MSNBC STAFF CHANTED ‘F- -K BRIAN WILLIAMS’ AT PARTY: For the earlier, funnier Saturday Night Live of the 1970s, loathing their center-left bosses in the NBC boardroom was counterculture comedy shtick.

But one of the more fascinating subtexts of many of MSNBC’s rants is how toothless the channel’s far left on-air talent is in “reforming” their parent channel. For example, Melissa Harris-Perry rails from time to time against the eeeeevils of professional sports, and yet apparently has no desire to even attempt to nudge her employers into cutting ties with the major sports leagues. The MSNBC hosts’ obsessions with global warming have little influence on their bosses signing a recent ten year contract with NASCAR.

Now the channel is about to have the former face of NBC as one of their own, which might be the worst punishment of all for Williams. As Mediaite founder and former MSNBC host Dan Abrams (who lost his MSNBC timeslot in 2008 to Rachel Maddow ) told CNN’s Brian Stelter on Sunday, “If you had told Brian Williams a year ago he’d be throwing back to Rev. Al in the studio, he would have laughed in your face! This is a big demotion, it’s a big move by NBC.”

It will be fascinating to watch them pose as one big happy family when Williams joins the Delta House of television on the air.