Scarborough Country

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Scarborough Country
Image:scarborough.png
Format Opinion/Analysis program
Starring Joe Scarborough
Country of origin United States
Production
Running time 60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel MSNBC
Original run April 2003 – June 2007
External links
Official website
TV.com summary

Scarborough Country was an opinion/analysis show broadcast on MSNBC Monday - Thursday at 9 P.M. ET. It was hosted by former congressman Joe Scarborough (R - Fla.).

Scarborough Country made its debut in April 2003. On average, Scarborough Country received approximately 300,000 viewers per night. (Source: Nielsen Media Research, ) Frequent on-air contributors to Scarborough Country were Craig Crawford, Pat Buchanan, Brent Bozell, and Tony Perkins.

While remaining "extraordinarily conservative"[1], Scarborough has recently become much more critical of George W. Bush and some of his policies. In so doing, Scarborough finds himself agreeing more frequently with traditional conservative Pat Buchanan, who appeared on Scarborough's show nearly every day. Dan Abrams had been filling in due to Scarborough's work on Morning Joe during the show's last few weeks. Scarborough Country was replaced with Live with Dan Abrams in 2007.

Contents

[edit] Controversies

In May 2005, Scarborough criticized Arnold Schwarzenegger by repeating an allegation in a British newspaper that the California governor had advocated blowing up the moon as a way of controlling women's menstrual cycles. Scarborough apologized after learning that it was a comedy skit on the Howard Stern radio show and not an actual Schwarzenegger interview. [2][3]

The show also had a non-satirical segment asking "Is Bush an 'Idiot'?", complete with a discussion with political analysts John Fund and Lawrence O'Donnel.[4]

In 2007, Scarborough blasted Bill O'Reilly for being a Republican "suck-up" after O'Reilly claimed everyone at MSNBC was a liberal and hated Bush, saying:

“ Bill O'Reilly, just attack Rosie ... You're way off base on MSNBC, on NBC and certainly on me. And I challenge you to debate me anytime, anyplace, anywhere, and find one thing I have said on this program over the past year that is not consistent with the conservative congressman who was against military adventurism when I was in Congress, that was against exploding deficits, that was against reckless spending, and was against turning Congress into the type of swamp that we Republicans have turned it into over the past six years. That doesn't make me liberal, that makes me conservative. That may make you, though, a suck-up, if you defend the Republicans that have done that to this country and to our party over the past six years.[5] ”

After Rosie O'Donnell made the controversial claims that the UK intentionally allowed British troops to be seized in order justify a war against Iran and that 7 World Trade Center was imploded by explosives, Scarborough explicitly called for ABC to fire O'Donnell during the April 2 and 3, 2007 broadcasting.[6][7]

[edit] Tabloid Turn

Since the summer of 2006, "Scarborough Country" had been criticized for taking a "tabloid turn", covering mainly celebrity, entertainment, and crime stories. The show then featured segments such as "Must See SC," and "Hollyweird" about celebrities in trouble. The show covered the August 2006 Mel Gibson DUI arrest very extensively. The show also devoted much time to segments about "The View," Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears's baby, Tom Cruise's baby, and other tabloid stories. The segment was also known for sometimes reairing a regular skit from ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, "This Week In Unnecessary Censorship".

[edit] Scarborough Unplugged

Former MSNBC General Manager Dan Abrams has started a segment called "Scarborough Unplugged," which features Joe Scarborough engaging in humorous acts. These segments are fictionalized. One included an audition tape for Dancing with the Stars. Another included Scarborough destroying Laura Ingraham video tapes. A recent one made fun of MSNBC's Dan Abrams, and another one featured Scarborough swearing at reporters over a celebrity list.

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/
  2. ^ Schwarzenegger Blows Up the Moon
  3. ^ IOL: Arnie's not mad at the moon
  4. ^ "Is Bush an 'Idiot'?" on YouTube.com
  5. ^ Scarborough challenges Bill O'Reilly to a debate - Transcript and Video.
  6. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id// April 2, 2007 Scarborough Country Transcript
  7. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id// April 3, 2007 Scarborough Country Transcript
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