MSNBC celebrates 10 years on the air…
MSNBC started running promotions celebrating ten years on the air on Sunday. Starting out with the text “10 years ago…the world got connected” followed by an audio clip from FOX 5 NY anchor Jodi Applegate from back when she was MSNBC’s first anchor on the air, the spot is slick but seems to concentrate mostly on primetime. Daytime news coverage clips are few and far between with the exception of a Chris Jansing clip from what appears to be during the Iraq War.
Clips from all the prime time hosts talking about MSNBC are aired in between a rapid fire set of clips and a bunch of small video screens of MSNBC talent. An oddity of the spot is that most of the clips are from the last six years.
It’s going to be odd if MSNBC rebrands its name so soon after running these spots. That’s one reason why I still don’t buy the name change rumor. Another is that everything that has MSNBC on it from set pieces to duratrans to ads to coffee cups would have to be replaced and replaced so quickly that there isn’t any bleedover between one brand and the other. I just don’t see how it can be done. It’s not like TNN becoming Spike TV where the change is purely in the graphics and letterhead. It would be very very expensive to change MSNBC’s name. And given the budget cuts that have taken place getting the millions that would be required is a tall order…
UPDATE: On the other hand if you type in “nbccablenews.com” into your web browser you get this. But that’s probably NBC covering its internet bases because there’s no way they will rebrand MSNBC.com. That much is certain.
That’s the problem with MSNBC…slick ads, window dressings, promos etc…and not great CONTENT. Other than Olbermann and Matthews (sometimes Abrams, sometimes Tucker), they put out a poor product.
They try and polish about 22 hours worth of turd…and even Rita Cosby will tell you, you can’t polish a turd.
Comment by domino — May 30, 2006 @ 12:06 am
It’s not THAT bad. There are times when MSNBC is better than FNC or CNN just like there are times when FNC is better than CNN and MSNBC and times when CNN is better than FNC and MSNBC. No one channel holds a monopoly on the delivery of quality news. Though the channels like to tell you they do…
Comment by Spud — May 30, 2006 @ 12:20 am
My bank just got done taking two years to change from Bank One to Chase. I’ve seen some microphones without the MSNBC label, but maybe they didn’t belong to MSNBC. Does it say MSNBC anywhere on the new ‘The Most’ set?
A logical progression could be like this:
1. 1st month: start saying ‘MSNBC news’
2. 2nd month: start saying ‘MSNBC news network’
3. 3rd month: start saying ‘NBC news network’
Comment by erljr — May 30, 2006 @ 3:56 am
Nah, here’s the cheapest solution, even though it may also take spending a bit of money:
Find two other words for the “MS” part of “MSNBC” to stand for. I mean, it’s not like Microsoft has a monopoly on the initials “MS” (nor wants to, given that when you stand them alone, they make people think of multiple sclerosis). Say that “MSNBC” now stands for “Multisystem Satellite News Broadcasting Channel” or something like that. You’ve still got the “NBC” in there and the peacock logo. You don’t have to spend money changing over everything from your sets to your letterhead. You don’t have to keep reminding your on-air talent to use the new name and fretting about them forgetting. Very simple.
Comment by tanne — May 30, 2006 @ 6:45 am
I agree with Spud. MSNBC does have some good hosts and news coverage. Particularly, I think Scarbourgh has improved as a host and personality. When he first debuted, he was trying too hard to be another shouting, angry conservative. He has gotten a lot better. Tucker’s program is also really good. Both shows are quite underrated. The network still needs work with their daytime lineup and Rita Cosby’s hour.
Comment by Scott — May 30, 2006 @ 9:41 am
I don’t know why MSNBC can’t get its daytime programming squared away.
But the network does have some stars in the making - Joe Scarborough, Tucker Carlson, and Dan Abrams.
MSNBC’s inability to switch the hours of loser Rita Cosby and the charmer, Tucker Carlson, really hurt their evening line up.
Comment by cella — May 30, 2006 @ 10:34 am
I wonder how many people who don’t read this blog know that the “MS” stands for Microsoft..?
The “nbccablenews.com” domain was registered last may by some guy named Larry Glenn in Coal City, IL. No mention of NBC Universal anywhere on the WHOIS. Note also when you click on any link, the title and address in the browser (at least IE 6) stays the same (indicating it’s just a redirect). Seems like someone is hoping for a name change to make a little cash.
Comment by Coreyback — May 30, 2006 @ 1:24 pm
I wonder how many people know what CBS stands for or realizes that Columbia doesn’t exist as an entity in regards to CBS yet it is still called CBS.
Comment by Spud — May 30, 2006 @ 5:00 pm
My point exactly.
Even simpler solution than the one I gave above: make MSNBC stand for “Multi-Source News Broadcasting Channel.” That way they keep trading on the known factor of the MSNBC name and, at the same time, use it to reinforce their image as the network where you can get the news from a variety of sources: your TV, the Web, or podcasts (or, for that matter, satellite radio).
The whole idea of teaming up with Microsoft in the first place was to create this revolutionary news channel that would be an Internet pioneer, right? This way, they get to continue to captalize on that position–and play off one of their biggest strengths, their Web site–without having to lose the familiar initials “MSNBC.”
Comment by tanne — May 30, 2006 @ 9:18 pm
Can anyone YouTube that MSNBC promo? They don’t seem to have it in heavy rotation.
Comment by WestCoastBlogger — May 31, 2006 @ 1:30 am
“An oddity of the spot is that most of the clips are from the last six years.”
Maybe it was too hard to find any clips from the early days that didn’t include any people that left to go to Fox News.
John Gibson, Linda Vester, Brigette Quinn, Patti Ann Browne, and Gregg Jerrett and just some that left the MSNBC/NBC family to join Fox News.
Comment by malone — May 31, 2006 @ 1:41 am
You have a point, malone–and who wants to promote losers?
Aside from that, though, it makes sense to me that MSNBC populated the ad primarily with clips from more recent shows. After all, it’s been around only 10 years. Any show clips it used in the ad that weren’t fairly much from the last six years would be more likely to be sending a message of “look at all the shows we’ve canceled” than “look at all these great shows, remember when…?” You can only start sending a message like that after about 30 years or so.
I mean, I personally may feel a bit sentimental when I look back on the old days when the show I never used to miss was “The Site” with Soledad O’Brien, but I’m not sure everyone else does.
Comment by tanne — May 31, 2006 @ 6:50 am
“look at all the shows we’ve cancelled”
Maybe it was too hard to find any clips from the early days that didn’t include any people that left to go to Fox News.
exactly!!!
Comment by erljr — June 1, 2006 @ 2:01 am