Brian Williams

MSNBC Welcome Mat: Staffers Chanted 'F--k Brian Williams'
By P.J. Gladnick | June 23, 2015 | 2:25 PM EDT

Former NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams has been demoted down to breaking news anchor at MSNBC. However, on top of the humiliation of such a demotion, Williams shouldn't be too surprised to find a somewhat less than welcoming reception from the sanity challenged network of Big Ed and Reverend Al.

According to a New York Post report, the rank and file staffers at MSNBC absolutely hate Brian Williams for a less than complimentary report on the state of cable news on his former Rock Center program:

Lester Holt Addresses Viewers, Support from Brian Williams on First Night as Nightly News Anchor
By Curtis Houck | June 22, 2015 | 8:50 PM EDT

In his first night as the permanent weekday anchor of NBC Nightly News, Lester Holt took time at the conclusion of Monday’s newscast to mention his new job by stating that he’s “honored” to be the “new anchor” and thanked “my friend and colleague Brian Williams for his kind words of support.” With Holt’s name now added to the show’s title, opening graphics, recorded introduction, and profile pictures on the program’s Facebook and Twitter pages, Holt took a few moments to acknowledge that “as of tonight, this program has a new name, and I'm honored to say a new anchor.”

Chuck Todd: ‘Proud’ of How NBC Handled Brian Williams Controversy
By Jeffrey Meyer | June 22, 2015 | 11:11 AM EDT

After NBC announced that disgraced Nightly News anchor Brian Williams will be demoted to handling breaking news at MSNBC in August after serving a six month suspension, Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd applauded his network for how it dealt with the entire ordeal. 

Media Critic David Zurawik on Brian Williams: ‘A Liar Is A Liar’
By Jeffrey Meyer | June 21, 2015 | 2:41 PM EDT

Appearing on Fox News’ MediaBuzz on Sunday, David Zurawik, television and media critic for the Baltimore Sun, blasted NBC News’ decision to bring back Brian Williams after serving a six month suspension for lying about his reporting.

No Transparency: NBC News Hiding Its Internal Brian Williams Probe
By Tim Graham | June 20, 2015 | 10:48 PM EDT

While CBS News released a report by outsiders on Dan Rather's 2004 debacle, NBC News used insiders to report on the wild exaggerations of Brian Williams. CBS released its resulted to the public, and NBC is clamming up.

Former ABC and CNN reporter Mark Feldstein lamented: "They have kept their report secret. They have not revealed it to the public. The investigation was held in secret by internal employees who once answered to Brian Williams. The fact that they`re not releasing this report, frankly, is suspect, and it raises suspicions that NBC would never accept from a politician or corporation it were investigating.”

Arsenio Hall Blasts Brian Williams
By P.J. Gladnick | June 20, 2015 | 2:20 PM EDT

So, Arsenio, tell us how you really feel about Brian Williams.

Actually, Arsenio Hall did tell us exactly how he felt about Brian Williams' apology yesterday and it was brutal. As you can see from his tweet below, don't expect the two to be slow jamming the news together anytime soon. Could some of the bad blood have been the result of Brian Williams snubbing Arsenio Hall when he did a story about late night TV hosts? Who knows but at least now Arsenio will have the satisfaction of watching Williams painfully percolate in the MSNBC purgatory as a breaking news anchor. 

Brian Williams Return Already Inspiring Parody
By P.J. Gladnick | June 19, 2015 | 4:48 PM EDT

It has been announced that Brian Williams is returning to network television but on Big Ed Schultz's and Reverend Al's network, MSNBC. So what is his outlook for success on MSNBC? Tremendous! Not as deliverer of news but as a comedy inspiration. Ironically, although Williams' had expressed a desire to do comedy, the humor he will inspire won't come from him doing standup. Instead it will be as a subject of parody.

As proof we already have an hilariously perfect Brian Williams voice impression from Eric Harthen as you can see in this video. I won't ruin the laughter for you by going into the detail of the parody but it incorporates news about the two prison escapees in upstate New York and and update on Rachel Dolezal. Watch and enjoy!

Rachel Maddow: ‘I’m Really Happy That Brian Williams Is Coming Here to MSNBC’
By Curtis Houck | June 19, 2015 | 12:49 PM EDT

Rachel Maddow became the first member of the MSNBC community on Thursday evening to express her support for recently removed NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams and took time on her eponymous show to opine that she’s “really happy” he will be joining her on the cable network since she “believe[s] in redemption” and “second chances.” Maddow argued that “work[ing] his way back in to earning people's trust again” and that he wants to return to covering the news at all is “exactly the way second chances should work.” 

Brian Williams Claims ‘I Was Not Trying to Mislead People’
By Kyle Drennen | June 19, 2015 | 11:00 AM EDT

In his first interview since being suspended and removed as anchor of NBC Nightly News, Brian Williams told Today co-host Matt Lauer on Friday that he “was not trying to mislead people” when he fabricated stories about news events he covered.

Baltimore Sun's Zurawik on NBC's Brian Williams Rehab: The Truth Lost
By Tim Graham | June 19, 2015 | 10:58 AM EDT

Baltimore Sun media critic David Zurawik was one of the strongest critics of the lies of Brian Williams back when he was exposed in February.

So it’s only natural to turn back to Zurawik for one of the strongest tongue-lashings of NBC’s decision to re-purpose the serial exaggerator at MSNBC. The truth lost: 

Mika Gushes: Brian Williams Will Be 'Great' for MSNBC
By Mark Finkelstein | June 19, 2015 | 10:05 AM EDT

Yes, what could be better for an already-troubled network than to be saddled with a disgraced hand-me-down from the mother ship?

On today's Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski gushed "I think that it's great for the network" that Brian Williams will be joining MSNBC as its anchor of breaking news. As dutiful employees, it's understandable that MSNBC people would greet Williams impending arrival respectfully, as did Joe Scarborough in saying--without excitement--that he was "very excited."  But Mika went beyond the call of duty with her "great for this network" line.

NBC NN, ABC’s WNT Address Brian Williams Decision, Promotion of Lester Holt
By Curtis Houck | June 18, 2015 | 9:15 PM EDT

Hours after NBC News officially announced that Brian Williams will not return to anchoring NBC Nightly News following his six-month suspension, Thursday’s editions of NBC Nightly News and ABC’s World News Tonight gave news briefs to this decision as well as the move by the network to promote weekend anchor Lester Holt to the permanent weekday spot. It should be noted that while the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley did not cover this story on Thursday, CBS This Morning devoted a 23-second brief to the story by fill-in co-host Anthony Mason.