8.14.13: MTP Ratings Low, but Our Thank You

Columnist Jennifer Rubin, of The Washington Post, editorialized on the reasons why Meet The Pres is getting beaten in the ratings by both Face the Nation and This Week... and to a certain degree, we can not disagree with the litany.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2013/08/14/meet-the-worst-sunday-morning-show/?hpid=z4

We really like that she wrote this column.  After all, it is a business, and it's the content that sells it so unforgiving observations are a necessity.

However, we'd like to offer criticism that's more constructive in tone.  We've made it clear in the past that we're often baffled by the format and hence  the pacing of the program.  We don't have a real problem with the guest choices for the round table sessions per se, but two round tables in one program is too much.

We would suggest going a little bit more long form. Conduct an in-depth interviews with our Congress people, 18 minutes in length on a range of issues.  If Meet The Press would like to have clips featured on the Huffington Post for something notable, it's better for something interesting that you got out of your guest's mouth instead of not doing so well in the ratings.  The second segment could be rebuttal or perspective, but thoughtful counterpoint or further reporting (a reporter from a newspaper that's local to that politician, perhaps) on one of the subjects discussed.  And maybe at the end, bring back something that resembles the Meet The Press Minute, but with a different twist, corresponding dates in the history of the program...  We're not saying these are the answers, but just suggestions that better professionals could take as their own and run with.

As for our little column here, it's not great to hear that the program that your blog is based upon (and critiques) is the least popular of the Sunday political programming.  But our hope is that we take what this great institution of a program offers us, and we run with the goal being that the points we've made transcend, if only a little bit, the dialogue that we've witnessed.

The support for this blog has grown, which has both startled and humbled this weekly column so we offer a very gracious thank you to all our readers.  Thank you so much for reading.

We will continue our goal of contributing positive commentary that you find helpful and entertaining.  Because, if it's Sunday....