Political focus helps make MSNBC more competitive

The late Tim Russert played a key role in signaling an acceptance of MSNBC by starting to make more appearances there a year or two ago, Griffin said. That wasn't necessarily a priority at NBC News during years when MSNBC seemed without a direction.

"There was a sensibility here that 30 Rock was the major leagues," he said. "Cable is fine but it was sort of kids playing in Secaucus. I think everyone knows that MSNBC is a player and a platform for NBC News editorially and financially."

Management erred in years past by trying to be all things to all people, he said. Now MSNBC is "a little smarter, a little edgier, a little more honest."

And maybe a little more liberal. Griffin resists the idea that MSNBC is positioning itself as the go-to network for the left, in much the same way as Fox is the network of choice for many conservatives. Still, its breakout show is hosted by the virulently anti-administration Olbermann, who's made no secret of his admiration for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

CNN plays to that image with an advertising campaign that portrays itself as the "independent thinker."

"The difference I see in MSNBC is that it used to cling to the idea of `just the facts, ma'am' for all of its broadcasts," said veteran news executive Richard Wald, now a Columbia University professor. "Now it's gotten into much more edge and a much more aggressive kind of talk rather than reporting."

That hasn't been a completely smooth transition. Hillary Clinton's campaign was not happy with Matthews and Olbermann for some of their commentary, and the White House delivered a broadside against Olbermann. The old-school Brokaw has also pushed back against Olbermann on the air for some remarks he thought went too far.

It's a sensible business decision, Wald said. He compared cable television today to radio in the years after television took over. To survive, radio stations needed to appeal to different niches of the listenership.

"The problem is that it narrows the possibility of understanding something," he said. "What you lose as you become niche-ified, if that's a word, is serendipity. You can watch one of these programs and never be surprised by something that you didn't know before."

Another concern: Nov. 5, 2008.