1 00:00:04,755 --> 00:00:08,995 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:22,435 --> 00:00:26,355 Speaker 1: The conversion of CNN from a news organization into a 3 00:00:26,435 --> 00:00:31,155 Speaker 1: whore house is now complete. CNN again let its primetime 4 00:00:31,155 --> 00:00:38,115 Speaker 1: newscasts last night with Breathless, also factless, indefensible, over inflated, scandalized, 5 00:00:38,355 --> 00:00:43,635 Speaker 1: factually altered headlines about a fictionalized story about Joe Biden. 6 00:00:44,395 --> 00:00:48,355 Speaker 1: The actual story is about documents that might be classified, 7 00:00:48,395 --> 00:00:51,155 Speaker 1: and we're not on anybody's missing list that we're discovered 8 00:00:51,555 --> 00:00:54,595 Speaker 1: without Biden's knowledge, in a safe at his think tank 9 00:00:54,995 --> 00:00:59,075 Speaker 1: and were immediately returned to the National Archives. Monday night, 10 00:00:59,275 --> 00:01:04,435 Speaker 1: a paid CNN commentator asserted, this story quote almost exonerates 11 00:01:04,755 --> 00:01:08,555 Speaker 1: Donald Trump. It does not. It has nothing to do 12 00:01:08,635 --> 00:01:12,515 Speaker 1: with Trump's threat to this country's national security, with Trump's 13 00:01:12,515 --> 00:01:15,395 Speaker 1: threat to the nuclear safety of this world, of Trump's 14 00:01:15,395 --> 00:01:19,115 Speaker 1: probable espionage of his theft of nuclear documents. I will 15 00:01:19,155 --> 00:01:23,555 Speaker 1: repeat my analogy. The ten or twelve misplaced and immediately 16 00:01:23,595 --> 00:01:27,395 Speaker 1: returned documents at the think tank are to Trump's crime 17 00:01:27,435 --> 00:01:30,795 Speaker 1: wave in exactly the same way as Swiss army knife 18 00:01:30,995 --> 00:01:36,235 Speaker 1: is to jack the rippers murder weapon. It is amazing, 19 00:01:36,715 --> 00:01:40,795 Speaker 1: but true. The coverage of the Biden document story by 20 00:01:40,955 --> 00:01:46,435 Speaker 1: Fox News has been more restrained and more responsible than 21 00:01:46,515 --> 00:01:52,275 Speaker 1: has CNN's coverage, and the worst perpetrator of CNN's willingness 22 00:01:52,275 --> 00:01:56,315 Speaker 1: to literally whore itself out to literally lie to its 23 00:01:56,395 --> 00:02:01,075 Speaker 1: viewers has been Anderson Cooper. The first words out of 24 00:02:01,075 --> 00:02:04,235 Speaker 1: his mouth last night were, how quote President Biden's first 25 00:02:04,235 --> 00:02:07,755 Speaker 1: public's statement on the classified documents uncovered at his former 26 00:02:07,875 --> 00:02:13,515 Speaker 1: private office, we're quote breaking news. I suggested in real 27 00:02:13,555 --> 00:02:15,755 Speaker 1: time that if Anderson Cooper had any remaining self respect, 28 00:02:15,755 --> 00:02:18,635 Speaker 1: he would quit before his program was over. I knew 29 00:02:18,675 --> 00:02:21,515 Speaker 1: as I said that I was offering a ridiculous theoretical 30 00:02:21,635 --> 00:02:24,395 Speaker 1: I worked with him at CNN in two thousand one 31 00:02:24,395 --> 00:02:27,635 Speaker 1: and two thousand two. If you can imagine a CNN 32 00:02:27,675 --> 00:02:33,235 Speaker 1: morning program starring Paulson with Jack Cafferty and Me as 33 00:02:33,275 --> 00:02:37,395 Speaker 1: the sidekicks, and the news read by Anderson Cooper, here's 34 00:02:37,435 --> 00:02:41,675 Speaker 1: a shock. It neither worked nor lasted. Since then, Cooper 35 00:02:41,715 --> 00:02:43,555 Speaker 1: has been CNNs man on the scene for all of 36 00:02:43,595 --> 00:02:47,875 Speaker 1: its coverage worldwide of disaster porn. When a bulletproof vest 37 00:02:47,915 --> 00:02:51,435 Speaker 1: has been required, he's always had one ready, and it 38 00:02:51,475 --> 00:02:55,755 Speaker 1: has always matched the color of his eyes. Anderson Cooper 39 00:02:55,835 --> 00:02:58,635 Speaker 1: is an actor who can look concerned. Now he has 40 00:02:58,635 --> 00:03:00,755 Speaker 1: become an actor who can look like this is breaking 41 00:03:00,795 --> 00:03:05,555 Speaker 1: news or important news, or just news when it is not. 42 00:03:06,315 --> 00:03:08,235 Speaker 1: He is an actor who is now employed solely to 43 00:03:08,275 --> 00:03:12,595 Speaker 1: satisfy CNN's new evil scientists. Chris Licked and the fascist 44 00:03:12,675 --> 00:03:17,195 Speaker 1: Licked works for CNN's new owner, John Malone. Anderson Cooper 45 00:03:17,275 --> 00:03:21,435 Speaker 1: is now just another Chris Licked John Malone prostitute. If 46 00:03:21,435 --> 00:03:24,395 Speaker 1: you think I'm overstating this, the Monday numbers are in 47 00:03:24,475 --> 00:03:27,635 Speaker 1: courtesy of the watchdog Media Matters for America, and in 48 00:03:27,675 --> 00:03:30,795 Speaker 1: the six hours beginning as the story broke at CBS's 49 00:03:30,835 --> 00:03:34,195 Speaker 1: website at five pm Eastern, threw straight up eleven o'clock 50 00:03:34,235 --> 00:03:38,515 Speaker 1: Monday Night. MSNBC gave it fourteen minutes, Fox News gave 51 00:03:38,515 --> 00:03:43,275 Speaker 1: it twenty nine minutes, and CNN gave it one hundred 52 00:03:43,355 --> 00:03:47,595 Speaker 1: and seven minutes. An hour and forty seven minutes. In 53 00:03:47,755 --> 00:03:50,955 Speaker 1: one stretch of eighty minutes, fifty minutes of CNN coverage 54 00:03:51,035 --> 00:03:55,555 Speaker 1: was about this story. CNN covered it three and a 55 00:03:55,595 --> 00:04:00,835 Speaker 1: half times more than Jesse Waters, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, 56 00:04:00,875 --> 00:04:08,475 Speaker 1: and Laura Ingram did on Fox. It beggar description understand 57 00:04:08,515 --> 00:04:11,195 Speaker 1: the motive. It is not just about ratings, because it 58 00:04:11,275 --> 00:04:13,995 Speaker 1: did not get CNN ratings. They were a distant second 59 00:04:14,035 --> 00:04:17,155 Speaker 1: in the advertising demo at eight pm Monday night, the 60 00:04:17,275 --> 00:04:19,515 Speaker 1: distant third most of the rest of the night, the 61 00:04:19,635 --> 00:04:23,155 Speaker 1: distant third in the far less important total audience all night. 62 00:04:23,835 --> 00:04:27,955 Speaker 1: But the stock market liked the fascism it saw on CNN, 63 00:04:28,195 --> 00:04:32,675 Speaker 1: Warner Brothers, Discovery, that's Malone and David Zaslav and their 64 00:04:32,715 --> 00:04:36,995 Speaker 1: boy licked its. Shares ended eight percent higher on Tuesday, 65 00:04:37,275 --> 00:04:41,395 Speaker 1: and a Goldman Sacks clown declared it his favorite media 66 00:04:41,475 --> 00:04:47,875 Speaker 1: stock of And still this nightmare isn't even just about 67 00:04:47,995 --> 00:04:52,755 Speaker 1: ratings or about stocks, because while the pretend journalism of 68 00:04:52,795 --> 00:04:56,115 Speaker 1: Anderson Cooper and the appalling Aaron Burnett are fig leaves 69 00:04:56,155 --> 00:04:59,755 Speaker 1: for ratings and stock growth, ratings and stock growth are 70 00:04:59,795 --> 00:05:03,275 Speaker 1: themselves fig leaves for something even darker, the motive that 71 00:05:03,355 --> 00:05:06,715 Speaker 1: John Malone had in buying CNN, which was to try 72 00:05:06,715 --> 00:05:10,355 Speaker 1: to brainwash viewers who still think CNN is liberal oriented 73 00:05:10,355 --> 00:05:15,515 Speaker 1: news or even just news. Yes, some people slapped on 74 00:05:15,635 --> 00:05:18,795 Speaker 1: makeup or printed scripts at CNN these last three days, 75 00:05:18,835 --> 00:05:21,235 Speaker 1: thinking this is the story that will bring us back 76 00:05:21,275 --> 00:05:25,075 Speaker 1: to life. But the ones in the know realized this 77 00:05:25,155 --> 00:05:28,355 Speaker 1: was the first huge political can opener for Chris Licht 78 00:05:28,395 --> 00:05:31,235 Speaker 1: and John Malone to use against whatever is left of 79 00:05:31,275 --> 00:05:35,155 Speaker 1: the pre fascism CNN audience. It ex exactly the same 80 00:05:35,195 --> 00:05:38,955 Speaker 1: thing as this other theoretical. If I bought Fox News 81 00:05:38,995 --> 00:05:43,475 Speaker 1: tomorrow and paid or blackmailed or threatened Carlson and Hannity 82 00:05:43,475 --> 00:05:47,995 Speaker 1: and Ingram to suddenly preach the evangel of Biden, bipartisanship, 83 00:05:48,235 --> 00:05:51,995 Speaker 1: climate change, the evils of MAGA, and the deadliness of 84 00:05:52,075 --> 00:05:57,755 Speaker 1: conspiracy theories, most of the albermanized Fox News audience would 85 00:05:57,795 --> 00:06:02,515 Speaker 1: indeed recoil in horror, but enough would not to make 86 00:06:02,555 --> 00:06:06,955 Speaker 1: the scheme worth my trouble, And that is what CNN 87 00:06:07,635 --> 00:06:11,955 Speaker 1: is doing. What I have seen these last two nights 88 00:06:11,955 --> 00:06:14,155 Speaker 1: flashed me back to the first story of the modern 89 00:06:14,235 --> 00:06:19,955 Speaker 1: cable news television history, Clinton Lewinsky. I was right in 90 00:06:19,995 --> 00:06:22,235 Speaker 1: the middle of that. I was hosting an eight pm 91 00:06:22,235 --> 00:06:26,875 Speaker 1: news magazine on MSNBC so Sleepy that one night we 92 00:06:27,075 --> 00:06:33,675 Speaker 1: lead with the publication of the Farmers Almanac edition, and 93 00:06:33,795 --> 00:06:39,475 Speaker 1: our lead guest live was the editor of the Farmers Almanac, 94 00:06:39,675 --> 00:06:47,195 Speaker 1: the lead story. We were chugging along around one fuse 95 00:06:47,315 --> 00:06:49,995 Speaker 1: thousand viewers a night maybe. And then as I sat 96 00:06:50,035 --> 00:06:52,595 Speaker 1: down to interview John Lithgow on the set of Third 97 00:06:52,675 --> 00:06:55,195 Speaker 1: Rock from the Sun in January in l A, the 98 00:06:55,275 --> 00:06:58,435 Speaker 1: producer came over to me and said, it's site changing plan, buddy, 99 00:06:58,555 --> 00:07:01,035 Speaker 1: we have to record a new lead. You'll be interviewing 100 00:07:01,035 --> 00:07:03,955 Speaker 1: Tim Russers instead, because the president may have to resign 101 00:07:05,795 --> 00:07:09,955 Speaker 1: within hours. Our audience had jumped to a million, and 102 00:07:10,035 --> 00:07:13,235 Speaker 1: it kept going up, and the ratings and the profits 103 00:07:13,275 --> 00:07:16,475 Speaker 1: were the public excuse for continuing the story every night 104 00:07:16,835 --> 00:07:21,555 Speaker 1: for two hundred and eighteen consecutive shows, whether or not 105 00:07:22,315 --> 00:07:26,715 Speaker 1: there was any news about the story. As the producer 106 00:07:26,795 --> 00:07:29,235 Speaker 1: screamed in the control room on the first or second night, 107 00:07:29,515 --> 00:07:34,475 Speaker 1: we've found our nightline. That was what we all told 108 00:07:34,475 --> 00:07:38,355 Speaker 1: each other in America. Of course bought it because by then, 109 00:07:38,395 --> 00:07:40,755 Speaker 1: as the British TV playwright Dennis Potter had said in 110 00:07:40,795 --> 00:07:44,475 Speaker 1: his famous Dying interview, modern society worldwide had managed to 111 00:07:44,475 --> 00:07:47,275 Speaker 1: put a price tag on everything. Oh you're making money 112 00:07:47,315 --> 00:07:50,795 Speaker 1: on your failing news network. Now, well that's okay. Then 113 00:07:51,075 --> 00:07:53,035 Speaker 1: whatever you have to put on TV, put it on. 114 00:07:54,835 --> 00:07:58,035 Speaker 1: But still the real point of making Clinton Lewinsky and 115 00:07:58,115 --> 00:08:01,555 Speaker 1: nothing but Clinton Lewinsky into my show every night for 116 00:08:01,555 --> 00:08:07,435 Speaker 1: two consecutive nights, making it Everybody's Show on MSNBC, Everybody 117 00:08:07,515 --> 00:08:11,395 Speaker 1: Show on CNN, Everybody Show on Fox, Everybody's Show on CNBC. 118 00:08:12,155 --> 00:08:16,755 Speaker 1: The real point was to drum into people's heads one 119 00:08:17,355 --> 00:08:21,515 Speaker 1: theme that Bill Clinton was guilty of sex, and this 120 00:08:21,635 --> 00:08:24,515 Speaker 1: was the end of the world. And he fornicated, and 121 00:08:24,555 --> 00:08:28,115 Speaker 1: he lied, and he lied about fornicating, and lying is 122 00:08:28,115 --> 00:08:31,435 Speaker 1: illegal and lying is unconstitutional. And you might think this 123 00:08:31,475 --> 00:08:33,555 Speaker 1: was a trivial story about sex, but in fact it 124 00:08:33,595 --> 00:08:35,915 Speaker 1: was reason to impeach the president, and then I preached 125 00:08:35,915 --> 00:08:38,555 Speaker 1: the vice president so that Newt Gingridge could succeed them 126 00:08:38,555 --> 00:08:43,555 Speaker 1: both and become president. Night after night after night after 127 00:08:43,675 --> 00:08:51,475 Speaker 1: night of softening viewers brains with one message, impeach, remove, 128 00:08:54,235 --> 00:08:57,035 Speaker 1: and CNN is doing it now thanks to John Malone 129 00:08:57,275 --> 00:09:00,675 Speaker 1: and Anderson Cooper and Chris Licked. And they will try 130 00:09:00,715 --> 00:09:04,795 Speaker 1: to find something, anything with which to rationalize having Cooper's it, 131 00:09:04,835 --> 00:09:08,475 Speaker 1: there's straight up eight pm, and say anything that lets 132 00:09:08,555 --> 00:09:13,835 Speaker 1: them lead the show with this non story. During Clinton Lewinsky, 133 00:09:13,955 --> 00:09:15,955 Speaker 1: just before I told him I intended to quit, I 134 00:09:15,955 --> 00:09:18,395 Speaker 1: went up to the producer and said, during a particularly 135 00:09:18,475 --> 00:09:22,315 Speaker 1: dry spell why don't we lead with this breaking news? 136 00:09:22,435 --> 00:09:25,475 Speaker 1: There were no comments by Clinton, Lewinsky or Star today. 137 00:09:25,635 --> 00:09:28,475 Speaker 1: What could explain the universal silence is a deal in 138 00:09:28,515 --> 00:09:33,035 Speaker 1: the offing, is a blockbuster development near And the producer 139 00:09:33,115 --> 00:09:36,995 Speaker 1: got wide eyed and he said that was a great idea, 140 00:09:38,515 --> 00:09:41,595 Speaker 1: and he never knew I was being sarcastic, and I 141 00:09:41,635 --> 00:09:45,755 Speaker 1: went into the men's room and dry heaved. Trust me, 142 00:09:46,635 --> 00:09:50,955 Speaker 1: Chris lickt whilst lead CNN with this story every night, 143 00:09:51,555 --> 00:09:55,515 Speaker 1: all night, as long as we let him get away 144 00:09:55,555 --> 00:10:00,595 Speaker 1: with it. I find, incidentally that I waited nearly thirty 145 00:10:00,635 --> 00:10:03,075 Speaker 1: five minutes into the first episode of this podcast back 146 00:10:03,075 --> 00:10:06,235 Speaker 1: on October one to last year, tell you about Chris Licht, 147 00:10:06,315 --> 00:10:08,555 Speaker 1: And I said, I really wish you didn't need to 148 00:10:08,595 --> 00:10:12,275 Speaker 1: know Chris Licht's name, But he was Joe Scarborough's henchman, 149 00:10:12,595 --> 00:10:15,595 Speaker 1: and now he's the new president of CNN, and you 150 00:10:15,795 --> 00:10:19,875 Speaker 1: don't know how bad that news is for the future 151 00:10:20,075 --> 00:10:29,035 Speaker 1: of this country. How I wish I had been exaggerating. Now. 152 00:10:29,195 --> 00:10:31,555 Speaker 1: I want to emphasize here that I do not think 153 00:10:31,635 --> 00:10:35,395 Speaker 1: this story should be buried. There are some journalistically valid 154 00:10:35,475 --> 00:10:38,275 Speaker 1: angles to it. Sadly I have not heard them on 155 00:10:38,395 --> 00:10:43,075 Speaker 1: CNN or MSNBC or anywhere else the story has become. 156 00:10:43,755 --> 00:10:47,595 Speaker 1: The Biden office confirmed that these documents were there, but 157 00:10:47,715 --> 00:10:50,315 Speaker 1: that's not how the story started nor how it broke. 158 00:10:50,835 --> 00:10:56,835 Speaker 1: CBS News reported on Monday, based on sources, that these 159 00:10:56,835 --> 00:10:58,995 Speaker 1: documents had been found and returned in a period of 160 00:10:58,995 --> 00:11:04,555 Speaker 1: twenty four hours. Who are the sources? Where were the sources? 161 00:11:05,155 --> 00:11:08,355 Speaker 1: Were the sources in the Department of Justice? With the 162 00:11:08,355 --> 00:11:11,835 Speaker 1: sources in the Republican's favorite bettan noir, the deep State? 163 00:11:13,875 --> 00:11:15,755 Speaker 1: Were they there to try to put a band aid 164 00:11:15,795 --> 00:11:17,955 Speaker 1: of what about is um to Trump's crimes? And what 165 00:11:18,075 --> 00:11:22,315 Speaker 1: about the timing? Republicans take over the House on Monday 166 00:11:22,355 --> 00:11:25,355 Speaker 1: morning and launch their show trial committees in Monday afternoon, 167 00:11:25,595 --> 00:11:30,555 Speaker 1: and six hours later this story breaks. The co president 168 00:11:30,555 --> 00:11:33,875 Speaker 1: of CBS News already confessed to hiring Mick Mulvaney from 169 00:11:33,875 --> 00:11:37,675 Speaker 1: the Trump administration to give him access to Republicans after 170 00:11:37,795 --> 00:11:40,875 Speaker 1: the mid terms. Was this part of the deal CBS 171 00:11:40,955 --> 00:11:46,715 Speaker 1: News made? The co president hires Mick Mulvaney, and then 172 00:11:46,875 --> 00:11:52,835 Speaker 1: CBS News gets the think tank document story scoop. The 173 00:11:52,875 --> 00:11:54,915 Speaker 1: other aspect I would like to hear about is this 174 00:11:54,995 --> 00:11:58,115 Speaker 1: strange fact that the Republicans were so ferociously humping this 175 00:11:58,235 --> 00:12:00,475 Speaker 1: story and with the help of CNN and CBS and 176 00:12:00,595 --> 00:12:03,635 Speaker 1: NBC and the others both sides NG and what abouting 177 00:12:03,715 --> 00:12:08,195 Speaker 1: it to death. Nobody, nobody has examined the reality that 178 00:12:08,235 --> 00:12:11,835 Speaker 1: if there really were to be any meaningful comparison between 179 00:12:11,955 --> 00:12:16,355 Speaker 1: Trump's nuclear kleptomania and this book keeping error at a 180 00:12:16,475 --> 00:12:20,075 Speaker 1: think tank that if the Republican response, Biden should be impeached, 181 00:12:20,075 --> 00:12:22,195 Speaker 1: Biden should be removed from office, Biden's home should be 182 00:12:22,275 --> 00:12:24,435 Speaker 1: rated by the FBI, the White House should be rated 183 00:12:24,435 --> 00:12:27,035 Speaker 1: by the FBI. There must be a Biden special prosecutor. 184 00:12:27,235 --> 00:12:31,035 Speaker 1: Might must be prosecuted. Biden must be imprisoned. If there 185 00:12:31,075 --> 00:12:36,155 Speaker 1: really is something in this nothing burger, Aren't the Republicans 186 00:12:36,275 --> 00:12:42,475 Speaker 1: all confessing simultaneously and without reservation that all of Trump's 187 00:12:42,515 --> 00:12:46,515 Speaker 1: homes should be rated by the FBI. Aren't all the 188 00:12:46,555 --> 00:12:50,555 Speaker 1: Republicans confirming all of Trump's offices should be rated by 189 00:12:50,555 --> 00:12:53,515 Speaker 1: the Department of Justice. Aren't all the Republicans admitting that 190 00:12:53,555 --> 00:12:57,755 Speaker 1: the Trump special prosecutor is justified. Aren't all the Republicans 191 00:12:57,755 --> 00:13:00,995 Speaker 1: acknowledging that Trump must be prosecuted. Aren't all the Republicans 192 00:13:01,035 --> 00:13:05,915 Speaker 1: demanding that Trump being imprisoned. If Chris Licked wants Anderson 193 00:13:05,995 --> 00:13:08,555 Speaker 1: Cooper to do an hour forty seven of his show 194 00:13:08,675 --> 00:13:15,795 Speaker 1: on that tonight that I will watch, trust me, that 195 00:13:16,155 --> 00:13:19,715 Speaker 1: is the last thing Chris Licked and the fascists he 196 00:13:19,795 --> 00:13:23,955 Speaker 1: has hoard himself out to wants Anderson Cooper to do 197 00:13:38,635 --> 00:13:41,355 Speaker 1: still ahead. As I suggested, this is as much Clinton 198 00:13:41,435 --> 00:13:45,275 Speaker 1: Lewinsky too as it is, but her emails to the 199 00:13:45,315 --> 00:13:47,835 Speaker 1: cable news networks have always been like this, I swear 200 00:13:47,875 --> 00:13:52,435 Speaker 1: on whatever you think is holy. And as I went 201 00:13:52,475 --> 00:13:55,275 Speaker 1: into news for the first time, all the NBC guys 202 00:13:55,315 --> 00:13:58,715 Speaker 1: in charge of MSNBC cared about was making sure I 203 00:13:58,795 --> 00:14:02,595 Speaker 1: never ever did what the Microsoft guys in charge of 204 00:14:02,675 --> 00:14:06,835 Speaker 1: MSNBC wanted me to do, and in case I was 205 00:14:06,915 --> 00:14:10,875 Speaker 1: to forget that idiocy. Twelve years later, the ge guy 206 00:14:10,915 --> 00:14:14,035 Speaker 1: in charge of all of NBC wanted to take MSNBC 207 00:14:14,275 --> 00:14:19,235 Speaker 1: off the air because his mommy, the Bill O'Reilly fan, 208 00:14:19,475 --> 00:14:22,275 Speaker 1: was mad at what they were saying about him on 209 00:14:22,355 --> 00:14:28,475 Speaker 1: Fox News. I swear, I swear, I swear the tales 210 00:14:28,515 --> 00:14:30,235 Speaker 1: on all of that coming up first, when you write 211 00:14:30,235 --> 00:14:32,075 Speaker 1: a book, you get your friends to give you clever 212 00:14:32,155 --> 00:14:33,955 Speaker 1: one liners you can put on your book, or in 213 00:14:33,955 --> 00:14:36,595 Speaker 1: the advertisements to help sell your book. What does it 214 00:14:36,675 --> 00:14:39,395 Speaker 1: tell you that a key Trump crony has written a 215 00:14:39,435 --> 00:14:42,635 Speaker 1: book promoting his presidential aspirations and the only person you 216 00:14:42,675 --> 00:14:44,515 Speaker 1: could get to write I'm a clever one liner to 217 00:14:44,635 --> 00:14:50,835 Speaker 1: blurb his book was himself. Worst person's coming up. This 218 00:14:51,075 --> 00:15:09,475 Speaker 1: is countdown. This is countdown with Keith still ahead. To 219 00:15:09,595 --> 00:15:14,435 Speaker 1: understand why it's but her emails part? Do you have 220 00:15:14,475 --> 00:15:16,835 Speaker 1: to understand how the people who have run these reality 221 00:15:16,915 --> 00:15:20,515 Speaker 1: TV news channels like CNN and MSNBC and Fox for 222 00:15:20,555 --> 00:15:24,355 Speaker 1: the last twenty five years really think They are not journalists, 223 00:15:24,395 --> 00:15:27,555 Speaker 1: not in the slightest. They are there to fill space 224 00:15:27,635 --> 00:15:32,395 Speaker 1: between commercials. Any journalism that escapes is really an accident. 225 00:15:32,955 --> 00:15:35,115 Speaker 1: I have two stories to tell you again about how 226 00:15:35,155 --> 00:15:38,275 Speaker 1: they thought and how they think in management at MSNBC, 227 00:15:38,915 --> 00:15:41,115 Speaker 1: which has not been as bad as CNN these last 228 00:15:41,115 --> 00:15:44,875 Speaker 1: three days, but which has covered itself in excrement. Nevertheless, 229 00:15:45,715 --> 00:15:48,275 Speaker 1: now I'm still fighting off this killer sinus infection, but 230 00:15:48,315 --> 00:15:51,315 Speaker 1: I have negotiated with my crack medical staff to let 231 00:15:51,315 --> 00:15:54,195 Speaker 1: me do a new edition of the daily roundup of 232 00:15:54,235 --> 00:15:57,155 Speaker 1: the miscreants, morons and done in Kruger effect specimens. Who 233 00:15:57,155 --> 00:16:01,155 Speaker 1: Constitute to day is worst Parsons in the world, the 234 00:16:01,275 --> 00:16:06,955 Speaker 1: Bronze every Russian sympathizing conservative on Twitter slamming the Golden 235 00:16:07,035 --> 00:16:11,915 Speaker 1: Globes for including Ukrainian President vladimirre z Lensky last night, 236 00:16:12,275 --> 00:16:15,795 Speaker 1: Tommy larn wrote, so Zelinski is making an appearance at 237 00:16:15,795 --> 00:16:18,155 Speaker 1: the Golden Globes. What is the obsession with this man? 238 00:16:18,475 --> 00:16:20,955 Speaker 1: We aren't funding his entire government with billions of our 239 00:16:20,995 --> 00:16:24,475 Speaker 1: taxpayer dollars, so we can try to be an American celebrity. 240 00:16:24,635 --> 00:16:29,595 Speaker 1: Sick of this crap? Well, Timmy, nice Freudian slipped. They're typing, 241 00:16:29,755 --> 00:16:31,915 Speaker 1: we can try to be an American celebrity, since that's 242 00:16:31,915 --> 00:16:36,555 Speaker 1: what you've been so spectacularly failing at for a decade now, Tammy. 243 00:16:36,755 --> 00:16:41,715 Speaker 1: Then there's Lewis Brackpool, No, it's his name, self described 244 00:16:41,755 --> 00:16:45,675 Speaker 1: independent journalists from England. Why is Ulitsky going to be 245 00:16:45,715 --> 00:16:48,795 Speaker 1: making an appearance at the Golden Globes in Beverly Hills. 246 00:16:49,395 --> 00:16:53,755 Speaker 1: Lewis has misspelled Beverly, which is probably why he's an independent. 247 00:16:53,915 --> 00:16:57,115 Speaker 1: Nobody will hire a moron, not even on the far right, 248 00:16:57,875 --> 00:17:02,555 Speaker 1: but dumbasty of all James Bradley, who ran for Senate 249 00:17:02,595 --> 00:17:05,035 Speaker 1: from California on the I was in the middle terry 250 00:17:05,075 --> 00:17:07,435 Speaker 1: and I have a lion and a flag in my photos, 251 00:17:07,435 --> 00:17:11,115 Speaker 1: so you can't criticize me. Plank and got three of 252 00:17:11,155 --> 00:17:15,115 Speaker 1: the vote in the primary. Bradley tweeted if Ukraine is 253 00:17:15,155 --> 00:17:17,715 Speaker 1: at war, how and why is Zelenski coming to the 254 00:17:17,715 --> 00:17:21,955 Speaker 1: Golden Globes? The century must be such a mystery for 255 00:17:21,995 --> 00:17:25,915 Speaker 1: poor James Bradley and his flag and his lion, zoom 256 00:17:26,075 --> 00:17:30,915 Speaker 1: and video links and cams and prerecorded stuff and people 257 00:17:30,955 --> 00:17:33,915 Speaker 1: appearing at awards ceremonies and in front of Senate committees 258 00:17:33,955 --> 00:17:39,035 Speaker 1: without really being there. How dare Zelenski take fifteen minutes 259 00:17:39,075 --> 00:17:42,555 Speaker 1: away from trying to bury the goddamned Russians to appear 260 00:17:42,995 --> 00:17:46,355 Speaker 1: via video link on something as sacro sanc and as 261 00:17:46,395 --> 00:17:50,835 Speaker 1: important to the American public and the Ukrainians. It's the 262 00:17:50,915 --> 00:17:56,875 Speaker 1: Golden Globes? Why why the runner up Steve Malloy, who 263 00:17:56,955 --> 00:18:01,395 Speaker 1: builds himself as quote, perhaps the most influential climate science contrarian. 264 00:18:01,715 --> 00:18:04,515 Speaker 1: And if that's true, he's the most influential one. We 265 00:18:04,875 --> 00:18:09,515 Speaker 1: will actually save this planet after all. Malloy slammed as 266 00:18:09,595 --> 00:18:12,475 Speaker 1: Recline of The New York Times for suggesting that clean, 267 00:18:12,555 --> 00:18:15,955 Speaker 1: abundant energy is the foundation on which a more equal, 268 00:18:16,075 --> 00:18:20,555 Speaker 1: just and humane world can be built. Malloy's utterly clear 269 00:18:20,755 --> 00:18:26,155 Speaker 1: and convincing, damning argument against clean energy quote, wind power 270 00:18:26,235 --> 00:18:31,195 Speaker 1: made the Transatlantic slave trade possible. I yes, because the 271 00:18:31,235 --> 00:18:34,875 Speaker 1: moment we use wind power, especially to move ocean going vessels, 272 00:18:34,955 --> 00:18:38,875 Speaker 1: were immediately going to resume the Atlantic slave trade. You 273 00:18:38,995 --> 00:18:43,275 Speaker 1: heard him, wind power means reinstituting slavery. Steve doesn't make 274 00:18:43,315 --> 00:18:47,875 Speaker 1: the rules here, but our winner, Mike Pompeo, former Secretary 275 00:18:47,875 --> 00:18:50,315 Speaker 1: of State, whom history may judge to have been the 276 00:18:50,555 --> 00:18:54,795 Speaker 1: most underqualified schnook in the Trump administration. But who thinks 277 00:18:54,795 --> 00:18:57,195 Speaker 1: he can take that and make it into the next 278 00:18:57,315 --> 00:19:00,635 Speaker 1: president of the United States. Pompeo took out a full 279 00:19:00,675 --> 00:19:04,275 Speaker 1: page for his new book, Never Give a Crap Now 280 00:19:04,275 --> 00:19:06,315 Speaker 1: that that can't be right. That's not the title of 281 00:19:06,395 --> 00:19:10,155 Speaker 1: Pompeo's No, Oh here, it is never had an Inch 282 00:19:10,235 --> 00:19:13,675 Speaker 1: to give? No, No, that can't be right either. What's 283 00:19:13,715 --> 00:19:18,115 Speaker 1: the title of Pompeo's book, Never Give an Inch? Are 284 00:19:18,155 --> 00:19:22,275 Speaker 1: you sure? Is this is I'm Running for President book? 285 00:19:22,315 --> 00:19:26,955 Speaker 1: Or his weight Lost book? Anyway? Pompeo bought an ad 286 00:19:26,955 --> 00:19:30,315 Speaker 1: for the book in the official booklet of the annual 287 00:19:30,355 --> 00:19:33,795 Speaker 1: Iowa Republican Legislated Breakfast, And like all good book adds, 288 00:19:33,835 --> 00:19:37,715 Speaker 1: it has a blurb. Now, I have asked for blurbs, 289 00:19:37,835 --> 00:19:41,355 Speaker 1: and I have, I confess blurbed others, but I've never 290 00:19:41,395 --> 00:19:44,515 Speaker 1: done this. Pompeo's blurb he got for his own book. 291 00:19:44,675 --> 00:19:49,875 Speaker 1: It quotes himself. My new book reads like a thriller 292 00:19:49,915 --> 00:19:53,315 Speaker 1: with stories from my heart, it says on the cover 293 00:19:53,435 --> 00:19:57,595 Speaker 1: of the book. He couldn't get anybody else to blurb 294 00:19:57,755 --> 00:20:01,915 Speaker 1: his own book. You may recall that after Joe Biden's 295 00:20:01,995 --> 00:20:05,395 Speaker 1: victory in the electoral College had been cinched, Pmpeo came 296 00:20:05,435 --> 00:20:08,195 Speaker 1: out and boy did he prove that the words Pompeo 297 00:20:08,235 --> 00:20:10,835 Speaker 1: and pomposity are related. And he said there would be 298 00:20:10,835 --> 00:20:15,715 Speaker 1: a transition to a second Trump administration. Then President Elect 299 00:20:15,715 --> 00:20:18,635 Speaker 1: Biden answered, quote, so far there is no evidence of 300 00:20:18,675 --> 00:20:22,635 Speaker 1: any of the assertions made by the President or Secretary 301 00:20:22,635 --> 00:20:26,795 Speaker 1: of State Pompeo. And here Biden broke into a brief, calm, 302 00:20:26,875 --> 00:20:31,355 Speaker 1: almost cordial laugh that with what followed it destroyed the 303 00:20:31,395 --> 00:20:35,635 Speaker 1: ability of anybody to ever take mom My Pompeo seriously. Again, 304 00:20:37,115 --> 00:20:44,155 Speaker 1: by Secretary of State Pompeo, Secretary of State Pompeo, Mike 305 00:20:45,115 --> 00:20:53,955 Speaker 1: ha Secretary of State Pompeo, Today's worst person in the word. 306 00:21:07,635 --> 00:21:10,315 Speaker 1: So now, as promised, two stories I have told before, 307 00:21:10,355 --> 00:21:13,795 Speaker 1: but which mainline back to this feeding frenzy from the 308 00:21:13,835 --> 00:21:16,835 Speaker 1: cable news networks to make sure the Biden nothing burger 309 00:21:17,435 --> 00:21:20,315 Speaker 1: can be turned to do son of Hillary's emails in 310 00:21:20,395 --> 00:21:25,595 Speaker 1: pursuit of ratings and money for NBC, Comcast and the 311 00:21:25,635 --> 00:21:29,275 Speaker 1: new fascist owners of CNN and Rupert Murdoch. And you 312 00:21:29,275 --> 00:21:32,235 Speaker 1: know how old he is, He's two six. The first 313 00:21:32,995 --> 00:21:35,875 Speaker 1: story is of the day. MSNBC, at the height of 314 00:21:35,875 --> 00:21:39,275 Speaker 1: its success in two thousand nine, was almost taken off 315 00:21:39,315 --> 00:21:43,235 Speaker 1: the air because of complaints from the mother of the 316 00:21:43,315 --> 00:21:50,995 Speaker 1: chairman of the corporation that owned the network. Often it 317 00:21:51,155 --> 00:21:54,315 Speaker 1: happens in television that there are events so traumatic that 318 00:21:54,395 --> 00:21:58,195 Speaker 1: the cliche about your life flashing before your eyes does 319 00:21:58,195 --> 00:22:01,675 Speaker 1: not apply, but an equally hackneyed one about your career 320 00:22:01,795 --> 00:22:06,195 Speaker 1: flashing before your eyes might. The executive producer of our 321 00:22:06,355 --> 00:22:10,035 Speaker 1: MSNBC newscast Countdown, Izzy Povich, and I were on the 322 00:22:10,075 --> 00:22:13,515 Speaker 1: grown up elevator to the office of NBC President Jeff 323 00:22:13,595 --> 00:22:16,475 Speaker 1: Zucker on the fifty second floor of thirty Rock in 324 00:22:16,515 --> 00:22:20,555 Speaker 1: New York, summoned there by some garbled message from MSNBC 325 00:22:20,675 --> 00:22:25,075 Speaker 1: president Phil Griffin about MSNBC being taken off the air. 326 00:22:26,235 --> 00:22:30,715 Speaker 1: I was mumbling to Izzy Sundry imprecations and reminiscences. Eight 327 00:22:30,795 --> 00:22:34,155 Speaker 1: freaking months is we spent twelve freaking months forcing them 328 00:22:34,195 --> 00:22:37,715 Speaker 1: to create meadows showed last eight months, all the crap 329 00:22:38,315 --> 00:22:42,275 Speaker 1: prompter practice, getting her over her fears, Rockets passed CNN 330 00:22:42,315 --> 00:22:44,915 Speaker 1: only eight months of show, and now it's all gone. 331 00:22:46,115 --> 00:22:48,355 Speaker 1: Izzy reminded me it was not just Rachel's show that 332 00:22:48,435 --> 00:22:52,355 Speaker 1: was threatened, which was why poor Court Harson from Hardball 333 00:22:52,435 --> 00:22:56,875 Speaker 1: was already upstairs along with poor Ed Schultz and Phil Griffin, 334 00:22:57,115 --> 00:22:59,955 Speaker 1: at Rachel's executive producer Bill Wolf and some clown from 335 00:22:59,955 --> 00:23:03,635 Speaker 1: Morning Joe and a couple of other MSNBC executives and us. 336 00:23:04,795 --> 00:23:07,155 Speaker 1: I know, I know. I did the line from the 337 00:23:07,235 --> 00:23:10,955 Speaker 1: drunken Irishman from Hitchcock's The Birds, complete with the bad accent. 338 00:23:11,275 --> 00:23:15,195 Speaker 1: It's the end of the world, I said, Jeff Emil 339 00:23:15,355 --> 00:23:18,835 Speaker 1: is going to take MSNBC off the air. I didn't 340 00:23:18,875 --> 00:23:21,675 Speaker 1: need any of my overwrought visions from two years earlier 341 00:23:21,715 --> 00:23:24,955 Speaker 1: of the future of liberal news commentary falling out the 342 00:23:25,075 --> 00:23:28,035 Speaker 1: NBC window to its death on the rink. This was 343 00:23:28,075 --> 00:23:32,395 Speaker 1: the real thing. The chairman of General Electric was threatening 344 00:23:32,435 --> 00:23:36,355 Speaker 1: to open the window himself, throw us out the window himself, 345 00:23:36,595 --> 00:23:39,355 Speaker 1: and then race down to the pavement to stomp on 346 00:23:39,435 --> 00:23:44,715 Speaker 1: our dying remains himself. Poor Ed Schultz heard Jeff Zucker 347 00:23:44,835 --> 00:23:47,955 Speaker 1: say those words, and he had screwed up his face 348 00:23:48,035 --> 00:23:51,555 Speaker 1: and tilted his head like a puppy hearing a car crash. 349 00:23:51,675 --> 00:23:54,035 Speaker 1: He had not believed it the first time. He had 350 00:23:54,035 --> 00:23:56,755 Speaker 1: not believed it the second time. Zucker said it a 351 00:23:56,835 --> 00:23:59,715 Speaker 1: third time. MLT is going to take MSNBC off the 352 00:23:59,795 --> 00:24:05,115 Speaker 1: effing air at, Schultz groaned. After weeks of Griffin's hoaxing, 353 00:24:05,115 --> 00:24:08,595 Speaker 1: he had finally just moved from Nebraska to New York 354 00:24:08,755 --> 00:24:12,555 Speaker 1: the preceding weekend, yet he was still, somehow only the 355 00:24:12,635 --> 00:24:16,475 Speaker 1: second most strung out person in the room. You, Zucker 356 00:24:16,555 --> 00:24:19,355 Speaker 1: shouted at me, You're the smartest one in the room. 357 00:24:19,555 --> 00:24:23,155 Speaker 1: What the f do we do now? I'll confess I 358 00:24:23,195 --> 00:24:25,475 Speaker 1: was shaken by this because it appeared for once that 359 00:24:25,555 --> 00:24:29,115 Speaker 1: Zucker was not being sarcastic. I had never before seen 360 00:24:29,195 --> 00:24:32,315 Speaker 1: him flush nor flustered. This was a guy who wore 361 00:24:32,435 --> 00:24:36,635 Speaker 1: fleece in July. Now he was beat red and sweating. 362 00:24:37,635 --> 00:24:39,675 Speaker 1: Sometimes he knew what he was doing, and, as his 363 00:24:39,715 --> 00:24:43,035 Speaker 1: opposition to hiring Mattow had proved, sometimes he didn't know 364 00:24:43,075 --> 00:24:45,515 Speaker 1: what he was doing. But he always acted as the 365 00:24:45,555 --> 00:24:49,235 Speaker 1: most confident man in the galaxy. But now he literally 366 00:24:49,275 --> 00:24:51,315 Speaker 1: had no clue what to do next. And he not 367 00:24:51,395 --> 00:24:54,795 Speaker 1: only could not ignore my advice, he desperately needed it. 368 00:24:55,395 --> 00:24:58,875 Speaker 1: This situation and that color on his face were almost 369 00:24:58,915 --> 00:25:03,955 Speaker 1: worth watching the corporate fascists knuke my network. I asked 370 00:25:04,035 --> 00:25:06,635 Speaker 1: Zucker to exp playing what happened? You God, dad, well 371 00:25:06,755 --> 00:25:09,995 Speaker 1: know what happened. Zucker moved towards me, and I stood 372 00:25:10,035 --> 00:25:11,795 Speaker 1: up and I told him I would see myself out. 373 00:25:12,155 --> 00:25:15,555 Speaker 1: He stopped, remembering that he did indeed actually need my help. 374 00:25:16,275 --> 00:25:19,595 Speaker 1: I'm sorry. I apologize. This isn't rational, this is this 375 00:25:19,635 --> 00:25:23,555 Speaker 1: is I melt. Last week sometime Bill O'Reilly snapped. He 376 00:25:23,635 --> 00:25:25,595 Speaker 1: told Murdach he wasn't gonna take any more of what 377 00:25:25,635 --> 00:25:27,395 Speaker 1: you were saying about him on the air. So he 378 00:25:27,475 --> 00:25:31,395 Speaker 1: did a piece last night, accusing Ge of manufacturing The 379 00:25:31,435 --> 00:25:35,035 Speaker 1: components have been used in roadside bombs. That were built 380 00:25:35,075 --> 00:25:37,795 Speaker 1: in a rand to kill Americans in Iraq, which is 381 00:25:37,875 --> 00:25:40,955 Speaker 1: which is true? Legally, that's legally true. They found roadside 382 00:25:40,955 --> 00:25:44,435 Speaker 1: bombs that had like thirty year old GE transistors or 383 00:25:44,675 --> 00:25:47,555 Speaker 1: or TV tubes from nineteen fifty four or is something 384 00:25:47,595 --> 00:25:51,435 Speaker 1: in them? Legally g E did manufacture components that were 385 00:25:51,515 --> 00:25:53,555 Speaker 1: used in roadside bombs that were built in I ran 386 00:25:53,635 --> 00:25:56,475 Speaker 1: to kill Americans in Iraq. So O'Reilly puts this on 387 00:25:56,595 --> 00:26:00,555 Speaker 1: his effing show as a lead story, and then Fox 388 00:26:00,595 --> 00:26:03,315 Speaker 1: sent two camera crews in this little crap producer from 389 00:26:03,315 --> 00:26:07,595 Speaker 1: O'Riley show, jess e Water Something to stake Immilt out 390 00:26:07,635 --> 00:26:10,915 Speaker 1: and chase him around the GE shareholders meeting in Charlotte. 391 00:26:12,395 --> 00:26:14,595 Speaker 1: Zucker finally came up for air and I jumped in, 392 00:26:15,475 --> 00:26:18,235 Speaker 1: why didn't m L have six camera crews to stake 393 00:26:18,275 --> 00:26:21,195 Speaker 1: out the two Fox crews and chase them around in Charlotte? 394 00:26:21,235 --> 00:26:23,715 Speaker 1: I mean, isn't that one of our news hubs Charlotte 395 00:26:24,155 --> 00:26:27,155 Speaker 1: doesn't m L own like twenty camera crews? There? He 396 00:26:27,275 --> 00:26:31,315 Speaker 1: bring a camera crew, you'll bring two camera crews. Zucker 397 00:26:31,395 --> 00:26:34,195 Speaker 1: started to not like me again. Now you suggest that 398 00:26:34,235 --> 00:26:36,715 Speaker 1: where were you in? All right? Never mind, it doesn't matter. 399 00:26:37,515 --> 00:26:39,635 Speaker 1: M L says, if there's one more story on Bill 400 00:26:39,675 --> 00:26:43,595 Speaker 1: O'Reilly about GE manufacturing components for roadside bombs inter rack, 401 00:26:43,915 --> 00:26:48,515 Speaker 1: he's taking MSNBC off the air immediately. It'll just be 402 00:26:48,595 --> 00:26:51,675 Speaker 1: twenty four hours of lock up. And I'm fired, and 403 00:26:51,715 --> 00:26:54,755 Speaker 1: you're fired. And then he pointed at Chris Matthews, producer, 404 00:26:54,795 --> 00:26:57,355 Speaker 1: and Matthews is fired. And he pointed at poor Ed 405 00:26:57,435 --> 00:27:01,115 Speaker 1: Sheltz and you're fired, and Ed whimpered, So smart asked, 406 00:27:01,155 --> 00:27:04,315 Speaker 1: what the f do we do? I feigned all the 407 00:27:04,355 --> 00:27:07,355 Speaker 1: non chalance I could feign. If I could have lit 408 00:27:07,355 --> 00:27:10,275 Speaker 1: a shroot by striking a match on the soul of 409 00:27:10,315 --> 00:27:15,595 Speaker 1: my boot, I would have. It's manageable. But Jeff, why 410 00:27:15,915 --> 00:27:19,115 Speaker 1: is m L so worked up about what O'Reilly said 411 00:27:19,155 --> 00:27:22,275 Speaker 1: about him? Only O'Reilly's nutjob viewers actually believe any of 412 00:27:22,315 --> 00:27:26,035 Speaker 1: that crap. Nobody had GE, nobody investing in GE could 413 00:27:26,035 --> 00:27:32,515 Speaker 1: possibly believe we're building components for roadside bombs. Zucker inhaled deeply. 414 00:27:34,635 --> 00:27:38,195 Speaker 1: M L's mother believes it. All the heads in the 415 00:27:38,275 --> 00:27:42,115 Speaker 1: room turned towards the president of NBC. Mrs m L, 416 00:27:42,235 --> 00:27:46,795 Speaker 1: back in Cincinnati, is a devoted Bill O'Reilly viewer. Watches 417 00:27:46,915 --> 00:27:50,915 Speaker 1: him every night, sees this, calls him, says, Sonny, why 418 00:27:50,915 --> 00:27:53,915 Speaker 1: are you manufacturing components that were used in roadside bombs 419 00:27:53,995 --> 00:27:58,315 Speaker 1: built in a Randy kill Americans in Iraq? I had 420 00:27:58,355 --> 00:28:02,755 Speaker 1: not expected that, I said to Zooker. So so he'll 421 00:28:02,795 --> 00:28:07,275 Speaker 1: really burn what two million a year in profits just 422 00:28:07,395 --> 00:28:12,355 Speaker 1: between Rachel and me because he's mom watches Bill O'Reilly. 423 00:28:12,555 --> 00:28:15,515 Speaker 1: Zucker got angry again. You bet your effing ass he will. 424 00:28:15,915 --> 00:28:18,075 Speaker 1: Now you said it was manageable. How how the hef 425 00:28:18,195 --> 00:28:21,635 Speaker 1: do we manage it? Ulm him just a minute? How 426 00:28:21,675 --> 00:28:26,235 Speaker 1: old is she? Zucker summoned all his annoyance? How old 427 00:28:26,395 --> 00:28:31,515 Speaker 1: is who m ELTs mother? How old is she? Jeff 428 00:28:32,195 --> 00:28:34,635 Speaker 1: Zucker was really annoyed. How the eff should I know? 429 00:28:34,875 --> 00:28:38,315 Speaker 1: You're missing the point? I had him really worked up, 430 00:28:38,355 --> 00:28:43,675 Speaker 1: nearly to the boiling point. It was great, guess, Zucker spluttered, 431 00:28:43,715 --> 00:28:46,155 Speaker 1: I don't know. He's in his mid fifties. She's gotta 432 00:28:46,195 --> 00:28:51,275 Speaker 1: be eighty nineties something. I stifle to fake yawn. Yeah, 433 00:28:51,355 --> 00:28:53,715 Speaker 1: you're right, probably closer to ninety now that I think 434 00:28:53,715 --> 00:28:58,595 Speaker 1: of it. So the problem is she watches O'Reilly. She 435 00:28:58,755 --> 00:29:03,755 Speaker 1: tells him what's on Fox? What O'Reilly? Saying about Ge, Well, 436 00:29:03,795 --> 00:29:05,435 Speaker 1: I think you have a simple solution. I'd say, the 437 00:29:05,435 --> 00:29:07,075 Speaker 1: first thing you do is you send over a couple 438 00:29:07,115 --> 00:29:09,395 Speaker 1: of big guys to her house and you pull the 439 00:29:09,475 --> 00:29:14,835 Speaker 1: freaking cable out of the wall. Zucker actually gasped my producer, 440 00:29:14,875 --> 00:29:18,275 Speaker 1: is Hepovich unsuccessfully stifled a laugh, and I saw Rachel 441 00:29:18,355 --> 00:29:22,435 Speaker 1: crack a smile. Zucker regained himself. This isn't funny, Alderman, 442 00:29:23,115 --> 00:29:26,995 Speaker 1: I crossed my legs. Oh, it's a little funny. And anyway, 443 00:29:27,035 --> 00:29:29,995 Speaker 1: it's not essential. If the problem is email is threatening 444 00:29:30,035 --> 00:29:31,955 Speaker 1: to take the network off the air because O'Reilly is 445 00:29:31,995 --> 00:29:36,955 Speaker 1: avenging himself against me by attacking him and attacking Ge. 446 00:29:36,955 --> 00:29:39,595 Speaker 1: The short term solution is easy, and in fact it 447 00:29:39,755 --> 00:29:43,395 Speaker 1: is manageable. The long term solution that's not easy, and 448 00:29:43,435 --> 00:29:45,795 Speaker 1: that's not manageable. But the short term one that's simple. 449 00:29:46,035 --> 00:29:48,595 Speaker 1: Rest of this week, next week, maybe the week after that, 450 00:29:48,675 --> 00:29:54,435 Speaker 1: even we just don't mention Fox News on MSNBC. Something 451 00:29:54,955 --> 00:29:59,555 Speaker 1: resembling a smile crossed Zuker's face. It made him look 452 00:29:59,595 --> 00:30:02,075 Speaker 1: a little less like a lizard person and more like 453 00:30:02,155 --> 00:30:08,795 Speaker 1: a monkey with glasses. You do that forever, No, not forever. 454 00:30:08,875 --> 00:30:12,475 Speaker 1: I would not do that I said to Bias time. Yes, 455 00:30:13,075 --> 00:30:15,155 Speaker 1: but remember who was it who was in my office 456 00:30:15,235 --> 00:30:17,275 Speaker 1: last winter telling me that I should go on the 457 00:30:17,275 --> 00:30:20,355 Speaker 1: air and and just to f with Fox? I should 458 00:30:20,395 --> 00:30:23,275 Speaker 1: ask why Rupert Murdoch was still running a huge international 459 00:30:23,315 --> 00:30:26,955 Speaker 1: media company like News Corp. Despite all the reports that 460 00:30:27,035 --> 00:30:29,995 Speaker 1: he's suffering from dementia, even though there haven't been any 461 00:30:30,035 --> 00:30:32,915 Speaker 1: reports that he's suffering from dementia. For everybody's sake, here, 462 00:30:33,875 --> 00:30:35,675 Speaker 1: who was that again who told me to do that? 463 00:30:37,035 --> 00:30:40,435 Speaker 1: Zucker's goodwill was gone again? Obviously that was me. What's 464 00:30:40,435 --> 00:30:45,115 Speaker 1: your point? My point is we built this new brand 465 00:30:45,115 --> 00:30:47,795 Speaker 1: of ours organically on a couple of themes, a couple 466 00:30:47,795 --> 00:30:50,395 Speaker 1: of statements of principle, and one of them is to 467 00:30:50,715 --> 00:30:54,555 Speaker 1: use your words just to f with Fox. If we 468 00:30:54,715 --> 00:30:57,075 Speaker 1: don't f with Fox for a couple of weeks at 469 00:30:57,075 --> 00:30:59,875 Speaker 1: the start of the summer, who's gonna care. Who's gonna notice? 470 00:31:00,635 --> 00:31:03,915 Speaker 1: But like after two weeks, three weeks, our viewers are 471 00:31:03,955 --> 00:31:07,275 Speaker 1: gonna notice, and the TV writers are gonna notice, and 472 00:31:07,275 --> 00:31:09,395 Speaker 1: then the crap will hit from every direction. You can 473 00:31:09,435 --> 00:31:13,915 Speaker 1: think of temporary freeze on mentioning Fox, then mentioning O'Reilly, 474 00:31:13,915 --> 00:31:17,595 Speaker 1: and mentioning Murdock, fine, permanent freeze. Might as well let 475 00:31:17,715 --> 00:31:19,755 Speaker 1: him L turn us off in the morning. After all, 476 00:31:21,355 --> 00:31:23,795 Speaker 1: I don't think Zucker actually heard the last part about 477 00:31:23,875 --> 00:31:27,115 Speaker 1: m L turning us off. After all, the lack of 478 00:31:27,195 --> 00:31:31,115 Speaker 1: color was returning to his face. Okay, breathe, he kept 479 00:31:31,115 --> 00:31:35,715 Speaker 1: saying to himself. Breathe, breathe, Okay, breathe. He looked at 480 00:31:35,755 --> 00:31:38,475 Speaker 1: me and nodded. He pointed at Izzy and at Phil 481 00:31:38,515 --> 00:31:41,075 Speaker 1: Griffin and me, You and you and you and I 482 00:31:41,275 --> 00:31:44,275 Speaker 1: will we will talk tomorrow, maybe tonight, and we'll all 483 00:31:44,315 --> 00:31:47,475 Speaker 1: meet again next week. Until then, nothing about Fox, anybody, 484 00:31:47,515 --> 00:31:51,795 Speaker 1: Are we clear? Nothing on the air about Fox. Silence 485 00:31:51,835 --> 00:31:54,995 Speaker 1: in the room. Then the assorted noises of people rising, 486 00:31:55,035 --> 00:31:59,875 Speaker 1: mixed with attempts to resuscitate poor Ed Schultz. Somebody Matthew's guy, 487 00:31:59,915 --> 00:32:02,715 Speaker 1: Harson I think, was almost at the door out of 488 00:32:02,795 --> 00:32:04,995 Speaker 1: Zooker's office, and office so big that it was to 489 00:32:05,035 --> 00:32:08,395 Speaker 1: steal the ring Lardner line the size of the Yale Bowl, 490 00:32:08,635 --> 00:32:12,675 Speaker 1: but with lamps. And then a voice spoke up, quietly 491 00:32:12,755 --> 00:32:18,355 Speaker 1: but firmly, Excuse me, it was Rachel Maddow. Excuse me. 492 00:32:19,155 --> 00:32:21,835 Speaker 1: I will not have the content of my show dictated 493 00:32:21,875 --> 00:32:26,395 Speaker 1: by any corporations, including the one I work for. Remember 494 00:32:26,395 --> 00:32:28,835 Speaker 1: this is June two nine. She still felt that way then, 495 00:32:29,355 --> 00:32:32,035 Speaker 1: and especially one I don't work for. I will walk 496 00:32:32,075 --> 00:32:34,795 Speaker 1: out first. I cannot have the audience wondering what else 497 00:32:34,875 --> 00:32:37,195 Speaker 1: I have not told them. I don't do a lot 498 00:32:37,235 --> 00:32:38,875 Speaker 1: about Fox on my show. But if there is a 499 00:32:38,915 --> 00:32:41,515 Speaker 1: story about Fox, I will not honor this freeze. I 500 00:32:41,555 --> 00:32:44,115 Speaker 1: will report that story. And if I'm prevented from reporting 501 00:32:44,155 --> 00:32:49,235 Speaker 1: that story, I will leave. Whereupon she left, Zucker barked 502 00:32:49,355 --> 00:32:53,595 Speaker 1: Phil all rouman, is he stay? When the rest of 503 00:32:53,595 --> 00:32:56,595 Speaker 1: the room had cleared, Zucker blew air out of his 504 00:32:56,675 --> 00:32:59,915 Speaker 1: mouth as if it were smoke. He gestured violently at 505 00:32:59,955 --> 00:33:01,635 Speaker 1: me with his right arm. I told you she was 506 00:33:01,675 --> 00:33:03,755 Speaker 1: a mistake. You didn't listen to me. I told you. 507 00:33:03,915 --> 00:33:06,555 Speaker 1: Now she's your problem. Oh, this is your problem. Get 508 00:33:06,555 --> 00:33:10,155 Speaker 1: her back on the reservation or else. Now I had 509 00:33:10,235 --> 00:33:13,835 Speaker 1: run out of goodwill and jokes. Oh, I'll get her 510 00:33:13,835 --> 00:33:15,755 Speaker 1: back on the reservation, Jeff. But if you think this 511 00:33:15,835 --> 00:33:18,595 Speaker 1: is my problem, just think about what happens if he 512 00:33:18,675 --> 00:33:21,275 Speaker 1: really does take us off the air, or if it 513 00:33:21,355 --> 00:33:24,395 Speaker 1: just gets out that he threatened to take us off 514 00:33:24,435 --> 00:33:31,715 Speaker 1: the air because his mother didn't like what Fox said 515 00:33:31,755 --> 00:33:37,475 Speaker 1: about him. That's my problem. Uh, that's your problem, And 516 00:33:37,595 --> 00:33:40,875 Speaker 1: it's the problem of the CEO of the freaking sixth 517 00:33:40,955 --> 00:33:45,035 Speaker 1: largest corporation in the world who makes his business decisions 518 00:33:45,075 --> 00:33:49,235 Speaker 1: involving hundreds of millions of dollars of profits based on 519 00:33:49,315 --> 00:33:54,875 Speaker 1: what his mother says. At this point, Phil Griffin managed 520 00:33:54,915 --> 00:33:57,515 Speaker 1: to pull Zooker away and Izzy and I made for 521 00:33:57,555 --> 00:34:01,475 Speaker 1: the door, saying nothing until we were in the elevator. Finally, 522 00:34:01,515 --> 00:34:04,315 Speaker 1: she asked, what are you going to do about Rachel? 523 00:34:05,115 --> 00:34:07,755 Speaker 1: I looked straight ahead. I have depth reception issues while 524 00:34:07,755 --> 00:34:11,435 Speaker 1: traveling forward, backwards, up or down the if I know 525 00:34:11,475 --> 00:34:13,155 Speaker 1: what I'm gonna do about her? But I got an idea. 526 00:34:13,635 --> 00:34:15,555 Speaker 1: I mean, the only person she was really talking to 527 00:34:15,635 --> 00:34:19,595 Speaker 1: in there was herself. This isn't a brand new surprise 528 00:34:19,715 --> 00:34:23,115 Speaker 1: success for her anymore. This is successful. This is what 529 00:34:23,435 --> 00:34:27,155 Speaker 1: nine ten months she's successful. She said she was once 530 00:34:27,195 --> 00:34:30,475 Speaker 1: a dancing cell phone outside of cell phone store outside 531 00:34:30,475 --> 00:34:34,235 Speaker 1: of Boston. She ain't going back to that. I went 532 00:34:34,275 --> 00:34:36,715 Speaker 1: to talk to Rachel about an hour later and reassured her. 533 00:34:37,355 --> 00:34:40,155 Speaker 1: I mentioned that powerful as Fox was, they were not 534 00:34:40,195 --> 00:34:42,795 Speaker 1: going to be able to re invade Iraq by themselves. 535 00:34:43,395 --> 00:34:46,275 Speaker 1: And unless she moved it way closer than it had been, 536 00:34:46,315 --> 00:34:49,635 Speaker 1: nobody would cross her censorship line. And I said, just 537 00:34:49,795 --> 00:34:52,275 Speaker 1: give me as much time as the French government took 538 00:34:52,595 --> 00:34:56,195 Speaker 1: before fleeing during the Nazi advance in ninety I said, 539 00:34:56,355 --> 00:34:58,475 Speaker 1: give me, what was it, thirty three days? Give me 540 00:34:58,555 --> 00:35:01,035 Speaker 1: thirty three days. If we aren't back where we were 541 00:35:01,075 --> 00:35:04,355 Speaker 1: this morning, we can both quit on the air. I 542 00:35:04,355 --> 00:35:08,115 Speaker 1: mean to be fun right. Three nights later, well after 543 00:35:08,155 --> 00:35:11,755 Speaker 1: midnight on a Friday, my NBC issued BlackBerry buzzed with 544 00:35:11,795 --> 00:35:16,355 Speaker 1: a quick email from Rachel Maddow. Hey, she wrote, don't 545 00:35:16,395 --> 00:35:19,635 Speaker 1: necessarily quote me because I'm really drunk, but just make 546 00:35:19,675 --> 00:35:21,835 Speaker 1: the best deal you can for us. I trust you. 547 00:35:22,075 --> 00:35:23,835 Speaker 1: We don't need to do Fox all the time. I 548 00:35:23,875 --> 00:35:26,795 Speaker 1: never do Fox stories anyway. I just had to say that, 549 00:35:27,035 --> 00:35:29,435 Speaker 1: and this is the best platform we will ever have. 550 00:35:30,635 --> 00:35:33,075 Speaker 1: Well she was right, at least for the time being. 551 00:35:33,355 --> 00:35:35,075 Speaker 1: A couple of weeks later, I had to sneak in 552 00:35:35,115 --> 00:35:37,755 Speaker 1: a script that blasted Fox, and at ten thirty at 553 00:35:37,755 --> 00:35:39,835 Speaker 1: home that night, I got a call from a drunken 554 00:35:39,875 --> 00:35:43,355 Speaker 1: Phil Griffin shouting into the phone, I have a family. 555 00:35:44,715 --> 00:35:48,995 Speaker 1: Zooker had to go meet with Roger Ales secretly inside 556 00:35:49,075 --> 00:35:52,075 Speaker 1: thirty Rock, and I hope they remember to clean the 557 00:35:52,155 --> 00:35:55,515 Speaker 1: room afterwards, and m l even had to meet with Murdoch, 558 00:35:56,075 --> 00:35:59,555 Speaker 1: and then happily, some idiot GE executive decided to boast 559 00:35:59,595 --> 00:36:02,435 Speaker 1: to The New York Times about getting us little talent 560 00:36:02,555 --> 00:36:06,235 Speaker 1: children under control in a big deal with the executives 561 00:36:06,275 --> 00:36:08,795 Speaker 1: over at Fox, and how they'd settled everything, which blew 562 00:36:08,875 --> 00:36:12,035 Speaker 1: up the whole deal instantly, because the moment the deal 563 00:36:12,075 --> 00:36:16,755 Speaker 1: went public, NBC looked so stupid, and even NBC News 564 00:36:16,835 --> 00:36:20,635 Speaker 1: was now risked. The only point of the whole thing 565 00:36:20,715 --> 00:36:22,915 Speaker 1: was to keep the mlts and the Zookers and the 566 00:36:22,915 --> 00:36:25,675 Speaker 1: Griffins and the ailes Is from throwing us and our 567 00:36:25,755 --> 00:36:29,395 Speaker 1: little island of liberal commentary out of that window at 568 00:36:29,435 --> 00:36:32,995 Speaker 1: thirty Rock. But as Rachel Maddow and I would be 569 00:36:33,035 --> 00:36:37,235 Speaker 1: constantly reminded in the ensuing years, thirty Rock has a 570 00:36:37,355 --> 00:36:55,075 Speaker 1: lot of freaking windows still ahead. And I swear to 571 00:36:55,115 --> 00:36:57,355 Speaker 1: God that happened, and so did this. I should have 572 00:36:57,475 --> 00:36:59,995 Speaker 1: known it was going to happen with Jeff m LT 573 00:37:00,075 --> 00:37:02,795 Speaker 1: and Jeff m LT's mother and g E because I 574 00:37:02,835 --> 00:37:05,355 Speaker 1: was tipped off to what these idiots into levision news 575 00:37:05,355 --> 00:37:08,915 Speaker 1: were like weeks before I started my first show for MSNBC, 576 00:37:09,155 --> 00:37:13,675 Speaker 1: literally plus years ago, the day the president of NBC 577 00:37:13,715 --> 00:37:16,875 Speaker 1: News told me to make sure, I nodded politely to 578 00:37:16,915 --> 00:37:21,555 Speaker 1: the Microsoft executive in charge of MSNBC and then ignored 579 00:37:21,875 --> 00:37:25,955 Speaker 1: everything he had to say. That's next. This is countdown 580 00:37:34,835 --> 00:37:36,835 Speaker 1: to the top of the countdown on our number one 581 00:37:36,875 --> 00:37:39,835 Speaker 1: story and my favorite topic, me and things I promised 582 00:37:39,875 --> 00:37:44,035 Speaker 1: not to tell. And Saturday is twenty five years since 583 00:37:44,115 --> 00:37:47,195 Speaker 1: the moment I realized that there was something crazy built 584 00:37:47,235 --> 00:37:51,115 Speaker 1: into the structure of NBC News and in fact, built 585 00:37:51,115 --> 00:37:55,795 Speaker 1: into the structure of television news. On the night of Wednesday, September, 586 00:37:58,435 --> 00:38:00,675 Speaker 1: I was told to show up at six thirty p m. 587 00:38:00,755 --> 00:38:03,195 Speaker 1: At the apartment of Phil Griffin on Central Park West 588 00:38:03,235 --> 00:38:06,635 Speaker 1: in Manhattan. Din Her with Phil and his wife Corey, 589 00:38:06,715 --> 00:38:10,155 Speaker 1: and Andy Lack and his wife Betsy, and Jeff Zucker 590 00:38:10,555 --> 00:38:13,555 Speaker 1: and Merrill Brown was at seven pm, but I was 591 00:38:13,555 --> 00:38:16,675 Speaker 1: supposed to be there at six thirty. One week and 592 00:38:16,835 --> 00:38:20,035 Speaker 1: ninety minutes later, we were all launching my new newscast 593 00:38:20,115 --> 00:38:22,795 Speaker 1: on MSNBC, and it didn't get much newer than this. 594 00:38:22,915 --> 00:38:26,355 Speaker 1: I had done some newscasts in college as recently as 595 00:38:26,995 --> 00:38:30,835 Speaker 1: Waiteen years prior twice in local news, I had been 596 00:38:30,835 --> 00:38:34,035 Speaker 1: pressed into service as a news field reporter, and once 597 00:38:34,115 --> 00:38:38,075 Speaker 1: in l A when our married newscaster anchored couple Jim 598 00:38:38,155 --> 00:38:40,675 Speaker 1: Lampley and Bree Walker were late coming back from dinner, 599 00:38:40,715 --> 00:38:43,355 Speaker 1: I had to do the live teas for Channel two 600 00:38:43,355 --> 00:38:45,395 Speaker 1: Action News at eleven, right in the middle of the 601 00:38:45,395 --> 00:38:48,715 Speaker 1: airing of the show Falcon Crest on CBS, and I 602 00:38:48,755 --> 00:38:51,435 Speaker 1: started it by saying, Hi, Jim and Bree can't come 603 00:38:51,475 --> 00:38:53,795 Speaker 1: to the TV right now, Here's what they'll have for 604 00:38:53,875 --> 00:38:56,675 Speaker 1: you at eleven. But I had not done more than 605 00:38:56,755 --> 00:39:00,475 Speaker 1: fifteen minutes of news in a row in my life. 606 00:39:01,275 --> 00:39:03,555 Speaker 1: One week later, I would become the lynch pin in 607 00:39:03,595 --> 00:39:06,275 Speaker 1: the lineup on m CNBC, which itself had only been 608 00:39:06,275 --> 00:39:08,995 Speaker 1: doing news for a year and nine weeks. So when 609 00:39:09,075 --> 00:39:12,395 Speaker 1: Andy Lack, the president of NBC News and Zooker, then 610 00:39:12,435 --> 00:39:15,675 Speaker 1: the executive producer of The Today Show and unofficial chief 611 00:39:15,715 --> 00:39:20,555 Speaker 1: executive of MSNBC, and Griffin, executive producer of my new newscast, 612 00:39:20,635 --> 00:39:23,955 Speaker 1: called the Big Show, said show up at six thirty, Alderman, 613 00:39:24,475 --> 00:39:26,395 Speaker 1: I just assumed we were going to have some final 614 00:39:26,395 --> 00:39:29,075 Speaker 1: discussion of what we should be doing during the series 615 00:39:29,715 --> 00:39:32,315 Speaker 1: or at least during the first show, or at least 616 00:39:32,315 --> 00:39:34,635 Speaker 1: three the first segment. Because we were a week out 617 00:39:34,635 --> 00:39:36,515 Speaker 1: and I really didn't have any clues to what they 618 00:39:36,515 --> 00:39:39,355 Speaker 1: expected the show to look like or what they expected 619 00:39:39,355 --> 00:39:42,715 Speaker 1: me to say. I kept mentioning that I was fascinated 620 00:39:42,755 --> 00:39:46,675 Speaker 1: by something called the Mandel brought set, which is in 621 00:39:47,075 --> 00:39:52,075 Speaker 1: real Lehman's essence mathematical formula which if you keep running 622 00:39:52,075 --> 00:39:54,275 Speaker 1: it long enough in a computer, eventually turns into the 623 00:39:54,275 --> 00:39:57,475 Speaker 1: shapes of all the leaves and the tales of sea 624 00:39:57,555 --> 00:40:01,755 Speaker 1: lions and everything else from nature. When I mentioned the 625 00:40:01,795 --> 00:40:04,195 Speaker 1: Mandel Brought set to one of the show producers, he 626 00:40:04,275 --> 00:40:09,555 Speaker 1: nodded enthusiastically and smilingly, and then said, in evident seriousness, Great, 627 00:40:09,915 --> 00:40:12,355 Speaker 1: we can do that after we do the first half 628 00:40:12,355 --> 00:40:14,475 Speaker 1: an hour on the Murder of Jehan ben A Ramsey. 629 00:40:16,235 --> 00:40:18,915 Speaker 1: I had just moved into my new apartment, ten blocks 630 00:40:18,955 --> 00:40:23,435 Speaker 1: south of Griffin's. I had left ESPN perfectly successful time 631 00:40:23,475 --> 00:40:25,955 Speaker 1: for me and a nice enough but very remote place 632 00:40:25,995 --> 00:40:29,715 Speaker 1: called Bristol, Connecticut, which didn't really have sidewalks, And so 633 00:40:29,835 --> 00:40:33,715 Speaker 1: I walked uptown with a mixture pride, excitement and apprehension, 634 00:40:34,235 --> 00:40:38,195 Speaker 1: and on sidewalks by the time I was within five blocks. 635 00:40:38,235 --> 00:40:39,955 Speaker 1: I was hoping I'd be able to talk them into 636 00:40:40,035 --> 00:40:42,755 Speaker 1: one show a week where we talked about stuff like 637 00:40:42,795 --> 00:40:46,675 Speaker 1: the Mandelbrot set. I arrived right on time, got great 638 00:40:46,715 --> 00:40:49,075 Speaker 1: handshakes from Griffin and Lack and Zucker, and a kiss 639 00:40:49,075 --> 00:40:51,595 Speaker 1: from Griffin's wife, who I knew, and then the two 640 00:40:51,635 --> 00:40:54,555 Speaker 1: ladies excused themselves to go out onto the balcony somewhere, 641 00:40:54,555 --> 00:40:56,755 Speaker 1: and I noticed it was just those three guys in me. 642 00:40:57,755 --> 00:41:00,875 Speaker 1: The seventh person at this dinner, this Meryl Brown, who 643 00:41:00,955 --> 00:41:04,275 Speaker 1: I did not know, was not there, and I soon 644 00:41:04,315 --> 00:41:07,875 Speaker 1: found out why. When the women were out of the room. 645 00:41:07,915 --> 00:41:10,835 Speaker 1: News President Lack barked first, So you're here early, so 646 00:41:10,875 --> 00:41:14,595 Speaker 1: we can talk about this Meryl Brown. Guy. Zucker looked 647 00:41:14,595 --> 00:41:18,915 Speaker 1: away from me. He muttered, freaking Meryl Brown. Griffin said, 648 00:41:19,075 --> 00:41:22,315 Speaker 1: we need to tell you about Meryl Brown. Buddy Lack 649 00:41:22,435 --> 00:41:25,675 Speaker 1: began to pace up and down Griffin's living room. He 650 00:41:25,755 --> 00:41:28,555 Speaker 1: had unruly, thinning hair, and he kept running his hands 651 00:41:28,555 --> 00:41:29,875 Speaker 1: through it, like he was checking to see if it 652 00:41:29,915 --> 00:41:33,795 Speaker 1: was still there. It's god, damn Meryl Brown. Lack suddenly 653 00:41:33,835 --> 00:41:36,915 Speaker 1: stopped and began to look angrily at me. Meryl Brown 654 00:41:37,115 --> 00:41:38,995 Speaker 1: you're here so we can make sure you never listen 655 00:41:39,075 --> 00:41:44,155 Speaker 1: to Meryl Brown. Three thoughts rocketed through my mind. One, 656 00:41:44,235 --> 00:41:46,955 Speaker 1: this felt like a scene from a bad movie, like 657 00:41:47,035 --> 00:41:52,075 Speaker 1: something they cut out of The Fugitive or maybe Wall Street. Two, 658 00:41:52,555 --> 00:41:57,915 Speaker 1: these guys in ascending order, Griffin, Zucker Lack seemed to 659 00:41:58,035 --> 00:42:02,875 Speaker 1: be crazy. And three, if only we were rolling tape on, 660 00:42:02,875 --> 00:42:04,675 Speaker 1: this would make a great segment for the first show. 661 00:42:04,675 --> 00:42:10,715 Speaker 1: Oh and then we talked about the Mandelbrot. Set Zuker apologized, Look, 662 00:42:10,755 --> 00:42:12,675 Speaker 1: we already had part of this meeting at thirty Rocks, 663 00:42:12,675 --> 00:42:14,675 Speaker 1: so we're pretty worked up about this. There's nothing for 664 00:42:14,715 --> 00:42:17,075 Speaker 1: you to worry about here. You didn't do anything wrong, 665 00:42:17,115 --> 00:42:19,235 Speaker 1: and you probably don't have any idea who Meryl Brown is. 666 00:42:20,355 --> 00:42:23,275 Speaker 1: I joked to my three bosses that I was beginning 667 00:42:23,275 --> 00:42:25,995 Speaker 1: to think Meryl Brown was just a renamed version of 668 00:42:26,075 --> 00:42:32,675 Speaker 1: Goldstein from George Orwell. To my horror, nobody laughed and 669 00:42:32,755 --> 00:42:36,715 Speaker 1: nobody corrected me. Lack resumed a little calmer this time. 670 00:42:37,235 --> 00:42:40,075 Speaker 1: Meryl Brown used to write for the Washington Post, and 671 00:42:40,235 --> 00:42:43,715 Speaker 1: somehow he's he helped start Court TV, and now he's 672 00:42:43,795 --> 00:42:47,835 Speaker 1: he's the TV guy at Microsoft, and Microsoft thinks they 673 00:42:47,955 --> 00:42:52,315 Speaker 1: own MSNBC and Meryl Brown. Freaking Meryl Brown thinks he 674 00:42:52,435 --> 00:42:55,115 Speaker 1: runs MSNBC. He doesn't run MSNBC. God damn it, I 675 00:42:55,195 --> 00:43:01,195 Speaker 1: run MSNBC. It was a brief, dangerous silence. Then lack 676 00:43:01,315 --> 00:43:04,515 Speaker 1: amended his remark, well, I run it with Jeff and Phil. 677 00:43:05,955 --> 00:43:08,595 Speaker 1: Phil Griffin spoke up. Now I had known him sixteen years. 678 00:43:08,595 --> 00:43:10,715 Speaker 1: He had been my producer on literally my first day 679 00:43:10,715 --> 00:43:13,635 Speaker 1: in television, and now coincidence would make him my producer 680 00:43:13,635 --> 00:43:16,795 Speaker 1: on literally my first day in television news. We're just 681 00:43:16,835 --> 00:43:19,595 Speaker 1: a little worn out by Meryl Buddy. He sends all 682 00:43:19,635 --> 00:43:23,195 Speaker 1: of us emails and messages every day. Lack now interrupted 683 00:43:23,235 --> 00:43:25,555 Speaker 1: Griffin all day. He sends them all day like he 684 00:43:25,595 --> 00:43:28,475 Speaker 1: invented computers. He can't do anything out there in Redmond 685 00:43:28,515 --> 00:43:31,555 Speaker 1: freaking Washington except watch MSNBC and tell us how I 686 00:43:31,755 --> 00:43:33,555 Speaker 1: have to change it. Like I wasn't the man who 687 00:43:33,555 --> 00:43:37,195 Speaker 1: saved NBC News, and he wasn't working in Redmond freaking Washington. 688 00:43:39,395 --> 00:43:42,875 Speaker 1: This was the first I had learned of the contempt 689 00:43:43,435 --> 00:43:47,835 Speaker 1: in which the NBC people held the Microsoft people. I 690 00:43:47,875 --> 00:43:51,435 Speaker 1: would hear of it again every hour or so for 691 00:43:51,475 --> 00:43:55,395 Speaker 1: the next year. It was symbolized by their blind hatred 692 00:43:55,395 --> 00:43:57,915 Speaker 1: of the otherwise pleasant town that was home to the 693 00:43:57,955 --> 00:44:03,635 Speaker 1: Microsoft operation, Redmond, Washington. The two companies had quote partnered 694 00:44:03,755 --> 00:44:09,075 Speaker 1: unquote to create MSNBC, this first synergy between a major 695 00:44:09,155 --> 00:44:12,755 Speaker 1: television company and the earliest giant of computers and the Internet. 696 00:44:12,795 --> 00:44:16,515 Speaker 1: That's why it was called m S NBC MS for 697 00:44:16,595 --> 00:44:20,995 Speaker 1: Microsoft NBC for NBC. They were a team. No, they weren't. 698 00:44:21,715 --> 00:44:24,515 Speaker 1: Lack was still fared up christ Stone Mighty, who only 699 00:44:24,555 --> 00:44:27,315 Speaker 1: brought these Microsoft idiots in on this deal for their money. 700 00:44:27,515 --> 00:44:29,755 Speaker 1: They don't have editorial input. Their here to put in 701 00:44:29,795 --> 00:44:33,595 Speaker 1: the money, and they're wiring. That's it. Zucker took over. 702 00:44:34,195 --> 00:44:35,915 Speaker 1: Here's why we wanted to talk to in advance of 703 00:44:35,955 --> 00:44:37,995 Speaker 1: Meryl Brown getting here. He's asked to sit next to 704 00:44:37,995 --> 00:44:41,155 Speaker 1: you during dinner. He wants to share his his vision 705 00:44:41,235 --> 00:44:43,635 Speaker 1: for the big show. What we want you to do 706 00:44:43,675 --> 00:44:48,795 Speaker 1: is listen carefully to him, nod, laugh, agree, say that's 707 00:44:48,875 --> 00:44:52,595 Speaker 1: very interesting, but don't say what you might think would 708 00:44:52,595 --> 00:44:54,915 Speaker 1: be good to say, like Andy, what do you think 709 00:44:54,955 --> 00:44:58,835 Speaker 1: of this? Andy interrupted again, because I'll goddamn tell you 710 00:44:58,835 --> 00:45:01,635 Speaker 1: what I think of it. It's crap, crap from Redmond, Washington, 711 00:45:01,835 --> 00:45:03,915 Speaker 1: Crap from guys who are Alwaly supposed to give us 712 00:45:03,915 --> 00:45:06,555 Speaker 1: money and computer rminals. That's it. Don't tell me what 713 00:45:06,675 --> 00:45:09,595 Speaker 1: we have to synergize cable television and the Internet with 714 00:45:09,715 --> 00:45:12,555 Speaker 1: whatever the hellthy internet is. This network is so we 715 00:45:12,555 --> 00:45:16,115 Speaker 1: can train talent and amortise expenses and give Brian Williams 716 00:45:16,115 --> 00:45:20,875 Speaker 1: someplace to anchor until Brocall leaves and another thing. Phil 717 00:45:20,875 --> 00:45:25,155 Speaker 1: Griffin Central Park West Apartment building intercom buzzer suddenly went off. 718 00:45:25,675 --> 00:45:28,235 Speaker 1: His wife raced out of wherever she and Mrs Lack 719 00:45:28,275 --> 00:45:30,835 Speaker 1: had been hiding and where I hope they were secretly 720 00:45:30,875 --> 00:45:33,635 Speaker 1: recording all this, and she answered the call from the 721 00:45:33,635 --> 00:45:37,115 Speaker 1: building's lobby desk with a series of a huhz. She 722 00:45:37,155 --> 00:45:40,035 Speaker 1: looked at her husband and said, with some fear, Meryl 723 00:45:40,115 --> 00:45:43,435 Speaker 1: Brown is on the way up. God damn it, shouted Black. 724 00:45:43,715 --> 00:45:45,715 Speaker 1: He pointed again at me. Okay, not a word of 725 00:45:45,715 --> 00:45:48,035 Speaker 1: what you've been told. Just humor um, humor room, humor um, 726 00:45:48,075 --> 00:45:50,235 Speaker 1: humor um. And don't ask me or Zucker or Phil 727 00:45:50,235 --> 00:45:54,355 Speaker 1: what we think because there could be bloodshed here. Dinner 728 00:45:55,075 --> 00:46:00,555 Speaker 1: catered was spectacular. Meryl Brown was charming, well informed. He 729 00:46:00,635 --> 00:46:04,915 Speaker 1: had ideas about that the word synergy between TV and 730 00:46:04,955 --> 00:46:08,515 Speaker 1: the Internet about eventually getting viewers to watch TV via 731 00:46:08,955 --> 00:46:12,475 Speaker 1: their computers, especially when the computers would one day be 732 00:46:13,395 --> 00:46:18,635 Speaker 1: handheld seriously and maybe even interacting with the shows as 733 00:46:18,675 --> 00:46:22,435 Speaker 1: they were being televised or watching them whenever the viewer 734 00:46:22,555 --> 00:46:27,835 Speaker 1: wanted some sort of delay system. It was interesting and 735 00:46:27,875 --> 00:46:30,075 Speaker 1: forward looking. And to make sure I could not see 736 00:46:30,075 --> 00:46:33,315 Speaker 1: the anger barely being suppressed by Lack until lesser degrees 737 00:46:33,355 --> 00:46:37,595 Speaker 1: by Griffin and Zooker, I took my glasses off mid meal. Finally, 738 00:46:37,635 --> 00:46:39,395 Speaker 1: Meryl Brown said he had to go. He knew the 739 00:46:39,435 --> 00:46:41,595 Speaker 1: rest of us needed to talk over some details about 740 00:46:41,595 --> 00:46:45,075 Speaker 1: the launch of my show. He wished me luck silently. 741 00:46:45,355 --> 00:46:49,435 Speaker 1: I wished him luck. Lack and Griffin showed him to 742 00:46:49,475 --> 00:46:52,275 Speaker 1: the door and actually waited there until Meryl Brown made 743 00:46:52,275 --> 00:46:55,555 Speaker 1: it down the hallway and into the elevator. Before he 744 00:46:55,595 --> 00:46:58,395 Speaker 1: even closed the apartment door, Lack shouted, and that's another 745 00:46:58,435 --> 00:47:01,155 Speaker 1: thing we have all but goddamn synergy between TV and 746 00:47:01,155 --> 00:47:05,435 Speaker 1: the Internet already. Tell him, Phil, tell him Phil. Griffin 747 00:47:05,435 --> 00:47:09,275 Speaker 1: looked at me sheepishly. Zucker took over for him. We 748 00:47:09,395 --> 00:47:12,075 Speaker 1: figured out how to mesh between cable TV and the Internet. 749 00:47:12,075 --> 00:47:13,755 Speaker 1: Phil figured it out that the name of the show 750 00:47:13,755 --> 00:47:15,715 Speaker 1: that will be your lead in. This is the kind 751 00:47:15,755 --> 00:47:18,835 Speaker 1: of synergy we want. Tell him, Phil, tell him the 752 00:47:18,915 --> 00:47:21,035 Speaker 1: name of the show and how it combines the Internet 753 00:47:21,075 --> 00:47:26,355 Speaker 1: and nighttime TV. Phil looks slightly past me. It's it's 754 00:47:26,435 --> 00:47:33,515 Speaker 1: it's called it's called internight. He paused, it's it's called internight. See, 755 00:47:33,955 --> 00:47:42,155 Speaker 1: it's it's it's Internet plus, you know night internight. Got 756 00:47:42,155 --> 00:47:47,155 Speaker 1: it putty. At that exact moment, I knew that on 757 00:47:47,355 --> 00:47:52,315 Speaker 1: MSNBC we would never, not once, not even in passing, 758 00:47:53,035 --> 00:48:10,915 Speaker 1: make the slightest reference to the Mandelbrot set. Countdown and 759 00:48:10,995 --> 00:48:13,515 Speaker 1: my Sinus Infection have come to you from the studios 760 00:48:13,555 --> 00:48:18,195 Speaker 1: of Alberman Broadcasting Empire World headquarters here in the Sports 761 00:48:18,275 --> 00:48:20,795 Speaker 1: Capsule Building in New York City. Thank you for listening. 762 00:48:21,355 --> 00:48:23,395 Speaker 1: Here are the credits. Most of the music, including our 763 00:48:23,435 --> 00:48:27,075 Speaker 1: theme from Beethoven's Ninth arranged, produced and performed by Brian 764 00:48:27,115 --> 00:48:30,595 Speaker 1: Ray and John Philip Channel. They are the Countdown musical directors. 765 00:48:30,915 --> 00:48:34,995 Speaker 1: All orchestration and keyboards by John Philip Channel. Guitars, Bassed 766 00:48:35,035 --> 00:48:38,075 Speaker 1: and drums by Brian Ray, produced by t Ko Brothers. 767 00:48:38,555 --> 00:48:41,195 Speaker 1: Another Beethoven selections have been arranged and performed by No 768 00:48:41,395 --> 00:48:44,755 Speaker 1: Horns allowed The sports music is the Alberman theme from 769 00:48:44,955 --> 00:48:47,995 Speaker 1: ESPN two, and it was written by Mitch Warren Davis 770 00:48:48,035 --> 00:48:52,155 Speaker 1: courtesy of ESPN Inc. Musical comments by Nancy Faust. The 771 00:48:52,195 --> 00:48:55,715 Speaker 1: best baseball stadium organist ever. Our announcer today was Larry 772 00:48:55,795 --> 00:48:58,795 Speaker 1: David and just in Clase. Any of you conservatives are 773 00:48:58,795 --> 00:49:00,915 Speaker 1: confused by this, None of them were here in the 774 00:49:00,955 --> 00:49:03,275 Speaker 1: building with me. We had them on what we call 775 00:49:04,395 --> 00:49:08,475 Speaker 1: take everything else is pretty much my fault. So that's 776 00:49:08,515 --> 00:49:10,835 Speaker 1: countdown for this the seven dred and thirty ninth day 777 00:49:11,195 --> 00:49:14,315 Speaker 1: since Donald Trump's first attempted coup against the democratically elected 778 00:49:14,315 --> 00:49:16,915 Speaker 1: government of the United States. Arrest him now while we 779 00:49:16,995 --> 00:49:19,315 Speaker 1: still can. I will try to be back with a 780 00:49:19,395 --> 00:49:23,635 Speaker 1: completely new episode tomorrow. The sinus infection, of course, has 781 00:49:23,675 --> 00:49:26,955 Speaker 1: the final word until whenever. I'm Keith all Reman. Good morning, 782 00:49:26,995 --> 00:49:38,635 Speaker 1: good afternoon, good night, and good luck. Countdown with Keith 783 00:49:38,675 --> 00:49:41,555 Speaker 1: old Reman is a production of I Heart Radio. For 784 00:49:41,715 --> 00:49:44,715 Speaker 1: more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the I heart 785 00:49:44,795 --> 00:49:48,875 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.