MSNBC Defends Lack Of Weekend Iran Coverage: "We Were Monitoring The Situation Closely...We Had An Anchor And Crew Standing By"

Los Angeles Times:

For its part, the network defended its handling of the Iran crisis, saying it was ready to spring into action if the situation there escalated further.

"We were monitoring the situation closely and decided that we would cover the situation with hourly updates," MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines wrote in an e-mail response to questions. "We had an anchor and crew standing by."

Read the whole story: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[lukebenward]

Lazy bunch of [b]astards who want it both ways. They want to be considered a "real" news channel, but they use practically ANY day (Valentine's Day, Groundhog's Day, St. Patrick's Day) to take the day off and stick on a bunch of crappy filler programming of Doc Blocks. Either [p]iss, or get off the bot. Decide WHO you want to be! Even if CNN runs a one-hour documentary on the plight of an average Iraqi family in 2009 coping w/ life in a post-Saddam Iraq would be MORE "news" than running "Prison: Alabama", "Prison Upstate NY", "To Catch A Predator Miami".

[sarabono]

Folks, MSNBC doesn't have a news gathering organization. They are Not a News channel. They are a "set piece" network based upon a few personalities with there own "private shows" and fill the weekends with cheap reruns.

[Disdain]

Did the story have anything to do with Fox? No. MSNBC is not interested!

[Tulka2]

Main stream media is doing no better a job now than they did under Bush.

If you are not checking sites outside the United States, you will never know what is going on.

For instance the link below will take you to a story on BBC T.V. this evening. I went to the google machine and typed in "Pakistan drone 80" and found the story from another source straight away.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8575556

[ashb]

TRMS is my favorite cable news show (and Rachel has done an excellent job of covering Iran this week) but I cannot take MSNBC seriously as a news channel. Whenever there is a big news story, I turn to CNN. (Unless it's between 9PM and 10PM Eastern.)

[JakeMontero]

agree!

[aznurse]

I miss MSNBC on weekends, but maybe they'll have a combo show when the Bush admin. all appear on LOCK-UP!

[TheStreamAlwaysWins]

THIS is very very funny!

[bkgrizz80]

I love watching MSNBC. I just can't understand their love for convicts on the weekend. Look, cons don't mean anything to me or the rest of the world when so much is going on. You need to report more news on the weekend. Enough with the "Predators, Prisoners & the like". Report the news!

[Scarlet Fire90]

It's all very easy to figure.

Follow the money. They could easily have news programming on weekends. But you'd have to pay those people.

[Tulka2]

Their prison coverage i at first found exploitative and well... distasteful because it's entirely outside of my little corner of the universe, but now think MSNBC's prison coverage is subversive as hell. I mean that in a good way. An enlightened society uses prisons as re-education and rehabilitative centers. Our prisons are in the pit of hell.

"and it's a hard and it's a hard and it's a hard rain that's gonna fall". - B. D.

[epiphany1234]

I am delighted they didn't cover the Iranian demonstrations.

No one story requires 24/7 saturation by EVERY cable and network channel.

Thankfully, at least MSNBC realized as much.

[Tulka2]

I watch a lot of MSNBC, but have no illusion i will find news. What i find there, and i like it, is talk ABOUT the news. CNN is the same thing. There is no news on cable. Remember the good old days when CNN was actually a news station?

I get my news at BBC news on line. I get my news from "The New York Times" on line. Twice a week i treat us to a hard copy of that newspaper. Ahhh, bliss. Hours of bliss.

[NewsMix]

"MSNBC, The Place For Politics." Except on weekends ;)

[Solja]

Exactly.

MSNBC is my favorite channel, next to the DIY shows, but I hate that they have zero news on the weekends. I don't think they know we actually listen/read news over the weekend. That jail junk is a total turn-off. All they are showing on the weekends are how this country is jailing millions of minorities and creating lifetime criminals. It's an awful thing to showcase week after week.

[pricespector]

What's MSNBC? Never heard of it.

[SamEllison]

This really about NBC news with MSNBC being their cable 24 hour news outlet.
Should NBC be given space and license to broadcast without a proper news outlet?
Don't these media conglomerates owe the public something?

[Solja]

No, they don't. They only owe their advertisers.

[PeaceIsMyName]

Why does MSNBC need to cover it when people can get the coverage from Twitter? That's where CNN is getting their information.
Twitter is a wonderful reliable source.

[IQ]

MSNBC forfeits their press credentials for almost 60+hours on the
weekend in the name of profit. OK. I'm disappoint­ed..
But OK I understand the necessity to make the venture worthwhile.
But the dedicated audience that you sacrifice in the name of higher ratings
or broader audience appeal gets screwed because they don't see the
investment in your telecast.
ie MSNBC can't afford to broadcast in High Definition!!??
MSNBC needs new management­...!!

[mikefina]

Even if profitable (a dubious proposition), MSNBC isn't a "worthwhile venture". SOO glad it isn't included in my basic cable package.

[PG13]

MSNBC on the week-end is like non-existent, I never ever tune it too crappy prison reality TV shows they have on the week-end.

this is why CNN trumps them... week-end coverage