Is MSNBC affected by the airing of Imus?”
Joe Scarborough is under intense pressure to perform as he goes head-to-head with old foe Don Imus. MSNBC chiefs have been nervously watching the ratings since Imus’ show on the Fox Business Network started airing at the same time as Scarborough’s “Morning Joe” earlier this month. Scarborough was hit with a further blow this week when his radio show was dropped by DC radio station WMAL. A source told Page Six: “Those higher up at MSNBC are unnerved by Imus’ move to Fox Business Network and fear his show could push Scarborough down. They’re putting a lot of pressure on Joe to keep the ratings up. To make things worse, there are multiple scores to be settled.” Tom Bowman, Imus’ old producer at MSNBC, jumped to Fox Business with him, and is said to have harsh feelings toward Scarborough and his executive producer, Chris Licht. “So they [Imus and Bowman] are out to win,” said our source. The simulcast of the “Imus in the Morning” syndicated radio show was dropped by MSNBC two years ago aft
Page Six reports that Joe Scarborough is “under intense pressure to perform” now that Don Imus’ FBN simulcast has debuted and competes head to head with his “Morning Joe.” Page Six’s source said: “Those higher up at MSNBC are unnerved by Imus’ move to Fox Business Network and fear his show could push Scarborough down. They’re putting a lot of pressure on Joe to keep the ratings up. To make things worse, there are multiple scores to be settled.” Tom Bowman, Imus’ EP, worked at NBC and MSNBC for several years. He was at the helm of Imus’ show when it aired on MSNBC. An MSNBC insider tells TVNewser, “The only thing accurate about the Page Six story is that Imus is not on our radar.” Says out insider, “His TV launch has had absolutely no impact on ‘Morning Joe’ – in fact, ‘Morning Joe’ showed growth in both total viewers and the demo week-to-week with Imus as a competitor. In all honesty — we wish him well.
