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In reply to the discussion: Morning Joe suffers ratings nosedive after hosts met Trump at Mar-a-Lago [View all]Bluetus
(305 posts)Comcast (MSNBC) never cared about any progressive principles. This was just an advertising demographic that they thought was underserved.
And they were right about that. With the demise of Air America and other outlets, there certainly was a huge void among the 50% of the voting public that continues to vote for progressive ideas and candidates, despite there not being a single major media outlet that genuinely reflects their needs and desires.
Comcast is not going to change. I'm sure that they know their best days have passed by. People are fleeing from cable packages in favor of streaming. Comcast still provides millions of homes with Internet service, but that will be under attach from 5G and lower-orbit satellites in the next decade. That has nowhere to go but down.
And likewise for the legacy OTA networks (NBC in this case) as well as the networks that grew up on cable (MSNBC in this case). They have never been sincere about anything progressive, but they were better than nothing. But no longer. Other than basic Internet service, nothing Comcast offers is much better than nothing now. They are trying to squeeze a few more years out of MSNBC by kissing Trump's ass. And why not. Probably > 90% of their airtime the past decade was all about Trump. So sending these two clowns to Mar-A-Lago isn't unexpected in any way.
The left needs to understand that the media universe is at a major inflection point. The old networks are as good as dead. The good news is that there is an opportunity to build new and powerful channels to replace that. This can be streaming, podcasts and other modes, but it will take a real investment. We need to find a way to offer some real content worth watching that will attract and cultivate a progressive audience. There is no shortage of wannabe pundits try to hold themselves out as the new expert spokespeople. You know who they are. Probably the most prominent is Meidas Touch, but really, they become tiresome because they just seem whiny and over the top. It doesn't strike me as anything smart or compelling.
There is a need for progressive programming that is more compelling and entertaining, and perhaps action-oriented, one that could include the regular participation of the leaders on our side. They need to forget about the Press the Meat shows, which are all dying, and think in terms of a whole new way of reaching our people.