WHO will win the next round of evening talk wars on the cable news channels?
The odds favor Fox, but the dark horse could be MSNBC.
With Connie Chung set to join CNN’s evening lineup at 8 and Greta Van Susteren likely to be Fox’s entrant at 10, the lineups are taking shape and the matchups are nearly in place.
Here’s how things might shake out:
At 8 p.m.: Too bad for Connie that CNN is putting her up against Bill O’Reilly.
He’s the guy who changed everything in evening talk and whose high-rated presence as the anchor of Fox News Channel’s in-your-face prime-time lineup is the whole reason why the other guys are working so hard to reinvent themselves.
No way will Connie make any headway in the ratings against O’Reilly, except maybe on some rare evening when she manages to book an exclusive interview with some red-hot newsmaker, and that’s only if she can beat Larry King to it.
MSNBC wisely counterprograms with Brian Williams’ “News.”
At 9 p.m.: Larry King is still the one to beat, but time will tell if viewers will continue to embrace Larry’s eccentric mix of topics – one night he’s talking to leading lawmakers and military experts about the war in Afghanistan and the next night he’s inexplicably spending the entire hour with Barbara Eden or interviewing Pat Boone about the healing power of prayer.
On Fox, “Hannity & Colmes” is a logical bridge between “The O’Reilly Factor” and “Greta!” (my title), soon to assume the 10-11 p.m. slot.
While MSNBC counter-programs with “A Region in Conflict” – a recounting of the day’s events in the War on Terror with Ashleigh Banfield, who is well-positioned to someday be the reigning female star at NBC News – CNBC throws Chris Matthews up against King.
Love him or hate him, Matthews is the biggest talk-show star on either MSNBC or CNBC. In fact, he’s so opinionated that he really belongs on Fox News Channel.
At 10 p.m.: It’s a toss-up. This hour has been particularly problematic for all the news channels.
Paula Zahn was never the right fit for Fox in this hour, and it remains to be seen whether Greta will be either.
I have nothing in particular against Greta, but I didn’t really understand all the fuss that went along with her being hired by Fox. It seemed to me that CNN wasn’t too sorry to see her go since her show, “The Point,” was pointless.
Now CNN has Aaron Brown at 10 p.m. – a personality who seems better suited for PBS’ “NewsHour” than the grab-’em-by-the-lapels world of prime-time cable talk.
And then there’s Alan Keyes, MSNBC’s new brainstorm at 10. Give credit to MSNBC for trying something new and different with this guy. At least he has a point of view and a distinctive voice. I know many in the TV industry will think I’m nuts for saying this, but I think the show has legs.
The bottom line:
The edge goes to Fox for understanding what it takes to attract viewers and keep them coming back. O’Reilly will continue to lift any show that follows him.
MSNBC should continue to counter-program where it makes sense, and also should continue to develop talent such as Alan Keyes from outside the ranks of NBC News. In addition, MS would be greatly aided if they could have Chris Matthews at 9 p.m.
And CNN has spent heavily for personalities with famous faces and highfalutin reputations. And neither trait means squat in the prime-time cable talk wars.
