In January 2010, MSNBC aired a highly promoted town hall meeting with Tom Joyner and Chris Matthews, hosted by Texas Southern University. The show was billed as a measurement of the state of America in the era of Obama. “Obama’s America: 2010 and Beyond” was part of MSNBC’s Martin Luther King Day observations.
Who would give Chris Matthews the role of moderating? He has very little restraint and cannot converse with anyone, Black or White. His constant interruptions and Tom Joyner’s snarky radio commentary did not translate well on TV. Both Matthews and Joyner were cheerleaders of the Obama Administration so it was hard to see objectivity.
The event was on the heels of the first anniversary of our country’s first elected Black President. The town hall meetings from hell during the summer of 2009, healthcare legislation debates, and “Skippy Gate” are incidents that exposed attitudes about race relations and the need for more ongoing dialogue. Those types of discussions need to be done with precision and care, not ratings-boosters for networks.
The usual suspects among Black “leaders” known as speakers from Tavis Smiley’s once lucrative, now defunct annual Negro super bowl, State of the Black Union (SOTBU), were itching to talk race relations. The SOTBU was once a coveted event where many were given a platform to strut their knowledge about all that ails black folks. Once Senator Obama became President Obama, the media gave the world a new coded label, “post racial America.” It was touted as the end of racism but many saw it as the beginning of cable news race-baiting at every opportunity.
The "post-racial America" label popped up everywhere, while race-baiting became a carefully crafted art form that has induced more fearmongering than the Jim Crow South for all races. The word “racist” has been used like toilet paper, describing anyone and every situation. Every network has tried dissecting the new terminology and the repackaging of racism in one way or another. CNN’s "Black in America” series hosted by Soledad O’Brien left many wondering: who worked at CNN? Surely not people of color. Some of the segments only further cemented the harsh stereotypes of blacks, and many criticized the network for not being fair and balanced with the stories portrayed.
Article comments
1 - RJ
Good article. One point: Glenn Beck's show isn't "cancelled." He's still on.
2 - Costello
Beck's show has an end date. It has been cancelled
3 - Genma Holmes
RJ,
See Costello.Thanks for commenting.
4 - RJ
When is the end date?
5 - El Bicho
That would be the date his contract is up. They are letting Glenn save face and keep open the door to future projects together much the same way CNN did when Larry King got his show canceled last year.
6 - RJ
Maybe it's just a semantic quibble, but when I think of a show as being "cancelled," I think of it as no longer being on the air. Beck is still on the air. He's got a new contract. He'll just be doing something different for the network.
According to Beck, the reportage of his new contract has been somewhat inaccurate.
7 - El Bicho
And when the current contract is up, his show will no longer be on the air. This isn't anything new to the TV business. Plenty of shows have continued to air after having been canceled. Plus, if he had a clause in his contract that had guaranteed money, it would make sense for them to make him finish out his run.
Regardless of how Beck tries to spin it, FOX News didn't want his show to continue on their airwaves after the contract ended. I have yet to see anyone say FOX wasn't going to work with him anymore but to go from a daily, on-air presence to a producer of occasional specials is a demotion any way you slice it.
8 - zingzing
beck's ratings are significantly down compared to the last few years. but to say his show was "canceled" is a bit much. he's a douche, but he's going out on top. he still has more viewers than his closest competition, as far as i know, but it's dwindling, and he probably sees that it's not going to stop doing so. he's reached his peak of crazy, and since he's just an entertainer, he recognized his exit.
can't fault him for that. best wishes in his new ventures, i say. i just hope he has a nice retirement in the countryside and doesn't bother us anymore. start a vineyard or something, glenn. please.
9 - El Bicho
No, it's accurate. He's also lost advertisers, according to reports, so it doesn't matter how many people are watching, a number that is shrinking, if no business wants to reach those people.
ABC just announced today the cancellation of two soap operas, yet "All My Children" will broadcast its last episode in September 2011 and "One Life to Live" in January 2012. No different than Beck, but feel free to quibble.
10 - RJ
#8:
Yeah, his ratings are down from, say, mid-2009, but he still has the third-highest rated show on cable news. No one on MSNBC or CNN comes close, even their prime-timers.
11 - Glenn Contrarian
But Beck's show has a dearth of advertisers. Hundreds of advertisers informed Fox that they didn't want their advertisements during his show. THAT, sir, is why Beck is being canceled.
12 - RJ
I'm sure that whole "Color Of Change" advertiser boycott is at least part of the reason for this. But I think Beck wanted to move on to documentary-type specials anyway. And he's been rapidly expanding his online empire, which is heavy on video. I don't think this hurts him much.
13 - RJ
I just noticed something. Zingzing wants Beck, a recovering alcoholic, to start a vineyard. LOL.
And I noticed another thing. Twelve (now thirteen) comments in, and we're all talking about Glenn Beck's show instead of the lengthy, well-written article by Ms. Holmes.
My apologies for derailing the comments right from the get-go. I agree that having Ed Schultz lead a panel discussion on "The Black Agenda" is absurd. It just goes to show that MSNBC's on-air "talent" is whiter than a Utah chapter of the Tea Party.
14 - zingzing
"I just noticed something. Zingzing wants Beck, a recovering alcoholic, to start a vineyard. LOL."
yuuuuuuuuuup.