MSNBC is in the doldrums as far as the ratings are concerned. The slide has been going on for a while now, but things seem to be hitting bottom.
And that is setting off a new flurry of speculation that network chief Phil Griffin is about to shake up the lineup of hosts that he himself is largely responsible for creating.
The liberal cable news network drew an average of 55,000 viewers in the all-important 25- to 54-year-old demo on Tuesday, its lowest full-day rating since July 2005, according to Nielsen ratings provided by an industry source. CNN had nearly three times as many viewers in the demo, Fox News nearly five times as many.
That low reflects a more general decline in recent years. In January, MSNBC's daytime ratings for January were down 20 percent in total and 37 percent in the demo when compared to the previous year. In prime time, total viewership was down 23 percent, while the demo dropped by 39 percent.
I'm not sure why Tuesday was especially bad -- although CNN often surges when there is a lot of big breaking news like the Jordanian pilot, the commuter train wreck and the stunning video of the Taiwan plane crash.
The ratings are especially awful for poor Ronan Farrow, whose audience among the prime youth demographic would barely fill a high school stadium.
The host's 1 p.m. Ronan Farrow Daily posted its lowest delivery among the targeted news demographic of adults 25-54 since launching almost a year ago. Pulling a paltry 11,000 viewers in the demo, MSNBC sank below even Al Jazeera America in the hour. AJAM's News Live doubled Farrow's performance with 22,000 — which isn't anything to write home about either.
So it is not surprising that there are
rumors of big changes coming to the MSNBC lineup.
One well-placed insider told TheWrap that the ratings-challenged “All In” with Chris Hayes — airing in the cable news sweet spot of 8 p.m. ET — might get uprooted for a different timeslot. It’s not clear who will replace Hayes in the event that he gets yanked from 8 p.m., but since Keith Olbermann’s 2011 exit, MSNBC has filled the all-important timeslot with internal talent rather than seeking hosts from the outside.
.....
“Ronan [Farrow] and Joy [Reid] — something has to change there,” another insider told TheWrap, adding that many within MSNBC believe one of the two — Farrow at 1 p.m. Reid at 2 p.m. — will see their shows canceled soon. The duo, who debuted on Feb. 24, 2014, have been major contributors to MSNBC’s daytime woes.
Much of the problem seems to stem from Griffin's mismanagement.
And much of the talent that’s under delivering was brought in by Griffin — first as regular guests, later made hosts. The MSNBC chief moved Hayes from a guest and fill-in anchor role to weekend host to primetime host in less than two years (Sep. 2011 to Apr. 2013); he moved Wagner from a guest to noon ET host to 4 p.m. ET host in little over two years (Nov. 2011 to Jan. 2014).
Another insider told TheWrap Griffin has withheld moving or canceling Hayes’ show — despite ratings that have struggled since it launched — because he’s married to the idea of younger, wonky hosts in primetime over the traditionally older, bombastic anchors who’ve occupied the daypart on Fox News and MSNBC, like Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Keith Olbermann, and Ed Schultz.
I'd have to agree with that. When it comes to bringing in large audiences, charismatic personalities tend to do better than wonkishness -- whether it's the blowhards at Fox or MSNBC's former primetime lineup.
Rachel Maddow is definitely a wonk, but she also has an infectious personality. She is fun to watch. But her show has also become a bit predictable, as this NY Times story from October suggested.
The executive, who asked not to be identified because of potential future business with MSNBC, said Ms. Maddow remains a draw, but her format has grown tired. “In terms of Rachel, everybody knows every night what she’s going to say,” he said. “The network just doesn’t surprise you.”
Morning Joe has also lost whatever luster it may have had. And things have not improved any for Joe and his crew of sycophants since October.
More worrying is the slide for “Morning Joe,” which has, for much of its time on the air, enjoyed status as one of the most talked-about shows in media industry circles. Now the heat around the show seems to have dissipated. For four straight months, and six of the last eight, “Morning Joe” has trailed CNN’s new morning entry, “New Day.”
In the case of Hayes, the format he had when he was doing "Up" on weekends was suited perfectly for him. He is brilliant and fascinating in leading long-form panel discussions. MSNBC should restore that format and let him do what he does best.
Leaving Hayes in primetime also seems to be adversely impacting Maddow.
"All In" with Chris Hayes has been a poor lead in to Rachel Maddow's show, with Maddow's ratings falling sharply in the past few months.
Maddow is the best thing MSNBC has going for it right now, but even that show has slipped over the past year in the ratings. You can hardly allow your ratings leader to be affected by a weak lead-in show, which is another reason to expect Hayes to be moved.
And then there is Joy Reid, whose afternoon show is also in the ratings tank -- partly, at least, because of the weak lead-in from Ronan Farrow.
Farrow was a very questionable choice for a show on the network in the first place. A lawyer and human rights activist with literally no previous journalism, or very little TV pundit experience, Griffith reportedly met Farrow on some social occasions, and was so impressed with him that he gave him his own show. Which I suppose is the very definition of “white male privilege” wouldn’t you say? Go ahead, I dare anyone to disagree with me.
Which is another way of saying that I think Reid is going to get the ax.
I'm not so sure I agree with that. I think Farrow gets the axe first. As impressive as Farrow seems to be and as much as Griffin might like him, there is no sugar-coating the dismal ratings.
When will any of this happen? Will any of it happen? Who knows?
But it seems like whatever changes are made need to be done well in advance of when the presidential campaign heats up to give whatever new hosts are brought in time to build audiences.