According to The New York Observer, NBC and MSNBC were partners more on paper than in fact until recently when MSNBC’s staffers were moved from Secaucus, New Jersey to the Rockefeller Center headquarters in New York. Proximity can improve communication — a key aspect in any organizational change.
Another factor in getting buy-in for change is that journalists are inherently motivated by the opportunity to attract a bigger audience, and in this case, the success of Olbermann has made it more likely that the more traditional types like David Gregory and Andrea Mitchell would be willing to appear on the cable network.
Worrisome, though, to me is that the original reporting has apparently not followed Gregory and Mitchell to MSNBC. All we need is more talking heads. Sigh.
