MSNBC weekend programming ideas

[ColbertWatcher]

It is disgraceful that the cable channel (MSNBC) for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC">America's oldest television network is unable to air programming of better quality than the prison propaganda and pedo-shows.

With all NBC's history (and presumably considerable library), what other types of shows would you like to see?

[ColbertWatcher]

1. Kick. n/t

[roguevalley]

37. Stream the BBC all weekend. Al Arabia. a plethora of channels.

[onehandle]

2. Wife-swapping shows.

Why not the trifecta?

[ColbertWatcher]

4. Glitch. n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

7. I didn't include that because obviously no one would complain about that fine Merkin institution.n/t

[medeak]

35. all the live car chases I missed n/t

[Aloha Spirit]

3. Golden Girls reruns.

[DJ13]

5. I dont care to see an entire weekend of Feinstein, Pelosi, and Boxer

:hide:

[ColbertWatcher]

29. Hater.

:P

[Rhiannon12866]

6. Actually, I'd be happy with anything except the status quo #1, but voted for #3...

Like that's ever going to happen. :-(

I just don't get why MSNBC totally abandons the news on weekends, even in a hugh news weekend like this one... :crazy:

Cost? That's my guess. That's why the commercial networks inundated their schedules with news series ("20/20," "Dateline") and now reality shows. x( They're cheaper to make than sitcoms and drama series. I used to work with CBS... :-(

[ColbertWatcher]

9. Isn't that why they moved Leno before 11pm?

They're paying for the show anyway and with him on at 10, it's another cheaper-than-fictional show taking up 5 hours of programming.

[Rhiannon12866]

16. That's an excellent observation, hadn't thought of that.

But it makes perfect sense. They only have one set, thus a smaller crew, one star (though an expensive one) and it takes up timeslots that were previously filled by more expensive series like "Law & Order." And it's already got a built in audience.

[MADem]

36. You hit that nail on the head!!! News is EXPENSIVE.

You have to pay for the talking head, the person who writes the shit for the talking head, the producer, the director, the make up person, the wardrobe person, the lighting person, the sound person, the engineers, the camera person--or persons, the bozos who cue up the video....it's a big deal. As you probably figured, working for a network. And, it's union, so there's even more cost added on.

Contrast that with a bozo or two who pushes the button for "LOCKUP".... and then goes back to playing cards on the computer.

I think they should round up local news items and put them in a weekend digest. I explained downthread. Hey, it's DIFFERENT!

[Rhiannon12866]

55. News is still less expensive than a series, while reality shows are cheaper yet.

I'm contrasting "Dateline" with a show like "Friends," and then you have something like "Wife Swap." Just let the cameras roll... :shrug:

And you're absolutely right about "Lockup" and its ilk. I've never watched that one, but have occasionally left it on "Predator" or one of the other creepy documentaries, and they don't even show new ones, since I've run across ones I've caught before. Weekends are a huge wasteland on TV, despite the huge number of channels on offer now, and that includes HBO. HBO shows an awful lot of old movies and the ones now on AMC are hardly "classics," especially if I've seen them first run... :eyes:

I'm just blown away that MSNBC still chose to show "Lockup" on a weekend with such breaking news, the kind of story that would normally preempt regular programming. :-(

I like the idea of a weekend local news digest. People would become better informed about what's going on throughout the country. My first beat when I was dealing with TV was the Pacific Northwest. I knew more about what was going on in Seattle than in my own area and I'm sure that it was a whole lot more interesting. ;)

[MADem]

57. I think it would be cool, and cheap!

All the little stations send in their pieces, from fluff (the kitty up the tree) to the serious (Little girl lost down by the river) to the train-wreckish (police called to home for domestic violence) and let's see how it goes. They could even do it in sections--west coast, heartland, northeast, northwest, south--all it would take is some clever film editor putting the business together, a few brief "intros" that whoever is available on Friday afternoon could record, and as for the stories themselves, the reporters covering them could do a little "stand up/background" if that's what is needed.

It would also give new local talent a chance to strut their stuff, where they might otherwise not be noticed. AND, once the thing is strung together, all "the guy" (or "the gal") in the booth has to do is push the button and go back to playing solitaire on the computer!

[dmr]

81. That would be interesting, so would reruns of their Today Show

It seems to me they put a whole lot of money in their morning shows; and their best interviews always seems to be between 7 and 8am.

It would be nice to re-air the weeks news stories and interviews.

I can't stand the prison stuff they now air. I won't watch it. It's depressing and at times, creepy. I hate Friday evenings when I can't see Rachel or Keith re-aired because they switched to prison crap.

The OP was right - they must have one hell of an archive to dip into.

It's a shame to waste a week-end opportunity to present important news stories. They could at least try letting a lower wage up-comer do the news on week-ends.

[ShenandoahAspen]

8. Anything but prison shows and "How to catch a predator" type shows.

Even reruns of Keith and Rachel would be better. MSNBC can do better than this.

[goclark]

10. The Prision Shows make the Bush types real happy to know

how they can put poor people in prision while Bush goes free.

It's a power trip and a mind trip ~ they have made so much money for their friends showing all the high cost prisons.

[ColbertWatcher]

43. The GOP-controlled media are trying to condition us to the idea of a prison-industrial-complex. n/t

[goclark]

66. Hit nail on the head on that one nt

[nyc 4 Biden]

72. I have the opposite reaction to the Lockup shows.

I think it shows how messed up our prison "system" is and how much it is in need of reform. I don't really see that show as cheerleading the status quo.

I don't mind the show, but I do agree that MSNBC should run news on the weekends, like the other cable "news" channels. A lot less people watch tv for news on the weekends, but if you force the viewers that do to go elsewhere you may lose them during the week too.

[ColbertWatcher]

73. If they really wanted to discuss reform how many shows do they need to do it?

That's why I used the word "conditioned;" it's the repetition that gives the indoctrination away.

If it really was to inform the public about the inadequate an corrupt prison system, one well-done, multi-part series would suffice.

As it is being done now, the idea of people in living in jail has become "normalized" by the repeated airings of these types of shows.

[dorkulon]

11. "Uighurs in Paradise" followed by "Pundit Poker with Rachel and Pat"

And "Chris Matthews argues about old movies with a cardboard cutout of Tom Brokaw."

[ColbertWatcher]

14. How can I get this channel!? n/t

[dorkulon]

39. Just huff some ether and close your eyes.

At least that's how it works for me...

[ColbertWatcher]

42. I've been doing that for years and all I can get is Seinfeld. n/t

[billyoc]

12. Hey, I'd LOVE some progaganda, just stop with the jailhouse bullshit.

[ColbertWatcher]

13. The jailhouse bullshit IS progaganda.

It's to keep the public afraid of all the criminals everywhere and to educate those of us who are inclined to "break the law" what to expect once we're imprisoned.

[billyoc]

15. Ah, I see. Just looks like a camera in a jail. For an HOUR?!

The damn NASA channel reruns of the space shuttle orbiting are more exciting.

[ColbertWatcher]

17. MSNBC & Chris Hansen Productions Presents ... Grass: The Growing Insurrection. n/t

[Aloha Spirit]

41. lol

[rainbow4321]

18. What is up with their lack of weekend coverage?

By the time their news shows come back on tomorrow anything that they report will have already been covered wall to wall by CNN and Fox news for the last 48 hours.

[dorkulon]

19. It's definitely pretty weak.

Doesn't do much for their profile as a "24-hour" news network.

[ColbertWatcher]

23. 24-hours a week is still technically a "24-hour news network". n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

20. That's why I posted this poll. Perhaps they're out of ideas at NBC? n/t

[Hissyspit]

48. The prison shows and pedophile shows sell advertising for the weekend.

It's about money, I'm sure.

[ColbertWatcher]

62. Of course it's about money, but it's also about market share.

This week will certainly be a kick in the pants for MSNBC and if they want to avoid another weekend like I'm sure they've had, they'll start working on counter programming ASAP.

[madamesilverspurs]

21. They could bring back Banfield.

They won't, though. That would mean admitting that they screwed her over in the first place, and the good old boys don't ever do that. Her stuff on the road was interesting and often gutsy. She was doing some panels in Israel, with Israeli and Palestinian college students; I was watching that and thinking that this was more to the point than listening to politicians, when it was interrupted to cover the breaking "news" of Robert Blake's arrest. As far as I know, they never showed those panels in their entirety, more's the pity. Anyway, just sayin'.

[backscatter712]

22. Actual news! I'm sick of those hour-long Willie Horton ads known as Lockup! n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

24. "hour-long Willie Horton ads" Best. Description. Ever. QFT. n/t

[RandomThoughts]

25. Take the top news stories, then make history shows

that put them in context. And not spin shows, they should also be willing to show things like labor movements, progressive movements, and various places where America has changed.

So if top news is about a labor issue, then show the history of labor movements, the corporate reactions and opinions, Ludlow, Roosevelt and the miners, Reagan, and other parts of history about it. Maybe even pre-union industrial England.

If the story is Iran, show the Persian culture, colonization, Shaw, Islamic revolution, and oil intersections, OPEC, and corporations.

If story is media, show the history of media, how it is paid for, how decisions are made, some older broadcasters, pressure to conform to a certain status quo.

If it is true media is about ratings and not public opinion, then each of those shows that tell people perspectives they have never heard before would get ratings.

[ColbertWatcher]

26. They should hire you. Thank you. n/t

[annabanana]

64. +1. . (rec this post). . n/t

[Peace_Sells]

27. other

I think they should have a combination of real news, historical documentries, and in depth background of current events.

[ColbertWatcher]

28. I should have included a selection for a combination.

Thank you for voting.

[Rhiannon12866]

30. They could even show repeats of top news stories in history.

Wasn't it CNN which rebroadcast their live coverage of 9/11? Imagine it did well among those of us who saw nothing until well after the events were over. And I know that they offered it as a DVD. My SO bought the 9/11 coverage from either CNN or MSNBC, whichever one he wasn't tuned into that day. I'd be very interested in coverage of events that I wasn't around to see... :thumbsup:

Anything's better than those creepy documentaries about serial killers or a look inside prisons... x(

[ColbertWatcher]

31. Like a video almanac? n/t

[Rhiannon12866]

44. That sounds very cool.

They could follow the calendar, show the top news stories for every week in the year. Lots of people would be interested, since they may have been following it at the time, but wouldn't have remembered otherwise. It would be a way to improve the collective memory. :-)

[ColbertWatcher]

45. "It would be a way to improve the collective memory."

That would be a great idea.

Especially considering how the GOP has twisted the meaning of so many words.

Like "liberal" and "socialist".

[Rhiannon12866]

52. For me, it meant that I'd remember the dates and sequence of things...

Like what year was Watergate? Or when did the Vietnam War start and "end?" I'm not bad at actual history, but tend to get hazy about that which occurred in my lifetime... :eyes:

But your idea is much better. Because I am on DU and tend to filter out many of the lies on cable news, I know more of the truth than those who only occasionally catch a Cheney speech, but way too many are buying revisionist history or the warped perspective of FIXED News. Any way that it could become required viewing, at least for my mother? :-(

And all that they care about are that "liberal" and "Socialist" have become derogatory terms. That I blame on the MSM and most people don't actually understand what the labels really mean, except that they're negative. I remember the CNN headline that kept shouting "Is Hillary Clinton too Liberal?" Huh? She was my senator and is more of a centrist. :crazy:

[ColbertWatcher]

58. Why not cover both?

A timeline is just as important as an etymology.

[K Gardner]

32. Not a bad idea.. just think, rerun Iran/Contra, Watergate, McCarthy hearings.. it'd open up a whole

`new world to some people and give us oldtimers a refresher ! Its history, yet they'd have to spend almost no money, since it all goes to Joe, Mika and Uncle Pat.

[ColbertWatcher]

40. They wouldn't have to do much to repeat shows they've already made. Good idea. n/t

[Rhiannon12866]

46. That's exactly what I was thinking...

We tend to look things up when we think of them or watch them if we run across them, but it's either random or an earthshaking story, like the JFK assassination, which everyone covers. They could put it in historical context, like "30 years ago this week..." :-)

And you're right, since they already have the footage... :D

Uncle Pat, maybe, since he's on all the time, but they had to have moved Scarborough from prime time to the crack of dawn for a reason... :boring:

[AsahinaKimi]

33. How about

An in depth, fact-based report and coverage of how FOX News is NOT really a real news network, but a propaganda entertainment machine bought and paid for by the radical right wing factions in this country? Or...
would that just be way too much to hope for?

[MADem]

34. A weekly compendium of local NBC affiliates "local interest" segments

I think it would be fascinating to hear about that unlicensed dog about to be put down in Peoria, or that asshole in Arkansas who assaulted an auditor, or that kidnapping in California...all the little stories that are Big Stories locally, but don't make the national news. They could round that shit up and play it nonstop from nine to midnight....and NEVER repeat a story, either.

Why don't they tap this keg of juicy local news that just goes to waste? I don't get it.

Am I the only one who likes local news from other places? Who likes seeing and learning how others live, and what's important to them?

Can I get a witness?

[ColbertWatcher]

38. Amen! n/t

[global1]

47. I Don't Know How MSNBC Can Call Itself A News Network.......

Kudos to CNN the last couple of days. Their coverage of the Iranian Election and its aftermath was excellent. Now that is a real news station. I would switch back to MSNBC and nothing. Though I like to listen to Keith, Rachel, Ed, David Schuster and sometimes Chris Matthews - MSNBC lacks real news coverage. Starting Friday night all the way through Monday a.m. - no real news. Then on Monday a.m. they begin with their talking heads and opinionated discussions - it sucks.

They need at least every 30 minutes break in and provide news updates - and this should be around the clock. If they can't do that then they can't call themselves a news network.

[ColbertWatcher]

49. Good point. n/t

[burning rain]

50. Give the Young Turks some airtime, for one thing.

`

[ColbertWatcher]

59. Why not? That would be a great idea! n/t

[starroute]

51. A weekend magazine -- like the old "Monitor"

I'm old enough to remember when Monitor was on radio every weekend -- but not old enough to have gotten a complete sense of what it was about. So let me run and go check Wikipedia ...

... Oh, it was on NBC. So much the better. And it was the brainchild of Sigourney Weaver's father.

Monitor (NBC Radio)

NBC Monitor was a weekend radio program broadcast which ran from June 12, 1955 until January 26, 1975. Airing live and nationwide on NBC Radio, it originally aired beginning Saturday morning at 8:00 AM and continuing through the weekend until 12:00 Midnight on Sunday. However, after the first few months, the full weekend broadcast was shortened when the midnight-to-dawn hours were dropped.

The program offered a magazine-of-the-air mix of news, sports, comedy, variety, music, celebrity interviews and other short segments. Its length and eclectic format were radical departures from the traditional radio programming structure of 30- and 60-minute programs and represented an ambitious attempt to respond to the rise of television as America's major home-entertainment medium.

The show was the brainchild of legendary NBC radio and television network president Sylvester (Pat) Weaver, whose career bridged classic radio and television's infancy and who sought to keep radio alive in a television age. Believing that broadcasting could and should educate as well as entertain, Weaver fashioned a series to do both with some of the best-remembered and best-regarded names in broadcasting, entertainment, journalism, and literature taking part. . . .

Many comedy talents appeared through the years including Woody Allen, Bill Cosby, Selma Diamond, Phyllis Diller, Bob Hope, Ernie Kovacs, Bob Newhart, and Jonathan Winters. The comedy team of Mike Nichols and Elaine May appeared on Monitor, as did Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Bob and Ray, who won a 1957 Peabody Award for their Monitor comedy routines, often remained at NBC during the weekend to step in if technical problems developed with remote segments. . . . Remote segments originating from locations around the country were a regular part of Monitor, setting it apart from studio-bound broadcasts and taking advantage of network radio's reach.

[ColbertWatcher]

60. There ya go! Great idea! n/t

[Turborama]

53. #3 They should take a leaf out of Al Jazeera English's book...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5891705

[ColbertWatcher]

61. I hope one of the producers at MSNBC checks DU every once in a while. n/t

[Turborama]

67. Me too, check this out

Programs: http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/

:kick:

[ColbertWatcher]

79. Thank you for posting this. n/t

[ZombieHorde]

54. Extremely graphic zombie movies. nt

[Raine]

56. Anything but what they have on now! nt

[ColbertWatcher]

63. I picked "review" because it seems the GOP-controlled media are very selective ...

... about which stories they allow to continue from one week to the next.

Is MSNBC had a "review" type of show, at least one network can pretend to care passed the self-imposed one-week limit.

[Ganja Ninja]

65. Real news national and international - no politics or talking head debates.

I get enough of Pat Buchanan during the week.

[Historic NY]

68. They're not real journalists any more they get weekends & holidays off...

so we get the fill in crap of sensationalized drummed up hype which poses as news.

[ColbertWatcher]

74. I wonder how many days off Cronkite took in the middle of a crisis? n/t

[me b zola]

69. I'd like to choose two

In depth, behind the scenes news mixed with non-talking head news.

[myrna minx]

70. "I'm an obnoxious pundit, get me outta here!" marathons, or

bringing back the "battle of the network stars" or "circus of the stars" but with pundits. Who wouldn't want to see Charles Krauthammer on the trapeze, Joe Scarborough riding a unicycle, or Bill O'Reilly wading through jello to capture the flag? It would bring some much needed dignity to the profession.

[Klukie]

71. Okay.. here is a thought..

maybe they could do a web based program that follows the stories/investigations/debates of the political blogosphere. After all, I get my news/info from the web because I know that it will be more accurate and way more in depth than their regular programming will ever be. An example is.....the financial crisis. I would have never been able to understand this mess if it weren't for the blogs and google. We are way ahead of everything that they report...mainly because we are looking for the truth and causes of problems rather than looking to try to spin them.

[ColbertWatcher]

75. Glitch. n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

77. The Talking Points Memo Variety Hour! n/t

[Cresent City Kid]

76. It bugs me that they basically take weekends off

They could do a "week in review" type of show, or borrow some guests from Charlie Rose and go deep into a topic, for what I'm guessing is not much more costly than "Lockup". Even reruns of Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow for people who missed them would be preferable.

[ColbertWatcher]

78. True and it doesn't seem like they have an contingency plan whatsoever to cover ...

... genuine breaking news.

They just plod ahead with those damned propaganda marathons.

[ColbertWatcher]

80. Los Angeles Times noticed it too ...

From the Los Angeles Times
At MSNBC, weekends aren't newsworthy
The cable network sticks to taped documentaries even as its news rivals cover unrest in Iran.
By Scott Collins
June 24, 2009

(...)

Over the weekend, with its cable rivals devoting generous airtime to demonstrations convulsing Tehran and online viewers transfixed by amateur video of a young woman apparently felled by a sniper's bullet, MSNBC stuck to its usual diet of taped documentaries, including one titled "Sex Slaves in America." A rerun of the prison documentary "Lockup" aired Saturday night. Meanwhile, anchor Shepard Smith was giving viewers of Fox News Channel a special two-hour wrap-up of Iranian developments. CNN likewise devoted substantial blocks of time to covering the crisis live.

(...)

For its part, the network defended its handling of the Iran crisis, saying it was ready to spring into action if the situation there escalated further.

(...)

{MSNBC spokesman Jeremy} Gaines pointed out, however, that MSNBC beat CNN among viewers aged 25 to 54, the most-favored demographic in the news business.


(sadly, there's little more at the link)


--Los Angeles Times