How David Gregory Lost His Job

[MADem]

http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/how-david-gregory-lost-his-job/

Last summer, Gregory was let go from his gig as host of "Meet the Press." Here's an inside look at his fall from the top—and what it says about the state of TV news.
By Luke Mullins

...For six years, David Gregory had owned the most coveted job in political journalism. Meet the Press first aired in 1947 and is now the longest-running show on network television. It started as a half-hour press conference and evolved into the place where Presidents came to make news—John F. Kennedy called it “the 51st state.”

But under Gregory, the most prestigious political franchise in Washington media had collapsed. Although he took over at a time when eyeballs were declining across the board because of 24-hour cable news networks and a constant stream of internet talking heads, no Sunday show plunged further than his. Between 2008, when Gregory took over, and last summer, just before he left, Meet the Press lost 43 percent of its viewers and dropped from first to third place in the ratings.

It would be easy to write off Gregory’s ouster as a garden-variety network-talent hit job. No one in TV can hide from the numbers, and Gregory’s record had made him a clear target for NBC executives. But there was more to his downfall than Nielsen data. Nasty internal sabotage, TV-size egos clawing for his job, and a new NBC News boss looking to blow up convention all contributed to Gregory’s demise.

For Comcast, NBC’s new corporate owner, there was more at stake. The fight wasn’t just about saving a national treasure. A strong Meet the Press helps more than the bottom line—it provides instant credibility in Washington for a notoriously despised company looking to control both the shows we watch and the pipes that deliver them.

As such, a close look at the clash is also a chance to get a close-up on the present and future of TV news....

What a mess!

[DFW]

1. You can analyze it to the end of time, but a few core facts remain

People who WANT to watch partisan Republican talk shows turn to Fox.

People who look for non-partisan news interviews turn off shows moderated by partisan hacks, especially if they lie about their bias. Gregory was not non-partisan. He should have just said so, been open about his bias. That way, he could have let the chip fall where they may, and been able to carry some credibility with him to his next job. Instead, he now has none, and nor does the wreck of MTP that he left behind. Of course, bringing in Chuck Todd to replace him at MTP was sort of like serving a hamburger to a vegetarian, and after his complaint, replacing the hamburger with a hot dog.

[liberalmike27]

22. Exactly

You could call it "Meet The Republicans," pretty much.

Eyes that left, were mostly Democrats, and heavily partisan right-wingers, who didn't see the Republicans as big enough Jerks.

Democrats have been fleeing television since the Internet became a viable place to just talk, and post stuff on message boards in the 1990s, since Fairness was repealed in the media in 1987. From that point, through the 1990's, to the current day, we still have a "small" spectrum of the overall ideological spectrum, to the right of the center, from MSNBC>>>>FOX/Rush.

Sadly, far too many of the stupid, were "converted," along with the media.

[MarianJack]

23. I believe that there is a significant difference between Gregory & Todd.

David Gregory is clean shaven, so he will only kiss the asses of the Republicans/teabaggers. Little Chuckie Todd has a beard and a mustache, so when HE kisses the same asses as Gregory, je can also give them a little tickle!

PEACE!

[Quantess]

53. ...!

[BillZBubb]

27. You nailed it.

The wingnuts are glued to Faux, Gregory was a Faux wannabe. He had no audience. Of course, then Comcast doubled down with the Toad. For Meet the Press it's time to meet the reaper.

[MADem]

28. Fair point!

I don't watch because it's regurgitated crap...

[Skittles]

34. EXCELLENT analysis

[DeSwiss]

2. ....

[1StrongBlackMan]

3. Posted to for later. n/t

[adirondacker]

4. The last of watchable TV "journalists" went out with this person...

as far as I'm concerned anyway.

[Dustlawyer]

11. +1!!! Ditto!

[loudsue]

15. So true. The demise of the Fairness Doctrine has lead to a failed state status.

The US is no longer the moral leader of the world like we once were.

[rock]

33. If it's not impartial

It's not news. Duh.

[maddiemom]

42. "Uncle Walter" and many of his near contemporaries did have a somewhat liberal slant.

Back in the post Eisenhower days, that was not really partisan, but understandable in accordance with our alleged democratic (small D) principles. A lot changed with a "foreigner" and Reagan worshiper, Rupert Murdoch, taking over U.S. news; not only Fox, but abetted by the right wing talk radio Nuts who were allowed to spew what the same right wingers would label "treason" and (God forbid) Socialism coming from the left.

[Carolina]

44. K&R... so true!

[RKP5637]

51. +1, n/t

[JohnnyRingo]

5. Good read...

I would advise everyone to follow the link and read the entire article. It is truly a well researched behind the curtain look at Comcast and NBC news.

Thanx for posting.

[MADem]

29. I like the "inside baseball" details, myself. Glad you enjoyed it, I sure found it fascinating. nt

[JohnnyRingo]

37. Few people want to read such a lengthy article these days.

It's sad, but social media has led us down a road of instant information, a road of 170 characters and headlined excerpts that spawn knee jerk comments sans the nuances (see below). I know I've been guilty of that myself, but I'm glad I took the time on this piece.

[MADem]

38. Ain't that the truth--if it's not boiled down to "talking points" and

"sound bites" it doesn't get much play.

I don't think anyone would want to be regarded as "simple" or "one dimensional," but sadly, it seems we accept that level of discourse when it comes to news and events. We, The People would do well to get better at that kind of thing, and do a bit more 'delving' at times!!!

[hatrack]

6. Shorter version - he sucked

.

[840high]

21. ...^ that

[Alkene]

7. n/t necessary.

[Mike Nelson]

8. Great Article!

...now, can't they come up with another $4 million for Chuck???

[rurallib]

9. maybe he didn't book McCain enough?

As poster #1 said Gregory came across as a right wing shill. What people turn to shows likeMTP they want to see politicians challenged, not coddled.

[Ed Suspicious]

13. And that is the real reason for the MTP flop. Good call.

[octoberlib]

10. This is a great article! Especially this :

Gregory had no shortage of rivals at NBC, and speculation centered on the two who were represented by powerful and media-savvy agents: Joe Scarborough, a client of Ari Emanuel, the Hollywood superagent and the inspiration for Ari Gold on HBO’s Entourage, and Todd, a client of Jay Sures at United Talent Agency.

Scarborough, the Republican congressman turned MSNBC talking head and host of Morning Joe, had been after Gregory’s job for years, according to former NBC employees. And inside MSNBC’s New York offices, Scarborough is known as a prima donna who doesn’t respond well to “no.”

“He constantly clashes with [MSNBC president] Phil Griffin,” says a former NBC employee. “There are times when he would just not even talk to Griffin.”

[Cha]

12. Too bad chuckie..

"On Sunday, September 7, a slimmed-down and newly tanned Todd interviewed President Obama for his first show as moderator. The program attracted its largest audience in six months, earning NBC a hard-fought ratings win. The following week, Meet the Press fell back to third place. It hasn’t returned to the top since."

And, chuck didn't even listen to what the President was saying.

Thanks for this, MADem..

[dmosh42]

14. I can remember seeing MTP back in the 50s, when it was......

a non-partisan show moderated by Lawrence Spivak. Back then, most news shows were suppose to be 'fair and balanced' as far as interviewing, and I thought Spivak lived up to that. I may be wrong, but I think they had panelists who also asked questions. Anyway, that show was pretty much the show to watch on Sundays mornings if you wanted to understand the important issues. Somewhere in the 80s and 90s, it became more about the rich and famous and kissing up to the billionaires.

[DFW]

35. You probably saw my dad a few times

Spivak had him on when an important politician from the Great Lakes states was on, as his beat was Washington happenings that affected the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes.

[dmosh42]

36. I hardly remember too many of the guests, but the show was pretty wide ranged at times,....

so it wouldn't surprise me if I did see him.

[maddiemom]

41. You are right. ( a belated response, I know).

My mom was a news junkie when I was growing up in the fifties and sixties (one of the few active Democrats in our very Republican town, she also greeted JFK and was on stage with him when he was barnstorming the country prior to the 1960 election). MTP was a Sunday ritual, and back then, with Spivak, featured a panel of real journalists who asked relevant questions of the political guests. A lot changed with the "sainted" Tim Russert, whose considerable talent allowed him to make the Republican slant remarkably subtle. Anyone who'd had one of the prevalent "communications " college courses in the "Sixties," focusing on subtler uses of propaganda could easily see it.

[L0oniX]

16. I quit watching it when Tim Russert took over.

[6000eliot]

17. He lost his job because he wasn't any good at it.

[aikoaiko]

18. It was being filmed in possession of an illegal 30-round AR mag

[IMG][/IMG]

[Hubert Flottz]

32. He looks just like my sister's old...

Sock Monkey! Dancing around reality!

[billhicks76]

19. That Show Was And Is Crony State Sponsored Propaganda

All centrist conservatives controlling the flow of information. Tim Russert, David Gregory and Chuck Todd never challenge power. They are a waste of time.

[JackHughes]

20. The Meet The Press Formula

1. Ask Republicans (usually John McCain or Lindsey Graham) questions
2. Allow unchallenged responses consisting of mindless conventional wisdom or canned talking points
3. Leave it there

[maddiemom]

24. Dubya tried to completely humiliate (at least SHOULD have) David Gregory.

When Gregory politely spoke French to a foreign leader (Chirac) during a press conference, Bush showed his clueless ignorance by making fun of him. Afterwards Gregory continued to suck up to Bush, then even danced with Karl Rove. No more perfect example of what is wrong with the "press" these days. Gregory's career should have ended after that, rather than being given MTP. His failure there was no surprise to any "news junkie" who was paying attention.

[maddiemom]

49. P.S. "Dances with Rove" (where I thought Gregory's national news career should have ended),

probably had a bit to do with the prominence of such liberal successes as Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. As a teacher, filling in to cover a study hall about a dozen years ago, I had one of the kids interviewing me about "teacher viewing habits." I listed my favorite TV show as "The Daily Show." He hadn't heard of it, but, as also a parent, I knew student viewing restrictions were not the same as in my day, and said it would be worthwhile if his parents allowed him to catch the show on the TV that he probably had in his room. Over the next few years, I frequently ran into former students who credited

[PCIntern]

25. Terrific! Thanks for the link! K and R! nt

[question everything]

26. This is mostly a recap of the events

with only one sentence:

"But there was more to his downfall than Nielsen data. Nasty internal sabotage, TV-size egos clawing for his job, and a new NBC News boss looking to blow up convention all contributed to Gregory’s demise. "

Who were the saboteurs, who was/is the new NBC News boss, and how did he want to "blow up convention?"

Did he succeed with Todd?

Frankly, I don't watch any of the actual interviews on any of the network, go straight to the panel discussion that can be more interesting and often diverse.

[madinmaryland]

30. David Gregory was a shitty moderator with mostly right wing guests.

He might as well have been on Fox Noise.

[MADem]

31. We got the guests that the bosses wanted, which made the show suck. nt

[Hekate]

39. They considered both Gwen Ifill and Andrea Mitchell for Russert's job. Gwen would have been good.

Andrea Mitchell is older and supremely well-established, true, but sometimes her bias shows.

Gwen Ifill has gravitas you don't often see any more, and she has that PBS partiality for the truth. She would have been an interesting pick, if they could get her.

I'm still reading the article -- what they have to say about Comcast is very interesting. And creepy.

[MADem]

40. There's a reason COMCAST is one of the most hated corporations going....

Actually--a LOT of reasons! Let me count the ways! Easily the most usurious cable company in the history of the entity!

Of course, before them, it was General Electric and that sleazy kingmaker Jack Welch (who told Tim Russert he could be ethical or rich, basically) who ran the show.

I don't think that any corporation--for profit or otherwise--should have any say over what "the news" covers. And MTP has always been regarded as "news" or at least "news-ish." They might as well call it "GOP Gossip on the Hill" for all the relation it bears to news nowadays.

[maddiemom]

50. Rachel Maddow: or anyone close. Too much to ask for.

[Hekate]

56. She currently plays the enthusiastic partisan, but is capable of being a sharp & fair interviewer

I like her when she gets focused. She could do it.

[Carolina]

43. I still can't get over

the Tim Russert admiration society and the assertion that he was irreplaceable

I was disgusted with him throughout the Clinton years. He showed a deference to anything repukes said even then. But I stopped watching NBC with Theft 2000 when the network, in its ongoing effort to outfox FOX, was the second to report a faux Bush victory. NBC was owned by GE then and GE's CEO was a known Bush supporter. Even prior to that, many you may recall that when the multiple Bush and Cheney DUIs were exposed in the fall general election campaign, that smarmy Matt Lauer and sickening Katie Couric on TODAY discussed the possible Democratic source of information rather than the information itself. Meanwhile, Al Gore was pilloried for any and everything, including his earth tone fashions! Thank God he invented the internet!

As for MTP (and Russert)... how anyone could watch that show and consider it credible (or him anything but a hack) after the cheerleading for the Iraq War is beyond me. Russert's MTP allowed the likes of Cheney and Condiliar full hours to spout pure, unchallenged bullshit. I would cuss at the TV, exclaiming:

- that the weapons' inspectors had not finished their work and had found NOTHING
- that most of the 9/11 hijackers and bin Laden were Saudis not Iraqis
- that since we bombed Iraq to smithereens in 1991, it had been under ghastly (US imposed and led) sanctions, so how could it have
morphed into an imminent threat
- that all of Cheney's BS was spelled out in PNAC's plan and 9/11 was being used to justify a dastardly plan

Finally for the sake of my blood pressure and sanity, I simply turned the fucking TV off. I have not watched TV news in over a decade and no amount of shifting seats at MTP could ever make me subject myself to that garbage on Sunday morning. Gardening is so much more fulfilling and gratifying.

[MADem]

45. You have a memory like I do--Saint Timmy wore a Bush button

on the underside of his tuxedo lapel at the Al Smith dinner the year Bush and Gore attended...

So much for impartiality!

Between ethical and rich, he chose rich...!

Can't take it with ya, though....

[Carolina]

46. Touche!

That Bush button... forgot about that!

True confession, when Timmy's sellout money couldn't buy his longevity, I had a moment of feeling: instant karma's gonna get you and the Lord don't like ugly

And as for his son Luke, he personifies white boys' affirmative action

[MADem]

47. You got that right--when Luke started dissing Pelosi for being "old"

he earned an engraved place on my Permanent Shit List.

He's the walking, talking definition of Stupid. Old Timmy didn't get his money's worth from Boston College with that kid--he's as dumb as a bag of hammers, and not as useful, either.

I wonder if they've sold the overblown Vineyard chateau yet? The taxes over there aren't chickenfeed...!

[Carolina]

48. Gregory and his Nantucket digs

Timmy and the Vineyard chateau ... so sad that these hacks have polluted the place. We had family friends who had a quaint little cottage (a la Summer of '42) in Oak Bluffs. Wonderful place before the richy riches and their mcmansions took over and blocked the view of the harbor.

The taxes aren't chickenfeed precisely because of people like the Russerts, Gregories...

[maddiemom]

52. Young Luke indeed.

My own daughter, a journalism major, was never interested in broadcast journalism, and always was annoyed because a number of her professors tried to steer her that way because she was an attractive young woman. Sadly, with the state of print journalism today, she ended up in advertising/ public relations, which gives her a chance to make a living from actually writing. As a teacher, I grew to know more and more (mostly male) students interested in broadcast journalism and often already working in local radio. Luke Russert is a really sore subject to most of them.

[maddiemom]

54. BTW, though: Li'l Luke's mom, Maureen Orth, is a fairly decent working print journalist.

[MADem]

57. She's done some good pieces for Vanity Fair. nt

[Quantess]

58. Because he sucks, right?

[tularetom]

55. Chunk Turd “let it be known that he was the one that Tim Russert wanted.”

Nothing funnier to me than an outbreak of cannibalism among the douchebags.