Olbermann "Ratings Wave" Shifts MSNBC Prime-Time: Rosie In, Tucker Out?
Riding a ratings wave from "Countdown With Keith Olbermann," a program that takes strong issue with the Bush administration, MSNBC is increasingly seeking to showcase its nighttime lineup as a welcome haven for viewers of a similar mind.
Lest there be any doubt that the cable channel believes there is ratings gold in shows that criticize the administration with the same vigor with which Fox News's hosts often champion it, two NBC executives acknowledged yesterday that they were talking to Rosie O'Donnell about a prime-time show on MSNBC. ...
But even without Ms. O'Donnell, MSNBC already presents a three-hour block of nighttime talk -- Chris Matthews's "Hardball" at 7, Mr. Olbermann at 8, and "Live With Dan Abrams" at 9 -- in which the White House takes a regular beating. The one early-evening program on MSNBC that is often most sympathetic to the administration, "Tucker" with Tucker Carlson at 6 p.m., is in real danger of being canceled, said one NBC executive, who, like those who spoke of Ms. O'Donnell, would do so only on condition of anonymity.



Loading comments…
New York Times | November 6, 2007 01:21 AM