Twitter Update on Lawrence O'Donnell

[Justice]

Variety just posted:

"Lawrence O’Donnell, MSNBC in Talks for 10 PM Slot
Lawrence O'Donnell and MSNBC are in contract talks that could result in the anchor staying with his 10 p.m. show, "The Last Word."

[irisblue]

1. Good

[onecaliberal]

2. Yes!

[ProudMNDemocrat]

3. How stupid would it be.....

To can the #2 rated show on the network that brings in viewers and money.

If it were not for Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow, and Lawrence O'Donnell, this viewer would be somewhere else. These 3 make some sense of the insane world that is the Trump era.

[gratuitous]

7. They shit-canned their #1 show back before W's excellent adventures in empire

Phil Donahue wasn't getting his war on to suit the suits in the suites, and found himself out of a job in early 2003.

[TrollBuster9090]

23. They also shit-canned Ed Shultz and Melissa Harris-Perry.

Shultz because he was too friendly to unions, and Harris-Perry because she was, well...no other way to put it...TOO UPITY. And then they made room for Gretta Van Susternen. It's the stupidest corporate move since they changed the formula for COKE.

[TeamPooka]

26. Don't forget dumping Olbermann at his peak. MSNBC wants to be Fox. Plain and simple.

[TrollBuster9090]

31. Yeah, I'd forgotten about that. I don't think they want to be Fox. I just think

I just think they are, like all MSM clowns, worried about being labelled 'too liberal.' So they want to get rid of some of the people who appear to be too partisan, and replace them with a few country club Republicans, and then claim to be 'fair and balanced.'

Ironically, 'fair and balanced' Fox News is the most biased, politically partisan network of them all, and they raked in a FORTUNE by appealing to a politically partisan group of viewers. So, if MSNBC is still interested in making money, they're doing the wrong thing. If they trying to chase the mythical fair and balanced journalist title, they're just being stupid and self destructive.

But then again, that's the one thing that the right wing news media has that the left wing news media doesn't. SHAMELESSNESS. They KNOW everybody is snickering at them when they say they're 'unbiased,' but they don't care. They care more about winning and making money than they do about people snickering at them. And I can't say that about the center-left media world.

As Bill Maher said about Democratic politicians: "All you have to do is accuse somebody of being a liberal, and he'll put on an orange vest and run off to the woods to kill animals." Funny, but painfully true.

[Alice11111]

37. !!!

[Hortensis]

40. Phil Donahue in 1996, emphatically yes. But the others?

I don't like the networks' picking up right-wing commentators either. But that doesn't mean they want to be Fox. Fox's viewership is dying off from old age and calcified brains. Young people, who are far less conservative than Fox's viewers, even the young conservatives, are the ones the advertisers want to draw.

People on the far left should, for the sake of their own understanding, recognize and accept that their numbers are too small for good representation by a network. MSNBC, to its credit, tried some shows aimed more their way a couple decades after Donahue was suppressed, and it didn't work. But, notably, Donahue was not a radical with a radical message. He was a liberal pushing progressive messages to a hugely receptive mainstream audience. This difference that was the key to his great success.

As for Ed Schultz, let's face it. He is better suited to radicals watching RT than to typical left-wingers. I didn't like his style on MSNBC, and if he came back on his knees and toes the MSNBC line I wouldn't watch him after RT.

"Uppity's" an effective dog whistle in many situations, but it doesn't apply to Melissa. They gave her a platform to address social justice and women's issues, and she just didn't draw enough viewership, even with Rachel following. I found wallowing each night in discussion of the latest outrages and endless hashing over needed solutions more depressing than stimulating. So I eventually spent little time with Melissa (and also turned off Rachel on her abortion rights jags) preferring shorter print news updates.

Obermann's exit ended well-publicized several-year conflicts with his bosses; lots of personalities involved, not just issues. Yes, they did want him to tone his combative message down, but he could have done that and still held his hill. He chose not to, and eventually the pot finally boiled over. I was sorry.

Btw, fwiw, except for Rachel on video, and O'Donnell on video occasionally, I don't watch cable news at all. Their outrageously dishonest and irresponsible coverage of the election caused me to say no more. I recommend it.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

63. You have to credit Keith Olbermann for.......

launching both Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell to where they are now. You cannot imagine how I miss COUNTDOWN.

I loved watching Ed Schultz, Al Sharpton, Melissa Harris Perry, Cenk Uyger(The Young Turks), even the Cycle. These shows are/were far superior than anything on CNN or FOX.

[Hortensis]

66. Hi. Sure. I watched Olbermann for years,

and then Rachel and O'Donnell. The latter are still watched a lot of the time.

MSNBC'sevening lineup is far superior to the budget daytime one, but I took to heart results of studies reporting that, on testing, Fox viewers knew less about their nation and world than people who watched no news at all (!) but that, though CNN and MSNBC viewers did know more than the no-news people, they really weren't all that much better.

MSNBC is not a news network, of course, which accounts for some of it, but their programming was also so appallingly dishonest and self-serving during the election campaigns (not worse than before, just with such obvious destructive effect) that I said goodbye to almost all of it. Same for CNN.

Interesting how political talk shows seem to get more fact-based in the late hours, something that must reflect different audiences.

Do you or anyone remember the old long-running Nightline with Ted Koppel long, long ago? Great, intelligent show. For a long time I waited for it by watching through a horror of a right-wing political program that preceded it. Wish I could remember the guy's name, think he had a mental breakdown later or something. He used a sort of gladiatorial format where he would do verbal battle with "liberals" chosen for their extreme inarticulateness and scrawny builds, and he'd stride in and do a ritual rape of a couple of women from the audience (grab and "kiss" them Trump-style) before engaging.

[usedtobedemgurl]

70. Would that be Morton Downey Junior? nt

[Hortensis]

72. Yes! You know, there's a real resemblance between

him and tRump, and also Gov. Christie when he'd threaten constituents by bearing down with his 300 pounds and shoving his face in theirs to deliver his insults. Downey was way over the top on his show, but they all offer a domineering thuggery that their particular fans love.





Just think of the contrast with liberal shows, which have NEVER offered animal boorishness and brutishness as a product. I like to think that back then some thoughtful, more moderate conservatives were also waiting for Nightline, which ran from 1980-2005 (just looked). Fox News opened in 1996, and after that most conservatives insisted all other news sources were corrupt.

[usedtobedemgurl]

76. Yes, he was awful...

if I recall, he would smoke and blow the smoke in people's faces but I am not sure if that is a correct recollection. I believe he died of cancer.

[Hortensis]

79. I read he was often very different in person in

looking for those pictures. He'd certainly have had to be. But he regretted much of his boorishness and did a lot of apologizing to individuals he'd behaved badly to before his death, not in fear of fire but rather of being remembered for his worst.

I feel sure tRump is simply not capable of that level of self awareness, so in that there is no comparison.

[usedtobedemgurl]

83. Trump is hardly capable of anything....

but especially not of self reflection. He is no more capable of it than the cronies who support him instead of our country.

[Hortensis]

84. Seriously, social scientists say strong right-wing ideologues

are strikingly lacking in self awareness, as are their counterparts on the left. They simply can't evaluate their own behavior.

[Dustlawyer]

41. Also Shultz aired a weeks worth of stories, a segment a day on the victims of the BP

oil spill that no one else would air for fear of losing ad dollars. BP would advertise way more than normal for the first 3 years of the spill to keep the victim's stories out of the news and have everyone believe they had settled the claims out of the non-existent $20 billion dollar fund.

He was let go two months later. I would think it played a part of why they let him go, but his support of Bernie was the main one I would guess.

[DownriverDem]

73. See Below

Ed has moved to the other side.

[Dustlawyer]

88. I know about Ed, but I know what he did then too.

My point wasn't so much about Ed but what he did and the blowback for doing it.

It was very frustrating to see my clients suffering from delays and the media would not touch the story for fear of the loss of ad dollars. BP even bought up all of the documentaries until the heat passed.

[NewRedDawn]

46. Ed is now

from what I hear a Trumputinista now whoring for both on RT. I use to enjoy him, but I guess he just whores for whoever the paymaster is.

[FloridaBlues]

53. YEs and boy does Schultz defend his actions Alittle off the rails he went

[DownriverDem]

69. About Ed Shultz

Isn't RT News a Russian web site? Why is Ed Shultz on it?

https://www.rt.com/shows/news-with-ed-schultz/

[displacedtexan]

75. Don't forget Tamryn Hall.

She was let go right as she was about to marry Lawrence O'D.

[AwakeAtLast]

87. Yep, I remember that well. n/t

[skylucy]

10. +++++++++++ YES!

[Renew Deal]

13. And they're not really going to do better at that time of day.

[NewJeffCT]

20. the way MSNBC has been going

I'm surprised they don't have Bill O'Reilly lined up to take over for him.

[Valhallakey]

22. That is exactly what they are going to do Bill O or similar (nt)

[RKP5637]

29. And Sean Hannity waiting in the wings. I don't like MSNBC one bit, but watch it because it

seems to be the best we have. Lose a few more and I'll be gone.

[Generic Brad]

54. Their prime time line up is terrific

Chris Hayes. National treasure Rachel Maddow. Lawrence O'Donnell.

It's hard to label them as right wing when they have 3 impartial shows every weekday evening.

[RKP5637]

55. Yes, those are the three I watch. Hopefully they will last under Comcast. n/t

[Alice11111]

39. I was thinking the same thing, but maybe he, Ailes, &DT

Will just start thir own more RW version of Fox. DTs would be in a blind trust, of course, and Eric would make sure that dad had no knowledge of it, except for the regular meetings to update him.

What an unbelievable shitcan world the USA is in.

[Brainstormy]

68. Van Susteren's ratings are terrible

but they don't seem to care. No telling what they'll do.

[awesomerwb]

4. Hopefully they'll ink a nice deal

for him. We all win.

[Different Drummer]

5. Good news! n/t

[Dem2]

6. I've barraged them with correspondence

I'm sure they got 10's of thousands of calls/emails/tweets. Let's hope they're serious.

[hlthe2b]

30. Me too. calls to NbCUNI, Comcast and four separate email addresses.

[Amaryllis]

89. If you have other places to call or email, can you post them here on new trending thread:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029073351

[moonscape]

58. Where did you send them? I sent to

a suggested address [e-mail] but it bounced 'no such user'

I'd like to send my nice little write-up to someone

[Amaryllis]

77. [e-mail]

it's viewer, not view

[WinkyDink]

8. MSNBC needs to keep LOD. They really should not want to be on the wrong side of history.

[Little Star]

9. Message deleted by DU the Administrators

[Laf.La.Dem.]

11. good

[Amaryllis]

12. Go here and see where to call Comcast about this:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029066831

[zentrum]

14. Just called 215-286-1700.

.....Their corporate offices, but all lines were full. Will remain open until 6pm.

[StevieM]

19. Same with me. I couldn't get through. Which is a good sign. I think we liberals

are the ones who tied up all their lines.

[politicaljunkie41910]

21. I just called the number you posted and I got through. Told them that I was a longtime fan of

"The Last Word" and I would be very disappointed if his contract was not renewed. I also told them that I was disappointed with the decision to give more of the liberal time slots to rightwingers who have their own networks and dominate talk radio, particularly the slot given to Greta Van Susteran and Nicole Wallace. While I like Nicole as a person, I didn't think she deserved that time slot at the expense of a true liberal. Besides, it was people like her that tried to normalize Trump by saying that "my Dad is a big fan of his" and now we're stuck with someone whose ill equipped for the job and threatens our democracy and our relationship with our allies.

[zentrum]

56. Excellent message! nt

[CousinIT]

15. WooHoo! Maybe they heard from enough fans . . .

Or they decided not to be stupid and allow their 2nd highest rated show to end.

[liberal from boston]

36. Message deleted by DU the Administrators

[CousinIT]

44. Wow. Thank you for doing that!

Even better than you got a nice person on the other end. WooHoo!

[nolabear]

16. Excellent! May he double down on that imbecile in the WH.

#TeamLawrence

[berksdem]

17. +1!!

[gibraltar72]

18. Called NBC

Told them they would go dark in my home at 10 .M. if Lawrence wasn't there!

[lamp_shade]

32. I used those words too... "go dark"

[Hortensis]

86. I'd hate to lose O'Donnell's expert explanations of

what Congress is up to. They've been very enlightening over the years, often pointing out perception-alteringrealities that go unmentioned elsewhere. That said, I can have Lawrence wherever ELSE he goes.

I will not bother watching or taping Brian Williams. Never have. No specific animus, he's just a null figure, his entire career spent riding high on TV new's slide into the gutter. As far as I'm concerned, he represents the gutter.

[Honeycombe8]

24. Good. nt

[cry baby]

25. Called and emailed Comcast and NBC today. nt

[Soxfan58]

27. Yay

Headmaster Bartlett

[Lazy Daisy]

28. Message deleted by DU the Administrators

[chillfactor]

33. I called and gave my voice of support for Lawrence..

also a plug for Rachel.....I was given an email address as well.

[e-mail]

[chillfactor]

34. I also emailed the powers that be.

[BigmanPigman]

35. Yeah! I just tried calling both numbers and both were busy, busy, busy...

I emailed two letters and told them to give him a raise, give joy a nightly spot, and dump Greta and her pals.

[grantcart]

38. Sounds good. If they are talking they will find a way to agree.

[mchill]

42. Phew!

I very much appreciate his perspective on the mechanics of Congress.

[flying-skeleton]

43. MSNBC would be absolutely BONKERS to let him go !!

[SunSeeker]

45. Good. nt

[KT2000]

47. Good -

he runs a calm show which is good after Rachel.

[tavernier]

48. When someone shows you who he is,

believe him.

There is nothing that this man has ever said or done that would make me think he is a false prophet.

If he leaves, I'll follow.

[Stargleamer]

49. We had Mark Russell during Watergate

we could really use Lawrence O'Donnell during this time period.

Now more than ever.

[flamingdem]

50. Lawrence is the best, remember the tent guy?

Blue tent guy.. can't even remember the correct term but it was during the bird sanctuary takeover.

Lawrence knows how to report LIVE too as he did in that case.

[GP6971]

51. Good. About time! n/t

[Jarqui]

52. I don't trust them. Might be a ploy to hang on to their ratings for a few weeks

I'll believe it when the press release comes out that he's been extended.

Of all the people in the TV media who were on to Trump, I felt O'Donnell was way out in front - well before he became a candidate - back with the birther stuff in 2011 or maybe before

[SCantiGOP]

57. Keep him on

He's the last calming voice I hear before going to bed at night.

[iluvtennis]

59. Great news...should have never been under discussion anyway. Lawrence is excellent TV anchor

[DesertFlower]

60. i hope so. i love his show.

[onecent]

61. Lawrence O'Donnell puts it all up there and calms me down

after listening to all the other stuff... DON'T GET RID OF HIM!!!!

[flamingdem]

62. Who can we call or email to support Lawrence??

Would be very pissed if they can him

[Madam45for2923]

64. [e-mail] or call Comcast 215-286-1700.

[e-mail] or call Comcast 215-286-1700.

[flamingdem]

67. done!

thanks Madam

[Madam45for2923]

71. Also if you tweet: @LackAndy @MSNBC @Lawrence -Please RETWEET

@LackAndy @MSNBC @Lawrence

I never ask for retweets but,

Please RETWEET to let MSNBC know that we support keeping Lawrence O'Donnell!

Link to tweet

[ElementaryPenguin]

65. EXCELLENT!!

It's music to my ears the way he begins EVERY statement with "Donald Trump...______ is the most corrupt, clueless, ignorant, traitorous human being to ever occupy the White House..."

It makes my day, no matter what kind of day it's been.

[yuiyoshida]

74. Retweeting plus K&R

good on him!

[dsharp88]

78. Sadly False

It looks like he's out. Apparently, MSNBC wants to move Brian Williams' 11th Hour up an hour to Lawrence's spot. This despite good ratings for O'Donnell.

[workinclasszero]

80. Yay!

[bdamomma]

81. good I hope so

Lawrence needs to stay. Period.

here is the number: 212 664 4444 or

[e-mail]

or the stupid guy who is a friend of trump

[e-mail]

[leftieNanner]

82. If you want to give NBC a little nudge,

email them and ask them to renew Lawrence's contract.

[e-mail]

I just did.

I like to watch The Last Word after Rachel every night because he looks at the news and politics from a slightly different angle. His experience working in the Senate gives him an interesting perspective.

[mahina]

85. What time is he on there now?

It's afternoon and evening here, 4 and 7.

I'm still irked they took Rachel's 10 pm show away and gave it to the 11th hour. I don't get to watch her any more and she was my main reason for keeping the whole schmear, cable, tv, all of it. grrr

[Shannon1981]

90. I am so glad, hope they come to their senses and keep him.

I actually wrote them an open letter on the progressive blog network I work for, emailed Phil Griffin and NBC Universal, and called NBC Universal and Comcast.

Personally, I think Andy Lack is at the bottom of all of this. When he returned in 2015 is when they started to slowly but surely lurch to the right. That's what got us 3 hours of Joe Scarborough, got us supposed "straight news" all day instead of shows like The Reid Report, Now With Alex Wagner, Ronan Farrow Daily, The Cycle, etc. It's what got us Nicolle Wallace at 4, Chuck Todd at 5, Greta Van Susteren at 6, and got Joy Reid and Al Sharpton shuttled to weekends while right-wingers got plum primetime slots.

Hopefully our pressure did something.