our library of award winning documentaries." [7]. The move to taped programming during 10 and 11 p.m. is likely a direct result of the success the network saw with their Friday "experiment" by replacing all primetime programming with taped specials.

Broadcasts outside the US

MSNBC is only shown in the United States, Canada and parts of Latin America. In Europe, Asia and Africa MSNBC is not shown on a channel in its own right. However, MSNBC is shown for a few hours a day on the 24 hour news network Orbit News in Europe and the Middle East. During breaking news MSNBC is also shown occasionally on sister network CNBC Europe.[citation needed]

In Turkey, NTV-MSNBC is the news network of the Turkish broadcaster NTV Turkey. The network is a joint partnership between the two, although very little Turkish content makes its way onto English MSNBC. English content on MSNBC is translated to Turkish. [8]

In the UK, during major US breaking news the now closed ITV News Channel (ITN) occasionally showed MSNBC and some of its reports appeared in the ITV News bulletins.

Online

MSNBC.com, is the online news outlet for the NBC News family, including networks shows such as Today, NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC as well as MSNBC TV. In addition to NBC News content and material produced by the site's own staff, MSNBC.com also hosts articles and features from several partners, including The Washington Post and Newsweek magazine.

The site is produced out of newsrooms in Redmond, Washington, Secaucus, New Jersey and London, England. It is the news provider for MSN, the portal site and online service operated by Microsoft, but is editorially and financially separate.

MSNBC.com is currently in a fierce battle with CNN.com for the position of top online U.S. news site. The site's use of the MSN Video Player, which relies on Windows Media Player video compression technology had rendered the MSNBC.com video incompatible with the Macintosh platform, which drew criticism for excluding Mac users from taking full advantage of the site. The video has since been updated and is now available on the Macintosh platform via Flash Video.

Programming

MSNBC's programming is segmented into four distinct segments: mornings, daytime, primetime and weekend (all times Eastern).

Mornings

Early mornings start at 5 a.m. with First Look. Dara Brown and Monica Crowley currently serve as the interim anchors of this program, beginning October 23, 2006.

Mornings continue with Imus in the Morning, a simulcast of nationally syndicated radio personality Don Imus's show from WFAN radio. The program originates from MSNBC studios in New Jersey, the Imus Ranch in Ribera, New Mexico and the WFAN-AM studios in Queens, New York. Imus airs from 6–9 a.m.

Daytime

File:Msnbclive.png
MSNBC Live logo

Daytime programming begins at 9:00 a.m. with MSNBC Live, a program featuring continuous live news coverage, guest analysis, interviews, and NBC Weather Plus forecasts.

Starting the shift to specialized programming at 3:00 p.m., The Most with Alison Stewart features the most watched, read, or covered stories of the day as seen on American news channels, online, or e-mailed.

During the early afternoon, the bottom of the hour news-breaks are also replaced with CNBC Market Wrap. The short program features news on the U.S. market moves of the day, hosted by Margaret Brennan.

Evening/Primetime

File:Hardball.png
Hardball with Chris Mathews program logo

Evening programming begins at 4 p.m. with Tucker, a program featuring host and guest analysis about the news of the day, hosted by Tucker Carlson.

The evening continues with Hardball with Chris Matthews at 5 p.m. Hosted by political reporter and author Chris Matthews, Hardball features a mix of political and other news, in addition to interviews with politicians and debate about political issues between analysts.

From 6 to 8 p.m., Tucker and Hardball are re-aired on the network, though the programs may be updated if news warrants.

Countdown with Keith Olbermann logo

Primetime starts with Countdown, a sometimes irreverent look at the day's top news, at 8 p.m. Hosted by Keith Olbermann, Countdown is styled like a radio music countdown, starting with the day's number five story (usually the top story of the day) progressing to number one (which is usually superficial). According to Olbermann, the higher the story number, the more buzz it is expected to get around the water cooler.[44]

The last live program to air each day, Scarborough Country, airs each day at 9:00 p.m. Hosted by former Florida representative Joe Scarborough, it focuses on political, social, media and religious issues.

Primetime ends with the MSNBC Doc Block, airing from 10pm-12am ET. The program features two documentaries from MSNBC's resources of award winning documentaries. It also features documentaries from Rita Cosby's newly formed Rita Cosby Specials unit.

Weekends

MSNBC Documentaries logo

Weekends begin with continuous live news coverage from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. with MSNBC Live, hosted by Alex Witt from 8 a.m. to noon, followed by Contessa Brewer from noon to 4 p.m.

Evenings begin at 4 p.m. with back-to-back MSNBC Documentaries, with brief news-breaks at the bottom of each hour. The documentaries continue throughout the night until the next morning.

Sunday's programming alters slightly with three additional programs. Mornings begin with a 30-minute cut down version of Tucker at 7 a.m., followed by the business-oriented Your Business at 7:30 a.m., hosted by JJ Ramberg. The network also broadcasts Meet the Press with Tim Russert at 6 p.m. 10 p.m. and 1 a.m.

Former programming

Past hosts/anchors

MSNBC is derided by broadcasting analysts for its "revolving door" tactics when it comes to talent, i.e. rapidly canceling shows and having its anchors depart after only a couple of years with the network. None of MSNBC's current anchors have been with the network since its conception.

Past MSNBC shows featured hosts such as :

Satellite radio

As of September 4, 2006, MSNBC is no longer offered on XM Satellite Radio due to scheduling changes across the XM platform.[45]

Criticism

MSNBC has received criticism, particularily from David Brock and the left-leaning Media Matters for America, for its programming and journalistic ethics. MSNBC's weeknight primetime shows are mostly opinionated, personality-driven shows, which some claim only offer talking points and no real news of any kind. These opinion shows allegedly show a Republican, conservative slant.[citation needed] Shows such as Imus in the Morning, The Situation with Tucker Carlson (a well-known libertarian pundit), and Scarborough Country (hosted by Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman) seem to show conservative biases on the parts of the hosts, guests, and stories covered. These shows greatly outnumber Countdown with Keith Olbermann, a show with what the MMFA claims is a "non-partisan" host.

MSNBC was also criticized for the hiring of past hosts with notable backgrounds in conservative politics. MSNBC formerly broadcast shows hosted by former Republican presidential candidates Pat Buchanan and Alan Keyes. MSNBC also let right-wing pundit Michael Savage have his own show, but fired him in 2003 when he told an on-air caller to "Get AIDS and die."

While more liberal groups such as Media Matters have criticized MSNBC for a conservative bias, the conservative media watchdog group the Media Research Center has argued opposite - that MSNBC has a liberal slant. The MRC points to Keith Olbermann's and Chris Matthews' programs most frequently as examples of liberal bias on MSNBC.

Logos

References

  1. ^ January Numbers…, Inside Cable News blog, January 31 2006
  2. ^ Collins, Scott Crazy Like A Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat CNN, ISBN 1-59184-029-5
  3. ^ Collins, Scott Crazy Like A Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat CNN, ISBN 1-59184-029-5
  4. ^ Jodi Jodi Applegate WNYW biography: [1]
  5. ^ Collins, Scott Crazy Like A Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat CNN, ISBN 1-59184-029-5
  6. ^ Beato, G. Media Circus, April 11 1997, Salon Magazine [2]
  7. ^ Goodman, Walter. "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; New and Familiar Faces In News Channel Debut", The New York Times, July 23 1996. [3]
  8. ^ MSNBC at Ten; Remembering The Site. [4]
  9. ^ Burelle's Transcripts: [5]
  10. ^ Siklos, Richard. "This Little Peacock is Showing Some Pluck. BusinessWeek, August 17 1998.
  11. ^ Towery, Terry. "MSNBC proves it is ready." Peoria Journal Star, July 21 1996. Page C12
  12. ^ Bianculli, David: "BEST OF 'IMUS IN THE MORNING' ON MSNBC? THEM'S THE BREAKS." New York Daily News, September 29 1996.
  13. ^ Collins, Scott Crazy Like A Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat CNN, ISBN 1-59184-029-5
  14. ^ Flash, Cynthia. "MICROSOFT LEARNS COSTLY MEDIA LESSON". Tacoma News Tribune, September 24 1997. Page C9
  15. ^ "MSNBC CHANNEL CANCELS `THE SITE,' AWARD-WINNING TECHNOLOGY SHOW". Seattle Times, September 21 1997, Page E4.
  16. ^ Pope, Kyle. "Future Seems Bright at MSNBC Despite Tiny Ratings." The Wall Street Journal, October 28 1997, page B1
  17. ^ Bauder, David. "`BIG SHOW' A TALL ORDER FOR OLBERMANN". Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 17 1997, page 5.E
  18. ^ Johnson, Peter. "MSNBC hasn't plugged into a big audience yet." USA Today, June 4 1997.
  19. ^ PR Newswire: "MSNBC.COM RATED #1 ONLINE NEWS SITE FOR 1997", January 20 1998
  20. ^ PR Newswire: "MSNBC.COM RATED #1 ONLINE NEWS SITE FOR 1998", January 19 1999
  21. ^ PR Newswire: "MSNBC.COM RATED #1 ONLINE NEWS SITE FOR 1999", January 22 2000
  22. ^ Jensen, Elizabeth. "Cable News Rivals Prepare for Life After Monica". Los Angeles Times, February 12 1999. Page A1.
  23. ^ Mifflin, Lawrie. "Too Few Viewers for 'Hockenberry'." The New York Times, July 12 1999. Page C12
  24. ^ "Washington Post, NBC to collaborate". Houston Chronicle, November 18 1999. pg. 4
  25. ^ Curpisin, Tim. "MSNBC wants to be women's `Home Page'". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 3 2000.
  26. ^ "Gibson Jumping to FNC." New York Post, August 16 2000.
  27. ^ Saunders, Dusty. "NBC SCORED EARLY SUCCESS IN ANNOUNCING BUSH WIN", Rocky Mountain News, December 15 2000.
  28. ^ Lavin, Cheryl. "HOLT HITS THE NEWSROOM RUNNING FOR MSNBC." Chicago Tribune, November 24 2000. Page 1.
  29. ^ Moss, Linda. "MSNBC Shifts Shows" Cable World, July 2 2001.
  30. ^ E! Online, Bits and Pieces, June 26 2001.
  31. ^ [Ballmer: Would not launch MSNBC again. http://news.com.com/2100-1023-268073.html] CNET News.Com, June 7 2001
  32. ^ Bauder, David. "BAD DECISIONS HURT MSNBC" Associated Press, February 25 2002.
  33. ^ Huff, Richard. "MSNBC GETS KEYES TO TALK." New York Daily News, January 8 2002.
  34. ^ Battaglio, Steven. "MSNBC STARTS TO SPELL OUT NEW APPROACH." New York Daily News, April 12 2002, page 139
  35. ^ Jensen, Elizabeth. "Donahue's Back, With No Plans to Be Neutral." Los Angeles Times, July 10 2002. Page F1
  36. ^ Bard, Ed. "MSNBC relying on personalities as it revamps lineup." Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. June 13 2002.
  37. ^ Bauder, David. "CAN'T PHIL THE BILL? / Donahue's numbers sinking on MSNBC" Houston Chronicle, September 4 2002, Page 10
  38. ^ deMoraes, Lisa. "MSNBC's Nachman Takes One for the Team" Washington Post, October 5 2002. Page C07
  39. ^ Huff, Richard. "MSNBC: Weak ratings snuff Phil Donahue" Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. February 26 2003.
  40. ^ Huff, Richard. "DONAHUE LIBERALLY FIRES BACK AT MSNBC" New York Daily News, February 27 2003. Page 89
  41. ^ Lowry, Brian. "Savage gets the boot after on-air anti-gay outburst" Los Angeles Times, July 8 2003. Page E1.
  42. ^ Canfield, Kevin. "NOT YOUR STANDARD NEWS SHOW ; KEITH OLBERMANN'S ECLECTIC HOUR PERFORMS ROLE OF AFTERNOON PAPER" Hartford Courant, May 29 2003. Page D1.
  43. ^ Rick Kaplan Exits: Effective Immediately, President Of MSNBC Steps Down, TVNewser, June 7 2006
  44. ^ Kurtz, Howard. "Three, Two, One, Olbermann; MSNBC's 'Countdown' Host Puts News on the Fast Track" Washington Post, July 28 2003. Page C01
  45. ^ XM Radio - Programming Updates, accessed August 21 2006

See Also
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