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Real Matthews Interviewing Fake Matthews SNL's Darrell Hammond will join Chris Matthews on Hardball at 7pm (repeats at 11pm). If you haven't seen Hammond's hilarious impressions of Matthews, you're missing out. I'm sure Chris will play some of them tonight, though. The press release says this is Hammond's first in-studio appearance with Matthews... 6:55:18 PM
Thursday Ratings: MSNBC Scores with Debate, but Norville Barely Benefits Drudge has cable news ratings for Thursday night. MSNBC's 7 to 8:30pm debate scored a 1.2, with Chris Matthews' analysis afterwards earning a 1.1. FOX still led the night, with O'Reilly at a 1.9 and H&C; with 1.4. Larry King also saw a 1.4. Despite the big lead-in, Norville had a measly 0.4, though this post point out it is an improvement from her premiere. Other #s: Miller with a 0.4, Zahn with 0.5, AB at 0.7, and Brit and Shep both at 1.0. (Thanks Brent) 5:10:55 PM
CNBC Cancels Feb 3 Primary Coverage Plans Interesting: CNBC had planned special live coverage of the next round of primaries, coming up next Tuesday. But the suits have decided that the normal schedule will air that night -- no more "expanded" coverage. Here's the media advisory. Wonder why?... 4:13:17 PM
Let's Look Up the Definition of "Exclusive" Hardball's "exclusive" moniker is starting to get on my nerves. Tonight, it's an "exclusive" interview with Joe Trippi. But wasn't that Deborah Norville's exclusive last night? Definitions of exclusive include: "Not accompanied by others; single or sole," and "a news item initially released to only one publication or broadcaster." The definition is not "two interviews with two hosts on two nights on the same channel." Got it? 1:18:41 PM
! CNN Political Director Decries Polls as "Journalistic Crutches" Elizabeth Jensen suggests that news orgs have "flooded the zone" with campaign polls, and hints that CNN may pull some of its polls back. Quoting CNN poli-director Tom Hannon: "With that many tracking polls out there, I'm wondering, should I save my money?" The paper reports that earlier this month, Hannon "challenged two CNN reporters to get through the day without referring to poll numbers." He called them "journalistic crutches." More in the LA Times...9:33:50 AM
Ashleigh Banfield Update: "Still in negotiations" Newsblues: Ashleigh Banfield "was overheard telling friends that she is still in negotiations to remain at NBC" yesterday. // TVSpy asks what color her wedding dress will be... 9:31:46 AM
Jerry Nachman's Memorial Service The NYPost recaps Jerry Nachman's memorial service, held Thursday morning in New York (Not this morning, as this site previously reported). "Father Pete Colapietro looked at the congregation and said solemnly, 'I loved that guy with all my heart . . . and half my liver.' Father Pete, known as the 'Whiskey Priest' then added of his friend, the 300-pound Jerry Nachman, 'He wasn't just another pretty face on television.'" 9:31:03 AM
A World Without News (Spoof) What if you woke up this morning and there was no news? "No rock stars arrested for drugs. No bloody coups. No multinational corporations laying off 15% of their workforce. No suicides, no murders, no scandals, no deaths, births, bad weather, shootings, stabbings, explosions. No sex, no violence, no new reality TV shows, no weddings." This is a fun satire. (Strange how Google constantly links to this spoof site in their News search...) 12:15:39 AM
MSNBC, CNBC "Obsessed with Outfoxing" FOX, Says NYTimes Critic Alessandra Stanley profiles Dennis Miller's new show in the NYTimes Friday. "Is Dennis Miller really the wittiest, most astute comedian that CNBC could recruit?," she asks. But here's the line that opened my eyes: "Like its sister cable news network, MSNBC, the business-oriented CNBC seems obsessed with outfoxing the Fox network, boosting its ratings by catering to conservative viewers who seek an alternative to what they regard as a widespread liberal conspiracy on television." Well if the Times says it, it must be true... 12:14:05 AM
Greta
Van Susteren:
"Many in my business —
including those at competing cable news
organizations — are now daily checking
out a new site about cable news"
Because I'm not that modest, and I want to hype the site:
LostRemote: "He certainly knows how to own a story"
DCRTV: "Man, I don't know who runs the CableNewser site, but if Shep Smith or Anderson Cooper farted in New
Hampshire, this local DC-Baltimore area blogger covered it. Amazing..."
Rantingprofs: "Cablenewser...more and more a must read every day"
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