MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
available in the US,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(Berlin, Local),
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, the Middle East and
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Its name is derived from the most common abbreviations for
MicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and
the National Broadcasting CompanyThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
msnbc.commsnbc.com is a news website owned and operated as a joint venture by NBCUniversal and Microsoft.In addition to original content from its news staff, msnbc.com is the news website for the NBC News family, with content from the cable television news channel MSNBC, NBC shows such as Today, NBC Nightly...
, a separate company, is the central news website for the
NBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
family, featuring interactivity and multimedia plus original stories and video which augment the content from NBC News and partners.
MSNBC and msnbc.com were founded in 1996 as a partnership of
MicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and
General ElectricGeneral Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
's NBC unit, which is now NBCUniversal. Although Microsoft and NBC shared operations of MSNBC cable at its founding, it was announced on December 23, 2005, that NBCUniversal would purchase a majority stake in the television channel, which left Microsoft with 18%, later reduced to zero. The two companies remain partners in msnbc.com. MSNBC shares the
NBC logoThe National Broadcasting Company has used several corporate logos over its history, yet the peacock is its most well known.-Microphone logo :...
of a rainbow peacock with its sister channels NBC,
CNBCCNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
and
ShopNBCShopNBC is an American broadcast and cable home shopping network, owned and operated by ValueVision Media, which is in turn 30% owned by GE Equity and NBC Universal...
. MSNBC is available in over 78 million households in the United States.
Following several years in which many observers noted promotion of liberal political positions and emergence of politically partisan views in the channel's programming, MSNBC publicly acknowledged its
progressivismProgressivism in the United States is a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large...
in October 2010 while launching a marketing campaign with the tagline "Lean Forward." In a June 2011 interview, MSNBC president
Phil GriffinPhil Griffin is President of United States cable news MSNBC. He was named President in July, 2008.-References:...
stated that "MSNBC has established a sensibility, a position, a platform" and that "MSNBC is really the place to go for
progressivesProgressivism in the United States is a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large...
."
Development
MSNBC was established by
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
executive
Tom RogersThomas "Tom" Rogers is President and CEO of TiVo Inc., the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders . He has held this position since 2005 and is credited with continuing to steer TiVo to revolutionize the way consumers watch and access home entertainment.Before...
. Rogers was instrumental in developing the strategic partnership with
MicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, which invested $220 million for a 50% share of the cable channel. MSNBC and Microsoft would share the cost of a $200 million newsroom in
Secaucus, New JerseySecaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...
, for
msnbc.commsnbc.com is a news website owned and operated as a joint venture by NBCUniversal and Microsoft.In addition to original content from its news staff, msnbc.com is the news website for the NBC News family, with content from the cable television news channel MSNBC, NBC shows such as Today, NBC Nightly...
. NBC supplied the space with an 18-month-old
America's TalkingAmerica's Talking, a cable television channel created by NBC and spun off from CNBC, was launched on July 4, 1994. The headquarters were based in an office building in Fort Lee, New Jersey, 2 floors below CNBC's original studios, on Fletcher Avenue...
network.
Early history
MSNBC was launched on July 15, 1996. The first show, which was anchored by
Jodi ApplegateJodi Applegate is an American news anchor for WPIX New York. She formerly anchored WNYW-TV's Good Day New York and News 12 Long Island.-Life and career:...
, broadcast a lineup of news, interviews, and opinions. During the day, rolling news coverage continued with
The Contributors, a show that featured
Ann CoulterAnn Hart Coulter is an American lawyer, conservative social and political commentator, author, and syndicated columnist. She frequently appears on television, radio, and as a speaker at public events and private events...
and
Laura IngrahamLaura Anne Ingraham is an American radio host, author, and conservative political commentator. Her nationally syndicated talk show, The Laura Ingraham Show, airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
, as well as interactive programming coordinated by Applegate,
John GibsonJohn David Gibson is an American radio talk show host. As of September 2008, he hosts the syndicated radio program The John Gibson Show on Fox News Radio. Gibson was formerly the co-host of the weekday edition of The Big Story on the Fox News television channel.-Early career:Gibson earned a BA...
, and John Seigenthaler. Stories were generally longer and more detailed than the stories running on
CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
at the time. NBC also highlighted their broadcast connections by airing stories direct from the NBC network affiliates, along with breaking news coverage from the same sources.
Gradually MSNBC began to put more emphasis on politics The
Project for Excellence in JournalismThe Project for Excellence in Journalism is a non-profit research organization in the US that uses empirical methods to evaluate and study the performance of the press. It asserts that it is "non partisan, non ideological and non political"...
found in 2007 after a seven year survey of cable channels that "MSNBC is moving to make politics a brand, with a large dose of opinion and personality." In January 2001,
Mike BarnicleMichael "Mike" Barnicle is an award-winning American print and broadcast journalist as well as a social and political commentator. He is a frequent contributor and occasional guest host on MSNBC's Morning Joe and Hardball with Chris Matthews and is frequently seen on NBC's Today Show with...
got a show on MSNBC, but it was canceled in June 2001 due to high production costs. In June, in a sign of continuing trouble at MSNBC, Microsoft CEO
Steve BallmerSteven Anthony "Steve" Ballmer is an American business magnate. He is the chief executive officer of Microsoft, having held that post since January 2000. , his personal wealth is estimated at US$13.9 billion, ranking number 19 on the Forbes 400.-Early life:Ballmer was born in Detroit, Michigan to...
said that he would not have started MSNBC if he knew then what he knows now. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, MSNBC served as an outlet for NBC News to provide up-to-the-minute coverage, in contrast to broadcast NBC's longer stories. CNBC and CNBC Europe, with little financial news to report, ran MSNBC for many hours of the day following the attacks. The year also boosted the profile of
Ashleigh BanfieldAshleigh Banfield is a Canadian-American journalist who as of 2010 hosts Disorder in the Court, Open Court and Hollywood Heat on Tru TV , where she reports on domestic and pop culture issues...
, who had escaped injury while covering the World Trade Center on September 11. Her
Region In Conflict program capitalized on her newfound celebrity and showcased exclusive interviews from
AfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
On December 23, 2005, it was announced that NBC Universal would acquire an additional 32% share of the television channel from Microsoft, solidifying its control over television operations and allowing NBC to further consolidate MSNBC's backroom operations with NBC News and its other cable properties. Msnbc.com would continue to be 50% owned by both NBC and Microsoft, and its operations would be largely unaffected. NBC would have the option, which it exercised, to buy the remaining 18% share from Microsoft after two years. MSNBC, which along with other US news networks had been criticized of having a distorted and biased Media coverage of the Iraq War began from 2005 onwards to attract liberal and progressive viewers when host
Keith OlbermannKeith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
began critiquing and satirizing conservative media commentators in his program
Countdown With Keith Olbermann. Olbermann especially focused his attention to
Fox News ChannelFox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
and its main primetime anchor, Bill O'Reilly.
In June 2006, Don Kaplan of the tabloid
New York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
(owned by
News CorporationNews Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
, which also owns Fox News) wrote a column titled "Do We Need MSNBC?" Addressing MSNBC'S low ratings, Kaplan quoted
CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
co-founder Reese Schonfeld, who said that "[e]verybody compares MSNBC to
FoxFox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
and
CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
— when its real competition is Headline News". Schonfeld pointed out that the ratings for MSNBC and Headline News are roughly the same, about 300,000 viewers on average and that "by comparison,
FoxFox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
and
CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
regularly average three or four times as many viewers." In the column Kaplan remarked that "the running joke in TV news is
FoxFox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
and
CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
are news channels with
websiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
s, but MSNBC is a website with a cable channel". On June 7, 2006, Rick Kaplan resigned as president of MSNBC, after holding the post for two years. Following the announcement, it was announced on June 12, 2006, that
Dan AbramsDan Abrams is an American television host, legal commentator, web entrepreneur and best-selling author. He is currently Legal Analyst at ABC News Good Morning America , and a substitute anchor for the network. He formerly served as Chief Legal Analyst for NBC News, as General Manager of MSNBC and...
, a nine-year veteran of MSNBC and NBC News, had been named General Manager of the NBC News
24-hourThe 24-hour news cycle arrived with the advent of television channels dedicated to news, and brought about a much faster pace of news production with increased demand for stories that can be presented as news, as opposed to the day-by-day pace of the news cycle of printed daily newspapers...
cable newsCable news refers to television channels devoted to television news broadcasts, with the name deriving from the proliferation of such networks during the 1980s with the advent of cable television. In the United States, early networks included CNN in 1980, Financial News Network in 1981, and CNN2 ...
television channel, effective immediately. NBC News Senior Vice President Phil Griffin would oversee MSNBC. Griffin would also continue to oversee NBC News’
Today, and Abrams would report to Griffin.
On June 29, 2006, Abrams announced a revamp to MSNBC's early-primetime and primetime schedule. On July 10,
TuckerTucker is an American television program on MSNBC that focused on politics, hosted by Tucker Carlson. The show aired from June 6, 2005–March 14, 2008....
(formerly
The Situation with Tucker Carlson) started airing at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET (taking over Abrams' old timeslot), while Rita Cosby's
Live & DirectRita Cosby: Live and Direct is a news/talk program which aired nightly on MSNBC.Hosted by Rita Cosby, Rita Cosby: Live and Direct consisted of breaking news reports and rare interviews. It largely emphasized getting the big stories and exclusives....
was taken off the schedule. Cosby was instead given the role of primary anchor for
MSNBC Investigates at 10 and 11 p.m. ET, a new program that took over Cosby and Carlson's timeslots. According to the press release,
MSNBC Investigates promised to "...complement MSNBC's existing programming by building on [the channel's] library of award winning documentaries." The move to taped programming during 10 and 11 p.m. was likely a result of the success that MSNBC saw with their Friday "experiment" of replacing all primetime programming with taped specials. On September 24, 2007, Abrams announced that he would leave the position of General Manager to focus on his 9:00 p.m. ET talk show, "Live With Dan Abrams". Oversight of MSNBC is now provided by Phil Griffin, a senior vice president at
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
MSNBC and NBC News launched broadcasts from their new studios at NBC's "
30 RockThe GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
" complex in New York City on October 22, 2007. After extensive renovations of the associated studios, NBC essentially merged its entire news operation into one building, and all MSNBC broadcasts, as well as the
NBC Nightly NewsNBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
program, originate in the new studios. More than 12.5 hours of live television across the NBC News family originate from the New York studios daily. MSNBC is also expected to expand West Coast operations, as the channel recently announced new studios near the Universal Studios lot, which will assemble all NBC West Coast news operations in one building. MSNBC's Master Control did not make the move to 30 Rock. It remained in the old Secaucus headquarters until it completed its move to the NBC Universal Network Origination Center located inside the CNBC Global Headquarters building in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on December 21, 2007. Shortly thereafter,
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
firmed up a long-term lease of the former MSNBC building to become the home studios of
MLB NetworkMLB Network is an American television specialty channel dedicated to professional baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball. Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications have minority ownership of the new network, with MLB retaining a controlling two-thirds share...
, which launched from the facility on January 1, 2009.
Changes since 2008
From mid-2007 to mid-2008, MSNBC received a large increase in its
ratingsNielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. Primetime viewings increased by 61% over that time. In May 2008, NBC News President
Steve Capus-Early life and career:Steve Capus was born in 1963. He graduated from William Tennent High School in Warminster, Pennsylvania and went on to attend Temple University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism in 1986. Capus began his journalism career in radio and print, working at several...
said that "It used to be people didn't have to worry about MSNBC because it was an also-ran cable channel.... That's not the case anymore."
Tim RussertTimothy John "Tim" Russert was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's Meet the Press. He was a senior vice president at NBC News, Washington bureau chief and also hosted the eponymous CNBC/MSNBC weekend interview...
's sudden death in June 2008 removed what
The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
called the "
rudderA rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
for the network" and led to a period of transition.
During the
2008 Presidential electionThe United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, MSNBC's coverage was anchored by
Keith OlbermannKeith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
,
Chris MatthewsChristopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
, and
David GregoryDavid Michael Gregory is an American television journalist, and moderator of NBC News' Sunday morning talk show Meet the Press.-Early life:...
. The three were widely viewed as the face of the channel's political coverage. During the first three months of the presidential campaign, MSNBC's ratings grew by 158 percent. However, during the election coverage, anchors
Keith OlbermannKeith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
and
Chris MatthewsChristopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
were criticized for expressing left-leaning viewpoints on the channel, and both of them were later removed from the position of anchor. Audience viewership during the 2008 Presidential election more than doubled from the
2004 Presidential electionThe United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
, and the channel topped
CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
in ratings for the first time during the last three months of the campaign in the key 25-54 age demographic.
In September 2008, the channel hired political analyst
Rachel MaddowRachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
to host a new political opinion program called
The Rachel Maddow ShowThe Rachel Maddow Show is a news and opinion television program that airs weeknights on MSNBC at 9:00 p.m. ET. It is hosted by Rachel Maddow, who gained popularity with her frequent appearances as a liberal pundit on various MSNBC programs. It is based on her former radio show of the same name...
. The move to create a new program for the channel was widely seen as a smart ratings move, where beforehand, MSNBC lagged behind in coveted primetime ratings. Now, the show regularly outperforms CNN's
Larry King LiveLarry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
, and made the channel competitive in the program's time slot for the first time in over a decade.
In the first quarter of 2010, MSNBC beat CNN in primetime and overall ratings, marking the first time doing so since 2001. The channel also beat
CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
in total adult viewers in March, marking the seventh out of the past eight months
MSNBC achieved that accolade. In addition, the programs
Morning Joe,
The Ed Show,
Hardball with Chris Matthews,
Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and
The Rachel Maddow Show all finished ahead of their time slot competitors on CNN.
In the third quarter of 2010, MSNBC continued its solid lead over CNN, beating the network in total day for the first time since 2Q 2001 in the key adult demographic. The network also beat CNN for the fourth consecutive quarter, among both primetime and total viewers, as well as becoming the only cable news network to have its key adult demographic viewership grow over the last quarter, increasing by 4%. During this time, MSNBC also became the number-one cable news network in primetime among both African American and Hispanic viewers.
On 11 October 2010, MSNBC unveiled a new televised advertising campaign and slogan called "Lean Forward". "We've taken on CNN and we beat them," MSNBC President Phil Griffin told employees at a series of celebratory "town hall" meetings. "Now it's time to take on Fox." Concerning the campaign, Griffin said, "It is active, it is positive, it is about making tomorrow better than today, a discussion about politics and the actions and passions of our time." The new campaign embraces the network's politically progressive identity. The two-year advertising campaign will cost $2 million and will consist of Internet, television, and print advertising. The new positioning has created brand image issues for msnbc.com, the umbrella website for the television network. A
New York Times article quotes Charlie Tillinghast, president of
msnbc.commsnbc.com is a news website owned and operated as a joint venture by NBCUniversal and Microsoft.In addition to original content from its news staff, msnbc.com is the news website for the NBC News family, with content from the cable television news channel MSNBC, NBC shows such as Today, NBC Nightly...
, a separate company, as saying, “Both strategies are fine, but naming them the same thing is brand insanity.” As a result, msnbc.com is considering changing its name to prevent confusion with the television network, MSNBC.
On January 21, 2011, Olbermann announced his departure from MSNBC and the episode would be the final episode of
Countdown. MSNBC issued a statement that it had ended its contract with Olbermann, with no further explanation. Keith Olbermann later revealed that he had taken his show to
Current TVCurrent TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
. It is expected to compete with MSNBC following Olbermann's debut on the network in late spring 2011.
Carriage issues
MSNBC was not available to
Verizon FiOSVerizon FiOS is a bundled Internet access, telephone, and television service which operates over a fiber-optic communications network. It is offered in some areas of the United States by Verizon Communications. Verizon was one of the first major U.S...
and AT&T U-verse TV subscribers in portions of
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, northern
New JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
which overlapped with Cablevision's cable television territory until 2010. The reason for the lack of availability was, in part, due to an exclusive carriage agreement that MSNBC entered into with Cablevision, which prohibited competing wired providers from carrying MSNBC. The terms of the agreement were not publicly known.
A suit from Verizon to the FCC was filed in order to force the termination of this deal. Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal wrote to new FCC chairman Julius Genachowski, agreeing with Verizon, saying that the deal may be illegal. After reaching a new contract, FiOS added the channel in New York City and in New Jersey on February 2, 2010.
High Definition
MSNBC HD is a
1080i1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
high definition simulcast of MSNBC that launched on June 29, 2009. All studio shows and select long form programs air in HD.
Cablevision was the only provider to carry MSNBC HD at its launch date.
Dish NetworkDish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
added the HD channel on July 8.
Time Warner CableTime Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
launched the HD feed on July 22 in the New York area. The feed was made available in late July in Ithaca, NY on Time Warner.
Bright House NetworksBright House Networks is a cable television company, the seventh largest cable operator and the sixth largest traditional multiple system operator in the United States owned by Advance/Newhouse, headquartered in Syracuse, New York...
added the HD feed in July.
Verizon FiOSVerizon FiOS is a bundled Internet access, telephone, and television service which operates over a fiber-optic communications network. It is offered in some areas of the United States by Verizon Communications. Verizon was one of the first major U.S...
added MSNBC HD on February 11, 2010. DirecTV added the HD channel on May 19, 2010.
ComcastComcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
has also added MSNBC HD in several markets, though this seems to be on a market-to-market addition in which they add the channel one market at a time instead of adding the channel to all markets in one move, leaving some customers (e.g. in Virginia) still without access.
Charter CommunicationsCharter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
has launched MSNBC HD in numerous markets.
In Canada, Bell TV and Bell FibeTV are currently offering MSNBC HD.
Graphics
Prior to 2009, MSNBC used a graphic scheme which contained highly angular shapes.
Beginning on June 29, 2009, MSNBC officially launched a new graphic scheme co-created by Adam Gault Studios and Carlo Vega, whereby a newly-redesigned MSNBC logo, current series title, time, stocks number and (when necessary) "live" bug were moved to the top of the screen, leaving the
lower thirdsIn the television industry , a lower third is a graphic placed in the title safe lower area of the screen, though not necessarily the entire lower third of it, as the name suggests....
to be used by the news ticker, story title and short summary, the last of which is replaced frequently by the name of the guest or correspondent currently being shown. For a short time in 2009 from the debut, MSNBC HD daytime included a widget on the right side of the screen which served as a secondary news ticker displaying the weather and news headlines as well as a blue bar which showed more stocks and business news graphics, but both features were eventually dropped in favor of full video encompassing both sides of the screen; the widget reflected a similar widget which appears on
CNBCCNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
HD for the display of a stocks graph chart (and which has been retained to the present day). The news ticker only appears during news bulletins and rolling-news broadcasts, and is removed from the screen during talk shows and documentaries.
International broadcasts
MSNBC is shown only in the United States, Canada, South Africa, parts of Latin America, and parts of Northern Africa (see below).
MSNBC Canada
In 2001, a Canadian version with some local content,
MSNBC CanadaMSNBC Canada was a Canadian English language category 2 digital cable specialty channel owned and operated by Rogers Media in partnership with Shaw Communications and MSNBC....
, was developed; however, it was soon discontinued in 2004, and the American version began airing in Canada. The channel was operated by
Rogers CommunicationsRogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
and co-owned by Rogers,
ShawShaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...
and MSNBC, with each party owned a 33.33% voting interest in the service. The channel launched on September 7, 2001.
Programming included MSNBC programs as well as repeats of shows from
CBCThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
and Cable Public Affairs Channel, as its way to fulfil its
Canadian contentCanadian content refers to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requirements that radio and television broadcasters must air a certain percentage of content that was at least partly written, produced, presented, or otherwise contributed to by persons from...
requirements. They also ran infomercials, which the American service never shows.
MSNBC Africa
In Southern Africa, MSNBC is distributed free-to-air on satellite on Free2View TV as MSNBC Africa, a joint venture between Great Media Limited and MSNBC. Free2View airs MSNBC's programming from 4 p.m. to midnight ET in a block that repeats twice (live for the first airing), with local Weather Channel forecasts. Botswana's national television broadcaster, BTV, also provides an un-edited broadcast of MSNBC (including advertisements) after their scheduled programming each evening. BTV is available within Botswana, as well as to Southern Africa viewers on
DStvDStv is MultiChoice's multi-channel digital satellite TV service in Africa, launched in 1995. It operates from two satellites over Africa, broadcasting on Ku band via Eutelsat W7 and Intelsat 7 , which only requires a small satellite dish...
.
TopTVTopTV is a South African satellite TV service that began broadcasting on 1 May 2010. TopTV is owned by On Digital Media, who were granted a pay-TV license by ICASA in September 2007. On Digital Media is 20% owned by TV satellite operator, SES Astra...
, a satellite TV service in South Africa, also provides an un-edited broadcast of MSNBC (including advertisements), which runs throughout the day (24/7).
Europe and Asia
In Asia and Europe, MSNBC is not shown on a channel of its own. When MSNBC started in 1996 they announced plans to start broadcasting in Europe during 1997. This never happened; however, MSNBC is shown for a few hours a day on the 24 hour news network
Orbit NewsOSN News is a 24 hour satellite and cable channel offering exclusively American news programming from ABC, NBC, PBS, and MSNBC to U.S. expats and other viewers abroad, primarily geared towards an audience in the Arab countries...
in Europe and the Middle East. Orbit News is a network of three 24 hour satellite and cable channels offering exclusively
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
news programming from
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
,
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
,
PBSThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, and MSNBC to U.S. expats and other viewers abroad, primarily geared towards an audience in the Arab countries.
NBC Nightly NewsNBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
was shown on
CNBC EuropeCNBC Europe is a business and financial news television channel, the pan-European sister station of CNBC. The network is owned and operated by NBC Universal and headquartered in London, where it shares the Adrian Smith-designed 10 Fleet Place building with Dow Jones...
as a part of its primetime lineup until April 2010, due to international distribution changes made by NBC Universal. During
breaking newsBreaking news, also known as a special report or news bulletin, is a current event that broadcasters feel warrants the interruption of scheduled programming and/or current news in order to report its details. Many times, breaking news is used after the news network has already reported on this story...
events,
CNBC-eCNBC-e is a hybrid business/financial and entertainment channel operated in Turkey by CNBC Europe and the NTV Group.The channel shares its name with a co-owned magazine about CNBC-e....
, MSNBC is also shown occasionally on affiliate channel CNBC Europe.
NTV-MSNBC
In Turkey, NTV-MSNBC is the news channel of the Turkish broadcaster
NTV TurkeyNTV is a Turkish nationwide television news channel. NTV was founded in 1996 by Turkish businessman Cavit Çağlar as the first news channel of Turkey and has partnered with MSNBC since May 2000. Aired on this channel is usually the news but also provides football games, especially La Liga matches,...
. The channel is a joint partnership between the two, although very little Turkish content makes its way onto English MSNBC. English content on MSNBC is translated to Turkish.
Online
Msnbc.com, a separate company from MSNBC cable, is the online news outlet for the
NBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
family, including network shows such as
Today,
NBC Nightly NewsNBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
, and
Dateline NBCDateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
, as well as MSNBC TV. In addition to NBC News content and material produced by the site's own staff, msnbc.com also hosts articles and features from several partners, including
The Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
and
NewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine.
The web site is developed in
Redmond, WashingtonRedmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
, on the Microsoft campus and news content is produced out of newsrooms in Redmond, New York, and London. It is the news provider for MSN, the portal site and online service operated by Microsoft, but it is editorially and financially separate.
On April 2, 2007, msnbc.com launched a new logo and a new slogan, "A Fuller Spectrum of News."
According to
Nielsen OnlineNielsen Online, a service of the Nielsen Company, provides measurement and analysis of online audiences, advertising, video, consumer-generated media, word of mouth, commerce and consumer behavior. Previously a majority investor in both companies, Nielsen purchased NetRatings and BuzzMetrics in the...
, msnbc.com has risen above
Yahoo! NewsYahoo! News is an Internet-based news aggregator provided by Yahoo!. It features Top Stories, U.S. National, World, Business, Entertainment, Science, Health, Weather, Most Popular, News Photos, Op/Ed, and Local news....
and
CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
for the position of top news site from June 2008 through May 2009, measured by unique visitors in the U.S.
Radio
The channel launched on
XM Satellite RadioXM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
channel 120 and
Sirius Satellite RadioSirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
channel 90 on April 12, 2010. This is the second time MSNBC has been on satellite radio; the channel has been on XM before, but was subsequently dropped from the service on September 4, 2006.
Weekdays
| ET |
Program |
Hosts |
Location |
Description |
| 5a-5.30a |
First Look |
Lynn Berry Lynn Marie Berry serves and an anchor/correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC. Berry can be seen weekday mornings anchoring Early Today on NBC, First Look on MSNBC and newsbreaks on Wake Up With Al on The Weather Channel...
, Veronica De La CruzVeronica De La Cruz is a Filipino American television anchor formerly with CNN. In July 2010, she appeared as a late night anchor on MSNBC. At the current time, she appears on both NBC and MSNBC, primarily anchoring NBC's Early Today show and MSNBC's First Look...
|
Studio 3KThe GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
, New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
|
Early morning news program. |
| 5.30a-6a |
Way Too Early with Willie Geist Way Too Early with Willie Geist is an American morning news show airing weekday mornings on MSNBC. It premiered on July 27, 2009, and is hosted by Willie Geist...
|
Willie GeistWilliam "Willie" Geist is host of MSNBC's Way Too Early with Willie Geist, a co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe and contributor to several NBC News programs. Geist also hosts a satirical video blog on MSNBC.com called Zeitgeist...
|
Studio 3AThe GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
, New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
|
Described by the network as a "pre-game" show for Morning JoeMorning Joe is a weekday morning talk show on MSNBC, with Joe Scarborough discussing the news of the day in a panel format with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist. It was created as the replacement for Imus in the Morning, which was canceled in April 2007 after simulcasting on MSNBC since 1996...
. |
| 6a-9a |
Morning JoeMorning Joe is a weekday morning talk show on MSNBC, with Joe Scarborough discussing the news of the day in a panel format with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist. It was created as the replacement for Imus in the Morning, which was canceled in April 2007 after simulcasting on MSNBC since 1996...
|
Joe ScarboroughCharles Joseph "Joe" Scarborough is an American cable news and talk radio host, lawyer, author, and former politician. He is currently the host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, and previously hosted Scarborough Country on the same channel...
, Mika BrzezinskiMika Emilie Leonia Brzezinski is an American television news journalist at MSNBC. Brzezinski is co-host of MSNBC's weekday morning program Morning Joe, where she provides regular commentary and reads the news headlines for the program...
, and Willie GeistWilliam "Willie" Geist is host of MSNBC's Way Too Early with Willie Geist, a co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe and contributor to several NBC News programs. Geist also hosts a satirical video blog on MSNBC.com called Zeitgeist...
|
News talk show with analysis, commentary, and the headlines of the day. |
| 9a-10a |
The Daily Rundown The Daily Rundown with Chuck Todd is an hour-long weekday morning political talk show on MSNBC, hosted by NBC Chief White House Correspondent and Political Director Chuck Todd. The show premiered on MSNBC on January 11, 2010, and features news, interviews, and analysis relating to politics from the...
|
Chuck ToddCharles David “Chuck” Todd is an American journalist, Chief White House Correspondent and political director for NBC News, and contributing editor to Meet the Press...
|
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
|
Host and guests focus on political stories of the day. |
| 10a-11a |
Jansing & Co. Jansing and Company is a weekday morning news and information program on msnbc. The show airs weekdays at 10 am ET. Chris Jansing hosts the program with Richard Lui serving as in-studio correspondent....
|
Chris Jansing Christine 'Chris' Jansing is an American television news correspondent. She currently works for NBC News as host of Jansing and Company on MSNBC....
w/ Richard LuiRichard Lui is a dayside news anchor for MSNBC. Lui can be seen weekday mornings from 10am-12pm on Jansing and Company on MSNBC. Prior to joining MSNBC, Lui was anchor for the 10am ET edition of Morning Express on CNN Headline News...
|
Studio 3AThe GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
, New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
|
News and discussion of issues with guests. |
| 11a-12p |
MSNBC Live msnbc Live is an American news / talk television program on MSNBC hosted by Thomas Roberts.Focusing on live news coverage, the program also consists of guest analysis and interviews around the stories of the day, in addition to feature-like stories, in-depth special reports, and The Weather Channel...
|
Thomas Roberts Thomas Roberts is an American journalist who, since April 2010, has served as a news anchor for MSNBC, a cable-news channel.-Early life and education:...
|
News program. |
| 12p-1p |
Now with Alex Wagner Now with Alex Wagner is a news show on MSNBC hosted by Alex Wagner. The show airs on weekdays at noon ET and debuted on November 14, 2011.-Format:...
|
Alex Wagner Alex Wagner is a journalist based in the United States. She is currently a political analyst and anchor of the daytime program Now with Alex Wagner on MSNBC.-Career:...
|
|
| 1p-2p |
Andrea Mitchell Reports Andrea Mitchell Reports is a news show on MSNBC broadcast weekdays from 1 PM ET/10 AM PT hosted by Andrea Mitchell. She originally was an anchor under the MSNBC Live umbrella before getting her own distinct show. She is the NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent...
|
Andrea MitchellAndrea Mitchell is an American television journalist, anchor, reporter, and commentator for NBC News based in Washington, D.C.. She is the NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, and has recently reported on the 2008 Race for the White House for NBC News broadcasts, including NBC Nightly...
|
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
|
An all political hour of interviews and analysis. |
| 2p-3p |
NewsNation with Tamron Hall NewsNation with Tamron Hall airs weekdays at 2pm ET on MSNBC. Tamron Hall anchors the hour broadcast from New York. According to msnbc.com, The show concentrates on high profile interviews and the latest U.S., world and entertainment news.-Segments:...
|
Tamron Hall Tamron Hall is a day-side anchor for MSNBC and host of the program NewsNation with Tamron Hall.-Early career:...
|
Studio 3AThe GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
, New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
|
News analysis. |
| 3p-4p |
Martin Bashir Martin Bashir is an hour-long weekday U.S. and world news/commentary program on MSNBC. The program airs live at 3:00 p.m. ET and is hosted by journalist Martin Bashir. The show premiered on February 28, 2011 moving MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts to 11:00 a.m...
|
Martin Bashir Martin Bashir is a British journalist and media personality, currently with NBC News as a contributor for its Dateline program, and an afternoon anchor for MSNBC, hosting Martin Bashir...
|
News analysis and interviews. |
| 4p-5p |
The Dylan Ratigan Show |
Dylan RatiganDylan Jason Ratigan is an American television host primarily covering financial markets, the global economy, and politics. He is host of The Dylan Ratigan Show which airs weekday afternoons on MSNBC. He is also a frequent contributor on The Huffington Post.- Early life :Ratigan was born in the...
|
Host and panel analyze economic and financial news. |
| 5p-6p |
Hardball with Chris Matthews Hardball with Chris Matthews is a talk show on MSNBC, broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews. It originally aired on now-defunct America's Talking and later CNBC. The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988, Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who...
|
Chris MatthewsChristopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
|
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
|
Political talk/interview program. Replays at 7pm, 2am, 5am (Saturdays), and 7am (Sundays) |
| 6p-7p |
PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton is a one-hour political talk show broadcast on MSNBC and hosted by Al Sharpton. It began on August 29, 2011 on MSNBC's weekday 6 PM slot, the first time that the slot had been occupied by a branded series since January 2011...
|
Al SharptonAlfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
|
Studio 3AThe GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
, New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
|
Political talk/interview program. |
| 8p-9p |
The Ed Show The Ed Show is an hour-long weeknight news commentary program on MSNBC. The program is hosted by Ed Schultz, who hosts the nationally syndicated radio program, The Ed Schultz Show. It debuted on MSNBC on April 6, 2009, at 6 P.M. ET. It moved to 10 P.M. ET, filling the time slot previously...
|
Ed Schultz Edward Andrew "Ed" Schultz Is an American television and radio host and a liberal political commentator . He is the host of The Ed Show, a daily news talk program on MSNBC, and The Ed Schultz Show, a talk radio show, nationally syndicated by Dial Global, promising "straight talk."-Early...
|
Studio 3KThe GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
, New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
|
Political opinion program. Replays at 11pm, and 3am |
| 9p-10p |
The Rachel Maddow ShowThe Rachel Maddow Show is a news and opinion television program that airs weeknights on MSNBC at 9:00 p.m. ET. It is hosted by Rachel Maddow, who gained popularity with her frequent appearances as a liberal pundit on various MSNBC programs. It is based on her former radio show of the same name...
|
Rachel MaddowRachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
|
Studio 3AThe GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
, New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
|
Political opinion program. Replay at 12am and 4am |
| 10p-11p (Mon-Thurs) |
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program on MSNBC. The program airs live at 10:00 P.M. Eastern Time Monday-Thursday, and is hosted by Lawrence O'Donnell...
|
Lawrence O'Donnell |
Studio 3KThe GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
, New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
|
Political opinion program.Replay at 1am. |
Saturdays
| ET |
Program |
Hosts |
Location |
Description |
| 5.00a-5.30a |
Best of Hardball with Chris Matthews Hardball with Chris Matthews is a talk show on MSNBC, broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews. It originally aired on now-defunct America's Talking and later CNBC. The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988, Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who...
|
Chris MatthewsChristopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
|
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
|
A recap of the best segments from the previous week. |
| 7a-9a |
Up with Chris Hayes Up with Chris Hayes is a news and opinion television program that airs weekends on MSNBC at 7:00 a.m. ET on Saturdays and 8:00 a.m. ET on Sundays. It is hosted by Chris Hayes, who gained popularity with his frequent appearances as a liberal commentator on various MSNBC programs including The Rachel...
|
Chris HayesChristopher L. "Chris" Hayes is an American broadcaster, journalist and liberal political commentator. Hayes hosts Up with Chris Hayes, a weekend news and opinion television show on MSNBC. Hayes had formerly been a frequent guest host and commentator on shows such as The Rachel Maddow Show and...
|
GE BuildingThe GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
, New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
|
Weekend morning show focusing on politics hosted by the MSNBC contributor and Editor-at-Large of The Nation The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
. |
| 9a-12p |
Weekends with Alex Witt |
Alex Witt Alex Witt is an anchor for MSNBC. She joined the network in January 1999.-Professional:Alex Witt serves as anchor for "Weekends with Alex Witt" and contributing anchor for msnbc Live. Before joining MSNBC, Witt was a reporter at KCBA from 1990–1992 and WNYW-TV from 1996–1998...
|
GE BuildingThe GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
, New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
|
The long-time weekend anchor covers the day's top news stories with analysis, including breaking stories, formerly MSNBC Live msnbc Live is an American news / talk television program on MSNBC hosted by Thomas Roberts.Focusing on live news coverage, the program also consists of guest analysis and interviews around the stories of the day, in addition to feature-like stories, in-depth special reports, and The Weather Channel...
. |
| 12p-7a (Sundays) |
MSNBC Documentaries MSNBC Documentaries is the umbrella title of a series of documentaries co-produced by NBC News and MSNBC.Broadcast on MSNBC, each documentary is given its own title to broadcast under or has been produced under one of the titles below.Compared to competing networks, MSNBC airs documentaries on a...
|
Various |
Various |
MSNBC and NBC News documentaries, including Lockup (Marathon 6p-5a) and Dateline NBC Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
. |
Sundays
| ET |
Program |
Hosts |
Location |
Description |
| 7.00a-7.30a |
Best of Hardball with Chris Matthews Hardball with Chris Matthews is a talk show on MSNBC, broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews. It originally aired on now-defunct America's Talking and later CNBC. The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988, Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who...
|
Chris MatthewsChristopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
|
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
|
A recap of the best segments from the previous week. |
| 7.30a-8a |
Your Business |
JJ Ramberg JJ Ramberg is host of MSNBC's weekend business program Your Business, which airs Sunday mornings at 7:30 ET and repeats on the following Saturday at 5:30 a.m...
|
GE BuildingThe GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
, New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
|
News and analysis about small business. Replays at 5.30am Saturdays |
| 8a-10a |
Up with Chris Hayes Up with Chris Hayes is a news and opinion television program that airs weekends on MSNBC at 7:00 a.m. ET on Saturdays and 8:00 a.m. ET on Sundays. It is hosted by Chris Hayes, who gained popularity with his frequent appearances as a liberal commentator on various MSNBC programs including The Rachel...
|
Chris HayesChristopher L. "Chris" Hayes is an American broadcaster, journalist and liberal political commentator. Hayes hosts Up with Chris Hayes, a weekend news and opinion television show on MSNBC. Hayes had formerly been a frequent guest host and commentator on shows such as The Rachel Maddow Show and...
|
GE BuildingThe GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
, New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
|
Weekend morning show focusing on politics hosted by the MSNBC contributor and Editor-at-Large of The Nation The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
. |
| 10a-12p |
Weekends With Alex Witt |
Alex Witt Alex Witt is an anchor for MSNBC. She joined the network in January 1999.-Professional:Alex Witt serves as anchor for "Weekends with Alex Witt" and contributing anchor for msnbc Live. Before joining MSNBC, Witt was a reporter at KCBA from 1990–1992 and WNYW-TV from 1996–1998...
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GE BuildingThe GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
, New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
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The long-time weekend anchor covers the day's top news stories with analysis, including breaking stories, formerly MSNBC Live msnbc Live is an American news / talk television program on MSNBC hosted by Thomas Roberts.Focusing on live news coverage, the program also consists of guest analysis and interviews around the stories of the day, in addition to feature-like stories, in-depth special reports, and The Weather Channel...
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MSNBC Documentaries MSNBC Documentaries is the umbrella title of a series of documentaries co-produced by NBC News and MSNBC.Broadcast on MSNBC, each documentary is given its own title to broadcast under or has been produced under one of the titles below.Compared to competing networks, MSNBC airs documentaries on a...
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MSNBC and NBC News documentaries, including Caught On Camera, Dateline NBC Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
and special editions of To Catch a PredatorTo Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television newsmagazine program Dateline NBC. It is devoted to impersonating underage youth and detaining adults who contact them over the Internet for sexual liaisons...
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Meet the PressMeet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
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David GregoryDavid Michael Gregory is an American television journalist, and moderator of NBC News' Sunday morning talk show Meet the Press.-Early life:...
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Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
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Same day re-air of the weekly Sunday morning talk show carried on the NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
network. Replays at 2am and 4am (Monday morning) |
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MSNBC Documentaries MSNBC Documentaries is the umbrella title of a series of documentaries co-produced by NBC News and MSNBC.Broadcast on MSNBC, each documentary is given its own title to broadcast under or has been produced under one of the titles below.Compared to competing networks, MSNBC airs documentaries on a...
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MSNBC and NBC News documentaries, including Caught On Camera, Dateline NBC Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
and special editions of To Catch a PredatorTo Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television newsmagazine program Dateline NBC. It is devoted to impersonating underage youth and detaining adults who contact them over the Internet for sexual liaisons...
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MSNBC/NBC news anchors, commentators and correspondents
- Ron Allen
Ron Allen is an American journalist for NBC News where he is a correspondent for many of the network's news programs. He lives in New York/New Jersey metropolitan area and was based in Europe for more than a decade.-External links:*...
- Jonathan Alter
Jonathan Alter is an American journalist and author who was a columnist and senior editor for Newsweek magazine from 1983 until 2011. He is currently a lead columnist for Bloomberg View, a new commentary website. He is also a contributing correspondent to NBC News, where since 1996 he has appeared...
- Mike Barnicle
Michael "Mike" Barnicle is an award-winning American print and broadcast journalist as well as a social and political commentator. He is a frequent contributor and occasional guest host on MSNBC's Morning Joe and Hardball with Chris Matthews and is frequently seen on NBC's Today Show with...
- Martin Bashir
Martin Bashir is a British journalist and media personality, currently with NBC News as a contributor for its Dateline program, and an afternoon anchor for MSNBC, hosting Martin Bashir...
- Robert Bazell
-Education:Bazell graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, USA, in 1967 with a B.A. in biochemistry and Phi Beta Kappa honors. As an undergraduate, he wrote a science column called "Science for the People" for the Daily Californian...
- Lynn Berry
Lynn Berry was the editor-in-chief of The Moscow Times, the leading English-language daily in Russia, until June 2006. She was replaced by former deputy editor Andrew McChesney...
- Contessa Brewer
Contessa Brewer is an American host for the MSNBC weekend program Caught on Camera.-Biography:Brewer was born in in Parsonsfield, Maine, and graduated from Sacopee Valley High School in Hiram, Maine in 1992. She graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public...
- Tom Brokaw
Thomas John "Tom" Brokaw is an American television journalist and author best known as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004. He is the author of The Greatest Generation and other books and the recipient of numerous awards and honors...
- Dara Brown
Dara Brown is a news anchor and senior producer for MSNBC.com. In 2006, she became an alternating host of Early Today on NBC and First Look on MSNBC. As a child, Brown starred as the title character in the first national tour of the musical Annie....
- Mika Brzezinski
Mika Emilie Leonia Brzezinski is an American television news journalist at MSNBC. Brzezinski is co-host of MSNBC's weekday morning program Morning Joe, where she provides regular commentary and reads the news headlines for the program...
- Pat Buchanan
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Buchanan is an American paleoconservative political commentator, author, syndicated columnist, politician and broadcaster. Buchanan was a senior adviser to American Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and was an original host on CNN's Crossfire. He sought...
- Tom Costello
Tom Costello is an American journalist and correspondent for NBC News, based in Washington, D.C. His reports appear on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, MSNBC, and CNBC...
- Lee Cowan
Lee Cowan is the CBS News National Correspondent for the CBS Evening News and substitute anchor for CBS Sunday Morning.-Biography:Prior to joining NBC News, he was a reporter for CBS News in the CBS NEWSPATH division...
- Ann Curry
Ann Curry is an American television news journalist and co-anchor on NBC's morning television program Today. She is the former news anchor on Today, a role she began in March 1997, and was the host of Dateline NBC from 2005-2011.Curry is a Board Member at the IWMF .-Biography:Curry was born in...
- Richard Engel
- Susan Filan
Susan F. Filan is Senior Legal Analyst for MSNBC, former prosecutor for the State of Connecticut, and a trial lawyer.-Early career:...
- Martin Fletcher
Martin Fletcher is associate editor and former foreign editor of The Times, a British newspaper.He has also worked for The Times as a political journalist, as Washington Bureau Chief, as Belfast correspondent, and as Europe correspondent based in Brussels. He was foreign editor from 2002 and 2006...
- Michelle Franzen
Michelle Franzen is a national correspondent for NBC News. She has reported on a wide range of issues and events for various television stations, as well as MSNBC, The Today Show, and NBC Nightly News...
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Willie GeistWilliam "Willie" Geist is host of MSNBC's Way Too Early with Willie Geist, a co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe and contributor to several NBC News programs. Geist also hosts a satirical video blog on MSNBC.com called Zeitgeist...
David GregoryDavid Michael Gregory is an American television journalist, and moderator of NBC News' Sunday morning talk show Meet the Press.-Early life:...
Savannah GuthrieSavannah Guthrie is an American journalist and attorney, working for NBC News.After serving as a White House correspondent between 2008 and 2011 and as co-anchor of the MSNBC program The Daily Rundown between 2010 and 2011, Guthrie was announced as the co-host of Todays third hour alongside...
Tamron HallTamron Hall is a day-side anchor for MSNBC and host of the program NewsNation with Tamron Hall.-Early career:...
Chris HansenChristopher Edward "Chris" Hansen is an American television infotainment personality. He is known for his work on Dateline NBC, in particular the former segment known as To Catch a Predator, which revolved around catching potential Internet sex predators using a sting operation.-Career:Hansen...
Chris Hayes
Courtney HazlettCourtney Brooke Hazlett is a columnist and Celebrity Correspondent for todayshow.com, the official site for NBC's The Today Show. She is the author of "The Scoop" blog and column, featured on the todayshow.com, msnbc.com, and Newsvine websites...
Page HopkinsPage Hopkins is an American journalist who currently appears on MSNBC First Look and NBC Early Today . Most recently, Hopkins interviewed Randy Roberts Potts on growing up with his grandfather Oral Roberts and then later revealing his homosexuality in his adult life.. Hopkins graduated from...
Lester Holt
Chris JansingChristine 'Chris' Jansing is an American television news correspondent. She currently works for NBC News as host of Jansing and Company on MSNBC....
Bill KarinsBill Karins is a NBC meteorologist. He reports weekdays for NBC's Early Today, MSNBC's First Look, Morning Joe, Jansing and Company and CNBC. Prior to being named NBC Meteorologist Karins was one of the original meteorologists for the now shuttered NBC Weather Plus. He is MSNBC and NBC News Chief...
Michelle KosinskiMichelle Kosinski is a foreign correspondent for NBC News.She began work in broadcast journalism in Rockford, Illinois for WIFR while earning her BA and MA from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Leaving WIFR, she moved to Charlotte, North Carolina at WSOC-TV and founded...
Hoda Kotb
Matt LauerMatthew Todd "Matt" Lauer . is an American television journalist best known as the host of NBC's The Today Show since 1997. He was previously a news anchor in New York and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond...
George LewisGeorge Lewis is an American television journalist for NBC News. His stories have appeared on NBC Nightly News.Lewis joined NBC in December 1969 as a war correspondent covering the Vietnam War. He also covered the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979-1981, the 1989 Tiananmen Square revolt in China, and...
Richard LuiRichard Lui is a dayside news anchor for MSNBC. Lui can be seen weekday mornings from 10am-12pm on Jansing and Company on MSNBC. Prior to joining MSNBC, Lui was anchor for the 10am ET edition of Morning Express on CNN Headline News...
Rachel MaddowRachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
Chris MatthewsChristopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
Craig MelvinCraig Delano Melvin is an American journalist, who works for MSNBC currently as an anchor, and was formerly with WRC-TV in Washington DC.-Personal life:...
Jim MiklaszewskiJames Allen Miklaszewski , better known as Jim or "Mik" Miklaszewski, is chief Pentagon correspondent for NBC News. "Mik" was reporting live for the Today Show on September 11, 2001 when a plane hit the Pentagon, where his office is based....
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Andrea MitchellAndrea Mitchell is an American television journalist, anchor, reporter, and commentator for NBC News based in Washington, D.C.. She is the NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, and has recently reported on the 2008 Race for the White House for NBC News broadcasts, including NBC Nightly...
Natalie MoralesNatalie Leticia Morales is the news anchor for NBC's Today.-Career:Morales was an anchor and correspondent for MSNBC from 2002 to 2006...
Lisa MyersLisa Myers is the senior investigative correspondent for NBC Nightly News.A 1973 graduate of the University of Missouri's Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, Missouri, she joined NBC in 1981. From 1979 to 1981, Myers was White House correspondent for The Washington Star...
Kelly O'Donnell-Occupation:*Is a political reporter for NBC News.**She appears on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Today -Occupation:*Is a political reporter for NBC News.**She appears on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Today -Occupation:*Is a political reporter for NBC News.**She appears on NBC...
Lawrence O'Donnell
Norah O'DonnellNorah O'Donnell is an American print and television journalist, currently serving as the Chief White House Correspondent for CBS News in Washington, D.C., a position she has held since June 2011.-Early life:...
JJ RambergJJ Ramberg is host of MSNBC's weekend business program Your Business, which airs Sunday mornings at 7:30 ET and repeats on the following Saturday at 5:30 a.m...
Milissa RehbergerMilissa Rehberger joined the 24-hour cable news television channel MSNBC in December 2003 as a freelance anchor and reporter. In July 2004 she was named anchor of its primetime news updates. Most recently Rehberger spent some time anchoring NBC's Early Today and MSNBC's First Look. Currently,...
Dylan RatiganDylan Jason Ratigan is an American television host primarily covering financial markets, the global economy, and politics. He is host of The Dylan Ratigan Show which airs weekday afternoons on MSNBC. He is also a frequent contributor on The Huffington Post.- Early life :Ratigan was born in the...
Amy RobachAmy Joanne Robach is a national correspondent for NBC's Today, as well as the co-anchor of their Saturday edition.-Biography:...
Thomas RobertsThomas Roberts is an American journalist who, since April 2010, has served as a news anchor for MSNBC, a cable-news channel.-Early life and education:...
Fred RogginFred Roggin is the sports anchor at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, California. He was also a sports talk radio host at KMPC in Los Angeles, and until Fall 2007 hosted a morning sports show on KLAC with Los Angeles Times sports columnist T.J. Simers and Simers' daughter, Tracy Simers...
Jeff RossenJeff Rossen is an American television journalist who is currently employed by NBC News. He joined the network in September 2008. Rossen contributes to all NBC News programs and platforms, including "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," and "TODAY." Rossen also fills in at the anchor desk for...
Luke RussertLuke Russert is an American television and radio personality. He has followed in the footsteps of his father, Tim Russert, who was prominent in the television news industry. His mother is Maureen Orth, special correspondent for Vanity Fair. He has co-hosted a sports talk program on XM radio with...
Kerry SandersKerry Sanders is a correspondent for NBC News. He worked as a general news reporter for a number of Florida television stations including: WTLV in Jacksonville, Fl , WINK in Ft. Myers, WTVT, the CBS and later Fox affiliate in Tampa and WTVJ in Miami...
Joe ScarboroughCharles Joseph "Joe" Scarborough is an American cable news and talk radio host, lawyer, author, and former politician. He is currently the host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, and previously hosted Scarborough Country on the same channel...
Ed SchultzEdward Andrew "Ed" Schultz Is an American television and radio host and a liberal political commentator . He is the host of The Ed Show, a daily news talk program on MSNBC, and The Ed Schultz Show, a talk radio show, nationally syndicated by Dial Global, promising "straight talk."-Early...
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Bill Seward Bill Seward is an award-winning member of the staff at KNBC-TV, as a sports anchor for the Channel 4 News, with additional appearances on MSNBC, CNBC and “Early Today” on NBC...
Janet ShamlianJanet Shamlian is a national correspondent for NBC News and appears on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and MSNBC. She is a contributor to the prime time news magazine Dateline NBC and to CNBC, the business news channel owned and operated by NBC Universal....
Al SharptonAlfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
Nancy SnydermanNancy L. Snyderman, MD is an American physician and broadcast journalist. Since 2006, she has been the chief medical editor for NBC News, and frequently appears on NBC's Today and MSNBC to discuss medicine-related issues...
Michael Steele
Mike TaibbiMike Taibbi is an Emmy-award winning television journalist working at NBC. Taibbi is also a four-time winner of the Edward R. Murrow Award.-Biography:...
Chuck ToddCharles David “Chuck” Todd is an American journalist, Chief White House Correspondent and political director for NBC News, and contributing editor to Meet the Press...
Brian WilliamsBrian Douglas Williams is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, the evening news program of the NBC television network, a position he assumed in 2004...
Pete Williams
Alex WittAlex Witt is an anchor for MSNBC. She joined the network in January 1999.-Professional:Alex Witt serves as anchor for "Weekends with Alex Witt" and contributing anchor for msnbc Live. Before joining MSNBC, Witt was a reporter at KCBA from 1990–1992 and WNYW-TV from 1996–1998...
Jenna WolfeJenna Wolfe is a national correspondent for NBC's Today, and the co-anchor of their Sunday edition...
John YangJohn Yang is an American Peabody Award-winning television news correspondent, commentator, and journalist. He currently works for NBC as a correspondent and commentator, covering issues for all NBC News programming, including NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Today, and MSNBC...
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Assertions of liberal bias
Commentators have described MSNBC as having a bias towards left-leaning politics and the Democratic Party. In November 2007, a
New York Times article stated that MSNBC's prime-time lineup is tilting more to the left.
Washington Post media analyst
Howard KurtzHoward "Howie" Alan Kurtz is an American journalist and author with a special focus on the media. He is host of CNN's Reliable Sources program, and Washington bureau chief for The Daily Beast. He is the former media writer for The Washington Post. He has written five books about the media...
has stated that the channel's evening lineup "has clearly gravitated to the left in recent years and often seems to regard itself as the antithesis of
Fox NewsFox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
." In 2011,
Salon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
noted that "MSNBC’s prime-time lineup is now awash in progressive politics." That same year,
PoliticoThe Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency...
referred to MSNBC as "left-leaning." In reference to changes in the channel's evening programming, senior vice president of
NBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
Phil GriffinPhil Griffin is President of United States cable news MSNBC. He was named President in July, 2008.-References:...
has said that "It happened naturally. There isn’t a dogma we’re putting through. There is a ‘Go for it.’”
A study conducted by Harvard University on media bias during the 2008 presidential election found that "A positive tone pervaded (on MSNBC) coverage of candidates from both parties. Nearly half (47%) of the stories about Democratic candidates were positive, vs. 19% negative and 34% neutral. Coverage of Republican candidates was not quite as rosy but still more stories were positive (38%) than neutral (33%) or negative (30%)."
In the February 2008 issue of
Men's Journal magazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, a MSNBC interviewee quoted a senior executive who said that liberal commentator
Keith OlbermannKeith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
"runs MSNBC" and that "because of his success, he's in charge" of the channel.
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
has called Olbermann MSNBC's "most recognizable face". In September 2008, MSNBC stated that they were removing both
Keith OlbermannKeith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
and
Chris MatthewsChristopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
as live political event anchors, and replacing them with
David GregoryDavid Michael Gregory is an American television journalist, and moderator of NBC News' Sunday morning talk show Meet the Press.-Early life:...
, due to growing criticism that they were "too opinionated to be seen as neutral in the heat of the presidential campaign." Olbermann continued to broadcast
Countdown both before and after the presidential and vice-presidential debates, and both Matthews and Olbermann joined Gregory on the channel's election night coverage. In September 2009, a Pew Research Poll showed that Democrats were much more likely than Republicans to rate the channel favorably and Republicans were much more likely than Democrats to see MSNBC unfavorably.
On November 13, 2009, in the days leading up to the release of 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate
Sarah PalinSarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
's book "
Going RogueGoing Rogue: An American Life is a personal and political memoir of Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican candidate for U.S. Vice President. The book became a New York Times #1 bestseller in its first week of release, and remained there for six weeks...
", MSNBC's
Dylan RatiganDylan Jason Ratigan is an American television host primarily covering financial markets, the global economy, and politics. He is host of The Dylan Ratigan Show which airs weekday afternoons on MSNBC. He is also a frequent contributor on The Huffington Post.- Early life :Ratigan was born in the...
used photoshopped pictures of Palin on the channel's
Morning Meeting program. Ratigan apologized a few days later stating, "I want to apologize to Governor Palin and all of our viewers. On Friday, in a very misguided attempt to have some fun in advance of Sarah Palin’s upcoming book Going Rogue, our staff mistakenly used some clearly photoshopped images of Ms. Palin without any acknowledgment."
In October 2010, MSNBC began using the tagline "lean forward", which was described by some media outlets, including
msnbc.commsnbc.com is a news website owned and operated as a joint venture by NBCUniversal and Microsoft.In addition to original content from its news staff, msnbc.com is the news website for the NBC News family, with content from the cable television news channel MSNBC, NBC shows such as Today, NBC Nightly...
, as the network embracing its politically progressive identity.
A poll conducted by Farleigh Dickinson University concluded that MSNBC viewers are among the most uninformed. Dan Cassino, analyst for the PublicMind poll said "People who tune into ideological media are motivated to hear their side of the debate and so you can have someone who watches MSNBC be so used to hearing about protests coming from the right that they automatically believe that Occupy is mostly a Republican protest."
Assertions of pro-Obama bias
Some Democratic Party supporters, most notably
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
Governor
Ed RendellEdward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
and
ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
advisor
Lanny DavisLanny J. Davis is an American lawyer and lobbyist. From 1996 to 1998, he served as a special counsel to President Bill Clinton.-Background:...
, criticized MSNBC during and after the
2008 Democratic PrimariesThe 2008 Democratic presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 U.S. presidential election...
, as covering
Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
more favorably than Hillary Clinton. A study done by the
Project for Excellence in JournalismThe Project for Excellence in Journalism is a non-profit research organization in the US that uses empirical methods to evaluate and study the performance of the press. It asserts that it is "non partisan, non ideological and non political"...
showed that MSNBC had less negative coverage of Obama (14% of stories vs. 29% in the press overall) and more negative stories about Republican presidential candidate
John McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
(73% of its coverage vs. 57% in the press overall). MSNBC's on-air slogan during the week of the 2008 presidential election, "The Power of Change", was criticized as being overtly similar to Obama's campaign slogan of "Change." Following the
2008 presidential electionThe United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, conservative talk-show host,
John ZieglerJohn Ziegler is a conservative radio talk show host turned documentary film writer/director.Ziegler's most prominent work in radio has been as the evening host of a radio talk show called The John Ziegler Show on KFI AM 640 in Los Angeles, California from January 12, 2004 until November 13, 2007...
worked on a documentary called
Media Malpractice.... How Obama Got Elected, which was very critical of the media, especially MSNBC's role, in the 2008 Presidential Election. While promoting the documentary, he engaged in an on-air dispute with MSNBC news anchor
Contessa BrewerContessa Brewer is an American host for the MSNBC weekend program Caught on Camera.-Biography:Brewer was born in in Parsonsfield, Maine, and graduated from Sacopee Valley High School in Hiram, Maine in 1992. She graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public...
, on how the media, especially MSNBC, had portrayed
Sarah PalinSarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
.
After
Chris MatthewsChristopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
and
Keith OlbermannKeith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
made controversial on-air comments during the 2008 Republican National Convention, NBC News correspondent David Gregory replaced them, but Matthews and Olbermann continued working as analysts. On November 4–5, Matthews teamed with
Rachel MaddowRachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
,
Eugene RobinsonEugene Keefe Robinson is a former professional American football player who played free safety. He played collegiately at Colgate University...
,
David GregoryDavid Michael Gregory is an American television journalist, and moderator of NBC News' Sunday morning talk show Meet the Press.-Early life:...
, and Keith Olbermann to cover the presidential election.
During MSNBC's coverage of the Potomac primary, Matthews had this to say about then presidential candidate Barack Obama:
“ I have to tell you, you know, it's part of reporting this case, this election, the feeling most people get when they hear Barack Obama's speech. My, I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often.[25] ”
This led many on the right to assert that both he and MSNBC were biased toward Obama.
Phil Donahue Iraq War dismissal
Phil DonahuePhillip John "Phil" Donahue is an American media personality, writer, and film producer best known as the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show. The television program, also known as Donahue, was the first to use a talk show format. The show had a 26-year run on U.S...
's 2002 program
DonahueIn 2002, Phil Donahue returned to television to host a show called Donahue on MSNBC. Its debut Nielsen ratings were strong, but its audience evaporated over the following months. In late August 2002, it got one of the lowest possible ratings , less than MSNBC's average for the day of 0.2. On...
was canceled in late February 2003 during the buildup to the
Iraq War. Despite earlier claims of cancellation because of low ratings,
Donahue was MSNBC's highest rated show that month.
A leaked NBC internal study revealed that the studio was concerned that Donahue would act as "a home for the liberal antiwar agenda at the same time that our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity."
Michael Savage dismissal
During the spring and early summer of 2003, MSNBC featured a weekend talk show hosted by conservative radio host
Michael SavageMichael Savage is a conservative American radio host, author, and political commentator. He is the host of The Savage Nation, a nationally syndicated talk show that airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
. In July of that year, Savage responded to a prank caller on his show by calling him a "pig" and a "sodomite", and telling him he "should get
AIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and die." Savage's show was canceled and Savage was fired from the channel shortly afterward (with some reports placing the termination immediately after the episode in question went off air).
Don Imus controversy
In early April 2007,
Don ImusJohn Donald "Don" Imus, Jr. is an American radio host, humorist, philanthropist and writer. His nationally-syndicated talk show, Imus in the Morning, is broadcast throughout the United States by Citadel Media and relayed on television by the Fox Business Network.-Personal life:Imus was born in...
, whose radio show
Imus in the MorningImus in the Morning is an American radio show hosted by Don Imus on Cumulus Media Networks , and simulcast for television on Fox Business Network....
was simulcast on MSNBC, described members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team, as "some nappy-headed hoes." The comments sparked outrage, as many considered them to be racist and sexist. After sponsors began to withdraw advertisements from the show, MSNBC canceled the simulcast. Imus, as well as NBC News, apologized to the Rutgers Basketball team for the remarks. Don Imus now has a feature show on the Fox Business Network.
"Rise of the New Right" documentary
In June 2010, a documentary airing on MSNBC and hosted by Chris Matthews called
Rise of the New Right drew significant criticism from conservatives and the
Tea Party movementThe Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
. The documentary features interviews with
Dick ArmeyRichard Keith "Dick" Armey is a former U.S. Representative from Texas's and House Majority Leader . He was one of the engineers of the "Republican Revolution" of the 1990s, in which Republicans were elected to majorities of both houses of Congress for the first time in four decades. Armey was...
, the former House Majority Leader,
Orly TaitzOrly Taitz is an American dentist, lawyer, former real estate agent, and leading figure in the "birther" movement, which challenges whether Barack Obama is a natural-born citizen eligible to serve as President of the United States...
, a leading figure in the "birther" movement, and radio host Alex Jones. The documentary also showed the
Michigan MilitiaThe Michigan Militia was an organized paramilitary organization founded by Norman Olson, a former U.S. Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer, of Alanson, Michigan, USA. The organization formed around 1994 in response to perceived encroachments by the Federal Government on the rights of citizens during...
’s survival training camp and hit the campaign trail with Kentucky Senatorial candidate
Rand PaulRandal Howard "Rand" Paul is the junior United States Senator for Kentucky. He is a member of the Republican Party. A member of the Tea Party movement, he describes himself as a "constitutional conservative" and a libertarian...
.
After the documentary aired,
FreedomWorksFreedomWorks is a conservative non-profit organization based in Washington D.C., United States. FreedomWorks trains volunteers, assists in campaigns, and encourages them to mobilize, interacting with both fellow citizens and their political representatives....
, which is chaired by one of the stars of the documentary,
Dick ArmeyRichard Keith "Dick" Armey is a former U.S. Representative from Texas's and House Majority Leader . He was one of the engineers of the "Republican Revolution" of the 1990s, in which Republicans were elected to majorities of both houses of Congress for the first time in four decades. Armey was...
, issued a letter calling for a boycott of
DawnDawn is a brand of dishwashing liquid owned by Procter & Gamble. Introduced in 1972, it is the best-selling brand of dishwashing liquid in the United States...
and
Procter & GambleProcter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
, which advertises during
Hardball with Chris Matthews. The boycott was ineffective.
Procter & GambleProcter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
continued to advertise with the show.
Suspensions of hosts; Olbermann's separation
On November 5, 2010, MSNBC President Phil Griffin suspended Olbermann indefinitely without pay for contributing $2,400 (the maximum personal donation limit) to each of three Democratic candidates during the 2010 midterm election cycle. Contributions to political campaigns, under NBC News policy, are not allowed without prior permission. On November 7, 2010, Olbermann posted a thank you message to supporters via Twitter. That same day, MSNBC announced that he would be back on the air starting Tuesday, November 9.
Two weeks later, Griffin announced the suspension of Joe Scarborough for the same offense, as the
Morning Joe host had donated $4,000 to Republican candidates in Florida. Like Olbermann's suspension, Scarborough's suspension was brief, and he returned to the airwaves on November 24.
On January 21, 2011 MSNBC announced that Olbermann would host his final show that same night.
Tucson shootings
During the news cycle following the
2011 Tucson shootingOn January 8, 2011, a mass shooting occurred near Tucson, Arizona. Nineteen people were shot, six of them fatally, with one other person injured at the scene during an open meeting that U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was holding with members of her constituency in a Casas Adobes Safeway...
, conservative talk-radio host
Mark LevinMark Reed Levin is a lawyer, author and the host of American syndicated radio show The Mark Levin Show. Levin served in the cabinet of President Ronald Reagan and was a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese...
threatened to sue Chris Matthews and several other MSNBC commentators who suggested that he might have influenced the shooter,
Jared Lee LoughnerJared Lee Loughner is an American man who is charged with the January 8, 2011 Tucson, Arizona shooting that killed six people, including Chief U.S. District Court Judge John Roll. The shooting also left 14 others injured, including U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords...
. Levin also defended Republican politician
Sarah PalinSarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, from MSNBC punditry linking her political rhetoric to the heated political atmosphere surrounding the killings. Paul Bond of
The Hollywood ReporterFormerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
wrote that "MSNBC was crucial in driving the narrative that the killer was egged on by violent political rhetoric, particularly from Palin". Bond also wrote that "even after it was learned that the shooter was an atheist, flag-burning, Bush-hating, 9/11 Truther who enjoyed joking about abortion (not exactly the portrait of a Palin supporter), MSNBC still did not let up on that story line".
External links