DC staff irked as NBC News eyes cuts

j-mac · Dec 23, 2013

NBC News boss Deborah Turness is spending the last few days of the year eyeing cuts — moves that could include axing some senior on-air talent, The Post has learned.Turness, brought on in August to shake up the moribund news division — where “Meet the Press” and “Today” had stumbled — is in the midst of a host of end-of -year buyouts and cost reductions, sources said.
The current moves are not the first time Turness has irked journalists under her command.
NBC veterans have complained privately that Turness is not serious enough, sources said.
“Instead of getting better, NBC News has been getting worse,” said one executive. “It’s a mess.”
The grumblings are centered on Turness’ more aggressive tabloid style.
One senior NBC News executive was so outraged by her changes that he went over her head to complain to her superiors that the two simply can’t work together.
NBC News has been accused of checkbook journalism for landing key videos and interviews. The network denied paying for interviews.
NBC News paid to secure footage of a group of skydivers involved in an accident and also gained exclusive rights to access the youngster Hannah Anderson, who was kidnapped by a family friend.
Turness was drafted during the summer with a mandate to drag “Today” out of second place behind ABC.
The move to cut jobs has morale low, sources said.
Particularly distressed by the changes is the DC bureau team, whose duties include providing political coverage to “Nightly News with Brian Williams” and Sunday talk show “Meet The Press.”
Turness has been trying to figure out the future for David Gregory’s “Meet the Press,” with options including bringing in MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” team of Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for a Sunday show, or blowing up the entire franchise and trying something completely different, sources familiar with the situation said.

DC staff irked as NBC News eyes cuts | New York Post

Trouble in far left paradise? Oh my....First Chris Matthews let's loose with his own disillusionment with Obama, no more thrill up the leg...Now the boss is eyeing 'Meet the depressed'....Oh my.....

Helix · Dec 23, 2013

NBC nightly is pretty good. MSNBC is worthless, and should be dropped. just because the right has fox doesn't mean that the left needs an equivalent. plus, honestly, MSNBC isn't even as effective of a partisan entertainment network as fox is. comedy central kicks its ass.

j-mac · Dec 23, 2013

Helix said:
NBC nightly is pretty good. MSNBC is worthless, and should be dropped. just because the right has fox doesn't mean that the left needs an equivalent. plus, honestly, MSNBC isn't even as effective of a partisan entertainment network as fox is. comedy central kicks its ass.

Yay! I'm just glad someone posted....I thought I bombed....heh, heh....

Helix · Dec 23, 2013

j-mac said:
Yay! I'm just glad someone posted....I thought I bombed....heh, heh....

i do what i can.

washunut · Dec 23, 2013

j-mac said:
Trouble in far left paradise? Oh my....First Chris Matthews let's loose with his own disillusionment with Obama, no more thrill up the leg...Now the boss is eyeing 'Meet the depressed'....Oh my.....

NBC News. Seems like an oxymoron.

j-mac · Dec 24, 2013

washunut said:
NBC News. Seems like an oxymoron.

News today period sometimes seems like that.

Wiseone · Dec 24, 2013

j-mac said:
Trouble in far left paradise? Oh my....First Chris Matthews let's loose with his own disillusionment with Obama, no more thrill up the leg...Now the boss is eyeing 'Meet the depressed'....Oh my.....

Hrmmm being a cheer leader for a business conducting layoffs?

Check it out man, Fox News, NBC News, CNN, ABC, all these news organizations are businesses and are owned by other businesses, there is no "left wing" or "right wing" way these companies are run, they are just ran without a thought to what their primarily political focus is when the cameras are rolling. If you think that these news organizations, many of which like Fox and MSNBC are specifically designed entirely around the idea of spoon feeding bias and bull**** to their audience because that's what keeps them coming back and what keeps ad revenue up. They don't want to make you think, they aren't actually interested in the politics itself, they are interested in selling you a product and the politics are just a means to that end.

j-mac · Dec 24, 2013

Wiseone said:
Hrmmm being a cheer leader for a business conducting layoffs?

Check it out man, Fox News, NBC News, CNN, ABC, all these news organizations are businesses and are owned by other businesses, there is no "left wing" or "right wing" way these companies are run, they are just ran without a thought to what their primarily political focus is when the cameras are rolling. If you think that these news organizations, many of which like Fox and MSNBC are specifically designed entirely around the idea of spoon feeding bias and bull**** to their audience because that's what keeps them coming back and what keeps ad revenue up. They don't want to make you think, they aren't actually interested in the politics itself, they are interested in selling you a product and the politics are just a means to that end.

Well, that seems like a relatively elementary concept. But, the public's tolerance for bias is, I think reaching a maximum level short of action. It is this that rational people are fed up with, and largely tune out. That is why I think the smart money is on outlets like MSNBC, and Sunday shows like Meet the press searching for a more moderate tone.

Remember, more than half the country is moderate, to moderate right leaning, so when they tune in to shows like MTP, and see David Gregory hosting his usual slanted show with a panel that doesn't represent one voice that is right leaning, they in large change the channel.