Oh my: Al Sharpton on MSNBC could provide comedy relief for years to come

I can’t tell if the teleprompter got scrambled or if Al Sharpton’s brain is just scrambled. I think his show went live a couple of days ago, and already, there is an opportunity for profitable cottage industry to be developed.

I’m thinking a daily Al Sharpton Moment on the Vicevich show would be appropriate. I bet he could even get a sponsor.

So how did Rev. Al pick up this one hour show on MSNBC? Back on July 27, Wayne Barrett wrote about Sharpton’s affirmative action win.

Sharpton has a long and well-documented history of leveraging his civil-rights profile for his own benefit. Grabbing a prime-time anchor spot in exchange for cheerleading for a controversial merger would be the capper on that career. …

A Comcast spokesperson told The Daily Beast that Comcast has given $140,000 to Sharpton’s National Action Network [NAN] since 2009—the same year the merger was first proposed. Though MSNBC president Phil Griffin was honored with a top prize at the April 2011 annual conference of NAN—and he, Chris Mathews, and other NBC notables had a table at NAN’s dinner—NBC would not answer questions about how much it’s given Sharpton. Comcast also insisted in an email to The Daily Beast that the company “pledged we would not interfere” with NBC news operations, and “we have not and we will not,” a response similar to the only answer we got from NBC. Neither, however, directly answered the question of whether there was any connection between Sharpton’s merger role and his anticipated selection for the show.

Sharpton also has a radio syndication deal paying him $700,000 a year. Larry O’Connor at Big Journalism notes Sharpton is not on Talker’s Magazine list of Top 100 Heavy Hitters. Sharpton is in the top 250, along with WTIC’s Ray Dunaway. Don’t ask me why Vicevich is not in the Top 250.

So how about Sharpton’s radio deal? Back to Wayne Barrett at The Daily Beast.

Al Sharpton wasn’t just pleasing prospective employer MSNBC when he became the first major black leader to endorse the controversial Comcast/NBC merger. It turns out he was also enriching his current employer, Radio One, the largest black-owned radio company in the country, which has paid him more money than he’s made anywhere else in his life. …

The Daily Beast has already reported that just months after Sharpton played a pivotal role in pushing the merger, he became a regular substitute host and appears now to be in line for a fulltime anchor post on Comcast’s MSNBC. As awkward as that coincidence is, how about a conflict of interest he did not disclose in his letters to the Federal Communications Commission—or his other pro-merger activities?

He was trumpeting a merger that’s already paid dividends to Radio One and its affiliate TV One, which reportedly pay him $700,000-a-year for his six-year-old radio show, commentary, and other appearances on TV One, and occasional blogging on their joint website, NewsOne.

P.J. Salvatore thought he had captured Sharpton’s greatest hits in a post from yesterday morning, only to be blown away by last night’s performance above. Embedded below if you missed it.

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Steve McGough

Steve's a part-time conservative blogger. Steve grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Washington, D.C. and the Bahamas. He resides in Connecticut, where he’s comfortable six months of the year.

11 Comments

  1. essneff on August 10, 2011 at 11:39 pm

    I’m laughing my arse off….. this guy is a towering intellect, a?genius, obviously an IQ that would qualify to join a mensa convention, perfect for bsnbc…… “the dow dropped 634%?”!!! Steve, Thanks. I needed a laugh especially after dropping 30 grand in my 401k? since the debt deal was passed??



  2. Marilyn on August 11, 2011 at 6:41 am

    It’s not a good idea to have three martinies before you go on TV.



    • winnie888 on August 11, 2011 at 7:04 am

      Tee many martoonies, marilyn…for sure.



  3. Tim-in-Alabama on August 11, 2011 at 6:58 am

    It truly speaks to the character of messnbc that they’d hire the racist, anti-Semite Al Sharpton4 to add a little color to their mostly lily white lineup. It’s going to be funny when the cut-and-paste D-hadists start using Sharpton quotes to back up their nonsensical claims.



  4. Lynn on August 11, 2011 at 12:34 pm

    What is painfully obvious is that Sharpton needs to be “committed”, per the first video



  5. Dimsdale on August 11, 2011 at 1:39 pm

    “A 600% drop in the stock market”?? Well, maybe if ?bama and Reid persist in their “fixes” for the economy.
    ?
    He needs Sheila Jackson Lee as a co host. ? At least it would make him look a little better by comparison.?



  6. TomL on August 11, 2011 at 5:20 pm

    Who did msnbc drop to bring in Rev. Al, whomever it was has to be saying “I’m worse than him”



  7. gillie28 on August 12, 2011 at 8:10 am

    “Just call me Al” traa laa



  8. SeeingRed on August 12, 2011 at 8:31 am

    I hope MSNBC confirms this stellar choice.? It?just may give?me a reason to tune into the network once in a while -?should I need a laugh.? That’s far closer than where I am today,?where?my cable box never gets?set to MSNBC.



  9. Don Lombardo on August 12, 2011 at 11:14 am

    A phony reverend who’s made a living by scamming his own people and paying no TAXES .



  10. ricbee on August 13, 2011 at 12:22 am

    ?You know the Rev was at Obama’s party…guess he didn’t want to spend money on a clown.



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