After a year of subpar ratings, MSNBC on Thursday cancelled 27-year-old wunderkind Ronan Farrow’s afternoon show “Ronan Farrow Daily.”
Hyped as a fresh offering for a millennial audience, the program had long been plagued by apparent lack of interest, hitting its lowest ratings point earlier this month with just 11,000 views in its key demo. Mediaite noted that this marked the 1 p.m. slot’s lowest-ever score since MSNBC scored 9,000 on Jan. 25, 2005.
Farrow made frequent on-air gaffes, such as displaying a photo of former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood when reporting the death of former Rep. Ray Hutchison (R-TX). He also used the ill-advised phrase “WTC jumpers” to describe daredevils jumping off the new World Trade Center building — then asked viewers to weigh in on whether said jumpers were “heroes” or “zeroes.”
In October, MSNBC denied rumors that Farrow was facing cancellation. The New York Times reported that same month that Farrow’s show sunk the timeslot’s ratings by 50 percent among viewers aged 25-54, helping CNN gain traction over MSNBC.
Politico’s Dylan Byers reported Thursday that Farrow would be launching “a new series of primetime specials, featuring in-depth interviews, and will continue to be a special correspondent across programming.”
Excited about new role – more to come soon.
— Ronan Farrow (@RonanFarrow) February 19, 2015
“The Reid Report,” hosted by Joy Reid and airing right after Farrow’s program, was also cancelled.
