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| Written By Rick
Ellis, Monday, August 16th, 2004 I don't think it's an understatement to say that things at CNBC are in a bit of a slump. It's not just that the ratings are weak. It's also the perception that the network has lost its way. As a fan of CNBC, let me offer up a few suggestions. And surprisingly, dumping John McEnroe is only number three on the "to do" list. 1) Build a sharp programming wall between CNBC's daytime and primetime lineups. For an example of how this should be done, take a look at the way Viacom handles Nick's daytime schedule vs. its "Nick At Nite" schedule. It's as if there are two separate networks sharing one channel position. And that's precisely the way CNBC should be programmed. Business and news coverage during the day. Then switch to a more aggressive mix at 7 PM ET. Rebrand the evening shows with a new moniker, new logo and completely different feel. Shows such as "Capitol Report" only confuse the viewers. Are they watching a news channel or not? They don't know, and increasingly, that confusion is impacting the ratings. This is the only time I'll reference Fox News Channel in this article. Fox News means something in the mind of viewers. Good or bad, the branding on that channel is rock solid. And that's what GE should be striving for with "CNBC at Night." Part B of this suggestion is to build the same differentiation between MSNBC and CNBC. Leave the breaking news to MSNBC. Unless some American political official is shot, or California drops off the map, CNBC stays with its regular programming at night. No coverage of presidential speeches, no news programming that seems to be competing with MSNBC. Think of "CNBC at Night" as the talk station that only acknowledges breaking news when it has to. 2) Move "Countdown with Keith Olberman" to CNBC. Now I have no way of knowing whether he would go along with the suggestion. But as things stand now, Olberman is odd man out at MSNBC. He's a genius, and the show is truly "can't miss," but "Countdown" was born to head up a programming block of snarky news and pop-culture programming. The trick in all of this is to convince everyone involved that it's not a demotion of some sort. Far from it. It's the chance for Olberman to be the Bill O'Reilly of CNBC. If O'Reilly had a sense of humor, that is. 3) Dump "McEnroe" I know that the powers that be at GE love the guy. And I'm sure he's a wonderful human being.....blah, blah, blah. But John McEnroe has shown little ability at being a talk show host, and I can't help thinking that "McEnroe" is the type of program the network suits would dream up over some drinks at a Hamptons watering hole. He can't tell a joke, he seems to have the attention span of a poodle and half the time even he doesn't seem to know why anyone would be watching. If sports ability translated to broadcast skills, then the "Michael Jordan Talk Show" would be the highest rated program on late night television. But Jordan never fooled himself into thinking he could host a show, and McEnroe should have followed Jordan's example. 4) Do A Show From Chicago. I know the arguments about why CNBC wants to do everything from the East Coast. But the network needs to shake things up, and creating a new feel would certainly help. Sure, it's harder to get guests in Chicago, but not every show needs to do a live in-studio interview with the contestants from "The Apprentice." Build a show in Chicago around what makes the Midwest interesting. Give the show an edge, and make it more comedy than news. Say what you will about the days of "Geraldo" on CNBC, but his show was unlike anything else on the network. CNBC needs attitude. Chicago is filled with personalities. And best of all, they'll probably work cheap. 5) Ban Any Reruns From NBC. I understand that NBC wants to amortize its investments in reality programming. And right now, it has a couple of holes to fill at CNBC. But it's tough to see what useful purpose is served by cramming tired reruns of shows like "The Restaurant" into the CNBC evening block. CNBC needs its own identity. And that means no reality TV. Nothing repurposed from other networks. Even appearances by NBC personalities should be weighed carefully as guests are being booked on the individual shows. If "CNBC At Night" is going to stand alone, it needs to build its own roster of stars. 6) Dennis Miller......Oh, God, Dennis Miller I'll be honest here. I loathe Dennis Miller. I thought he was a horrific syndicated talk show host, and his HBO talker was pretty good during the monologue, but average otherwise. Miller's CNBC show unfortunately reinforces all of his bad habits. He's not a particularly quick wit, and when it comes to interview skills, he's roughly as nimble as Raymond Burr after ten shots of tequila. During most interviews, he seems to be just waiting until he senses the proper time to slip in some pre-written joke. Miller is this generation's Larry King, and that's not a compliment to either one of them. Unfortunately, I don't think you can dump Miller in the near term. There are just too many other holes to fill in the schedule. But maybe of he gets whacked enough by the network, he'll actually tell the occasional Republican joke. And at least pretend he's interested in the proceedings. There is a lot more I could suggest, but I'd like to hear from all of you. How would you change CNBC's primetime lineup? Email me, and I'll pass along the best suggestions later in the week. |
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