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For the news website, see msnbc.com.
MSNBC
Country United States
Headquarters30 Rockefeller Center New York City, New York
Programming
Language(s)English
Ownership
OwnerNBC Universal, Microsoft
Links
Websitemsnbc.com
MSNBC's former World HQ in NJ (now Home of MLB Network)
MSNBC's former set in NJ (now Home of MLB Network)
MSNBC's current newsroom in NYC

MSNBC is a 24-hour cable news channel based in the United States and available in both the US and Canada. Its name is a combination of "MSN" and "NBC".

A separate company, msnbc.com, is the news website for the NBC News family, featuring original stories and video as well as content from NBC News and partners such as The New York Times, Newsweek and The Washington Post.[4]

Two partnerships with the name MSNBC were founded in 1996 by Microsoft and General Electric's NBC unit, which is now NBC Universal. Although Microsoft and NBC shared operations of MSNBC cable 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%. The two companies remain 50-50 partners in msnbc.com. MSNBC, like sister channel CNBC, shares the NBC logo of a rainbow peacock.

Some critics and observers of the network say that MSNBC has become increasingly politically liberal compared to other networks, particularly in its prime-time lineup.[5][6][7] In terms of political orientation, MSNBC usually pertains liberal, left-wing views.

History

Development

Microsoft invested $220 million for a 50% share of the cable network, while MSNBC and Microsoft would share the cost of a $200 million newsroom in Redmond, Washington for msnbc.com. NBC supplied the space with an 18 month old America's Talking network.

MSNBC's launch

MSNBC was launched on July 15, 1996. The first show, which was anchored by Jodi Applegate, broadcast a lineup of news, interviews, and opinions.[8] 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 Stories were generally longer and more detailed than the stories running on CNN at the time.[9]

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.[10]

The current MSNBC newsroom in Manhattan

Primetime featured an hour-long interview program called Internight (which showcased the stars of NBC News),[11] 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.[12] The first Internight included an interview with President Bill Clinton, who took questions from callers and e-mailers.[13] 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 bumpy due to a series of changes in management and continuing internal squabbles over the direction of the network. Some NBC affiliates were concerned that cross-promotion would divert viewers from their own programs, although that fear abated.[14] 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.[15]

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.[16] In November 1996, the network moved to new studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. In 2007 studios were relocated to NBC headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan. [17]

MSNBC evolves

The network's goal of attracting a younger, tech-savvy audience failed to materialize. In September 1997, MSNBC laid off 20% of its staff[18] and canceled The Site due to low ratings and the press of a news story (the death of Princess Diana), causing howls of protest from its viewers, many of whom considered O'Brien a cult figure.[19] The network began moving away from its internet roots and began covering fashion and celebrity like its competitors.[20] In October 1997, Internight was replaced with The Big Show, hosted by Keith Olbermann, in hopes that his irreverent style would spike up ratings.[21] After its first year, the network had 24,000 households viewing it per night, well short of the 578,000 of CNN and the 30,000 of Fox News (which was four months younger than MSNBC)[22]

Monitor on the wall of the MSNBC studios showing msnbc.com

The msnbc.com web site, a separate company, remained relatively successful, becoming the most-used online news site in 1997,[23] 1998,[24] and 1999.[25] 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 returned in 2003 as host of Countdown, currently the network's most popular show. When Olbermann left "The Big Show" he was replaced by John Hockenberry, who achieved some success. Hockenberry's Edgewise program focused on newsmakers and showed off Hockenberry's documentary skills. Ratings began to drop, however, after the impeachment trial was completed. Fox beat MSNBC in numbers of viewers per 24 hours, particularly 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.[26] Hockenberry was replaced after six months by a rebroadcast of Hardball from CNBC.[27]

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.[28]

On April 3, 2000, a show named Home Page hosted by three women—Ashleigh Banfield, Gina Gaston, and Mika Brzezinski—began.[29] 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 canceled: Home Page due to sinking ratings; and The Mitch Albom Show due to its frequent preemptions and some disagreements with the MSNBC management.

In 2000, John Gibson, one of the original MSNBC hosts, left the network. His confrontational tenure as the host of the Feedback primetime program foreshadowed his opinion program on the Fox News Channel.[30] 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.[31] 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.[32]

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 would continue to be 50% owned by both NBC and Microsoft, and its operations would be largely unaffected. NBC would have the option to buy the remaining 18% share from Microsoft after two years. Rumors circulated that the cable network would eventually be rebranded as NBC News Channel, a name currently used for the network's news service to NBC affiliates.

MSNBC's current studio in NYC

On October 22, 2007, MSNBC and NBC News launched broadcasts from new studios at NBC's "30 Rock" complex in New York City. After extensive renovations of the associated studios, NBC essentially merged its entire news operation into one building, and all MSNBC broadcasts, as well as the NBC Nightly News program, originate in the new studios. MSNBC is also expected to expand West Coast operations, as the network recently announced new studios near the Universal Studios lot, which will assemble all NBC West Coast news operations in one building. MSNBC's Master Control did not make the move to 30 Rock. It remained in the old Secaucus headquarters until it completed its move to the NBC Universal Network Origination Center located inside the CNBC Global Headquarters building in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on December 21, 2007.

Ratings

By the start of 2001, MSNBC continued to trail both Fox News and CNN. With the success of Fox News Channel, MSNBC tried to emulate the Fox News Channel's emphasis on opinion hosts.[33] The Project for Excellence in Journalism found in 2007 after a seven year survey of cable networks that "MSNBC is moving to make politics a brand, with a large dose of opinion and personality."[34] In January 2001, Mike Barnicle got a show on MSNBC, but it was canceled in June 2001 due to high production costs.[35] In June, in a sign of continuing trouble of MSNBC, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that he would not have started MSNBC if he knew then what he knows now.[36] After the September 11, 2001 attacks, MSNBC served 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.

The monitors of the MSNBC newsroom are tuned in to specific channels.

In 2002, MSNBC's focus continued on opinion journalism and low ratings. MSNBC scored up to triple the usual ratings during the 2002 Winter Olympics, airing several events, but this success was not due to news programming.[37] Alan Keyes is Making Sense debuted in January, featuring the conservative one-time candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination.[38] MSNBC rebranded itself as America's NewsChannel, with a patriotic theme proclaiming MSNBC to be fiercely independent.[39] 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.[40] The News with Brian Williams was moved to CNBC, leaving MSNBC with primarily opinion shows in the evening. In the afternoon, the cable network replaced rolling news coverage with talk shows featuring Curtis Sliwa, Ron Kuby, Bill Press, and Pat Buchanan.[41]

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 plummeted, from 660,000 households in his first week to just 136,000 households in his sixth week, a drop of 80%.[42] The network was regularly beaten in the ratings by CNN Headline News. Overall, ratings dropped 36% from the previous year.[43] MSNBC publicly proclaimed support for Donahue and moved some shows to try to stabilize his ratings, helping to increase his viewership to 446,000 households.[44] Donahue himself claimed that MSNBC was trying to "out-fox" Fox by removing him and adding Joe Scarborough to the lineup.[45] Donahue's time slot was replaced by Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

In June 2006, Don Kaplan of the New York Post (owned by News Corporation, which also owns Fox News Channel) wrote a column titled "Do We Need MSNBC?" Addressing MSNBC'S low ratings, Kaplan quoted CNN co-founder Reese Schoenfeld, who said that "[e]verybody compares MSNBC to Fox and CNN — when its real competition is Headline News". Schoenfeld pointed out that the ratings for MSNBC and Headline News are roughly the same, about 300,000 viewers on average and that "by comparison, Fox and CNN regularly average three or four times as many viewers." In the column Kaplan remarked that "the running joke in TV news is Fox and CNN are news channels with websites, but MSNBC is a website with a cable channel".[46]

Network Leadership

On June 7, 2006, Rick Kaplan resigned as president of MSNBC, after holding the post for two years.[47] 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 would oversee MSNBC. Griffin would also continue to oversee NBC News’ Today, and Abrams would report to Griffin.

On June 29, 2006, Abrams announced a revamp to MSNBC's early-primetime and primetime schedule. On July 10, 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 was instead given the role of primary anchor for MSNBC Investigates at 10 and 11 p.m. ET, a new program that took over Cosby and Carlson's timeslots. According to the press release, MSNBC Investigates promised to "...complement MSNBC's existing programming by building on [the network's] library of award winning documentaries."[48] The move to taped programming during 10 and 11 p.m. was likely a result of the success that the network saw with their Friday "experiment" of replacing all primetime programming with taped specials.

On October 22, 2007 MSNBC moved to its new headquarters in New York at the newly renovated 3rd and 4th floors of 30 Rock.[49] Studio 3A debuted that morning when MSNBC's Morning Joe opened its broadcast from the studio at 6 a.m. ET. MSNBC continued to broadcast from Studio 3A throughout the day, including Live with Dan Abrams in primetime. Countdown with Keith Olbermann broadcast live at 8 p.m. from the 2nd floor of studio 1A. At 6:30 p.m. ET, Brian Williams unveiled the renovated Studio 3C on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. More than 12.5 hours of live television across NBC News and MSNBC originate from the two studios daily. On September 24, 2007, Abrams announced that he would leave the position of General Manager to focus on his 9:00 p.m. ET talk show, "Live With Dan Abrams". Oversight of MSNBC is now provided by Phil Griffin, a senior vice president at NBC.[50]

From mid-2007 to mid-2008, the network received a large increase in its ratings.[1] Primetime viewings increased by 61% over that time.[1] In May 2008, NBC News President Steve Capus said that "It used to be people didn't have to worry about MSNBC because it was an also-ran cable channel... That's not the case anymore."[1] Tim Russert's sudden death removed what The Wall Street Journal called the "rudder for the network" and has currently led to a period of transition.[51]

During the 2008 Democratic National Convention, changes by the network led to public tensions between network star Keith Olbermann and Joe Scarborough, Chris Matthews, and Dan Abrams.[51]

Current Management

  • Phil Griffin, President MSNBC and Senior Vice- President NBC NEWS

Cable carriage issues

MSNBC's former NJ HQ Studio

As a result of a carriage agreement, MSNBC is currently not available to Verizon Fios TV subscribers in Verizon's Long Island & Northern New Jersey grouping as well as areas in New York City, Westchester County, and Orange County (FIOS does carry MSNBC on channel 103 in Secaucus, 103 & 603 on Long Island, NJ[52] and in certain areas in Manhattan on channels 103 and 1545). The reason for the lack of availability is, in part, due to an exclusive carriage agreement that MSNBC entered into with Cablevision, which services the areas in question. [53] The terms of the agreement (i.e. when the exclusive agreement expires in 2011) are unknown. Although areas in Verizon's Northern New Jersey area are serviced by another cable provider (Comcast), Verizon imposes the unavailability of MSNBC to all customers residing in their Northern NJ channel map. Customers who reside in the New York City area and do not live in Cablevision areas are affected, although MSNBC is available on FiOS in Staten Island, on channel 103.

Broadcasts

MSNBC is shown only in the United States, Canada, parts of Latin America & Africa (see below). In 2001, a Canadian version—MSNBC Canada—was developed; however, it was soon discontinued in 2004, and the American version began airing in Canada.

MSNBC Africa

In Southern Africa, MSNBC is distributed free-to-air on satellite on Free2View TV as MSNBC Africa, a joint venture between Great Media Limited and MSNBC. Free2View airs MSNBC's programming from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET in a block that repeats twice (live for the first airing), with local Weather Channel forecasts.[54] Botswana's national television broadcaster, BTV, also provides an un-edited broadcast of MSNBC (including advertisements) after their scheduled programming each evening. BTV is available within Botswana, as well as to Southern Africa viewers on DStv.

Europe and Asia

In Asia and Europe, MSNBC is not shown on a channel of its own. When the network started in 1996 they announced plans to start broadcasting in Europe during 1997. This never happened. 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 affiliate network CNBC Europe.[55] In the UK, during major US breaking news, the now-closed ITV News Channel (ITN) occasionally showed MSNBC; some of MSNBC's reports appeared in ITV News bulletins.

The current MSNBC studio

NTV-MSNBC

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. [56]

MSNBC HD

Template:Future channel

On October 23, 2008, Multichannel News reported that MSNBC will launch its HD version in the second quarter of 2009. The news network had been aiming to launch its HD offering in the fourth quarter of 2008. That turned out to be “a little aggressive,” MSNBC president Phil Griffin said. [57] Although HD versions of other channels that NBC Universal owns are in 1080i, the resolution that MSNBC HD will be in has not been confirmed. More specific information regarding dates and which television providers will carry it are not available at this time.

Online

Msnbc.com turned 10 in 2006
Msnbc.com's main newsroom in Redmond, WA
Msnbc.com's newsroom in NYC
Main article: msnbc.com

Msnbc.com, a separate company from MSNBC cable, is the online news outlet for the NBC News family, including network 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 web site is developed in Redmond, Washington, on the Microsoft campus and news content is produced out of newsrooms in Redmond, New York, and London. It is the news provider for MSN, the portal site and online service operated by Microsoft, but it is editorially and financially separate.

On April 2, 2007, msnbc.com launched a new logo and a new slogan, "A Fuller Spectrum of News."

According to Nielsen Online, msnbc.com has risen above Yahoo! News and CNN for the position of top U.S. news site from June 2008 through January 2009.[58]

Current programming

ET Program Hosts Description
5am-5:30am
First Look
 Christina Brown and Dan Kloeffler an early morning news program, hosted by MSNBC anchors and featuring weather reports from NBC Meteorologists.
Replays at 5:30am
6am-9am
Morning Joe
 Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist MSNBC's morning news show with analysis, commentaries and the headlines of the day.
9am-1pm
MSNBC Live
 Contessa Brewer, Tamron Hall, Monica Novotny and David Shuster MSNBC's daily hard news programming, focusing on news of the day, hosted by MSNBC anchors and correspondents, with the segments CNBC Market Wrap, MSNBC Now and weather from meteorologists of The Weather Channel.
1-2pm
Andrea Mitchell Reports
 Andrea Mitchell The day's breaking political and general news, in addition to interviews with politicians and debate.
2pm-3pm
MSNBC Live
 Various 2pm hour hosts are Contessa Brewer (Monday), John Harwood (Monday), Melissa Francis (Tuesday) and Carlos Watson (Wednesday-Friday)
3pm-4pm
 Norah O'Donnell
4pm-5pm
 Tamron Hall
5pm-6pm
Hardball with Chris Matthews
 Chris Matthews Hosted by Chris Matthews, featuring a mix of political and other news, in addition to interviews with politicians and debate.
Replays at 7pm, 12am, 3am, 5am (Saturdays) and 7am (Sundays)
6pm-7pm
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
 David Shuster The show is a panel show based around the discussion of news and trends in American politics among the panelists and Shuster.
8pm-9pm
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
 Keith Olbermann Counts down five selected news stories of the day with news reports and interviews with guests, along with commentary by Olbermann.
Replays at 10pm, 1am and 4am
9pm-10pm
The Rachel Maddow Show
 Rachel Maddow Is a weeknight opinion and news focused on the latest of the political news hosted by Rachel Maddow.
Replays at 11pm and 2am

Weekends

ET Program Hosts Description
Various
MSNBC Documentaries
 MSNBC and NBC News caught one-hour documentary, including Headliners and Legends, Lockup and Dateline NBC
Various
MSNBC Live
 Alex Witt Weekend aired at 7am-12pm (on Saturdays) and 8am-12pm (on Sundays)
7.30am-8am Sunday
Your Business
 JJ Ramberg News and analysis about small business.
Replays at 5.30am Saturdays
5pm-6pm Sundays
Meet the Press
 David Gregory Same day re-air of the weekly Sunday morning talk show carried on the NBC network.
Replays at 2am (Monday morning)

MSNBC/NBC News Anchors and Correspondents

MSNBC's former NJ HQ Studio
MSNBC's current NYC HQ studio
MSNBC's current NYC HQ studio

Criticism and controversy

Allegations of political bias

Alleged Liberal bias

In November 2007, a New York Times article stated that MSNBC's prime-time lineup is tilting more to the left.[5] Washington Post media analyst Howard Kurtz has stated that the network's evening lineup "has clearly gravitated to the left in recent years and often seems to regard itself as the antithesis of Fox News."[1] In reference to the channel's evening programming, senior vice president of NBC News Phil Griffin has said that "It happened naturally. There isn’t a dogma we’re putting through. There is a ‘Go for it.’”[5]

In the February 2008 issue of Men's Journal magazine, a MSNBC interviewee quoted a senior executive who said that commentator Keith Olbermann "runs MSNBC" and that "because of his success, he's in charge" of the network.[59] The New York Times has called Olbermann the network's "most recognizable face".[5] In September 2008, MSNBC stated that they were removing both Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews as live political event anchors, and replacing them with David Gregory, due to growing criticism that they were "too opinionated to be seen as neutral in the heat of the presidential campaign."[6][7] However, Olbermann continued to broadcast Countdown both before and after the presidential and vice-presidential debates, and both Matthews and Olbermann joined Gregory on the network's election night coverage.

Leaders of John McCain's campaign have publicly criticized MSNBC and its parent network at least twice during the 2008 presidential campaign.[1][60] Senior McCain campaign strategist Steve Schmidt called it an organ of the Democratic National Committee in May 2008.[1]

Open, opinionated criticism of the Bush administration

In Olbermann's "Special Comment" segment on July 3, 2007, he called President George W. Bush's commutation of Lewis "Scooter" Libby's prison sentence the "last straw," and called for the resignation of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Olbermann said:

We enveloped our President in 2001. And those who did not believe he should have been elected — indeed, those who did not believe he had been elected — willingly lowered their voices and assented to the sacred oath of non-partisanship. And George W. Bush took our assent, and re-configured it, and honed it, and shaped it to a razor-sharp point and stabbed this nation in the back with it.[61]

On his February 14, 2008 "Special Comments" segment, Olbermann castigated Bush for threatening to veto an extension of the Protect America Act unless it provided full immunity from lawsuits to telecom companies. Olbermann stated,

Mr. Bush, you say that our ability to track terrorist threats will be weakened and our citizens will be in greater danger, yet you have weakened that ability, you have subjected us, your citizens, to that greater danger. This, Mr. Bush, is simple enough even for you to understand. For the moment, at least, thanks to some true patriots in the House, and to your own stubbornness, you have tabled telecom immunity, and the FISA act. You. By your own terms and your definitions, you have just sided with the terrorists. You got to have this law, or we're all going to die. But, practically speaking, you vetoed this law.[62]

During the same commentary, Olbermann stated: "If you believe in the seamless mutuality of government and big business, come out and say it. There is a dictionary definition, one word that describes that toxic blend. You're a fascist — get them to print you a T-shirt with 'fascist' on it. What else is this but fascism?"[62]

In a special comment on May 14, 2008, Olbermann criticized Bush for announcing that he had stopped playing golf in honor of American soldiers who died in the Iraq war. Stating that Bush never should have started the war in the first place and accusing him of dishonesty and war crimes, Olbermann snapped,

It is not, Mr. Bush, about your golf game! And, sir, if you have any hopes that next January 20 will not be celebrated as a day of soul-wrenching, heartfelt thanksgiving, because your faithless stewardship of this presidency will have finally come to a merciful end, this last piece of advice . . . when somebody asks you, sir, about your gallant, noble, self-abnegating sacrifice of your golf game so as to soothe the families of the war dead. This advice, Mr. Bush: Shut the hell up!

Asked by MSNBC senior vice-president Phil Griffin if it was really necessary to tell the President of the United States to "shut the hell up," Olbermann replied that it was, because he couldn't say "fuck" on television.[63]

Alleged Obama bias

Some supporters of the Democratic Party have criticized MSNBC during and after the 2008 Democratic Primaries, accusing it of covering Barack Obama much more favorably than Hillary Clinton. Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, who supported Hillary Clinton in the primaries and currently supports Barack Obama, called MSNBC's coverage "absolutely embarrassing."[64] He also stated that “MSNBC was the official network of the Obama campaign".[64] Writer Isaac Chotiner wrote in The New Republic that "MSNBC's coverage can lead to a perverse sort of cognitive dissonance in viewers like, well, me."[65] He speculated that "it was the Obama cheerleading from MSNBC (among others) that helped lead to Clinton's New Hampshire comeback."[65] A study done by the Project for Excellence in Journalism showed that MSNBC had less negative coverage of Obama (14% of stories vs. 29% in the press overall) and more negative stories about Republican presidential candidate John McCain (73% of its coverage vs. 57% in the press overall). This can be compared to Fox News in the same report, which showed their stories were 40% negative for both candidates which was more than the norm for Obama (29% average) and less than the norm for McCain (57% average).[66]

In a May 2008 appearance at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard University, an audience member asked Chris Matthews if MSNBC officially supports Barack Obama. Matthews responded that “Well, it’s not official.”[67]

A spokesperson for Obama's campaign has stated that "When the cable news channels had wall-to-wall negative coverage about our campaign for weeks on end, we didn't think it was particularly fair, but we also didn't whine about it all the time."[1] He also said about the network that "Has it been too pro-Obama? Absolutely not".[1] MSNBC head Phil Griffin called the network's coverage of Clinton "very fair".[1]

During the week of the 2008 presidential election, MSNBC changed its on-air slogan to "The Power of Change" which was similar to the Obama campaign's message during the election. This fueled further allegations of bias from critics of the news organization.[68]

Don Imus controversy

In early April 2007, shock jock Don Imus, whose radio show Imus in the Morning was simulcast on MSNBC, made comments about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. The comments sparked outrage, as many individuals considered the comments to be both racist and sexist. After an initial two-week suspension of Imus' program, MSNBC canceled the simulcast as sponsors started withdrawing their advertisements from the show. Imus, as well as NBC News, apologized to the Rutgers Basketball team for the remarks.[69]

Michael Savage dismissal

In March 2003, MSNBC featured a weekend show hosted by conservative radio host Michael Savage. 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 to "go eat a sausage and choke on it." Savage was immediately fired.[70]

MSNBC logos

MSNBC has used five logos to date since 1996, and they are shown below.

Description Image
1996–2001:
The network's first logo, it combines MSN with NBC.
File:MSNBC old logo.JPG
2001–2006:
Combining MSN with NBC, this logo is still in use as a secondary logo.
File:MSNBC logo.svg
2001–2002:
This logo was utilized in the aftermath of 9/11, in the "America's News Channel" phase. From this point on, the "N" in the logo was changed from red to match the rest of the letters' colorations. The peacock is colored with a pattern of the flag of the United States.
File:Logo msnbc ANC.png
2006–Present:
This style was introduced for the Doc Block and was soon after adopted as the network's new official logo.
File:Msnbc.svg
2007–Present, msnbc.com logo:
Msnbc.com, a separate company from MSNBC cable, uses a different logo.
File:Msnbclogo2008.svg

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kurtz, Howard (2008-05-28). "MSNBC, Leaning Left And Getting Flak From Both Sides". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  2. ^ MSNBC Expands to South Africa. TVNEWSER. Published November 15, 2007. Accessed August 24, 2008.
  3. ^ MSNBC.com launches 'A Fuller Spectrum of News' Brand Campaign. MSNBC.com. Published April 2, 2007. Accessed August 24, 2008.
  4. ^ "MSNBC.com". 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  5. ^ a b c d Cable Channel Nods to Ratings and Leans Left. New York Times. Published November 6, 2007. Accessed August 24, 2008.
  6. ^ a b Kurtz, Howard (2008-09-08). "MSNBC Drops Olbermann, Matthews as News Anchors". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
  7. ^ a b Stelter, Brian (2008-09-07). "MSNBC Takes Incendiary Hosts From Anchor Seat". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
  8. ^ Jodi Jodi Applegate WNYW biography: [1]
  9. ^ Collins, Scott Crazy Like A Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat CNN, ISBN 1-59184-029-5
  10. ^ Beato, G. Media Circus, April 11, 1997, Salon Magazine [2]
  11. ^ Goodman, Walter. "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; New and Familiar Faces In News Channel Debut", The New York Times, July 23, 1996. [3]
  12. ^ MSNBC at Ten; Remembering The Site. [4]
  13. ^ Burelle's Transcripts: [5]
  14. ^ Siklos, Richard. "This Little Peacock is Showing Some Pluck. BusinessWeek, August 17, 1998.
  15. ^ Towery, Terry. "MSNBC proves it is ready." Peoria Journal Star, July 21, 1996. Page C12
  16. ^ Bianculli, David: "BEST OF 'IMUS IN THE MORNING' ON MSNBC? THEM'S THE BREAKS." New York Daily News, September 29, 1996.
  17. ^ Collins, Scott Crazy Like A Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat CNN, ISBN 1-59184-029-5
  18. ^ Flash, Cynthia. "MICROSOFT LEARNS COSTLY MEDIA LESSON". Tacoma News Tribune, September 24, 1997. Page C9
  19. ^ "MSNBC CHANNEL CANCELS 'THE SITE,' AWARD-WINNING TECHNOLOGY SHOW". Seattle Times, September 21, 1997, Page E4.
  20. ^ Pope, Kyle. "Future Seems Bright at MSNBC Despite Tiny Ratings." The Wall Street Journal, October 28, 1997, page B1
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See also

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