More on Cosby
The deal is done but what does it all mean? Things to note…
- Cosby will be an anchor of a prime time show to start in the Fourth Quarter.
- Cosby will be a “special correspondent” starting in June.
While I will not deny that this is an even bigger “get” for Rick Kaplan than Tucker Carlson, this move has ramifications that extend beyond MSNBC’s borders. Things to ponder…
- How will certain folks over at 30 Rock react to this…people who have last names such as Couric, Russert, Lauer, Mathews, Williams, and Phillips…when some of the exclusives they used to get now wind up going on MSNBC?
- How will Neal Shapiro handle said reactions?
- How will Nightly News react to scoops winding up on MSNBC first?
This move will require kid gloves if it is to work right. A lot of feathers could be ruffled by this.
This couldn’t be something that just happened overnight. This deal had to have been going on for quite some time in the shadows. My guess is that Cosby got a great offer from MSNBC and tried to get FOX to match it and FOX balked. So now just how bad will the public trashing of Rita Cosby be by FOX execs? Will it be non-existent like when Catherine Crier left? Or will it be brutal like when Paula Zahn left?
Plus now there is the open question of who will replace Cosby, if anyone. Clearly Roger Ailes believes that FOX can take the hit by letting Cosby walk and probably feels that Cosby on MSNBC will result in a bigger headache for CNN than itself, if the move does any damage at all.
The big guns are not going to lose exclusives to Rita Cosby. Are you nuts? Unless Rita goes out on her own, which I doubt will happen because I doubt she will get the resources to do so, she will never get exclusives before the NBC people and thus will never have the clout that she had at FOX NEWs.
Comment by bravesfan — May 13, 2005 @ 6:20 pm
Don’t be so quick to dismiss this out of hand. Rita doesn’t need a ton of resources to get exclusives. She already has the contacts from 9 years at FOX News. Whether she ends up having the clout she had at FOX or not is another matter. But consider this, for Rita to jump ship she had to have the opportunity to move up. She got that with the Primetime gig. But she also wouldn’t have jumped ship if she wasn’t allowed to have at least some of the freedom she had at FOX. If you’ve built up a reputation for a certain kind of story or angle, viewers will expect to see that no matter wherre you wind up. MSNBC, for this to make sense to Rita and the the network, would have had to realize that Rita isn’t Rita without having exclusives. Just as Geraldo isn’t Geraldo unless he sticks himself into the stories he covers (which is part of the titillation in watching his stories and shows I guess). That’s where the “special correspondent” thing comes in.
Whether MSNBC follows through on that or not I have no idea. But you can bet it was promised to her. This is why feathers may get ruffled and noses bent, particularly since the Press Release mentions nothing about any NBC appearances or duties; indicating that there will be no crossover appearances and therefore no opportunities for Rita to start the exclusives on NBC first.
Comment by Spud — May 13, 2005 @ 6:42 pm
I just don’t see that happening with the egos present at NBC. Besides, what other exclusives does Rita get besides tabloid crap (at least nowadays anyway). Given MSNBC’s history, I would be very surprised to see an interview given to her first before, say Katie Couric. If I’m wrong, I’ll admit to it.
Comment by bravesfan — May 13, 2005 @ 7:09 pm
With Rita gone, there is no reason to watch FNC on weekends
Comment by Don G — May 13, 2005 @ 8:39 pm
This is the BIGGEST LOSS FOX has had so far. On top of being one of the nicest people in the business, Rita Cosby is hands down a totally awesome journalist. My GOD… FOX’s loss is a BIG WIN for MSNBC! She is going to kick some butt… I’ll now be an MSNBC fan… BIG TIME!!!
Comment by Jim M. — May 13, 2005 @ 10:39 pm
As if any one of the big dawgs cares a whit about an insignificant MSNBC player? True Nightly-leading exclusives are few and far between. They differ greatly from the trumped up garbage that passes for this hours exclusive in incremental cable update. No one at NBC cares a white what airs on MS. And if you guys don’t get that, you don’t understand how things really work.
Comment by David Page — May 13, 2005 @ 11:28 pm
where does it say she will get a primetime spot? it just says evening program, so that can mean 5 or 6pm
Comment by jman — May 14, 2005 @ 11:55 am
Jman you’re right. In the first line of TVN’s story it says,
“In Secaucus, speculation is building that new MSNBC hire Rita Cosby will anchor the 11pm time slot.”
Everyone loves to speculate and some take it as the gospel. Me I don’t see Rita making a big difference at MSNBC. It will be difficult for her to live down the tabloid trash she put on the air every weekend on FNC.
Comment by Hairy — May 14, 2005 @ 1:10 pm
Cosby will do just fine at MSNBC…As far as those idiots over at 30 Rock….well they need a good shake up……and this just might be the one they need. As far as Fox is concerned DC knows it lost one of their best…NY well Ailes and Moody are just stupid for letting her go they forget what she had done for them. But then again loyality is a one way street at Fox News………
Comment by nukeater — May 14, 2005 @ 1:55 pm
Best news ever. Rita was full of herself, and unwatchable.
Breathless gushing, “my sources have told me”… Hopefully the even bigger ego Geraldo will follow her, and make the weekends viewable again.
Comment by joe — May 14, 2005 @ 2:50 pm
Anyone who has seen Rita Cosby’s work at Fox knows that she MADE Fox what it is today. I am sure she will do the same at NBC - they are lucky to have her!
Comment by Ula — May 15, 2005 @ 4:58 pm
Rita was the only reason to watch Fox at all! Everyone else there is either ancient, irritating or boring. Rita brings spunk, energy and charisma to her work, all qualities sadly lacking in so many news people today… Can’t wait to watch her on MSNBC!!
Comment by Karen — May 15, 2005 @ 5:05 pm
to Joe, who thought Rita was “full of herself” and “unwatchable,” I ask - what were you watching?!?? Aside from the fact that her continuously #1 rated show verifies that she is not only watchable but highly highly successful, there is no other anchor on today more down-to-earth and accessable to viewers as Ms. Cosby. If your perception of her is really THAT off, please don’t watch her on MSNBC with the rest of us, she is better off without viewers like you.
Comment by J.J. — May 15, 2005 @ 5:10 pm
rita was one of the nicest people at fox. i wonder if laurie dhue’s rolodex is 1/100th as full as rita’s is. have fun finding a replacement on the weekends. and once geraldo leaves, weekends will be an afterthought at fnc. the weekends will be further filled with hacks having shows.
and if rita’s show is at 11pm… ugh boy… no one, NO ONE will like working on that show, because who wants to be working til midnight???
Comment by joe — May 16, 2005 @ 2:11 am
Since the dishonest Kevin Magee took control of programming (Moody is editorial), any woman who’s intelligent, competent and talented gets the short shrift at Fox, and the pattern continues with Bill Shine. Instead more air time goes to the likes of the intellectually vacant Kiran Chetry and Julie “Banderas” Bidwell, the reliably inane Martha MacCallum, and the borderline-illiterate Dari Alexander. Rita, like Heather Nauert before her, was smart to get out. More power to her.
Comment by K.S. — May 16, 2005 @ 7:11 am
lol… that was pretty much dead on… but you’re giving heather nauert WAY too much credit. no reason she shouldn’t be lumped in with the other half-wits.
Comment by joe — May 17, 2005 @ 2:44 am
Hey Joe, you were “spot on,” and JJ, don’t worry, our channel changers have been programmed to “ignore” MSNBC, so, no worries mate! Rita had a beautiful face, but a “bloodsucking” personality and of course, I know a lot of her viewers loved the way she turned people “inside out.” I did like the work she did with Tommy Hammil of Iraqi POW fame, but bottom line, I’m no more upset with her departure than I was Paula Zahn’s, who obviously never fit with FOX anyway…good riddance.
Comment by Mac — May 29, 2005 @ 4:42 pm
Rita Cosby has a big mouth and an even bigger ass! I have always been surprised that FOX executives didn’t tell her to LOSE SOME WEIGHT!
Comment by Lisa — June 12, 2005 @ 8:20 pm
FNC lost everything when they let Rita Cosby go. Their next big loss is having Geraldo stay. He is WAY to pushy for me to watch him. My channel changer was mostly on FNC, NO MORE!!!!
Comment by Carol — June 15, 2005 @ 2:10 pm
Rita is the best. I had to track down “where she had gone.” Since Rita left, I don’t watch the Big Story. Her personality carried the show!
Comment by sharon — June 18, 2005 @ 6:38 pm
The corpulent Cosby appetite for over blown puff piece interviews is only exceeded by her caloric intake. Her interview of the Terry Shivo siblings, where she fawned all over them and supported their absurd story that their sister was not brain dead, was apropos for a faux journalist. Fox probably said good riddance to the over dramatized husky voiced frog.
Comment by James — June 22, 2005 @ 6:47 pm
thank goodness shes gone her voice is horriable and she is nerve racking although this aruba thing is so over done the best things on fox is greta bill and linda vester and the greatest is the never overrated sean hannity thank god this is a fox news out there
Comment by janna — June 23, 2005 @ 9:08 pm
Being an FNC addict, I don’t know WHY it took me so long to realize Rita was gone… I guess it came down to finally noticing that she was not duking it out with Geraldo et.al. for ‘HEY LOOK AT ME I AM HERE TOO’ coverage on the Natalee Holloway/Aruba story ….
I read with great amusement above the very different takes people have on the same person. I, for one, side with Joe/May 14th. I had thought I was the ONLY PERSON who could not STANNNND to hear ONE MORE TIME - seemingly said EVERY OTHER WORD… “my sources have told me”… I was relieved to notice that grated others’ nerves as well. Nothing Rita ever did, researched or reported was about FNC… it was ALL ABOUT RITA. She was a one woman self-promotion horse, and now she has just taken that gittyup to a different stable. I don’t see it as a loss for FNC, but as a sigh of relief.
I am sure she is a nice person, but her gushingly breathy style that ALWAYS somehow brought the story back imply how great she was to have gotten so and so to come on “her show”. She was the epitome of self absorption. Journalists are supposed to be objective and let US “decide”… instead she saw the world through “I hope they see how wonderful I am” colored glasses… and, ooops, I guess they didn’t - at FNC anyway. Best of luck to her at MSNBC, but I personally will be HAPPY to watch Laurie Dhue or any of the other totally capable up-and-comers over Rita ANY day. Oh… and just one last thought - to KS who commented that Martha McCallum is “reliably inane” - RIGHT ON! Now SHE is the NEW unwatchable at FNC. But I agree… THANK GOD for FNC. Good luck anyway Rita… everyone deserves to be happy.
Comment by Kristin — June 24, 2005 @ 6:02 pm
RC is among those benighted high profile “journalists” such as Baba Walters, Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer and Leslie Stahl who need a slave camera on them to record their inane reaction facial expressions. Any story that advances their own celebrity is the sine qua non for getting the interview. They are all obsequious and unctuous when confronting their subject matter. Since nobody watches MSNBC, hopefully, this latest addition to the ranks of the Harpy interview brigade will quickly pass into oblivion.
Comment by James — June 25, 2005 @ 10:22 pm
As long as MSNBC lets the camera pan down to display RC’s rubenesque legs and child-bearing hips, then the switch from Fox will be worthwhile. She’s an ample lass!
Comment by Peter — June 26, 2005 @ 10:15 am
Agreed. RC has a sweet set of twins worthy of daily attention. Short skirts do justice to her delicious gams.
Comment by Justin — June 26, 2005 @ 10:20 pm
We love Rita Cosby, and am glad she is going to be on MSNBC. Please Email me to tell me the date and time. We really miss her. She was the most talented and beautiful reporter on Fox, and will be a blessing to MSNBC. Thanks, Marie
Comment by marie wietfeld — July 16, 2005 @ 2:24 pm
She was the absolute worst. All tabloid, phony, and irritating. If you have a crush on her, fine. But I would rather watch news instead of some heavy, breathless gossip columnist.
Comment by Shawn — July 20, 2005 @ 9:52 pm
Rita and Jeraldo would both tell you a lot more than they knew. Be glad when he is gone too.
Comment by Jerry — July 30, 2005 @ 12:14 am
She looks like she had an eye job like Gretta did when she jumped.
Comment by Robin — August 9, 2005 @ 9:24 pm
Re: Rita Cosby. I did not know until I googled “Rita Cosby” that she had any previous experience on a TV show. I never heard of her. Of course, I do not watch FOX, so that is the explanation. I have been incredulous that she had a show of her own. I figured she had something on someone and that is how she got the job. She sounds like she has a marshmallow stuck in the back of her throat. I cannot stand her. Why would MSNBC put her on such a prime time spot? I like their line-up of Matthews and Keith Olbermann( sorry Keith, I did not pay attention to how you spell your name)and occasionally I watched Tucker Carlson. I did not agree with him, but I respected his intelligence. This woman is an affront to journalism. She makes me want to throw up-I cannot stand her. Do you think MSNBC is satisfied with her and will keep her? What a waste of our public airways. When she was in New Orleans, she fawned over everybody. I hope she is gone soon.
Comment by Kathy — September 11, 2005 @ 2:50 pm
Rita has a is very hard to understand and it sounds very raspy. I know one can change one’s voice by voice leasons. If it is because of a medical condiction please except my aplogy. Please speak clearly and crispy.
Thanks
E.B.
Comment by bensoid — October 12, 2005 @ 10:54 pm
Since Rita and her show “Live and Direct” as aired, Rita as shown she will chase down a story no matter what to get to the truth. Aruba should be more worried of Rita Cosby than a boycott of thier country!
Comment by Kevin — December 3, 2005 @ 8:06 pm