MSNBC president Phil Griffin spoke to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Marisa Guthrie about his network, and the state of the cable news competition.
Griffin was candid, saying that there is a certain Fox News personality he would love to poach:
THR: Is there an on-air personality on another network that you would like to have?
Griffin: Yes. I don’t know if I should say this. [Fox News anchor] Shep Smith. I just like his way. I like everything about him.Advertisement
He was also asked whether the network’s recent ratings rise is sustainable:
I think we’re going to come out of the election much closer to Fox. In 2008, prior to the conventions, we were a distant third to Fox and CNN. During the election buildup, between the conventions and the election, we didn’t beat CNN until October. And then in 2009, we overtook CNN. So we went from distant third to second, and now we’ve been a strong second for a number of years. We’re nipping on Fox’s heels.