A recent diary reported Keith Olbermann's increasing success in the head-to-head competition with Bill O'Reilly. We can only imagine what the ratings would look like if the playing field were level--it isn't.
A September diary by KingOneEye noted Keith Olbermann's ratings success in the head-to-head competition with Bill O'Reilly in the wake of Countdown's NBC special preceding an NFL preseason game. As gratifying as KO's success is to all of us hungry for real news, I'm afraid KO's potential for catching Billo on a regular basis is limited by an important factor (no pun intended). MSNBC is not available on basic cable in many markets.
In the New Orleans area where I live, MSNBC is available on basic cable (Cox Communications) along with CNN and Fox. During the summer, I went to Jacksonville on a business trip and settled into the hotel to watch Countdown. I couldn't get it because the provider (Comcast, I recall) had relegated MSNBC to the digital tier. This was my first experience with the MSNBC blackout, and I've since learned that this is also the case in many markets (including Denver, I believe).
So I'd like to hear from fellow Kossacks. If MSNBC is not available on basic cable in your, area, drop a comment including the market and your cable provider. I'll compile the results and report in an updated diary. Then the next time some wingnut starts boasting about Billo beating KO, you can counter that the deck is stacked because millions of potential Countdown viewers have no access to MSNBC.
By the way, wingnuts are also fond of citing Air America's lackluster ratings to argue that there's no market for progressive talk. A similar situation exists there since Clear Channel and its ilk have snapped up most of the prime frequencies, so AAR is left with the crumbs of the spectrum.
Thanks for your input!