David Shuster To Be “Punished” By MSNBC If He Filmed CNN Pilot

by Steve Krakauer | 2:57 pm, April 2nd, 2010

» 33 comments

David Shuster isn’t anchoring his 3pmET hour – which is significant, because he was there for his 10amET hour.

It appears Shuster may be in the MSNBC doghouse again after reports he shot a CNN pilot recently, which apparently happened without his MSNBC bosses knowing.

Felix Gillette of the New York Observer has the story about the CNN pilot process, and this nugget about the MSNBC anchor:

According to CNN sources, the network’s in-house team shot a pilot for a news show featuring David Shuster of MSNBC and Michel Martin of NPR as co-anchors. The pilot, we’re told, also featured medical and opinion segments, and included appearances by several current CNN contributors, including Chrystia Freeland, the U.S. managing editor for the Financial Times and Jeffrey Toobin of The New Yorker.

It’s not unheard of for talent to talk to other networks, but a pilot is taking it another step further. Still, if MSNBC knew about it, it likely wouldn’t be much cause for concern. That may not have happened. Spokesperson Jeremy Gaines tells Brian Stelter of the New York Times: “If true, this is unacceptable and David will be punished appropriately.”

And in the short term – he’s not anchoring at 3pmET. Shuster has already been trouble with MSNBC for his inappropriate tweeting, and hasn’t used Twitter for months. One on-air sign of potential dissension at the network is his absence from Countdown, where he used to regularly fill-in. For the month of March, it was all Lawrence O’Donnell. An NBC insider tells Mediaite, “Shuster has never been a major player at MSNBC.”

It’s unclear what the outcome will be – and what the ‘appropriate punishment’ will entail. But Shuster’s disappearance in the short term from MSNBC doesn’t bode well for his future at the network (the NYT reports his contract is up at the end of the year).

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bad decisions, CNN, David Shuster, msnbc

m

Can understand why Shuster wants to move to another network. He’s been punished and served as a scapegoat by MSNBC suits multiple times.
Webber933

Another thing you might want to report: Shuster’s MSNBC Website: http://shuster.msnbc.com was just removed. It was there 2 hours ago.
http://www.abramsresearch.com/ Dan Abrams

I have always loved the fact that Shuster plays by his own rules which can be great for a cable news host.
txvoodoo

I can’t blame him. MSNBC has jerked him around enough. I actually appreciate that he doesn’t back down, and continues to not parrot conventional wisdom. He also engaged w/ his twitter followers very well until leashed. If he goes to CNN, I’ll watch him there. Wish Tamron Hall would, too – they had great chemistry as co-hosts.
Lurker

Shuster is a ratings disaster. How is hiring Shuster going to get CNN out of the dumpster? lol
Olby Sucks

Playing by your own rules when you are on someone else’s payroll is like playing roulette. Eventually, the hammer will fall on a loaded chamber…
m

Yeah, it stinks that he stopped to twitter. The reason I even got a Twitter was cause he hosted 1600 and had the special segment. I hope this means he’ll go back to doing it.
Big_F-ing_Deal

Getting rid of Shuster can only raise MSNBC’s credibility.

It is David and Keith Olbermann who bring that network down into the gutter with Fox News.
writer

MSNBC is in the non-gutter.
blueblogger

I hope Shuster finds another job. MSNBC has screwed him over consistently. By the way Tamron hasn’t been on for over a week. I liked Shuster on 1600 and then of course they gave that to Gregory. I like it that Shuster has an independent streak. I hope he told MSNBC to kiss his you know what. Dan also got screwed over there. I don’t want to hear anything about these people’s ratings either because I can’t believe that any of the others are TOP RATERS!
ice queen

blueblogger Tamron has been on the Today Show doing the news this week.
Sean68

Yeah, Shuster plays by his own rules alright. But whether it’s by his rules or MSNBC’s rules, MSNBC’s a loser. Perhaps they’re grooming their new golden boy to be Luke Russert! LOL.
http://www.abramsresearch.com/ Dan Abrams

@blueblogger we shall see what happens with Shuster and thank you for defending me, but honestly I am not the best example. The front office at nbc/msnbc has been pretty great to me, offering me great anchor opportunities and then letting me stay on as the legal guy when I wanted to start these businesses instead. I definitely don’t feel screwed!
StewartIII

His webpage has been wiped clean.
***
David Shuster
http://shuster.msnbc.com/
felixw

What could be worse punishment than actually having to stay at MSNBC?
Puter Boi

Be fun to see Shuster turn up on FOX.

Yes, I am a provocateur…so sue me…
Grammie

Pass by Johnny Dollar’s Place for a link to Shuster’s cached website before it was taken down.

http://homepage.mac.com/mkoldys/blog/jdp.html
Webber933

Dan, I miss you anchoring. Rachel Maddow is fantastic in my opinion, but I hate that it means that you can’t host. Why won’t they let you host at like 10pm or 7pm?
Sean68

I used to like MSNBC. In fact, I still watch it more than FOX or CNN, even though I find its sharp ideological trajectory repulsive. I can still remember with fondness Dan Abrams reporting with disgust how the 9/11 bombers had, just the night before, feasted on Chips-a-Hoy Cookies. “They were eating.our.cookies!” They should get rid of that lump of helium Ed Schultz and put you back on.
Cecelia

Dan Abrams says:
April 2, 2010 at 3:48 pm

I have always loved the fact that Shuster plays by his own rules which can be great for a cable news host.
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Oh, come on! The guy shot a pilot for a competitor network!

That’s “playing by his own rules” to the point of having NO sense of loyalty or accountability to the people misguided enough to have given the man a contract and a salary!
RAGGEDT

@PuterBoi: Actually, Shuster started out at Fox, about, 10 or 11 years ago, then briefly went to CNN before ending up on MSNBC, so going to FOX would going full-circle (jerk)!
m

>so going to FOX would going full-circle (jerk)!

Great, because Fox got plenty of jerks and circle jerks to go around.

>That’s “playing by his own rules” to the point of having NO sense of loyalty or accountability to the people misguided enough to have given the man a contract and a salary!

Well, his contract was running out and he’s been constantly punished by higher uppers. If I was Shuster I wouldn’t mind going to another network at this period of time.
Webber933

MSNBC is fantastic when it comes to good programming. But when it comes to decisions with employees like this, they’re so chicken-hearted & gutless.
BR

What punishment could be worse than being David Shuster? Othet than being Keith Olbermann of course.
Grammie

I’ve been surprised that MSNBC took his Twitter account away b/c he was too irresponsible to use it properly yet continued to let him go live everyday.

The two concepts are incompatible to me.
same2u

Shuster is the top daytime MSNBC anchor even if he has a bias that is comparable but opposite to that of Megyn Kelly.
imnotyourkind

David Shuster is more entertaining than anyone that CNN has now. I’d prefer him to Rick Sanchez or Wolf Blitzer any day.
TylerDurdin

Shows just what a snake and deciever Shuster is.
http://trickletown.vox.com/ Trickletown

I first took notice of David Shuster when he was working at Fox News Channel. He was relentlessly grilling Congressman Gary Condit on the disappearance of intern Chandra Levy. Condit was walking away as fast as he could , Shuster keeping pace with his FNC microphone all up in Condits face. Incidentally, Condit was a Democrat.
ex politicalmedia hack

EXCELLENT…CNN IS DEFINITELY A STEP UP AND AWAY FROM THE CONTAGION…
mediaho

Who cares if Shuster gets axed?

More air time for sexy Tessa’.
blueblogger

Oh Tessa has a “big” mouth. She is my least favorite person on MSNBC. OK Dan I am sorry I said you got screwed. Obviously you know more about that than I would. Your 6:00 show was what I started watching that made me switch from CNN to MSNBC. I loved that show but than I am a legal nut. I never miss Law & Order and watch IN SESSION all the time. So it is your fault I am now hooked on MSNBC and that people that post on here hate me!!! LOL
Des

I’m shocked by the number of people here saying how great MSNBC is. It’s actually more than watch that network on any given night.

Shuster is a disgrace. He is ridiculously partisan, but pretends he isn’t. It’s insulting to people’s intelligence (even Liberals). His joke of a show about O’Keefe and the New Orleans mess should have embarrassed him into retirement. I can’t remember anyone getting a story that badly wrong since Geraldo in Capone’s vault.