The Fall of NBC News

arkansasgopwing

Thomas Lifson  "It seems that turning itself into an Obama lapdog has not worked out too well for NBC News.  The once-respected and prosperous news organization is facing cutbacks and an alienated staff. Claire Atkinson of the New York Post writes:

NBC News boss Deborah Turness is spending the last few days of the year eyeing cuts - moves that could include axing some senior on-air talent, The Post has learned.
Turness, brought on in August to shake up the moribund news division - where "Meet the Press" and "Today" had stumbled - is in the midst of a host of end-of -year buyouts and cost reductions, sources said.
The current moves are not the first time Turness has irked journalists under her command.
NBC veterans have complained privately that Turness is not serious enough, sources said.
"Instead of getting better, NBC News has been getting worse," said one executive. "It's a mess."
The grumblings are centered on Turness' more aggressive tabloid style.

"Why would the network operation turn to tabloid style? Must be that people are not watching. And in fact, both Meet the Press, the most venerable program in television history, and Today, traditionally the most profitable product of NBC News, have fallen behind the competition. So revenues lag, and costs must be cut. Somehow, audiences must be persuaded to come back, and nothing sells like sleaze.

"Nobody is yet mentioning the hard left turn NBC News made when Barack Obama took office. The network has become a laughingstock for its softball propagandist approach. That could have a lot to do with its decline (Fox News, in comparison, is doing just great). But that is unmentionable at 30 Rock, the network's headquarters.

"There is no way to know how much damage the leftist lunacy broadcast on MSNBC has done to the NBC News brand, but it cannot have helped. NBC News figures regularly appear on MSNBC, and the stain may not come out.

"NBC News fully deserves its fate, having reneged on its duty to provide hard hitting news. But as an amateur student of broadcast history, I can't help but be nostalgic just a smidgen. NBC, after all, invented network broadcasting in the days of radio. Working with its sister corporation, the now defunct (take heed, NBC Universal!) RCA, NBC pioneered technologically (it invented color television) and culturally.

"That proud history is now lying in ashes. What a shame. The current bosses have sold their souls and sacrificed their heritage on the altar of politically correct Obama worship. Barack Obama is bringing ruin to those who backed him as some kind of messiah. There may be a lesson in this, but those who need it most are incapable of learning it."

Some random, unconnected thoughts

From HopeNChange:  Santa's Twerkshop

"And so, Mr. Obama, Hope n' Change encourages you to stay in Hawaii as long as possible and wishes you a heartfelt "Mele Kalikimaka."

"God knows you've caused enough of a melee back here on the mainland." 

From Debbie Schlussel: Perfect Description of Obama on Vacation (and Every Other Day)

FLASHBACK: Islamic Cleric: Muslims Saying “Merry Christmas” Is “Worse Than Killing Someone”…  

... "When you say: “Merry Christmas,” you are saying: “Congratulations on your false religion,” “Congratulations on your false understanding of life.” You are congratulating them on the most evil of polytheism and heresy. [...]
This is worse than fornication, drinking alcohol, and killing someone."
Then all Muslims should be pleased with the Obama's Christmas, er, holiday card. shown below.

 

Where's the Liberal "Fairness" in this?

As soon as I read this first post to my wife of fifty years, she made the connection to the second post.
Enjoying irony, I can't resist putting these together here. 
The Tunnel Dweller.

British supermarket will allow clerks to refuse service to customers buying pork and alcohol
"But M&S appears to have surrendered to the notion that the religious sensibilities of their employees tops the needs of its customers. If they want to put devout Muslims on a cash register, they should also put up a sign saying "This clerk does not ring up pork or alcohol products." Can you imagine standing in line for 10 minutes and then being told you have to go to another register to be served?"  More here.

Baker must cater to same-sex weddings, or else

... "This decision sends a boding message to other small businesses, especially those in the wedding industry such as florists, bakers, photographers, and event venues, putting them in a troubling standoff between freedom of religion and anti-discrimination laws."

30,000 In IL Must Redo Their O-Care Applications

From an unfazed Associated Press:
"CHICAGO –  Illinois officials are emailing and calling thousands of people, advising them to start over on their health insurance applications if they believe the federal government mistakenly referred them to Medicaid.
"We wonder how many people were ‘mistakenly’ shunted into Medicaid by those ACORN and SEIU navigators? After all, Democrats want people to be as dependent on the government as possible.

The latest wrinkle in the troubled enrollment process for the nation’s new health insurance system was announced Wednesday, just days ahead of a key enrollment deadline.

"You see, it’s just a ‘wrinkle.’ Having health insurance isn’t a matter of life or death, after all. " ....

Al Sharpton's Chicago Town Hall Erupts into Revolt Against Machine Politics

Big Government

... "While the stated goal for Sharpton was to bring the many different groups together to discuss solutions to the city’s violence epidemic, he may not have gotten the types of responses he was looking for. Calls for more gun control laws and getting guns off the streets were nonexistent and not mentioned by residents throughout the session.
"Instead, attendees offered solutions addressing the problems facing their community as a whole rather than just taking on “gun violence” itself. Audience members addressed the need for jobs and solving the foreclosure crisis plaguing Chicago’s south and west sides. Perhaps the loudest message—and one that Reverend Al or the Chicago media have yet to report on—echoed by several different people in attendance as well as panel members was that it is time for the black community to start voting differently." ...

Hat tip to Karl P. Koenigs  at Guardian Eagles