CNN's Trifecta of Live "Air Travel Alert" Reports
Kudos to CNN for their "Air Travel Alert" coverage this afternoon. At 2pm, Fredricka Whitfield introed the story, and tossed to three live reports: London, Dulles Intl. Airport, and the Pentagon. FOX, by contrast, had one report from their Washington bureau, then moved quickly to two live "Super Tuesday" reports. It's certainly an improvement for CNN -- "hard news is the difference," they say, and today they actually proved it. 5:07:11 PM

Taking a Turn as My Own Ombudsman
(Or should I call it "public editor"?) Some criticisms from TVHeads of the FOX-expert/terrorist ties story. In the headline, I called him an "analyst" for FOX, and this reader said that is "wrong and misleading." An excerpt from my response: "The purpose [of] my site isn't to pass judgement on idiot congressmen and third rate journalists. That's what the readers do -- I just present the stories, give it a catchy headline. That's what journalism is, it seems: The facts...packaged in a sexy, attention-grabbing box." "Analyst" may not have been a fair descriptor. "Expert" may have been more appropriate. But I don't feel comfortable editing stories on a whim after they are posted. Like the original story said: you decide. 5:02:19 PM

Congressmen Accuses FOX Analyst of Iranian Terrorist Ties
I report (well, quote a Gannett story): "U.S. Rep. Bob Ney says an expert on the Middle East who appears regularly on the Fox News Channel has ties to an Iranian terrorist organization...Fox News officials refused to comment. Jafarzadeh said he would continue to appear on the 24-hour cable news network." You decide. 2:10:40 PM

CNN "spinning like a top" for BBC?
FReep folks say that CNN is "spinning like a top" for the BBC with the Andrew Gilligan fiasco. "I'm so dizzy!," one person says. Another offers a filtered version of the story. It's an interesting read... 2:10:21 PM

For the Record: Cable News Web Site Headlines
Let's compare online headlines about the flight cancellations: MSNBC.com: "Flights Cancelled: British Airlines, Air France cite security concerns;" CNN.com: "Flights to U.S. grounded amid new security fears;" FOXNews.com: "Troubling Skies"... 2:09:00 PM

$51,000: TV Stations Charged $230 per Sq. Ft. at Peterson Trial
WOW: "San Mateo County is charging television stations $51,000 to reserve a coveted spot next to the courthouse for the Scott Peterson murder trial," the AP reports. KTVU's Chip Vaughan: "In 24 years in this business, I've never seen anything like this cost this kind of money." Sadly, this won't decrease the sick amount of coverage the trial will receive... 1:40:29 PM

Negative Reviews for Dennis Miller
Some reviews of Dennis Miller's first week on CNBC:
> Boston Globe: "Miller could have offered viewers an oddball, absurdist alternative to the dull drone of cable commentary. But after only a week on the air, 'Dennis Miller' has already put down firm roots in cable-news dullsville."
> The Star-Ledger: "Forget the fish out of water metaphor. This guy's a fish in a frying pan, six shows away from being served with a side of wild rice."
> The Lumberjack (Northern Arizona U. student paper): "I think I'd rather see a chimp host a talk show than Dennis Miller...Doesn't it seem a tad convenient that Miller suddenly opened his eyes when conservatism had a renaissance of sorts?" 12:10:33 PM

Media Pleads for Jacko-in-Court Access
News organizations are making an interesting argument in their plea for cameras inside Michael Jackson's upcoming court appearance. "The public did not see Jackson plead not guilty but instead saw only Jackson's dramatic entry into and exit from the courthouse followed by his interaction with a large crowd of supporters from atop an SUV and his invitations to a party at Neverland Ranch," lawyers said in a written motion. "This undermines the dignity of the court because it leaves the public with the misimpression that the legal proceedings are an extension of the raucous atmosphere outside the court." More, in this Reuters story. 3:09:32 AM

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

Spongebob, SOTU On Fox, Spongebob...
FOX News had two programs land in the top 15 basic cable shows for the week of January 19 to 25. FOX's post-SOTU analysis at 10:05 came in fifth place, smack between two episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants. The actual speech ranked seventh, tieing with WWE Raw Zone on Spike. Read into that whatever you want... 10:46:38 PM

Quote of the day
The Christian Science Monitor writes on "Politics as punch line:" "If there's any doubt that comedy has entered the world of mainstream political commentary in a big way, consider that in just the past week or so, NBC anchor Tom Brokaw wrapped up his State of the Union address coverage by interviewing Jon Stewart." 10:43:16 PM

Roger Ailes on the Dean Scream: "It got overplayed a bit"
I may be late on picking this up, but this ABC story has quotes about the media's handling of the Dean scream from Princell Hair and Roger Ailes, among others. Hair: "We've all been wrestling with this. If we had it to do over again, we'd probably pull ourselves back." And Roger: "It got overplayed a bit, and the public clearly thought that, too, and kept him alive for another round." Overplayed a bit? 10:38:42 PM

The Kerry News Network?
Oh boy: "It is significant that former CNN correspondent Chris Black was hired to serve as a Heinz spokesperson, or “handler,” before the presidential campaign," AIM (Accuracy in Media) says today. "Over the course of his political career, according to the Center for Public Integrity, Kerry has received $140,710 in political contributions from CNN parent company Time Warner. Is the Clinton News Network becoming the Kerry News Network?" 10:32:37 PM

Demo. Debate: Will Re-air at Midnight; Live Hardball at 11pm
The debate will reair at midnight. Chris Matthews will host a live edition of Hardball at 11pm. His newsletter promises a "full on explosive, 'must watch,' post game slice and dice exegetical." Ron Reagan and Pat Buchanan will be among his guests... 9:23:22 PM

Demo. Debate: Spin, Spin, Spin
"I dont think anybody really cut into [Kerry's] momentum," Joe Klein said on CNN. "Howard Dean tonight was on the offense," Carl Cameron said on H&C.; "There was a big expectation that he would go for the new frontrunner, John Kerry, and he didn't let anyone down." But the rhetoric wasn't too heated -- "we're still living with the hangover of Iowa," where the nice guys didn't finish last, TNR editor Peter Beinart told Paula Zahn. Why is Susan Estrich getting so much airtime on FOX lately?... 9:12:15 PM

A Great 'Get' for Norville: "Emotional" Trippi Interview
Deborah Norville got Joe Trippi to "choke up" in an "emotional" "exclusive" interview on MSNBC. Here's the press release. Paula Zahn was resigned to interviewing a GQ magazine writer who talked to Trippi this morning. (It's a good magazine story, though.) 9:09:52 PM

Demo. Debate: Chris Matthews with Wrap-up
Chris Matthews did a debate wrap at 8:30pm. Dean joined Chris for the first segment. Al Sharpton was interviewed around 8:45pm -- several of the questions discussed the Florida debacle in 2000. Matthews asked who won: "I think Kerry won, because the others didn't lay a glove on him," Pat Buchanan said. 8:49:30 PM

Demo. Debate: Instant Reactions on Brokaw as Moderator
Some interesting comments from DU: "I think Tom's doing the best job of the bunch. At least he's touching on issues and not just attacking the guys with gotcha crap." Another poster disagreed, though: "He seems to feel his whole purpose in "moderating" the Democratic debate is to defend the Bush administration." But the best comment I noticed: "People -- come on...If he were moderating a Republican debate he would be playing devil's advocate with THEM. That's his job!" 8:12:04 PM

Demo. Debate: First Question Sparks Disagreement
The first question by Brokaw immediately provoked a response from Kerry. "How can you come South," Kerry was asked, "given what you said about the Democrats making a mistake in spending too much time worry about the South..." Kerry interjected -- "I never said that" -- and Brokaw finished: "expect to do well here." The WashPost web site has a running transcript... 8:01:29 PM

Demo Debate: MSNBC.com has Live Feed
Good move, MSNBC.com: the site is offering a live feed of the latest Democratic candidates' debate, airing now on MSNBC. 7:56:06 PM

FOXNews.com's Baghdad Cam
FOXNews.com has a curious online exclusive: "Baghdad Cam." It's a live picture of al-Firdos (Paradise) Square in the Iraqi capital, 24 hours a day. Not very useful, but... 3:53:37 PM

Shocking: Conservatives Find Media Bias
Free Republic picks up on several Media Research Center alerts: Ron Reagan Jr. Bashing Bush on MSNBC, CNN and others tout Kerry's liberal record, and Keith Olbermann says that "no WMD does not mean no destruction." 12:38:41 PM

CNN Ratings Close to FOX on Primary Night
CNN came within 139,000 viewers of matching FOX News primary night ratings. FOX peaked at 1,923,000, versus CNN'S 1,784,000. Drudge points out that MTV's Real World scored more than twice as many viewers that night... 10:21:17 AM

A Kinder & Gentler Chris
"Mr. Matthews has made a concerted effort to tone down his brusque demeanor, actually permitting some of his guests — or at least the men — to finish their sentences," the WashTimes Inside the Beltway column writes today, so the Hardball host was "chagrined" when fellow restaurant patrons applauded an SNL skit lampooning him... 10:14:35 AM

Sick of Scott Peterson Yet?
YES! More coverage of the Scott Peterson trial! Just what I've been hoping for! "Network television satellite trucks will begin rolling into town Saturday as news operations converge on the city to cover the Scott Peterson double-murder trial, scheduled to begin with a hearing on Monday." More than 200 media types are expected to be credentialed, the San Mateo County Times says... 7:37:37 AM

Roger Ailes and Al Franken -- In the Same Room!
Check this out: "The lunch crowd at Michael's craned their necks yesterday as Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes bantered with Fox News nemesis Al Franken," the Daily News says. Lloyd Grove has a great scoop... 7:32:38 AM

Cabler Primary Coverage: "like watching a tennis match"
One last N.H.-media-excess story, that's it, I promise. It's the Arizona Republic: "Watching CNN, Fox News and MSNBC's coverage of the New Hampshire Democratic primary Tuesday night was like watching a tennis match, as pundits went back and forth on Dean's fortunes - often on the same show...All three cable-news networks called the primary for Kerry about 15 minutes after the polls closed, after anxious hours of sitting on exit-poll results like children trying to keep a secret. That left the rest of the night open for spin, of which there was so much that the coverage began to resemble a political spider web." 12:45:11 AM

Will These N.H.-Media-Excess Stories Ever End?
In the Hartford Courant (early) this morning, Liz Halloran says that N.H. media saturation "often bordered on the absurd: Reporters videotaped other reporters reporting. Web-loggers held camera phones and sent live pictures to their websites. Others thumbed their BlackBerrys, transmitting reports by wireless phone or e-mail. For many, being even a small part of the quadrennial international media scrum in New Hampshire is a rite of passage." 12:38:00 AM

The Media Primary: "Echo chamber is much bigger" now
Quoting Howie on page one of Thursday's WashPost: "When Ronald Reagan beat Jimmy Carter in 1980, there were two news cycles a day, morning papers and evening newscasts. CNN was five months old. There were no satellite phones, no USA Today, no Fox News Channel, no CNBC, no Comedy Central, no Weekly Standard, no Rush Limbaugh show, no Slate, no Salon, no Google, no Drudge Report. Now campaign stories change hour by hour. "The echo chamber is much bigger -- past the speed of sound and toward the speed of light," said Democratic consultant Jenny Backus..." (Update, 7:38AM: I had written "Friday's" Post. "You're watching sooo much cable news that you've forgotten what day it is," Dave Hughes wrote in...) 12:30:52 AM

Jeff Flock Exits: "Reasons are personal, not professional"
TVWeek advances the Jeff Flock exit story a bit, quoting more of the bureau chief's memo: "The reasons are personal, not professional. I just want everyone to know I couldn't have received better treatment from my bosses." Quoting the site: ""We're sorry to see him go and wish him the best of luck," said a spokesman for CNN, who said Mr. Flock's departure is expected in a few weeks." 12:28:33 AM

Framing David Kay's WMD Statements
Rantingprofs offers a superb look at how the Kay WMD story is being framed by various channels. Some interesting thoughts on how Aaron Brown interviewed James Woolsey tonight... 12:27:26 AM

The Digital Press Corps
Does the NYTimes "get it?" In a story titled "Making of the Digital Press Corps, 2004," the old gray lady seems to understand the power of technology on the campaign trail. "Campaign reporters, like war correspondents, are not necessarily gadget geeks. But the rapacious 24-hour news cycle has forced them onto the cutting edge to do their jobs better - or at least faster." 12:05:29 AM

Quote of the day
CJR's Campaign Desk suggests that the media put Dean in a "damned if he doesnt, damned if he doesn't" situation last night. "If he gives an emotional post-vote address to supporters (Iowa), he's portrayed as an unstable lunatic. If he gives a more sedate post-vote address (New Hampshire), he's portrayed as a man trying to prep his loyalists for his eventual defeat. That's neither fair nor journalism." 10:16:16 PM

Chris Matthews Wants To Know What You Think
From Hardball's daily newsletter today: "Housekeeping up front...Chris wants to know you all thought of last night's coverage...His first words to me upon return (and usually every morning when we speak) are "what are you hearing on e-mail?" Send mail to [email protected] with the subject line "primary coverage"...Give us the "good, bad & the ugly" as it were, so to speak...He'll read 'em trust me..." 9:05:38 PM

Bill O'Reilly and His Book Sale Scandal
TownHall.com writes about the competition between Bill O'Reilly and Hillary Clinton on the important issue of...book sales. He explains the whole case -- O'Reilly says he outsold HRC, then when Drudge reveals that's a lie, O'Reilly claims the DNC bought up lots of Hill's books. Then the DNC denies that...etc. Fun fun. FReepers are chatting about it; one called O'Reilly a "loudmouth boor..." 8:30:41 PM

WMD Doubts: "Literally Beads of Sweat" on F&F; Hosts Today?
I might be accused of liberal bias again by posting this, but it's written too well to ignore: Blogger Thomas DiLorenzo on LewRockwell.com says that the "Fox War Channel is Losing its Cool," and cites this morning's performance of the F&F; anchors. For the last year, "every lie on the subject [of WMD] that was distributed by the White House spinners was endlessly repeated as the gospel truth," he writes. "This morning, however, there were literally beads of sweat on the two male hosts as the admission of no WMDs by Bush's own man in Iraq exposes these propagandists as, well, propagandists. Brian Kilmead even lost it and said that he would use his own credit card to fly to Iraq and look for the WMDs himself -- while continuing to arrogantly ridicule us doubting Thomases." 7:53:39 PM

Greta: NH Airport "looked like a news media convention"
"The airport in Manchester, New Hampshire early this morning looked like a news media convention," Greta writes on FOXNews.com. She explains contingency plans in case snow cancelled her flight. So that's why Shep wasn't on Studio B today... 6:35:41 PM

Jeff Flock Exits: Says Shakeup Makes Sense, but Future Isn't Certain
NewsBlues quotes from Jeff Flock's goodbye memo: "First things first. I wish I could argue with the wisdom of the reorganization. The truth is I think it makes perfect sense. No one knows better than me how tough the bureau chief/correspondent job has been. The new leaders of the regional bureaus are the network's best. Frankly I haven't felt as good about the future of CNN in years." He's not alone on that feeling about the future... 6:26:26 PM

Jeff Flock Resigns; Spent 24 Years At CNN
Jeff Flock has resigned from CNN after 24 years. Jon Friedman calls the CNN Chicago bureau chief's exit poignant: "He served during virtually the entire length of CNN's time and his departure comes at a period when the network is going through serious changes." This great TVSpy post suggests that "maybe this will get him a position with a Big 3 network. He's been ready for that for a LONG time. One of CNN's best reporters -- what a loss... 4:23:09 PM

During Commercials and Bus Rides, Reporters Opine on Campaigns
Joe Hagan takes readers behind the scenes of MSNBC's primary coverage last night in the NY Observer. He also hops aboard Kerry's press bus, and talks to NBC embed Becky Diamond: "I don’t have the kind of access to Kerry that I used to have. Now, there are 50 journalists instead of five." 4:22:26 PM

CNN Market Share Dips; "Deep Trouble" Ahead?
Reese Schonfeld points out that since mid-December, CNN has lost 2.8 market share points in total day, and 3.8 market share points in prime time. He hesitates to analyze them too much, but says that "these numbers seem significant and they are certainly not good for CNN...I’m going to give it another month and see if there are any changes. If the numbers were to dip again, CNN would seem in deep trouble." (Update, 6:33PM: A reader writes in to point out that "market share" is a calculation Schonfeld makes -- it's the total # of cable news viewers, divided by the # of people watching each channel.) 4:00:54 PM

CNN Crew Ambushed: Remembering Two Slain Colleagues
CNN staff members are remembering their slain colleagues today, after two employees were killed in Iraq Tuesday. Translator/producer Duraid Isa Mohammed had a "a sharp mind, a tireless work ethic and a passion for news," Ingrid Formanek said. He was "compulsively gregarious, jovial, witty. To know him, was to like him." Driver Yasser Khatab undertook his job with "dignity, dedication and professionalism," she said. Here's the full story... 3:59:54 PM

"Journalists' safety cannot be guaranteed" in Iraq, IFC says
"Iraq remains the world's most volatile and dangerous conflict zone where journalists' safety cannot be guaranteed," the International Federation of Journalists warned today. "The crisis in Iraq continues to put every journalist in danger," General Secretary Aidan White said in a press release. "These ruthless killers are making free journalism almost impossible. Media organisations must redouble their efforts to reduce the risks their employees face". 3:58:14 PM

Media Notes: Bush's "Dodge;" MSNBC's Next Debate
TV reporters are covering Bush's WMD "dodge," Dan Froomkin reports on the Post web site // Joe Johns popped up on CNN today, live from the Capitol rotunda // MSNBC reminds the media about its presidential debate tomorrow night... 3:57:12 PM

"The drug of smothering political consensus was being manufactured" last night
David Folkenflik describes how the media distills 2004 political consensus in the Baltimore Sun. He writes that viewers could see the workings where "conventional wisdom was being forged" -- in other words, the "electoral crystal meth lab where the drug of smothering political consensus was being manufactured." 3:50:23 PM

Campaign Embeds: "You see their stories...rarely their faces"
Roger Catlin profiles embedded campaign reporters in the Hartford Courant today. "You See Their Stories, Sometimes Their Tape, Rarely Their Faces," the subhead reads... 12:23:56 PM

Dennis Miller Premiere: TV Critic Reactions
> NY Daily News: "The whole hour needs work," and suggests easy fixes
> NY Post: "I could not wait until this show was over"
> NYPress: "the transformation of Dennis Miller"
> Hollywood Reporter: "Miller strives for an impossible circus act"
> WashTimes: "a work in progress with one key asset: the man at the helm"
12:21:46 PM

Miller's a "big ratings gain" -- sorta
Reuters says that Dennis Miller drew "a big ratings gain" Monday night. "The premiere of "Dennis Miller"...drew 746,000 viewers, more than four times the average audience in the same 9 p.m. time slot last season, according to Nielsen Media Research. For the show's target demographic of viewers aged 25 to 54, the audience jumped 475 percent from last season's average." 12:21:27 PM

Watch FOX News Alerts at Walmart!
This news needs no introduction: "Premier Retail Networks has inked a deal with Fox News Channel for the service to become the exclusive "breaking-news" provider to Wal-Mart Television Network," Multichannel News reports. Thank goodness I can watch L.A. car chases while I'm shopping for new pants... (Hat tip: NewsBlues) 12:20:58 PM

Ashleigh Sets a Wedding Date
The NYPost's Page Six updates the Ashleigh-Banfield-getting-hitched story: Howard Gould has been her boyfriend for a year and a half; he says that the wedding "will be July 24 somewhere in Canada." 12:05:43 PM

Cable's Primary Coverage: Viewer Thoughts
Dee in SC writes in with thoughts on cable primary coverage: "CNN's coverage to me seems to drag in comparison to MSNBC's. And I'm sorry, while I'm usually amused by James Carville, I couldn't watch him while he was wearing that god-awful rugby shirt." On Olbermann's absence: "I know it was the man's birthday, but damn, it was a Primary Election night--he should have been there unless he required immediate medical attention or something!" Another viewer writes in: "I'm shallow, I admit it. I watched MSNBC because Campbell Brown was on...Ironically, Fox had no foxes and actually had that ghoul Greta on. 12:04:13 PM

Last Week's Cable News Viewer Data
The news viewer index for January 19 to 25 is in, thanks to Cynopsis. In total day, "Fox News had 48% of the viewing, CNN 27%, MSNBC 13%; and Headline News 11%." As for primetime, "Fox News had 55%, CNN 28%, MSNBC 11% and Headline News 6%." That's a big leap for FOX's prime... 8:44:17 AM

A Rare MSNBC Ratings Win
From Variety: "MSNBC racked up a rare ratings victory last week as host Chris Matthews beat Anderson Cooper's CNN program in the 7 p.m. ET timeslot." Hardball had never beat 360 for an entire week. The article also summarizes some election season stats. 8:43:46 AM

Monday Cable News Ratings
Drudge presented cable news ratings for Monday. On FOX: O'Reilly with a 2.1, H&C; at 1.6, 1.1 for Brit, and 1.0 for Shep and Greta. On CNN, LK finds 1.3, Zahn gets a 0.8, and Brown with a 0.7. On MSNBC, Norville has just a 0.3; Hardball at 0.4, with Scarborough and Olbermann at 0.3. Dennis Miller premiered at an 0.6... 8:41:57 AM

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

Schonfeld: "Roger Ailes is producing great tabloid" TV
Speaking of Reese, he has a couple site updates today. Commenting on CNN's shakeup: "It’s as if someone at CNN thinks its tepid ratings result from a lack of bureaucrats." Heh...and then he compliments FOX: "Roger Ailes is producing great tabloid television." (Then again, is calling the network "tabloid" really a compliment?) 11:49:09 PM

"The Most Exclusive Howard Dean Interview"
Well, Chris had his "exclusive" Dr. Dean interview tonight -- as did Wolf, and Aaron Brown during NewsNight. But my favorite Dean interview tonight was by Jon Stewart. They called it "the Most Exclusive Howard Dean Interview." Great segment! 11:48:31 PM

How Can CNN Be Fixed? Viewers Chime In
A great thread discussing CNN is hot at TV Spy. My favorite quote: "Keep this in mind: through all this upheaval, CNN has still maintained its massive international newsgathering operation, even though they could save money and just rehash the wires like FOX. I don't know too many American nets who have a bureau in Jakarta or Havana. CNN has viewership problems, it has imagination problems and it has a history of management problems. But integrity is another matter." Some posters suggest Reese Schonfeld should come back and make news the star again... 11:48:24 PM

Miller Time: An Entertaining Debut, with Room to Improve On a set that feels like ESPN, with a host who belongs on SNL, (with simple graphics that don't waste space on the screen the whole time!), Dennis Miller premiered on CNBC tonight. I appreciated his very frank and honest comments about race, as well as his tendency to let guests finish a sentence. And there was no mention of Laci Peterson or Michael Jackson! But the show certainly has room to improve, as he admitted at the end. He summed up his goal for the show in the intro: "I think that there's a common sense revolution coming in this country, folks" -- and then his chimpanzee returned to the set. "I'd like this to be headquarters." 10:11:15 PM Miller Time: Viewers Chime In FReepers agree that Dennis needs an audience. One FR post: "Tomorrow's show will be nothing like tonight's. They'll scrap a lot of it and reformat it." Tomorrow will be especially interesting since it's primary night. "Production values like it's shot in a parking garage," a DU post says. "I'm glad to at least have an alternative to H&C;," one poster said. But will CNBC's programming steal viewers from their sister network's new Norville show? 10:09:35 PM Miller Time: FAIR Updates Action Alert FAIR issued an update on their Dennis Miller Action Alert today: "In response to FAIR activists and other critics pointing out the extraordinary conflict of interest posed by the new Dennis Miller talkshow on CNBC, Miller and the network have put forth a variety of contradictory excuses." Hmmm... 10:09:19 PM Miller Time: A Message to Roger Ailes; 'The Varsity' Miller took some potshots at his former bosses during a short segment. "I came to this job from the FOX network, and I think they still owe me 12 grand," he said. "I just might sue, if only to accrue that Al Franken publicity boost." He told viewers he planned to give away an O'Reilly Factor mug "or some other piece of factor gear" to guests who say a magic word each night. During the final twenty minutes, David Horowitz, Naomi Wolf, and David Frum joined "The Varsity" -- a group of "impeccably credentialed wizards" together to discuss issues of the day. Nice conversation...some sparks about Iraq. 9:58:40 PM Miller Time: First Interview; The Stick; Needs an Audience? Miller's first guest was Ahhh-nold. I don't live in California, so did I really want to sit through 20 minutes of the governor's proposition-promoting? "I just had a team of experts come in and remove the stick from my ass," Miller said afterwards, then began his mock newscast toward the midpoint of the hour. Most of 'The Daily Rorschach' was funny, but it's awfully strange just hearing a couple of muffled laughs -- please bring in a crowd. His last joke: "The Kobe Bryant case continues in Eagle, Colorado this week, with many fans wondering if he's guilty because he didn't jump on an SUV and dance for a crowd of media idiots." After the commercial, he said the stick was re-inserted... 9:38:05 PM Miller Time: "We will do the news as catharsis" Miller's opening essay commenced curiously, but became passionate and poignant as it progressed. His intro aimed to demonstrate "just how insane the public discourse has gotten in this country. Highlighting that ludicrousness will be the tenet of this show," Miller said. "We will do the news as catharsis. When who's to blame is clear, we're not going to pretend to adhere to the macguffin of fair and balanced." Miller said he hoped to be seen as an ombudsman: "fair and insistent." My favorite comment: "9/11 changed me -- quite frankly, I'm shocked that it apparently didn't change everyone out there." I've always wondered that too... 9:22:13 PM ! It's Miller Time I've been looking forward to Dennis Miller's CNBC premiere for weeks. And here we go. Is this a preview of the direction networks will go to present "news" to younger viewers? Ten minutes before the premiere, The News aired a "behind-the-scenes" look... 8:59:24 PM

Not So Exclusive After All, Eh Chris?
I called Chris Matthew's so-called "exclusive" Dean interview sloppy seconds, but it's worse than that: "Unfortunately the "exclusive' was given to every cabler," a source wrote in this evening. Wolf Blitzer aired a similar interview during his 5pm hour, for example. He took a swipe at the news media during his CNN interview: "They're an entertainment businesses at least as much as the news media," he said... 8:58:35 PM

Photos of FOX's N.H. Headquarters
Greta takes FOXNews.com readers behind the scenes of the channel's N.H. studio: "I was once again stunned when I arrived at the Fox "Manchester" bureau. The place is amazing! It is as though a major city bureau were lifted from its location and set down here." Here are photos... 8:55:15 PM

Like FOX Was Reading From Cheney's Script
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed FOX's ..unique.. presentation of the Kay story. "Yesterday when they reported the David Kay story, they spun it so bad, it seemed like Dick Cheney himself wrote the story," a Watercooler member writes. 8:12:30 PM

Hardball's "Exclusive" Dean Interview
This is called sloppy seconds: "MSNBC's Chris Matthews spoke exclusively this afternoon with Democratic Presidential candidate, former Vermont governor Howard Dean, and his wife, Dr. Judy Steinberg Dean. The interview will air in its entirety tonight" at 7pm. press release says. Wait, wasn't Diane's interview exclusive?... 5:38:05 PM

FOX News Relocates to the Granite State (Temporarily)
FOX has headed north for the next two days, anchoring virtually all of their early prime and primetime programming from New Hampshire. Shep Smith is hosting Studio B from there now; Special Report, the FOX Report, Hannity & Colmes, and On the Record are all going on the road for the primary, a FOX P.R. says. Their NH newsroom is certainly an improvement on Iowa's backdrop... 3:38:52 PM

Matthews has "the political penal colony to beat this election year"
Am I blind? Apparently I missed this great Joe Hagan Observer column praising MSNBC's caucus coverage, and explaining why CNN and FOX didn't match Matthews and company. "...If his performance on caucus night...was a harbinger of the political coverage to come in this year’s Presidential campaign, then Mr. Matthews has the political penal colony to beat this election year." Nice story -- better to link late than never. 3:31:59 PM

CNBC PR: "Capital Report" Campaign Coverage
CNBC's primary coverage tomorrow night will feature two special contributors, a press release says. Joe Lockhart and Susan Molinari will join Alan Murray and Gloria Borger. The P.R. also discusses Capital Report's campaign plans... 3:24:09 PM

Quote of the day
Howard Kurtz explains how "the other campaigns, especially the Dean folks, are starting to complain that the Massachusetts senator isn't getting the kind of media scrutiny that had previously been applied to, say, front-runners named Howard. And they're right. 11:44:21 AM

What a Difference the Angle Makes
A tale of two stories: In a package from the Pentagon, CNN's Chris Plante played excerpts from Kay's NPR interview. The headline was "WMD Doubts," and the chyron summarized the report: "Former weapons hunter suspects bad intelligence." A straight-forward summary. ++ A minute later, Wendell Goler had a live report on FOX. His lead: "Saddam's Folly" -- how Saddam pretended to have WMD. He also contrasted Kay's assessment with a Cheney speech yesterday in Rome, warning of terrorist intentions. Goler concluded with a snippet that said "Kay does not blame the White House for the conclusion they reached." It's all about the way a story is packaged... (Update: DU points to similar "spin.") 11:43:30 AM

Does Princell Need To Step Inside The Newsroom More Often?
TVWeek's Insider column shares an anecdote that suggests "how little contact there has been between [CNN head Princell] Hair and those who actually keep the 24-hour news machinery at CNN gassed up while their on-the-go leader 'just goes wherever he goes and does whatever he does.'" Wow, that's that sound I hear? An ax grinding?... 10:04:15 AM

"N.H. media stampede as frantic as politicking"
That's the headline for a Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. Here's the money line: "With 500 reporters and dozens of camera crews now stationed in New Hampshire for Tuesday's primary, media mob scenes like the one at the Newport skating pond are as common as subfreezing temperatures." Some good quotes... 9:39:59 AM

! Dennis Miller Has One Hell Of A P.R. Team
If the ratings aren't high for his show tonight, it's not for a lack of trying. Here's a partial summary of stories in Monday's dead-trees:
> Associated Press: David Bauder's piece is reprinted in many papers. Interesting lead...
> USA Today: He's the lead in a politics/comedy convergence analysis
> Reuters: Distributing a Hollywood Reporter preview of his show
> WashPost: Out & About column notes his presence in DC     12:49:56 AM

Praise for C-SPAN's Raw Campaign Coverage
Poli-junkies can "embed themselves in campaigns" thanks to C-SPAN, the NYTimes writes in Monday editions. "You cannot help but be influenced by who is presenting the programs on the news channels," a Miami-Dade College social science professor says. "At the beginning, C-Span might be boring, but it allows you to come to your own conclusions." 12:48:04 AM

CNN Shakeup: "Fusing" The "Detached" Parts of CNN
The Hollywood Reporter quotes an unnamed CNN exec: "One of the things that has happened at CNN over the years is that there were really different CNNs: There was the news-gathering part of CNN, and there was the on-the-air part of CNN, and they were very particularly detached. One of the things [Jim Walton] and Princell have focused on is fusing them together." Interesting take... 12:33:04 AM

Kurtz Profiles Brokaw & His Last Election Season
Nice piece in the Post Monday morning describing Tom's experiences on the campaign trail, contrast with the future (blogging's mainstream media darling, Josh Marshall, gets a shout-out). Brokaw promises that he won't "sit on the porch of the old anchorman's home with a drool cup." I wonder if they get cable?... 12:32:46 AM

Reliable Sources Highlights: Dean Scream; Primary Time
An hour-long Reliable Sources discussed the media's Dean scream hype and next week's primary on CNN today. Highlights:
The Scream: Jill Zuckman: "When you've got all the news networks playing it over and over and over again, it sort of changes the reality of what's happening."
What Scream?: Stephen Colbert: "Has anyone run that tape, because I would love to see it? I don't know if anybody actually has that."
Compared to the SOTU: Ken Auletta: "I think the public, in an age where we play up things like Howard Dean's "whoop," other things seem very boring, including State of the Union."
Primary time: Cokie Roberts: "...I'm wondering whether the media have come to utterly dominate the New Hampshire primary."
Beyond the front-runner: Howard Kurtz: "We shouldn't only train our media microscope on whoever happens to be in first place in the polls because the polls change." 10:40:29 PM

CNN Shakeup: Bohrman comments on covering stories
Daily Variety reviews the CNN shakeup details, and adds a couple details. "I think if you stagnate in the way you cover stories, it just doesn't work," new DC bureau chief David Bohrman told the trade paper. "I think if you can freshen things up, you are ahead of the game." 10:28:53 PM

Lieberman Protests CNN Interview Q; Hemmer Apologizes
The Jerusalem Post reports that Joe Lieberman wasn't happy with a question posed by Bill Hemmer that referred to the candidate's religion. He lodged a protest, and received a personal apology from Hemmer... 10:26:10 PM

Quote of the day
A Watercooler post yesterday: "I think the same need exists for an all-trash/trial/reality news network. MSNBC or CNN could scoop up serious bucks if they just swallowed their pride." (I agree. But pride? Since when did...) 10:01:09 PM

Were the caucuses a "Truly Important Event?"
David Shaw asks "what's the big deal about Iowa?" in the LATimes. "Every four years, the news media treat the Iowa caucuses as if they are a Truly Important Event, right up there with Michael Jackson's arrest, O.J. Simpson's trial and Princess Di's death..." 9:40:40 AM

CNN's Carville Writes "Lu and Swamp Ghost"
CNN screamer James Carville has written a children's book inspired by his mother. "Lu and the Swamp Ghost" will hit shelves in December. Carville is also the subject of a profile in the Ledger-Enquirer this morning... 9:39:43 AM

CNN Photog Slips at Skating Rink
LostRemote reports that "a CNN shooter slipped and hit the ice hard while John Kerry visited a skating rink in New Hampshire. Kerry stayed with him until the medics arrived, then leaned down and told him, "You know you're going to be the big news story." Turns out, he'll be OK." 9:39:13 AM

Ashleigh Banfield Tying The Knot
NBC's Ashleigh Banfield recently announced her engagement to Bloomberg Financial executive Howard Gould. The wedding is planned for this summer, the Dallas Morning News says... 9:31:22 AM

As Markets Climb, So Does CNBC
The NYPost says that "as stocks climb, more investors are tuning back to major financial news channels, early numbers show." It takes a look at how CNBC is broadening its coverage... 9:26:03 AM

Scott Peterson Comes to Town, and the Press Follows
The San Francisco Chronicle previews the Peterson trial's media blitz. "Satellite trucks belonging to NBC, CNN and Court TV -- and dozens of local television stations -- have filled the city block in front of Stanislaus County's courthouse. It's an operation that has required extra police security, roadblocks and 150 special phone lines set up just for them..." 1:36:09 AM