MSNBC to make another format adjustment…
ICN has learned from multiple sources that MSNBC is planning another format “adjustment” to the 12-4 portion of MSNBC Live starting Monday. The new format as described consists of the following; the left side of the TV screen will be the live anchor and/or video. On the right side will be three boxes/windows. One will contain headlines/stories, another will contain stock information from CNBC, and the third will contain Weather Plus information.
In another move, the crawl will be expanded to twice its previous size. That particular change will affect all of MSNBC’s program schedule that features the crawl. As a result all of MSNBC’s news graphics will be adjusted.
It’s hard to get a good visual sense of how this will be presented based on the descriptions given but the closest thing I can analogize it to is something along the lines of what Headline News experimented with for a couple of years before dropping it for a more streamlined format last year. That HLN format took the bottom third of the screen (as opposed to MSNBC taking portions of the right side of the screen with boxes) but a lot of the information presented will be similar; news, stock market info, and weather. However there is a difference in that MSNBC’s screen change will not be on throughout the broadcast but only during select periods.
I’m going to wait and see what this change really looks like before I comment on it further. But anyone who reads this blog already knows I’m firmly in the “less is more” camp that doesn’t like all the graphical clutter that plagues cable news.
What a dreadful idea!
Comment by Terance — January 22, 2006 @ 9:30 pm
Well I won’t reserve judgement. This is stupid. I’m starting to be convinced that 5 year-old could come up with better ideas than these morons running MSNBC. If you want stock updates, then turn to CNBC. If you want weather updates then turn to the weather channel. Otherwise, MSNBC is there to deliver news so please deliver news and stop with the antics.
Comment by bravesfan — January 22, 2006 @ 9:43 pm
Ratings wise, they’re battling it out for the most part with CNNHL, so it’s only fitting that they should choose to look like Headline News!
Comment by Charles — January 22, 2006 @ 10:22 pm
Sounds interesting, though I wouldn’t be amased if there isn’t any gain in ratings or anything at all. The old headline news screen thing (whatever you wanted to call it) was a good idea in that you didn’t have to follow a scroller go across the bottom of the screen, something I liked anyway. In the end, with the visual changes on CNBC, I am just a little scared of what this might look at if they impact it at all.
Comment by Chris — January 22, 2006 @ 11:34 pm
I’m going to have to take a look at this just for the laughs potential. It sounds like Situation Room meets HeadLine news through a Mondrian painting!
Comment by johnny dollar — January 22, 2006 @ 11:55 pm
What MSNBC should worry about is their new Hotshots segment on Chris Matthews’ show. They are trying to use Joe and Tucker on Friday nights, since their shows were cancelled on that evening. But, horror or horrors! They included Rita Cosby as a political commentator!! She diminished the show.
It could have been a good segment each week. I wonder how Joe and Tucker - real political analysts - feel about appearing with this nitwit! (Sorry for changing the subject, but I needed to comment on this other idiotic turn of events at MSNBC.
Now, on to the subject at hand. I have the new MSNBC screen on now. It is a mess!!
Comment by Cara — January 23, 2006 @ 1:22 pm