http://www.startribune.com/stories/1384/3636601.html
Move over Bill O'Reilly, Chris Matthews and Larry King, you've got company. "I'm going to be hosting my own television show five nights a week on MSNBC," former Gov. Jesse Ventura told a national audience Wednesday. "I don't know if they're ready for me yet." After much speculation, he publicly confirmed that he will host a talk show on MSNBC, the cable network. He made it official during an appearance on NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno." But Ventura has his work cut out for him. The cable network, which began in 1996, has struggled to find an identity and an audience. In early January, MSNBC averaged 397,000 nationwide viewers during prime time, well behind Fox News' 1.3 million and CNN's 941,000. This year, MSNBC's daytime viewership is down 23 percent, to 263,000, according to Nielsen Media Research. Last year, overall viewership plummeted more than 25 percent, to 360,000 viewers on average. Viewership in the Twin Cities is even worse. During the 9 p.m. hour, a likely slot for Ventura behind Matthews' "Hardball" program, the number of households tuned in is often fewer than 100. Ventura told Leno that he doesn't know who will be his first guest or exactly when the show will air, although he said it would be "probably within the next month." He also playfully warned that Leno has some new competition, telling him to "go out and check what you thought was your parking spot." The reigning king of Late Night countered by saying, "And you thought politics was sleazy? You're with the 'Big Boys' now!" When Leno asked about his format, Ventura said jokingly, "Singing, dancing. . . ." Then he said it will be "political" and "timely," with a bent toward young people -- the all-important 18-to-34-year-old demographic crucial to TV ratings -- whom he feels are underrepresented. He cited them as a key reason he was elected governor in 1998. "A lot of young people came out to vote who don't normally [do so]," he said. "I believe right now they are not paying attention to government and politics because there is no one to entertain them. . . . "I'm going to try to educate them, entertain them and tell the people the truth." Ventura boasted that he still is "the most feared man in America, when it comes to the Democrat and Republican parties, because I've beaten them twice. . . . "They know I can beat them. When I was mayor [of Brooklyn Park], I served one term and went back into the private sector. Then I got a statewide radio show, and that set me up to become governor. "Now I've got a nationwide TV show." xponent I Thought It Was About Ace Maru rob ________________________________ You are a fluke of the universe. You have no right to be here. And whether you can hear it or not, the universe is laughing behind your back. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
