Ups and Downs in FOX Coverage of Baltimore Boat Capsizing
FOX News covered the Baltimore water taxi capsizing during most of the 5pm hour, but the tendency to speculate resulted in some embarrassing slip-ups. FOX's best move was pulling up WJZ's copper live shot immediately. The very raw video was compelling as the chopper flew toward the scene. Capt. Mike Perry obviously had no idea his shot was live nationwide. Paige Hopkins and Gregg Jarrett talked over the pictures. "A lot of people were wearing heavy jackets on this day, boots perhaps," Jarrett said. Uh, Gregg: I'm 15 minutes from the harbor, and it's 70 degrees outside. I'm wearing shorts. Greg Kelly was live in the DC bureau: "This same storm hit DC around 1pm on my way to work," Greg with one g said. Now c'mon. You know that was a completely different storm. You really think it took the storm 180 minutes to travel up the BW Parkway? Rita and Geraldo came on set to share their memories of the harbor; Rivera called it a "catastrophe"... 5:57:49 PM

Martha Verdict: "It was personal downfall as public theater"
Such perfect prose in the Post: "Martha Stewart, Act 2: The conviction. It rolls off the tongue like a surreal episode of "Law & Order," which is what it felt like Friday at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan where a throng of media and ordinary people mobbed the steps of U.S. District Court and transformed that stately, columned backdrop into an America-style public spectacle yet again. It was personal downfall as public theater, complete with tents for the media, towering satellite dishes, and stage lights for the key players to march forth and deliver monologues." 11:48:55 AM

Martha Verdict: Screen Grabs of the Scarves
For those of you (like me) who weren't tuned in at 3pm yesterday, Free Republic has screen captures of the scarves and signs seen on cable when the verdict came. "I didn't see ANY of that specticle repeated on the evening news, but I found THAT part of it just as amazing as the story itself!," one post said. 11:41:26 AM

Martha Verdict: Media in Martha's Backyard
WestportNOW, "Westport's 24/7 News & Information Source" (great idea, great site) is reporting on the media's presence in Martha's hometown. "Photographers and camera crews gathered outside Stewart's Turkey Hill Road South home on chances that she would return there this evening. They found a private security guard in a red SUV sitting in her driveway," this article says. They also report on CNN's "live broadcast from the aisle of Oscar's Deli on Main Street" this morning. I wish I had this site in my town... 11:40:08 AM

Martha Verdict: "Lowest of low-tech methods" Used to Report Decision
Here's how the New York Times describes the media's Martha verdict reaction: "With cellphones, pagers, BlackBerry's and all other electronic devices banned from the courtroom where a jury was deciding Martha Stewart's fate yesterday, television news organizations were reduced to the lowest of low-tech methods to report a verdict: cardboard and wool...When the jury's verdict came down yesterday just after 3 p.m. the color-coded semaphore crowd came streaming out of the courtroom holding up signs like limo drivers looking for arrivals at the airport, or waving scarves like rabid football fans." 1:16:41 AM

Martha Verdict: Was the News Still 'Breaking' After the Sun Set?
The MSNBC MSN folks applaud their favorite channel for scrapping the "Flash News" banner for "Breaking News" during Martha coverage. "Now hopefully they will use the Breaking News banner for only the first 3 hours of coverage next time," someone says, and points out that when Dan Abrams signed off four hours after the news broke, it was still "breaking"... 1:15:39 AM

Martha Verdict: "Small bit of confusion" Resulted in Misinformation
The AP has more on how CNBC and MSNBC missed the initial verdict news. "In the chaotic rush to report the Martha Stewart verdict live on television Friday, at least two networks initially called it wrong and had to quickly correct themselves," David Bauder writes. CNBC rep David Friend said it was chaotic. Mike Huckman "had a hard time seeing the verdict as it was coming out of the courthouse." MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines: "I don't know why it was wrong. It was very loud and it was quite chaotic. There was a small bit of confusion and we corrected it immediately." 1:15:12 AM

Martha Verdict: Haven't News Orgs Learned Their Lesson?
A comment at TVSpy: "It's amazing that after all these years, the 2000 elections screw ups and the 2000 election court decision screw ups that the news [organizations] still think about being first with the news rather than waiting that extra 10 seconds to organize and get it right." 1:10:33 AM

Martha Verdict: Scarfs and Placards Declare "Guilty"
Digital Spy explains how the Martha verdict news came down: "In a media frenzy, reporters some networks dashed out of the courthouse waving red-coloured scarves and placards indicating a guilty verdict. However, a single green placard - a colour presumably identifying a not guility verdict - was held up, and was apparently enough to lead cable networks CNBC and MSNBC to get the initial reports wrong...CNN had quite an elaborate system going. According to the AP, four separate staff producers were assigned to listen to the verdicts for each count against Stewart. These four then ran outside and telephoned another producer, who in turn related the information into reporter Mary Snow's earpiece." 12:47:42 AM

Rough Report on CNBC
A report from Gawker on CNBC's Martha Stewart verdict coverage: "Amazing. Li'l Hard Hittin' Mike Huckman is out in front of the courtroom (sans fedora) with these two charts listing all the charges. On one side is a column of boxes saying "not guilty" and on the other is a column of boxes saying 'guilty.' So on live TV, he's checking off the boxes, getting it wrong, crossing them out, until like -- all of the boxes are totally full. No one has any fucking clue if she's guilty or not. And the AP and wires are reporting his mistakes, verbatim. They keep cutting back to him, he drops his pen and looks like he just wants to drop dead." 6:22:36 PM

Why is there nothing to link to today? Yawn... 6:19:05 PM

Lou Dobbs' Ranting: "It's about the money"
Quoting the Wall Street Journal today: "Lou Dobbs isn't an economist; he's a television performer." "I have to believe that Lou Dobbs is ranting nightly about "cheap overseas labor" as a pure ratings play," columnist Daniel Henninger says. "It's about the money." (Hat tip: Romenesko) 1:19:06 PM

"MSNBC should steal Jon Stewart somehow"
At LostRemote, Cory Bergman offers some rants: "MSNBC's "Countdown" is the best newscast on TV, but it's too long. Compress it into a half-hour and we'll have time to watch it." And: "MSNBC should steal Jon Stewart somehow. Or someone like him. Imagine "Countdown" followed by "The Daily Show." MSNBC's primetime fixed." 8:50:49 AM

Laugh
Craig Kilborn on the Late Late Show: "Republicans have launched round-the-clock commercials promoting George Bush. Don't we already have this — it's called Fox News." (Via the AP) 8:48:53 AM

Imbred: MSNBC.com Investigates Outcry Surrounding NBC News Report
MSNBC.com's Brock Meeks writes the lead: "Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is being asked to investigate allegations that the safety of thousands of air marshals and the public at large was compromised last month during the airing of an exclusive two-part series by NBC News that examined the federal air marshal program." NBC was allowed "unprecedented access to videotape little-known facets of the air marshal program." Interesting piece examining the actions of the site's own parent network... 11:23:03 PM

Are These Countdown Clocks Getting Out Of Hand?
An MSNBC MSN group poster notes that Hardball offered a new countdown clock tonight. "242 days until the election," it said. That's only seven months away... 7:54:44 PM

FOX Persuades Advertisers To Pay Up
The Hollywood Reporter reports that FOX "trotted out Brit Hume and Chris Wallace...to talk politics -- and plug Fox -- over lunch to ad buyers at New York's swank 21 restaurant" yesterday. It's part of an effort to sell the network as a valuable spot for advertisers. "It's a subjective sell. Fox's research includes a 'brand resonance' measure that ranks the network No. 1 among the three major news services in four emotional components: loyalty, attachment, community and engagement. Other research tries to convince advertisers that Fox is 'appointment TV,' as opposed to CNN, which gets more 'channel surfers.'" 7:54:26 PM

Why FOX Doesn't Win Awards
Greta explains why FOX didn't win any of the National Headliner Awards listed on this site yesterday: "You might think from reading those articles that we were determined not to be the best and hence no awards. I could not help but be amused by the suggestion. There is a very good reason FNC did not get any of these awards and won't in the near future. We don't apply for the awards and if you don't apply, you won't get any. Many awards in the media business require the news organizations to submit tapes to compete for the awards. When I first got to FNC I was told that we don't apply for awards." Fair enough. I wonder what MSNBC's excuse is, though, since NBC does apply... 7:45:55 PM

Wed. Ratings: Dennis Miller Hits Bottom
Drudge scoops some Wednesday night cable news ratings, and reveals that Dennis Miller has hit bottom. It's a 0.1 for the CNBC talker, who aired an "encore" last night. MSNBC's Olbermann barely did better, with a measly 0.2. And up from there: 0.3 for Norville and Scarborough, 0.4 for Hardball, 0.5 for Paula Zahn, 0.8 for Aaron Brown, 1.0 for Brit Hume, 1.1 for Greta, 1.3 for Shep and Larry, 1.6 for H&C;, and 2.1 for O'Reilly. 7:45:24 PM

Tina Brown on Ratings: "We can only go up"
A Mediabistro writer asked Tina Brown what she thought of her dismal ratings. "Your new weekly talk show on CNBC had an audience of 20,000 it's first night and 60,000 on its second. In television, those numbers mean no one watched it. Like, NO ONE." Her response: "CNBC hasn't had programming besides infomercials on Sunday nights before. We've gone up against Sex and the City and the Oscars. We can only go up." More on this blog. (Hat tip: Gawker) 7:41:59 PM

Inside the Brains of Hardball
It's all about the "editorial strings," the Hardball producer reveals in his e-mail today. "A couple of editorial strings we're gathering this morning concern the outrage by some over the new Bush ads," he writes. "...The other editorial thread we're pursuing are the culture wars: gay marriage, "The Passion of the Christ", religion and the Catholic church scandal." And you see the final product on TV... 1:47:29 PM

Mass E-mails "Annoyed The Hell" Out of Aaron Brown
Uh-oh. Media for Democracy sent 10,000 e-mails asking media execs to cover e-voting problems. When CNN did, the director e-mailed Aaron Brown to say thanks and "ask that he engage Media For Democracy members in a constructive dialogue on CNN standards for election coverage." Then Aaron replied: "No I will not. Further because this cut and paste campaign has annoyed the hell out of me for a week I won't even pay attention to what you guys want or say or think or do. There is no skill and no passion in cutting and pasting. It's just what lemmings do. I can't begin to tell you how offended I am by it all." Well, he was honest at least. 293 replies to a msg board thread about this so far... 10:40:05 AM

MSNBC is Embarrassing: Taped Norville Show Obsolete By Airtime
MSNBC failed again last night. Deborah Norville Tonight was all on tape. And around 9pm, as news of the Disney shakeup broke, Debbie was running a segment on the topic. Too bad it was completely out of date. They had a "Flash News" banner running with the details, but it was no match for the obsolete talking heads. "Once again MSNBC misses covering a story live since they are on video tape," an annoyed viewer writes. Rick, this is your opportunity. Please seize it... 10:34:38 AM

Lester Holt: 'Today?' 'Nightly News?'
A posting at TVSpy: "Lester Holt is filling in for Matt Lauer this morning. Gosh, it was nice to hear someone conduct an interview without jumping all over the guests answers for a change." With the reported problems at 'Today' lately, the poster suggests letting Katie Couric take over Jane Pauley's new daytime show, and making Pauley/Holt the new 'Today' tandem. (He suggests Natalie Morales for news anchor.) But one response suggests that Holt could shoot higher, and that he would be a better choice for the Nightly News chair than Brian Williams... 10:31:10 AM

Are the Broadcast Networks on Borrowed Time?
A note from Ed in London: "It is true that Bob Dole does a great job on CNN...stupid CBS should have realized his potential when he was on '60 Minutes.' Imagine if they had signed Dole & Clinton to be election night analysts...Instead, CBS, much like the other broadcast networks, isn't willing to take risks, doesn't see the writing on the wall and has squandered another opportunity. Cable is taking risks, cable is reaching out to unique, witty and insightful people to provide context. The broadcast networks better get their act together, or Election Night 2004 could be one of their last. Maybe Brokaw gets it and maybe that's why he's leaving?" 8:38:33 AM

CNN's "Slim Ratings Victory"
CNN's hometown paper trumpets the Super Tuesday ratings win. "CNN won a slim ratings victory on Super Tuesday against rival Fox News...Tuesday, CNN claimed an average of 1.17 million viewers during prime time. Fox attracted 1.14 million. Fox has won the other primary nights, though CNN has narrowed the usual ratings gap on those evenings." 8:08:04 AM

Union Techs Responsible for "CNN is Bad News" Poster
WP's Reliable Source explains the "CNN is Bad News" poster we mentioned Tuesday night. "It was a message from broadcast engineers and technicians who accuse the network of union-busting. 'We were very happy,' Jeff Miller, spokesman for the Communications Workers of America, told us yesterday...Clearly the techs knew how to position themselves to get into camera range. Said Miller: 'The money shot was the one where we got the sign right in front of John Kerry when he was standing there with his wife, with his arms upraised.'" 1:23:14 AM

Moody Explains FOX's Quick GA-for-Kerry Projection
The AJC story also examines FOX's early call of GA-for-Kerry: "Networks evaluate exit data in concert with actual vote samples. When [exec John] Moody checked off Georgia for Kerry just before 7 p.m., Fulton and DeKalb county samples had not arrived. But Moody, and Fox statistical analysts, were confident that the poll's margin of error had been overcome...'Our stomachs tightened a bit — but it always does,' Moody said Wednesday morning. 'Did I think about calling it back? No.'" 1:21:21 AM

Inside FOX's Control Room, Second-by-Second
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution takes readers inside FOX's control room on Super Tuesday: "The focus of the darkened control room is the dozens of monitors fixed on the front wall, where images from myriad sources flit past, like a scene from 'The Truman Show'...Time ticks on: 19:59:57 . . . 19:59:58. . . . 19:59:59. When the clock hits 8 p.m., coverage is at full speed. Hume goes on air, calling three more states for Kerry — Maryland, Massachusetts and Connecticut." Interesting piece... 1:20:31 AM

CNN Tops FOX For 'Super Tuesday,' Sort Of
Super Tuesday ratings: "CNN outdelivers FOXNews in total viewers during prime," Matt Drudge breathlessly reports tonight. At 8pm, FOX registered a 1.4, CNN had a 0.8, and MSNBC had 0.5. By 9pm, CNN had a 1.3, FOX was down to 1.0, and MSNBC held steady at 0.5. At 10pm, CNN dipped to 1.0, FOX was at 0.9, and MSNBC fell to 0.3. (The trends were typical -- CNN was up during Larry King, and FOX was highest during O'Reilly's time slot, even though Brit replaced Bill last night.) A TVSpyer was sarcastic: "Yes, CNN has topped Fox News for the first time in approx. 850 days. What does this mean?? The end of Fox as a rating leader?" 10:07:03 PM

Cleaning Crews Pull Plug on Greta's Live Shot -- (During a Commercial)
Greta takes blog readers behind the scenes of her two-hour show yesterday: "Midway through our second hour, and luckily it was during a commercial break, all our power went out. The crew (and my husband who I brought along to watch the show) scrambled to find out what happened. I was told that the building crew cleaning up and closing the building pulled out our power cords. I know it is not funny, but I laughed. Just exactly what were we going to do if we could not solve the problem at the end of the commercial break? It is live TV so I figure the viewers would not find it fatal. My husband was then "assigned" to watch the power cords." She has photos up, too; her media badge was a lot nicer than my media badge from the day before!... 7:41:33 PM

Viewer to FOX: "Please Stop" Constant News Alerts
Several TVSpy posts decry FOX's News Alerts. "It seems that EVERY single story on Fox News Channel during the day hours is a FOX NEWS ALERT. It's becoming dry. Please stop it," one person writes. "Today they had 3 or 4 news alerts on Martha Stewart's case going to the jury in less than 15 minutes," another post adds. "Maybe that's their real secret to their ratings success," someone says, I hope jokingly... 7:37:44 PM

CNBC's Lack of Competition is an "Opportunity," Ailes Says
From the mouth of Roger Ailes: "CNBC has no competition, so whenever you have a situation where you have no competition, and a third of it (programming) is infomercials ... you have an opportunity to do business." It's a quote from Reuters this afternoon. The wire service translated that into "Ailes said...CNBC was fair game for competitors as it looks at the potential for new channels under the Fox name." But commenting on the possibility of future FOX channels, he said that "the speculation is out ahead of the reality." More... 7:01:30 PM

CNN Wins Seven 'Headliners'
CNN won 7 National Headliner Awards yesterday. (MSNBC and FOX didn't win any.)
  > In the Best Newscast category, they placed 3rd for Paula Zahn and Jim Miller's "Fall of Saddam."
  > In the Coverage of a Major News Event category, they placed 1st for "Capture of Saddam Hussein," 2nd for Newsnight's coverage of the Blackout, and 3rd for Miles O'Brien during the Columbia disaster. In the Continuing Coverage of a Major News Event, they placed 3rd for "Crisis in Liberia."
  > In the Coverage of War and War Related Stories category, they placed 1st for "CNN Presents: Fit to Kill."
  > In the Investigative Reporting category, they placed 3rd for "CNN Presents: Easy Prey: Inside the Child Sex Trade."
  > In the Feature, Sports, or Human Interest Story category, they placed 2nd for "CNN Presents: Whatever it Takes, Persuing the Perfect 0."
CNBC placed 1st and 2nd in the Business and Consumer Reporting category. 1st went to Sue Herera and co. for "CNBC in India," and 2nd went to David Fabor and friends for "The Big Lie." (The latter is re-airing tonight.) Here's the full list. 6:31:41 PM

CNN Wins Four Gracie Allen Awards
The Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television awarded CNN four Gracie Allen Awards last week. (CNN sent along a press release today.)
  > Outstanding Talk Show: Larry King Live's Katherine Hepburn tribute
  > Best News Feature: Newsnight's "From the Eyes of Babes"
  > Outstanding Public Affairs Program: On the Story
  > National News Story - Series: Candy Crowley, "War Stories"
Winners will be honored at an event on June 22 in N.Y., the release said... 6:30:27 PM

CNBC Says It Was 1st With Edwards Drop-out
In a press release today, CNBC says that it was the first to report the Edwards drop-out news last night. 5:07:14 PM

"Is CNN doing everything it can to attract new viewers?:" No
A great story on Forbes.com analyzes CNN. It asks: "Is CNN doing everything it can to attract new viewers"? Columnist Sam Whitmore says the answer is no, and compares CNN.com to the FOX Fan Central web site. He offers advice for Jim Walton: "Don't sit on your 'cume.' Jazz up your Web site. Build out the best viewer appreciation department in the business and give it a decent budget. And do it now--while you're still in the cable TV news driver's seat." 5:06:15 PM

CNN en Espanol Radio News
In case you care: "CNN en Español RADIO has signed a representation agreement with Spanish-language news talk radio network and syndicator, Radiovisa Corporation. Radiovisa becomes the advertising sales and distribution representative for CNN en Español RADIO programming within the United States. CNN en Español RADIO will continue producing radio-specific newscasts and other content, as well as retaining all editorial control. Radiovisa will also spearhead U.S. sales and affiliate marketing representation." 4:47:56 PM

The NYT Likes Bob Dole's Punditry
Bob Dole's CNN commentary is described as "laconic, droll and unflinchingly pragmatic," the New York Times says in an article I forgot to link to yesterday. "He handicaps the Democratic presidential contest, dispenses a heavy dose of reality to the candidates and even ministers to the losers, all on live television," the writer writes. Very good article... 4:33:10 PM

MSNBC's "Nifty high-tech map" of Electoral Votes
Mark Jurkowitz was impressed by MSNBC's electoral map. "Tim Russert began talking about the 16 hotly contested battleground states between Bush and Kerry. The cable outlet then trotted out a nifty high-tech map that played out electoral vote scenarios in a campaign between the two men. As he fiddled around with vote totals by -- for example -- moving Florida into the Kerry column and thus delivering the Massachusetts senator a mythical 2004 White House win, MSNBC contributor Ronald Reagan Jr. exclaimed that 'this map rocks.'" 10:37:15 AM

Analyzing February's Cable News Ratings
The Hollywood Reporter sums up February's cable news stats in this story. "Politics, Donald Trump and Dennis Miller helped NBC's two cable news networks improve their share of the primetime news audience last month, but it's far from certain they can maintain the momentum," they write, and break down the stats into readable chunks... 10:30:29 AM

Five Minutes is a Matter of Pride
Interesting comments from David Folkenflik (very nice guy) in the B-Sun: "...First CNN and then MSNBC announced shortly after 8 p.m. -- and well before the polls had closed in California -- that Edwards had decided to pull out of the presidential race. But it took Fox News valuable minutes before it shared that important piece of news with viewers -- clearly the single most important development of the evening, as it removed Kerry's sole credible challenger. The average viewer who stayed with Fox News would have found out soon enough. As a matter of pride, however, that delay must have rankled Fox's political reporters. If it didn't, it should have." 10:28:48 AM

More How-to-Fix-MSNBC Suggestions
A couple more letters at Romenesko talk about how MSNBC could turn around. They offer their recollections of MSNBC's early days, and discuss possible changes. "I suppose if I had the answer to what ails MSNBC, I'd be earning Rick Kaplan-like money," one points out. Some interesting comments over there... 10:26:27 AM

Cable News #'s Down Across the Board Compared to '03
Cynopsis points out that cable news networks lost a whole lot of viewers compared to this time last year (as war drums got louder and louder.) Quoting: "The five cable networks to lose the most ground Feb 03 to Feb 04 in primetime among A18-49 are Headline News -47%, Fox News -38%, CNN -35%, MSNBC -34%...The five cable networks to lose the most ground Feb 03 to Feb 04 for Total Day among A18-49 are CNN -45%, Headline News -39%, MSNBC -37%, Fox News -36%." 10:00:13 AM

Last Week's News Viewer Index
Cynopsis has the news viewer index for Feb. 23 to 29. In total day, "Fox News had 48% of the viewing, CNN 28%, MSNBC 13%; and Headline News 11%." In primetime, "Fox News had 52%, CNN 30%, MSNBC 11% and Headline News 7%." 10:00:06 AM

'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

"Do viewers care about Haiti?," Aaron Brown asks
Aaron Brown expresses his concern with selecting the chaos in Haiti as the top story. "It is one of those leads and one of those stories I worry about," he writes in the newsletter today. "Do viewers care about Haiti? Have we explained well enough why you "should" care? It's the right lead, and we'll go with it." 9:28:29 PM

Holt, Blitzer to Interview Cheney Tuesday
Lester Holt's interview with the VP will air on his MSNBC show tomorrow afternoon. Excerpts will air all day on the channel, this press release says. Wolf Blitzer has an interview with Cheney, too -- it will air on his 5pm show, CNN.com says. Gee, you don't think it could be related to Super Tuesday, do you? (Update: FOX will air Brit Hume's interview with the Veep at 6pm.) 7:36:45 PM

CNN Hires Local Star For Peterson Coverage
KTVU reporter Ted Rowlands will cover the Scott Peterson trial as a national correspondent for CNN. Newsblues reporting: "Rowlands had several televised conversations with Scott Peterson in the days following Laci Peterson's disappearance at Christmas, 2002, and prosecutors have summoned him to appear in court as a witness." His current station, the Oakland FOX affiliate, is fighting the subpoena. He starts at CNN next week... 7:35:45 PM

MSNBC Should "try something radically new: Quality"
A reader writes into Romenesko with several great ideas: "...Why shouldn't MSNBC and its new head, Rick Kaplan, try something radically new: quality? I don't think going back to a classic format is the right move. Rather, the network would have nothing to lose to try to shake things up and reinvent the way television news is made and presented. ...Let's stop underestimating the news audience and provide a network people can feel good about watching -- and actually want to watch." Read the whole letter; it is excellent. It sounds like something I wouldn't be able to turn off. Is 30 Rock smart enough to let the channel off its leash?... 7:30:23 PM

FOX Is "The Destination" On Primary Nights
Check out the way USN≀'s "Washington Whispers" column sums up cable news ratings. On primary nights, "audience ratings show that Fox is killing CNN and MSNBC during the breaking-news period of 7-9 p.m. when early Democratic results are pouring in. "We're the destination," says spokesman Paul Schur. After that, CNN takes over when Larry King goes to work." That's a pretty simplistic view of it, eh?... 3:27:53 PM

Quote of the day
Rantingprofs is on a roll: "Shame on FOX...In the case of the Mississippi family now missing several days, the cops arrest a cousin and promise a 'profound development,' but won't say anything else. That's enough for Fox to put up a criminologist, a forensic specialist and a judge to speculate on what they've found, what the autopsies will show, whether they'll go for the death penalty based on how long the family might have suffered, what kind of a deal a lawyer would plea for versus how the cops might legally lie to the guy to get him to confess...This kind of wild speculation does no one any good whatsoever and is frankly irresponsible. If in fact bodies have been found bring the forensic specialists on then. Until then there is more than enough news to talk about without this kind of macabre speculation. Speculation does not equal scooping." 3:20:17 PM

Kerry Rally: Candy Crowley Needed Coffee
CNN correspondent Candy Crowley showed up at the rally this morning. The poor woman looked like she needed a nap -- or had just woken up. Bored to death! Talk to her producer, type on her Blackberry, yawn, look at her watch, type on her Blackberry some more. I wonder if her package today will be as boring as she thought the event was... 12:17:27 PM

Kerry Rally: I'm a Really Bad Picture Taker
John Kerry spoke at Morgan State U. in Baltimore (early early) this morning. I snapped some photos. (Even with a press pass, I had to jump through a couple hoops to get a camera inside.) Mainly local media there; quick 20-minute in-and-out for the candidate. Attendance was decent; students there told me that they expected the event to be held in the large gym, instead of the small one, and that they expected the event to be a lot bigger.


An NBC photog filming during Kerry's speech

Two other photos: Turn on the steady-shot | Turn on the focus 12:13:21 PM

'Apprentice' Trumps 'News' on CNBC
Howie's Media Notes has a couple interesting bits today: "The news has been trumped on CNBC. The business network, which is nudging its prime-time lineup toward entertainment, is preempting the Monday night broadcasts of 'The News With John Seigenthaler.' The reason? As first noted by thenationaldebate.com, CNBC will air reruns of Donald Trump's reality show, "The Apprentice," in that time slot for the next several weeks." Kurtz also picks up on the Aaron Brown outrage story, four days after the fact. Howie, aren't you hitting refresh on this page?... 12:03:30 PM

FOX Wants to Beat CNN (Online)
TVWeek looks at how FOXNews.com is striving to close the gab between its online competition. "Foxnews.com has been steadily introducing new content and upgrading its site over the past few months," the site writes. In January Foxnews.com registered 5.4 million unique visitors, while CNN.com's logged 23.5 million... 6:42:03 AM

Kurtz: "Life-and-death decisions" For Journalists In Iraq
Good timing: In the Washington Post this morning, Howie Kurtz examines the dangerous role of reporter-in-Iraq. On A1, no less! He describes the CNN convoy attack, the NBC hotel bombing, and Geraldo's bullet brush. "There is a long tradition in the news business that journalists, like Red Cross workers, should be seen as unaligned observers with no weapons or agenda. That tradition is being sorely tested...the dangers of postwar Iraq are so random and so pervasive that questions about security have become life-and-death decisions," he writes. The key questions: How should journalists protect themselves? Should they carry weapons? 12:05:51 AM

'Insight' Mag Puts Cable on the Cover
Conservative news magazine Insight on the News puts cable news on the cover this week, in a story titled "Rating the Beast." A set-up quote from FOX DC chief Kim Hume: "The world is moving away from the big broadcast news half-hour national shows." Insight decides that "in terms of coverage and fairness," Fox News is tops, CNN is #2, and MSNBC comes in last. (Stunner -- look at their own bias.) The writer decries groupthink, and says it "seems to be showing badly at MSNBC." 12:04:06 AM

"The outsourcing of journalists" and "the Photoshop effect"
This San Diego Union-Tribune writer describes "the outsourcing of journalists" in a column Sunday. Highlight: "This trend is the news and entertainment equivalent of the Photoshop effect: just as it's more difficult to ascertain the authenticity of a photograph, its no longer easy to tell where your information is coming from, and who's really delivering it." But he shares good news: something called "information insourcing." Read... 11:09:20 PM

Good "Gold Rush" Special on CNN
CNN's "Hollywood Gold Rush" special was a fun hour of television. It goes without saying that Daryn Kagan looked fantastic. Kendis Gibson helped out with coverage from a perch overlooking the red carpet. Poor Bill McCuddy -- during the 6pm hour on FOX, you could tell he wanted more time for red carpet interviews, but Haiti took precedence. 8:21:29 PM

Haiti: Vivid Video on FOX; MSNBC's Asleep
Coverage of the "Crisis in Haiti" continues off and on. Steve Harrigan's reports on FOX seemed more vivid and raw than Lucia Newman's on CNN; the "new video" from the streets of the capital was striking. At one point, Steve turned around to point out the fires that burned across the city. This evening, Rita Cosby showed pretty violent clips of chaos in the streets. On CNN, Kelly Arena called the developments today "stunning." I was impressed with their 6pm wrap-up of the day's events. And then there's that other channel: "MSNBC can't just keep hitting the snooze button everytime the weekend news alarm goes off," an MSN poster says... 6:57:52 PM

Quote of the day
Rantingprofs: "I've noted before that the reaction to Fox News sometimes borders on the hysterical but this one is just funny: we must be about to catch OBL because Fox's national security correspondent is reporting from the area and that must mean they got a special tip: why else would he be there? [Referring to this story.] Try this: he isn't their national security reporter, he's their Pentagon beat reporter, and he was travelling with the Secretary of Defense, who was visiting the theater. I guess you could make a case for favoritism if the entire Pentagon press corps didn't make the trip (although I don't think that's the case) but the scenario outlined in this article is nothing short of bizarre. But quite important in what it tells us about the rest of the media's perceptions of Fox." 4:37:01 PM

Bushies Spending $4.5 Mil. For Cable TV Ads; Lots on FOX
You'll be noticing Bush campaign ads in between Jacko and Kobe coverage in the next few weeks. Quoting the AP: "At least $4.5 million worth of airtime has been bought on CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and other networks for ads over three weeks...About half the buy so far is for airtime on Fox News Channel, which Bush opponents contend reports most favorably on the GOP among the 24-hour news networks, and Fox Sports Net, mostly during NASCAR programs." 4:18:00 PM

Haiti: Dead Bodies 300 Feet From FOX Live Shot
3pm on FOX: Steve Harrigan, via videophone from the capital, said two dead bodies lay 100 yards away from his live shot position. (Last night, he laid on the ground of his hotel balcony to film a report because the shooting was very close.) Laurie asked Steve "what are you hearing about...when troops might be there?" He reported rumors. Laurie asked an analyst what the Marines would do first. The General offered speculation. By contrast, CNN viewers heard accurate answers to those questions 25 minutes earlier. My favorite quote: Harrigan said the rebels are "coked out on crack...wearing strange costumes and masks...shooting and looting." Which cabler is smart enough to offer a primetime special report on Haiti tonight? (Sadly, "none of them" is the answer.) 3:09:16 PM

Haiti: CNN Breaks News of Impending Marine Deployment
CNN interrupted 'People in the News' at 2:36pm with their Breaking News graphics. "U.S. Marines will land in Haiti tonight," Kelly Arena reported, after Barbara Starr broke the news in a phoner. Wolf Blitzer interviewed one of the rebel leaders by phone earlier this afternoon, CNNFan reports. They have a photo gallery of the coverage. MSNBC continues to offer brief updates at :00 and :30, and that's it... 2:41:12 PM

Reliable Sources: Do Journos Support Same-Sex Marriage?
Howard Kurtz asks: "All of these weddings that you have seen down at City Hall are getting pretty favorable coverage. Is that because journalists support same-sex marriage?" And Debra Saunders (SFChron) answers: "Yes. That's exactly why. And I think the clips that you showed earlier show that's the bent within this profession. I mean, look at the coverage when an Alabama judge wants to put the Ten Commandments in a courthouse. All the stories dwelled on the fact that he was breaking the law, that there had been orders telling him not to. Yet, when Mayor Gavin Newsom decides that he can just change the marriage laws, we don't talk about the fact that he's breaking state law..." Interesting transcript... 2:01:59 PM

NBC Correspondent's Book: Iraq Insights & Reporting Reflections
Recognize the name Richard Engel? He was ABC's Baghdad boy last year, until NBC hired him. He pops up on MSNBC occasionally when the death toll spikes high enough to warrant a live stand-up. He has a new book out. "A Fist In The Hornet's Nest" describes Iraq before, during, and after Gulf War 2. Publishers Weekly says the book "might restore some of the public's lost faith in journalism;" Kirkus says it offers an "insightful glimpse into the sausage factory of TV war coverage and the less palatable complexities it ignores." Sounds like a good read. Details at Amazon and B&N.; 1:56:42 PM

DU Votes On "The Most Despicable Right Wing TV Pundit"
Who is "the most despicable right wing TV pundit?" The vote is happening now at the Democratic Underground. Sean Hannity is winning with 35%, but Ann Coulter is 'hot' (haha) on his tail with 34%. 10 votes for Novak, 9 votes for O'Reilly, 3 for Scarborough, and 2 for Cavuto. Go vote! 1:51:33 PM

'Nightly News' Team "Often Gathers" to Watch 'Daily Show'
David Bauder gives Jon Stewart the AP profile treatment. He finds a 24-year-old bartender to say that the Daily Show host "keeps it very truthful and straightforward." The most disturbing part of the article: "In [E.P. Steve] Capus' Rockefeller Center office, the 'Nightly News' staff often gathers after its morning news meeting to watch the 10 a.m. rerun of the previous night's 'The Daily Show.'" 1:51:18 PM

Haiti: MSNBC Is Not A Cable News Network
...Let's just admit it. Let's just state the obvious. They aren't a news network. President Bush announced that he has ordered U.S. Marines to Haiti at around 1:10pm. CNN took it live. FOX took it live. Who ignored it? MSNBC, according to the MSNBC MSN group. What the hell is going on over there? The chatters are pissed. Alex Witt has been been hosting updates for the first few minutes at the top of the hour, then returning to Headliners and Legends. "This is a day you need to stick around, folks," Brian Wilson said on FOX. Apparently Secaucus doesn't think so... 1:28:24 PM

Geraldo Under Fire: "Somebody tried to kill you"
On 'At Large' tonight, Geraldo talked more about the "ambush" Saturday. He said the convoy was "protected by faith, and our armored plating, and our good luck." The package showed his driver's wounds; Geraldo called him the "hero of the moment." Rivera said that his convoy's two security team members were armed and ready. "Their vehicle was hit first, otherwise they would have returned fire," he said. Later, in an interview with Colonel David Hunt, Geraldo said that "we always seem to emerge unscathed." (Jinx?) Hunt said that the team was "lucky to be alive...I really believe you were targeted...Somebody tried to kill you." 1:13:36 AM