MSNBC

MSNBC is a 24-hour cable news channel. It is the lowest rated of the three major cable news channels.

The channel was started in 1996 as a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC. On December 23, 2005, ending a partnership that soured long before, Microsoft and NBC announced that they would dissolve their joint ownership of the cable news channel, with NBC taking control. NBC completed a deal to assume majority control of the channel, with an 82 percent stake.

MSNBC has received criticism from both liberal and conservative groups regarding the channel's perceived biases. The media watchdog group the Media Research Center argues that MSNBC has a liberal slant, citing shows by Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, while the left-wing Media Matters for America has claimed the channel has a slant in favor of conservatives, citing shows by left-libertarian Tucker Carlson and former Republican Congressman Joe Scarbourough. Ironically, on August 16, 2007 Scarborough revealed an incident in which people in the MSNBC newsroom ceaselessly booed President Bush during a State of the Union address.

In the past, MSNBC shows have featured Mitch Albom, Ann Coulter, Phil Donahue, Bill Moyers, Maury Povich, and Michael Savage, among others. That varied programming was gradually reduced as NBC veered more leftist in its point-of-view.

In 2003, in an effort to appear more patriotic, MSNBC fired talk-show host Phil Donahue. An internal memo read, in part, "Donahue represents a difficult public face for NBC in a time of war. At the same time, our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity."

External links

• Official Site
• Photos of the MSNBC studio