NPR’s “All Things Considered” profiles MSNBC host and Tulane professor Melissa Harris-Perry. David Folkenflik talks to Perry and a number of her colleagues, including MSNBC president Phil Griffin:

“I think the passionate host is winning because there are so many different outlets today — that to break through the clutter you can’t be cold and arm’s length,” Griffin says. “You’ve got to love what you’re talking about. You’ve got to make it exciting and interesting.

Harris-Perry leavens her strong left-liberal impulses with a discursive, civil style — yet Griffin says her strong voice emerges loud and clear.

“In a 140-character Twitter world, the rebound is depth. People yearn for depth,” Griffin says, “and Melissa — you know — is an academic. That’s what they do.”