JOSSIP REPORTS — Um, Tom Brokaw? You're a liar. Yes, you're a well-respected newsman, who anchored NBC Nightly News for nearly two decades with aplomb, overseeing everything from the First Intifada in the Gaza Strip to the Monica Lewinsky scandal. But you're also full of fibs.
When Jossip and others reported earlier this month that you were among the NBC News veterans voicing your concerns to the high ups that Keith Olbermann and Chris Mattthews' partisanship was making 30 Rock stink of liberalism instead of neutrality, you quickly denied the claim, saying you never voiced concerns to GE chief Jeff Immelt, NBC News head Steve Capus, nor MSNBC president Phil Griffin.
Except here we are, just a few weeks later, and — what's this? — you've changed your story. CONTINUED »
Katie Couric has done an ample job of resuscitating her reputation. Once the piñata of television news — everyone got a turn beating her, and she had to hang there and take it — she's quickly rebranded herself as RESPECTED JOURNALIST and, before that, got a reprieve from media critics bashing her when Keith Olbermann took some of the heat away. But as Couric exits the stage, temporarily, it's no longer Olbermann who's filling the void of short-lived attention spans by media critics. It is, actually, another woman. Her name is Rachel Maddow, and the industry freakin' loves her. CONTINUED »
Accustomed to playing defense, MSNBC president Phil Griffin finds himself in a worn-in seat prescribing euphemisms toward his embattled network. With the in-fighting between Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Joe Scarborough, and David Gregory taking a backseat to the assumption that Griffin & Co. caved to right-y criticism that the network's coverage leaned too far to the left — thus resulting in K+M moving back to pundit-only chairs — MSNBC now finds itself again defending its internal decisions. If only criticism of the cable news network, then, were coming from Fox News and sites like Olbermann Watch. In fact, for months it's been NBC News insiders who've besieged the ears of Griffin, NBC News president Steve Capus, and GE chief Jeff Immelt, begging for change. So who's been complaining? CONTINUED »
BFFN: Best Friends For Now?
If GE chairman "Jeff Immelt's fingerprints [are] all over" a supposed deal to beef up Keith Olbermann's contract while letting Chris Matthew's ride out his agreement until it expires next year, than Jeff Zucker's fingerprints are all over the Page Six item saying it's so. CONTINUED »
MSNBC staffers didn't appreciate waking up this morning to read the latest company fumble in the New York Times instead of, say, a staff email or memo from topper Phil Griffin. That's just the latest in a string of complaints reaching us from across NBC News' bureaus following the revelation that Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews would no longer be manning the anchor chair during hard news events; instead, they'll once again return to the pundit circle.
Part of the announcement was that David Gregory would be playing center square, turning to O+M for their analysis while he moderates the hard news during the presidential debates and election night returns. And that's the other sticking point for NBC News staffers: Nobody wants Gregory in that role, according the temperature our sources have taken inside the network. "The Phil [Griffin] management style has infuriated people who aren't even fans of Olbermann," says one spy. Gregory's own 6pm Race To The White House has been a ratings dud, and while Olbermann and Matthews have kept MSNBC's ratings alive, many fear Gregory will tank that progress. Staffers are cheering for the home team, but find it hard when the guy making the calls is Griffin.
And who might be taking the news the hardest? Joe Scarborough. CONTINUED »
And so, they've done it. After weeks of on-air in-fighting and months of accusations of liberal bias, MSNBC demoted stars Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews from all-around sensations back to where, some might argue, they belong: the pundit caste. No longer will they man the anchor chair usually reserved for straight newsmen like Brian Williams and Tom Brokaw, who have made no secret of their disapproval for the "gone too far" approach of pretend-friends Olbermann and Matthews. In the coming weeks, as all the cable networks head into the final stretch of the presidential election, O+M will, at least on the surface, play a far less significant role. When the presidential and vice presidential debates come roaring around, and election night results flow in, it will be NBC News chief White House correspondent (and Meet The Press candidate) David Gregory who mans the anchor chair; Olbermann and Matthews will be mere "analysts." The move, officially handed down from MSNBC head Phil Griffin, will be seen by outsiders and critics as the network admitting it veered too far to the left in its political coverage. Not so. CONTINUED »
'Griffin and Olbermann were at the Chicago Cubs game Saturday, separately. Olbermann also went to Sunday's game and, during a morning email exchange, Griffin suggested Olbermann should go back to New York, instead of on to St. Paul. Olbermann responded "Seriously?"' [TVN]
MSNBC's internal fighting is far from over — nor is the reporting on it. We hear the Wall Street Journal's Rebecca Dana will have something up for tomorrow's paper (albeit leaning in the network's favor), which follows our own regular reports, as well as the Drudge-linked Politico story from Michael Calderone.
Meanwhile, in the past few hours we've spoke to a number of 30 Rock staffers in Denver, New York, and Washington — some of whom thought it more productive to speak to us than attend to the on-going live DNC coverage — and the common wisdom is: 1) Nobody can believe how much Keith Olbermann is getting away with, even if he does draw ratings; 2) As an Olbermann protege, Rachel Maddow is attracting negative feelings from staffers, since she stays mum on many of these catfights, but "there's still time" to represent; 3) MSNBC head Phil Griffin is alienating staffers by publicly defending Olbermann while privately bashing him, and it's left many wondering when that will leak (oops); 4) MSNBC publicist Jeremy Gaines appears increasing stressed out and can be seen "shaking" with a phone attached to his ear dealing with reporters; 5) You don't want to run into Chris Matthews anytime soon, especially en route to the bathroom, because he has zero pleasant things to say right now; 6) Joe Scarborough is definitely stressed, but he's managed to calm down a bit today and can be seen laughing and gabbing; 7) None of this is helping ratings, with MSNBC scoring the lowest numbers against Fox News and CNN in convention coverage.
And one last thing: Nobody, including all of MSNBC, believes Phil Griffin when he says "MSNBC does not have an ideology … We hire smart people who are passionate about their love of politics and love of news." Says one veteran off-camera staffer: "Bullshit … It's a total farce." It's a shame that MSNBC can't own up to the way it's leaning, if only because now it can't separate itself from the same charges aimed at Fox News — that it leans one way politically but pretends to be balanced.
It's high time MSNBC chief Phil Griffin, hot off his "promotion" to president of the network, shot back at Fox News. Previously, we've only been treated to feuds between FNC's Bill O'Reilly and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann (and then, Page Six v. Olbermann). Now we're laying the groundwork for Griffin v. Roger Ailes! This is exciting kids. It's just too bad Griffin's primary argument spells the word "contradictory" when you put on special decoder glasses. CONTINUED »
NBC News very cleverly gave Phil Griffin a new job description yesterday. Previously the SVP of NBC News, Griffin has been running the day-to-day at MSNBC since 2006, following Rick Kaplan's departure. In his new role, as president of MSNBC, Griffin will be, uh, running the day-to-day at MSNBC. Indeed, nothing has really changed about his role at the cable channel. Elsewhere? Yeah, things are different. CONTINUED »
One might think 30 Rock wouldn't be particularly excited about Peter Boyer's 6,200-word New Yorker profile of Keith Olbermann that's intent on revisiting every charge of polarizing bias aimed his way in recent weeks and months. But, apparently, they weren't, since everyone from MSNBC head Phil Griffin to Olbermann himself participated in the article. Then again, the profile isn't as anti-Olbermann as, say, Fox News' PR department could have hoped.
Olbermann, who says he chose his 4th floor corner office at 30 Rock because it has a view of Fox News' studios across Sixth Avenue, has enjoyed both Jesus and pariah status atop his Countdown post. His fans are legion; his critics are loyal. Some of his biggest naysayers have, rightly so, come from across the avenue: Names like Bill O'Reilly and Steve Doocy come to mind, and those are just the ones with public soapboxes.
But many of the folks who have tired of Olbermann's routine also walk the same halls of 30 Rock he does. CONTINUED »
Steve Capus, Phil Griffin, and the rest of the NBC good old boys are on a vigorous hunt for the leak behind today's scathing Tim Russert v. Keith Olbermann item, which the network has flat-out denied.
But there's one place in particular, Jossip hears, that their attention is aimed: CONTINUED »
With all our talk about Chris Matthews losing his job to David Gregory when the 5pm anchor's $2m/year contract is up next year (if Phil Griffin has his way), one might think Matthews' current band of merry crew members might be worried about losing their jobs.
Not the case, says one insider. CONTINUED »
Yesterday TVNewser rebuffed our story about Keith Olbermann and David Gregory's on-air dust-up – where Keith slammed his fist on the table to get David to quit hogging camera time and wrap up his panel discussion – quoting an insider who says, "As usual, Jossip is trying to create conflict where there is none." Adds TVN: "A source who was in the control room Tuesday night tells us Olbermann was actually trying to get the attention of the floor director, so he could get to a commercial break, and be back with live coverage at the top of the hour."
Was that control room source a one Phil Griffin, also known as MSNBC's chief? CONTINUED »
Perhaps before Clinton, Obama, or McCain is crowned president this November, MSNBC's David Gregory will have alienated every other on-air talent at the network.
So far he's already earned the ire of Chris Matthews (MSNBC head Phil Griffin wants to replace the Hardballer with Gregory); Joe Scarborough (he stormed off the set when Gregory was allowed to hog camera time, though he's never liked him much).
And as of last night? Keith Olbermann. CONTINUED »
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