comment #1

Deathtongue_Groupie says ...

Considering that both Mathews & Olbermann are considered "loud" and that the last person MSNBC hired off of Air America was the delightful Rachael Maddows, Sam Seder might be the way to go.

comment #2

Scott Mendelson says ...

Sam Seder would be a fine choice. As long as they understand that giving two major Air America stars their own shows in a matter of months will permanently brand MSNBC as the liberal counter point to Fox News. No harm in that... it's why I watch the network, but it must be acknowledged. As it is, I'd love to see Stephanie Miller get a showbiz gossip/politics show. She's an AM laugh riot, even in the nastiest of LA traffic jams..

comment #3

Renfield says ...

Although it would be a huge step for him, I almost hope Cenk DOESN'T get the job. What makes him so appealing to me is the looseness he's granted from having his own internet/ sat radio show.

I really think that muffling him (or maybe toning-down is the better term) for corporate television would be almost conterproductive.

Just stick to guesting on other people's shows from time to time, give your opinion, take the check and save the money to make your self-made empire bigger.

comment #4

Zac Bertschy says ...

Sam Seder's voice gets a little tiresome because he winds up raising his pitch and going into these long periods of sounding outraged. I'd be happy if he got his own show, but he'd have to turn the outrage down to about a 9 or so if he wants to avoid being branded as grating.

Thank god they're not considering Randi Rhodes.

comment #5

Cadavra says ...

I'm with Scott. Stephanie Miller would be sensaysh.

comment #6

ihavenobias says ...

Cenk would be a great choice because:

1)-He's made huge inroads with New Media. The TYT youtube channel reached over 63 million views in 18 months which is astounding for anyone familiar with the format. Cenk would represent an inevitable and invaluable bridge between cable news and the internet.

2)-Building off of #1, Cenk could bring in an untapped, younger demographic. You know, all those young people who got involved this last election aren't necessarily interested in listening to yet another old white guy on TV.

3)-He's had an insanely impressive guest list which includes: Rachel Maddow, Arianna Huffington, Ted Kennedy, Michael Moore, Alan Greenspan, Grover Norquist, Howard Dean, Naomi Klein, John Cusack and way too many others to name. Imagine who he could get on MSNBC?

4)-It would add some diversity. Viewers are ready for change, and that includes the aesthetics/background of their talk show hosts. After all, we did just elect "Barack Hussein Obama".

5)-His style and delivery are very different from both Maddow and KO. And he's proven his tv presence with his stints on CNN-HN, like when he defended Gen. Wesley Clark's McCain comments.

comment #7

ZayTonday says ...

I almost agree with another poster who said that Cenk is better off staying in the new media. He already gets the best of the best in guests while Olbermann is still recycling the same 3 guys.

comment #8

Renfield says ...

I honestly think you're wrong on this one, Wells. If Cenk gets the job, you'll be here bitching about his diminishing sense of opinion in a matter of weeks.

He will be kept on a leash at one point or another. Keith has the voice of dissent and semi-brutal honesty there.

Let the man flourish in the medium that envelopes him. He HAS the viewers and succeeds on a daily basis.

Why change that?

comment #9

Krillian says ...

Has Keith ever had a guest that doesn't share his worldview? The only time I can remember seeing someone offer a different perspective was during the campaign, when Joe Scarborough spoke and Keith couldn't stomach it and interrupted him. I'm sure the vast majority here despise O'Reilly and Hannity but at least they have someone on almost every show that disagrees with them on something. It seems like Keith just engages in ego masturbation while RIchard Wolffe and Eugene Robinson nod their heads and say, "Yes, Keith, you are correct. Your wisdom is inspired. Please don't include me in your special komment."

comment #10

SaveFarris says ...

Why not just cut straight to the chase and give the job to Rahm Emmanuel?

comment #11

a1 says ...

From the article: "Stein makes the case that his format [...] because of its fusing of news and comedy -- serve as a "bridge" to Jon Stewart on Comedy Central."

Now I'm a big fan of Colbert/Stewart, but can we all agree this is the WORST direction for a "news show" to take?

As for Cenk, I'm with those saying he should stick with his Internet success. There's no way in hell MSNBC would let him say stuff like this, for example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5riUS42PWdM

So if they're going to censor him when one of his best features is his unfiltered views, why bother with a TV show?

comment #12

BlueLeader says ...

I think the issue of old media censoring Cenk is exaggerated. Sure he wont be able to do or say some things we've come to enjoy but the beauty of the Turks getting this time slot is that they are versatile and they have a way of getting down to the meat of an issue. As for cursing and being extremely blunt while he does it, well he knows when to dial it back and make his case to a larger audience.

I've seen Cenk on Cable before. He is still very much Cenk.

There are plenty of pundits who get away with murdering the truth on live television every night. I just don't see Cenk allowing them to do that on his show.

It's time that The Young Turks be heard by many more people. Cenk and and his crew have worked hard and they deserve to move up in the world. TYT for the 10pm Time slot...Of Couuuurse!

comment #13

mccool says ...

Wells, you're one of one of the 25 people still watching MSNBC in the evenings? Who cares who gets the job, they'll draw a viewership of 600,000 per night.

I used to watch MSNBC religiously from 6-9 ... now it's like listening to Tom Brokaw talk about the 60s. Jesus, get over it! Get over Bush and the Republicans. Olbermann is starting to sound like some moon-landing conspiracy theorist, His house is burning down around him and he's worried about saving some photos that show no stars in the background.

Like it or not, MSNBC is still a fringe network for only the most engrossed liberals out there( at least the liberals who like to watch and talk back to the tv and feel like they're accomplishing something). No up and coming star in their right mind would go there voluntarily. Maddow got caught up in the election viewership bubble and now she's barely drawing a million viewers a night.