Megyn Kelly bombs again...

[calimary]

This is the third week in a row she did not impress.

I googled and MAN, it was painful! Almost made me feel sorry for her - ALMOST.

The verbiage as you look down the list of articles includes:

Got Plenty of Attention for Kelly and NBC, Both Good and Bad, But Not Many Viewers
A Ratings Flop
Flounders
Kelly's Ratings Way Down
Sees No Lift on Sunday Night
Dips With Alex Jones Sitdown
Yet Another Embarrassing Hit to Megyn Kelly
Had Lower Ratings Than a Game-Show Rerun (America's Funniest Home Videos. A RERUN of America's Funniest Home Videos!)

One article went on to call it "Kelly's radioactive interview."

Ouchez-vous.

Some details:

MEGYN KELLY’S ALEX JONES INTERVIEW A RATINGS FLOP
http://thehill.com/homenews/media/338419-megyn-kellys-alex-jones-interview-a-ratings-flop

"Megyn Kelly's controversial interview with Alex Jones on NBC ended up a distant third in the network ratings race during its first half hour on Sunday night.
According to Nielsen Media Research, "Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly" brought in an average of 3.5 million viewers, marking the fewest viewers the show has drawn since debuting on June 4.
Kelly's news magazine trailed both a repeat episode of CBS's "60 Minutes," which delivered 5.3 million viewers, and U.S. Open golf coverage on Fox, which was the highest-rated program in the 7:00 p.m. ET timeslot.
Among the key 18 to 49-year-old demographic that advertisers covet most, a re-run of ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" beat Kelly and "60 Minutes" by almost 40 percent."

The trades, Hollywood Reporter and Variety, weren't terribly kind. And from the network she left behind...

MEGYN KELLY’S RATINGS WAY DOWN AFTER ALEX JONES INTERVIEW
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/06/19/megyn-kellys-ratings-way-down-after-alex-jones-interview.html

"All of that free publicity couldn't push Megyn Kelly over the top.
Despite a week's worth of stories about her controversial interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, the Q&A ended up being watched by only 3.5 million viewers, and was soundly beaten by CBS rival “60 Minutes,” which drew 5.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen."

[LenaBaby61]

1. Megyn Kelly bombs again...

Maybe she should do a show about Santa and his whiteness

[dalton99a]

4. Or getting hit with pepper spray by cops is no big deal because it's just "a food product"

and how a 15-year-old black girl manhandled by a cop deserved blame for being "no saint"

etc. etc.

[napi21]

2. I blame the network execs for that. I'm positive THEY chose who she will interview! It was a big

mistake! I heard someone on the radio a few days ago who sad if she fails, it will be NBC's fault. They didn't build up confidence in her and public trust in HER! They tried to just throw her into the den and expect her to beat the lions, and it was too soon! I think I agree with that radio guy. (Sorry I don't recall who it was.) I think she does have talent and she's likable as a TV personality, but she needs a lot more experience interviewing middle of the ladder guests before they throw her to the lions.

[calimary]

12. I'm not sure what can be done to help her make that move from a VERY

strongly branded Pox Noise identity. She's been over there too long and in too prominent a position. I'm not sure she'll translate at a network that isn't built on, and for, horny old white men. NBC has a much broader and more diverse set of demos than Pox Noise does. Not nearly so homogeneous.

They've promoted her quite a lot, though.

But I do blame the network executives. For a bad decision from the get-go. I think they assumed that network stardom is network stardom is network stardom. I bet they figured it'd make no difference because she'd bring her marquee power right on over and that would be that. But those who do just fine in the kiddie pool may not fare quite as well trying to swim against ocean currents.

I don't think Andy Lack or anybody else among the network brass stopped to think about that, much. I think they assumed that - hey, she's a big star over there. Now she'll be a big star over here! But that's not necessarily so. THIS audience is different. MUCH different. She doesn't have guaranteed appeal here like she did back there. And she's too well-branded from there, by now. Not sure it's escapable.

There may be other problems, too. They gave her so many plum gigs, shoving other staffers aside or flat-out getting rid of them to make room for her. That can't help employee morale, OR encourage others warm up to her. And now she's had three so-so shows in a row. She was a big fish in a small pond. But Pox Noise has only been around since the 90s. NBC's been there just about as long as there's been television. The traditions, industry giants, and distinguished landmark programming, decade after decade, and NBC's stature add up to something that Pox just can't match. It's like she went from Triple-A baseball to the Yankees, but the Yankees have a whole roster full of power talent, and she doesn't stand out like she did back in Smallville. They bet a big pile of money on her and you know they're expecting a return on their investment. And when she doesn't deliver, she's got big problems - but so do they. If she doesn't turn around, she's not the only one who's toast. Andy Lack may get the axe along with her.

Really bad judgment call, if you ask me. MAJOR wrong assumptions. I'm wondering if they did any testing. Or did they just fall for the power agent with the big talk about his big client. Who isn't delivering as promised.

The question now is - how long do they give her, to turn it around. She's heading into the Today show morning block later this year. And if she gets there carrying a big bag of bombs with her, the pressure will be miserable. It'll be do-or-die. Matt Later will probably start throwing his weight around more, and Savannah Guthrie's agent will have a field day. They'll be saying things like - WE'VE got the track record and the ratings and the viewer loyalty. And the new girl doesn't have that. The hot new hottie doesn't seem so hot after all. She's already damaged goods. Don't tell me SHE gets the big interview.

It won't be fun, and it might even get ugly. There'll be TONS of backbiting and rumor spreading and people talking on the QT with television critics and media analysts. Viewers did NOT appreciate it when the popular and beloved Jane Pauley was replaced by the younger-blonder Deborah Norville. The viewers never warmed up to her. They weren't ready to say goodbye to familiar morning friend Jane. And Deborah Norville didn't last. When she went out on maternity leave after about a year or so, she did NOT come back. I was at the AP at the time. It was a big story. EVERYBODY all over the industry was talking about it and taking bets on how long she'd survive - NOBODY thought she'd last. My supervisor called it as soon as Norville left to have her baby. He said she was gone for good because this was a great excuse for the show to go on without her. And he was right.

[HAB911]

16. +++++++++++

[trixie2]

26. I completely agree

with everything you said.

I would like to add: Fox News aren't interested in journalists or even well spoken, smart, quick, interviewers. They just want someone to rehash the word of the day. I think Megan Kelly does not have the chops to be on a network show.

[calimary]

21. I was thinking about this some more, napi21.

I don't have any way to know this for sure but I suspect it WAS her decision to interview that crazed out-to-lunch schmuck. After all, she's already VERY familiar with how well that would go over with the kind of viewing audience and fan base she's used to having. Same mentality Andy Lack and company may well have had in deciding to hire her: She's a star over there so of course she's naturally gonna be an automatic star here, too. Maybe even a bigger star!

I suspect when she was coaxed aboard NBC, one of the things she (or her agent) demanded may very likely have been say-so. Autonomy over what she would cover and who she'd interview or build a show around. One of the biggest coups for a network anchor - at the level of a Tom Brokaw or a Dan Rather or some such - was not only to be the principal anchor but also the managing editor of the evening newscast.

That means you oversee and have the last word and the final decision about what makes air. You're in all the morning meetings where the choices are made and you're the one in the driver's seat. She may have demanded that when the talks turned to "...AND you'll ALSO have your own show on Sunday nights and go head-to-head against '60 Minutes'! Welcome to the BIG TIME, baby!"

At that point, back when she had all these network suitors wooing her and fighting over her and sweetening their offers to get her to say yes, she and her agent could indeed ask for all kinds of perks, and play one network against the others to up the ante. Remember, back then, Fox was desperate to keep her, especially since their other big nighttime name, Bill O'Reilly, was in trouble, and they had another huge mess on their hands led by Gretchen Carlson's noisy exit and all the legal woes and lousy publicity surrounding that monster Roger Ailes.

So I can't help but suspect that she might have demanded control over the subject matter of her show. And at that time she had the advantage, coming off a "star turn" on Fox. She was in a very strong bargaining position. The clout and prestige that comes with a "managing editor"-type position cannot be overstated. ANYBODY at such a level would want that. Lust over it, is more accurate. Everybody in TV news wants control like that over what they're doing. That would give her "first-among-equals" status for sure. I suspect that this is the kind of thing she would want most. And that would have been the perfect time to make such a demand. That would have been the time to stake out a claim as the Alpha Female of NBC News. Sorry Savannah. Get lost, Tamron. Move over Hota and Kathie Lee. Watch out Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts and Gayle King, too, for that matter. There's a new sheriff in town.

But that only sustains if you prove your worth in the ratings. If you've got the ratings, they have to give you whatever you want. Otherwise they know you can easily take that other offer from that other major competitor down the street.

And hey, she already knows what works. With her Fox News fan base, that is. They'd eat that Alex Jones shit up in a heartbeat and beg for more. Hell, many of them probably already watch Alex Jones and are big fans of his.

She won't have much bargaining power if this downward ratings trend continues. If she starts taking on even the barest whiff of loser stench, she's got huge problems. Three shows in a row that failed to wow 'em in the ratings is NOT exactly a killer combination to bring to ANY bargaining table. She's not in a very strong position anymore. And worse, I suspect people are already talking.

The NBC brass won't like spending 15-20 million dollars a year for damaged goods, even if she's merely PERCEIVED that way.

If I were Andy Lack, I'd be reaching for the bottle of Maalox that would already have found a permanent home on my nightstand.

[tblue37]

27. Andy Lack has been deliberately pushing NBC to the right. I hope Kelly's downfall

takes him down, too.

[Eyeball_Kid]

3. Kelly's just not likable. NBC should have asked before hiring her.

She must now cast her own brand, and she can't. She did well by representing the FNC brand, but now, she's expected to blaze her own trail. She was given all the resources anyone could ever ask her to have, and she can't elevate her "voice."

By contrast, look at what Louise Mensch is doing. She grows her following by leaps and bounds because she developed her voice. She explains her evolution of political and nationalistic preferences unabashedly and proudly. She knows how to do it. Kelly doesn't.

[customerserviceguy]

5. She seems to have managed the difficult feat

of alienating almost everybody in the country.

[calimary]

22. True, from what I've read. And that won't help matters at all.

[sharedvalues]

7. Kelly selling out to.chase ratings.doesnt help

[brush]

8. On FOX she benefited from lead-ins and FOX's right wing audience

Her looks didn't hurt either with the middle-aged, right wing, white male demographic of FOX's viewers.

She couldn't help but succeed there with the usual brew of right wing talking points and racist quips like the "she's no saint" about the AA teenage girl manhandle and mounted by that out of control cop at the pool party in Texas a few years back.

She's in a new viewer environment with no automatic ratings head start.

Guess she's not that special after all.

[Docreed2003]

6. Well, to be fair....

I'd rather watch a toddler whack their dad in the gonads with a whiffle bat for the five thousandth time, than watch a "news program" dedicated to normalizing Alex Jones...but that's just me (cue obligatory Kermit the Frog sipping tea meme)

[calimary]

9. ROFL!!!!!

Well put!

[NBachers]

10. Maybe they can try the Legs Pointing At The Camera thing.

[Jacquette]

11. The knives are out for Kelly plain and simple.

She's not liked at NBC; they resent her salary and the fanfair and attention she's getting. Matt Lauer in particular is said to be incensed and Matt can be quite the little bitch. Plus...it seems as if her colleagues in the media dislikes her as well.

They just did it wrong. Wrong guest, wrong topic. Who tries to ignite controversy over Sandy Hook? Who spits in the faces of grieving parents? They're trying for the conservative viewer but they should have gone for the moderate conservative not the wild eyed loon. Nobody looks at NBC for that.

[SoCalMusicLover]

13. But They Would Never Put Keith Back On The Air

Is he too controversial or something? I'm pretty sure he would not do something as stupid as being a part of an entire show devoted to interviewing Alex Jones.

[tblue37]

28. Keith does not play well with others. Apparently he keeps getting fired

because he is a royal PITA to work with.

[SoCalMusicLover]

33. Perhaps

But at least he is extremely pointed with his opinions, and won't just back down when confronted by mental midgets on the right.

Let's not forget that NBC Fired Donahue for his comments about the Iraq war, and I don't think anybody can say that Donahue was difficult to work with.

[tblue37]

34. I like Keith's commentary. I'm just saying they won't bring him back. nt

[no_hypocrisy]

14. OTOH I believe Kelly would have had the ratings if same show were on FOX,

not NBC.

[calimary]

20. Exactly. The appeal she had over there is NON-transferable.

She was a star with the horny old white men. But NBC's audience is A LOT more broad and more diverse than that.

Just because you were a hit on a network that different does not guarantee you'll enjoy the same success when you go elsewhere. Pox Noise has a brand. Well-established and well-recognized as relentlessly and aggressively conservative. As far as I'm concerned, those folks should just stay in their own little cloistered corral. They can't bring that same mentality to another network that doesn't have that slant and expect to have the same success. NBC is simply NOT a conservative-leaning network. Its viewers are NOT automatically just going to take to her.

An EPIC misjudgment. VERY bad call. By an executive who obviously doesn't know his base - those who watch NBC and other networks do it BECAUSE they aren't interested in Pox Noise.

[Danascot]

15. To be fair

a rerun of America's Funniest Home Videos is more substantive than 60 Minutes or Megyn Kelly

[leftyladyfrommo]

17. For some reason she is s just not appealing to me.

I have no curiosity about her show.

[hatrack]

18. It's always fun watching Sabrina The Sexy News Witch open a big box of FAIL

I wish her shitty ratings and a brief, pathetic career!

[Javaman]

19. when a hack interviews a crank.

that's bound to be ratings gold.

[calimary]

23. Just an update as we await Megyn's fourth attempt to get it right...

I was scanning through the July 3rd edition of "In Touch" - my guilty-pleasure pop culture/gossip magazine. An article titled "Matt: Megyn Is a Disaster!" with Matt Later reportedly outraged about Kelly's Alex Jones debacle last Sunday. One unnamed NBC colleague is quoted as saying: "Matt thinks this interview gave a platform to an individual who peddles conspiracy theories about dead children. It's a stunt that Megyn would have gotten away with when she was at Fox News, but this is NBC."

Not surprised. I haven't seen anywhere that part of her deal was to have her producer(s) come with her when she jumped networks. So I bet this was her idea. I bet she thought an Alex Jones interview would have been red hot and controversial as all-get-out, and the talk of the town. I bet she thought it would get stratospheric ratings and let her plant her flag at NBC. She is, after all, their 17+MILLION-Dollar-Baby, so stand back, everyone.

But as we know, it was an EPIC fail. And this quote explained it all, basically that you can take Megyn Kelly out of Fox News, but you can't take Fox News out of Megyn Kelly. She indeed could have "gotten away with" a feature on Alex Jones on Pox Noise! That audience gobbles up white meat like Alex Jones and many if not most of his followers actually believe that stuff, even long after it's been disproved. That audience slants so far to the so-called "right" that it falls all the way over! He lets them get in touch with their inner demons of aggrieved outrage, and makes it okay to indulge in it. All that stuff you're not supposed to do or say in polite company? Screw all that. All that berserk conspiracy stuff he spouts - he's just yowling because he can.

It's only after 7pm out here as I write this. We won't know how this show fared in the ratings til tomorrow.

[ConnorMarc]

24. Good

I can't wait for her to flame out already.
She had potential to bring REAL moderation to FOXNEWS.

Instead she squandered her capital and APPEALED to the racist and rabid far rightwingers.

I will dance a jig when she finally gets booted for lack of ratings.

NBC execs are dumber than a box of rocks, they've been making really dumb decisions since the days of Keith Olberman's ouster.

#SMH

[Iggo]

25. "Santa is just white." I'm hangin' that around her neck forever.

[tblue37]

30. She said the same thing about THIS guy:

And you just KNOW she and her ilk would not consider him white or extend him any white privilege if they ran into him today.

[Iggo]

32. ...in the very same breath.

That's a white-supremacist, kids.

[redstateblues]

29. I watch 60 Minutes reruns instead of her

[democratisphere]

31. Not another death spiral!!!!

Megyn better update her resume.