KC Star: MSNBC ratings dip without Olbermann

[RamboLiberal]

How's MSNBC doing post-Olbermann? The early numbers are down.

Following the sudden departure of the mercurial host of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" one week ago tonight, "Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" moved into its place on the schedule. O'Donnell, a former U.S. Senate aide, "West Wing" producer and fill-in host on "Countdown," got his own MSNBC show late last year.

O'Donnell should have benefited from both Monday's show, when weekend media coverage — and the fact that the show was still listed as "Countdown" by most DVRs — drew a crowd to MSNBC. Tuesday's show led into the State of the Union address, which should've helped as well.

Yet ratings sagged for O'Donnell compared with the week before, according to same-day Nielsen figures that Brad Adgate of Horizon Media ran at my request.



Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/28/2616723/msnbc-ratings-dip-without-olbermann.html#ixzz1CNmNc6Vn

[sakabatou]

1. No surprise whatsoever

[glowing]

2. LO is NO KO

[malaise]

14. + 1,000

It will be even worse next week - some people were curious this week.

[earth mom]

3. Karma's a bitch.

:evilgrin:

[juajen]

4. Ratigan would have been better than O'Donnell.

Lawrence just is not colorful enough. He is good for his old time slot, but not for Keith's hour. He's not funny, and his sarcastic look is the same as his everyday look, I believe they call that deadpan.

Perhaps this is what they wanted? Enough of a drop in the ratings could justify them letting all the liberals go. Why didn't they put Ed in instead of Lawrence?

[Raine]

11. I like Rattigan better too

I find O'Donnell too bland.

[DallasNE]

87. Right, That Time Slot Needs Passion

Compassion was just fine in the old slot as O'Donnell's desks for Africa showed. Ed Shultz has been a pleasant surprise so I would have moved him to the Olbermann time slot. I haven't seen enough of Rattigan to anoint him to that slot.

[w4rma]

15. Sorry the ratings will dip for anyone. And they will keep dipping for anyone. People are pissed.(nt)

[EmeraldCityGrl]

81. +100

[thanks_imjustlurking]

32. Yep. I like O'Donnell. *After* Keith, not as a standalone. nt

[loudsue]

37. O'Donnell is a fucking conservative. I can't stand to listen to him.

And he is in favor of cutting out "entitlements" like social security. He's a corporate whore, which is why he is in Keith's slot.

[provis99]

45. conservative? O'Donnell is a socialist.

[RZM]

48. He describes himself as a Democratic Socialist

Whether or not that's believable is a matter of perception. But he sure doesn't seem conservative to me.

[barbiegeek]

49. That is NOT true! He works for Huffington Post & is a Dem

[cui bono]

70. Uh.... what??????????? have you not ever seen him tear Repubs new ones?

Please provide links regarding what you say he wants to cut. Thanks.

[madinmaryland]

86. What the hell are you talking about. Please site some examples.

Are you talking about Lawrence O'Donnell.

[inna]

53. true. unfortunately, Dylan is the next to be fired - just before Ed.

[Mosaic]

80. You know

Enough of a drop in the ratings could justify them letting all the liberals go.

When you say that you encourage the corporate robots that monitor these sites.

Don't give them any ideas, advice to all Dems, liberals, and other brother's of the left that post here.

[fascisthunter]

5. didn't somebody post something stating the opposite

very interesting. I tend to believe this over the other article.

[Raine]

10. yes, right here

"MSNBC Ratings are staying about the same after loss of KO"

Oh dear, who or what to believe .... :shrug:

- Democratic Underground
Address:http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x296705

[fascisthunter]

12. this is what I LOVE about DU though

DU catches the discrepancies, like a butterfly net, hauling in the inevitable truth. We get to compare and contrast both articles, so we can get a better idea of what is really happening.

[pacalo]

17. That was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the headline.

I've always been skeptical of Fixed News' ratings, btw.

[LibDemAlways]

6. Ideology trumps $$ apparently in the reichwing world of

Comcast. They knew this would cost them, but silencing a liberal voice was paramount.

[glinda]

26. They have money to throw away. Republicans own most of the media and have most of the wealth.

[OnionPatch]

41. The money they lose from this is nothing

compared to the money they can make by brainwashing as many of us as they can reach.

[sulphurdunn]

66. That's right.

The power game in a mass media culture is to control the message. FOX has proven that.

[disndat]

46. Agree.

Probably was in the deal with Comcast. The corporatist wanted Olbermann out going into the Presidential election, '12.

[SoCalDem]

7. My DVR got changed immediately.. no more MSNBC at 5pm

:(

[grasswire]

18. I've been doing my 5 p.m. dinner prep to Little House on the Prairie...

...instead of MSNBC. Ha! Take that, corporate suits!

[glinda]

27. I've been doing progressive radio mostly.

[Raine]

8. Hmmmm this post has different info ...

MSNBC Ratings are staying about the same after loss of KO - Democratic Underground
Address:http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x296705

[RamboLiberal]

91. I did both of these posts

KC Star sees it a little differently than I do. Ratings are down a bit but not a dramatic drop IMHO. I expected MSNBC to take a greater hit. I've been watching ratings near daily for quite awhile, though I wouldn't call myself an expert.

Might have to wait till situation in Egypt settles down cause that can skew the ratings. MSNBC may hold their own Friday and this week, but CNN could see a jump since CNN is place many go for news stories like the turmoil in Egypt (well except for the Faux junkies who have to be told what to think).

[RKP5637]

9. When you have a winning show it's best not to F around with it IMO. n/t

[niyad]

13. anybody remember "new coke"??

[RKP5637]

16. Yep!!!

[kudzu22]

28. My roommate loved New Coke

And probably likes Lawrence O'Donnell, too.

[ClassWarrior]

19. What does it matter? Or do we have to eat our own again?

:eyes:

NGU.

[Major Hogwash]

20. And this was only the first week!

People don't return to their "regularly scheduled broadcast" that easy.
If the network starts moving shows to different time slots, people tune out rather than make the adjustment.

50 years of screwing around with tv programming would have told them that.
But then, they are MSNBC, why would they start doing anything smarter now.

[KansasVoter]

21. I cancelled all my DVR recordings. Miss Keith. Might watch Rachel now and then.

[ClassWarrior]

22. Yes, let's honor Keith by boycotting MSNBC and destroying everything he created.

:eyes:

NGU.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[liberation]

59. No you're reight, the best way to honor a victim is by rewarding the victimizers

It's common sense!

[ClassWarrior]

61. Do you have a Nielson Box? If not, how are you "rewarding" them?

NGU.

[ClassWarrior]

63. And do you consider Rachel and Ed "victimizers?"

NGU.

[progressoid]

23. That was about as smart as letting Leno take 10pm and then giving 11:30 back to him.

[defendandprotect]

74. Right wing's main effort with communications is more about blocking info than

anything else --

and like every other rw effort with communciations they'll absorb the losses

in order to block liberal info --

any bit of truth is a huge threat to their house of cards!

[kudzu22]

29. I'll just file that under "duh"

[BrightKnight]

30. Is there anything in his contract about running for Senate?

He would not have any trouble with fund raising and name recognition.

Put him on the Commerce Committee.

[defendandprotect]

76. Senate -- let him run for the presidency -- he can run on a Dem ticket ...

Who do you trust -- ? Obama or KO -- ?

I'd rather trust Bernie Sanders but don't know if we can draft him

to run on a Dem ticket in 2012 --

Tom Hayden -- any number of them from outside the party -- not bought

and paid for by corporate money.

[glowing]

31. A better line up would be Rachel, Ed, then LOD.. I think he's the perfect

end of the night... He's not screaming, he does a wrap up (i.e. The Last Word) and its calming before going to bed. He's just not 8pj material.

[thanks_imjustlurking]

33. Exactly. nt

[teachthemwell15]

34. Couldn't agree more

O'Donnell may need a little more time with many of his viewers.

I do miss Keith. He has a penetrating sense of insight and an almost uncanny way of getting to the root of issues, making the implicit explicit in no uncertain terms. Evidently that was particularoy frightening so some.

[teachthemwell15]

35. oops!

That should be "particularly". But you all knew that anyway :-)

[spooky3]

38. Or, Ed, then Rachel, then LOD.

Until Tweety is more consistently reasonable, I don't see him as an integral part of the lineup.

[Plucketeer]

57. I agree!

OR, as has been mentioned - bring Ratigan into Keith's slot. I don't wanna see Lawrence go, but he's not the lit fire that Ratigan can be.

[Kalyke]

36. Duh...

Who Da Thunk It?

[totodeinhere]

39. It will take time for O'Donnell to build an audience in that time period.

He also started slow in the 10 PM time slot but then eventually his ratings came close to challenging Fox News in that time period. I look for his ratings to gradually improve in his new time slot. BTW, Cenk's ratings are also lower than what Big Ed was getting in the 6 PM time slot, but if Cenk can keep that job his ratings should eventually improve as well.

[RZM]

51. Greta van Susteren wasn't the competition that O'Reilly is

Greta's show is one of the very worst on all of cable news -- and that's saying something. O'Donnell and Cenk are going to have a tough time competing against Fox in those slots, which contain two of Fox's strongest shows. Ed will do better, being up against a weak opponent. If there's ever a shakeup in the Fox lineup, I predict it will be Greta who gets booted.

[crazy homeless guy]

40. Boo hoo...

if Keith wasn't so whiny I would feel bad. He in many ways became similar to Beck.

[fascisthunter]

47. whinny? whatever

[whathehell]

79. I believe it's "whiney"...and no, KO is not whiney..

angry maybe, but whiney, no.

[Slit Skirt]

54. I'll take that to mean too intelligent for you..

whiny is not Keith's MO

[liberation]

60. LOL

I love novelty accounts. Well, played.

[TygrBright]

42. One from the "duh" file... n/t

[jwirr]

43. I am watching LO. Rachel and Ed. Tried to watch Cenk but he does

not have the confidence that makes it easy to watch him. I do not like Ratigan because he uses a format much like Chris - too many repugs. That their ratings dropped does not surprise us but I sure hope it is making an impression on them (MSNBC).

[radhika]

50. They're messing with ED too...

I think it's just a matter of time before Comcast gets just the 'tone' and 'content' they want as a corporation. Per Huffington Post..

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/28/ed-schultz-psycho-talk-axed-msnbc_n_815317.html

[jwirr]

56. I know. Hopefully KO will get something up and going where they

can all go if it comes to that.

[defendandprotect]

77. Not sure about O'Donnell ... don't really trust him and not watching him ...

This will also put a lot of pressure on Rachel and Schultz to conform, imo!!

And nothing really has to be said to have that happen -- !! Chilling!

[Vinca]

44. I really don't care for Lawence O'Donnell's show all that much.

Maybe he's too civilized (compared to Keith) for my taste. I miss "Countdown." Although I haven't been intentionally boycotting MSNBC at night, I've found myself switching it off at about 8:05 and going to bed to read.

[tblue]

52. I don't think the corp bigwigs care at all about ratings.

MSNBC is a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of their holdings, especially now. I guess they figure whatever they lose by firing Keith, they'll make up for by having that thorn out of their side.

[Codeine]

55. Eight people are watching now, down from ten with Kieth.

Cable news ratings are a joke.

[upi402]

58. O'Donnell smears liberals... meh whateva n/t

[cui bono]

71. Links? n/t

[DesertDiamond]

62. Duh. They thought they could do without him? LOL!

[UnrepentantLiberal]

64. Olbermann was the only reason I watched

MSNBC. The rest are mostly talking and I know all the talking points.

[pam4water]

65. I've turned off MSNBC.

[CLANG]

84. I haven't watched it since.

[LLStarks]

67. Why was LO even picked over Rachel for 8PM? nt

[russspeakeasy]

68. life's a bitch then your ratings drop.

[ThomThom]

69. O'Donnnell sucks

and Olberman was very popular
I don't think this was about silencing a voice
watch out anyone else that speaks out in opposition to the rich and powerful, it will not be tolerated

[defendandprotect]

73. Agree -- O'Donnel sucks -- wouldn't have watched him under any circumstances ..

[defendandprotect]

72. Will try to tune in for Rachel and Schultz -- but that's it -- goodbye MSNBC--

never watched NBC, either --

Basically, I'm close to having the TV in the closet -

C-span hasn't really come back -- but on occasion I like to put it on MUTE for a

while and see what's going on -- my little TV does great TEXT -- love it!

[Chakaconcarne]

75. What are the chances Olberman will be asked back?

[CLANG]

85. Absolute zero.

[indimuse]

78. THE CORPORATE MEDIA OF THE US SUX...PERIOD!

;)

[Mosaic]

82. All Teevee sucks

Do you like constant interuptions selling you cat food, or dusters, or some financial scheme? That's why Americans are so dumbed down. Turn the shit off. Read sites with the information we need, there are many.

[muntrv]

83. Reich wing corporate media at work silencing liberals. They want

parrots.

[nolabear]

88. Interesting reading what people are doing instead. I don't watch either.

I guess at the moment I'm kind of floating. It may be good for me. I love Rachel but I appear to be on a bit of a commentary vacation.

[glinda]

89. This has actually been good for me in that I don't watch tv as much now.

[delightfulstar]

90. This is biting MSNBC in their proverbial arses....

And rightfully so. I have to agree...he's no KO.