MSNBC’s “Friction Free,” But Debate-Filled, Morning Show

Newsweek’s Seth Colter Walls profiles MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” for the upcoming edition of Newsweek in the wake of MSNBC topping CNN in the morning (in A25-54 demo) for the first time since 2001.

“Morning Joe” stays (mostly) friction free, even though its stock in trade is debate — it’s like a serious-minded evening show still wearing its bathrobe and slippers,” writes Colter Walls.

Another topic — the ability by the program to move from serious debates about the economy to “vibrator” discussions. (As evidence of the dual role of the show, the headline mentions a “Serious Cup of Joe” while the URL describes the “Humor of a Conservative.”)

“Don Imus, who held the slot previously, blended locker-room humor with newsmaker chats, too,” he writes. “But if the balance on Imus was 80/20 in favor of the former, it’s fair to say Scarborough has reversed that ratio — while stripping the humor of any desire to shock.”

Not mentioned in the story — the author previously worked for MSNBC, and Newsweek and the network have a partnership agreement.

> Update: We missed this disclosure explaining that Colter Walls previously worked at MSNBC: “Jon Meacham, NEWSWEEK’s editor, is a regular guest on the program, and is friendly with Scarborough. And I have freelanced for both MSNBC and Fox in the past.”

(image by Charles Ommanney / Getty Images for Newsweek)

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