'Super:' Just Eight More Months
Wolf Blitzer wrapped it up around 10pm: "Tonight the general election campaign is, for all intents and purposes, underway." That'll conclude the live-blogging... 11:46:20 PM

'Super:' Kurtz: "The obituaries began immediately"
"The pundits couldn't wait to hustle John Edwards off the stage," Howard Kurtz writes tonight. He notes that "shortly before [Edwards] emerged, MSNBC's Kelly O'Donnell said 'we're told he will make no news in his speech.'" And: "Why would the Edwards folks leak this news before their guy had one last chance to address America? To undercut his message before he grabbed the microphone? Who knows? I guess they couldn't keep their lips zipped for another 15 minutes. The obituaries began immediately"... 10:20:36 PM

'Super:' A Skull and Bones Election, Greenfield Notes
Oooh, here's a good one for the conspiracy theorists out there. The CNN team noted that Bush and Kerry are both Yale graduates. Then Jeff Greenfield chimed in with a kicker: That this will be the first presidential election where both candidates are members of Skull and Bones, "the ultrasecret society at Yale." His comment got a hearty laugh, and Wolf Blitzer blew it off... 10:19:24 PM

'Super:' Media Notes: CNN Projects Georgia; The Poli-Press Curse?
CNN finally projected a John Kerry win in Georgia at 10:04pm -- 183 minutes after FOX // "Let me go out on a limb here: Senator Kerry will be the Democratic nominee," Bill Kristol joked on FOX at 10pm // "We're what, eight months from the election?," Bob Dole observed. "One day...can make a big difference" // "There's always a candidate who the press falls in love with, and that candidate is sure to lose," Fred Barnes said on FOX. He said Edwards was the victim this time // Kerry campaign strategist Tad Devine called it a "long fight" to this point. And now it really begins... 10:07:57 PM

'Super:' Analyzing the Countdown Clock
Rantingprofs seems to like MSNBC's countdown clock: "Election nights give them the chance to dust off the trusty count down clock again...count down to when the polls will close in...(Fill in the name of the state in question here.) This is really only relevant if they're holding back exit polls they're ready to go with as soon as polls close, but it's a charming quirk nonetheless. Well, either that or you'll find it inexcusable clutter on your screen, but it's one or the other." 9:59:53 PM

'Super:' Tonight's Drinking Game
Every time you hear a pundit repeat the Democrats-are-unified message, take a nice long sip. "I've never seen a democratic party so united to win" behind the scenes, Susan Estrich said on FOX. On CNBC, Gary Hart said that the Democrats are "not a fractured party the way it's been in the past." Tim Russert called Democrats "very very united and very very angry." "We are a 50-50 nation," he said... 9:46:56 PM

'Super:' Media Notes: "The tale now appears to be almost fully told"
Carl Cameron said that Kerry has "nothing in his way except George W. Bush" // CNN's lower-thirds no longer include Kucinich or Sharpton // The cablers showed video of Kerry watching Edwards' speech on CNN // "The tale now appears to be almost fully told," Brit Hume said... 8:23:14 PM

'Super:' CNN.com First Among .Com's With End-of-Edwards
FOX reported the end-to-Edwards on their lower-third at 8:12pm. At the same minute, FOXNews.com didn't mention it. MSNBC.com had the AP wire story up. CNN.com had added details to their "Breaking News" banner: "Edwards will withdraw from the presidential race on Wednesday, sources tell CNN." (Update: By 8:16pm, the FOX web site posted the news.) 8:14:37 PM

'Super:' FLASH: Edwards To Step Aside
The news broke at 8:06pm ET on the AP. CNN had it on-screen as the candidate opened his mouth in Atlanta: "Edwards decides to quit presidential race." CNBC had it on the lower-third by 8:08pm. I received the CNN breaking news alert at 8:11pm. FOX seemed to hold off on reporting it during the speech... 8:12:31 PM

'Super:' "The nomination fight is over," Russert declares
CNN, FOX, and MSNBC called MD, MA, and CT for Kerry at exactly 8pm. "Clearly, a big night for John Kerry," John Seigenthaler said 8pm. Tim Russert corrected him, calling it a "huge night." Tim said that Edwards would have to win 75% of the remaining delegates in order to win the nomination. "It's not going to happen," Russert said bluntly. "The margin of victory is stunning." And here's the money quote: "This nomination fight is over. John Kerry will be the nominee of the democratic party." 8:05:12 PM

'Super:' The Vice Presidential Race Begins
On CNBC, Tom Brokaw said that tomorrow morning "the guessing game will begin -- who is [Kerry] going to pick for his #2 on the ticket?" "You can start," Alan Murray joked. "You can go first if you'd like." Brokaw said he was playing the game at lunch today. The results for 7 of tonight's 10 states aren't even in yet, and Edwards is already being written off... 7:50:38 PM

'Super:' Cable News Coverage Plans
> FOX will be live until 1am. Brit gets an hour at 8, then hands it off to pundits. H&C; will be live at 9pm and midnight. Greta will anchor from CA for two hours beginning at 10pm. (Update: Greta is anchoring from DC tonight, not CA as FOX P.R. said.)
> CNN will be live until 2am. Larry King will be live at 9pm and midnight; Aaron Brown will host Newsnight from 1 to 2am.
> MSNBC will be live until 2am. Chris Matthews is anchoring for seven straight hours.
> CNBC will be live until midnight. John Seigenthaler will anchor at 8pm, then take an hour-long break for a Dennis Miller rerun. Coverage will continue until midnight. 7:46:14 PM

'Super:' Media Notes: "Angry as hell;" FOX Still Alone on GA Projection
"It seems to me...that the American democratic party has begun to resemble the British labor party: angry as hell," Chris Matthews said. "Anger and the economy...it sounds like a very ideological election coming" // "We are expecting a big party here...the bar is open and people are beginning to stream in," the NBC reporter at Kerry's HQ said // "FOX first to call the state of GA for Kerry," Shep pointed out. Is it a conspiracy?: "I think CNN just wants to keep viewers and is trying to make up the news, even more than Fox right now," a DU post says... 7:39:23 PM

'Super:' "The moment of decision for John Edwards is at hand"
The drum beat is almost deafening. "Is this [Edwards'] last night as a legitimate candidate?," Shep Smith asked on FOX around 7:25pm. 5 minutes later, the cablers called the "critical battleground" of Ohio for John Kerry. Gloria Borger called it a "very important win" for Kerry, and Wolf Blitzer called it a "serious blow" for Edwards. "John Edwards has to be looking at this and saying 'I didn't sell,'" Judy Woodruff said. Brit Hume said ominously that "the moment of decision for John Edwards is at hand." Edwards may speak in the next half hour, Kelly Wallace reported... 7:37:32 PM

'Super:' Media Notes: "The general election starts tonight"
CNN ran its clockdown clock during Lou Dobbs Tonight // Keith Olbermann said that the biggest issue for many voters today is "the economy, smart guy" // // Two protesters held signs that said "CNN is bad news" behind Candy Crowley during her live report in Washington at 7:03pm // Howard Fineman is losing his voice. "The general election starts tonight," he stated // This FReeper sounds disappointed: "Fox just dropped the coverage ...to go to Shep rehashing today's Laci.... Kobe..." 7:25:52 PM

'Super:' FOX Projects Kerry in GA; Other Nets Hold Off
FOX called Georgia for John Kerry at 7pm, while CNN, MSNBC, and CNBC held off. "At this point, CNN is not in a position to call who will win," Wolf Blitzer said. "You could say this is a must-win state for John Edwards," Judy Woodruff told him. "He must win Georgia to keep going." Chris Matthews called Georgia a state Edwards "desperately needs to win," and said it was too early to project. CNBC's graphic simply said "Kerry ahead in Georgia primary." 7:11:43 PM

'Super:' It Begins
Wolf Blitzer called it a "vitally important night in American politics," and so it began. "Ten states up for grades, and John Kerry's looking to tighten his grip on the Democratic nomination," MSNBC's announcer declared. The three cablers each called Vermont for Howard Dean at the top of the hour. Wolf called it the "first surprise of the night"... 7:09:47 PM

'Super:' A Viewers Guide to Primary Coverage
The cablers will be live until the wee hours, but they may write off the young John early tonight. The Note overhears one journalist following Edwards say "the fat lady is now singing." If Edwards doesn't impress tonight -- one CNN promo called it a "Super Tuesday surprise" -- how loud will the drop-out drum-beat become? "...We'll get a good idea early on as to whether Edwards' focus on these two states, along with a few others, will reap him the surge he's looking for," First Read says. Indeed, polls close in most of the states by 8pm. The cablers will have plenty of time to dissect the results and analyze the hell out of this race before the final poll closes in California at 11pm ET. Watch for how early (or late) Edwards and Kerry take to their respective stages tonight... 4:02:22 PM

Exclusive: Raw Nielsen Data For Feb 2004 Cablers
Want to see the raw cable news rating data that reveals what programs will live and what programs will be tweaked to death? Then eat your heart out:
Top 25 Cable News Shows, February 2004 | Comparison Chart: Feb 04 Versus Feb 03
2:17:28 PM

MSNBC Only Has One Show in the Cable News Top 25
The headline says it all. Hardball with Chris Matthews was MSNBC's only show in the cable news top 25 last month, this exclusive chart reveals. The show recorded a 0.5 rating and placed near the bottom of the list. CNN's primetime schedule (Larry King being an exception) is less popular than Fox & Friends, Dayside, Your World, or Studio B, according to the chart... 2:13:16 PM

FOX Pounding CNN in Ratings; Describes 'Commanding' Advantage
FOX News has increased its ratings lead, a press release today declared. Quoting it: In 2004, FOX "continued to pound CNN as its viewership advantage over its closest competitor increased to 70% in Prime Time and 78% in Total Day, both up 14% from its 2003 advantages, according to Nielsen Media Research." They say that CNN dropped 34% in February primetime compared to the year before. FOX had 10 of the top 11 shows on cable news last month. Here's the full press release. 1:47:43 PM

Two Questions
For Miles O'Brien: When you said this afternoon that "CNN is the only place to watch" the primary results tonight, you were just being bombastic, right? Geez, promoting your channel is one thing, but lying is another. // For Howard Kurtz: Today, you decided it was time for a link over to the WSJ's piece on Lou Dobbs. Good idea -- but why did it take you five days to get around to it? The article was published Thursday... 1:01:05 PM

Political press opposed to Bush positions -- except FOX?
Columnist John Podhoretz in the NY Post: "On the three major issues of year - the War on Terror, the economy and now gay marriage - the political press in the United States is opposed to President Bush's stances and opinions...there is, in all likelihood, not a single senior official in a major news organization (save perhaps our sister organization here at The Post, the Fox News Channel) who believes there should be a constitutional amendment affirming that marriage is between a man and a woman." (Hat tip: Romenesko) 9:19:57 AM

Quote of the day
CNN head Princell Hair in the San Bernadino Sun: "It's incumbent upon journalists to make the important interesting,'' Hair said. "Important stories may not always be interesting, but they're important. For us, it's all about find ing the right characters to drive the story. In a 24-hour environment, time is not really as pressing an issue as it would be in a half-hour nightly broadcast." Sometimes I worry the cablerss try to make the interesting important... 8:03:12 AM

Are The Buses Worth The Trip?
ABC and CNN's campaign buses are discussed in a Hollywood Reporter piece. "...Their rivals argue that tooling around the country covering the campaign in rolling newsrooms makes them seem more like Merry Pranksters," Andrew Grossman writes. He gets NBC EP Mark Lukasiewicz to comment: "When I look at the buses, I'm hard-pressed to wonder how it makes a story better, how it improves the storytelling. It's a great marketing thing, but I'm not sure I can point to an instance where it made the story better or the reporting better." Of course, Sam Fiest and Mark Halperin don't agree... 8:00:52 AM