NBC names David Gregory host of 'Meet the Press'

[Newsjock]

Source: Associated Press

David Gregory's new job as moderator of "Meet the Press" is official with the announcement on the long-running NBC interview program that he will take over starting next Sunday.

The 38-year-old chief White House correspondent for NBC News was introduced Sunday by Tom Brokaw, fill-in moderator for "Meet the Press" since the death last June of Tim Russert, the program's moderator since 1991.

Gregory described it as "an incredible honor."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/12/07/entertainment/e070949S10.DTL&tsp=1

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Blechh...

:puke:

[liberal N proud]

2. Brokaw's bitch

[HowHasItComeToThis]

49. HE IS JUST A TV TALKING HEAD

HEY, ASK BILL MOYERS

[glinda]

52. Blechh is right

Rove's buddy. He is a pig. Sad sad after Tim did such a great job.

[Oceansaway]

3. screw MTP/NBC...no more for me....

Gregory is SHALLOW ....i wont be tuning in until the CM (tweety) show comes on...

[Dinger]

51. I'm Done Too

no exceptions

[Judi Lynn]

53. You bet he's shallow. There goes the show. n/t

[Connie_Corleone]

4. After today, no more Meet The Press for me.

Thank goodness Obama was on there this week.

[hisownpetard]

5. Me, neither. I can't stomach Gregory. Can't wait for their ratings to tank!

[AndyTiedye]

18. This Makes it Clear THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT RATINGS

It is all about "catapulting the propaganda" to help the mother company (GE) sell more weapons.

[Ilsa]

6. That's the best they can do? nt

[undeterred]

9. Its the best they are willing to do.

[Sex Pistol]

15. He's probably all they can afford.

[glowing]

7. Not watching again.. NBC made a huge mistake with Gregorry.

he is horrible.. and he's a pug bitch.

[fascisthunter]

8. one more phony hack for corporate propaganda

[pattmarty]

Overall I think it a good choice. I may get hammered here.......

........but in my watching Gregory (and I admit I don't watch him all that much) I think it a decent choice. He's not a dumb-fuck, daddy adoring fuck like Russert was and definitely not a right wing tool. Overall I believe not a bad choice. Who did you think they were gonna choose, Olberman or Maddow?

[MaineDem]

11. I tend to agree with you

The problem I have with all these "reporters" is that they put too much of their own spin on the news. I wish they were more like the BBC whose reporters report facts and leave the slant out of it - for the most part.

These MSM reporters have to please those who pay them and those of us who watch and I think the paycheck wins out.

I've seen Gregory be brilliant and I've seen him appear as a lackey. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt as e undertakes this new position.

[Jakes Progress]

23. It's not their spin. It's GE's

Back when you have seen Gregory be brilliant was before he set his sights on this job. Russert got the job by selling out his own principles to suck up to the money men. Gregory studied Tim's path and has emulated it. Now he gets millions and jumps to the head of his inside the beltway fellow "news" men. There was never going to be a journalist in that job. The path to the top rung of television "journalism" is clear - sell out and suck up. Damn the principles and full steam ahead.

[PatSeg]

43. I used to like Gregory

He was one of the first White House reporters to ask really tough questions which in turn got him noticed. The David Gregory I've seen on 1600 is not the same guy. Quite frankly I find him boring now. I've seen him on talk shows where he is much more interesting and he does a great impersonation of Bush.

I was kind of hoping for David Shuster, but maybe Gregory will surprise us. Not holding my breath though.

[ooglymoogly]

47. Count me in on that sentiment

I don't think he is anybodies lackey....Yet.

[nevergiveup]

10. I find Gregory to be very shallow

but I do prefer him to Brokaw who makes me nauseous. I am one of exceptions here who could tolerate Russert and I watched him often. I will give Gregory a chance but I don't suspect my viewing will last more than a couple of weeks.

[bulloney]

12. ON his MTP host debut, maybe Gregory can treat us by dancing with Karl Rove.

We'll see how much Republican whoring Gregory will do on this show.

[bluestateguy]

13. DUers would bitch about anybody getting the gig other than Maddow or Olbermann

I am willing to give him a chance, and I could even see Gregory being a bit better than Russert.

[George II]

17. My take exactly - probably most here bemoaning Gregory didn't like Russert, either.

[vanboggie]

40. You're right

I never could stand Russert and don't care for Gregory. Fortunately I haven't watched MTP in years, so this won't affect me. Hopefully it will get Gregory off MSNBC though.

[rurallib]

22. Wish they would have gone outside and picked Amy Goodman

Or maybe Laura Flanders. Time for a woman's touch.

[gingersnaps1]

35. Absolutely. Why not have a woman hold down the chair. Secretly, I was pulling for Andrea Mitchell

I don't like Gregory and had to stop watching his show because I feel he is a tool. I stopped watching MTP when Russert passed. I know Russert wasn't perfect but he had something that Gregory doesn't... Chris Wallace was right when he said people would be shopping around on Sunday's...I think it's time I head to the radio or sleep in.

[empire we are]

41. What and have real real journalism on the MSM?

Heads would explode inside the Military Industrial Congressional Complex.
Only a handful of honest politicians would agree to appear.

[AlbertCat]

28. DUers would bitch about anybody getting the gig other than Maddow or Olbermann

I dunno....I'd be satified if Sarah Silverman got the job.

[pattmarty]

30. Totally agree (see my post). Let's face it, we here would.............

..................ALL like to see Olberman or Maddow get that juicy spot, but the time ain't quite ready, YET.

[IndianaGreen]

48. And MSM apologists will always give a pass to an empty suit

which is all Gregory is.

[Janice325]

14. He's booring, and I'll never forget the vid of him "rapping" with

KKKarl Rove. I didn't watch MTP anyway, so I certainly won't be watching now that Gregory will be host.

Does that mean he'll be leaving his 1900 Pennsylvania slot on MSNBC? I hope so. Give a slot to the "better" David (Shuster) or Alison Stewart.

[TheEuclideanOne]

50. He really is. If I pay attention, I can see that he is covering

important topics and issues, but he really puts me to sleep. Not quite sure what it is, but he is really hard to watch.

[No Elephants]

16. Gregory's replacing Russert is like the class clown's replacing the valedictorian. Both pugs,

though, so maybe the thicker, the better.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

19. guess I'll scratch MTP off of my viewing list...never again will I watch it

[The River]

20. The Good News Is

I can stay up later on Saturday nights now.
No more need to get up at 9AM for MTP.
Besides, you know that all the talking heads
are going to spend the next 4 years whining
about manufactured non-issues meant to undermine
Obama and Democrats in general.

Corporate owned media is the enemy of democracy. period.

[gingersnaps1]

36. And Gregory will lead the pack. I think that's why he was installed.

So when people point to Keith, Chris, and Rachel and say, "MSNBC is pro-Obama", they can point to Gregory and say no, we are not. His show "Road to the White House" was manufactured crap. He made sure to bring out his GOP talking points whenever he hit the air.

[ryanmuegge]

21. He's such a tool.

Get ready for more discussions of hairstyles and voice tones.

[Maryland Liberal]

24. Forget Gregory - can we get DK in there?

It would make me tune in.

[pattmarty]

31. Okay, I'll bite..................

[librechik]

37. kucinich

when you dream, dream big

[CLANG]

42. I'm sure Donkey Kong would be better than Gregory!

[high density]

25. Too bad they couldn't find somebody from outside the DC mindset

Gregory has showed that he has little sense of the pulse going on in America outside the cloud of NBC News' DC Bureau.

[L0oniX]

26. Sad

[roody]

27. haven't watched it for years, won't start now

[Phred42]

29. Same BS different toilet paper

[defendandprotect]

32. Why would anyone have been watching NBC to begin with ...???

it's always been obvious spin and propaganda --

Rarely has anything honest been able to break thru --

African-Americans like Adam Clayton Powell --- and I'm just watching film

on him now on ABC -- Rev. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, James Baldwin --

And who could ever forget the amazing Fannie Lou Hammer who kept the world

riveted on her while LBJ struggled to block TV coverage of her --??

And others -- Bobby Kennedy, Gore Vidal

There were some journalists who permitted truth to be seen despite their

corporate masters, but they were soon gone. Today there are few cracks in

the wall of corporate propaganda.

[Maccagirl]

54. That was back when corporations didn't own the news

Different world.

[defendandprotect]

55. Notice that even then not much was coming thru cracks --

Long time, no free press --

"The myth of a free press died with the assassination of JFK."

[BlueIdaho]

33. Lets hope they corral him there...

That way I can stop watching MTP and NEVER see his sorry ass again - ever.

[Capt. America]

34. snore

[MikeNearMcChord]

38. Is it too much to ask, maybe let a woman or a person of color

to host one of these big shows? One day America will be rid of the apartheid that is MSM.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

46. David Gregory is horrible

I sure wont be watching MTP anymore. What about Gwen Ifell she would have been perfect.

[Tutonic]

39. He can't feign nuetrality regarding his hatred for Obama. The man

has used his commenctions (marriage, etc) to position himself for this. He just sent a load of viewers over to ABC.

[bdamomma]

44. oh crap, he is no improvement.

[empire we are]

45. I would have drafted Ray Suarez from PBS.

[MadMaddie]

56. No MTP for me

He is biased against Obama and anything other than Repugs.

[1776Forever]

57. FINI - No more Meet the Press for me or my family! Brochaw got his way & made Rove happy!

He and Fox are probably celebrating! Wonder how long it will be before Gregory turns into an attack dog for the right? Not long!

Too bad they didn't listen to this article!

Political Animal

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_12/015893.php

December 2, 2008

DAVID GREGORY FOR 'MTP'.... Alas, NBC News apparently declined my request to make Rachel Maddow the permanent host of "Meet the Press."

NBC News plans to name David Gregory as moderator of "Meet the Press," infusing one of television's most prized franchises with a sharp edge leavened by a youthful style and versatility, according to network executives.

Gregory, 38, celebrated his 30th birthday -- complete with cake -- aboard George W. Bush's presidential campaign plane, the assignment that solidified his stature as a network rising star. Enjoying a gravitas boost from his prematurely salt-and-pepper mane and friendships with Tom Brokaw and other of the legendary figures of NBC News, the Los Angeles native quickly became one of the hottest personalities in network news.

The plan to anoint Gregory is not final but will be as soon as today, the executives said.

When Gregory was the White House correspondent for NBC News, I actually enjoyed his work. He was, at times, relentless, asking questions his colleagues seemed too timid to pursue. Watching the press briefings, we'd see Scott McClellan or Tony Snow offer an evasive/ridiculous response to a legitimate question, and Gregory was consistently the one to call them on it, usually with more than a little impatience and indignation. I used to think we'd be better off if more of the White House press corps was as aggressive as Gregory throughout Bush's presidency.

But since then, Gregory has often been a disappointment, repeating tired, predictable narratives, failing to question the conventional wisdom, and generally becoming a generic talking head.

Here's hoping Gregory will make the most of this very high-profile promotion, and show some of the passion and skepticism that made him watchable when he sat in the front row of the White House briefing room.