MSNBC’s 10th: 10 years ago today MSNBC launched…
Today is the official 10 year anniversary of MSNBC. I was watching that day on June 15, 1996 and taped it. Somehow I managed to keep that footage all these years in my old and decaying tape library which I’ve been working on and off to convert to DVD the past few years. So here is an MSNBC blast from the past.
UPDATE: Someone narked to the content police and so most of these videos are now gone.
Jodi Applegate was the first MSNBC news anchor on the air that day. Here are the first minutes of MSNBC on the air…
Applegate served as the viewer’s guide to what programming was being planned for MSNBC. Here, Applegate tosses to Tom Brokaw in front of the White House to announce Internight and its first guest; President Bill Clinton.
The Olympics in Atlanta were only a couple of weeks away and MSNBC would be covering it with most of their talent reporting down in Georgia (and wound up getting scooped by CNN with that bombing footage). In this clip, Applegate tosses to Katie Couric and Matt Lauer to talk about the Olympics.
Back in 1996 the Dot Com bubble was still in full expansion and one of the ways MSNBC wanted to tap it was with a show called “The Site”. In this clip, Applegate tosses to The Site’s host; Soledad O’Brien, who talks about the new show which was based out of San Francisco.
MSNBC had access to all the resources of NBC News and that meant all the file footage stored over the years in its archives. In trying to utilize that footage, MSNBC came up with “Time and Again”. In this clip, Applegate tosses to the show’s host; Jane Pauley, who talks about the program.
MSNBC wanted to have a flagship broadcast to cover the day’s news. NBC News White House correspondent Brian Williams was tapped to anchor the fledgling broadcast. At the time many thought Williams was taking a big risk with his future with this move. Who knew? In this clip, Applegate tosses to Williams who talks about the program; “The News with Brian Williams”.
Of course the whole point of the MSNBC partnership between NBC and Microsoft was to synergize the Internet and TV News and a cornerstone of that was MSNBC.com. Here Applegate goes live to Washington; the location of MSNBC.com.
As I watched this footage again for the first time in years, I was struck by how much has changed in the last 10 years and yet how much has stayed the same. The talent has changed and the programming has changed but little else has. Cable News as a whole is still trying to tap into the Internet in new and different ways. The latest incarnation on MSNBC has been “The Most”. MSNBC.com turned into a rousing success. MSNBC is still working with a live/tape formula only the format of the taped programming has changed. The Olympics continue to boost MSNBC’s ratings (though they don’t hold). Newsmaker programs are still going on on MSNBC only the format has changed to the host dominated style of Tucker, Countdown, Hardball, and Scarborough Country. The one glaring hole in my opinion is the lack of a flagship news program. I still regret the decision to move The News to CNBC where it eventualy died.
UPDATE: An emailer wrote in to note that this morning MSNBC played a clip of the opening moments for the channel…
“Lack of a flagship news program”? What do you call Countdown?
And I am only interested in Spud’s answer here. I already know what the conservative posters call it–”an opinion show with fake comedy news and a LIBERAL host.” I want to find out what Spud calls it.
I also want to find out whether Spud thinks the “flagship news programs” on any other cable or broadcast network are completely unbiased and free of any sort of political slant whatsoever. Because if that’s what his criteria are for a “flagship news program,” then there really aren’t any.
Comment by tanne — July 15, 2006 @ 11:38 am
Countdown is not by any stretch of the imagination a flagship news programme. It (like Tucker, Scarborough etc) is a news opinion type show designed to entertain. You cannot for example compare it to a network evening newscast, which is what the News with Brian Williams was modeled on IIRC.
Only you have mentioned politics for some strange reason of your own.
Comment by Mr A — July 15, 2006 @ 2:36 pm
Countdown is many thing but a Flagship News program it is not. Segments like Oddball, The Worst Person in the World, Puppet Theater…these are not the things that make a flagship news program. What Countdown is in my opinion is a cross between a newsmaker program and an entertainment program with more of an emphasis on the newsmaker side.
Tanne, you are confusing the issue here. When I say flagship News Program, Ideology doesn’t enter the issue. I’m talking about a program that wraps up the days news in far greater detail than Countdown ever could. FNC has one with The Fox Report. CNN doesn’t have one, though Newsnight came close when it was on the air.
MSNBC sort of had one earlier in the day with Lester Holt Live before Holt started showing up on NBC.
Comment by Spud — July 15, 2006 @ 5:24 pm
Well, Spud, at least you stayed away from Mr. A’s accusations, which as I see it are untrue also.
I’m sorry if you think Countdown isn’t “Serious” with a capital S enough to be a “flagship” news program. That’s the impression I get from what you’re saying. News requires Seriousness! No fun or entertainment allowed!
As for depth, give the show another hour and see what you’d get then.
Comment by tanne — July 15, 2006 @ 7:58 pm
It’s true that I don’t believe a flagship news program should be “entertaining”. News should inform, not entertain.
Comment by Spud — July 16, 2006 @ 9:10 am
It is great to see all this stuff. Especially the first few minutes of MSNBC. Interesting to see in the background that it looks like they had they had the familiar looking set to what we know today and this is given that they co-existed with CNBC in Fort Lee for the first few months. I guess they had their own floor in that office building. I wonder how and what changed when they moved in to the converted warehouse on Hartz Way in Secaucus?
Comment by ejnkight — July 16, 2006 @ 12:32 pm
i really liked thier product back when they first started but i think once 2000 hit, they went down hill. even though i stopped watching for a good year when they called themselve “americas news channel”, then when laurie jennings came on board, i watched her from my days back when she was in boston. I really hope the do find thier niche because i really hope they stay on air but to be honest, i wont be surprised if they flunk. happy 10 msnbc.
Comment by Nate — July 16, 2006 @ 11:57 pm