Wednesday, November 02, 2005
help for MSNBC
I blog to be helpful, and I give good advice, I know. If Harriet had just listened to me about the make-up and clothes on the very day of her nomination, she might be on her way to confirmation even now. If Lauren Green had taken my advice and had her photo on the FNC web site updated to make her look less like an 8mile hooker, she might be getting the on-air time that Kiran Chetry is. If some of the FNC personnel took half of the Lady MacBethian ideas I send them via email seriously, they would be ruling FNC's world today.
Now I have some helpful words for MSNBC. Remember them? They were going to be the first truly interactive (with their audience) news source, and all of the hip-hoppers were going to flock to them to see their hot and trendsetting star anchor, Soledad O'Brien. Well, CNN now has Wolf's personal multiplex, and Soledad is now their pearl strand wearing, middle aged mommy morning host (with much more in common with Jane Pauley than with Shep Smith), FNC has masterered viewer interaction and cornered the youngish male market with its swift pace and knockout female news anchors and reporters, and MSNBC is still the news channel of also-ran wannabes.
MSNBC, there is still a way in which you can succeed and make your own bold mark on this business, and although it may not sound the most glamorous route, when the advertisers line up to pay top rates for time on your network, you can buy all the glamour you want:
- Find a middle road that speaks to middle-everything America: middle age, middle class, middle geographically, middle-brow (that may be a step up from the competition). Here's a free slogan idea for you: "MSNBC. The M stands for Middle". Have your marketing team play with it.
- This middle road has to be cultural and physical as well as political. Big, splashy art exhibits open in art museums other than the Met (yes there are major American cities with major American art museums west of the Hudson), first tier musical companies exist out here and performances of musical and dramatic works debut on the frontier. During the recent spate of heavy rains in the the northeast, I heard a FNC talking head say, "Oh no-more rain-well not rain all across the country, just rain in the Northeast where everybody lives". I lived on the east coast for long enough to be very familiar with the deeply held belief that beyond Philadelphia no civilization actually exists--but it does, and remarks like this are not only annoying to those of us west of Phila, they are alienating. To make this middle road real, rather than seem condescending, you're going to need to move your headquarters. Chicago would probably work well as your mother-ship, or how 'bout Detroit (property is cheap and business incentives are really good now), with maybe a secondary facility in Omaha, or DeMoines? These cities will be the center of the MSNBC universe from now on--when it's raining there, it's raining everywhere.
- The political middle road may be harder to find, but it will fall somewhere between FNC's take and CNN's. You'll need to study voting patterns to get a better feel, but your tone will be closer to conservative than liberal. Split the difference between the two big players, take the center, forcing them to be more extreme in order to differentiate themselves, and carve out a bigger share for yourself.
- I'm overgeneralizing here, but the youth market watches FNC and the oldsters CNN. You can woo the boomers and the older gen xers. You won't want the cutting edge newsguys of the future anchors like Shep or Anderson, but you can have the cream of the crop of the 40 something men and women who never quite made it to the top tier. These transitional type anchors are engaged in their stories, but don't want to project the touchy feely passion that viewers have come to admire in Shep and Anderson, nor do they project the stiff upper lipness of Cronkite. Brian Wilson of FNC would be the perfect candidate for your star anchorman. He projects heartland common sense, has a gracious style with guests, an appropriately wacky sense of humor and plays as the all 'round mensch we like here west of civilization. You can keep Lester if you must, but he will need to be sort of a specialty anchor, perhaps he can be a news anchor with a particular twist.
- That other John Roberts reminded us of a phrase most of us (one hopes) haven't heard since high school, "Sloppy Seconds", when asking about Sam Alito. Forget that phrase. What you want to do is hire the really good, but non a-listers away from CNN and FNC. They already have a track record and their own followings, and if CNN and FNC didn't know they were good, they wouldn't keep them around. These are the really competent news people who either have already passed their star turns at their respective stations, or will never reach them there, usually because they're a few years too old, a few pounds too chubby or just not hip enough. Tucker Carlson should have brought you more viewers than he has, but you were on the right track when you snapped up Rita Cosby from FNC, and she's bringing in the numbers . Get her advice on who else you might snatch away from FNC, and in addition to Brian Wilson, take a good look at Lauren Green, Kelly Wright, Donna Fiducia, Carol Iovanna (all currently working for FNC), Aaron Brown (but wait till he completes his fall from grace--he'll be cheaper) and Carol Costello (both of CNN). You'll want diversity in both ethnic background and age in reaching the vast middle.
You'll have to take it from here, but I've given you a good game plan. Find me right here if you need any further help.
Posted by Kate ::
7:43 AM ::
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