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Print This StoryReport: More Delays Plague Ventura's Show
Former Governor's Show 'Not Even Close' To Debut
POSTED: 7:48 a.m. CDT June 9, 2003
Four months after former Gov. Jesse Ventura ended speculation of what he would do after leaving office by announcing a high-profile deal for his own primetime TV show on MSNBC he still has no permanent presence on the air.
And a new report said it doesn't appear it will make a debut anytime soon.
There have been rumors of difficulty in settling on a format and discomfort among the show's executives with Ventura's readiness to host a nightly hour-long show in primetime.
The rumors of difficulty popped up first on the The Drudge Report Web site in early May. The site cited a source "with direct ties to the project" who said rehearsals "have been extremely trying" and that Ventura has been "having just a terrible time."
Days after that report, the St. Paul Pioneer Press media columnist Brian Lambert followed up on the Drudge story by saying that "various camps" were struggling in many ways, from formats to locations.
The show has apparently settled on being located in the downtown St. Paul studios of Twin Cities Public Television.
Lambert quotes MSBNC's spokesman for Ventura's show as saying that the Drudge Report story was off base, that the Iraq War coverage delayed production work on the show but that it was picking up pace.
Lambert concluded in his column that, if Ventura's show was ready for primetime that the slumping MSNBC would have it on the air. He finished his column by saying that Drudge's report would seem far more accurate if MSNBC can't "commit to a premiere date by the end of (May.)"
Six weeks after Lambert's column, the New York Times said the show's executives said it's not "even close to making a debut."
The newspaper interviewed MSNBC president Erik Sorenson, who said Ventura is insisting on a new type of show, one that hasn't been on the air before, and that the network is having to invent the new format.
He also told the paper that getting the proper set for the 6-foot 4-inch, 250-pound Ventura that doesn't "look like a dollhouse" has been difficult.
He predicted the show would arrive on the air in late summer or early fall, and that he didn't want to rush the show into production, the Times reported in its story.
And a new report said it doesn't appear it will make a debut anytime soon.
There have been rumors of difficulty in settling on a format and discomfort among the show's executives with Ventura's readiness to host a nightly hour-long show in primetime.
The rumors of difficulty popped up first on the The Drudge Report Web site in early May. The site cited a source "with direct ties to the project" who said rehearsals "have been extremely trying" and that Ventura has been "having just a terrible time."
Days after that report, the St. Paul Pioneer Press media columnist Brian Lambert followed up on the Drudge story by saying that "various camps" were struggling in many ways, from formats to locations.
The show has apparently settled on being located in the downtown St. Paul studios of Twin Cities Public Television.
Lambert quotes MSBNC's spokesman for Ventura's show as saying that the Drudge Report story was off base, that the Iraq War coverage delayed production work on the show but that it was picking up pace.
Lambert concluded in his column that, if Ventura's show was ready for primetime that the slumping MSNBC would have it on the air. He finished his column by saying that Drudge's report would seem far more accurate if MSNBC can't "commit to a premiere date by the end of (May.)"
Six weeks after Lambert's column, the New York Times said the show's executives said it's not "even close to making a debut."
The newspaper interviewed MSNBC president Erik Sorenson, who said Ventura is insisting on a new type of show, one that hasn't been on the air before, and that the network is having to invent the new format.
He also told the paper that getting the proper set for the 6-foot 4-inch, 250-pound Ventura that doesn't "look like a dollhouse" has been difficult.
He predicted the show would arrive on the air in late summer or early fall, and that he didn't want to rush the show into production, the Times reported in its story.
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