NBC ‘relieved’ that ‘Meet the Press’ is off this week

[Contrary1]

Isn't everybody?

NBC insiders are “relieved” to not have to suffer through another week of dull ratings for “Meet the Press” under new host Chuck Todd, sources sniped to Page Six.

In the wake of the program’s third-place finish in the ratings last week, this Sunday’s broadcast will be pre-empted for the Ryder Cup golf tournament.

Political guru Todd scored a quick win in his Sept. 7 debut on “MTP” with an exclusive interview with President Obama, drawing nearly 3 million viewers. But he’s since slipped to third place, grabbing only 2.4 million viewers for the Sept. 21 program. ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” scored 3 million viewers on the Sept. 21 show, while CBS’s “Face the Nation” earned 2. 9 million viewers.

One media insider told us of NBC execs: “They are quite relieved there is no broadcast given their showings in the ratings. They lost by a huge margin and have poured so much money into promotion and press that it’s a surprise they’re not doing a little better and weren’t able to hold any of the audience that tuned in for Todd’s premiere week.”

More: http://pagesix.com/2014/09/28/nbc-relieved-that-ryder-cup-is-pre-empting-meet-the-press/

[Rex]

1. If only they cared about something besides $$$.

Pathetic.

[AndyTiedye]

27. They Care About Pushing the RW Agenda More than they do About Ratings and Advertising $$$

Why do all the networks push the Republican agenda when the GOP is so unpopular? Certainly it cannot be helping their ratings one bit.
You'd think at least one of the networks would try to serve the more liberal audience, but NOoooo.

It's not about ratings. They are the propaganda organs of the corporations that own them, and that role trumps everything else.

[montanacowboy]

2. Are they really that stupid?

did they really think that the Toad will bring ratings up? OMG, how much are these idiots paid?

[2banon]

8. They should hire John Stewart. (Yes, I'm serious)

John has years of interviewing experience and more intellectual acumen packed in his little pinky than all of those clowns put together. Not to mention the spinal wherewithal to call out bullshit when it's delivered.

[Johonny]

39. I agree... or John Oliver if you look at how TDS does news and attracts young viewer

you wonder why aren't the networks trying to do that. They do bits the crush FOX fake news items, present liberal ideas as if they deserve coverage, and mix in good interviews. Yet the Networks would rather rehash the weeks top non stories created by FOX. If I needed to know what FOX thinks is news I'd just watch FOX.

[Baitball Blogger]

40. We are SO incredibly lucky to have these political satirists handling the

news in the only way that makes any sense! Our world has become so twisted and absurd, that the only thing to do is call it out on a comedy show.

[2banon]

42. Thought of him too..

I'm subscribed to John Oliver's show via youtube i think, (don't get cable/sat) and I've really been enjoying his weekly. He's as capable I think, certainly a thousand times more than the ass hats the network(s) trots out. Completely agree on all points with your post, especially with regard to the rehashing of FOX. INANE/INSANE!

[Ampersand Unicode]

44. NBC is a joke. They only care about "young viewers" when it comes to SNL fluff.

They're probably in talks with Lorne Michaels to have Tina Fey and Amy Poehler replace Upchuck Toad (or just MTP entirely with Weekend Update). Or have Hashtag the dancing panda replace Brian Williams on Nightly News. Remember that "young viewers" were why they axed Leno in the first place (OK, second place), and replaced the blah boomer with Pee Wee Fallon. I'm probably in the minority but I can't abide any of them. I'm a millennial myself and don't want to believe my generation's viewing tastes are this dumb. But then, Kimye...

There's a reason why King Carson used to call this channel Nothing But Crap. Right now the only NBC product I watch is Rachel, and get my news online or from Stewart. (I don't have HBO so can't watch Oliver.) I'm sick of all the white-guy generic news shows and dopey sitcoms anyway. The peacock network is on life support and about to go the way of the dodo bird.

[Tarheel_Dem]

52. I doubt that NBC "is on life support", but MTP certainly is. n/t

[aggiesal]

57. I'm sure the statement "You haven't mentioned Syria" ...

only solidified the stupid.

[tularetom]

3. They seriously thought Chunky Turd was going to be different from Dances With Rove?

These people are too stupid to breathe.

They'll do everything to save this piece of crap until they've finished grooming baby russert to take over, but I doubt if it'll last that long.

[LittleGirl]

53. LOL thanks for the chuckle. eom

[oldandhappy]

4. Having the president on should not count re ratings! Really!

[Wella]

5. MTP has been on life support for awhile

Lots of reasons for it.

[rurallib]

6. no matter how much they polish the turd, no one will buy it

here's a thought - quit selling turds.

[annabanana]

12. My immediate thought Exactly!

You can "promo" until you're blue in the face. It won't make a damn bit of difference.

It's like the GOP.. They always think they can "fix it in marketing"...

[Spazito]

7. Geez, the stupidity abounds...

"...it’s a surprise they’re not doing a little better and weren’t able to hold any of the audience that tuned in for Todd’s premiere week.”

People watched MTP when President Obama was on in spite of it being hosted by Todd NOT because of it. For them to be surprised shows how utterly unaware they are on why the show is horrid and in last place although choosing Todd as the replacement for Gregory already indicated they don't 'get it'.

[freshwest]

15. Agreed, three million people did not tune in to see Todd's dumbass.

[Spazito]

17. It is truly bizarre they thought there would be an uptick on his second show...

they are so oblivious as to the reasons the show is an abject failure, oblivious to the fact the public see how the show and its hosts favor the repub party and parrots its talking points.

[gratuitous]

9. Maybe audiences aren't ready for Todd's edginess

Yeah, that must be it! Todd's just too edgy right now. Once the audience catches up to him, they'll see that Chuck is en fungo!

[louis-t]

59. "En fungo"!!!

[gordianot]

10. After being given a gift Toad bit the hand that was feeding him with an open insult to Obama.

He had the opportunity of a lifetime to ask such questions that have bothered Obama's base such as why so few prosecutions of those who crashed the economy. Instead he tried to turn the tables on Obama with a Romney like gotcha insult "Why no mention of Syria?". I think Todd got a case of Benghazi fever with a dud right wing talking point that will never stick. Using a right wing talking point for short term gain doomed the Toad to irrelevance in short order forever, followed with the actual bombing of Syria a few weeks later made clearer Todd's lost opportunity. The chance to really make a name for himself are rare and probably will be much more rare with Todd in the future with high profile interviews. When Obama was interviewed by O'Reilly he had to to know all he would get were asinine insults and distortions, with Todd he got the same including a dip who did not listen to his own interview responses. Obama really does well with Right Wing hacks such as Todd. I would pay to see an interview with a Progressive or Liberal. Todd and his kind simply do not get it.

[Cha]

16. When you look at Chucky's previous history as rw mediawhore.. he had no

other choice. It's his nature.

Sounds like the President did well with 60 Minutes' Steve Kroft(I know another corp guy) tonight, too..

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/president-obama-60-minutes/

[TheNutcracker]

11. I would love a crack at it!

Complete without talking points and ear buds!

[Omaha Steve]

13. OOPS!

[Cha]

14. And, unfortunately for Chucky and his backers at nbc "news" corp.. like President Deborah Turness..

Chucky blew that first bonus interview with POTUS.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025502533

[SoapBox]

18. Bring on Rachel as host...

Their ratings would skyrocket.

[former9thward]

21. You have to be kidding.

Maddow's ratings are about 755,000 viewers. That is about 1/4 of Meet the Press.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/09/26/cable-news-ratings-for-thursday-september-25-2014/307209/

[greyl]

22. You haven't thought this through... nt

[wheniwasincongress]

24. and

what were Chuck Todd's ratings for the Daily Rundown?

[JI7]

32. you have got to be kidding ? cable gets less ratings than broadcast tv ?

who knew ?

[former9thward]

37. Cable is in almost all homes in the country.

This is not 1980 anymore. If they have less ratings there is a reason for it.

[JI7]

50. individual cable channels are not available in all homes even with Cable

[catbyte]

63. MSNBC, unlike Fox-PAC, is not included in basic cable packages. Makes a big difference.

[

[DFW]

58. The MTP host spot is a free key to a new luxury car for any new host

It does NOT guarantee that a new host won't drive the car off a cliff. It took Gregory precious little time to discredit himself. It took Todd less than half his first show--with POTUS no less!-- to be, as Letterman so aptly put it, "on it."

Rachel Maddow is known for her partisanship, but so what? Gregory and Todd are, too. I doubt Rachel would give up her treasured weekends in the Berkshires to host MTP on Sundays, but if she did, MTP would have a host who is known for being factual, thorough, smart, witty, and for treating guests with "hostile" views politely and with decorum. MTP's producers have not shown any interest in such a host for many years, and with the choice of Chuck Todd, they indicate that they have not changed their preferences any.

[Cleita]

23. There was some speculation and articles about that somewhere in the

interwebs and NBC thought Rachel was too partisan. I guess being a stickler for facts and trying to discover the truth is considered partisan.

[stillwaiting]

35. Not letting Republicans get away with talking point lies is too partisan.

The media owners DEMAND that journalists allow for the alternate reality created by corporatists and amplified by the Republican Party and neo-liberal Democrats be given legitimacy. No challenges allowed (except on VERY rare occasions). No follow-up analysis or questions allowed that challenges what they spew. They literally wash away historical perspective and simply regurgitate talking points in order to distract and divide the population. That's all they do now.

[Bette Noir]

49. Reality has a known liberal bias.

[Change has come]

19. LOL

[davidpdx]

20. They should put Chuckie in diapers, shave his head and give him a pacifier.

That would increase the ratings.

[wheniwasincongress]

26. Luke Russert would have the same effect

[davidpdx]

36. No, I don't think so

I'll have to disagree with you on that one. Upchuck Todd has been around longer and has a record of saying really stupid things. Putting him in diapers would suit his personality.

[Raine]

34. I'd tune in that but you can't do thay every week, haha! nt

[wheniwasincongress]

25. I am loving this MTP mess

I didn't think it would get this messy so fast. I really thought it'd take at least half a year. Where will it be, one year from now? Will they have chucked Chuck by then?

[valerief]

28. If they want ratings during that time slot, they should put on

Ice Road Trucking To Go Hand Fishing With Pawn Shop Khorasans.

If they want news for that time slot, they could always hire Amy Goodman.

[TeamPooka]

29. I can organize a mini-golf tournament at Boomers if NBC wants programming options. nt

[TeamPooka]

30. Chuck Todd is to Meet The Press what Conan OBrien was to The Tonight Show......

A temp.

[DonCoquixote]

31. with all due respect

Conan , unlike Chuck, had talent. NBC just refused to kick Jay Leno off, even though he mercilessly kicked Johnny Carson off.

[TeamPooka]

33. The why is irrelevant. The duration is the analogy.

And in the end Conan didn't get a bump that held.
Paar doubled Allen's ratings in 6 months.
Johnny doubled Paars numbers also in about 6 months.
Conan didn't hit the way Fallon has, increasing Jay's numbers from last year.
Either you have it or you don't for The Tonight Show and Conan didn't even though I was Team Coco.
NBC's historic mishandling of these jobs is a factor that needs to be understood here to.
Like picking Conan when they wouldn't stand by him is exactly why Chuck Todd should be very very worried and be keeping his resume up to date.

[Ampersand Unicode]

45. Actually, Johnny chose to retire.

Not defending Leno, but Carson wanted to go out on top. He wanted Letterman for the job, but the brass had the final say.

That being said, ratings or no ratings, my blood pressure can't handle Pee Wee Fallon. That insufferable ADHD punk turned the Carson empire into a Nickelodeon show for special needs children. Who in their right mind jumps around like a kangaroo at quarter to midnight besides an inmate at a mental institution? He has lousy bands on, no-name actors that no one has ever heard of, and all that social media stuff in his routines tells me just how unprofessional he really is. The mere fact that he even has a Twitter account, let alone "crowd-sources" his "comedy" to the "folks at home," speaks volumes of what a no-talent hack he is. Then all he does with his bigger-name guests is gush and slobber all over them like an overzealous autograph seeker. I thought he was going to jump out of his seat and hump Paul McCartney. If NBC wanted to replace Leno with a guy who does impression voices, they should have hired Darrell Hammond. Or even Seth MacFarlane, as a last resort.

I seriously want Colbert to have him on as a guest on Late Show, just to punch him in his smug rubber face. He is an insult to the nation's intelligence. But then, so is the rest of NBC.

And I miss Craig Ferguson already.

[DonCoquixote]

47. Late night in general

has been a casualty of the modern cable era. Why should I pretend to like any of the talking heads when I could watch somethign else to go to sleep to? The onyl late night show I miss now is Chelsea lately, and even that was because she had cmodians on that did alot of the heavy lifting, some of which, like Whitney Cummings and Chris hardwick, have gone on to become stars in their own right.

And I truly dread what will happen when Colbert hits mainstream network TV. They will NOT let him be as funny. On the other hand, when Jon Oliver went to HBO, he was let loose, and made some of the more funny and insightful tv, period.

[CentralMass]

48. Carson had been diagnosed w/ emphysema.

I believe that contributed to his decision to step down.

[CentralMass]

38. It sounds like I am in a minority but I think that Chuck Todd does a decent job.

I also thought that the late Tim Russert was very good.

The purpose of these shows is to book guests who are knowledgeable on current affairs to interview them and spur discussion. I think that Todd does a credible job with his interviews.

He typically poses relevant questions
that help frame current issues and that allow his guests to respond. The show is far more balanced the the right wing talk shows.

I am going to guess that the ratings will tick up.

[Samantha]

41. Ezra Klein would be a great host

Extremely intelligent, well informed and doesn't lean left or right. He has a new venture he has started, so I am not sure he is in a position to do both things, but he really would be interesting. He could invite a guest co-host each week to contribute, and perhaps if that were the case, we could see Rachel Maddow sitting in that chair from time to time.

I think the producers of the show would not give the slot to Rachel Maddow because they fear a backlash from right-wing Republicans and the very conservative influences at Comcast.

Sam

[demigoddess]

43. yes!!!!

[grasswire]

46. their target audience is increasingly irrelevant...

...in the large picture of things. Society has passed them by, and they only hold on by clawing to their remaining wealth. Their world view has been judged and found wanting.

[merrily]

51. Simple solution. Get a better host and a more balanced panel.

Maybe even go back to the original format. Or just pack it in.

There's really nothing left of the old show except the name (MTPINO). So, calling it the longest running show on TV has been bogus anyway.

[tooeyeten]

54. Pick a new guy or girl

Todd cannot carry this program, but it doesn't help that twice as many right wingers appear than the left. Generally same when Tim was host, MTP has always played to the right, the power brokers in DC, where the money is as those that's all who watch the program.

Have a suggestion? Maybe Rachel Maddow. That should make the Kochs heads spin.

[marble falls]

55. Keith Olbermann is tanned, rested and ready.

[Dollface]

60. That would be sweet.

[Adrahil]

64. At least he'd have the guts to ask real questions...

... and not let politcos just skate by with their sound bites.

Todd pisses me off a lot. He's obviously got brains, but he's so worried about alienating his subjects and maybe not getting invited to all the good parties, that he comes off as gutless and shallow. It makes me want to pull my hair out.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

56. Preempted by golf....

Carlin said of televised golf, "It's like watching flies fuck."

And THAT is better than the current MTP.

Now the really FUNNY thing is the Right is going around claiming the REASON MTP is is being rejected by the American People is because it's just too darn Liberal.

[Dollface]

61. Steve Kornacki would be excellent. And he already works on Sunday!

[catbyte]

62. Well, duh.

Come on--they didn't see this coming? Hell, I did.