MSNBC prez on Fox News: "You can't trust a word they say"

MSNBC president Phil Griffin spoke with me earlier this week, a few hours after he was promoted to his new post (see my earlier story). Because of what the techies call a "catastrophic failure" of my hard drive (a strange phrase, since nobody died or even got hurt), I couldn't produce a podcast from our interview. So I'm going old school and writing down the quotes.

I was curious to know how Griffin would react to statements made by Fox News executive John Moody when I interviewed him earlier this week at press tour. (Here's my story from Friday's Kansas City Star.) Moody said that MSNBC's rise was attributable to the "messianic ranting" of its anchors. First, Griffin issued a disclaimer: "You brought this up," he said. "OK," I said. And then he let loose.

First, let me back up to where I read to him Moody's quote about "messianic ranting." As I read those words, Griffin said, "Fantastic! Just fantastic. Fox News has never talked about us in a decade. Ever. That's fantastic."

"Cheap shot aside," I said, "it seems what Fox is saying is that MSNBC has done well during the political season, in fact, we might even qualify that to say you've done well during the Obama juggernaut. But --"

"Look," said Griffin. "I totally respect Fox News and what they did. But it's totally cynical. For them to say that is outrageous. They saw an opportunity years ago to create an ideological channel. And they did. I give them total credit. I tip my hat to them. They scored.  But it was ideological and opportunistic. It was a business plan.

"We didn't do that. We go out and hire the best people that we can and give them freedom. Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann were arguing in point-of-view programs against the war when the war was popular. This wasn't a business decision. .... We're not tied to ideology the way they are. We're still NBC News, best newsgathering organization in the world, we have a couple of point-of-view people, but we have a variety of opinions you don't see elsewhere.

"But we're more fun. We're more interesting. We're smarter. We don't talk down to the audience. So when I hear something like that it does make me mad, because it's outrageous. You brought it up! You've gotta make that--"

"Phil, I have no trouble writing about myself in the first person."

"What they are trying to do is play a game here," Griffin continued. "THEY made the business decision to create an ideological network. We didn't. They were the ones that got in bed with the Bush Administration, so that most of the time, where did the Bush Administration officials come out and make their points? Fox News. We didn't. You brought it up, but it's a great story because you can't trust a word they say.

"I have total respect for them. They went in and found a niche. They said there needs to be a place for conservative radio, a place on television for conservative TV. And they did beautifully."

"But wait," I said. "The beauty of the news-talk format is that if there's no news, there's always talk. You can use talk to get through bad news or slow news days. What Fox is saying is that your channel is more news-driven, and that after the election you don't have the talk to sustain your audience."

"Look, you have to have point-of-view programs in prime time," Griffin said. "But I'm responding to what he said. We're not like that. ... 'Mission Accomplished' -- that was their moment. That was their ideology and they played to it. We're not stuck with that. I don't care if Obama wins or McCain wins, because I know we're in such a strong position we're going to continue to have success with whatever administration goes in there in 2009. I think they care."

If anyone has a right to defend MSNBC in this way, it's Phil Griffin He's been there from the start — promotion day was also the channel's 12th anniversary — and it was his longtime association with Keith Olbermann, starting at CNN, that set MSNBC on its current trajectory. He's been wearing two hats for a while, both running MSNBC and serving as an NBC News executive, but now he's been given marching orders to build the brand and make sure the audience that has coming flocking to MSNBC in the past two years doesn't go away.

"There's a real opportunity for us here at MSNBC," he said. "We've never had it in 12 years here. Revenue, ratings, buzz, you name it — it's all come together, and this (promotion) is saying, let's really push it and succeed." (When I asked Griffin what KO's reaction was to the news of his promotion, he said, "I've known Keith  27 years. He gave me a big hug.)

Finally, Griffin shared one tidbit about programming: He wants NBC's White House correspondent, David Gregory, to keep doing his 6 p.m. roundtable show, "Race to the White House," after Election Day, presumably with a different name for the show.

"I want David to stay there," Griffin said. "The best thing that's happened to MSNBC is you've got NBC News people saying, 'Hey, I want to be on MSNBC.' That is the best things that's happened over the last year."

Comments

[NickInVirginia]

"I don't care if Obama wins or McCain wins"
"you can't trust a word they [Fox News} say"
"But we're more fun. We're more interesting. We're smarter."

Obviously, this guy doesn't watch his own network. If he listened to Olbermann and Matthews, and made statements like the above in public, the nice young men in their little white suits would be coming to take him away to the funny farm.

What's scary is the possibility he really BELIEVES that MSNBC is a credible news outlet.

[Rocky]

David Gregory is an idiot. He either goes back to being a correspondent, or MSNBC will lose viewers.

[Frank Lobo]

What a hoot - in the article, MSDNC prez says that they ARE biased toward the left, but they don't mean to be so liberal.

But, in the same article, he says you "can't trust a word of Fox News" because they lean right.

Is he serious?

This is why Fox News is NUMBER ONE in cable news (and number 5 in all of cable) and his "network" is number three in cable news (and number 29 in all of cable).

[Scott]

Well, that picture does make it look like he's drinking. That might explain his answers.

[JP]

How people can still think Fox is "unbiased" after it's been disproven so dramatically over the years is really beyond me.

[Joe]

Probably the same way that people think that the rest of the media is unbiased, even though its been proven so dramatically over the years.

Fox is just unpopular because its bias goes the other way.

[PBI]

Griffin obviously hasn't watched FNC lately - the channel has turned too left to stay fair and balanced but it sure beats the alternatives. MSNBC is a mess with their obvious liberal slant, hours of non-news programming, the rantings of Keith Olbermann (and his creepy obsession with Bill O'Reilly) and on and on. There's a reason FNC has been number 1 in the ratings for some time now - MSNBC should learn from them.

[Medford Tim]

Seems like the TV Barn comment section is chock full of right wing (insert insulting adjective here) who still don't understand that it's not Fox's EXISTENCE logical and informed people care about, it's their insistence at pretending to be anything more than a neo-con platform with racist and "greed is good" overtones to everything they produce which brings on cries of "Foul!"

To the commenter, Rocky, who brays about Fox's and O'Reilly's ratings - keep in mind that their asses get kicked on a nightly basis by Spongebob Squarepants repeats, ratings wise.

Poster Joe is 100% correct that the filler crap on MSNBC does suck tremendously, then blows his credibility right out the window accusing Olbermann of having an "obsession" with O'Reilly...who started this on-air feud, Joe? Who is so compulsive in their egotistical narcissism that they can't even say the other person's name? Who is it that says something really, really stupid and/or offensive on a nightly basis providing fodder for Olbermann? Bill-O!

If Fox News added a live studio audience to their shows, they would get almost as big of laughs as Colbert does...

Good stuff, Aaron. Thanks.

[JL]

"... you can't trust a word they say... I have total respect for them. They went in and found a niche".

They found a "niche", which means Griffin acknowledges that Fox is not a news organization. They're untrustworthy- no ifs, ands, or buts. And yet he has total respect for FOX "News"?

Why?

[JK]

"What a hoot - in the article, MSDNC prez says that they ARE biased toward the left, but they don't mean to be so liberal."

Would you mind pointing this out to me?

I assume you're talking about this paragraph:

"We didn't do that. We go out and hire the best people that we can and give them freedom. Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann were arguing in point-of-view programs against the war when the war was popular. This wasn't a business decision. .... We're not tied to ideology the way they are. We're still NBC News, best newsgathering organization in the world, we have a couple of point-of-view people, but we have a variety of opinions you don't see elsewhere."

If what I quoted from you is what you gathered from this paragraph, then I fear the worst for this country.

[Lisa]

There are no respectable news shows anymore. Everyone has an opinion and wants to share it. We blog because we think what we say is important, right? They need to do their job of reporting the news and leave the pundits to do that. Don't give the DNC gig to a blowhard who has no political broadcasting experience either. What's next, is he going to cover for Brian Williams to anchor the nightly news when he's sick? At least at Fox they know not to give top rates shows for their conservative windbags other coveted news gigs like they did Olbermann & Matthews. They are what they are. Don't tune in. Can't say the same for the convention coverage. Way out of their league.

[bobbie cornett]

The Republicans might end up winning this election again...on bad air and a "Joe." Bill Ayers, a guy who did something wrong so long ago. Many of us were kids then, and had never heard of it. A respectable college professor now, probably with grandkids. I'm sure he wish those bad airs had stayed in the closet, where it should be. But the McCain ticket has let it out, and linked this man with Muslim terrorists, destroying him, just so that he, McCain, can become president. I like to call him Aires... because that's all it is. Air to keep afloat a mega ton ship. And when it's all over and we end us with the same hypocritical party, air is what we will have left of our bank accounts, 401K, our pensions, savings, health care, jobs, social security, national economy. and even more important - death (airless bodies) in caskets coming in from wars in lands where we have no real interest. maimed bodies and destroyed lives. Bill Ayers' hot air would be a funny joke, if it wasn't so painfully real.