MSNBC host Al Sharpton mentioned race in some capacity a total of 314 times on PoliticsNation in 2013, according to Washington Free Beacon analysis. That is an average of more than once per broadcast.
The WFB study was inspired by a similar analysis that the Media Research Center concluded in January. MRC says Sharpton counted 215 mentions of race last year, but seems to have omitted his frequent mentions of "racial" and "racially" related matters on the show.
MSNBC.com Executive Editor Richard Wolffe complained on Sharpton's very program in January that some in the media "enjoy the politics of race" and that it "really helps their ratings" to stay focused on the subject. Given Sharpton's stranglehold on second-place in the 6 p.m. cable news ratings, we can only assume that Wolffe is correct.