Oh NOOOES! MSNBC gave Rachel her own show!! That means they've become THE LIBERAL NETWORK!!!!

...Yes, that's the kind of crap being peddled by the blogosphere and the wonderful New York Times.

And Rachel's even being accused of having attempted to shop herself, via her agent--who is also Keith Olbermann's agent--to FOX NEWS before getting her MSNBC gig nailed down. Yes, that's what the asshats over at Jossip are saying. Of course, they've always hated Keith, so if they can embarrass him by making it look like HIS OWN AGENT was trying to peddle Rachel to Fox, and make him look less responsible for MSNBC having hired her, well, so much the better.

Then there's the outcry from the media pundits about how Rachel's getting a show means that MSNBC has decidedly turned to the LEFT to get ratings and turned inself into THE LIBERAL NETWORK. Yeah, you bet. They're gonna have TWO programs that don't parrot right-wing talking points, so now they're a liberal network. Righto.

Read this crap:

From the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/business/media/22adco.html?_r=1&ref=media&oref=slogin

With the promotion of Rachel Maddow, the Air America radio host, to a prime-time television spot this week, the longtime third-place cable news network MSNBC cemented its identity as a channel for a liberal audience.

...There are three distinct options for cable news viewers in prime time: Fox News, which is largely associated with the conservative hosts Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity; MSNBC, which is dominated by the Bush administration critic Keith Olbermann; and CNN, which continues to cast itself as a network for independent-minded news consumers.

CNN is positioning itself as the objective option for viewers. A graphic for its 8 p.m. program promises “no bias, no bull,” alluding to Mr. Olbermann and Mr. O’Reilly on the other channels...

There is increasing evidence that programming with a loud point of view attracts viewers. The ratings for MSNBC’s signature show, Mr. Olbermann’s “Countdown,” have nearly doubled since August of 2006...

Fox News, although viewed by many liberals as a bastion of conservative influence, has carefully avoided labeling itself as anything but “fair and balanced.” The network features Alan Colmes, a liberal, on “Hannity & Colmes,” and Greta Van Susteren, who rarely espouses political views, at 10 p.m....

Angry yet? Try this from Portfolio.com:

http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/mixed-media/2008/08/20/maddow-hire-speeds-msnbcs-leftward-drift?tid=true

Maddow Hire Speeds MSNBC's Leftward Drift

Well, it's not Rosie O'Donnell, but MSNBC has added a lesbian host to its ever-more-liberal lineup after all...

...This underscores the question of whether MSNBC is taking a foolish risk in over-committing itself to a single point of view. Without a doubt, Olbermann and his spirited Bush-bashing have been the primary engine of the network's ratings growth ... But this dance-with-the-one-that-brung-ya mentality could end up looking short-sighted after Nov. 4. Does MSNBC really want to be in the position of covering an Obama Administration with no one more neutral than Chris "thrill up my leg" Matthews in its evening lineup?...

Of course, Fox News managed the transition from opposition to cheerleader in 2000, when Bush took office. But Fox has shown a steadier hand than MSNBC, which has long seemed over-eager to trim its editorial sails at the slightest shift of the breezes...

(Guess what: This guy was shocked, shocked, to be called a "fool," "idiot" and "stupid right-wing stupidhead" in the comments on this piece! He added "two points" later: "First, yes, there is a person named Joe Scarborough who has an MSNBC show, and who is putatively a Republican. Yes, Chris Matthews is a conservative Democrat rather than a left-winger. The point remains: The entire block of air from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. -- the block known in most of the TV world as prime time, "prime" meaning of the highest value -- is now essentially programmed by one man, Keith Olbermann...Second: I had no motive in pointing out Maddow's sexual orientation beyond noting the interesting factoid that MSNBC considered, less than a year ago, hiring another liberal gay woman for substantially the same job...")

If that doesn't get you steamed, try this piece of garbage Rachel Sklar had to peddle to Poynter, because she originally wrote it for the HuffPo, but they rejected it. She's trying to show some support here for Dan Abrams' show, questioning why it got the ax to accommodate Rachel, which is fine, but look at the conclusions she draws: that MSNBC is essentially being run by Keith Olbermann, and Rachel's star is rising in accordance with how much she kisses his butt:

http://poynter.org/forum/?id=32365

...Simple: It's about MSNBC moving sharply to the left...It's not just any left, though -- it's Olbermann's left. That is two things: (1) The partisan coverage that has emerged as a point of controversy over this election season, and (2) Olbermann's personal influence at MSNBC...Over the past few years, Olbermann's influence at MSNBC has grown as his ratings have increased, his public profile has skyrocketed and the network's third-place ratings have crept upward. Throughout this time, he has also made this influence known, publicly minimizing the role of his superiors in his success or workplace decisions...

...This becomes all the more significant considering Olbermann's own posting of the news yesterday on Daily Kos. Olbermann made a point of taking credit for having a role in the decision ("Yes, I had something to do with it") and elicited a similar claim from Maddow last night on his show. At no time did he mention Abrams or what show currently aired at 9 p.m.; that's not surprising, because he has never mentioned "Verdict" on his show or done the traditional 'throw' from one show to another to keep viewers tuned in (I am aware of only one throw, after the final primary.) However, on Wednesday's Countdown, he suggested to Maddow that he'd happily throw to her for a few chatty minutes...

...That network anchors might not be best buddies isn't exactly groundbreaking, but putting all of this together suggests something lopsided at MSNBC. It's not particularly opaque, either; here's Jossip's headline, "Rachel Maddow's New Show: The Most Solid Evidence Yet That Keith Olbermann Runs MSNBC"; here is New York's Daily Intel: "With Appointment of Rachel Maddow to Prime-Time Host, Keith Olbermann Appears to Officially Run MSNBC." Maddow obviously was a rising star at MSNBC anyway, but this isn't about why she was hired, this is about who she replaced, and why -- and, behind the scenes, by whom.

One thing I'd like to say: this business about how KO has "thrown" his show to Dan Abrams "only once" is complete bullshit. It's a meme that has been repeated many times, but it's utterly false. I have the recordings of Countdown to prove it. Keith threw to Dan many times, and before throwing to Dan, he threw to other hosts whose show followed his (including Rita Cosby!). Only recently has the "throw" been eliminated between Keith's show and the next. This crap about Keith being "too arrogant to throw to the next host" is false, fabricated anti-KO crap.

Obviously, a lot of egos are out of joint in a lot of places, from the blogosphere to Fixed Noise, when it comes to Keith and to anyone he's ever supported or helped. And all this because MSNBC finally got a show, A SINGLE SHOW, and A SINGLE ANCHOR, who did not repeat Republican talking points, and he had the nerve to support someone else in the same vein.

All I can say is: You go, KO and Rachel. Don't listen to the crap.

:thumbsup:

Good dissection of the reactionary lies. You are rigth about their hatred for Olbermann, but that is only part of it. They can't stand that here is a Progressive woman who is intelligent, articulate and has worked her way to a place of prominence in media. She deserves it.

way the winds are blowing...the country is becoming more liberal...of course I really think the country has always been more liberal...but because the candidates have been too center they just didn't bother to vote...pisses me off but I know a lot of liberals like that....but now they are getting mad and getting even with their votes...

that's a good one. I wonder who hates the other more, cue "jeopardy theme"

off my cable.

they are going to HAVE to stop reading RNC memos as if they were fact!

:thumbsup: :toast: :patriot: