The LA Times’ Stephen Battaglio writes about the newly revamped MSNBC, set to debut tomorrow…and Brian Williams later on…
NBC News executives believe they have a window of opportunity through 2016 to put MSNBC on a new track. Over that time, news junkies are bound to be transfixed by a presidential election with no incumbent and an eclectic array of candidates. That includes a wildly unpredictable outsider in billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump, the current leader in the Republican polls, who is capable of launching a campaign outside of the two-party system.
Despite its ratings woes, MSNBC remains a highly profitable operation thanks to the subscriber fees it takes in from cable and satellite operators. In its early days, MSNBC gave NBC News anchors and journalists added exposure, enabling it to gain an advantage on its broadcast competitors and helping to develop a deep bench of new talent. Four of the current “Today” show co-hosts, including Savannah Guthrie, came up through MSNBC.
Now NBC News franchises such as “Today,” “NBC Nightly News” and “Meet the Press” are in a dogfight to retain their ratings supremacy. Getting additional exposure on MSNBC could help them again, Klein said.
“When they first went and split [NBC News and MSNBC] and let MSNBC get into liberal opinion, they had the luxury of a news brand that was riding high,” he said. “Now they need to consolidate.”
Filed under: MSNBC
