Send MSNBC some help in programming, particularly w/ Dr. Maddow

[drbtg1]

It appears the primetime lineup is due for a shakeup.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1504890

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/26/business/media/26msnbc.html?ei=5094&en=bb5a7429eb4bd81b&hp=&ex=1151294400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=all

Thus I decided to send them some advice for their lineup. You may wish to do the same. After all, we're in the majority now and maybe they need some help attracting us.

My email to them:

Date: Monday, June 26, 2006 12:39 PM
To: [e-mail]
Subject: MSNBC primetime should include Dr. Maddow


Dear MSNBC,

I recall your ads for Tucker Calson's show, The Situation, which featured the
quote, "a show that really does deserve to be watched". (
http://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/tv/reviews/12171/ )

However, we both know the praise was not intended for Mr. Carlson at all. It was
solely for Dr. Rachel Maddow. The review follows:

"Not, certainly, for Carlson, who less than two weeks into his run had already
asserted, “What bothers me is that . . . the civil-rights movement never ended .
. . White racism, while it still exists, is not the force it once was,” and
managed to sound sad and wistful about this state of affairs. No, the reason to
watch this Situation is the program’s decision to have Air America radio host
Rachel Maddow represent the left. Maddow, unlike Crossfire’s toothless hacks
Paul Begala and James Carville, actually articulates leftist, progressive,
sometimes even radical ideas. This immediately distinguishes her from everyone
else on television since Abbie Hoffman circa The Dick Cavett Show. In her
initial appearances, Maddow has made quick, cogent cases against John Bolton’s
U.N. nomination and the No Child Left Behind initiative; when Carlson suggested
that Guantánamo Bay detainees had it pretty cushy because there was now a
dentist on the premises, she scoffed fiercely, “Well, when you hold people in
captivity for life, you occasionally have to extract their teeth.”"

As it appears that MSNBC's primetime schedule is in a state of flux, I'd like to
commend you for featuring Mr. Keith Olbermann, unquestionably the best news
anchor in America today, and I expect his primetime slot to be secure. But I'd
like to respectly request that some consideration be given to featuring the
talented Dr. Maddow in primetime. Dr. Maddow's impressive but irregularly
scheduled appearances on The Situation were never featured and could not be
counted on to make it "must see TV" when people had to suffer through Mr.
Carlson just in case Dr. Maddow would be on. Plus, the only show Dr. Maddow
would be shown was aired opposite to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The
Colbert Report, both garnering the core audiences that would also appeal to Dr.
Maddow.

The audience flow from Countdown to Scarborough Country has to be one of the
worst in the history of television. Completely different audiences in the
political spectrum. I would strongly recommend that a flow from Countdown to a
show featuring Dr. Maddow would be much stronger.

Thank you for your consideration

[greenbriar]

1. I suggest a 2 hour segment of Countdown with 10 top stories

that would be nice

[drbtg1]

2. that would be burnout for Mr. Olbermann

soon, you'd have zero top stories

[EmmitFitzhume]

3. How about . . .

an hour of Olbermann responding to viewer emails on air. Given the text of his past reponses to viwer emails, I would tune in to see what profanities and witty retorts he crafted. At this point Abrams needs to do something and fast and two hours of taped programming isn't going to cut it.

[drbtg1]

4. I assume you're referring to the Lloyd Grove hit piece

I can't give that credibility since Grove already had a John O'Neil sized vendetta against Mr. Olbermann. Plus, especially after the NYT piece, I think it's a reasonable possibility that those emails, particularly the ones against Ms. Cosby, were planted.

However, your post did make me think of another idea. Keep Olbermann at 8pm EST and then..."THE OLBERMANN GROUP, an unrehersed panel discussing issues and opinions of the day!"

....um, maybe not. However, when MSNBC comes to their senses and premieres "The Maddow Report" at 9 pm EST, I'd recommend the first 10-15 minutes of the show to keep Mr. Olbermann on and have the two of them discuss something. It would certainly inprove the continuity and, let's face it, both Mr. Olbermann and Dr. Maddow have had plenty of experience working with an on-air partner. It could be an interesting 15 minutes that could easily set-up Dr. Maddow's show (more interesting the usual "Let's see what Greta/Tucker/Anderson/Shmoo has for us tonight") while retaining Olbermann's lead-in audience, something that right now falls straight off a cliff when Scarborough Country comes on.