David Shuster's boss e-mailed me.

[grasswire]

Gotta give Phil Griffin some props. He wrote personally and directly back to me. I'm not going to reveal the conversation. But I urged him to reconsider, saying that the significant relationship here is between David and his viewers and the suits would do well to recognize his value.

[W_HAMILTON]

1. What happened?

Was Shuster fired?

[grasswire]

3. suspended indefinitely

...for participating in a pilot for CNN

[DURHAM D]

6. Was he "pimping" himself out? nt

[HipChick]

2. Thank you...I did the same...

[DefenseLawyer]

4. They have shown almost zero loyalty to him

yet they expect absolute loyalty from him.

[grasswire]

5. yep

I basically said to Griffin: This isn't about you. Heh.

[bluethruandthru]

7. That's how most employers are.

They want us to be thankful we have a job (which I am) but they delight in reminding us daily how close our neck is to the chopping block.

[druidity33]

8. so VERY true. nt.

[abelenkpe]

9. I don't know how his contract works

but every contract I've ever signed with a studio basically says you cannot do work outside the studio while under contract. Sometimes you can arrange to do work for another studio on loan but that has to be worked out between the studios. I can see why MSNBC would be upset. I hope they resolve this though. I like David Shuster and can't stand CNN.

[grasswire]

13. he didn't work outside the studio

His contract will be coming up soon. He taped a pilot at CNN. I don't consider that "working" for someone else. The guy's got a family to support, just like the rest of us.

[abelenkpe]

18. That would be considered breaking his contract

You just cannot do that. Hopefully they will resolve this. But I know of many many ugly stories that are similar. Once had a good friend who's contract was about to be up. He interviewed and got a job at another studio about a month before his contract was to end. When he announced he wasn't going to opt to stay on his boss at Sony called the other studio up and told them that if they hired him they'd never work with them again. When he showed up to work at the other studio they said sorry, you're job offer has been rescinded. When you are under contract the studio holding your contract expects to be able to have first dibs on resigning you. If you piss them off, it can get ugly fast.



Again, hopefully they'll figure it out. CNN blows so hopefully he'll stay at MSNBC and there will be no hard feelings.

[Jane Austin]

10. What's Griffin's address?

Thanks.

[grasswire]

14. [e-mail]

that's it.

[Jane Austin]

17. Thanks so much. ........................n/t

[ReverendDeuce]

11. Folks... Shuster went behind MSNBC's back to CNN... MSNBC is completely within their right...

I mean come on! He's a major personality on the network! He can't just go over to CNN and film a pilot for his own show and expect zero repercussions...

I like David but he's not the best personality on the network... Doesn't bother me that much if he leaves.

[HipChick]

12. Unless you have laid eyes on his contract..

How exactly do you know that? my industry regularly uses non-competes to stop things like 'talent poaching'..nothing happened to NPR's Michel Martin with whom he shot the pilot..M$NBC have not said he broke contract yet either..they have been trying to muzzle him for some time

[grasswire]

15. I don't care about personality.

I care about investigative skills and fearless truth telling and being smart enough to separate the rubes from the crooks in Washington. Those are skills Shuster possesses. And I do like his personality, btw.

[Lugnut]

16. I do too.

I also think he achieves a good balance in his reporting. He's been bounced around MSNBC's time slots for years while I think he deserves his own primetime slot. He and Tamron Hall had such great chemistry together when they had an afternoon slot together. I could be wrong but I think they had Ratigan's slot from 4PM to 5PM. I miss him.