The AP’s David Bauder reports that MSNBC is so pleased with the numbers that Keith Olbermann’s 10pmET repeat is pulling, that the network is continuing to put on hold a search for new talent to fill the time slot. Still, MSNBC president Phil Griffin says he’s looking, “but nothing (new) has even come close to going in there at 10,” says Griffin.
We reported yesterday that the “Countdown” repeat bested “Anderson Cooper 360” in the A25-54 demo in October for the first time. Olbermann believes CNN’s approach is at fault:
“CNN seems to still think it is the primary source for its viewers, that they know nothing until they tune in,” Olbermann told The Associated Press. “This is, ever increasingly, nonsensical. People now watch news on TV for elucidation and context and analysis. They have brought the facts with them, the way we used to bring TV dinners.”
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We asked Cenk Uygur of the “Young Turks” for his reaction. He won our TVNewser poll back in February, which asked who should get the 10pm slot. He tells TVNewser, “Business as usual is more than enough to beat CNN these days, but I would strive for more.” Uygur says he has “all the respect in the world for MSNBC” and is “delighted and amused” at the success of Olbermann’s repeat against Cooper, but adds, “They are still losing to Greta Van Susteren at 10PM, which should be an unacceptable state of affairs.”
Uygur gave us these numbers comparing his online show to some cable shows and told us, “CNN is not the right goal, Fox News is.”