MSNBC Anchors' Fights Go Live

The Wall Street Journal

MSNBC Anchors' Fights Go Live
By REBECCA DANA
August 28, 2008; Page B7

Since the start of the Democratic National Convention, ratings have exploded for the cable news channel MSNBC. So have tensions among the network's top anchors. The convention was supposed to be the network's coming-out party as a hub for politics. But a year of programming and personnel changes have led to behind-the-scenes strain, which bubbled to the surface repeatedly this week in open arguments between hosts.

In an uncomfortable moment Tuesday night, an exhausted-looking "Hardball" host Chris Matthews shouted at a producer ("I'll wrap in a second!") before a stilted exchange with "Countdown" host Keith Olbermann, in which the two argued about who was talking out of turn. Mr. Olbermann made a flapping-lips hand gesture, and Mr. Matthews took umbrage. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer sat quietly on-screen, waiting to be interviewed.

That incident followed a seven-minute back-and-forth Tuesday afternoon between "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough and network correspondent David Shuster. Mr. Scarborough, a former Republican representative from Florida, accused Mr. Shuster, a registered independent, of taking a "cheap shot" by mentioning his party affiliation. Mr. Scarborough sarcastically added: "I feel so comforted by the fact that you're an independent. I bet everyone at MSNBC has 'independent' on their voting cards."

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The network's chief played down the acrimony. "Look, I want honest, authentic people on our air. I don't want phonies. So if the price of that is every once in a while one of these bubbles up, I'm not concerned," said MSNBC President Phil Griffin. General Electric Co.'s MSNBC has tried to capitalize on strong interest in the presidential election in the past two years by making a series of programming moves. The changes have made a star of the liberal firebrand Mr. Olbermann and left several news people feeling marginalized, including Messrs. Scarborough and Matthews and former General Manager Dan Abrams, people familiar with the situation said. An MSNBC representative declined to make the on-air personalities available for comment.

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Audiences have responded positively to shifts at the network, making MSNBC the fastest-growing cable news network in 2008 and the top-rated one among viewers between 18 and 34 years old, the most desirable to advertisers. The network drew 2.15 million viewers on its first night of convention coverage, 88% more than tuned in for the first night of the 2004 Democratic convention, according to Nielsen Media Research. MSNBC also beat Fox News among younger viewers that night.

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it was pure ratings gold.

As long as we keep tuning in to watch the petty arguments.

when they became the Obama network.

they would switch channels to actually hear dialog on the convention, and not senseless banter by a bunch of arrogant self centered jackasses. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people who are really into politics have pretty boring lives, so watching this is actually exciting to them.

I don't have cable, and this just reinforces that I don't need it.