The last couple of weeks Cenk Uygur, a liberal, outspoken commentator, has been missing from the 6 PM program he had been regularly hosting on MSNBC.
Cenk Uygur (host of The Young Turks) explains why he turned down a new, significantly larger MSNBC contract after hosting a prime-time show on the network that was beating CNN in the key demo ratings. He also shares his thoughts on Rachel Maddow and Fox News.
What Jane Hamsher at FDL Action said:
I have, and always have had, tremendous respect for Cenk Uygur. His contract with his audience is that he will never put himself in a position where he cannot say what he really thinks. And in turning down MSNBC’s offer to host a weekend show so he could give his audience a fair appraisal of what happened, he honors that contract.
What Glenn Greenwald at Salon said:
(But as) Uygur’s stories make clear, MSNBC very much considers itself “part of the establishment” and demands that its on-air personalities reflect that status. With some exceptions, MSNBC largely fits comfortably in the standard, daily Republicans v. Democrats theatrical conflicts, usually from the perspective that the former is bad and the latter are good. It’s liberal — certainly more liberal than other establishment media outlets have been in the past — but it’s establishment liberalism, and that’s allowed. It’s wandering too far afield from that framework, being too hostile to the system of political and financial power itself, that is frowned upon.
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on one of the Sunday shows today while channel surfing. I want to say it was the one with Howard Kurts?? On the Media???
I’m probably wrong on the name of the host and the show. I’ve really been trying to avoid them the last few years.
Cenk basically kicked his ass talking about how the entire MSM talkers are insiders creating a narrative not rooted in reality.
If I have time later I’ll try to find & post the clip. The host was pretty offended and defensive. Cenk was offensive and as he said, “That’s the point.”
Seems like Current might want to look for a 7pm host somewhere who can bring his own audience over.