Phil Griffin Meeting Briefing

From:MirandaL@dnc.org To: BonoskyG@dnc.org CC: BanfillR@dnc.org, Anna.Stolitzka@mail.house.gov, HoughtonK@dnc.org, PaustenbachM@dnc.org, WalkerE@dnc.org Date: 2016-05-02 22:28 Subject: Phil Griffin Meeting Briefing

Attached and below DNC COMMUNICATIONS BRIEFING What: Off the Record Meeting with Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC When: Tuesday May 3, 2016; 10:00 AM Where: 30 Rockefeller Center Format: Off the Record Meeting in Phil’s Office Who: YOU, Phil Griffin Topic: Relationship Building / Town Hall Dial-in: N/A Staff: Mark Paustenbach, PaustenbachM@dnc.org, 202-841-1091 Contact: Savannah Sellers, Savannah.Sellers@nbcuni.com, (858) 774-7406 TIMELINE: Arrival Time: 9:45 AM Makeup: N/A Hit Time: 10:00 AM Cleared: 10:30 AM TOPLINE: This is an opportunity to say hello and touch base on the timing and setting for a voting rights town hall (agreed to during the NH debate negotiations); and to stress that we want to have greater collaboration with their team on having the Democratic Party represented on their shows. MSNBC has largely moved to having their contributors and talent do most of the on-air commentary and we don’t get many opportunities to have the Party represented. While Mika won’t be there, you should point out that you’re reaching out to re-engage with her. Our relationship with NBC/MSNBC is severely frayed given what they perceive as a snub with the last debate, and CNN getting favored treatment. Griffin may raise that concern, and ideally we could lower the temperature and seek common ground. TALKING POINTS: · Conversational, no set talking points. BACKGROUND: There had been stories suggesting that MSNBC was in turmoil last year, and they underwent a major shift on programming. There had been rumors that Griffin was going to be fired. However, internal sources suggest he is fine and not going anywhere and MSNBC has seen a significant improvement over last year in ratings. RELEVANT RECENT NEWS CLIP: http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/april-2016-ratings-msnbc-up-triple-digits-during-daytime/291691 AdWeek: April 2016 Ratings: MSNBC Up Triple Digits During Daytime By A.J. Katz<http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/author/ajkatz> on Apr. 26, 2016 - 2:35 PM6 Comments<http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/april-2016-ratings-msnbc-up-triple-digits-during-daytime/291691#disqus_thread> At this time last year, MSNBC was hitting record-lows<http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/april-2015-ratings-msnbc-down-double-digits/261533>. A lot has changed in the past 12 months, and all of the network’s key programs experienced significant year-over-year growth in April. The Peacock’s cable news network rose this past month, particularly in the dayside daypart (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) With near non-stop coverage of the 2016 election, the self-styled ‘Place for Politics’ was up 135 percent in adults 25-54, and was up 86 percent in average total viewers during the daypart. The average impressions for April 2016 (Nielsen Live + Same Day data): · Prime time (Mon-Sun): 858,000 total viewers / 223,000 A25-54 · Total Day (Mon-Sun): 497,000 total viewers / 133,000 A25-54 The network’s signature morning news program, Morning Joe, averaged 560,000 total viewers and 157,000 adults 25-54 in April. The 560,000 total viewer average is a 58 percent bump from April 2015. Meet the Press Daily was up 110 percent in adults 25-54 and up 34 percent in total viewers from its April 2015 averages. Hardball with Chris Matthews delivered a 918,000 total viewer average in April, a year-over-year improvement of 35 percent. MSNBC also had experienced improved ratings in Monday – Friday prime time. The network was up 138 percent from the previous April in adults 25-54, undoubtedly aided by six town halls the network aired during the month. If we take Monday-Sunday prime time into account, the network averaged 858,000 total viewers (up 68 percent year-over-year) and 223,000 adults 25-54 (up 83 percent year-over-year). All in with Chris Hayes was up 111 percent in adults 25-54 and up 61 percent in total viewers from April 2015. The Rachel Maddow Show had a strong month as well, up 127 percent in the demo and up 65 percent in total viewers from April 2015. The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell hauled in a 981,000 total viewer average, an 81 percent improvement from its total viewer average in April 2015 (543,000). Here’s the MSNBC release: MORNING JOE TOPS CNN IN KEY A25-54 DEMO AND TOTAL VIEWERS MSNBC Dayside Growth Continues to Far Outpace CNN and Fox News “The Rachel Maddow Show” Gains in A25-54; Closest to Fox News in 2 Years NEW YORK – April 26, 2016- For the month of April 2016, more viewers tuned into “Morning Joe” than to CNN’s “New Day” in both the key demo and total viewers. “Morning Joe” outperformed CNN in the Adults 25-54 by 16% (157,000 vs. 135,000). In total viewers, “Morning Joe” notched another monthly win (596,000 vs. 438,000), pushing the program’s consecutive winning streak to 14 months over CNN. While the other cable new networks saw minimal ratings movement in April 2016 for the Monday-Friday 9a-5p daypart, MSNBC’s news-focused dayside continued to soar, up 135% in A25-54 over last year (compared to Fox News at +21% and CNN at +16%) and a strong gain of 86% in total viewers over last year (compared to Fox News at +13% and at CNN +27%). During the 5p hour, “MTP Daily” also saw strong growth in April 2016, up 110% in A25-54 and 34% in total viewers over April 2015. In Prime, “The Rachel Maddow Show” saw significant year-over-year growth in A25-54, up 127% compared over April 2015, versus CNN’s growth of 84% and Fox News at 11% over the prior year. “The Rachel Maddow Show” also continues to close the ratings gap with Fox News, posting the program’s closest ratings to “The Kelly File” in two years for A25-54 and in three years for total viewers. With the show’s April 2016 win over CNN in total viewers (1,212,000 vs. 895,000), “The Rachel Maddow Show” runs its winning streak to 35 consecutive months. For April 2016, “Hardball with Chris Matthews” topped CNN in total viewers (918,000 vs. 830,000) and “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” outpaced CNN for the 11th consecutive month in total viewers (981,000 vs.838,000). “All In with Chris Hayes” also came in with a solid showing, up 111% in A25-54 and 61% in total viewers. During Monday-Friday primetime 8-11p, MSNBC saw more year-over-year growth than Fox News in the A25-54 demo (138% vs. 12%). http://www.politicususa.com/2016/04/04/fox-news-crushed-younger-viewers-flock-msnbcs-rachel-maddow.html PoliticsUSA.com: Fox News Crushed As Younger Viewers Flock To MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow By Jason Easley<http://www.politicususa.com/author/jasoneasley-2-2-2-2-2> on Mon, Apr 4th, 2016 at 8:40 pm Last Friday, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show attracted more younger viewers than every Fox News program that aired from 4 PM-11 PM. Last Friday, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show attracted more younger viewers than every Fox News program that aired from 4 PM-11 PM. Maddow drew 315,000 younger viewers for a Friday night broadcast<http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/scoreboard-friday-april-1/289502>. Maddow’s audience with viewers age 25-54 was bigger that both The O’Reilly Factor (301,000) and The Kelly File (280,000) on Fox News. Maddow’s show had the largest 25-54 audience of any of the programs on MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News. Even though MSNBC is not on basic cable and appears in fewer homes, Maddow came within 500,000 total viewers of beating Fox News in her 9 PM timeslot. Rachel Maddow’s strength with younger viewers demonstrates that younger people will watch cable news, even on a Friday night, if the program is appealing. Maddow’s success also highlights the ongoing problem that Fox News is having with attracting younger viewers. Megyn Kelly was supposed to help Fox attract a younger audience, but the network’s viewership continues to mirror the demographics of the Republican Party. Fox News’ audience is predominately older, whiter, and more conservative than the rest of the country. The Fox News is the oldest audience on all of television. Fox News has been cleaning up regarding overall viewership. Fox was even the highest rated network on all of cable, but the big total viewership numbers can’t hide the problem that Fox is having attracting younger viewers. Fox News doesn’t have a Rachel Maddow type star who appeals to younger viewers. Maddow is a unique talent who is the foundation of MSNBC. As much as the network wishes that Morning Joe was their star, the real straw that stirs the drink is Maddow. In the midst of a critical election year, younger viewers are flocking to Maddow. While Fox News continues to deceive and misinform, Rachel Maddow is helping to build a more education electorate that will lead this country in the years to come. [SigDems]<http://www.democrats.org/>Luis Miranda, Communications Director Democratic National Committee 202-863-8148 – MirandaL@dnc.org<mailto:MirandaL@dnc.org> - @MiraLuisDC<https://www.twitter.com/MiraLuisDC>