The new Pope will not be entirely "new" as he follows most of the rigidity Pope Benedict XVI exhibited, so we can go back to what we were doing, safe in the knowledge that at least some things don't change. In other places in the world, however, too much change goes on, throwing-off our daily schedules. If you're not on your iPad or Smartphone or at the office 24/7, you very well might watch TV sometimes and have favourites on your MUST WATCH list. And then – poof! – the show is gone or the anchor is missing at the desk, replaced by someone with a less friendly face or manner. Bummer.
Well, here we go again! The latest Change In Partners/Hosts on TV is once again from MSNBC, my once MOST WATCHED network, now falling behind Investigation Discovery where I can get my daily dose of blood-sport, intrigue, back-stabbing (literally), scandals – all of these delightful stories – outside of politics. From my POV, MSNBC is possibly shooting its "self" in their sore footsies again with the latest planned anchor/show host/show change.
To what, you ask, am I referring? The burly, very outspoken, Plain English Kind Of Guy, Ed Schultz, is leaving his primetime, highly rated The Ed Show on MSNBC to do a few hours on weekends at the network for greater "in-depth" stories closer to Ed's heart.
Okay. We've heard this sort of reasoning/excuse/explanation before when someone leaves their program/position by "choice." But I'm not so sure what is honestly going down this time. Between the recent serious health issue concerning his wife, and Ed's determination to become the Major Voice for the Working Folk, any or all of the "stuff" being tossed out to the media and the audience regarding the shift is possible without adding a jaded eye to the Fine Print. MSNBC has made good programming-hosting decisions, and, as with all networks of any kind, have also made mistakes.
First, when Keith Olbermann left his slot and MSNBC chose to place the lower-key, non-fiery in attitude Lawrence O'Donnell in that time frame I knew, by simple instinct, that it was a wrong move. Those of us who watched Countdown were used to the intense energy Olbermann exuded in his shows. He was able to succinctly, often eloquently and pompously, vent the frustration many of his viewers were feeling and wanted to see someone in the media fully expressing for some kind of sanity and balance during the Dubya Years. He continued to blaze on when Obama took office, but then, that ole' "poof" took over and he was gone! Just like that!
Suddenly, in the Ire's Fire Time Slot, there was uber-gentleman Lawrence O'Donnell calmly expressing the new frustrations we were feeling about the GOP with a lulling tone that sent most of us to sleep. I felt that a better move at the beginning would have been to put fiery Ed into Keith's slot, and have O'Donnell wind-up the primetime lineup – which eventually happened to higher ratings for all. But, it required months and months of flagging ratings for both shows for someone at the network to grasp what the essence of that time slot was truly all about, which is a strong, vocal human passion over injustices of every kind for everyone with an Open Mind and at least a slightly Liberal Bent.
But now that Ed is slipping away to the corners of MSNBC's weird weekend programming lineup, it seems that no one at the network "got it" the first time around based on their choice of Ed's replacement: Nerdy Chris Hayes, who has slowly been creeping up the NBC Grooming Vine, will now go from weekends to weekdays in that coveted time slot. He has neither the fire or the sense or moral outrage that both Olbermann and Schultz have which is what is expected from that network at 8:00 ET, 5:00 PST.
As a viewer, I want less Headiness Talk at that hour and more emotion. After that, I'm ready for Nerdy With Humour & Emotion from Rachael Maddow. And, should I care to continue watching TV, Lawrence O'Donnell's show following Rachael's feels just right for that time of night and is almost bearable when he isn't enunciating Every. Single. Word. Ad. Nauseum.
Disclaimer: I've always had difficulty relating to Chris Hayes. I find him to be shrill-ish (though he's toned-it-down a tad over the months), too word-ish, not funny or even witty (not suggesting he tries to be either one, but still…), and, in general, a bore. I can understand why The Suits at Comcast (which/that/whom owns NBC which/that/whom, in turn, owns MSNBC yadda yadda) would like to gain a younger demographic of Nerdy-Types whom Rachael attracted at the beginning before almost everyone fell in love with her brain and modesty, and how, on paper, it would seem logical to place another nerd, this time the Male Version Of Rachael (which is how I've always perceived the network's pushing-him-in-our-faces-all-of-the-time) back-to-back with each other.
But, it ain't gonna work. True, this time the transition is different in that Ed is no Keith, and most of us at that juncture were still feeling that 5/8:00 PM (or whatever time it was on for your area) void of Keith's Righteous Indignation-Fueled Verbiage that the only successful replacement for him at first needed to be someone who carried the same torch, albeit in a less refined manner, as Ed finally proved.
Now it's to be a Nerdy-Nerd with a Nerdy-Nerd's Voice (literally and figuratively). I don't think I can with Chris. He's probably a very decent guy in person, but he's not for me on TV, thank you very much.
So, what to do at 5:00 PST when Chris takes over in April? Hello World! I finally have the impetus to go for daily walks in the 'hood! Or use that hour to take a lovely late-day shower…
No matter what I do, MSNBC, you're losing me increasingly.
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