Thursday, October 09, 2014

NBC Set To Update "Meet the Press" Tag-Line



From "If It's Sunday...."


To "Not The Hero You Chumps Need


But The Hero You Chumps Deserve"


Could Jon Stewart Have Put Sunday Morning Shows Out of Their Misery?

He reportedly turned down an offer to host Meet the Press. If so, too bad for NBC--but probably best for him

According to New York Magazine, before NBC hired Chuck Todd to take over Meet the Press, the network wanted to revive its flagging Sunday show by hiring a professional comedian to host it. Sounds like the sort of desperate, cynical move Jon Stewart would make fun of on The Daily Show. Except, says New York, that host was Jon Stewart:
Before choosing Todd, NBC News president Deborah Turness held negotiations with Jon Stewart about hosting Meet the Press, according to three senior television sources with knowledge of the talks. One source explained that NBC was prepared to offer Stewart virtually “anything” to bring him over. “They were ready to back the Brinks truck up,” the source said. A spokesperson for NBC declined to comment. James Dixon, Stewart’s agent, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
...
Jon Stewart is one of the reasons the Sunday Mouse Circus is dying.  Because he and a few others do the job teh Sunday Shows are supposed to be doing --  pointing a camera at the grotesque, lethal dysfunction which Conservatives politicians and media have inflicted on this country and asking why the fuck are we allowing this to continue -- and doing it infinitely better than any one of them ever could.

But of course, the work Jon does -- planting his feet and telling the truth with twist of funny -- is the absolute mirror opposite of the business model of the network's gasbag cavalcade.   The two cannot occupy the same space at the same time without something going "boom", and I suspect that the real bosses -- all of the defense and oil companies whose advertising dollars keep the Mouse Circus afloat -- would much rather watch John McCain get his 1,000th televised Sunday Morning tongue bath than watch Jon Stewart tear down the entire bath house one moldy brick at a time.

8 comments:

Lex Alexander said...

Pity; Stewart could have given that town the enema it needs and deserves. But if Stewart wasn't available, they should have just made it official and given the show to McCain.

Lex Alexander said...

Pity; Stewart could have given that town the enema it needs and deserves. But if Stewart wasn't available, they should have just made it official and given the show to McCain.

JerryB said...

I don't believe it. I don't believe NBC ever seriously considered such a thing. I don't know what the use of a story like this would be except maybe to stick it to Chuckles a little.

Robt said...

It is tough to believe that Jon was romanced to wed with and take the traditional Gregory role in that marriage.

To speculate, taking Jon out of the Daily Show, MSNBC execs might be thinking this offer would remove a fantasized competition on MSNBC's part..
John Oliver earned my Sunday political shows viewership. Until one of these networks gets all conservatist nostalgic for journalistic values and not allowing outright lies to be passed on as a "Legitimate" opposing view (even portray a so called main stream view).
Until then,
I will rely on the great American comedians for discussions on issues of facts and truth.
One could watch the Gregory, BillO, Hannity, FOX and Feinds and be equally uninformed.

I think the root of the problem is with the Execs and the MTP advertisers that use that time slot and platform for their political propaganda.

Here is an idea for MSNBC, a paper started fact checking their stories in the news. You know, what editors are paid well to perform before slopping the story onto the catapult.
Replace MTP with a MSNBC show of Fact checking their news stories for the week.
But they would probably bring Gregory back to host the show and he would call on McCain to perform witnessing of the predetermined fact.

steeve said...

It had to have gone down like this:

"We'll give you all the money you want. You'll have to kiss republican ass, though."

"No."

"Didn't you hear the part about the money?"

Anonymous said...

Agree with steeve above. If NBC went after Stewart, I think it was to assimilate him into the Borg of Mindless Beltway Drivel, not be an actual journalist (which he regularly and correctly reminds us he's not). If he could be a wittier and more interesting conventional wisdom puke funnel than Dancin Dave Gregory, all the better. But I doubt they would have actually let him ask real questions or report actual facts.

Unknown said...

I agree with several of the commenters above. I think Stewart knows he would not have the freedom on MTP that he has on CC, so he decided to stay away. He could not be bought, because doing the work he does is more important to him than the money he could have gotten from NBC.

Though with a contract on NBC, we might show up on Maddow's show (Shuck Todd still makes regular appearances) - but that is a small price to pay for Jon staying on CC and doing the great work he does.

Anonymous said...

Joe Scabaroo would be a more honest and appropriate choice for MTP host.

Myrtle June