The Cosby Show

Talks to bring Rita Cosby to MSNBC began several months ago, when Phil Griffin was still VP of primetime. (Cosby’s FNC contract expired six months ago.) Cosby says leaving the first-place cable net was “110 percent” her decision. An FNC rep responded this afternoon: “It’s no surprise Rita would concoct her own fantasy version of events, but we had a right to match her contract and chose not to — that speaks for itself.”

Meanwhile, cable newsers sure have strong feelings about Rita Cosby. Check out this sampling of messages from the TVNewser tip box recently:

> “Her cutting corners, stealing from other news organizations, and ‘financial’ irregularities in dealing with contacts/sources and etc. will not allow her to last very long at the Peacock network,” an e-mailer asserts.

> “Rita Cosby’s colleagues at Fox used to take bets during her live field reports about how long until she used the word ‘me.’ Experienced hands would usually place their bets on 10 seconds or less. The fact is, Rita Cosby is the most narcissistic self promoting correspondent in cable TV,” a D.C. vet says.

> The National Enquirer’s Michael Hanrahan is quoted in Maureen Orth’s August 2003 Vanity Fair piece about the Peterson media circus: “I think Rita Cosby is another Jayson Blair — I think she just copies us without quoting us.” Cosby said it was “outrageous:” “I don’t even read The National Enquirer” — but later admitted that she did read it.

> “Good luck to the likeable Cosby who ultimately could not crack the starting lineup on Fox. Maybe she will fare better as the big fish in the small pond that is MSNBC,” Ira Simmons blogs.