Did MSNBC fire Phil Donahue b/c he was too liberal?

[liberalpragmatist]

I've heard this on DU and elsewhere. Did the show get good ratings? I used to watch it sometimes but was disappointed when it was cancelled.

[GainesT1958]

1. His was that cable channel's TOP-RATED show...

When he was pulled off the air. It was a purely naked, raw political move by MSNBC's partial owners, GE, to yank him off because he not only heavily criticized Dub & Co., but had the "audacity" to criticize going into Iraq before we actually did!:mad:

B-)

[stepnw1f]

2. Same Here...

I believe they did fire him for his ideology. I also believe he had excellant ratings but I might be wrong. It seems to have been done for political reasons.

[DrWeird]

3. His ratings were a whole lot better...

then Dennis Miller's.

[salin]

9. I thought his ratings were about the same as Scarborough's

(who replaced his time slot)... but somehow Donahue was let go... and Scarborough remains... interesting eh?

[lebkuchen]

4. Phil asked questions that weren't supposed to be asked

If that's being liberal, so be it.

[kentuck]

5. I think Tweety had him fired....

One of Donahue's last shows was a tense one between himself and Tweety. Soon thereafter, Scarborough was brought in to replace him. Even though Scaborough's ratings have been lower than Donahue's, he has kept his show on MSNBC. My gut tells me it is because of Tweety, who is considered their senior reporter and talk show host....

[onecitizen]

8. I will NEVER forgive Mathews........

for what he did to Phil. And it was pure jealousy and childishness on Mathews part. He had competition and he didn't like it. Never mind that Phil was and always will be King of TV talk. He can't be beat. So Mathews went on a crusade to destroy him on MSNBC. Remember Mathews was FOR the war then, which was why he disliked Phil? Phil was against the war. But now, Mathews is against the war. Funny. I guess he's a flip-flopper.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

6. yes

"Still, an internal MSNBC memo leaked to the press Wednesday revealed that Mr. Donahue was deemed "a tired, left-wing liberal out of touch with the current marketplace" in an analysis from an outside focus group.
He was also not very marketable. According to the memo, Mr. Donahue represented "a difficult public face for NBC in a time of war. ... He seems to delight in presenting guests who are anti-war, anti-Bush and skeptical of the administration's motives."
Indeed, Mr. Donahue featured Rosie O'Donnell as his very last guest, dwelling upon her feelings as a "mother" and a pacifist.
The analysis warned MSNBC that its flagship show could become "a home for the liberal anti-war agenda at the same time that our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity."
Such things get ratings. Though his viewership had risen lately, Mr. Donahue averaged 446,000 viewers a night, compared with Fox News host Bill O'Reilly, who attracted 2.7 million, according to the latest Nielsen numbers"

from:
http://www.goldtalk.com/discuspro/messages/14/9380.html

[napi21]

7. Do you think any of this will change when Kerry is elected?

All TV is based on profit from advertising. Now, I'm the advertiser's worst nightmare because I switch chanels or go to the bathroom or get a drink when the ads are on, so I don't know who the advertisers are on MSNBC. I would bet it was several big buck advertisers that didn't like Phil, and said they'd pull the business if he stayed on.