Following MSNBC’s sharp drop to fourth in cable news channel ratings, the network’s president has a message to viewers: “We’re not the place for [breaking news]. Our brand is not that.”
In an interview with the New York Times, MSNBC President Phil Griffin said that though the left-wing news network generally covers the day-to-day happenings of the political world, viewers should not expect to see it covering breaking news.
“To say ‘news channel’ in the modern age is irrelevant,” he told the Times. “E is a news channel. The Weather Channel is a news channel. Politico is a newspaper. They all do news and information in a different way.”
But despite Griffin’s revelation, the network does seem to cover issues that would qualify as breaking news.
Not long after the Supreme Court announced its decision in favor of allowing DNA samples from those arrested, the channel’s website posted an article on the opinion.
And though MSNBC largely relies on correspondents from NBC News — as they lack their own — the network classifies itself as reporting “news for the next generation with world-class reporting and a full schedule of live news coverage…” according to its website.
Though MSNBC typically holds a close second in cable news channel ratings behind Fox News, it fell to fourth in May, the Times said, dropping behind CNN and HLN, CNN’s sister channel.
And compared to the network’s ratings last year, MSNBC saw a 20 percent drop. But that, Griffin told the Times, can be attributed to viewers’ tiring of politics and the media’s recent turnings against President Barack Obama. The network has consistently championed for the president.
So for viewers looking for top-notch coverage of breaking news, MSNBC may not be the place for them.
