Al Sharpton, who writes letters in favor of whatever Comcast business deal is before regulators. The latest MSNBC remake will leave bottom-rated shows unscathed - like Morning Joe, an always frustrating viewing experience featuring mercurial, long-winded and very thin-skinned Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, alternating in whiplash fashion between the deferential “don’t set Joe off”-verbally filibustered co-host and the staunch defender of women’s rights and Barack Obama (most notably when Joe is not there.)Ĭomcast’s best friends make regular appearances as paid “analysts” and “talent.” Consider the irritatingly frequent appearances of irrelevant Harold Ford, Jr., friend of big business and co-chair of the corporate sock puppet group Broadband for America, part funded by Comcast, or the Rev. Morning Joe: Mika Brzezinski (L), Joe Scarborough (C), Willie Geist (L) We need more people who talk about the real issues facing our country, not fewer.Īt a time when a handful of large, multi-national corporations own our major media outlets, I hope they will allow voices to be heard from those who dissent from the corporate agenda. I am very disappointed that Comcast chose to remove Ed Schultz from its lineup. He has talked about income and wealth inequality, high unemployment, low wages, our disastrous trade politics and racism in America. Ed Schultz has treated the American people with respect by focusing on the most important issues impacting their lives. We live in a time when much of the corporate media regards politics as a baseball game or a soap opera. While many other MSNBC meh-rated shows survived the culling, Schultz is out, along with The Cycle and Now with Alex Wagner.ĭemocratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders is not happy:

The cancellation of The Ed Show, hosted by Ed Schultz, has proved to be the most controversial, sparking a protest from a presidential candidate and new questions about how much influence Comcast brings to bear on how the news is reported.Īlthough never a ratings king, Schultz’s pro-labor, very anti-TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership - the latest controversial trade agreement) views, along with his harangues against executive pay and wealth inequality run contrary to the business agenda of parent company Comcast.

Morale at MSNBC is reported to be very low this week as Comcast/NBC imposes some major programming changes that don’t seem to make much sense. Phillip “A Shakeup in Comcastland” Dampier

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