Games - MSNBC

	Games - MSNBC

MSNBC (a portmanteau of Microsoft
and NBC) is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States. MSNBC is currently America's third most-watched cable news channel , after Fox News, and CNN, but ahead of CNBC and CNN Headline News. It is available in 83.6 million households in the U.S. and broadcasts primarily out of its studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Currently, MSNBC is a mix of opinion hosts from across the political spectrum: Keith Olbermann leans to the left; Chris Matthews, although he admittedly supported George W. Bush for president, was a former speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter and is only recently leaning to the right; while Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman from Florida, and Tucker Carlson are solidly on the right. Opinion is combined with rolling news coverage during the day. During a recent interview with the new head of MSNBC, it was announced that several changes would be made with the cancellation of Connected Coast to Coast and two weekend entertainment shows MSNBC At the Movies and MSNBC Entertainment Hotlist, which was co-anchored by former KTLA news anchor Sharon Tay, which ceased production December 2005.

MSNBC was founded by Microsoft and General Electric's NBC unit, which is now NBC Universal. Although Microsoft and NBC shared operations of the venture at its founding, it was announced on December 23, 2005 that NBC Universal will purchase a majority stake in the television network, leaving Microsoft with 18%. MSNBC.com, MSNBC's vastly more popular online component, remains half-owned by each partner. MSNBC, like sister channel CNBC, shares the NBC logo of a rainbow peacock. It is rumored that NBC Universal will more than likely rename MSNBC as NBC News Channel in the very near future .

History

Development

Microsoft and NBC announced on December 14, 1995 that they would be creating MSNBC. The stated purpose was to combine the resources and reputation of NBC News with the technology of Microsoft to bring an integrated news service on the Microsoft Network and cable television. Microsoft would invest $220 million for a 50% share of the cable network, while MSNBC and Microsoft would share the cost of a $200 million newsroom based in Redmond, Washington. NBC would supply the space from the 18 month old America's Talking network. Interestingly, Roger Ailes, then president of America's Talking, was passed over when NBC executives were looking for someone to run their new cable news operation. Ailes subsequently joined News Corporation as president of the newly-formed CNN rival, Fox News Channel.

MSNBC utilized America's Talking's subscriber base of 20 million cable households. NBC was concerned about competition in the cable news field from the other established networks: CBS was considering partnering with CNN, and ABC was creating their own news channel. Furthermore, NBC felt that their expansion could be accomplished without a significant increase in costs. Partnering with Microsoft made sense for NBC, since they already had smaller-scale agreement for NBC News to provide some news content to the Microsoft Network.

Launch

MSNBC was launched on July 15, 1996 at 9AM EDT from studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The first show, anchored by Jodi Applegate, broadcast an eclectic lineup of news, interviews, and opinions. During the day, rolling news coverage continued with The Contributors, a show that featured Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham, as well as interactive programming coordinated by Applegate, John Gibson, and John Seigenthaler Jr. Stories were generally longer and more detailed than the stories running on CNN at the time.

MSNBC originally demonstrated the interactive value of the Internet. The network's first slogan was It's Time to Get Connected. Primetime featured an hour-long interview program called Internight (which showcased the stars of NBC News), followed by the network's flagship newscast, The News with Brian Williams, and The Site, a show about the Internet and computers co-hosted by Soledad O'Brien and a computer-generated character. The first Internight included an interview with President Bill Clinton, who took questions from callers and e-mailers. Other shows that made use of the internet included News Chat featuring Mary Kathleen Flynn, and a look into the past with Time & Again anchored by Jane Pauley. Black Entertainment Television host Ed Gordon also contributed to the new network by hosting the Saturday version of Internight.

The start was a bit rocky due to a series of changes in management and continuing internal squabbles over the direction of the network. In addition, NBC affiliates were concerned that the cross-promotion would divert viewers from their own programs, although that fear abated as the years passed. However, MSNBC was often first to break news. It broke the story of the crash of TWA Flight 800 eight minutes before CNN, ushering in an era of hypercompetitiveness between the news channels that continues today.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for MSNBC ]

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