David Gregory On MSNBC's Programming Strategy: "There Can Be A Little Repetition, Sometimes"

David Gregory appeared on "The Daily Show" Thursday night, where Jon Stewart pressed him about the need for a 24-hour news channel, citing "Breaking News" alerts on MSNBC like "Brett Favre lands at airport" and hours of endless analysis and commentary.

Stewart accused Gregory and others of just "filling time," and asked, "How much is too much?"

Gregory responded, "You know, you have to look at it that not everybody's watching at the same time. So there can be a little repetition, sometimes."

Watch:

Comments

[RevBuck]

09:18 PM on 08/26/2008

Well would somebody sort of tell David Gregory and also sort of tell Shuster and Chuck Todd to sort of stop saying "sort of" over and over. It becomes sort of sloppy and annoying after a while. One might think with all the money these guys knock down they might be able to sort of get some diction above the level of a seventh-grader, sort of.

[thedirtman]

08:43 AM on 08/11/2008

Country First are the code words for taking it to the people and another free pass for multi-national corporations.

[proudloudlib]

07:09 PM on 08/10/2008

Just give his spot to Rachel and get it over with! Maddow ROCKS!

[lovethesinner]

05:12 PM on 08/10/2008

I've been watching MSNBC so long, I can record the whole day, fast forward thru "Morning Joe" all the way to "Verdict" and know exactly what was said. The only time I stop to watch is when they have somebody I like, or somebody I've never heard before. (which is rare)

Actually, if you watch "First Look" (which is immediately re-aired) you can tell what the whole day is going to be like, barring any breaking news.

The entire day's stories are there in that one half hour. The only things that change are the talking heads. (Until Matthews and Olbermann, but even they are becoming sort of predictable.)

The most exciting thing to happen this month was when they fired Dana Milbank. (did you know he's Yale, "Skull and Bones?")

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Milbank

Cable isn't journalism. It's... (gag) entertainment. (the vision of Pat Buchanan chopping the air with his little hatchet hands turned my stomach, sorry)

[pacats]

11:36 PM on 08/10/2008

It's not even entertainment. It is gossip, rumors, smears,and talking points provided by the cable exec daily to keep the same nonsense running throughout its 24 hours of programs. Pat Buchanan comes on daily to remind the American people the 1950's can return if you click your heels three times.

[LoyalOpposition]

08:43 PM on 08/09/2008

As I was saying . . . the talking heads need to put food on their lovely tables and gas in their swanky cars, so they will be obedient in order to keep their very long 15 minutes of fame and their fortune. There are no ethics or morality on television or print news in the mainstream media. Those who swim upstream are very, very few. So we are kept in the dark about George Bush's criminal record, and his military record; now it is John McCain who is being protected, but the Demos, are targets.

[truth2008]

08:34 PM on 08/09/2008

David Gregory is a repup shill who's main objective is to promote right wing talking points. He also carried the water for Bush & company and help to sell the war lies of Buscho. If he had spent half the time he takes bashing Obama, and spent that time exposing the Bush war lies, the American public would not have been mislead. I have no respect for him as a reporter (White House Reporter), and I have no respect for him now. He always frames the questions to target Obama, while he never questions JM's gaffes, misstatements, dishonesty, and devious lies.

Go to mediamatters.com, and make an official complaint about Gregory and his constant/biased shilling for JM.

NOT THIS TIME!

[justwaitandsee]

07:38 PM on 08/10/2008

I so agree. His coverage is 90% Senator O and 10% Mccane. During this time I have lost all respect for him, all respect

[walkthewalk]

04:56 PM on 08/09/2008

I used to look forward to footage of David Gregory at press conferences when as a White House reporter he challenged President Bush. That was must see television.

His current show, "Race for the White House," is not. Thank goodness for Rachel and Gene. The deck is so stacked against Obama on this show. For example, on a recent program David Gregory posed the following questions: 1) Is the energy issue going to be a plus for McCain and 2) Is the situation in Iraq going to hurt Obama? Enough said.

[All57States]

02:10 PM on 08/09/2008

They have very little news or original programming during the week and that crap they show on weekends, wouldn't they be better in just showing a test pattern than that repetitive nonsense?

[Seattlelite]

01:59 PM on 08/09/2008

Rachel Maddow, Robinson and the radio guy from PA are the only people who appear on that show that have a clue. Gregory is no O fan and he doesn't even try to pretend to be balanced.

[Seattlelite]

01:42 PM on 08/09/2008

The MSM doesn't even try to hide there affection and love for Mc Cain. Why is it, we know what O eats for breakfast to what type of energy bar he likes BUT no reporting about Mcwrinkle's 9 houses, the $425 shoes he wears, the sick wife he divorced for the beer lady, and the romance they started before he divorced his sick wife! And what about the beer ladies history of drug addiction? You can bet if there was info like this about O it would headline news.

[Piatt]

07:15 AM on 08/09/2008

Rachel Maddow and Gene Robinson are the only ones who consistently cut through the "conventional wisdom" and look at things from an interesting perspective. I also enjoy the radio host from Philadelphia whose name I could not spell at gun point. The rest of them are hacks who regurgitate the talking points of the day, particularly Susan Molinari. I wish Gregory would stop describing the show as dealing "with real issues and how they effect you." It's nothing but daily horse race nonsense. It would be far more interesting and valuable if they made an attempt to "fact check" propaganda rather than airing it and conjecturing about its impact.

Am I the only won who wonders why the talking head conjecture about how the Edward's business focuses on its potential impact on the Democrats ("will Monica be on people's minds when Bill speaks at the convention?"..."has Barrack Obama ever cheated on his wife?"). There's an obvious parallel that none of them have alluded to...we already have a presidential nominee who cheated on his wife while she was seriously ill.

[GwenElle]

04:21 PM on 08/09/2008

The radio talk show host's name is Michael Smerconish and I agree, he is the most insightful and about the only voice worth listening to on Gregory's program. Even Rachel is getting kinda annoying. It would be great if Eugene Robinson could articulate his points -- often good ones -- without sounding as if he is chewing on a peanut butter sandwich at the same time. He mumbles too much.

It will be interesting to see what this show morphs into after the "Race for the White House" ends on November 4. Did I say interesting? Well, not so much. In fact, not at all.

[RobertAndropolis]

10:41 PM on 08/08/2008

David Gregory is an officious DOOFUS just this side of the doofus-dom of Joe Scarborough. No wait, it's Gregory in the lead...now Scarborough...Gregory...Scarborough...

These DESPERATE cable news programs are clearly trying to keep interest alive in a presidential race that is a forgone conclusion to anyone slightly above idiot level out in there viewer-land. It's all about ratings, all about market share, hence all about their salaries. The producers do not have the guts to give the superior and deserving Rachel Maddow her own slot (better yet, replace Gregory with her and send Gregory off into the sunset dancing with Karl Rove--who he still is defending in this John Stewart clip. God what a TOOL! ) Despite the clarion call from the viewers to give her her own program, Maddow is left to suffer through the insufferable RWTTH jerk-wads who are only interested in preserving their inflated salaries, not objectively reporting the news. If they were objective, they'd have to excise their greed and racism (there is no other explanation for the biased anti-Obama slant they constantly inundate us with) and point out the obvious, as did Keith Olbermann tonight: that John McCain is either lying, or he truly believes that his lies are the truth in John McAddled land; either explanation is equally troubling.

For an unbiased POV, the BBC is not beholden to anybody.

[Interested Party]

07:19 PM on 08/09/2008

I am in Scotland for 3 weeks and as a BBC viewer in the US you are right they are unbiased. Glad to see David Gregory being pegged for the anti-Obama that he is. If you disagree with his point, as a commentator, he always goes to one of his conservative friends to agree with him. His problem was being the White House reporter for NBC news - likely he started as a conservative but really began to love the Bushies. Where is the character stuff on McCain - all that $$, leaving his first wife, $450 pairs of shoes, 9 houses, listen to the quotes from Phil Gramm, John McCain - say what happened to reporting Gramm was one of the architects of the current finanical mess......it goes on and on ........but only on the blogs not MSNBC. Stopped watching, might as well watch BBC or CBC (in Canada, being Canadian) at least you get the FULL story, not part of a story that the David Gregory's decide match the clever line they are throwing out. Wonder if it is because Barack is black? Nah! Couldn't be.

[cassidynj]

09:40 PM on 08/08/2008

Have you ever sprinkled fish food into the tank and the fish dart up in a frenzied cluster? MSNBC is on Titbid Patrol constantly, desperately seeking newsiness. Obama is the main MSNBC fallback, even McCain news is seen and reported through an Obama prism.

Unfortunately, MSNBC does not directly focus on John McCain and all his inconsistencies and inaccuracies. That would require actual reporting. Even with time to kill on its channel, MSNBC won't go that far.

Would you agree?

[Seattlelite]

01:31 PM on 08/09/2008

Cassidynj - You are spot on !! "Obama is the main MSNBC fallback, even McCain news is seen and reported through an Obama prism. " This is SO true of Gregory's show Race for the White House. He never puts the spot light on Mc Cain. Yesterday I watched as Gregory even tried to tie the sad news regarding Edwards to Obama! He is no Obama fan and he doesn't even try to be balanced.

[sisteract]

09:32 PM on 08/08/2008

I hate Race for the White House. It shoudl be called "How can we beat up on Obama today?" Has anyone else noticed that all the questions about O are negative and most of the questions about Mcsame are about his maverickness?

[candyc]

08:14 AM on 08/09/2008

This is the worst show on MSNBC's political menu. Gregory is of average intelligence, and has nothing interesting to say. The only bright spots on his panel are Rachel Maddow and Gene Robinson.. but they are also on Countdown in more substantive roles.

The 6:00 hour is a waste of time. MSNBC should give this time spot to Rachel M.

[Seattlelite]

01:33 PM on 08/09/2008

Spot on siseract! I can't even stomach Gregory's show unless Rachel is on.

[wolfbato]

07:49 PM on 08/08/2008

Especially David Gregory who can't stop saying "Country First" John McCain's lying motto [see Monday's show or NOT ... DG said it 7 times] ... I used to think Gregory was a reporter ... now I know he is a shameless talking parrot looking for his own show. Thank god for Rachel Maddow and her ability to cut through the MSM's talking points with ... gasp ... facts. I hope they give Rachel Maddow ... Dave Gregory's show/slot ... only to shut his propaganda down ... Country First ... Country First ... Country First ... Country First ... Country First ... Country First.

[sisteract]

09:30 PM on 08/08/2008

SAY THAT!!!!!!

[Seattlelite]

01:54 PM on 08/09/2008

Last week John Mc Cain, "Presidential candidate for the US", attended a biker rally, in attendance were half naked women, people drunk and doing drugs. He even suggested his wife enter a topless contest. It hardly got any coverage and the few media people that did bring it up laughed it off, HA, HA. Now I can assure you had O DARED to attend such an event the MSM would not have found it funny and it would have gotten a week of negative reporting. No surprise David Gregory didn't mention it on his O bama bashing show.

[GwenElle]

04:34 PM on 08/09/2008

Agreed. McCain is running on judgment to lead. This story should have been reported as an extremely poor display of judgment on McCain's part and for all of the reason you stated. McCain was not held accountable for his serious and deplorable lapse in judgment.

Even his bumbled ramblings were newsworthy as they allow the American people to see how far off the beam McCain's mind has fallen (presuming of course that it was ever on the beam).

MSM . . . corporate media . . . whatever you call them, they are just profiteers playing obviously willing Americans for suckers.