NY Observer > MSNBC

Rachel Maddow Gets 9 P.M. Show on MSNBC; Replaces Dan Abrams

Felix Gillette — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:37:38 -0400

Yesterday, Bill Carter of the New York Times broke the news that MSNBC is giving Rachel Maddow, their talented and popular 35-year-old liberal commentator, her own show, which will replace Dan Abrams' Verdict at 9 p.m. The new show, according to The Times, will start on Sept. 8. Mr. Abrams will stay on at the network as a legal correspondent and substitute anchor. His last show will be Thursday night.

Following Keith Olbermann's Countdown at 8 p.m., Ms. Maddow's new show will give MSNBC a solid two-hour block of liberal politics every weeknight, and will further solidify the cable news channel's unstated strategy of making itself the place for liberal political analysis in prime time. read more »

Tucker Carlson Does Not Have a Crush on Obama

Matt Haber — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:11:31 -0400

As noted by The Times' Caucus writer Michael Falcone, Tucker Carlson will be appearing in a 30-second commercial for an anti-Barack Obama documentary called Hype: The Obama Effect, created by Citizens United.

In the clip, Mr. Carlson, MSNBC's Senior Campaign Correspondent, is shown saying, "Well, the press loves Obama. I mean, not just loves—I mean an early teenage crush."

Crushes run both ways, of course. (Strange bedfellows, etc.) In the July issue of Vanity Fair, James Wolcott wrote an essay headlined Mad About the Guy, in which he criticized some right wing pundits' "Man Crush" on John McCain, including The New York Times' David Brooks, who gushed to Chris Matthews, "I love the guy."

Phil Griffin Gets New Title: President of MSNBC

Felix Gillette — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:11:42 -0400

NBC News executives today named Phil Griffin president of MSNBC. Previously, Mr. Griffin had been a senior vice president of NBC News in charge of managing the cable news network. What has changed besides his title? According to the press release, Mr. Griffin will now "take over all day-to-day managment issues at MSNBC."

Last month in a profile in the New Yorker, Keith Olbermann famously said of Mr. Griffin, "Phil thinks he’s my boss.”

No word yet as to whether Mr. Olbermann is impressed by his so-called boss' new title.

Chuck Todd, a.k.a. the 'Goateed Guru,' Talks to TV Guide About Facial Hair, Hotline, and the French Horn

Felix Gillette — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:39:46 -0400

TV Guide's Stephen Battaglio has posted a funny Q&A with NBC News' political director, Chuck Todd.

Sample question: "Do you think you'll soon reach a point where you'll be contractually obligated to keep the facial hair?"

At one point, Mr. Todd admits to Mr. Battaglio that there is one job in television which he desperately covets.

Spoiler alert: It's not the job of moderating Meet the Press.

"I would probably quit my job tomorrow," says Mr. Todd, "if somebody asked me to be the play-by-play guy for University of Miami college football."

Tim Russert, 58, Dead of a Heart Attack

Felix Gillette and Jason Horowitz — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 10:32:55 -0400

Tim Russert, NBC's Washington bureau chief and the influential host of its Sunday morning program Meet the Press, died the afternoon of Friday June, 13, after collapsing from a heart attack while recording voice-over segments for Sunday's show at NBC's Washington news bureau. He was 58.

had previously been diagnosed with coronary artery disease, which he treated with medication and exercise. After the collapse, medics rushed Russert to Sibley Memorial Hospital, where efforts to resuscitate him failed. According to doctors at the scene, cholesterol plaque had ruptured an artery in Russert’s heart, which was enlarged, an autopsy later revealed.

Tom Brokaw announced the news of Russert’s death on the air for NBC. His colleagues were shocked and grief stricken. Doris Kearns Goodwin, who has known Russert for about a decade and was a frequent guest of his on Meet the Press was in tears after a television station broke the news to her with a telephone call.

"I feel so bad," she told The Observer. "He was such a good friend."

"Somebody just called from the television studio and said have you heard the horrible news about Tim and I thought he must have been in a plane crash,” she added. "He's a giant and he's the best. I loved him…I can't imagine what the news bureau is going through down there. I heard it is just wailing.” read more »

Olbermann Overboard? Huffington Post Chronicles Fallout From Keith vs. Katie

Felix Gillette — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:26:04 -0400

Declaring the president of the United States the "Worst Person in the World," is apparently no biggie these days, what with his historically low approval ratings and all that. But saying the same about Katie Couric?

Outrageous! (Historically low ratings may not apply in this case.) read more »

Joe Scarborough Extends Contract with MSNBC

Felix Gillette — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:00:38 -0400

MSNBC has ordered a second helping of Morning Joe.

The New York Times reports this morning that Joe Scarborough has extended his contract with MSNBC until March 2011. Last summer, after a successful tryout, Mr. Scarborough took over Don Imus' old morning slot on MSNBC, beating out the likes of David Gregory along the way. read more »

MSNBC and 'Patriotic Fever' in Run-Up to Iraq War

Felix Gillette — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:58:56 -0400

Last night, CNN congressional correspondent Jessica Yellin appeared on "Anderson Cooper 360," in part to discuss the brouhaha over former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's tell-all book about the Bush administration, What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception.

At one point, Mr. Cooper asked Ms. Yellin about the allegations in the book that the national media was "too deferential to the White House," during the run-up to the war in Iraq. read more »

New MSNBC-New York Times Show Limps Out of the Gate

Felix Gillette — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:29:23 -0400

On Monday, MSNBC kicked off The New York Times Special Primary Edition, a new irregularly recurring daytime political show hosted by John Harwood in which Times scribes chew over news from the campaign trail.

So how did the show's premier do?

Not great!

According to Nielsen data, "The New York Times Special Primary Edition," finished fourth among cable news networks in the 2 P.M. time slot. read more »

MSNBC and the Times Team Up for New Political Show

John Koblin — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:39:12 -0400

The Times and MSNBC are joining forces for a new cable show. Today is the debut of The New York Times Special Primary Edition, a new political show hosted by John Harwood where Times-journos will handicap the election. From a Times memo, it appers these shows will appear as specials--that is, they won't run every week, but whenever MSNBC and the paper choose to do it.

Today's program will preview the Indiana and North Carolina primaries and Adam Nagourney, Pat Healy and Gail Collins are included guests.

Here's the memo: read more »