OK, I am struggling a bit and need y’alls help/feedback! As I have said, I think it is vitally important to start concentrating on the media, to bring whatever influence we in the blogosphere can to bear on this essential tool for public oversight.
The issue is highlighted right now by the fine, fine work Greenwald and others are doing on the military analyst scandal. (Which, like all things dirty about this administration, seems to have Karl’s fingerprints on it.)
The first struggle, a name for the overall campaign. Something not overly confrontational to their fragile egos…such as Eat The Media!!! but still exciting. I like Free The Press!
But am open to other suggestions. What say you all?
Next…resources. Do any of you fine people want to volunteer to put together a media contact list for the major cable news shows and news directors? If you can come up with a neato format, all the better, but if someone just puts a list together, some other kind soul could volunteer to put it in a handy dandy format. Ideally we would like to end up with a box we can put on the side panel like the contact Congress box. Alternatively, if you know of a good existing list, please link!
On to the Maddow Movement and some serendipitous surfing! >>>>
In my morning session of surfing the tubes (always wear protective equipment!) I found this….Rachel is already pushing to get her own show!
The real issue is story selection, is editorial control. I can only control what it is that I get asked to speak about in a very blunt way. That said, the way that I handle that is that I, I am gunning to get my own show. I would really like to be hosting a show on cable television, rather than guesting because I would like to exert more control over what gets discussed, over what counts as important.
One significant measure of Maddow’s new-found favor: the decision by MSNBC, effective next week, to hire her as a regular panelist on its newest nightly campaign program Race for the White House — and to allow Air America to simulcast the 6 p.m. nightly program as the first hour of its own nightly Rachel Maddow show.
The cable executives are betting a lot on their new program, which also features NBC News’ chief White House correspondent David Gregory (who replaces the execrable Tucker Carlson.) Passionate viewer interest in the ongoing presidential race — as evidenced by increased ratings for programs focused on campaign news — has led all three 24/7 cable operations to create new shows to cater to the marketplace demand.
So the Maddow Movement is very timely and might be just the thing to push her over the top and finally get a progressive mews anchor/show to compliment Keith Olbermann!
This is doable, people!
Two opportunities to volunteer here…first assembling another e-mail list of allies, such as Rachel’s existing fandom and any other natural allies we can think of. Youffraita is looking into LGBT sites and connections already.
Next is a petition. We need to show that there is a built in audiece ad vast supprt for a Rachel Maddow show. I think OTB is looking into this, but if anyone has ever set up a online petition previously or has info, speak up!
Finally, we need to draft “form letters” as ‘suggestions’ to participants in the Maddow Movement to send to MSNBC. I’ll be writing a couple tonight for tomorrows essay, but the more the merrier! If we have a selection from different POV’s and in different tones, people can choose…hopefully as a jumping off point for their own versions so we don’t JUST have form letters….which version suits them best. Perhaps we need a rage from gushing fandom to serious concern for the state of journalism in the post-Bush era?
Finally for those who are more comfortable making people uncomfortable….may I suggest that a little attacking the network for having of the conservative wankathon that is Morning Joe might be appropriate. Perhaps mentioning that three frikking hours of Moranism is a little excessive?
MSNBC Schedule:
Monday – Friday
6am-7am Morning Joe (cc)
7am-8am Morning Joe (cc)
8am-9am Morning Joe (cc)
9am-10pm MSNBC Live (cc)
10am-11 pm MSNBC Live (cc)
11am-12 pm MSNBC Live (cc)
12 pm-1 pm MSNBC Live (cc)
1pm-2 pm MSNBC Live (cc)
2pm-3pm MSNBC Live (cc)
3pm-4pm MSNBC Live(cc)
4pm-5pm MSNBC Live (cc)
5pm-6pm Hardball with Chris Matthews (cc)
6pm-7pm Race for the White House (cc)
7pm-8pm Hardball with Chris Matthews (cc)
8pm – 9pm Countdown with Keith Olbermann (cc)
9pm-10pm Verdict with Dan Abrams(cc)
10pm – 11pm Countdown with Keith Olbermann (cc)
11pm – Mid MSNBC Documentaries (cc)
Ok, that’s all for now….see ya in the comments!
Wait! Don’t forget the We Are Not Stupid campaign! Pleas e-mail the words….We Are Not Stupid to this addy!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22…
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Why doesnt Rachel Maddow have her own show? http://www.facebook.com/group….
Rachel Maddow fans http://www.facebook.com/group….
Rachel Maddow for queen of everything http://www.facebook.com/group….
these groups probably have a lot of overlap members…but if you get a letter-writing or petition campaign together, they’d be a good place to ‘hit’ for participation….
off topic…have you checked out the things younger than mccain website??
p.s….i added to your tags….
i saw something the other day….can’t remember…
if i find it i’ll come tell you!
Some of the networks just have canned response formats. I haven’t found the direct doors in yet. The list is Boston localized because it’s what we used for the May One thing at Faneuil Hall (yeah, I know, pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one are over due). The links are “un-linked” so they’d print in black ink and not blue for active links (MS Word, my printer, many copies, low on blue ink). I’ll do another post with fixed up links but figured I’d throw this one up to get people started. Anyway, here’s a start:
BTW, Media Matters is chock full of good fodder for content and people who need feedback. Same with TPM. Firedoglake seems to have some action going on. Haven’t been over there in a while, though. Maybe later.
Shanti.
that I didn’t get to it yesterday, but I just emailed my “We are not stupid.”
Better late than never???
one of my little ones has a bad cold- it kept him up most of the night…
Need to give a little more thought to a form letter – hopefully you’ll have another diary up today (and hopefully my little one will nap) – if both occur I’ll try to draft something out…