Deeper shake-ups are ahead for MSNBC as ratings have dipped for the liberal-leaning television network, putting it in last place behind news competitors like Fox News, CNN and even HLN,
Politico reported.
Daytime viewership dipped 21 percent this year alone, while prime time fell off 24 percent overall. Perhaps more telling, daytime viewership is down 41 percent among what television networks view as the golden demographic, the 25- to 54-year-olds, and has fallen off 42 percent for that same group in prime time, Politico said.
The sagging numbers mark MSNBC's lowest since 2005.
MSNBC President Phil Griffin told his staff that the outlook was poor in a memo sent out in December warning of problems.
Sources told Politico that "every program is at risk of being moved or cancelled," even though such well-knowns as "The Rachel Maddow Show" and "Morning Joe" are likely to be fine. But already shows like "Ronan Farrow Daily" and the "Reid Report" have gotten the ax.
"The plan is to re-imagine what the channel is, because the current lineup is a death wish," a top NBCUniversal source privy to the network's shake-up plans told Politico.
New NBC News Group Chairman Andrew Lack is expected to remedy the left-leaning focus of programming and return to more news coverage and less opinion banter, Politico said. The network announced his return earlier this month,
The New York Times reported.
Lack's hire shows the deeper issues he must fix, which includes boosting "Today" show ratings and also re-imagining "Meet the Press," the Times said.
"You bring in a seasoned veteran to stabilize the ship, and that is what Andy Lack is," University of Maryland Professor Mark Feldstein told the Times. "They realize that the problem was deeper than just one anchor monster."
Some media critics have theorized that MSNBC's ratings have dipped in correlation to President Barack Obama's popularity, a notion embraced by conservatives,
Salon said.
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