This is old but Rory O’Connor weighs in on the Microsoft/NBCU deal on MSNBC…

Capus failed to note, however, that it still ranks below the WPIX programming of a burning Yule log in the latest Nielsen ratings… At the risk of making sense, may I humbly suggest that there might exist some relation between the quality of the ‘newsfood’ NBC’s cable outlet has been serving up for the past ten years, and its historical paucity of viewers?

The point may be best driven home anecdotally. A few years back, a bright, energetic, idealistic and extremely promising young woman – a recent Yale graduate, in fact – interned with me. Unfortunately, when the internship was done, I had no job to offer. So with some trepidation she took a producer position at MSNBC.

Six months later when I called to ask how she was faring, she said she was going to attend law school soon. Why? Because she just couldn’t take the misery, or the stupidity, or the lack of caring, any longer.