Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

[Derek]

<span style="font-style: italic">Imagine, a globally-popular show with the highest rated figures - a blessing to the network, its viewers, advertisers and marketing companies.
The network wouldn't allow itself to be bullied into taking its revenue-generating no1 show off the air now would it?</span>

SEAN HANNITY (co-host): What happened at MSNBC?

DONAHUE: Well, we were the only antiwar voice that had a show, and that, I think, made them very nervous. I mean, from the top down, they were just terrified.
We had to have two conservatives on for every liberal. I was counted as two liberals.

HANNITY: You were the highest-rated show on the network.

DONAHUE: Yes. And we were told to leave.

http://mediamatters.org/research/200410290004

[jah_yout]

Re: Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

i used to love the donahue show...
but as america became more repressive, shows like that could no longer be on the air..this coincides roughly with the time that all other forms of media which stimulate critical thinking were cracked down on...including conscious hip-hop &amp; reggae music;

they were replaced by shows like jerry springer &amp; maury povich...
it's not hard to see what happened here..

and the mass dumbing-down continues

[RichD]

Re: Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

so they were worried about what he was saying and they replaced him with Jesse Ventura?

[jah_yout]

Re: Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

is jesse ventura on regular tv?
i've never seen that...
the donahue show was NOT replaced by jesse ventura

[RichD]

Re: Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jah_yout</div><div class="ubbcode-body">is jesse ventura on regular tv?
i've never seen that...
the donahue show was NOT replaced by jesse ventura </div></div>

MSNBC Cancels Phil Donahue
By BILL CARTER
Published: February 26, 2003
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MSNBC canceled Phil Donahue's nightly show yesterday, putting an end to its high-profile effort to challenge CNN and the Fox News Channel in the area of prime-time politically oriented talk.

The move had been expected for many months, as Mr. Donahue never generated the kind of ratings surge that MSNBC had expected. MSNBC plans to extend its program &quot;Countdown: Iraq&quot; with Lester Holt, now on at 7 p.m., to two hours to fill the time slot temporarily.

MSNBC has already hired Jesse Ventura, the former governor of Minnesota, to be host of a prime-time talk show, and is in discussions with Sam Donaldson, the longtime ABC News correspondent, to anchor a nightly prime-time newscast. No starting date for either of those programs has been announced, and the channel has said that it will wait to see what news takes place related to a possible war in Iraq before it makes permanent changes to its prime-time schedule.

Mr. Donahue declined to comment yesterday, but he was expected to release a statement today.

Mr. Donahue was brought to MSNBC with much fanfare last July, after being off television since the end of his syndicated talk show in 1996. But ratings for the show disappointed the channel from the start.

In the 8 p.m. slot, Mr. Donahue's show averaged 439,000 viewers over the past month, far short of his competitors, Connie Chung on CNN, who had 970,000 viewers, and Bill O'Reilly on Fox News, who dominated the hour with 2.7 million viewers.

Mr. Donahue's show had been growing slightly over the past few months, and he was actually attracting more viewers than any other show on MSNBC, even the channel's signature prime-time program &quot;Hardball With Chris Matthews.&quot; Mr. Matthews's show has averaged 413,000 viewers over the last month.

The difference, an NBC News executive explained, was that Mr. Donahue's show was extremely expensive to produce, because it involved a studio audience. The network was also disappointed that he was not more competitive with Ms. Chung.

[RichD]

Re: Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jah_yout</div><div class="ubbcode-body">is jesse ventura on regular tv?
</div></div>

right now he has a show on TRUtv channel i think

[jah_yout]

Re: Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

OK...i was talking about the original donahue show which was on free tv back in the day on NBC...
i never even knew donahue came back on MSNBC but i could have told him it would not work...

shows that attempt to engage in honest intelligent discussion simply can not be used in this time in this climate...
the american people must be kept ignorant at all costs for this coup to work

[RichD]

Re: Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jah_yout</div><div class="ubbcode-body">OK...i was talking about the original donahue show which was on free tv back in the day on NBC...
i never even knew donahue came back on MSNBC but i could have told him it would not work... </div></div>

bu that is what the OP was talking about the MSNBC stint.


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jah_yout</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

shows that attempt to engage in honest intelligent discussion simply can not be used in this time in this climate...
the american people must be kept ignorant at all costs for this coup to work </div></div>

i disagree there is room for all kinds of opinion on the air. Do you watch RT news channel?

the majority of people are not interested in honest discussion they are looking for commentary that fits and confirms their belief structure...they are not looking to be challenged.

[jah_yout]

Re: Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RichD</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jah_yout</div><div class="ubbcode-body">OK...i was talking about the original donahue show which was on free tv back in the day on NBC...
i never even knew donahue came back on MSNBC but i could have told him it would not work... </div></div>

bu that is what the OP was talking about the MSNBC stint.


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jah_yout</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

shows that attempt to engage in honest intelligent discussion simply can not be used in this time in this climate...
the american people must be kept ignorant at all costs for this coup to work </div></div>

i disagree there is room for all kinds of opinion on the air. Do you watch RT news channel?

the majority of people are not interested in honest discussion they are looking for commentary that fits and confirms their belief structure...they are not looking to be challenged.




</div></div>


yes- my mistake-- i overlooked it...i was totally unaware that donahue made a comeback...the real donahue show was back in the day on NBC..
the time for shows like his are over...simply will not work in this time of militant ignorance &amp; stupidity;

i love the RT newschannel but i am not aware of it being available in america...
i've certainly never seen it in any cable tv package...
i can only catch it on the internet

[RichD]

Re: Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

ask your local cable provider, it is available


btw the original phil donohue show went off network tv in 1996

[Derek]

Re: Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RichD</div><div class="ubbcode-body">MSNBC plans to extend its program &quot;Countdown: Iraq&quot; with Lester Holt, now on at 7 p.m., to two hours to fill the time slot temporarily. </div></div>


I don't get US TV but that line doesn't seem to me like he was replaced by Jessie Ventura. Your paragraph says they've hired him.

[RichD]

Re: Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Derek</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RichD</div><div class="ubbcode-body">MSNBC plans to extend its program &quot;Countdown: Iraq&quot; with Lester Holt, now on at 7 p.m., to two hours to fill the time slot temporarily. </div></div>


I don't get US TV but that line doesn't seem to me like he was replaced by Jessie Ventura. Your paragraph says they've hired him. </div></div>

yes i saw that ...my point is they did not seem to have made the move is an effort to stifle controversial positions

[Derek]

Re: Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RichD</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Derek</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RichD</div><div class="ubbcode-body">MSNBC plans to extend its program &quot;Countdown: Iraq&quot; with Lester Holt, now on at 7 p.m., to two hours to fill the time slot temporarily. </div></div>


I don't get US TV but that line doesn't seem to me like he was replaced by Jessie Ventura. Your paragraph says they've hired him. </div></div>

yes i saw that ...my point is they did not seem to have made the move is an effort to stifle controversial positions </div></div>

Well Donahue was a serious anti-war guy and Ventura is a not-to-be-taken-seriously conspiracy theorist. Big difference.

[jah_yout]

Re: Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RichD</div><div class="ubbcode-body">ask your local cable provider, it is available</div></div>

will check it out...the US not canada


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">btw the original phil donohue show went off network tv in 1996
</div></div>

this was around the time that the media started a massive dumbing-down campaign...this is when hip-hop also started to devolve into the tool of inducing stupidity in black youth;
i have not seen anything similar to donahue on regular tv since...if you have let me know

[Gen]

Re: Why the Phil Donohue Show was Cancelled

It's available in NY, this is why it crack me up when cussing a gwaan bout how people only get news from CNN