Schadenfreude?
I got a tip to a 1:07 pm Rebecca Gomez report on NBC’s news. I had to get a clip from Johnny Dollar in order to post a transcript…
Gomez: MSNBC’s headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey will be shut down - the cable channel had already resorted to tape instead of live programming in the crucial prime hours because of just terrible ratings…
UPDATE: Shepard Smith during Studio B…
SHEP: Man alive, the craziness happening across the river! What in the world is going on at NBC? We’re expanding here, you may have noticed. Expansion here. But NBC says it plans to slash about 700 jobs, or 5% of its workforce. That includes cuts in the news division. So if you’re a terrific producer, or a great writer, and think you understand fair and balanced, would like to work over here where we’re expanding, send me an email…. The move follows three years of falling profits and problems at that MSNBC; they’re struggling over there. They will move some of their operations to NBC headquarters in New York’s Rockefeller Center, also another NBC facility in Northern New Jersey. Our friends over there, we wish them very much well.
UPDATE 2: Cavuto weighed in in a far more subtle manner…
Its vaulted financial network fell on hard times. Its news network fell on even harder times. And then today, this: Promises to cut $750 million in costs and 700 people from their jobs.
Ummm…Neil…MSNBC’s ratings have gone up and the network has become profitable. You can say that MSNBC isn’t where it needs to be or should be. You can say that it has an identity crisis. And you would be right. But you can’t say that the “news network fell on even harder times” and expect to retain any semblence of credibility on the subject any more than people who say that FNC is in trouble because it has seen a decline in the ratings.
UPDATE 3: On The Big Story with John Gibson, there was an eminently fair and balanced assessment by John Gibson and Terry Keenan when they talked about today’s NBC Universal news. It stuck with facts and didn’t hype the story.
I saw Rebecca Gomez on during Jane Skinner’s hour and she didn’t say “crucial” at all. Perhaps she reported the same story multiple times and this “transcript” has been cherry picked in order to cover-up the falsehood.
Comment by Terance — October 19, 2006 @ 3:50 pm
It wasn’t Skinner’s hour. It was the hour before that. Gomez must have come on more than once…
Comment by Spud — October 19, 2006 @ 4:01 pm
Hmmm. Well that transcript is not the segment I saw. Gomez made it seem like they only run tape in prime time, period.
Comment by Terance — October 19, 2006 @ 4:06 pm
1:07 is Martha MacCallum’s hour. I saw that report and the transcript as Spud reported it is correct.
Comment by OverHere — October 19, 2006 @ 5:04 pm
That was very gracious of Shepard. Amidst all the rivalry in the cable news world - they’re all working in the same business and colleagues losing their jobs is never good news, even if they are working for a competitor.
Comment by Mr A — October 19, 2006 @ 5:12 pm
She was on at 1PM and 2PM. Did nearly the same report with some different but very similar video.
Comment by Nobody — October 19, 2006 @ 5:14 pm
The more they copy FNC, the more FNC copies them. Kicking the other guy when they’re down…
Gloating is human nature; but I’ve been hearing about the demise of MSNBC for a long time, and I’m still waiting.
Comment by erljr — October 19, 2006 @ 5:25 pm
That was very gracious of Shepard.
There are many words I can think of to describe it. Gracious would not be one of them.
I find it fascinating that basically one person at MSNBC, Keith Olbermann, manages to generate this kind of response. Doocy, Gomez, Smith…I hear Cavuto commented but I don’t know what he said yet. Talk about a dissproportionate reaction…having numerous people respond because of the antics of one man…not an entire network? And this isn’t even bad news per se for MSNBC.
Comment by Spud — October 19, 2006 @ 5:47 pm
Exactly, Spud. It’s an NBC/Universal CORPORATE decision, long-awaited after the merger. Shutting down Seacaucus makes perfect business sense, regardless of the current state of MSNBC and CNBC, which is actually FAR better than one year ago. And Shep “gracious”? More like “snide”, but he’s entitled, since KO and Joe and others at MSNBC will just throw it back.
Comment by museglet — October 19, 2006 @ 6:12 pm
Actually, Spud you’re right. Reading that transcript through again and it doesn’t look like Smith is actually being gracious at all. My mistake! I don’t know much about the history, did Fox have any time for MSNBC before Olbermann started “attacking” them with impunity?
Comment by Mr A — October 19, 2006 @ 6:16 pm
Gibson did a story on it tonight as well. It was a very well done report. They even called Brian William’s their friend. Not only that, but they didn’t twist things around. For once, FOX News actually gave the news as it really is. Thank you John Gibson for using sense. Maybe this is a sign of things to come?
Comment by Nobody — October 19, 2006 @ 6:43 pm
Guys, I did not see either Shep’s or Cavuto’s statements (live) today, but from reading the transcripts, I honestly don’t think either of them meant any malice toward MSNBC or its employees.
It sounds like Shep started off just reporting on MSNBC’s financial difficulties, and then invited MSNBC employees to seek work at Fox if so inclined. But I don’t think his “well wish” was said in the way Fox usually wishes people well! I can’t imagine him being cruel at a time that is quite sad for many NBC/MSNBC employees.
But I can honestly say that I am SURE that Cavuto meant no harm! I’d say at least twice a week, he ends his program telling of someone who had a lot of success who ended up losing it all, not keeping things in perspective, falling on hard times, etc. It sounds like that’s what he did here, but commenting on an entire network instead of his typical example of an individual.
Also, I’m pretty sure that Cavuto’s statements (CNBC and MSNBC falling on hard times) were based more on financial measures than ratings. It’s likely that there’s quite a lag between a network’s ratings and it’s ad revenues and/or costs, etc. And coming from Cavuto’s perspective, it’s probably more likely that it was the financial situation to which he referred.
Comment by Missy — October 19, 2006 @ 7:06 pm
Shep did have a good point. Apparently Fox is expanding while NBC-Universal is making massive cuts.
Comment by Alison — October 19, 2006 @ 7:20 pm
Remember that Gibson worked at MSNBC and Cavuto at CNBC and they certainly have friends there.
Unlike Scarborough and Keith, they showed class when they could have gloated.
Comment by Ira — October 19, 2006 @ 7:26 pm
I do think they were gloating; but why wouldn’t they. FNC is regularly chastized as the only network that has any bias by the Cafferty’s and Olbermann’s and the Klein’s and basically the whole rest of the news media for the past 10 years. And still they latch on to any statistic they can find to point to FNC and say told you so. So why wouldn’t the people at FNC want to gloat a bit? Sure FNC has had 8 months of ratings declines, but they’re still, at least for now, #1.
Comment by erljr — October 19, 2006 @ 8:26 pm
Now is anyone ready for some perspective? Where is the doom and gloom crowd from last night who was predicting the end of MSNBC? Here are some facts:
In 2001, NBC had a total workforce of roughly 5600. In that year they cut 560 jobs, 10% of their workforce.
At some point, they aquired Telemundo and various other properties.
The Universal Studios merger was completed in 2004.
Today NBC Universal has a total workforce of 14,000. The plan according to today’s reports, is to cut 700 people, roughly 5% of their workforce, over about an 18 month period. Currently, NBC Universal reports 7-8% staff turnover every year.
Most of the info learned today was actually known long ago. The lease at Secaucus running out next year. All of the news properties duplicating, and actually competing in many cases with each other. Merging resources has long been known to be in the future. Merging bureaus, making one unified east coast operation, and one unified west coast operation. How many tidbits were actually added today?
We all knew merging resources would happen way before any decision to scrap MSNBC. Sure that may be in the future at some point, but there are still a few more steps to take first.
Comment by erljr — October 19, 2006 @ 9:43 pm
I don’t think MSNBC is in danger of being scrapped. Today’s move probably gives it a new lease on life…if it was ever in danger to begin with.
It all depends on just how MSNBC is integrated into 30 Rock. Will the powers in charge be smart about it or will they muck it up? The history of NBC’s oversight of MSNBC doesn’t bode well though. But who knows?
Comment by Spud — October 19, 2006 @ 9:58 pm
I am wondering how the relative control over content of MSNBC primetime shows (whatever remains) will fare at 30 Rock.
Comment by Goldfish — October 19, 2006 @ 10:07 pm
Just what kind of comments would we expect from the whackos at fnc? Sincere…I think not. FNC will have its day on the doom and gloom side of the news.
Comment by Stud — October 19, 2006 @ 11:16 pm