I watched Dennis Miller's CNBC show last evening — first time in quite a while…and last. Miller led off with a newscast/monologue that slammed Kerry and Edwards and provoked so little laughter that Dennis tried to joke that the audience was all Democrats. Since the audience never cheered the anti-Bush statements of a few later guests, that seems unlikely.
Jay Leno was a guest but never got near any kind of political discussion. Miller fawned over him a lot, then Jay read and tested the jokes he was considering for that evening's Tonight Show monologue. That's right. Jay was unconcerned about spoiling his precious stand-up spot by exposing his jokes a few hours earlier on Miller's show. That should tell you how low the ratings are at CNBC.
I really don't understand the logic of that channel's programming or that of MSNBC. Yeah, Fox News is doing great as basic cable goes, catering to those who want to enjoy their news with a right-wing spin. But how long do you have to fail, trying to beat Fox at their own game, before you try something else? It doesn't have to be left-wing TV but there must be something else to put on. And it's not like that something else is going to do any worse.