Connie Chung On MSNBC Infighting: "Grow Up!"

Wall Street Journal:

Since the early days of CNN's "Crossfire," cable news has relied on strong personalities to keep drama high and viewers tuned in throughout the day, when news isn't always exciting enough to keep the audience's attention. Passionate debate can make for great television -- and terrific ratings.

But some found this level of personal bickering hard to watch.

"My reaction to that is: 'Grow up!' They have to just grow up," said Connie Chung, a former MSNBC host and former co-anchor of "CBS Evening News."

The network's chief played down the acrimony. "Look, I want honest, authentic people on our air. I don't want phonies. So if the price of that is every once in a while one of these bubbles up, I'm not concerned," said MSNBC President Phil Griffin.

"Like any good manager, I give and I take and I massage and I deal with it," he added, "but the fact of the matter is this is what we want: a diverse, fun, rough-and-tumble look at politics."

Read the whole story: Wall Street Journal

Comments

[piper1233]

Connie Chung! are you freaking kidding me? who the hell wrote this crap? why the hell do they think Connie chung or this story is relevant to anyone? why the hell am I responding to this mess?

[OpusIsUnderTheBed]

Did not read this post. Just wanted to say, "Connie go away. And are you still married to that sleezeball?"

[tsloan]

Connie Chung? Seriously?

[Roomer]

lack of sleep aside... this is a puls for msnbc, it will get more peple to watch... rubberneckers love to see a train-wreck.

you watch. msnbc will make ground later this year... because poeple want to see them bicker!

connie, get a clue!

[sistermoon]

Connie, don't you have an unemployment check to pick up?

[yhgtup]

Connie Chung?? What hole did she climb out of? Who cares what she thinks. I think I saw her on her husband's show (Maury Povich) trying to find out who her "baby daddy" was.

[drspaceman]

Most likely these three gigantic egos, Matthews, Scarborough and Olbermann, are jockeying for position to replace Tim Russert. What they're going to end up doing is derailing each other and NBC will bring in an outsider to replace Russert when Tom Brokaw gives up Meet the Press after the election. If Tim Russert had an ego he kept it under wraps but these 3 don't seem to have that ability.

'This from the drunk lady singing (and slithering) on the piano' Very funny.

[ladyv]

Really? I thought Chuck Todd would be the obvious Russert replacement. At least behind the scenes, if not on MTP. Is that what you're talking about? Only replacing Russert on MTP? Because I can't imagine any of those egos - and I enjoy those egos, btw, and find these squabbles highly entertaining, when I start to find them tedious I just switch to C-SPAN - wanting to take on any aspect of Russert's job *except* being the face of MTP.

[freedog]

If they put Olbermann on Meet The Press, it will quickly sail to last place in the ratings. Tim Russerts tough but fair and congenial approach is what made MTP, MTP. Brokaw does a great job with it now but he and Williams are the last with any professional integrity at the Network. MSNBC is in the tank and like them or not, more people tune into the fox news network than CNN and MSNBC, combined. And Olbermann's "countdown" has terrible ratings. He's basically shouting in an empty room. MSNBC figures they'll be anti-fox but at least at FOX they do not let their Opinion hosts, like Bill O'Reilly, anywhere near the Anchor position for serious coverage like a political convention. Olbermann is the epitomy of the liberal, media elite.

[stepintothelight]

Connie Chung's opinion on the Maury Povitch show???

Bueller Bueller???

[jgalvan]

Excellent! :)

[iranter]

we want: a diverse, fun, rough-and-tumble look at politics."

actually we want just two things
1. obama to be president
2. ratings and more ratings
3. more money for me
4. not in that order of course
5. 3 is first, then 2 is still two, and 1becomes 3, 4 can be eliminated and 5 must happen, so I guess 4 has to stay.

[clearthinker2008]

This from the drunk lady singing on the piano?

[cjk002]

HA!

[MarceloAbans]

Never has a movie be more relevant than it is now. Check out Network if you haven't already..

[AlGionfriddo]

I would but... I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore.

Go get 'em Rach & Keith!

[urbanliterati]

Yawn....who cares what she has to say? I am serious, she has not been relevant since when????

[SteamRanger]

Sorry, Connie, but after watching you slithering all over a piano while singing "Thanks For The Memories" on the final airing of your short-lived talk show, you are in no position to give advice to anyone.

[mooph]

Is it a surprise that Connie says this? Directly from her wikipedia listing:

"Chung's biggest phobia is disorganization, as a result of her problem with OCD." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connie_Chung

That's not a shot at her, just an observation.

[MANK]

They are all NUTS!!!!
Juat put on CSpan and think for yourself!

[Birdbone]

I enjoy watching Olberman's show, yet I was frustrated By MSNBC's coverage of the DNC. The yapping and blabbing while the DNC was occuring was irritating! Like many others I tuned in to CSPAN, and was quite releived.
As for the FoX crusaders, gimme a break! How can you honestly state that FoX is "unbiased" or less biased? To each their own ,but FoX news physically makes me sick to my stomach! The thing is all the shows preach a particular view and like all television, fills the brain with nonsense. I recommend reading books that reinforce your core principles and limit the information you receive from the tube! Saloooot!

[tweedy54]

YOU ARE SOOOOOOOOOO.. RIGHT!!

[SouthpawSass]

I was frustrated the first night with CNN and MSNBC... For the first 3 hours, all I got was Wolf Blitzer and a CNN panel, as well as all the talking heads at MSNBC blathering on and on through every speech. I hate it when the media chooses for me what I'll hear and see.

By chance, I happened upon C-Span. And thank God I did. C-Span does an excellent job of convention coverage.

It's like pouring an entire bottle of chocolate syrup over a 1/2 cup serving of ice cream, when all you really wanted was the ice cream in the first place...

[HerbTee]

Right Mank. My wife and I watched the entire 4-day DNC Convention on C-SPAN each night and it was excellent...straight coverage with no commercials or talking heads! We also saw speakers on C-SPAN that some of the MSM outlets didn't see fit to air. There was a Convention speech by Obama's half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng that I heard was ignored by CNN. C-SPAN is the way to go for a large political gathering of this magnitude.