How bad are things at CNN when they turn to MSNBC’s David Shuster for ratings salvation?
The New York Times Media Decoder blog has the details of Shuster’s disturbing disloyalty:
David Shuster, an anchor on MSNBC, recently participated in a test of a new show. But not for his own network.
MSNBC executives were highly displeased when they learned about his test for the competing news channel CNN through a New York Observer article Friday morning, and they are now contemplating their response.
“If true, this is unacceptable and David will be punished appropriately,” an MSNBC spokesman, Jeremy Gaines, said Friday afternoon.
Reached for comment, Mr. Shuster referred the call to his agent and said he could not confirm or deny the Observer report.
The Observer said CNN’s “in-house team shot a pilot for a news show featuring David Shuster of MSNBC and Michel Martin of NPR as co-anchors.”
Mr. Shuster is under contract to MSNBC, raising questions about the appropriateness of the CNN pilot. Two people with knowledge of Mr. Shuster’s contract said it is set to expire at the end of this year. They requested anonymity because Mr. Shuster and MSNBC would not comment on the contract’s length.
Now we’re no David Shuster fans, but we actually think CNN could do a lot worse that hiring the bellicose Shuster. In fact, MSNBC is already doing a lot worse.
Shuster’s last show on MSNBC (April 4, 2009) drew an anemic 579,000 viewers. His replacement was poor Ed Schultz, whose ratings rarely reach the lackluster level that earned Shuster a demotion.
Admittedly, MSNBC has experienced a slight ratings bump as a result of the ObamaCare debate. But the last full week before that bump kicked in showed Schultz with a high of just 560,000 viewers and a low of 451,000.
Bottom line: Shuster’s no superstar. Unless you compare him to Ed Schultz. And when your expectations are as modest as CNN’s, that may be enough.
Source: New York Times Media Decoder
