While there are plenty of concerns to go around within the media industry as a whole, MSNBC President Phil Griffin and his network seem to have earned a prominent position in this New York Times look at those in the “hot seat.”
So, just how smart is Phil Griffin, anyway? Not very, it seems, provided one goes by ratings.
Those familiar with television news will tell you that Mr. Griffin is one of the smartest people around, but you wouldn’t know it from MSNBC’s ratings.
And certainly political-minded readers will recognize the names of those being hardest hit.
Stalwarts of the liberal-leaning channel — “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “Morning Joe” — are posting some of their lowest ratings ever and some of the fixes that Mr. Griffin has come up with — Ronan Farrow, anyone? — went nowhere.
Also, as with several other developments, there may be a bit of blame due Obama; however, ultimately, it’s Griffin at the head of this so-called ticket, and if anyone is unelectable as we move into 2016, it may well be him—or is that no longer employable in the end?
Cable news outfits are always compared with Fox News, but that channel is in its own business, which involves grilling and serving red meat to devoted conservatives. With a Democratic president viewed by many as disappointing, and control of both houses belonging to Republicans, liberals are less interested in tuning in to chronic outrage. It’s been said that television news is a business where elections, in the form of ratings, are held every night, and by that measure, MSNBC is losing its base. Eventually, attention will focus on both the overall approach and the leader of the ticket.