Got fed up. Wrote to NBC's Phil Griffin and Andy Lack about MSNBC grotesqueries

[calimary]

Let me know what you think. Address included at the top here, in case you want to use it for your own letter.

Phil Griffin
NBCUniversal
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112

Dear Mr. Griffin –

Longtime loyal MSNBC viewer here. Demographically: female, white, 64, college grad, wife/mother, news/politics junkie, retired news anchor/reporter, lifelong liberal Democrat, and I vote! Honored to be a member of your loyal viewership that’s lifted MSNBC to #1 in cable news in prime time, thanks to two true gems - Maddow and O’Donnell!

First: THANK YOU for relieving us of Greta Van Susteren. I wrote you months ago to point out that such a signature Fox News name DOES NOT BELONG on a network like MSNBC. Her ratings failure proved my point. PLEASE understand your audience better. We’re home at MSNBC precisely BECAUSE it does not feature programming or on-air talent like what you’d find at Fox News. If we wanted that presentation, we’d already be watching over there.

2) WHY did you force Megyn Kelly on NBC? The ratings already prove that’s another fail. She reads ice-cold on camera. She does not, and will not, appeal at any network whose audience isn’t predominately male, old, white, conservative, and horny. Move her over to MSNBC at your peril. There are far better and smarter ways to spend $17+ million/year.

3) WHY is the #1 BEST interviewer in cable news being squandered on weekend mornings? Joy Reid deserves and has earned massively better exposure, like a Monday-through-Friday show.

4) WHY do Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle deserve so much Monday-through-Friday exposure? There are THREE shows between those two people alone. You really don’t have any other available talent? Are you planning to change the name of MSNBC into the Velshi/Ruhle network?

5) WHY is MSNBC being turned into a whites-only club? You gave up a Tamron Hall for the Alpha blonde from Fox News??? While the excellent Craig Melvin is reduced to a mere fill-in, and the brilliant Joy Reid languishes on the weekends?

6) WHY would you even consider the smug, arrogant, and obnoxious Hugh Hewitt for ANY exposure on MSNBC??? WHY does ANY conservative merit a show on MSNBC in the first place??? Do you just have a thing for a bad fit? Do you buy your suits that way?

I represent your largest and most loyal constituency. WHY do you make programming choices like you have? Unless you’re a mole for CNN (or worse, Fox)?

PLEASE consider the constituency you have, which is THE reason why MSNBC now reigns in cable news. If you continue to alienate us with your bad hires and programming decisions, you can count on legions of us finding new homes for our loyalty.

I was right about Greta. I’m right about this, too.


Signed, and CC'd to Andrew Lack

[gratuitous]

1. Heh!

"Do you buy your suits that way?"

[calimary]

2. Well? Inquiring minds wanna know!

[WinkyDink]

38. Great line!

[Squinch]

3. "Do you buy your suits that way?"

Great letter!

[snowy owl]

4. For the same reason KPHX Phoenix Progressive Talk just died

MONEY Everything is all about profit these days. I'll miss KPHX more than l miss MSNBC. I quit MSNBC last year. Even bought down my cable subscription because MSNBC was the only reason I bought up. I will miss KPHX so much! I love radio! I hope Sante Fe 1260 KTRC can survive. I finally sent them money to keep going. They are looking for subscribers. I'm sick of TV anyway - it is all about Boeing and big pharma on MSNBC.

[DK504]

20. LA's only progressive radio station shut down all the great progressive

talk shows and turned it into a sports station, I think it became a Spanish speaking station, something else I think. It was THE #1 talk station in all of So. Cal. and right after Alfred E. Newman was selected in 2000. Overnight half of the progressive station went off the air.

MSNBC caved immediately by firing Phil Donahue, which was their #1 show, an afternoon show was #1 and they cancelled it because they are such chicken shits. The last straw was Keith Olbermann....he put them on the map and they have been in downward spiral ever since. god riddance to bad rubbish.

[mr_lebowski]

22. OH FUCK IS THAT WHAT HAPPENED!?!

I turned on 1480 KPHX this AM on my way to work as I've done 5 x Week for years ... and it was static ... and I started freaking out ... Now you're confirming that the worst ... is true?

FML man ... I gotta get outta this state.

[snowy owl]

41. Bring it up online which is how I listen and a line cruising across the top that they're done

I think Santa Fe and Chicago are the only ones I can get anymore and both online. Do you know of any others? Santa Fe is asking for money and I'm sending. I'd have sent to Phoenix if they had asked. Didn't know they were in trouble or are them? Maybe ownership change?

BTW, Seattle hasn't had a progressive station for years. If it can happen here, I guess it can happen anywhere. Having said that, we have a lot of Republican counties in this state. Also, Santa Fe has a lot of former government people so maybe they will hold out. I know Valerie Plame and hubby (can't remember his name) live there and they said that during an interview.

[spooky3]

48. Joseph Wilson n/t

[bhusar]

54. It's true

They have it on their site. No warning. Last Friday it went to static.

[3catwoman3]

49. You can get WCPT (Chicago Progressive Talk)...

...on line or with a radio app. Stephanie Miller in the morning. Norman Goldman 5-8 PM. Hal Sparks Saturday morning 9-11 (these are central time zone).

Worth a try, perhaps.

[maddiemom]

56. My daughter found WCPT quite a while back.

I, too, highly recommend its daytime programming. Later it gets to be of pretty local Chicago/Illinois interest.

[katmondoo]

5. I emailed every day to keep Lawrence O'Donnell on

Your letter represents everything I wanted to email to MSNBC, I can't bear it if they give the 6:00 PM to Hugh Hewitt. In some ways I am happy to have Joy on Sat. and Sundays otherwise there would be no news at all on weekends.

[colsohlibgal]

6. Money

In city after city high rated progressive talk has been replaced by low rated right wing talk. The rich owners of these station take the upfront loss figuring that the propoganda will turn a few more small minds rightward.

Griffin is repeating this modus operand.

We need the right's favorite rich boogeyman George Soros to pony up for a real liberal network like Gore had till he took the money and ran.

[sheshe2]

7. Hot dayum!

You rock!❤️

[madokie]

8. Awesome

Nothing quit like telling it like it is

You done that in spades

[iluvtennis]

9. Wow, I love your letter. Well Said!

[George II]

10. I agree with you on most of your points, don't agree on some. But an excellent rundown...

....of current MSNBC program hosts.

[bdjhawk]

11. Well written!

Thank you!

[NBachers]

12. Your experience and writing abilities really come across. Good

[H2O Man]

13. Outstanding!

Recommended.

[zentrum]

14. The Demographic

...they are after is younger. 29 to 44 or something like that. It's all about the AD dollar and they feel those younger people buy more stuff.

No MSM exists for journalism and news. They are conduits for consumer goods and services that happen to also produce news shows. More and more like universities, by the way----they are becoming real estate businesses that also happen to offer classes.

The push--back to Lack and Griffen has to include research and numbers about how we liberals also shop.

[Delmette2.0]

15. I also miss Melissa Harris Perry! n/t

[TNNurse]

30. Me too

[kytngirl]

16. My 2-cents worth

I heard they were giving Ari Greta's old slot. I like Ari. I also like the nerdy Steve Kornacki.

Agree that Joy should have a close-to-prime-time, M-F show. She is awesome and man is she sharp! Plus she is a straight up progressive. We do not have guess where she stands on important issues. She stands with us, just like Lawrence.

Ari has a 2-hour Sunday show (total waste of talent in this time slot).

I wish they'd give their real talent time slots they deserve and move the lesser talent to the weekend.

Chuck Todd, whom I lost all respect for when he said it wasn't his job to call out politicians on their lies, has a Sunday show AND a M-F week day show! What's up with that?!

What happened to the commentator Eric Michael Dyson. He was sharp (though he talked a little too fast), plus he is a gentleman of color. Something MSNBC needs. They could have given him Sharpton's slot (I don't know what Sharpton has on MSNBC, but it must be big). I don't know of anyone who watches Rev. Al - not even the black fans of the MSNBC and of which I am one. They had another black commentator who I thought was good. I can't remember his name and I believe he might have been a Georgetown professor. He was sharp too.

Chris Hayes is okay, but I'd rather see him on earlier and Joy Reid or Ari Melber be Rachel's lead-in. And every since Brian Williams had an on-air orgasm talking about Trump's so-called bombing of Assad, I can't even bear to look at him.

[watoos]

53. Velshi, Ruhle, Todd, and Kornacki should be on Fox

Keep pretending everyone that msnbc is so progressive. I remember well starting with Phil Donahue the people it canned when they went off script; Olbermann, Brashear, Uyger, Ratigan. Dylan Ratigan was more passionate than Rachel at the end. He was exposing crony capitalism, I never missed his show.
Chris Hayes is #2 behind Rachel and Joy and Lawrence are right there too. That's about it.
Remember, it's the narrative that matters. If Fox is saying that president Obama beat his wife, and CNN is saying it doesn't know yet, and msnbc is saying no he didn't, what's the difference, the topic is still about Obama beating his wife. How many of the 3 stations are pushing impeachment? How many are pushing for the 25th Amendment? How many are pushing Trump's sexual perversions?
It's all about the narrative, about good cop bad cop.
Rachel, Chris, Joy and Lawrence stray from the narrative, they better keep on their toes, Lawrence survived but the message was sent.

[calimary]

62. I remember all that, too. Dylan Ratigan got to be pretty damn good.

As did Martin Bashir.

I remember when they got rid of the Young Turks - because some whiny pissant in the GOP in Washington complained about the questions asked on that show. MSNBC management should have given the Turks a raise. They were doing their jobs! Holding those SOBs' feet to the fire. And those SOBs couldn't take it! Sounds like a bunch of mini-trumps to me, from the perspective of today.

Awwww... poor widdle baby... you don't like the questions you're asked, so you're gonna stamp your widdle feet and stick your widdle chin out reeeeeal far, and not gonna provide guests for The Young Turks show. FINE! Too damn bad. Many of MSNBC's viewers aren't interested in seeing or hearing your "side" of things, anyway. Seems to me MSNBC is there to provide and expand upon the liberal/progressive worldview.

If you want GOP propaganda, there's an entire cable network devoted to that, and unquestioningly so, 24-7-365.

[PatSeg]

17. Excellent lLetter

[SpankMe]

18. Good letter. Had to laugh at myself, though.

In the second paragraph, I accidentally read "on-air talent" as "on-air toilet". The reference to Fox News a few words after that mush have thrown me.

[calimary]

29. That's a good one, SpankMe!

Many times I've felt that the Pox Noise fare constitutes an on-air toilet. Certainly Alex Jones and limbaugh qualify for that, too!

[babylonsister]

19. Rock on, calimary!

Excellent!!

[OnDoutside]

21. Agree apart from Velshi/Ruhle who do a great job.

[SayItLoud]

23. Well written articulate and

will get no response. Applaud you for your direct and snark free manner. Thanks for taking the time and effort to reach out to them.

[calimary]

27. Welcome to DU, SayItLoud!

Yeah, I'm sure I won't hear back. But I wanted that on the record (sorry, Greta, that slogan isn't just yours). I wanted that in the files. SOMEBODY there is at least going to skim through it, a secretary, an intern, an assistant.

Besides, I keep remembering what Paul Begala said back during bush/cheney, regarding the importance of weighing in - and specifically, writing in. He said "100 paper letters can change the course of a newsroom."

Reason is, anybody in these shops who's keeping track of audience feedback will make a note. Or a checked box. Or some other record of yay-or-nay. Depending on the size of the market, a single input is considered to be representative of sentiments shared by multiples of other people who just didn't let their voices be heard. The reasons for that include apathy, didn't have time, too busy, didn't think it'd make any difference, driving, wanted to but something else came up, wanted to but forgot, etc. Sometimes it's at a rate of one letter representing 10 others in agreement. Or 100. Or 1000. Or 10,000. Or higher. At a network level - a LOT higher. I read awhile back that the Gallup people have estimated that ONE person called for a public opinion survey represents 50,000 other people who didn't get called.

Staffers and interns in Congressional offices, working for representatives, Senators, or back home in the state legislature or the governor's office, have logs they keep. RING! Somebody calls in. Grouses about health care. Thank you for calling in, and goodbye. Get the log - check the box. Another opinion on health care. Or, more specifically, another support for the GOP "Hell care" or opposition to it. The volume of calls is such, by now, that they've all had to start keeping running tallies of the opinions.

Every radio station where I've worked had a request-line. Or some community switchboard line. And the folks answering the phones keep track. Used to be, before deregulation, people calling in about an issue would have an impact on what kind of public affairs programming would be planned and produced in the coming weeks. You call up and keep requesting Ariana Grande or "Come Together" by the Beatles or some such artist, and by Jove they'll make sure that artist or song is on the playlist, possibly also in high rotation, depending on the format.

Notice, too, every time you're at the store - whatever store it is. What is popular gets restocked. A popular brand will have more of its items added. What doesn't get a lot of purchases doesn't stay on the shelves. In cases like this, you weigh in via your pocket book. Look what happened when Ivanka Trump's knock-off fashion line was boycotted. Stores, some of them major, discontinued her line.

These activist events, showing up en masse at somebody's town hall, all that - it counts. None of those SOBs in the GOP would do squat regarding health care except yank it away without even batting an eye, if there weren't crowds of angry voters giving them hell, and letting them know.

It matters. It matters a lot.

If they think you don't care, they won't, either. So make sure they know you care! Whether you think it's gonna make any difference or not. What if YOURS is the one letter that finally tips the scale?

[BlancheSplanchnik]

63. Love your OP and this post.

With regard to writing letters, I admit to being one of the, "wants to but forgot/driving/distracted" crowd.

Anyway that letter was outstanding!

[calimary]

67. And the whole other point about writing a paper letter:

The mentality, AND reality, BEHIND it.

Gee, somebody took the time to sit down and write a letter, the old-fashioned way. Pen to paper. Signed the paper with a pen, put it in an envelope, stamped it and mailed it. Physically did so. Nothing through wires or electronics or fleeting texts or pushing buttons or clicking on something. No. You took the time to do this. It was THAT important to you.

CANNOT stress this enough. That paper letter means you went to extra trouble to do this. It's actual, physical, tangible evidence of how important this was to you. That is implicit in a paper letter. THAT is a message, all by itself, regardless what the written message is. The fact that you took the time and trouble to write it out (or type it and print it) so it's ON PAPER. It's an actual tangible physical THING. Something you can hold in your hand. It's there whether you have a power failure or not. Whether your battery runs out or your cell phone's about to die or you're in a bad reception area. It's not out in the ether somewhere. It's there whether you can access some device or not.

And as I recall from when I was still working: a paper letter that really makes an impression is often passed around. Run through the Xerox machine. Maybe multiple copies are made. One of 'em invariably gets posted on the bulletin board in the coffee room. Or the employees' lounge. Where EVERYBODY sees it. And if you've gone ahead and printed it out and mailed it, that avoids an extra step to print it out at the recipient's point. It's already viewable and share-worthy. And it can be saved. Pop it on the printer and make a copy of it. And yes you can scan it so it's in your system, too.

But the on-paper aspect is the thing.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

69. Yes, that's the truth!

Handwritten is a whole other thing.

[Duppers]

24. BRAVO, girl!

You killed it. Great letter.

[Cary]

25. Hewitt makes my skin crawl.

He's smarmy.

[SharonClark]

71. And a liar. A smarmy liar, who can stand that?

[emulatorloo]

26. Fwiw I read that Andy Lack's the "bad guy". Lawrence O'D has said great things about Griffin.

So I expect Griffin will be pretty receptive when he reads yr letter.

Great letter btw

[Ligyron]

28. Well, that's it in a nutshell.

Inspired me to write a letter myself.

[calimary]

31. BOOM! That's freakin' FABULOUS!

Your voice counts! Let it be heard!

[PatrickforO]

32. Problem is MSNBC is owned by Comcast and GE.

These leviathan corporations are a huge part of the problem, and of course they want to take away access to anything that isn't watered down with a corporate propaganda undertone. They really have no interest in ANY of our population getting anywhere close to the truth that they are part of a decades-long effort to re-route our tax money from the US treasury by a) gutting the non-military discretionary part of the budget, so that b) they can 'rebuild' an already bloated military through profitable defense contracts, and c) passing on the largess to other big corporations and Wall Street through tax cuts and loopholes that have allowed trillions in untaxed profits to be deposited in offshore tax havens.

Good thing many of us wrote them in support of Lawrence O'Donnell. And I agree with everything in your post about Joy Reid, Tamron Hall and Craig Melvin.

But, hey, we can all relax...Sinclair Media Corporation is quietly and illegally buying up enough local outlets to 'reach' 70% of the voting populace with right-leaning 'news.' I know that makes ME feel better.

[yallerdawg]

33. NO problem with Stephanie Ruhle!

She is one of the smartest on economics and financials, has barely concealed contempt for Trump and the administration, and takes no crap from anyone!

MSNBC is unwatchable until Ms. Ruhle comes on at 9, 8 CT. Well - the hour before 'AM Joe' is alright, too.

[calimary]

36. Not a fan of Stephanie Ruhle.

And I certainly don't think she should have more than one show per day. EITHER her own, OR co-hosting with Ali Velshi. Not both.

I was neutral on her until Tillerson came between us. When his name was first put in nomination for Secretary of State, she went on about "Rex! Grrrr! Sounds so tough! RRRRRRrex!" like some gushing lovesick teenager. I thought - "Oh for Pete's Sake!?!?!?" and that just turned me off. That was I haven't been able to get beyond that ever since.

Perhaps they want to turn the midday block into business-driven coverage. Otherwise, I can't explain how Ruhle has a show, Ali Velshi has a show, and they they pile on together for a THIRD show. In the same overall day-part. Doesn't make sense. Certainly they have more talent in their stable and could slice off one of those shows to give to a different anchor. (Like maybe Joy Reid? But I'm playing favorites here, obviously.)

[onlyadream]

34. Perfect. Nt

[Different Drummer]

35. K&R! n/t

[dogandturtlemom]

37. Great letter

I agree that Joy Reid is a treasure. She is brilliant, well informed, and will not tolerate lying talking points or filibustering. Always respectful, but firm, clear about her rules of participation-- stay on topic. She has excellent panels, those not often seen elsewhere. We also get perspective of non-whites, which strengthens a true discussion. I keep wondering how Chris Matthews keeps on, he irritates me with his constant talkovers and interruptions. Chris Hayes and Lawrence O'Donnell are also great in their discussions. I have been particularly impressed with the Town Halls moderated by Chris Hayes, who does not inappropriately interrupt, but facilitates the conversation.

[Doitnow]

40. Speaking of interupting-----I wonder lots of times why Tweetie even asks guests to be

on his show. He barely lets them get a word in while he asks and answers his own questions.....non stop! Drives me crazy. I could do with lots less of him. Make room and time for much better suggestions already made in the above comments.

[calimary]

42. Welcome to DU dogandturtlemom!

You remind me of the "Eloise" books I LOVED as a kid. Eloise had a dog (Weenie) and a turtle (Skipperdee)!

Joy Reid is a particular favorite of mine. One of many reasons is her suffer-no-fools interview style, AND her vigilance Another thing I really love about her is her refusal to let some CON get away with calling us the "Democrat party." Or mention "Democrat Congress," or "Democrat bill," or "Democrat voters," or whatever. Poor souls just don't seem to understand the difference between a noun and an adjective, I guess. I've heard her correct offenders right there, on the air, on the spot, gently admonishing them with "you know we don't do that on this show!"

I often play a game with myself - "what would I do if I were in charge of MSNBC?

I'd make that a directive. NOBODY calls it a "Democrat Party". The proper term is "Democratic Party." WE DEMS decide what the party's name is. The opposition doesn't get that privilege.

I'd direct everyone to study how Joy Reid handles filibusterers and Gish Gallopers and nonstop blabbermouths like Boris Epshteyn and friends. Be nice, but STOP THEM COLD. If they do it again, STOP THEM AGAIN, only more firmly. If they do it yet again a third time, their mic gets cut. And they would not be invited back as guests. And I would make sure all guests know that, going in. Be nice, or LEAVE. ZERO tolerance for rudeness and talking over and not shutting up when it's not your damn turn!

I'd find Joy Reid a Monday-through-Friday slot. Her talents and insights are wasted on the weekends. Especially for us on the West Coast, she's on at 7am. I'm seldom up that early on weekends.

I'd ease Andrea Mitchell out. Maybe Joy gets her slot. Give Mitchell some sort of highfalutin' title, like senior correspondent, and send her out on the road nagging at Tillerson or some such. I personally had enough of her constant Hillary hatred during the campaign.

I would lobby to curtail Megyn Kelly's tenure at NBC, and she would NOT be allowed on MSNBC. Under ANY circumstances.

I might give Keith Olbermann a weekend slot. Hmmmm... "Meet the Press" maybe? That'd stir shit up! I know he's got a reputation for being difficult to work with. So a weekend assignment might be easier on the staff.

One little quibble that also bothers me rather severely, that would be for the control room folks. When the panelist or guest is introduced, make sure their name and title is up - IMMEDIATELY. AS SOON AS you see their face on camera. And leave it there for more than three seconds. And each time they're back on, up comes their name and affiliation - AGAIN. EVERY TIME you see their face, they're identified. So far, it's been - there they are, a few beats into what they're saying, finally their name comes up. Then it disappears rather abruptly, and almost never is used again.

Along with that - no more lose-the-name so we can bring up the "Breaking News" verbiage again! Hell, sometimes they stay stuck on the "Breaking News" banner when it's 12-hours old. It's not breaking news anymore if it's been sifted and shaken and stirred for hours on end, already.

NO MORE Hugh Hewitt. PERIOD. Not EVER. No Mark Halperin, either. We do not do smug. Same thing for Amy Holmes.

Donnie Deutsch I'd bring back on. I saw an item where he was supposedly banned for tearing into trump and calling him a pig and various things after those shitty tweets about Mika B. If that's true and he's been banned, I'd un-ban him.

Friday nights? A two-hour block of John Fugelsang. Comedy, guests, topical discussion and humor and laugh your way into the weekend. I'd give him a Saturday evening block, too. And repeat both the following midday.

I might work Stephanie Miller and company into weekday mornings somewhere. I saw her doing a week of that, years ago, before Morning Joe started. She had her regulars and her routines and basically it was her radio show done in a TV studio. She was freakin' HILARIOUS!!!

I'd ask Jon Stewart if he wanted some special recurring feature during the week.

I might add a revolving roundtable of topical comedians - whose job it would be to laugh at trump & comp. Guests and regulars. It would take investigating contracts and exclusivities, but my dream panel of changing luminaries would include such names as Louis Black, Samantha Bee, Larry Wilborn, Louis C.K., Conan, Sarah Silverman, Chelsea Handler, special guest visits from folks like Bill Maher, Trevor Noah, John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Alec Baldwin, Chris Rock, maybe coax David Letterman to drop in occasionally, and yes, Kathy Griffin. With a SNL escapee or two. After all, we're all NBC, 'eh? Plus an added bonus of Charlie Pierce from Esquire magazine, who's scathingly witty. And Michael Moore. I know I'm leaving some good ones out. And what about a surprise appearance by The Rude Pundit, as long as he watches his language, that is? (Is that even possible?) And every now and then, add in a political cartoonist. Thanks to our own n2doc, we have an embarrassment of riches in terms of absolutely bloodthirsty trump cartoons. Maybe have 'em be drawing a new one WHILE on the air, live. Then it's the bumper image when we cut to commercial. We could even have "Sacrificial Lamb of the Week" - the odd-man/woman-out guest political person brave enough to join the comedy panel for one-time-only. Part of the fun, if it's a GOPer, would be to watch how skillfully the comedy folks would slice 'n' dice our visiting human lunch meat.

Just some idle ideas... but it's a fun game to play. What would YOU do, if they handed you the keys to MSNBC?

[3catwoman3]

50. Yes, yes, YES to your John Fugelsang idea.

Any hour of the day or night. I would record every show.

Talk about brains and 'beauty' all in one nifty package. Mrs. Fugelsang is a lucky woman.

It is a hoot to hear bible thumpers try to argue with him. They lose every time. He actually knows what the bible says and nails hypocrisy and lies without fail.

Hal Sparks would be good, too.

[FakeNoose]

60. These are great ideas

Calimary, I wish you were in charge of programming at MSNBC.

One question, is Tamron Hall really gone from the network? Or maybe she's coming back in another capacity? I thought maybe she was switching between flagship NBC and MSNBC. But now that I think about it, I haven't seen her for a few months. She's so great, I can't believe they would fire her.

[calimary]

70. I don't have any inside track on the NBC goings-on anymore. But what I'd read was that

Tamron Hall was sacrificed because NBC acquired Megyn Kelly and wanted to give her an hour of the "Today" show block in the morning. A later hour. I think it was the one leading into Hoda and Kathie Lee. Tamron Hall was was the host of that lead-in hour. Didn't want to trust my memory because this was much earlier this year (February 1), so I looked it up:

http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/tamron-hall-nbc-news-1201975592/#article-comments

Tamron Hall, an anchor best known for her time on MSNBC and the 9 a.m. hour of “Today,” will leave NBC News, which recently announced plans to accommodate a new morning program featuring Megyn Kelly.

NBC News said it had been in discussions with Hall, who was nearing the end of her contract. Executives “hopes that she would decide to stay,” the NBCUniversal unit said in a prepared statement issued Wednesday. “We are disappointed that she has chosen to leave, but we wish her all the best.” NBC News said her broadcasts on “Today” and MSNBC yesterday would be her final ones, and that she is expected to leave formally at the end of February.

The current format of NBC’s 9 a.m. hour, currently part of its “Today” morning franchise, is expected to be scrapped in the fall, part of plans recently disclosed by people familiar with the matter to carve out time for Megyn Kelly. The former Fox News Channel anchor, who recently left that network and will join NBC in May, is expected to take the reins of a new morning program that will air at either 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. If 10 a.m. is the chosen slot, then that hour’s current inhabitants, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, would move an hour earlier.

I liked Tamron Hall. Thought she was great on the air, a terrific communicator, with a a very charming personality. Beautiful but also nonthreatening. Intelligent and articulate. While Megyn Kelly reads ice-cold, Tamron Hall always seemed warm, human, and appealing, with a twinkle in her eye and a sense of humor as well as enough gravitas to anchor the news. They shouldn't have played it this way. Obviously they couldn't figure out something else appropriate for (or worthy of) Tamron Hall, otherwise it might have induced her to stay. I'm no fan of Megyn Kelly. She's never impressed me that much, and I frankly don't see what all the fuss is supposedly about. Evidently, neither do NBC viewers, since her Sunday evening hour went from a so-so debut to fail, more fail, and then even more fail in the ratings over the next few weekends.

It will be most intriguing to watch when Kelly takes that 9am "Today" timeslot in September. The prevailing understanding about TV programming has long been: WOMEN watch in the morning in very high numbers. For the most part, at least for the stay-at-homes, they're making breakfast for the family, packing the lunch boxes for school, handling carpool or some such thing, and then after everybody's at school or work, they settle down to enjoy a little more fluff and a little less hard news. That's where they originally put Billy Bush of all people (before the "grab 'em by the pussy" episode). The "Today" format softens up after the prime morning (news) hours. The popular, amiable and highly relatable Al Roker carries over from the "hard news hours" because he's just plain fun and pleasant to watch. He reads FRIEND! The whole thing has a flavor of lighter subject matter, fun, cooking, style, health and wellbeing, and pop culture. Megyn Kelly seems like a bad match and a very poor fit. Plus, I don't think she could be considered fun to watch OR amiable OR relatable in the least. You could easily see yourself meeting up with an Al Roker or a Tamron Hall for coffee. I seriously doubt Megyn Kelly will telegraph that kind of appeal.

[FakeNoose]

72. Yes it's true that more women watch TV at that hour

But if they already liked Tamron Hall, how does that translate into liking Megyn Kelly? They're as different as night and day, to state the obvious.

I think Matt Lauer's feathers got ruffled when he heard about the deal that Kelly got with NBC, and that's going to cause problems. We all know what happened to Ann Curry, and she was extremely well-liked by everyone (except Lauer).

Well we just have to wait and see what happens, but I agree with you I don't think Megyn Kelly will last long.

[Hekate]

39. KNR!

[gilligan]

43. $$$$$

Profit is the motive for corporate media. They owe it to their shareholders to make a profit, by law.
Thats why you never see any progressives on the Sundays
Meet the Republicans Shows.
Try watching these if you don't already.
Democracy Now.
The Ring of Fire. Mike Malloy.
Peace.

[calimary]

45. Welcome to DU, gilligan!

Yeah. I totally get that. But there won't be as much profit if nobody's watching. Obviously if they were hoping to lure GOPers with a Greta Van Susteren show, that failed, because the numbers weren't there. And if the numbers aren't there, sponsors aren't that interested. Because if the numbers aren't there, there aren't as many viewers to reach with your commercials.

And you bring up another interesting point. That mention of two progressive stalwarts - that's exactly the problem. There aren't many. Young Turks, too. There just aren't that many. Maybe that means it's time to start cultivating a few more?

[YOHABLO]

44. Advertising dollars / corporate America / the Republican party. It's about $$$$

[VOX]

46. Hell yes!! K & R.

[dem4decades]

47. Nice letter. The Hugh Hewitt thing really fries my ass.

MSNBC must be brain dead. Their number one show (Maddow) never puts a Republican shill like Hewitt on, so why not follow her lead and keep the jerks off the other shows too. It could only help their ratings too.

[Raster]

52. No shit. How is he going to find time to host?

I'm sure his grand inquisitor duties take up a majority of his time.

[Raster]

51. Rock the house, Calimary!!!

I could NOT have stated it better!

I'm positive Joy Reid gives the rich, old, white man power-club nightmares: a talented, intelligent, witty, beautiful and utterly fearless Woman of Color who does not tolerate an ounce of bullshit, nor backs down when push comes to shove. I guarantee Lack and his lackies would love to minimize Rachel, except that she is THE NUMBER ONE HOST on cable news shows. I think they absolutely quake in their boots at the thought of Joy Reid with national prime time exposure.

[maddiemom]

55. YES!

[DFW]

57. Brava!

I don't get U.S. TV where I live, so I didn't know who all of these people are, but your sentiments are so well expressed (the line about the suits is a classic), I wish we could all write in saying, "remember that letter from Calimary? Well, what she said!!"

[Nitram]

58. Great letter!!!

[DarleenMB]

59. thanks!

Well said!

[ProfessorGAC]

61. Nicely Done, Calimary!

They deserve it, too.

[JHan]

64. Brilliant !

[saidsimplesimon]

65. Most excellent letter CaliMary,

I thank you.

I agree about dumping Greta. She wasted a lot of time promoting Dershowitz as some great legal scholar. Both are bores on and off camera, imo.

I agree with you on the talent of a Tameron Hall and Joy Reid. I have not watched a single episode of MK. Ms. Kelly is not worth watching, regardless of the network.

Ali and Stephanie are both excellent journalists, imo.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

66. "fair and balanced"?

I think the HH hire defies logic. The very reason I would rush to change channels if his poppycock starts oozing grom his lips is likely the very reason they put him on. They want to expand their audience. But why reach for the brainwashed imbeciles?

[trof]

68. Top-notch, A number 1 letter!