In a report on how poorly NBC’s Sunday morning talkshow Meet The Press is doing, it was revealed that host David Gregory underwent psychological tests ordered by the network.
On Sunday, the Washington Post reported on the struggles of the show, which has been declining in the ratings since Tim Russert’s death in 2008. Gregory, 43, a familiar face to anyone who watches NBC News programs, took over, but the show has been on a three-year decline. It is now in third place, behind CBS’ Face The Nation with Bob Schieffer and ABC’s This Week With George Stephanopoulos.
“I get it,” Gregory told the Post. “Do I want to be number one in the ratings? Every week I want to be number one, and we fight like hell to get there. And it’s tough right now. It’s a fight.”
In the report, the Post revealed that NBC had Gregory take psychological tests. His closest friends and even his wife were interviewed “to get perspective and insight from people who know him best,” a spokeswoman said. However, that idea wasn’t embraced by everyone at NBC, since Gregory has been there for two decades.
According to sources for The New York Post’s Page Six, NBC did conduct audience tests with potential replacements, like MSNBC’s Chuck Todd. However, they fared even worse than Gregory.
MTP, which has been on the air since 1947, has tried various new tactics to get audiences back, but the crew is still dealing with the loss of Russert.
“I am fully aware that there are a lot of people who believe Tim Russert will never be replaced, and I’ve never tried to replace Tim Russert,” Gregory told the Post. “I have nothing but respect and admiration for Tim and his legacy. And I’m doing my own thing, just like Tim did.”