On Friday, June 5, talk-radio veteran–turned–MSNBC anchor Ed Schultz spoke at the 2009 New Media Seminar hosted by Talkers magazine. For those of us who missed the speech in person, Talkers has just posted video of Mr. Schultz’s talk on line.
Over the course of his 15-minute speech, Mr. Schultz serves up a number of interesting revelations. He talks about spending $150,000 of his own money to buy a satellite camera, so that the Fargo-based radio host could get more airtime on cable news shows. He talks about his failed attempt to launch a Sunday morning TV show. And he dishes about his meeting at a hotel in Washington, D.C., with Phil Griffin, during which he talked the president of MSNBC into giving him a job.
Throughout the talk, Mr. Schultz repeats again and again how lucky he feels, given the current advertising climate, to be prospering in the world of political journalism and for getting an opportunity at MSNBC.
Recently, we wrote an item raising questions about just how secure Mr. Schultz’s future is at the cable news network. At the time, Mr. Schultz assured us that he has a solid three-year contract with MSNBC.
But during his speech on Friday, Mr. Schultz revealed that even with a three-year contract in place, he might not feel entirely 100 percent confident about his long-term future anchoring the network’s 6 p.m. hour. “You know what,” says Mr. Schultz (shortly after the 13-minute mark). “My show might last three months. It might last six. It might last a year. I’m just proud to have the opportunity. …”
