NBC's "strategic partner" Newsweek breathlessly informs readers that CEO Bob Wright is planning to transform MSNBC:
"With news programs in ratings and advertising slumps, NBC has made overtures to at least three top media players in recent weeks, according to executives close to the recruitment efforts.
"Wright has been personally involved in some of the recruitment efforts, sources said. They described the overtures as directly linked to a yet-to-be-announced plan to restructure NBC’s cable-news efforts and an effort to rethink the company’s entire approach to the news business.
"MSNBC has been badly underperforming rivals Fox and CNN and has sometimes lagged even CNN Headline News. In addition, NBC is widely rumored to be renegotiating the joint ownership of MSNBC’s cable operations with Microsoft, though Wright has publicly dismissed such reports."
So, apparently, change is good. But that's not what Wright said in February:
"Wright, speaking at a New York media conference, was highly critical of plans by CBS chief Leslie Moonves to revamp its evening news show once Dan Rather steps down early next month.
"Wright said CBS's goal appears to be to 'destroy the franchise' and then start over from scratch. He joked that would give CBS 'tremendous upside' since the only direction CBS Evening News could go at that point would be up.
"Focusing on younger viewers is a mistake, continued Wright.
"'Younger people have never been watching the news,' he said, adding that they're not buying news magazines or newspapers either. 'It's always been a generational thing."
So, Wright thinks that change is bad, except when it's good. But given MSNBC's ratings, if anything at the network changes, not many people will notice, anyway. Talk about having it both ways.
