I don’t know if MSNBC is in serious trouble or not, but I do know one thing. If a cable news channel makes the decision to become ideologically-aligned with one of the two major political parties in this country, they should expect their ratings to ebb and flow with the political cycle.
It’s probably easier to arouse interest in the audience when your party is out of power, at least in the White House. Adversarial news is just more interesting, which is why Rachel Maddow got a bump out of her BridgeGate coverage. On the other hand, I believe Fox News experienced a ratings slump in the immediate aftermath of Obama’s reelection. I assume this was the result of their audience experiencing a temporary sense of demoralization.
What’s really hurting MSNBC, however, is that Congress is completely gridlocked, which means that there is not much positive to report. This creates its own form of demoralization on the left, but it also entails an entirely understandable disinterest in politics. This is hurting everyone who makes a living off reporting on politics from a left-wing point of view, and it’s probably hurting right-wingers, too.
I know that the way that people consume media is changing, too, with many fewer people watching television or watching it in real time, at least. More people are getting their online news through filters, too.
As for things that specifically hurt MSNBC, gridlock has to be the biggest culprit. CNN is still best-equipped for international and breaking news. FOX News has the advantage of covering the presidency from an unambiguously adversarial angle. MSNBC is left with no advantages, so their talent has to carry the network.
They do seem to have the most talented roster, but that may not be enough to carry them to the next presidential election.
