Lights Dim on Jesse Ventura's MSNBC Show

[kskiska]

ST. PAUL (AP) -- After a two-month run, former Gov. Jesse Ventura's cable show is off the air and there are no immediate plans for MSNBC to bring it back.

The news channel's president, Erik Sorenson, sent a memo Tuesday to staff announcing he was extending a previously announced holiday break for the show.

``I've decided to focus the majority of our resources on Monday-Friday primetime in 2004,'' Sorenson wrote. ``Consequently, the holiday hiatus for 'Jesse Ventura's America' will continue indefinitely.''

Ventura's phone number is unlisted, and he has refused interviews with local reporters since leaving the governor's office in January. His Los Angeles-based agent, Barry Bloom, didn't immediately return a call Wednesday from The Associated Press.

more…
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-TV-Jesse-Ventura.html?pagewanted=print&position=

[pinto]

1. think he was a little too rough with the Admin's war-on-drugs guy?

Jesse took him to town.

[Eric J in MN]

4. It could be ideological.

I heard from a reporter that Ventura gets his salary no matter what.

That's probably the bulk of the budget.

Even if the ratings are mediocre, they aren't saving much on production costs by cancelling it. And I doubt that
showing those boring celebrity bios like MSNBC does on weekends will mean higher ratings.

[rumguy]

13. what happened with the war on drugs guy?

[karlschneider]

2. Humph. I thought it had been cancelled months ago....

;-)

[Eric J in MN]

3. Sorry to see him go. He addressed topics which

Sorry to see him go. He addressed topics which you don't often see on tv, like corporal punishment.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

5. We have been scrooged...

...Jesse's show was the only one I made a point of watching, he cut to the chase on issues and reminded everyone to get informed and make your own decisions. I was amazed at how often I agreed with his points on issues (too many times to even get into it here).


Another sad day in Hooville.

[Melodybe]

20. His show was actually worth watching. Was he a good gov?

[Eric J in MN]

6. Where can we find ratings for all of MSNBC's shows? nt

nt

[jayfish]

7. Maybe If They Gave Their Shows...

a run longer than two months , people would slowly find them. MSNBC sucks.

Jay

[0rganism]

8. Betcha they're still running "Scarborough Country"

What about Savage? Does he still have the MSNBC gig?

Ol' Phil Donahue is looking pretty good right about now. Hell, Jerry Springer is preferable to half the crap on MSNBC.

[Eric J in MN]

11. No, MSNBC cancelled Michael Savage months ago.

However, they are still running Republican pollster Frank Luntz's "America's Voices." While I haven't seen the ratings, my guess would be that Luntz gets lower ratings than Ventura.

[rumguy]

9. this is a shame

Jesse would have grown into his show...and I'm sure it would have gotten better...

I lived in MN when Jesse was gov, and he wasn't a bad one...contrary to the media spin on what happened.

He's certainly a hell of a lot better than the repug in charge now...

[pinto]

10. I like his honesty and isn't it a shame...n/t

[Isere]

12. I say good riddance!

Sorry, but I am delighted to hear this news. Not that I ever watched the show....

Jesse Ventura completely soured me when he had a hissy fit over the Wellstone memorial. His public grousing contributed to the RNC-driven interpretation of the event which quickly became an accepted myth and resulted in the election of Coleman in Minnesota.

I'm glad that his show failed.

[stickdog]

14. The lights weren't the only dim things on that show. (nt)

[clspector]

18. oh, amen

saw Ventura on Bill Maher's show with Paul Krugman. It's was sad to see just how woefully ignorant Jesse is compared to someone with, well, a brain in their head.

[proud patriot]

15. Bummer I liked the show

:shrug:

[w4rma]

16. More cracking down on non-GOP viewpoints by GE and Microsoft. (n/t)

[goobergunch]

17. I'm not necessarily the biggest Ventura fan

However, the show was far better than the Repub party-line usually heard on TV. I'd rather have an Independent than a Republican (or mind-numbing celebrity BS) any day.

[UTUSN]

19. Bwa-hahahaha - But, That Said, Could MSRNC Get a CLUE??

I could help, and a probably-with LESS than a hundred thousand dollar fee.

[w4rma]

21. What worries me is that they may know what they are doing.

They may be trying to find a pundit who will successfully push a viewpoint they believe is favorable to Microsoft's and GE's bottom-line.

Toss enough poop at the wall and some of it will usually stick.

[MinnFats]

22. Ventura, scuse me, James Janos, is an arrogant twit

A bully, and willfully ignorant to boot.
He could not even read a teleprompter.
He can barely speak in complete sentences.
It is no suprise that nobody watched.
and yes, he had the sense to get a 'play or pay' clause in his contract, so he walks with $2 to $3 million.
not bad for barely lifting a finger.

now let him fade into the obscurity he so richly deserves.

[dusty64]

23. Yet scarborough

still has his show. How did their ratings compare?

[Eric J in MN]

24. ratings information implies this was ideological

"Still, the show averaged 249,000 viewers, a 39 percent increase over MSNBC's previous programming, such as National Geographic documentaries. By comparison, Chris Matthews' "Hardball," seen in the same time slot Monday through Friday, averaged 319,000 viewers.

Despite his show's demise, Ventura's tenure at MSNBC isn't over. He will continue as a political commentator during the 2004 campaign season, according to Sorenson's memo."

http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/4286139.html
------------------------------
So the show got much better ratings than other Saturday shows on MSNBC.

The comparison to a Monday-Friday show, when more people are home, is irrelevent.