{"id":15800,"date":"2013-06-05T12:26:27","date_gmt":"2013-06-05T17:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/is-msnbc-the-place-for-opinion\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:30:44","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:30:44","slug":"is-msnbc-the-place-for-opinion","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2013\/06\/05\/is-msnbc-the-place-for-opinion\/","title":{"rendered":"Is MSNBC the place for opinion?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MSNBC president Phil Griffin generated plenty of media attention this week when he said, in a New York Times interview, that his channel was \u201cnot the place\u201d for breaking news. \u201cOur brand is not that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Griffin was responding to a significant decline in MSNBC\u2019s ratings, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/06\/03\/business\/media\/devoted-to-politics-msnbc-slips-on-breaking-news.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=0\">which the Times reported<\/a> was down 18% in prime time in the second quarter of 2013 compared with the same period in 2012. In May 2013, MSNBC\u2014which often has the second highest cable news ratings behind the Fox News Channel\u2014fell to fourth place, trailing even HLN, which was once known as CNN Headline News.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One theory for its current ratings woes is that the recent spate of big breaking news events\u2014 such as the Boston Marathon bombing, the Oklahoma tornados and the Jodi Arias trial\u2014does not play to the strengths of a channel better known for opinion than newsgathering.\u00a0The channel\u2019s marketing slogan, \u201cThe Place for Politics,\u201d fits with its prime-time lineup heavy on liberal-leaning commentary.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a href=\"http:\/\/stateofthemedia.org\/2013\/special-reports-landing-page\/the-changing-tv-news-landscape\/\">Pew Research analysis of news content<\/a> on the three major cable channels conducted late last year \u00a0\u00a0found that the highly competitive world of cable news is a mix of reporting and opinion, with a good deal of the latter, particularly in prime time. But the analysis of 108 hours of cable programming over three days in November and December 2012 showed that MSNBC was an outlier compared with its rivals.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><!--more--><\/p>\n\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-247681\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/6-5-2013-12-03-43-PM.png\" alt=\"6-5-2013 12-03-43 PM\" width=\"475\" height=\"383\"><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the Pew Research sample, two of the three major cable news channels had a fairly even distribution of airtime devoted to opinion and to newsgathering. CNN was the only one to feature more reporting (54%) than opinion (46%) overall. At the Fox News Channel, the split leaned toward moderately more opinion (55%) than reporting (45%).<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On MSNBC, however, the mix of news and commentary skewed heavily in one direction. Fully 85% of the channel\u2019s airtime in the period studied was devoted to opinion. Only 15% of its programming was filled with reporting. \u00a0And the time of day really didn\u2019t matter. The percentage of MSNBC airtime devoted to opinion was more than 80% in the morning (6-10 a.m.), mid-day (12-3 p.m.) and evening (6-10 p.m.)<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pew Research analysis offers a snapshot of cable content, but the reporting\/opinion gap between MSNBC and its two top competitors is striking. And the numbers buttress Griffin\u2019s acknowledgement that covering breaking news is not his channel\u2019s sweet spot.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MSNBC president Phil Griffin generated plenty of media attention this week when he said, in a New York Times interview, that his channel was \u201cnot the place\u201d for breaking news. \u201cOur brand is not that.\u201d Griffin was responding to a significant decline in MSNBC\u2019s ratings, which the Times reported was down 18% in prime time 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