Current TV president: MSNBC only ‘trots out’ liberal viewpoints at night

[Playinghardball]

Source: Raw Replay
By David Edwards

Current TV president David Bohrman wants to transform his channel into a 24-hour liberal news network.

“ Al Gore and Joel Hyatt got the brilliant idea to go and try to hire Keith ,” Bohrman told CNN’s Howard Kurtz Sunday. “They did, and discovered lightning.”

“And all of a sudden, they realized that that was going to be the destiny of what the network is,” he added. “And so they hired me to completely transform the network from a bunch of taped documentaries that have been cycling through the day, to a live news analysis, discussion television network that’s going hopefully 24 hours a day, talking about the events of the day and finding other people with something to say like Keith.”

“But with Olbermann not only as the host of Countdown, but the chief news officer of Current, is this going to be an all-liberal network?” Kurtz asked.

More at and watch this video from CNN’s Reliable Sources, broadcast Aug. 14, 2011

http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/08/current-tv-president-msnbc-only-trots-out-liberal-viewpoints-at-night/

[bahrbearian]

1. I can't wait to watch TYT, Ring of fire, and Majority Report on Current

[Maat]

2. +1 (n/t)

[Ruby the Liberal]

21. Thom Hartmann, David Schuster, Max Keiser

[harun]

37. Is Current going to show TYT?

[sabrina 1]

3. Current is now getting former CNN producers! Looks like they

are going to be a serious news channel. I do hope they do straight news with no angles, left or right, also. Just the facts with some real investigative journalism which is sadly lacking in our news media.

[Yavin4]

4. I Dunno About Having K.O. Call The Shots

Look, I love K.O., but his style rubs folks the wrong way at times. He's not the best person in the world to work with, and recruiting talent to Current may be difficult for him. It's very telling that Maddow re-upped with MSNBC instead of following K.O. to Current.

[localroger]

5. I don't think Rachel has a problem with Keith

With Keith and Cenk gone, Rachel is now MSNBC's main draw for liberal eyeballs. And they may not be loyal to that market but it's a market they've courted and need. She is now in a very strong position with a strong established network, rather than Still #2 but at a new network whose fate is to be determined.

[supraTruth]

8. We liberals can support more than 1 network.

We need to raise the Income Cap on S.S. Payroll Taxes before the CONS do something REALLY stupid! --- Pass it on to ALL!

[SoCalDem]

11. Rachel is also at the beginning of her career, so she's being careful

She's got a great job with a big company, and gets lots of airtime/exposure. Keith has many years under his belt, and already has the name recognition..

Keith's personality has never been a good fit with management. He's bombastic & opinionated, and never has been able to hold it all back for very long. I love the guy, but he'll never be a team-player, unless it's HIS team:)

Rachel's style is a better fit and she'll stay put...for now:)

[HCE SuiGeneris]

26. Off topic, but your tagline pics are the BEST!

Kudos, SoCal'er :yourock:

[SoCalDem]

30. Thanks.. I try to inject some levity where I can

:)

[jwirr]

17. He had trouble with his corporate bosses. As to recruiting who do

you think introduced Lawrence O'Donnell and Rachel in the first place along with Chris Hayes. Those were the people on Countdown before they were on their own programs. As to having a slanted view - I want this slanted toward what we believe. I am tired of listening to right leaning talking heads.

We have needed a channel that would host left leaning shows for a long time. One of our biggest complaint is that we cannot get the word out - with this channel we have an outlet.

Finally Al is doing what I wanted him to do ever since I hear he bought Current TV.

[davidwparker]

19. Neither are Steve Jobs and Martha Stewart, but people

say when they work for someone like them, they do the best work of their lives.

KO transformed MSNBC. I look forward to watching Current evolve.

[supraTruth]

6. Best news since Keith got hired!

We need to raise the Income Cap on S.S. Payroll Taxes before the CONS do something REALLY stupid!

[ecstatic]

7. Doesn't Current do the same thing?

:shrug: They're playing a movie right now, and I'm pretty sure MSNBC is showing Lock Up or a pedophile sting.

[GoCubsGo]

9. "....is this going to be an all-liberal network?”

Well, facts DO have a liberal bias, as Stephen Colbert pointed out, so let's hope so. It would be the only network that provides only the facts if it does become an "all-liberal network".

[Firebrand Gary]

10. I hope they dominate weekend coverage. I really want to see some new, quality talent.

Clearly, they know what they have.

CNN's ridiculous format for Spitzer's show was pathetic. They could have built him a show that was so much stronger for him. What was it at first? Parker/Spitzer? Then the Arena?

For heavens sake, please watch the goofy show names as well. The Arena? Really? Barf!

But back to my point: Weekend coverage, the truth is Morning Joe will have the morning locked up with that show, like it or not. The Daily Rundown is fantastic, I love Chuck Todd and unless Current can pick up that show, don't count on me leaving MSNBC that hour. To the point, I hope they grab the weekend spotlight before trying to fill up all the other news hours. But I am not a network exec, they probably know better.

[immoderate]

25. "The Arena" is my name for the R/T Forum....

:rofl:

--imm

[Odin2005]

12. MSNBComcast only trots out ESTABLISHMENT DEM viewpoints at night.

That's why Cenk was given the boot, he was "too hard on the Administration".

[FLAprogressive]

22. +1 and why Sharpton, whose head is so far up Obama's ass it's coming out O's mouth is on....

[bvar22]

36. I absolutely AGREE!!! X1000

The Left is NOT represented on MSNBC.
This corporate owned Media Outlet is doing its part to keep the National Debate framed between the Republicans and the "Centrist" Democrats, who are cast as the Liberal edge.

While they occasionally have someone like Kucinich on the show,
they do so with the subtle message that he, and therefore the issues he stands for,
aren't to be taken seriously.
MSNBC works to marginalize those issues that are supported by the majority of Americans.


You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.

Solidarity!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Odin2005]

39. Thanks, fellow Norskie!!!

[jwirr]

13. I love this. Finally we have a channel that is going to be fun to watch.

They are not afraid to tell us what we want to know. As the ads says "One of us".

[white_wolf]

14. Can they hire Thom Hartman to do a show as part of their lineup?

I really think his approach would be a nice counter to Keith. Don't get me wrong I love KO, but Thom is a bit more cool headed with the way he handles things. Let me put it this way: KO is like the Anthony Wiener of media, full of righteous anger, whereas Thom is closer to Sanders, still angry, but expresses his opinions in a more reasonable tone.

[CleanGreenFuture]

15. I had a feeling they would go in this direction

and said as much somewhere around the time KO started on Current.

Unfortunately, my cable provider does not carry Current. I've taken several opportunities to request they carry it, as have others, to no avail.

[marmar]

16. During the day MSNBC is no better than CNN....

...... a bunch of corporate, reality-averse propaganda.

[Jkid]

18. Problem is that the only way it will compete with MSNBC and FOXNews...

...it's that needs to be on basic cable. Current is only available via other higher priced packages on cable television. So the cable networks needs to be put on a basic cable slot.

[totodeinhere]

27. Here are the distribution stats for June 2011

CNN 87.3%
Fox News Channel 85.5%
MSNBC 82.6%
Current TV 50.2%

So you are right, Current needs to get on more cable systems and on the basic tier that everyone gets. Since I don't subscribe to any cable, I hope that they can also put up a full time Internet stream as well.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/07/20/cable-coverage-estimates-of-of-july-2011/98508/

[upi402]

20. "Trots out" = informs with facts

and provides the sole balance to countless hours of corporate propaganda...

ho hum

[TheKentuckian]

23. That is the point, there is a real need for more than just a little nightly counter-balance.

and there is a need to get beyond the corporate approved establishment to do it.

A plan to inform with facts and to offset even more hours corporate propaganda 24/7 should be welcome. Funny one would find the comment bothersome.

[Stinky The Clown]

29. I'm sorry you missed the fine points and nuance in that statement.

"trots out" is an excellent description of what MSNBC does.

[Denver Progressive]

24. k & r

:kick:

[Stinky The Clown]

28. I never heard of that guy before. I'm glad I saw that clip. He gives me real hope for Current TV.

He seems to really get it.

[Raine]

31. Sounds GOOD, I hope by the time it becomes 24hrs

my cable company will carry it. I can't get it now.

[vercetti2021]

32. Go for it!

Get TYT on there and some of my radio favs, Randy Rhodes and Stephanie Miller, oh and Hal Sparks! Love that guy! Current TV America's Progressive Network!

[Scuba]

33. Great. Now do some real investigative journalism and expose the baddies!!! N/T

[otohara]

34. And I'm Grateful

for Rachel, The Rev, Tweety, and rocking Lawrence O'Donnell

[whathehell]

35. Great Idea!..They should change it to basic cable too. n/t

[WillyT]

38. K & R !!!

:kick:

[Uncle Joe]

40. Kicked but too late to recommend, (at least formally.)

Thanks for the thread, Playinghardball