Sharpton Hiring Comcast/NBC Merger Payback? Daily Beast Investigates

[CherylK]

Earlier this year, the reverend lent crucial black support to the controversial merger between Comcast and NBC. Is his new MSNBC show payback? Wayne Barrett investigates.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/07/27/al-sharpton-affirmative-action-beneficiary-of-the-nbc-comcast-merger.html

Eight months after Al Sharpton signed a pivotal agreement that helped Comcast and NBC secure Federal Communications Commission approval for their $30 billion merger, MSNBC appears poised to reward him with a prime-time news show. While Sharpton is a soundbite success and entertaining TV guest, his three prior attempts at hosting a show have flopped badly, with the most recent, his ballyhooed Education SuperHighway, dying after a single episode last fall. His anchor forays in 2004 and 2005—I Hate My Job and Sharp Talk—ended after seven and 12 episodes respectively, while his 2004 presidential-campaign performance was so widely seen as vacuous and uninformed that it earned him remarkably puny support, even among black voters. In fact, until recently, Sharpton has been a Fox favorite, schmoozing with Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity 16 times in recent years, while appearing on Keith Olbermann’s old show only once.

Yet he has now been tapped to displace Cenk Uygur as the anchor of the 6 p.m. show MSNBC Live. In a mystified farewell address last Wednesday, Uygur pointed to a dramatic uptick in his internal ratings for April, May, and June, when his show apparently ranked second overall in total viewers and even exceeded Fox in an 18-to-34 demographic in June, noting that MSNBC had offered him a substantial pay package to do weekend shows and that he had declined. (An NBC spokesman declined to discuss ratings or anything else with us, noting only that “there is no agreement” with Sharpton to host a program “at this time,” though The New York Times and many other news organizations have reported it.)

Sharpton has a long and well-documented history of leveraging his civil-rights profile for his own benefit. Grabbing a prime-time anchor spot in exchange for cheerleading for a controversial merger would be the capper on that career. It’s gone remarkably unnoticed that Sharpton was the first major black leader to endorse the Comcast merger, which met fierce resistance. Michael Copps, a Democrat who’d served on the FCC since 2001, declared, when he ultimately voted against it, that the merger “erodes diversity, localism and competition” and was “a huge boost for media industry (and digital industry) consolidation” as well as “a stake in the heart of independent content production,” charges that were echoed in a New York Times editorial. But Mignon Clyburn, the daughter of South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn and the only minority member on the FCC, threw her decisive support behind the deal, citing a comprehensive diversity memorandum of agreement (MOU) signed by Sharpton as a mechanism that “will serve to keep the new entity honest in promoting diversity.”

Without Clyburn, FCC chair Julius Genachowski, the third Democrat on the commission, seems unlikely to have backed the deal, which he did a week after the MOU was sent to the FCC. The MOU was significant because it countered opposition from Jesse Jackson, a variety of black organizations, and some black House Democrats. The then House Judiciary chair, John Conyers, convened combustible hearings last summer in Chicago and Los Angeles, and California Rep. Maxine Waters declared at one that she wasn’t interested in hearing how much Comcast had given to "the NAACP, Al Sharpton, and the Urban League,” the three entities that eventually signed the MOU. (Just a couple of weeks before the MOU was sent to the FCC, Sharpton aggressively championed James Clyburn in his post-election fight to retain his leadership position in the House, while Comcast contributed $10,500 to Clyburn’s political committees. Mignon Clyburn, who is reported to have met with Sharpton, declined to respond to Beast questions.).....

[FSogol]

1. Is it time to throw Al under the bus too?

:eyes:

[hlthe2b]

3. One can not ask questions without "throwing Al under the bus?"

Seems like there are questions deserving of Al's response unless you've seen information that invalidates this article already?

[hlthe2b]

2. well.. this certainly does seem damning...

and it is not as though he did not have a pattern of opportunism in his earlier career. :shrug:

I was one who actually liked Cenk, though I have chosen to stay out of the raucous debates.....

[ihavenobias]

11. OP left out the most interesting part IMO

"...A Comcast spokesperson told The Daily Beast that Comcast has given $140,000 to Sharpton’s National Action Network since 2009—the same year the merger was first proposed. Though MSNBC president Phil Griffin was honored with a top prize at the April 2011 annual conference of NAN—and he, Chris Mathews, and other NBC notables had a table at NAN’s dinner—NBC would not answer questions about how much it's given Sharpton. Comcast also insisted in an email to The Daily Beast that the company “pledged we would not interfere” with NBC news operations, and “we have not and we will not,” a response similar to the only answer we got from NBC. Neither, however, directly answered the question of whether there was any connection between Sharpton’s merger role and his anticipated selection for the show..."

From the http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/07/27/al-sharpton-affirmative-action-beneficiary-of-the-nbc-comcast-merger.html|Daily Beast article>.

[tularetom]

4. Like the article says, Sharpton is a great guest

but I don't think he can sustain a one hour show with clever quips, puns, and sound bites.

I've wondered all along if the place of prominence given to him was a reward for something, I just didn't know what it could be.

If they give him a permanent slot in prime time, I think they will come to regret it.

Or not - if everything in this article is true maybe ratings matter less to them than this merger.

[Tarheel_Dem]

5. Cenk still sucks!

:rofl:

[Kahuna]

30. Yep!

:fistbump:

[rhett o rick]

35. New-Democrat alert. nm

[ihavenobias]

37. Cenk haters are angry that this report adds credibility to his story.

Myth 1 - Cenk was replaced because Sharpton got better ratings for two weeks while Cenk was on vacation.

Cenk was told he wouldn't be getting the show BEFORE Sharpton filled in for him. This was at the end of June. That in and of itself makes Sharpton's ratings totally irrelevant to this story. In http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x7o0sNrulg&feature=channel_video_title|his announcement> on TYT Cenk correctly points out that once he (to an extent) started doing the show his way the ratings went up AND that in the 3 months that make up Q2 of 2011 he beat CNN and improved on Schultz'z ratings from last year (he praises Schultz in that clip btw).

Myth 2 - Cenk claims the Obama White House came down on MSNBC.

Cenk never got more specific than what MSNBC president Phil Griffin told him. People in Washington may or may not include someone at the White House, and Cenk made a point to NOT say it was the White House.

Myth 3 - Cenk was demoted, then fired when he didn't accept the demotion.

Cenk was offered a weekend show/contributor role for double the money. Can you think of any other jobs in which you get less responsibility and exposure and a gigantic raise? Also, the NY Times reported that he was well liked at MSNBC but more importantly here's a direct quote from an http://www.huffingtonpost.com/democracy-now/cenk-uygur-leaves-msnbc_b_906708.html|MSNBC spokesman>:

...we were working on a new contract, to develop him into an even bigger television talent.

Myth 4 - MSNBC wouldn't let go of Cenk for his harsh criticism of politicians and then go on to hire a firebreathing bull like Sharpton.

In a recent 60 Minutes interview http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/25/cenk-uygur-al-sharpton-is_n_908385.html|Sharpton vowed not to criticize president Obama>. Leave it to HuffPo to make the headline more inflammatory but there it is.

Myth 5 - Cenk is unemployed/he hosts some obscure web show.

Glossing over the fact that Cenk has been interviewing Senators (Ted Kennedy, Bernie Sanders, Harry Reid, etc.), Congressman (long list), former presidents (Jimmy Carter), Fed chairmen (Alan Greenspan), talk show hosts (Rachel Maddow, Lou Dobbs, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, etc.), filmmakers (Michael Moore, Robert Greenwald), journalists/reporters (Matt Taibbi and people from the NY Times, WaPo, HuffPo and everything in between) there's this:

http://news.tubefilter.tv/2011/07/15/the-young-turks-breaks-500-million-views-1-million-in-revenue/|The Young Turks Breaks 500 Million Views, $1 Million in Revenue>

[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rhett o rick]

33. He has that effect on Republicans. nm

[Snotcicles]

6. The level of a persons ethics is overshadowed by the speed in which they are ridiculed. eom

[Chimichurri]

7. I'm not feeling this revelation one bit.

[HipChick]

8. Once again Al does not represent the black race, and not all blacks support Al..but Cenk still sucks

He should have taken the weekend package...Chris Matthews gets something like $5M per year spitting across the screen 2x per day...

[CarmanK]

9. Rev AL Brings a new perspective rich in history to MSNBC!

Much like the hands on experiences of Lawrence O'Donnell. I don't mind that he used his leverage to get on TV. That is what minorities have to do. They survive by talent, brains and leveraging their abilities to get things done. Al sharpton has a great level of experience that will enrich his audience and inform viewers about the plight of real people. The merger did not have to occur, but after the FCC allowing the Murdogs to spread its poison over the US, it was hardly fair to stop comcast and NBC.

[FLAprogressive]

dupe

[FLAprogressive]

17. If you mean they both take turns kissing DNC ass, then you're right.

[Enrique]

41. exactly

the plight of real people, give me a break.

[DevonRex]

10. I guess there's no way the black guy is actually qualified

and capable after only decades of appearing on shows as a guest.

:sarcasm:

[hlthe2b]

12. Please don't do that...

I refuse to believe the majority of DUers would ever think that way.

[DevonRex]

14. Sorry but when the article calls him an affirmative action hire

it begs the question. So, I WILL bring it up.

[hlthe2b]

16. well then make it clear you are questioning the author of the piece...

I don't think it unfair to question Al about the money, but I do agree that particular comment totally is out of bounds.

[DevonRex]

19. OR you could stop telling me what I can and cannot say on DU. Nt

[hlthe2b]

22. I politely asked you not to make disparaging assumptions

towards other DUers. Politely, civilly, and with respect.

When you pointed out what had been said in the article with which you took issue, I agreed with your point. Can you not return the favor of a respectful response?

[libodem]

13. Cenk speaks his mind

And it is not sugar coated. I like his style of broadcast journalism. Whazamadda you, upthread?

[rhett o rick]

34. And that's what bothers some, like post #5. Go Cenk, go Real-Democrats. nm

[WillyT]

15. K & R !!!

:kick:

[Monique1]

21. I say

let us throw everyone who is progressive or speaks the truth under the bus. That includes everyone on the MSNBC evening news. While we are at it let us throw all Dems under the bus. We all should join the tea party movement. You speak with fork tongues.

[CherylK]

26. Who speaks truth to power??

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/07/27/sharpton/

Sharpton told us that having a black president is a challenge: if he finds fault with Mr. Obama, he'd be aiding those who want to destroy him. So he has decided not to criticize the president about anything -- even about black unemployment, which is twice the national rate.

Is that what we need, someone who refuses to criticize the president about anything?!!!

[ihavenobias]

27. "Is that what we need, someone who refuses to criticize the president about anything?!!!"

The correct answer is 'no', but sadly for a lot of people the answer is 'yes'. Not that they'll admit it outright, or even to themselves.

[Kahuna]

31. Rev Al is criticizing those who are truly at fault. It's not the president's fault

that he is working within the constitutional confines of office, and that dumbass voters (and non voters - who never what to take responsibility for THEIR actions or non action) are too brain dead to not keep republicans out of office.

[Rhiannon12866]

36. What I need and want is to know the truth. I want to be as informed as possible.

Cenk is someone I can depend on for that. He doesn't have any other agenda but to speak out and inform us about what's really going on. This doesn't mean that I'm going to abandon this president or get mad enough to vote for whatever lunatic the Republicans decide to put up against him. I just like to be informed, good, bad or indifferent... :shrug: :patriot:

[ihavenobias]

39. +1 n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

18. Seems the keyboard-warrior faux progressives

on DU intend on throwing the street workers like Sharpton, under the bus. :crazy: But that's to be expected.

[immoderate]

23. Street worker? ROFL

He made some money, sold out when he had to. I don't recall any civil rights accomplishments. They presented him with awards to shut him up.

Bottom line: Al doesn't have the cops to anchor a TV show. Let him be the loud, confrontational guest whenever he wants. What would he do without a "panel" of opinions?

--imm

[immoderate]

20. Not surprising to those of us who watched Sharpton "grow up" in NYC

Al has always been, still is, an in your face self-promoter. He stretches the line between activism and extortion. It's his business.

Presenting a coherent news program is not within his talents, and he is clumsy in his reading and delivery.

I have followed Wayne Barrett's investigative reporting for decades, and unlike Sharpton, his credibility is impeccable.

--imm

[Monique1]

24. Cenk you here?

Sounds like sour grapes at DU.

[immoderate]

28. As I said, anyone who knows Al's history would understand.

Who's Cenk?


--imm

[FLAprogressive]

25. Yes, he is a grade A media whore masquerading as a "civil rights activist".

[immoderate]

29. That's why I laughed at a thread above that referred to him deferentially as a "street worker."

I saw him "work the streets" of NY. :rofl:

Your language is absolutely accurate and concise.


--imm

[Kahuna]

32. The ratings will determind if he is up to the job. nt

[immoderate]

40. Not politics?

:rofl:


--imm

[CherylK]

43. +1

:thumbsup:

[20score]

42. K&R