N.H. Votes: On To South Carolina, And Beyond
Many moments in the wall-to-wall coverage previewed February's primaries. CNN and FOX went live to South Carolina for previews of the week ahead. CNBC presented a map of delegates up for grabs next month. NBC's Ron Allen was live in Missouri before midnight, and this report was followed by an interview with Oklahoma's Democratic party chair. FOX led into the 12am hour with South Carolina poll #'s... 11:59:44 PM

N.H. Votes: One More Round of Notes
Robert Novak on CNN, bluntly: "I think Dean is dead" // NRO: "The Kerry team really has beautifully orchestrated this. The Curtain Cam shot on CNN all this time, waiting for Kerry, is priceless." // "This is another race that will go into the history books," Carl Cameron wrapped up... 11:58:13 PM

N.H. Votes: Howard Kurtz Weighs In
Howard Kurtz's online column lead: "It took 20 minutes for the cable networks to declare John Kerry the winner after the New Hampshire polls closed, and not much longer to start writing off other candidates." (Kurtz is wrong about the times for projections; FOX was first, not CNN. Hope that doesn't get in the paper.) It's a great recap though... 11:49:50 PM

N.H. Votes: Comparing/Contrasting the Cable Coverage
Though the results came early in the evening, the cablers are still talking. Brent writes in with thoughts about tonight's coverage. "I am, for the most part, watching MSNBC. They are the most energized. CNN and FNC are rather boring. Kinda disappointed tonight however, looks like an early night...Here's hoping next Tuesday is more exciting." As for CNN, this TVSpy poster doesn't like how Blitzer seems to be CNN's prime anchor (I totally agree): "Could [CNN's political coverage] be more boring to watch? Wolf Blitzer seems over-exposed on the network." And these DU posters aren't big fans of Chris Matthews (aka Tweety)... 11:42:38 PM

N.H. Votes: Media Notes From New Hampshire, Round Four
Mo Rocca called Edwards "part populist, part boy band singer" // One of my favorite quotes from FR: "Botox Kerry on Facelift Greta at FNC!" // Carl Cameron described Kerry's "back-to-back victories that would seem to have potentially crippled Howard Dean's candidacy" // Jonathan Alter on CNBC: "What really has changed this year is [that] normally people vote for the guy or the woman that they like the best. All the strategizing and punditizing is left to the pundits...[But] this year was different. People actually made a calculation" // CNN used "Vote Trak" software to identify support in townships across New Hampshire. Greenfield's experience with the state paid off... 11:38:50 PM

N.H. Votes: Networks Leave Primary Coverage to the Cablers
Tim Cuprisin at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel expresses frustration that only one network aired a "scheduled look at the first primary battle." "The bottom line is that if you're interested in watching this Democratic primary season unfold on TV over the next couple of weeks, the networks can't be counted on"... 11:34:25 PM

N.H. Votes: NBC Embeds Offer Personal Insights
NBC's embeds contributed to coverage tonight. Becky Diamond said it was an emotional win for John Kerry: "He told me this morning he was 'holding his breath,' waiting for the results to come in. Well tonight you can hear him exhale." Felix Schein reported: "[Dean] finds itself in a little bit of a bind at this point...It needs to find a place to win." And from the Edwards camp: "There weren't quite the high fives around here tonight that there were the other day," Dugald McConnell said. All three embeds contributed insight on their candidates' personal feelings and reactions. "We're already at the airport," McConnell said. On to South Carolina... 11:18:10 PM

N.H. Votes: Media Notes from New Hampshire, Round Three
Back -- sorry about the break in updates. // Wolf Blitzer called Kerry's victory "a bookend to his upset first-place finish in Iowa" at 10pm // "The clear loser tonight is Wesley Clark," Jeff Greenfield said, referencing his fight for third place. "That's a very hard number to spin, no matter how good you are at spinning." // Funny how FOX put Dean in a box right next to dissapointing poll results during their entire interview with him // A reader writes in to point out that MSNBC pulled out "the big guns" -- Tom Brokaw interviewed Kerry on cable, and Tim Russert contributed analysis. A Zucker idea? It was much-needed... 11:16:32 PM

N.H. Votes: "The general is not doing interviews"
Larry King will feature interviews with Kerry, Dean, Edwards, and Lieberman during the 9pm hour; "the general is not doing interviews," King said. LK will be back at midnight for a second live hour... 9:04:39 PM

N.H. Votes: Dennis Miller's Program Plagued By Technical Snafus
Terrible technical problems at the top of Dennis Miller's program tonight. "This is not good," a tech guy said in the background, as Gloria Borger's IFB malfunctioned. He called tonight a "considerable whomping" for Dean, and called the doctor a "dead man spending." The show cut to a taped interview with John McCain after three minutes... 9:04:33 PM

N.H. Votes: An Early Night; The Story Shifts
The story shifts from who-will-win to how-much-will-he-win-by, and who-will-grab-third-place. "NBC News projects Kerry to win by double digit margin," the lower third said around 8:40pm. At 8:47pm, Blitzer said that "John Kerry is likely to win this race by about 10% -- a spread of about 10%, a win over Howard Dean." 8:53:27 PM

N.H. Votes: Media shouldn't write "too many obituaries too soon"
"I don't think we should be writing too many obituaries too soon," Jeff Greenfield told CNN viewers. His colleagues agreed. "The race goes on. New Hampshire may not decide a great deal." Bill Schneider said. "We could have at least four candidates going onto next week." What happened to "two tickets out of NH?" "The race goes on and on," Schneider added...
8:52:40 PM

N.H. Votes: Media Notes from New Hampshire, Round Two
The RNC's Ed Gillespie is making the rounds tonight; he appeared on FOX in the first half hour of coverage, and then talked on CNBC // 360's Buzz question tonight: "Does Howard Dean have to win New Hampshire to make a comeback? Results: 57% yes / 43% no // "The intrusiveness of the media during the last days of the New Hampshire primary bothered some of the local folks," Leonard Downie Jr. told WP chatters today // The February 3 primaries were being discussed by 8:30pm... 8:50:36 PM

N.H. Votes: "Who to watch?"
"Who to watch?," Oliver Willis ponders. "CNN bores me, it is fun to watch Fox squirm uncomfortably as they actually have to report on Democrats, but MSNBC has the foxy Campbell Brown and Chris Matthews could explode at any minute." Whose coverage are you enjoying -- or despising? Send in an email with your thoughts. 8:49:22 PM

N.H. Votes: And Now, The Spin Begins
"It's going to get fun now," Susan Estrich told Brit Hume shortly before 8:30pm. "Everybody is going to be spinning tonight." "I fully expect everybody to go out and say that they did well," James Carville said. Paul Begala popped a champange cork on CNN to demonstrate what the Kerry campaign would be doing tonight... 8:35:31 PM

N.H. Votes: Kerry, Kerry, Kerry!
"Kerry is the obvious front-runner now," Fred Barnes said. "I think Kerry will be ahead in every state that's going to be contested next week," Bill Kristol added. "Two man race it looks like," Brit Hume said. Gloria Borger said that Kerry's folks are "just so excited -- they can't believe that they have a double digit lead." "It may be all over but the shouting" for Dean, Tucker Carlson said (joked?)... 8:35:00 PM

N.H. Votes: FOX Projects Winner at 8:15; CNN Follows at 8:21
FOX appears to be the first cabler to call the election for Kerry. It came at 8:15pm, just as John Seigenthaler was telling CNBC viewers that "it is too early to project a winner at this point." "FOX News Projects Kerry To Win," the Alert banner reads. Carl Cameron reported that various local stations are also now projecting Kerry to be the winner. CNN followed up at 8:21pm. "CNN is now ready to project a winner in this race: John Kerry," Blitzer said. At 8:23, it was CNBC's turn. "NBC News now projects that John Kerry will win the NH primary," John Seigenthaler said. He described a "race for third" place... 8:24:20 PM

N.H. Votes: Coverage Continues; Too Close to Call
FOX led with Chris Wallace exit poll analysis; CNN led with live reports from the Kerry, Edwards, Dean, Clark, and Lieberman headquarters. "I think we all need to take a deep breath here," James Carville said. "In about an hour we'll all have a good indication [of the real results]." CNN presented the precinict data on the lower thirds, election-night style. FOX graphics presented what appeared to be a two-man race -- headshots of Kerry and Dean, with their current precinict data. Jeff Greenfield's Big Questions: "Late Deciders, Who lost Votes, The Iowa Bypass, and Wine vs. Beer..." 8:14:06 PM

N.H. Votes: Polls Close; Networks Report Initial Data
"It's now 8pm. The polls have just closed. Based on CNN exit polls, we can now report that John Kerry has a small lead," Wolf Blitzer said at 8pm. Brit Hume was 30 seconds behind. "Too close, officially, to call," Hume said. Based on raw data, he said that Kerry was "leading with a fairly comfortable margin." FOX had some technical problems transitioning between Shep and Brit; "Brit is almost 50 yards from here, so communication [is difficult at times]," he joked... 8:05:53 PM

N.H. Votes: CNN's War Room
CNN's "War Room" is decorated with campaign posters, coffee cups, and newspaper remains. The Crossfire team is camped out there. Carville is now wearing a green, yellow, and purple rugby shirt... 7:55:21 PM

N.H. Votes: Getting Closer...
"Minutes from now, someone's dream could effectively die," Shep Smith said at 7pm. On CNN, a "Polls Close" clock ticked away under the Live bug. "The majority of polls have just closed," Shep said. "Indications are there's good news for the Kerry camp, and a very tight race for third place." He promised to share more in an hour. Anderson and Shep are both live in N.H. this hour... 7:02:58 PM

N.H. Votes: MSNBC Coverage Begins; Expectations Set
MSNBC's primary coverage began at 6pm with Chris Matthews and his "all-star" panel. Lester Holt reported exit poll data that revealed "key issues for tonight's primary voters." (Keith is apparently taking the night off.) And then the expectations were set: Howard Fineman said that the poll data was "very good territory" for Dean. "If NH is representative, this is going to be a long slog [between several candidates] for weeks if not months to come." Campbell Brown: "I think [Dean] can finish as far as 10 points behind [Kerry] and still be a winner." 6:15:39 PM

N.H. Votes: Primary: Clinton, Dean, and "Comeback Kids"
References to Bill Clinton's experience in the 1992 primary will likely be prevalent tonight. Matthews referenced the"comeback kid" speech several times. "[Dean] needs to come out and tell the people, 'I am the new comeback kid,'" Joe Scarborough said on MSNBC. "If he's going to declare himself the comeback kid...it's partly because of the sentiments of the exit polls of those New Hampshire voters," Howard Fineman added... 6:15:03 PM

Pre-Primary: Dean Supporters Blame the Media; Is An Apology Owed?
"Dean bloggers feast on press 'bias'" is the headline for a Horward Mortman MSNBC.com column. He chunks their complaints into several categories: Non-liberals control the media; the media's out to get Dean; need for rebellion; and general media disgust. Also: "We who work in the news media owe Howard Dean an apology about the way we reported his primal scream during the past week," Dave Lieber writes in the Star-Telegram. 5:32:55 PM

Pre-Primary: "Me, the Press?"
Ellen Warren in her online column: "Often — OK, almost always — the self-absorbed media do seem to think the Quest for the Presidency story is really All About Us, the reporters who cover it. As if the show should be called not "Meet the Press" but "Me, the Press." 5:32:04 PM

Pre-Primary: Media Notes from New Hampshire, Round One
Has this been done in the past? Around 3:30pm, CNN cited "early-in-the-day exit polls" to reveal what the "top issues are," NRO says // FOX's Big Question at 5:25pm: "Can Wesley Clark save his campaign? // All four Crossfire hosts argued from New Hampshire today. James Carville stuck out like a sore thump with a t-shirt and sunglasses, contrasting his co-anchors' suits... 5:31:12 PM

CNN Crew Ambushed: Michael Holmes: "They were clearly trying to take us out"
"There is no doubt in my mind, that if our security adviser had not returned fire, everyone in our vehicle would have been killed," CNN reporter Michael Holmes says on CNN.com. "This was not an attempted robbery, they were clearly trying to take us out." 3:47:15 PM

CNN Crew Ambushed: At Least Five AK-47 Shots Fired
The BBC adds a bit of information to the story: "...At least five shots hit the lead car in a two-car convoy returning to Baghdad from an assignment in the southern city of Hilla." The weapon was an AK-47... 1:33:20 PM

CNN Crew Ambushed: Death Is Not Partisan
The FReepers are fighting with each other after shameful posts criticizing CNN. Why does this story have to be reduced to goddamn media bias? Death is not partisan. Let's set it aside for a couple of hours... 1:26:47 PM

CNN Crew Ambushed: CNN Story Explains What Happened
CNN.com has posted an updated story with additional details on the attack. "The CNN crew in McWhinnie's vehicle drove to an Iraqi police station and asked officers to go back to the scene to help Mohammed and Khatab, who were last seen driving off the highway. The crew then drove to a forward operations base of the U.S. 82nd Airborne, where McWhinnie was treated, and the U.S. military sent a team to find the missing CNN employees. Iraqi police found the car with the bodies of Mohammed and Khatab." 1:16:32 PM

CNN Crew Ambushed: Initial Wire Service Reports
> Reuters: "Two of our colleagues were killed in an ambush"
> Associated Press: Several other staffers were in convoy, but were not hurt
> The Guardian: The # of journalists killed in Iraq rises to 16 1:15:15 PM

CNN Crew Ambushed: FOX's Report on "disturbing attack"
"We heard about this story a while ago, but we were holding onto it out of courtesy to CNN," Rick Leventhal told FOX News viewers at 1pm. He said that "a gunman popped out of the sunroom and opened fire on the lead vehicle of this CNN convoy," and that a security guard for CNN returned fire. Leventhal called the "drive-by shooting" a "disturbing attack." "We're always on guard for something like this to happen, and we hope that it doesn't -- but unfortunately it happened tonight." FOX analyst Bob Scales weighed in: "I don't think there's any doubt" that insurgents want to attack the media... 1:06:05 PM

ALERT: CNN Team Ambushed in Iraq; Two Employees Killed
Two CNN employees were killed today when their convoy was ambushed in Iraq. Translator/producer Duraid Isa Mohammed and driver Yasser Khatab both died of multiple gunshot wounds. Cameraman Scott McWhinnie was grazed by a bullet. CNN correspondent Michael Holmes was traveling with the group; he was not hurt. "They were returning to Baghdad in a two-car convoy from an assignment in the southern city of Hillah when they were ambushed on the outskirts of the city," CNN.com says. "Our deepest, deepest condolences go to the families," Wolf Blitzer said on-air around noon. 12:33:06 PM

ALERT: TWO CNN STAFFERS KILLED IN IRAQ
Details to follow... 12:20:44 PM

Pre-Primary: Blitzer Presses Kucinich on Viability
Wolf Blitzer pressed Dennis Kucinich on his viability as a candidate today, in a live interview. I think it bordered on unfair:
    BLITZER: "At what point do you say 'you know what, I can't go on?'"
    KUCINICH: "I'd say probably after I take the oath of office..."
    BLITZER: "Be serious--"
    KUCINICH: "I am serious. I'm in it all the way, Wolf!"
Be serious!? The interview was quite heated at times. Blitzer sat down with Wes Clark at a popular restaurant recently, and that interview will air at 5pm today... 12:19:30 PM

Pre-Primary: "The political media merry-go-round spun on"
Wow. What an essay by Peter Ames Carlin in the Oregonian this morning. Just read this excerpt: "...The assumptions and biases of TV journalists will at least define and perhaps dictate the terms of the [presidential] race." On the Scream: "So the political media merry-go-round spun on, a seemingly endless loop of hype, distraction and self-justification that makes Dean's Scream sound like a dignified whisper." A great read! 10:27:08 AM

Pre-Primary: The Wheels on the [Campaign] Bus Go Round and Round...
Elizabeth Jensen profiles CNN and ABC's campaign buses in a Los Angeles Times piece. The channels are using "fine-tuned technology that got its first real workout in the Iraq war," she writes. "In ABC's case, the equipment came back from Iraq and went immediately into the buses." (WashPost went on board with Stephanopoulos, too.) 10:26:03 AM

Pre-Primary: Greenfield Watching for "Knuckleheaded Journalists"
Paula Zahn asked analyst Jeff Greenfield what he will be watching for during the primary coverage tonight. "First, I'll be watching for the knuckleheaded journalists who will overreact to the New Hampshire primary, especially if Kerry wins, and declare it over," he told her. (Thanks to Newsblues) 10:15:06 AM

Pre-Primary: "The season upon us"
"Today, there are so many network boots on the ground in New Hampshire, there's hardly anybody available to cover the celebrity court docket," Dave Walker writes in the Times-Picayune. But he adds: "Don't worry. I said hardly anybody." He previews the coming year, beginning today and culminating on election night... 8:45:29 AM

Pre-Primary: Does TV Kiss the Issues Goodbye?
"The leader of the pack leads the news," the San Francisco Chronicle complains this morning. In presidential campaigns, "TV news gets to cover the circus -- and kiss the issues goodbye." Brit Hume defends use of polling (it's a compelling human story, he says) but argues that the issues still come up. "I don't mind the horse race as a way of looking at the thing as long as, in the course of covering it, the (issues) come into play," he said. "And I think they do." 8:42:55 AM

Pre-Primary: NEP Debuts Exit Polling Today
The Seattle Times says that "'new' exit polling debuts today." They summarize what "spelled the end of VNS and the beginning of the NEP," then ask "What's the difference? Not much"... 8:39:09 AM

Pre-Primary: N.H.'s "Star Treatment;" CNN's Re-creation
The Washington Times previews primary coverage, and says that "Iowa and New Hampshire getting vigorous star treatment to maintain public interest." Examples: campaign embeds and caucus cams. "CNN has ramped up its showbiz quotient as well...[they] will showcase a re-creation of its vintage 1992 "War Room" set for tonight's coverage, with correspondents reporting from a set painstakingly assembled in an old textile mill in Manchester." 1:59:29 AM

Kevin Sites Checks In On His Site
NBC's Kevin Sites checks in from Baghdad on his blog. "This is the day Alpha Company thought would never come--the day they get to go home." And other stories we don't see on TV... 12:25:59 AM

Matthews "always an easy target" for jokes
Ellen Warren's Tribune dispatches continue to be great reads. This one describes the Daily Show town hall last weekend: "One of the themes of the evening was ridiculing MSNBC's Hardball host Chris Matthews — always an easy target. When a cell phone rang, Stewart looked at Matthews in the audience and warned him not to answer it, "Because if you start talking, you'll never f------ stop." 12:14:24 AM