Abrams: “I Am Going To Help Make MSNBC The News Channel”

By Brian on June 16, 2006 6:52 PM

Dan Abrams reappeared at the end of Friday’s Abrams Report (hosted by Susan Filan) to say goodbye to viewers. He said:

“It will be tough to keep the Abrams Report on the air without, well, Abrams. So this program will end in the relatively near future. Haven’t decided yet what’s going to replace it, but hopefully it will be a more interesting, more compelling program that even more people will watch. But this isn’t goodbye. I’m not leaving you. While you won’t see me for a particular hour on TV, I hope you’ll recognize a little bit of me throughout the network. At least the good part of me. Thank you for everything. And look out because I am going to help make MSNBC the news channel.”

Abrams thanked viewers for the hundreds of “smart, direct, and opinionated” e-mails. “I felt like I had pen pals in most our regular e-mailers,” he said. (“He had very nice things to say about his e-mailers…unlike other members of this network,” an e-mailer wrote.) And he named every person on his staff, too. Click continued to read his full “Closing Argument…”

“Well, this is it. As you may have heard, I have a new job, running MSNBC. I am thrilled about it and truly believe we have a unique opportunity to build on some of the successes the network has seen as of late. I wouldn’t have taken this job if I didn’t think I could help propel us to great heights. But as with most choices in life, I had to make a sacrifice, a big one. I’m going to remain the MSNBC legal correspondent. I had to give up hosting this program. I just couldn’t manage an entire network and hosting my show every day, although I thought about it. For more than four years, this show has been part of my life, which means all of you have been a large part of it. Everyday, many of the hundreds of e-mails you’ve sent have flattered or insulted me. But all of them made me think. They were smart, direct, and opinionated and I felt like I had pen pals in most of our regular e-mailers. You all have helped determine how I covered the various stories. Your thoughts always in my mind. And I am so appreciative of the comments and support so many of you have sent in since the announcement.

And then, of course, there is my incredible staff. Yes…Megan, Corey, Bob, Amy, Alexis, Anthony, Brian, Kevin, Lily, Adrian, Brian, and Frank. My regular crew, Bill Jim, Joe, Rob, Allen, Fred, and never forget graphics: Kathy, Lisa and Stephanie.

This was our show. A better name for the program would have been the Abrams Team Report. They are the ones who challenged and helped me — told me when I went too far, didn’t dig deep enough, looked too angry or gently informed me that my tie was crooked. They cared about this show as much as I did. And for that I’ll be forever grateful. So what happens to the show now? Well, it will be tough to keep the Abrams Report on the air without, well, Abrams. So this program will end in the relatively near future. Haven’t decided yet what’s going to replace it, but hopefully it will be a more interesting, more compelling program that even more people will watch. But this isn’t goodbye. I’m not leaving you. While you won’t see me for a particular hour on TV, I hope you’ll recognize a little bit of me throughout the network. At least the good part of me. Thank you for everything. And look out because I am going to help make MSNBC the news channel.”