Jeers to MSNBC for keeping Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews too far from the action at the Democratic National Convention. The cable network placed their two primary anchors on an outdoor platform that looked a mile away from the Pepsi Center. The distance, isolation and wind wreaked havoc on Olbermann and Matthews' hair — and possibly on their minds. The Hardball blowhard forgot Joe Biden's name at one point, and if the Countdown bloviator is supposed to leave his subjectivity at the door on nights like this, somebody should tell him not to follow Hillary Clinton's speech with cries of "Grand slam! Grand slam! Grand slam!" (Maybe he was having an ESPN flashback.) It all made me miss Tim Russert even more.
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In another case of confusing those pesky consonants S and B, an NBC employee mistakenly flashed a picture of Osama bin Laden on the screen as MSNBC host Chris Matthews talked about presidential candidate Barack Obama. NBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines said, "This mistake was inexcusable." The photo mix-up came during Hardball on Monday, as Matthews teased a segment on the controversy over Obama's use of another politician's words in a speech. A picture of the al Qaeda leader flashed for a moment with the text, "Words About Words."Obama's campaign complained immediately, Matthews apologized moments later and in the rerun episode, the photo was corrected. The network did not disclose the name of the photo-swapping culprit, nor discussed what, if any, consequences the individual is facing. The Obama campaign, meanwhile, has seen this S and B error before, and has already garnered a similar apology from CNN. There was no comment from the Bin Laden camp. — Anna Dimond
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Thanks to a delay system, WFAN's Don Imus was able to bleep out a bad word when Hardball host Chris Matthews, during a Wednesday-morning simulcast interview, let slip, "I want a guy to run for president who doesn’t have a f---ing ranch." MSNBC viewers, however, heard the F-bomb in all its glory, since the cabler doesn’t employ a delay on its end. MSNBC has received no complaints, reports the New York Daily News — perhaps because, let's face it, Matthews has desensitized us to a lot of things at this point.
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Americans head to the polls today for one of the most anticipated midterm elections in recent memory. A power shift in both the House and Senate appears likely, and the news media has focused in, with predictions, polling and punditry having reached a fever pitch. Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's Hardball and of the syndicated/NBC News-produced panel program The Chris Matthews Show, is one of those members of the media who believes this election deserves the hype.
"I don't think this is a prelude. This is a main event," Matthews attests. "The voters' attitude about Iraq is the big story for the world. No matter how we read the election at home, no matter what the president says or Democrats say afterward, the world press will read t
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MSNBC marks its 10th year on the air this summer, but there isn't a lot to celebrate. Even with the muscle of NBC News behind it, the cable news network has lagged in third place behind Fox News Channel and CNN in recent years. The powers that be at 30 Rock hope to jump-start the operation with the surprising appointment of Dan Abrams as its new general manager. The network legal correspondent and host of The Abrams Report will run the day-to-day operation and report to Phil Griffin, a senior executive at NBC News who also keeps his eye on Today. The Biz talked to Abrams, son of well-known First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams, about his new job behind the camera.
TVGuide.com: So how was that first day?Dan Abrams: A lot of phone calls. A lot of interviews. But also a lot of walking around. I'm trying to make it cl
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