Six days after walking away in a huff, the MSNBC host returned to his spot on the blog on Tuesday morning, with the headline “So, uh, this looks like a nice site.” He began: “OK, I’m back.”
MSNBC has no viewers to spare. So when you appeal to a niche market you belong to that niche, period!
After all if Jay Nordlinger can be so insulted what’s to stop him? And will his listeners be ready to believe? After all he is appearing at a teaparty and appearing for a Republican!
Then again a man who has faced down actual evil and repression is unlikely to be intimidated by the likes of a MSNBC host.
We have many strong personalities with differing, passionate opinions, but it is important to remember that we are all on the same team. I want to reiterate my long-standing policy: We do not publicly criticize our colleagues. This kind of behavior is unprofessional and will not be tolerated.emphasis mine
And what was that unprofessional behavior that crossed the line, I hesitate to post it, but here it is:
Obermann calls Brown a “homophobic racist reactionary” who “supports violence against women.” How reckless and how sad.
How unprofessional! How inflammatory, how disruptive!
The real issue here is that MSNBC’s evening lineup is designed for a niche market. That niche is a far left market and its viewership and ratings reflect it. Morning Joe audience is much more mixed and tends to appeal to both sides of the aisle. Mr. Scarborough also has a radio program that precedes Rush Limbaugh on the air and has a different demographic and frankly temperament.
There is nothing wrong with niche marketing, you can make a good living off of it, but niche markets usually have specific wants. As long as MSNBC’s profit is dependent on that niche market what is considered “unprofessional” and what is considered “passionate” will be defined by said market and might cause some confusion when viewed by people outside of it.