Rachel Maddow, Host Apparent: Analyst "At The Top" Of "Very Short List" For Next MSNBC Opening

New York Times:

For clues about who might be next to get a show on MSNBC, viewers need not have looked further than "Countdown" earlier this month. For eight nights beginning just before the Fourth of July, Rachel Maddow, the host of a program on Air America, the liberal talk-radio network, served as a substitute for the vacationing Keith Olbermann.

"At some point, I don't know when, she should have a show," said Phil Griffin, hours before he was promoted on Wednesday to president of MSNBC. "She's on the short list. It's a very short list. She's at the top."

At the moment every slot at night on MSNBC is taken, with David Gregory at 6 handing off to Chris Matthews at 7, and with Dan Abrams at 9 following Mr. Olbermann at 8. But some shuffling could be in the offing; Mr. Matthews's contract, for example, is up next year.

For her part, Ms. Maddow, who has been a ubiquitous presence as a political analyst on MSNBC this campaign season, said she is ready whenever the call should come. To hasten that process, she recently hired Mr. Olbermann's agent, Jean Sage.

"They know I would love to do it," Ms. Maddow, 35, said over a recent lunch below 30 Rockefeller Plaza. "I'm going to let them decide what they want to do about me. I'm saying yes every time they ask me to be on television."

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[Tommygun264]

I've been a fan of Rachel Maddow (and Kent Jones, who until last year was the Cato to her Green Hornet) since the beginning of Air America Radio when she was co-host of Unfiltered. This past February I had the great good fortune of meeting her when I attended the AAR cruise to Mexico where Rachel sat in on several panel discussions, mingled with fans and endured sitting at a table autographing 8 x 10 photos of herself. She is every bit as sweet, friendly, witty and wicked smart as she comes across on radio and television. This is not some preening idiot simply reading what's put before her. Unlike most of the so-called pundits, she really is interested in the political process and is the best commercial for a return of Civics as a required subject in our public education curriculum I can think of. The brass at MSNBC should pull their thumbs out and give Rachel Maddow her own show - PRONTO.

[hillaryj]

This Gal is stunning..­..........­.........I am totally impressed with her intelligence and her wit! MSNBC would do well to replace "Tweety" with her!!!!

[iowacorn]

NOOOOOOOOO­OOOOOOOOO.­..........­..TWEETY STAYS....
i love rachel...she's the best of the best.. want her in there...but chris is true political commentator... he cuts, he slices, he dices... but he's a political commentator....we need him...

[Tommygun264]

Rachel Maddow is without a doubt among the smartest, well-informed political commentators of our time. She was a Rhodes Scholar where she earned her doctorate in political science. That's right - a political pundit who actually studied politics in a real school and didn't just blunder into the job because she makes all the right people laugh or daddy made a few calls. How the likes of Tucker Carlson and Joe Scarborough can keep showing up every couple of years with tired rehashes of their previous failed shows while Rachel Maddow is running back and forth juggling a three hour, five day a week radio show, filling in as a pundit on every MSNBC show with an empty chair on the panel and filling in for Keith Olbermann on Countdown so ably that he would be wise not to become too complacent, is beyond me. Morning Joe should go the way of Scarborough Country and be replaced with the video version of Maddow in the Morning, with Kent Jones filling Mika's old seat.

[iowacorn]

ah.. tommygun.....i'm riding with you... well said...count me in........

[haleywins]

Now, not next year. Contact MSNBC dot msn dot com.

[PumaAnn]

What a circus.

[CtJean]

You again?

I though you finally gave up -

[qdog112]

Easily the SMARTEST, MOST INFORMED woman in TV.

FUTURE STAR.

[firewmn]

**

......... Rachel Maddow ROCKS..!!!


**

[tel8034]

On second thought ............ Get rid of Dan Abrams.

I stopped watching that egotistical know-it-all sometime ago, that I forgot he still exists...... I guess I must have erased him from my memory banks, which happens to all things non-important and uninteresting.

His show has no substance and often degenerates into a bad tabloid knock-off.

Also I never understood why he even has guests on his show, he never respects their opinions anyway, because in his world, "HIS" opinions are the only ones that count.

GET RID OF DAN ABRAMS AND REPLACE HIM WITH RACHEL MADDOW.

[Tommygun264]

Nah, Abrams is an idiot, but he's easy on the eyes - do what I do and leave his show on with the volume on mute. Morning Joe needs to get the axe. Between his know-it-all arrogant bluster and Mika's squeaks and giggles that sound as if someone is watching bad Japanese porn just off camera, I can't stand it.

[lee4]

I agree. Axe Morning Joe.

[rageagainstmachine]

tel8034, that's the first thing I thought of! I find Dan less obnoxious than Chris Matthews, but Dan's show doesn't seem to have a point or a niche. Plus I'd so much rather see Rachel in prime time as opposed to taking over Morning Joe's spot, since I never watch morning joe, but I do watch MSNBC in the evening. Dan should go back to his management job. It was almost painful watching his show during the Democratic primary battle since he does not have the political chops and he thought he was way more insightful than he actually was.

Totally agree with you!

[masha2008]

i also stopped watching verdict sometime ago. but recently i havent been able to change channels right after countdown and i find myself watching verdict. it's actually better than hardball. abrams has been prodding the inertia of the press with regard to mccain and has portion "beat the press" where you can point him to press shenanigans. love the laura ingraham incident at fox (17 July).

[land]

i'll bang my pots and pans too: Sometimes Rachel made me feel like the world was not all crazy, all while telling me exactly how crazy it actually was. And what a beautiful voice. Not to mention: how wonderful is it to expose the public to more well-adjusted, centered, super-awesome out of the closet people...

[tel8034]

GOOD CHOICE

Rachel Maddow is always well researched, articulate, has well reasoned arguments, and is personable.

Need a slot for her on MSNBC? Switch her out with David Gregory .............. That would work.

Or MSNBC could cut back on those "Inside Prison" shows ............ It's not a place that many aim to end up, so why show us what happens inside one.

MSNBC acts as if these prison shows are "Travel -logs" of places we would like to vacation.

They need to stop the discussion and get Rachel on ASAP .......... It's a no-brainer.

[LisainNYC]

I'm with you 100%.

Get rid of that parody of a news show which is David Gregory's "Race to the White House". (It's a shame, cos I had high hopes for Gregory after seeing him occasionally grill GWB. And what's with those infantile graphics in the opener?)

And get Rachel on ASAP.

[masha2008]

LOL.

They show the prison series because

1. MSNBC doesnt have the depth and network of newsreporting that cnn has and can only opine for a fixed number of hours

2. Just in case you get tempted to commit a crime, you'll think about it twice.

[MozKrew211]

I think she's hot. She needs to switch up on her outfits. She's always wearing those open-chest coats. Smart, too. I TIVO Keith every day and I'm guessing I'll do the same for Ms. Maddow. Good luck, Rachel!

[waiguoren]

She doesn't have a show yet, but she's already getting grooming advice.

Rachael did a series of short clips during the primary season that were classic, and in every one she was dressed like a third grader tomboy. It worked for me.

[SouthpawSass]

I think she should cohost with Scarborough... They can call it "Morning Dow No you din't..."

[Makesense]

She kicks Scaborough's but all the time on RTTWH because she is smarter and dumb Scaborough does not like his women smarter than him. That is why he has that brainless, puppet Mika on his show who he intimidates and turns into a punch bag everytime he opens his mouth.

[LisainNYC]

I don't think Mika is brainless, I just think she has been told that Joe is the top banana and that she can't come back at him too forcefully.

Hopefully, Phil Griffin will realize that Morning Joe's success has less to do with Joe than with Mika, Willie and their great guest line up.

[lee4]

I agree. Mika's on there because of who her father is, and she takes Scarborough's crap.
She is annoying as h*ll, and he's an egomaniac.
I can't watch the show... they drive me nuts first thing in the morning.

[ObserverinVancouver]

There's a lot of criticism of David Gregory here but it may be unfair. The format of the show is too constricting - going from one meaningless segement to the next. Also, if Gregory had some coaching in toning down the faux attempts at enthusiasm, humour, I'm not sure what, and coaching in listening to his guests and not talking over them, he could be a lot better. (Despite appearances, I'm not really trying to damn him with faint praise.)

[rageagainstmachine]

Well, Matthews could use the same coaching! His guests simply serve as fodder for his talking points. He talks over/around/on top of his guests ALL the time.

[Fremon]

I love Maddow! She is smart which is a turn on considering all the male and female bimbos on the Corporate and Cable news. I would do her in a minute despite her preferences. Love ya Rachel.

[Makesense]

What. lol. I am a dude -- a straight one -- and sometimes I thinks like you. She is so hot and smart. She makes all the other MSNBC analysts look like her students when she is on.

[PackyJ]

While I tend to agree with Keith Olbermann in most things, he goes with the shouting and righteous indignation a bit more than necessary. I think it tends to undermine his credibility a bit.
I thoroughly enjoyed Countdown when Rachel Maddow filled in for him.

She is brilliant and funny.

Get rid of Chris Matthews and put Rachel in his slot.

Maddow will never jumble up Obama and Osama, which Matthews seems to do a lot recently (this from a guy who gets paid $5 million a year to talk).