Action Alert: NBC Chief - Liberals Don't Watch TV

[Douglas Carpenter]

This action alert is from the good people at FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) website: www.fair.org

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2721

Action Alert
NBC Chief: Liberals Don't Watch TV
Does this explain MSNBC's right-leaning lineup?


11/15/05

Appearing at a recent media conference, NBC president Bob Wright offered a novel rationale for the exclusion of liberal voices on cable news: Liberals don't watch TV.

During an interview with conservative MSNBC host Tucker Carlson, Wright responded to Carlson's question about offering a left-leaning channel by saying that progressives "don't listen to a lot of radio and they don't watch a lot of television" (Broadcasting & Cable, 11/13/05).

It is ironic that Wright would say this to Carlson; if there's one thing many viewers don't seem to want to watch, it is Tucker Carlson's MSNBC show. In its first weeks on the air, Carlson's show was averaging about 200,000 viewers (Washington Post, 7/30/05). Even with the addition of a tabloid-oriented show hosted by Rita Cosby, the channel's prime-time audience in August was about 325,000 viewers (New York Times, 8/29/05). So if ratings are really what matter, one could argue that MSNBC's strategy of veering right--with shows hosted by Carlson and former Republican congress member Joe Scarborough--has clearly been a failure.

But recent history suggests that MSNBC makes programming decisions based more on politics than audience share. That was why Phil Donahue's MSNBC show was canceled, even though it was the channel's highest-rated program at the time, averaging over 400,000 viewers when it was canceled (New York Times, 2/26/03).

Internal MSNBC memos revealed that network management was worried that Donahue would be a "difficult public face for NBC in a time of war," because Donahue "seems to delight in presenting guests who are anti-war, anti-Bush and skeptical of the administration's motives" (FAIR Action Alert, 3/7/03).

The relative success of the Donahue show would seem to disprove Wright's claim that liberals don't watch TV, or that viewers aren't interested in hearing left-of-center views. It appears that it's NBC's corporate managers, and not viewers, who aren't interested in such perspectives.

ACTION:

Contact NBC chairman Bob Wright and let him know whether or not you watch TV, and if you would watch a cable show hosted by a progressive.

CONTACT:
Bob Wright
NBC Chairman
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

Feel free to respond to FAIR ( [e-mail] ). We can't reply to everything, but we will look at each message. We especially appreciate documented examples of media bias or censorship. And please send copies of your correspondence with media outlets, including any responses, to [e-mail].

[Arkana]

1. We don't watch TV

because we don't want to hear the talking heads spew their hate 24/7. That's their rationale for the overwhelming number of flying monkeys? Lame-O.

[ComerPerro]

40. Exactly. We don't watch TV because its all right-wing bullshit

[bahrbearian]

2. Well Chimpy doesn't read the News Papers either...

Look at his #'s....Bob Wright ,you might want to find a new job.

[baldguy]

3. Of course liberals watch TV

We're just not duped easily - either by their "news" or their advertisements.

[ClassWarrior]

4. Of course not, you knucklehead! "Liberals" were around back in FDR's day.

And they didn't have TVs back then.

Us? We're Progressives - and we CAN'T watch TV if you don't give us anything to watch!! Geez, you'd think you were just a corporate whore, Bob, justifying your sick agenda of greed and manipulation.

NGU.

[Zinfandel]

5. That's why Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Donahue & other liberals do so well

when given the chance...

It's the same old lies Limbaugh and the other republicans keep feeding everyone...It's truly amazing that these supposedly smart clowns, who are in charge of networks actually believe Limbaugh & Co. propaganda bullshit...But then, just look what know-nothing idiots these network heads really are, most can't even program daytime television for children...These Network clowns, will believe anything, they hear and then they wonder why they keep getting fired and losing their jobs...They program television like unaware, unfeeling robots!

[sproutster]

6. Blah email...

Do I watch the news? I've been watching the republicans. They have done more to destroy america then I ever thought was possible.

Jobs? Offshored. Money? Gas. Rightous war? THEY LIED. Torture? WTH... I guess we should go to Mass. and go over the old confessions, hey, IT WORKS. The rich? NO TAX. Single professional mother? Taxed out the ying yang.

I am no longer watching NBC certainly. After Katrina my eyes were opened wide to the insidious nature of our government.

Try telling the truth... THE TRUTH and they might come back. How about an accurate accounting of the dead from Katrina? How about an accurate situation of the no-bid contracts and what kind of profits Haliburton & Co. made during the hay days of none documented workers and no prevailling wages? How about they haven't gotten rid of the no-bid contracts yet? AND WE WONDER WHY THE POVERTY LASTS??!!

...God I cannot wait until 2006 & 2008. I want FAIR AND BALANCED news. I want a government I can trust. I do not wish to be a third class citizen giving record profits to thieves, and profiteers of death.

Hey, idea... News about all of the major expenditures of this administration and who profits?

Hmmm... Oil? Haliburton? Tamiflu? Yes, I wonder if there is a story there?

Signed,
I will watch anything but NBC

[Catt03]

7. Accodring to TV NEWSER, Wright said:

For some strange, probably genetic, reasons' -- (we're pretty sure that was a joke) -- 'they don't listen to a lot of radio and they don't watch a lot of television.'"

[madmadmad]

8. My letter.

feel free to cut and pste if you don't have time to write your own. also free free to fix grammar and spelling!

Hi Bob-

In response to a recent news story, which quoted you as saying that "liberals don't watch TV", I'd like to let you know that I am a liberal, and I watch a lot of TV. But you are right in one respect, I don't watch much news on TV because it consistently presents a conservative bias, without fairly representing both sides of an issue and that makes my blood boil. I long for the days when reporters actually investigated current events, rather than just repeated the content of White House press releases virtually verbatim, before moving on to the latest Britney/Brad/Paris celebrity scandal. Television news shouldn't just be a publicist's mouthpiece, or the video equivalent of the National Enquirer, it should report the news as accurately as possible, and portray events like the war in Iraq as they are, not as the government would like them to be. I would venture that almost every one of your on-air reporters knew 2 years ago what the American people are slowly awaking to right now: that the Bush Administrations case for war was "misleading" at best, and a complete falsehood at worst, yet where was the coverage of counter claims to the administrations agenda? Any dissenting opinion was marginalized by news organizations like yours, while you presented the White House opinion as gospel, before hurriedly moving on to the latest celebrity scandal to distract the audience's attention from news that will really impact their lives. I have to give you kudos in one respect- the only news program on my TIVO list right now is one of yours: Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Mr. Olbermann seems to be the only real journalist out there these days who is questioning the status quo. While I don't always agree with his editorial opinions, at least Mr. Olbermann seems like he has a grasp of the subject matter on which he is speaking, unlike most news readers.

While I'm really a bit too young to remember the Fairness Doctrine, from my travels, I've seen how news is presented in other parts of the world and both the bias, and the shallowness of American news shames me. So until the people (you) who produce the newscasts return to a relatively neutral and non-sensationalist style in your newscasts, and present both sides of political issues in your editorial content and commentary programming, as was required before the Fairness Doctrine was gutted, you are right- liberals like myself won't watch your news shows, or buy the products your advertisers are selling, and we'll even boycott your entertainment programming, if necessary. And that is your loss, because every liberal I know has a fairly high disposable income, and we like to shop, and try new things (and not just shop at Walmart). Seems to me, we so-called liberals should be your desired demographic? Oh well, keep doing what you are doing- your steadily increasing viewership numbers must bare out that your current strategy is successful, right?

Sincerely,

[Tinksrival]

9. Hey m,m,+m

Great letter! Good idea to throw kudos to KO. :applause:

[w8liftinglady]

10. Done-I tried to be nice...

[ClassWarrior]

11. .

[RazzleDazzle]

12. My letter

I'm plenty liberal, and I watch plenty of TV.

I've suddenly been made aware that I watch way too much NBC and MSNBC. I intend to correct that problem right away.

[SammyWinstonJack]

41. ..

:evilgrin:

[insane_cratic_gal]

13. I told him, the only thing he had going for him

was Keith, the rest of his news programing was unbalanced and propaganda for this administration.

I also told him to perhaps pay attention to the polls. Bush's popularity isn't at 80 percent and hasn't been above 50 since 2004. Perhaps that ought to tell him the direction to walk in.

[upi402]

14. I was polite

:-)

[AntiCoup2K4]

15. The reason we Liberals don't watch much TV......

is that it's 99.5% RIGHT WING NEO-CON HORSESHIT!!

[lonestarnot]

16. ugh! fuck a TV

[Rainscents]

17. Here is my letter.

I am liberal and very proud to be one! I stop watching all cable news in 2003 after you canceled Phil Donahue talk back show... Only one I truly miss is KO Countdown, which I won't watch because it's associated with MSNBC and NBC. I get my news from Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, BBC, Democracy Now and TIVO! Sorry, didn't mean to hurt your feeling, but yours is not on my list to watch!

Sincerely,

[IkeWarnedUs]

18. my letter, with bcc to FAIR

Dear Mr. Wright

I was just shown this quote attributed to you:

During an interview with conservative MSNBC host Tucker Carlson, Wright responded to Carlson's question about offering a left-leaning channel by saying that progressives "don't listen to a lot of radio and they don't watch a lot of television" (Broadcasting & Cable, 11/13/05).

I had to laugh. My husband and I (both very liberal) have 5 televisions in our house. I work out of my house and regularly flip between CNN, MSNBC and C-Span throughout the day. In fact, I am watching the 11pm replay of
Countdown as I write this.

My car radio has four buttons set for radio stations. AM is 780 (news radio) and 850 (the local Air America channel). FM is 91.5 (NPR) and 95.5 (easy listening music). The only time I bother with the music station is if someone else is in the car that doesn't share my love of learning about the world around me as I drive.

But I don't stop with radio and television. I also look to American and foreign press through online links for my news. And I often go beyond the stories to do my own research. I don't need the pundit’s spin if I hear what the person said. I can form my own opinions. I do often listen to what the pundits have to say for different perspectives, but I don't buy into everything I hear just because it came from a magic box.

What I don't enjoy is right-wing spin trying to pass itself off as news. Once in a while I will listen to Tucker Carlson or Joe Scarborough or even Rush Limbaugh, but only to hear what the spin is so I know what to prepare for when talking to people.

So maybe what you should have said is "progressives demand more from their televisions and radios than the insulting dribble most prevalent in network lineups."

Name
Address
e-mail

[upi402]

19. Recommended.

Good call to action. Thank you.

[Douglas Carpenter]

25. thanks -- if they get swamped with letters it can't hurt

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

20. The chickenshit and the egg.

My favorite allegory.

[LSdemocrat]

21. I don't watch cable news

[hvn_nbr_2]

28. I don't now but I used to.

I quit because I was fed up with GOPPravda.

[NYC Liberal]

22. Sounds like circular logic to me.

Liberals don't watch TV -- BECAUSE -- liberal voices are kept off the air -- BECAUSE -- they don't watch TV -- BECAUSE --

you get my drift.

[Selatius]

23. NBC is OWNED by General Electric

One of the nation's largest arms manufacturers. Need I say anymore???

[depakid]

37. And they should be forced to divest it

or lose their broadcast licenses. I'm sure the would be many willing takers....

[LaPera]

24. Everyone should write old Bob, ASAP & set him straight, that liberals...

will watch and listen if they put on some fair and truthful progressive shows...It's being proven on the radio every day!!!

[e-mail]

[Douglas Carpenter]

26. kick

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. here is the nice little letter

Dear Sir,

It is astounding to me that you say liberals would not watch TV if you had a good progressive show. You may want to look at the growth of the Shultz show, and Air America. Then you should watch your own internal ratings for the Donahue show. I know the reality of why you have lurched right and it has NOTHING to do with ratings. If it did, the Tucker Carson show would have been canned, as well as Scarborough Country. The real reason is, no access to other voices is the true goal. We have a name for this... media control.


If you truly cared for ratings you would implement changes. But alas, if you did, you may be proven wrong. This is one of those questions, what came first, the lurch to the right or people at times canceling their cable or blocking the so called news channels? It is an interesting question, but one for which you do not want an answer.

Ah yes, GE were we bring good wars to life...

Have a good day Sir,

[tgnyc]

29. We don't watch MSNBC. As for TV, there's plenty of stuff we watch

[lies and propaganda]

30. so, first we are the media

and now we dont even watch teevee? Any way you can spin it to make a story.

Hes half right though. i stopped watching before the 2nd stolen election, and didnt start againuntil Katrina ravaged the state im from and dont live in anymore. Now im tardding out to the Sittuation Room and screaming at the box again just like nothing ever changed.

[BJW]

47. excellent point!!!!

[AuntiBush]

31. Oh, Really....

Someone has to read between the sorted lines. Personally, I like watching them "sweat" their way thru all the lies right now & rather enjoy calling-out, "you left a line out!" As if they truly believe they're telling the truth, but *not* the whole truth - yeah, right.

Also helps keep friends/family informed of the laundry-list-of-lies.

Edited to add: Don't watch FAUX or CNN at all. MSNBC's Olbermann & Tweety has my interest right now.

[NMDemDist2]

32. I watch Keith Olberman regularly and TDSwJS, If Big Eddie had a show

i'd watch that too.

I'll write a letter today.

[Just Me]

33. I read a heckuva lot more than watch the tube.

However, I do watch programs with a progressive or liberal tint.

[rman]

34. Or does MSNBC's right-leaning lineup explain why liberals don't watch TV?

Not just wrt MSNBC, but the mainstream media in general.

Of course libarals do watch TV, but on average probably not as much as repubs. How many repubs do you know who boycot the big TV networks, or who cancelled their Cable subscription because of the content? Not as many as liberals, that's for sure.

[MidnightWind]

48. BINGO! We have a winner!

That's it exactly! Most liberals turned off their tv's in disgust ages ago when tv programs began to stack their panels with conservatives. The whole phrase "liberal" media never fails to make me howl in disgust. As if!

[Catfight]

35. What kind of exec. doesn't 'want' more viewer's? I'd fire him on the

spot. It's like McDonald's disregarding children on the menu because they don't make money. If television and radio offered an alternative to bush-preaching I think there would be an audience for that. But they are afraid of bush.

[depakid]

36. Maybe he should have said

Intelligent people don't watch TV- especially the likes of what Bob Wright & before that Jack Welch have to offer.

Personally, I hope the Dems (if they ever grow a spine- and ever manage to regain power) are keeping a list of all of this so that they can use it to compell the FCC to re-regulate the media- and start yanking some licenses.

The American people would support that IN DROVES.

[Armstead]

38. Done

Sent him an e-mail. Here's what I wrote.

"Mr. Wrights comments that liberals "don't watch TV" so there is no need to offer news programming for us is total foolishnness.

We watch TV, and we also care about the news. If we don't watch cable news as much, it's for a very simple reason. You all have dumbed it down so much, and twisted it to the right wing so much, that you have made it unwatchable for anyone with a brain.

If you want to appeal to a liberal audience, here are two suggestions:

1)Go back to NBC News fine old traditions of HONEST, OBJECTIVE SERIOUS JOURNALISM. Stop pretending the news is a wrerstling match and a soap opera. MSNBC is disgraceful in how it has come to be a pandering, shallow circus. You should start taking politics and issues seriously again, instead of treating it like a hore race.

2)Aside from that, you ought to at least give intelligent liberal and progressive vioces equal time on MSNBC, as guests and hosts. You hire conservatives as commentators and hosts all the time, but you seem to be scared to death to have anyone liberal on an equal basis. Or you have the same old roster of guests who say the same old things, instead of bringing any fresh perspective.

You were afraid to let Phil Donahue be Phil Donahue, for example. Keith Olberman is good, but you dilute him down much more than Scarborough or Tucker Carlson.

In short, if your networks ever had the courage to break the current mold of shallow, tabloid conservative "news" and went back to the fine old traditions of NBC as it once was, you would find that there is a large audience of liberals and moderates who would buy your product.

xxxxxxx

[Douglas Carpenter]

39. kick

[jane_pippin]

42. That's interesting. I was reading the cover of Mary Mapes' new book the

other day--I know it's CBS but still interesting--and there was a line that said something like CBS was worried about alienating its conservative audience during the whole Dan Rather/Bush military service incident. I'm sensing a theme here.

I know a lot of people don't watch TV but I happen to enjoy it--or I would if decent shows wouldn't get canceled (Arrested Development) and it wasn't skewed so heavily toward conservatives. Looks like I have another letter to write.

[RandomKoolzip]

43. The way I read this is that Wright is confusing a cause and effect

relationship's partticulars. It's not that he actually thinks that Liberals don't watch TV, he's pushing conservative programming so that Liberals won't watch TV, won't organize, and won't have a voice in the mainstream media; simultaneously, he and his colleagues are creating an environment where a token handful of moderate liberals may get some airtime on a few cable talk shows and that will be seen as proper balance to the thousands of rabid rightists that now pollute the discourse.

They're "creating reality," remember? The "new" reality is that even though liberals make up half the country, they don't matter, don't deserve a voice, and are rightfully locked out of legislative power. The reality is that we are half the country (or maybe more than half!) but have little or no representation in government or the mainstream media. Why is that? Imagine if the conservative half of the country were effectively locked out of the media, the government, and the courts (in their heads, they believe they are. In the sixties and seventies, they may have been for short times, but it's also true that their numbers were smaller and their ideas fringe-y and obviously dangerous and unappealing to the masses, so their more rabid partisans being locked out of the media was actually representative of the makeup of the country). They'd fucking flip out! They'd be storming the offices of CNN, picketing the white house, etc.

Just like we need to be, uh, doing.

[pearl]

44. This is dedicated to Bob Wright, NBC

And All the lying liars who fill the NBC,MSNBC,CNBC
airwaves. Crowley,Nixon operative,Scarborough,Carlson,operatives.
Russert, covered in blood, Pete Williams, Cheneys guy and Chris
Matthews, who needs to find another hero to worship.


Tools for Treason
Spinners for the sinners
are snaking through
the airwaves.
Sickening sycophants
normalizing treason
or something.
Apologizing,appeasing,
Willfully ignorant?
Criminally stupid?
or lying for the
lying liars.
And you Mother Fuckers
in the media
are in on it.
With blood dripping
from your hands.
How does it feel
to betray your
your country?
Was last years election fun enough for you?

New Rule: Can we all finally agree that the media has no liberal bias?
Can we agree that the media is biased against liberals?

[dkofos]

45. As a liberal, I can say I do watch

and I don't like what I see.

That is why I watch the BBC and Democracy Now.

[Us vs Them]

46. How about the MILLION PLUS viewers that tune into the Daily Show each day?

Oh. Whoops?

[Douglas Carpenter]

49. kick

[fearnobush]

50. Done and with taste no yelling.

Why, because they got Keith.

[PowerToThePeople]

51. Have not owned a TV in over 4 years. Don't miss it. n/t

[mmonk]

52. Mr. Wright,

quit lying and we'll watch.

[Douglas Carpenter]

53. done

[degreesofgray]

54. Democracy Now!

the best thing on radio/TV. (I have LinkTV, thankfully)

NBC news ceased being relevant years ago, and Fox "News" is pure propaganda.

[upi402]

57. Amy Goodman rocks!

:headbang:

[Catrina]

55. Will write, but such ignorance doesn't

inspire me with much confidence of accomplishing anything by doing so.


Here's my email:

Mr. Wright,

Your statement that liberals don't watch much TV or listen to the radio, reveals a few things about you. First you don't seem to know that the country is not divided between Libs and Cons, despite what Rush Limbaugh would have you believe.

It's made up of many kinds of people with one thing in common for the most part, the majority of them are yearning for the truth.

Second, had you said 'liberals' (which I interpret to mean everyone but the radical rightwing who watch only Fox and listen to rightwing radio) don't watch propaganda, I'd agree with you. Perhaps that's what you meant to say.

I'm sure you're serving your bosses well, despite the poor ratings of many of your shows. Clearly we in the US have a controlled media, and thankfully we don't need you anymore.

So, good luck despite the ignorance you displayed. We'll tune in if ever the media begins to serve the people rather than its corporate masters again. Until then, there is real news out there for 'liberals' and all the rest of us who care about facts rather than state propaganda.

Sincerely,
Catrina xxxxxx

[cosmicdot]

56. I'm not fond of anything GE produces, Bob. n/t

[Douglas Carpenter]

58. kick - because it's just sooooooooooo important

[Douglas Carpenter]

59. kick