NBC On The Verge Of Collapse? So Says Bill O’Reilly And Bernie Goldberg

video

by Colby Hall | 7:35 am, January 12th, 2010

» 14 comments

There is no love lost between NBC and Fox News, best evidenced by the following clip of Bill O’Reilly and guest Bernie Goldberg taking great joy in the recent late night programming decisions at NBC involving Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. Not only do they take repeated shots at NBC Chief Jeff Zucker, but they make the worst insult of all – they compare him to, gasp, Barack Obama!

The battles between Fox News and NBC are typically waged by loyal Commanders Olbermann and O’Reilly, who not only relish pointing out factual inconsistencies and hypocrisies expressed by one another, but thrive in doing so. In fact, many times it seems that prime time programming at MSNBC solely exists to point out perceived absurdities at FNC. Likewise Fox News opinion shows love to beat up on NBC, and their (soon-to-be-former) parent company GE. Every hero needs a villain.

But while its not uncommon for attacks to become ad hominem, it’s not often that any media professional gets as much ridicule as NBC chief Jeff Zucker does in the following clip. Not only do O’Reilly and Goldberg agree that it’s unlikely for Zucker to last more than year left in his spot — which is certainly a possibility given the pending sale of NBC to Comcast — the two FNC men posit that the entire network of NBC is nearing complete and total collapse. Of course this is likely a hyperbolic phrasing that raises the stakes of Zucker’s perceived failures by the two, and the schaudenfreude they (and their viewers) can experience as well.

Bernie Goldberg, Bill O'Reilly, Bill O'Reilly NBC Collapse, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Jeff Zucker, Jeffrey Immelt, NBC Collapse, NBC Verge of Collapse, schaudenfreude

The Real Royal King

You have to admit, O’Reilly can still be good for laughs. NBC on the verge of collapse? Perhaps, it should be with its crappy programming, but NBC will survive the cockroaches.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Chuck-Varrick/1170421091 Chuck Varrick

Something is wrong with the people on UselessNBC. They look like pervs and sound like them – it’s like they sit up nights wondering how to say even more stupid things about obama and how wonderful they think he is. It was not too long ago that Janet Napolitano of HMS issued a statement that declared “Rightwing Extremism” represents a major threat against America than Islamic terrorism. Can you imagine had one of Bush’s cronies said the same thing? Well UselessNBC jumped on this through host Contessa Brewer and expanded the threat source as coming from the Republican party. “Is it just a leap to think that they’re talking about Republicans? They didn’t even mention conservatives in the report.”

So, it’s consistent for UselessNBC to believe that the Intelligence Agencies are conspiring against obama? Can you imagine as a bona fide news person comparing conservatives to Islamic terrorists like UselessNBC did? Now do you see why they don’t have any ratings and are losing money just like the parent company. As obama gets more and more into his term ratings will sink even lower for Keith Overbite and all because voters are dumb but not this dumb.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Van-Veen/617590041 Chris Van Veen

The funniest misnomer in this piece is that MSNBC ‘thrives.’ They do no such thing. Fox News ‘thrives;’ MSNBC simply exists, suckling at the teat of GE for sustenance. What enrages NBC is this economic disparity. “It should be US minting money…not THEM…Argggghhhhhhh!”
The Real Royal King

Chuck and Chris: How very drôle you both are! An inflated sense of self-importance and self-righteousness does that to people. Thanks for the chortles you gave me. I always find it amusing when people talk about cable news ratings. The aggregate audience is always so small, 3% of the American public, if we are going to be generous. But, it’s like a Teabaggers’ Conclave. You seem to inflate the figures to 3 Million, 300 Million, 300 Billion. Such an odd and, again, amusing mindset. Thanks, again.
Ted

The only person close to being a journalist on that freak-show called Fox News is Shep Smith and the teabag crowd gets all bunched up over actual journalism, so who knows how long he’ll last.

I’m waiting for BillO and Bernie to do the show wearing the requisite red nose and big floppy shoes. Imagine the ratings!!
http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

Fred Silverman was a ratings wunderkind at ABC, but as O’Reilly notes, Silverman’s reign at NBC was roundly derided and it marked the previous low point for the network, but what followed was the “quality shows on NBC”.

Zucker has had a couple of high points with a British import and Alec Baldwin, but he’s pretty much proven that he’s not a genius and he must have some nude pictures of GE management to have stayed around so long. Obviously, he’s not going to be around much longer, but though we don’t know their name yet, there could be a Tartikoff waiting in the wings.
RazorsEdge

Hey @real royal king:

I agree with you that cable ratings insignificant and relatively small viewership when compared to the nation’s population. So why complain all the time about Fox? I suspect you watch Fox News for you to even make your assessment that you don’t like Fox. Or, maybe “a friend” of yours told you about Fox?

Others are viewing Fox just like you. It’s OK, it doesn’t matter in the scheme of the world kind of thing. What I don’t understand, if your assessment that Fox News (and others) insignificant in terms of viewership,

Then why COMPLAIN about Fox? You’re contradicting yourself in your ‘self-righteous[ness]‘ comments then you predictably and consistently complain about FOX. Your arguments about Fox are ‘self-righteous’ and you’re overstating a Fox argument for ratings that are just insignificant.

FTR: in the last decade, all 4 major Cable News have increased their viewership. Some more than others:

Viewers Over Last Decade

Even the revenue from them is insignificant:

Cable News Profits
RazorsEdge

And No, NBC I don’t think will collapse. It’s a glimpse from O’Reilly of his emotions (or fantasies) coming out through his segment. A not so humble way to tell anyone or everyone that would listen that he was ‘right’ about NBC hardships.

NBC having a tough time. But I suspect at this point the best thing that could happen to NBC for NBC to react to build/make NBC better.
puck30

Less than 1 million watching Olbermann or his mop-up boy on Fridays, sitting in their basements waiting for their next Domino’s delivery.

NBC Broadcast? Heading down into the ratings abiss. MSNBC? If it wasn’t for CNN…

Other channels win because they put on shows that people will watch.

People who watch low rated programming while not attempting to put on better programming that people will watch. Will result to idiotic name calling, Wacky numbers & tired old lines that we have heard thousands of times before. Ho Hum.

But then again. That’s what losers do. Or as O’Reilly woulld say, ‘bugs’.
puck30

RazorsEdge says:
January 12, 2010 at 10:30 am

Kudos sir! If NBC wants to get better then put on better programming. If MSNBC wants to get better, then put on better programming.

I would say that’s simple Math.

As for O’Reilly, like him or not. He’s #1 in the cable prime news race. The best the other cables have is The great Shakespearian Olbermann, who has trouble most nights beating a screaming banshee from HLN.
Facebook User

LOL. Whats happening at NBC is nothing out of the norm. Networks are always moving around shows. However, this particular shift is embarrassing for NBC because they forced Leno out of his show when he was on top of his game to install the corny Conan O’Brien and now they are having to basically roll back to that. I think Conan is being eased out and Leno will be back to his old show. Jeff Zucker and whoever is in charge of programming should be canned. It was stupid to replace Jay with Conan. They should have left the line up as is.
Ted

puck – I think you might be on to something. Olbermann / Shakesperian, BillO / The Clown. Hmmm…maybe Foxaholics just relate better to clowns.
ImNotBlue

The Real Royal King says:
January 12, 2010 at 9:19 am

Ratings relate to advertising revenue… FNC is pulling in a lot of revenue for it’s parent company, MSNBC is not.

But go back to your incoherent, unrelated, uninformed rant.
StewartIII

Bill & Bernie may be right.
***
Hot Air — Meltdown: NBC/Conan/Leno feud now a full-blown public spectacle
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/01/12/meltdown-nbcconanleno-feud-now-a-full-blown-public-spectacle/

Mediaite: Conan Quits? O’Brien Announces He Won’t Do Tonight Show At 12:05am
http://www.mediaite.com/online/conan-quits-conan-obrien-announces-he-wont-do-tonight-show-at-1205am/