Busy tonight (including a radio interview); back later. 4:04:35 PM

In An "Interview," You're Supposed To Ask "Questions"
Dan Rather was on Larry King last night. I meant to tune in, but forgot. Apparently I didn't miss much: "The particularly unusual aspect of this 'interview' is that Larry doesn't ask any questions...Larry's introducing and closing segments -- and in between Dan is essentially doing a monologue from Baghdad," an MSN poster says. The transcript is a bore... 8:19:41 AM

Politicans are "very good at staying on message," Woodruff Understates
Judy Woodruff has watched as politicans have become more robotic over the years. "Has it gotten harder to interview them? In some ways it has," she tells Ed Bark in the Dallas Morning News. "They've gotten very good at staying on message. In order to pry them out of it, you either have to come up with highly unusual, strange questions or you've got to be so pushy and obnoxious that you manage somehow to elicit something." 12:54:43 AM

Eric Burns Doesn't Like Al Sharpton
Eric Burns has some not-so-nice words about Al Sharpton, after reports that the "presidential candidate" has signed with a talent agency. "Oops. My bad. My mistake, my error, my failure of judgment. I thought John Kerry was the winner in the Democratic presidential primaries. I now realize it was Al Sharpton," he opines. Here's the column. Wouldn't it be interesting if FOX did sign Al, despite an earlier denial?... 12:46:54 AM

Media Spin: Bad Bush and Good Kerry, Report Says
Keep in mind MediaChannel is a liberal organization, but this is interesting: "Mainstream news organizations may "filter" the news, as President George W. Bush claimed late last year, but not to omit good stories from their Iraq coverage, but to broadcast more negative news about the president himself, according to a report released today by MediaChannel.org and Media Tenor. The report reveals a strong negative cast to ABC, CBS and NBC news coverage of the president thus far in 2004. Meanwhile, Senator John Kerry, Bush's certain opponent for November, has received more positive coverage by the same three networks." Brit Hume picked up on it during 'Special Report' tonight... 7:04:45 PM

Do You Like Greta's Weather Bug?
Do you like Greta's weather graphics that come on toward the end of the hour? She wants to know. She blogs: "By the way, do you like the weather bug? If so, will you do me a favor and write me about it? I am curious..." I like it a lot. 7:03:55 PM

Chris Matthews Played Softball
Chris Matthews interviewed Jayson Blair this week. Editor & Publisher thinks the show should have been renamed 'Softball:' "Matthews, sounding like Darrell Hammond doing Chris Matthews -- in other words, a parody of a parody of a parody, while interviewing a liar, no less -- praised Blair as a "brilliant" thinker and 'great writer' and 'creative force.'" Transcript... (Hat tip: Romenesko) 6:52:15 PM

'Inside Politics' Plans To Go On The Road
Judy Woodruff's 'Inside Politics' team recently had a meeting to discuss how to cover the next seven months of election news, USA Today reports. "We asked ourselves, 'How do we keep this interesting?'," Woodruff says. The paper reports that the show's answer "answer includes taking the show on the road to those contested states, for discussions of what voters are thinking." Quoting Judy: "I see all the signs of an engaged electorate this year so I think we'll hold people's attention." 6:51:42 PM

Madrid Came 911 Days After 9/11, MSNBC Notes
The Countdown newsletter has trouble making jokes about the Madrid bombings. But they do note that "yesterday's attack, on 3/11, occurred 911 days after the 9/11 attack on New York and Washington." Walid Phares mentioned this on MSNBC earlier today. 4:59:33 PM

Media Notes: Sadism/Saddam; Jayson Blair Can't Sell Books
NewsMax says they caught an MSNBC spelling mistake: "Sadism Hussein" // This DU poster asked his fellow liberals if "anyone else hates FOX News." Gee, bud, what do you think the response will be? // Eric Burns, commenting on the Jayson Blair P.R. blitz: "I have never heard before -- ever -- of someone getting this much publicity and [so little] to show for it, in terms of sales." 10:24:32 AM

Quote of the day
Rantingprofs is pushing the cable nets to remember their responsibility to viewers, and I love it: "Remember when on CNN "the news was the star?" When the cliche line from academics (including me) about the network was that it served as a "visual wire service?" Frustrated with the happy talk banter on MSNBC (do they not realize that adults do not speak to one another that way?) I turn to CNN, sure that I will hear everything I need to know to update me on the attacks in Spain. But they have other business to conduct this morning, and who can blame them? They've snatched a hugely high power "get," a big time interview. An administration intelligence official? A Spanish official? Extra reports from the scene? The woman who did Martha Stewart's hair and makeup before every single day of the trial." 10:23:02 AM

! CNN Viewers Support Gay Marriage; FOX Viewers Oppose It
Registered voters who favor gay marriage tend to watch CNN. And those who oppose it tend to watch FOX. It's no longer just an assumption -- it's a fact, according to Cornell professor Dietram Scheufele. One of his classes surveyed 800 voters last semester, and found that 31.2% of voters who "considered CNN their cable television news source of choice...favored gay marriage." Only 15.7% of Fox News viewers favored gay marriage. About 25.5 percent of those voters who preferred other cable news channels, such as CNBC and MSNBC, favored gay marriage." Here's the press release.
"You are what you watch," the prof said. "Television news is cultivating our belief system, and our perceptions of the issue are not coming from newspapers, but rather from cable television news." My question is simple: Why does FOX insist on running such scary music when their "Same-Sex Marriage" graphics pop up? It sounds like something they could have used this time last year for the war.. 2:57:47 AM

Madrid Bombing: Let's Scare The Viewers
"How easy is it for a terrorist to blow up your morning commute?" That was the question Greta Van Susteren asked tonight. Why do TV folks think they have to sink to such lows? Bill Gertz came 'On the Record' to scare folks. On CNN, Jeanne Meserve did a piece on "U.S. Train Safety," but it wasn't so hyped up. "It was a nasty day in Spain," Newsnight's newsletter said bluntly. MSNBC's primetime newsletter "promoted" segments on the blasts only once: "Is today's devastating railway attack the work of Al-Qaeda?," it asked. Is the bombing still newsworthy if it wasn't?... 2:56:51 AM

Madrid Bombing: Viewers Annoyed By Lack of Coverage
"What is going on here? 200 are dead, 1,000 are injured in a terrorist massacre in Spain, and MSNBC, Fox News (and to a lesser extent CNN) are clueless," an MSN poster says. "I see this overwhelming threat out there, and a news media that seems overwhelmingly dedicated to navel gazing," Cori Dauber writes. 2:55:09 AM

Paula Zahn: "We have this illusion that you [watch] four TV sets"
Paula Zahn was the guest of Jon Stewart tonight, and her comments were quite interesting. "Whats the idea of getting it first?," Jon asked. "Bragging rights," Paula admitted -- "because we have this illusion that you all are at home watching four television sets." The follow-up: "If you are first, do you get, for instance, an extra piece of pie?," he joked. "In the green room, occasionally they'll change the filter in the coffee pot," she revealed. "...In the end, it doesn't mean a whole lot, because you all can decide what you want to watch with your remote." She blamed the get-it-first atmosphere on "nameless suits," and said it's just part of the culture... 2:51:41 AM

Jon Stewart and the "MSNBC Pot Parties"
Bishop Desmond Tutu was set to appear on Jon Stewart's hot-ticket 'Daily Show,' "until the punks at MSNBC heard about the Bishop's planned engagement," FTVLive says. "It seems that Tutu was set to be on Hardball with Chris Matthews on March 18th, two day[s] after he was on the Daily Show. The Hardball gang told the good Bishop that if he appeared on the Daily Show he could forget about showing up for MSNBC. So Tutu canceled his gig on the Daily Show and will be on Hardball on the 18th." Tonight, Stewart said that he didn't need "sloppy seconds." He joked that Tutu Stewart is "not a joint to be passed around at one of your MSNBC pot parties." 11:05:12 PM

Kerry's Mutter: MSNBC Goes Nuts
CJR's Campaign Desk decided to track how many times John Kerry's mutter was replayed on cable news. Between 2pm Wednesday and 4:30pm Thursday, CNN and FOX showed the remark (audio + video, not just as wallpaper) 16 times each. MSNBC, on the other hand, ran it 29 times, "almost as often as CNN and Fox News put together...at one point this morning MSNBC aired the clip at 9:00 a.m., 9:10 a.m., and 9:20 a.m." I think the analysis is obvious... 10:54:55 PM

Tom Mintier: Next CNN Veteran To Go?
Newsblues is well worth the subscription today: They also report a rumor that CNN's Tom Mintier has been fired. Again, not confirmed yet. Go subscribe. 9:39:55 PM

Keith Olbermann's E.P. Fired For 'Inappropriate Remarks?'
Newsblues reports "with some certainty" that "Keith Olbermann's executive producer at MSNBC, Mark Kaiser, a veteran of the 'Man Show,' was recently fired, after just three days on the job, for making what were termed "inappropriate remarks" to female staffers. It hasn't been confirmed by the reps in Secaucus, but then again, I doubt they will comment... 9:39:30 PM

Is the Isabel Incident Really Brian's Claim to Fame?
NBC's B.W. P.R. blitz is paying off -- this Sacramento Bee profile is nice, though one paragraph left me scratching my head. "By year's end, the success of the half-hour newscast - and, to some degree, of an entire news division - will fall largely on the shoulders of a 44-year-old man with a smooth voice and Brooks Brothers wardrobe. The same man who, despite multiple Emmy Awards and more than 2,000 newscasts already anchored on NBC, MSNBC and CNBC, is best known for nearly having been blown away while covering Hurricane Isabel." This is really what made him a star?! 9:31:21 PM

Another Question for Larry King
Last night, I posed a question to Larry King -- I wondered how he felt about the low ratings for his Jayson Blair interview Tuesday night. Now for a follow-up question. Last night, Bill O'Reilly interviewed Blair -- and more than doubled Larry's ratings, averaging a 2.2. That's 2,468,000 viewers. How do you feel now, Larry?... 4:49:27 PM

Special Report Tonight on CNN en Espanol
CNN en Espanol is broadcasting a special report on "Terror and Death in Madrid" tonight at 9:00 p.m. "The half-hour program will recap the tragic events of the day, with updates and commentary, including a look at how the attacks are affecting the political situation in the days leading up to the parliamentary election on Sunday, March 14. "Terror y Muerte en Madrid" will be presented by CNN en Español Senior Anchor Patricia Janiot, with on-the-ground reports from Spain and reaction from key leaders around the world." I'd rather watch that than Larry King, personally -- why don't they broadcast a translated feed on CNN.com or something?... 4:48:18 PM

"Let the Hardball magic take control"
The Hardball newsletter continues to be a must-read over at MSNBC.com. "Set the dial for MSNBC and let the Hardball magic take control," Dominic wrote today. He noted that "Chris is taping tonight from 30 Rock tonight so you'll notice the softer "Deborah Norville" set he's broadcasting from...Don't be alarmed...You'll like it." We'll like it. 4:45:10 PM

Bill O'Reilly vs. Frank Rich
A dramatic lead in this story: "The culture war sweeping across America sometimes can appear to boil down to a sparring match between two men. In one corner is Bill O'Reilly, representing the Fox News Channel and the new brand of conservative populism sweeping the nation. In the other is Frank Rich, wearing the colors of the New York Times and liberal urban culture." Read... 2:21:05 PM

Night In Hospital After Tuchman's Eyes Burn
A legal analyst was talking to CNN's Gary Tuchman: "While I was doing the interview, I noticed that Gary's eyes looked kind of strange, but I didn't want to say anything," attorney Craig Silverman said. "They were swollen but I thought nothing of it." It turns out that the two "were burned by the TV set lights because the filter was broken," the Rocky Mountain News reports. "Tuchman spent the night in the hospital." CNN paid for their eyedrops. (Hat tip: Newsblues)
1:58:11 PM

Madrid Bombing: CNN Owns The Story
Ed in London writes in with a note about the Madrid bombing, and it's deserving of a long post:
"Here in London CNN has been going since very early this morning with news of the Madrid bombings. Al Goodman, their Madrid bureau chief is the only Western TV journalist based full-time in the Spanish capital. CNN is the only Western TV network with a full-time Madrid bureau. Additionally, they've been pooling reporting and video resources with their sister network CNN Plus, the Spain-based CNN network...They've had reporters on air since early on, great video and their journalists are obviously better sourced than any other TV network in the US or UK trying to cover the story. To fill the void in between breaking news, they've brought in Spanish experts in London and coverage of reaction from across Europe.
Meanwhile, Murdoch-owned Sky News is running B-roll and is scrambling to find journalists and using Spanish newspaper and radio reporters with broken English. They're messing up wording, can't pronounce the Spanish cities very well and their anchors look clueless. CNN's anchors pronounce the locations correctly, understand the issues better and are tempering their comments...Today more than ever, no matter how many people may or may not be watching, CNN is the World News Leader." 12:10:20 PM

Quote of the day
Rantingprofs: "Do you want the news from Spain? Well we certainly aren't getting it. Where are the terrorism experts, the ETA experts, the Basque experts, the experts on contemporary Spain? Why isn't this the only damn story on right now? I am as reminded all over again of what started me on the path that led me to this blog: people are hurt and dying, our allies to boot, and the "news" people are babbling about a wide variety of nonsense (including at one point the upcoming release of the Best Dressed List.) I am sickened and almost as outraged by their performance as I am by what has happened. How can it not be completely self-evident that this story should be dominating the airwaves right now." 12:08:27 PM

Media Notes: CAIR vs. Coulter; MSNBC's Fake Weathercasters
Nearly missed this WP letter to the editor Wed. responding to Howard Kurtz's media-safety-in-Iraq story // The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is asking "major media outlets to end their association with" Ann Coulter, because she recently suggested that Muslims "smell bad" // The MSNBC MSN group folks are annoyed that MSNBC newsreaders are playing weathercaster on daytime shows... 12:11:14 AM

A Question For Larry King
Larry, were you happy with your Jayson Blair! interview last night? Were you surprised when the ratings came in today? That 0.9 is a lot lower than your typical 1.2. It must be sad knowing less than a million people wanted to listen to your guest pimp his book... 4:23:58 PM

Anderson Cooper Isn't Hip With Young Viewers
So CNN is angling Anderson Cooper 360 toward young viewers, as today's Observer piece said. Too bad it isn't working. CableNewser hears that A.C.'s ratings among young viewers are embarrasingly low. Among 18 to 34 year olds, he averaged 14,000 viewers last night. Among 18 to 49, he managed 42,000 viewers. With the key 25 to 54 set, only 83,000 were watching. (He earned a 0.3 total -- that's 340,000 viewers.) At least he's pulling in lots of 55+ viewers! 4:23:44 PM

"Good News" On FOX: Military Deaths Decreasing
Bret Baier had an interesting report from the Pentagon during "Your World" today. It was a "good news" story (even the graphics said so): Military deaths in Iraq are down significantly. "We often hear about the total being 553 killed since the war began -- a lot of media organizations keep that tally -- but take a look at the last six months." He showed a graphic: 82 in November, 40 in December, 47 in January, and 20 in February. "The stats are dramatic in the last two months," Bret said. Wonder if anyone else will report that story?... 4:20:19 PM

Marty Savidge To NBC in Atlanta
Martin Savidge is joining NBC News as an Atlanta-based correspondent (not Chicago as reported earlier today.) The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a Jim Walton going-away quote: "Marty has proven time and time again that intellect, ability and courage make for a great reporter. As someone who has grown with CNN over the years we are grateful for all that he has contributed and wish him the best." 4:19:59 PM

"How to Save Your Life" Series Seems Superfluous
A "special series" on FOX this week is starting to bother me. "How to Save Your Life," the 2pm-ish segment is called. All week, viewers are learning about dirty bomb attacks, suicide bombers, airline hijackings, etc. But the promos and teases are excessive. "They could be right under your nose and right about to go off. Could you spot a suicide bomber?," one preview said -- nevermind the fact that it's never happened in America. Here's the text from another promo: "Your plane is hijacked by terrorists. You're caught in a dirty bomb attack. You're face to face with a suicide bomber. Think it couldn't happen? Our experts say think again." You can watch video clips from the series here. Does anyone else feel queasy about it?... 3:16:06 PM

Live TV's Cameras, Cue Cards, Clocks
Greta explains why she has to cut off guests in mid-sentence on her blog today. I hate to cut guests off. It is horrible...Here is my practical problem: I have to end certain segments, for different reasons on different nights, at a certain point. In the studio a stage manager holds up cue cards behind the camera which read, for example, "90," "One Minute," "30," "15" (and there should be one that reads, "you are cooked" because you did not get out on time!). If the segment is the "hard" break -- meaning I have no flexibility -- the stage manager holds up the time card AND a card that says in big block letters: HARD. It means there are no choices, get out, or have the "computer" cut you off cold." A great behind-the-scenes look at live TV... 3:06:31 PM

More Praise for Dennis Miller Show Tweaks
Jeff writes in with his thoughts on the revamped D.M. show last night: "Miller's show was a vast improvement last night. I like how they gave more time for the news stories at the beginning (ala "Weekend Update"). I'm glad the monkey is gone. The audience, though I don't know why, makes the show far more enjoyable." 3:05:50 PM

Campaign Desk Notices a Lefthanded FOX
But you've never seen this sentence before: "We've detected a Fox News liberal bias," CJR's Campaign Desk declared this afternoon. True? You decide... 3:05:10 PM

Dissecting Anderson Cooper
Choire Sicha observes Anderson Cooper in a fascinating NY Observer story. He describes two versions of A.C.: "...He’s a scrappy youngster who paid his dues with a borrowed camera on his shoulder. He slept on hotel roofs and worked the Third World crisis tour until someone would put him on TV. He’s a hard-core news man with the blood on his Betacam to prove it...Then there’s the Page Six version of Anderson Cooper: flashy Manhattanite in sharp tailored suits." My favorite quote: "At a time when cable news is a cesspool of partisan shit-stirring, rehashed war feed and cheery, white-toothed weatherman smiles, Mr. Cooper distinctly stands out." So what does that make me?... (Hat tip: Romenesko) 10:31:34 AM

Last Week's News Viewer Index
Cynopsis has the news viewer index for March 1 to 7. In total, day, "Fox News had 47% of the viewing, CNN 29%, MSNBC 13%; and Headline News 11%." In primetime, "Fox News had 48%, CNN 32%, MSNBC 12% and Headline News 8%." 10:30:14 AM

Marty Savidge Heading To NBC?
Quoting Newsblues: "Veteran CNN anchor-reporter Martin Savidge has left the cable news network and is expected to be named the Chicago-based correspondent for NBC News, a position formerly held by Jim Avila, who resigned in late January." (Update: He's staying in Atlanta, not heading to Chicago.) 10:28:18 AM

[Insert Joke Here]
WP's Reliable Source previews tonight's Funniest Celebrity in Washington contest. Last year, FOX's James Rosen won the acclaimed title. This year, former CNNer Leon Harris is among the competitors. Norah O'Donnell is the mistress of ceremonies. Chris Wallace was one of the judges. More info here... 12:38:18 AM

Williams, Cooper on International Best-Dressed List
Vanity Fair is releasing the International Best-Dressed List today. Among the top ten men on the list: NBC's Brian Williams and CNN's Anderson Cooper. In this shot, Anderson is wearing a suit and shirt by Prada, with a belt and shoes by Paul Smith. For Brian, it's all about the ties... 12:33:07 AM

Reese: "It truly pains me to write this because CNN has taken a hit"
"It truly pains me to write this," Reese Schonfeld writes on his web site today. He analyzes the cable news SWEEPSBOOK, and says that "CNN has taken a hit." He offers several excerpts from the analysis. Quoting the summary: "In a heavy news month, Fox News Channel continued its leadership. Runner-up CNN has continued to slip down from both last month and last year. MSNBC, which announced the appointment of a new President, in February, has shown steady improvement." 11:41:51 PM

Is Dennis Miller's Show Improving?
Dennis Miller's retooled program premiered tonight. It included a studio audience. Henry IMs with impressions: "The audience definitely adds energy...Miller's panel tonight, with audience in the background, was up there with the best of Politically Incorrect...and as a bonus the moderator allows panelists to talk more than 5 seconds at a time." He notes that two celebrities appeared (Michael Chiklis and Ed Begley Jr.) and wonders "if they won't keep trying to bring in more celebs." Stay tuned... 11:02:17 PM

MSNBC's Graphical Tweaks
MSNBC is tweaking its graphics. (Could they get any worse?!) "First the graphics are too big, and now they are too small," one person at MSNBC MSN complains. But other posters seem to like it. The new "Live" bug was well-received this weekend, too. (Update: Thanks to TVHeads, here are two examples of the new bug.) What the folks in Secaucus don't seem to understand is that their autumn revisions were horrendous, painful, hideous -- pick your preferred adjective. They need to wipe the slate clean, start from scratch, and blow the socks off FOX. Will they? No... 10:55:21 PM

A Quick Jaunt Down Memory Lane
Aaron Brown introed a Jeff Greenfield package analyzing the "political firestorm" surrounding the "Gay Marriage Debate." Normal enough -- except for the graphic behind Aaron's shoulder. "Greenfield At Large," it said. Does that bring back any memories for anybody? (And while we're at it, how about "The Spin Room," "Equal Time," "Watch It!," and all the other titles confined to the cable-political-show-graveyard...) 10:53:04 PM

Media Notes: FOX Reairs "CNN is Bad" Clip; MSNBC.com Slacks
FOX had a nice "get" around noon: Former Montgomery County police chief Charles Moose was "another FOX exclusive," the graphic said // An interesting IM tip from Joe: "On Hannity & Colmes just a few seconds ago (9:20pm) during the tease into a segment on John Kerry, the video used from a Kerry rally contained a very noticable sign in the crowd that said "CNN is Bad" // The Abbas death was a big story this afternoon. By 4:10pm, CNN had offered a live report from the Pentagon. The news was on CNN.com and FOXNews.com, but MSNBC.com had nothing... 9:29:09 PM

"Topic A" Still At Bottom of Ratings Barrel
CableNewser hears that Tina's "Topic A" drew only 69,000 households/75,000 viewers Sunday night -- that's a 0.1 rating. Only 41,000 of those were in the 25-54 age bracket, a source says. And she hopes for 400,000? Good luck... 5:05:48 PM

New Blood at CNN: Four Correspondents Hired
CNN announced the hiring of four new correspondents in a press release today. "Ted Rowlands, formerly of KTVU-TV in San Francisco...will join the San Francisco bureau. Sibila Vargas, formerly of KTLA in Los Angeles, will join CNN's Los Angeles bureau. Vargas will serve as an entertainment correspondent. Christopher Lawrence, formerly a correspondent with CBS Newspath, and Jonathan Freed, formerly an anchor and editor with the Global Television Network in Montreal, will join the network's Chicago bureau as correspondents." Who wants to bet the correspondents are younger than the ones who recently left the channel? 4:53:43 PM

"Jayson Blair!," Larry King Exclaims
Does anyone else have a problem with Larry King's newsletter today? The subject line was two words: "Jayson Blair!" The exclamation point just didn't feel right for some reason. Here's the e-mail text: "Jayson Blair - the first live prime-time interview with the man whose lies disgraced the New York Times! How did he do it? Why did he do it? Jayson Blair for the hour!" Don't we already know the answers to those questions? Do we really need all those !'s? 4:43:33 PM

A Question for Tina Brown
Tina Brown says that cable TV is a lot like the magazine world, because small ratings equal the ability to"do more exciting and interesting things:" Things like Court TV, which have three, 400,000 or whatever viewers, they are small numbers, you know? So actually, it does mean that you can be more adventurous. Actually, I think that cable channels are quite willing to take some risks, and throw people on the air, and you know what, it works, it doesn't work, well, OK, let's move on. And that's really what magazines—the fun of it actually, is that it's now, it doesn't feel very high-risk. Like for me, with my show, it's like I don't feel it's a high risk. I mean, if it works, great, if it doesn't work, well, we'll try something else. There's isn't a sense of some big thing on your back, you know?" But isn't "throw it out there and see what sticks" exactly what MSNBC has done for five years?... 4:27:02 PM

Tina Brown Explains The Purpose of Her Talk Show
Mediabistro offers an interview with Tina Brown. On the subject of her new CNBC talk show: "What I do try to do, which not many shows are trying to do, is I'm trying to mix up the worlds like we did at Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. Most talk shows have a prescribed beat...Our show tries to have more of a cultural mix, so that I can have, the top panel can be about politics, but the middle panel could be a Harvey Weinstein, or this week we have Tim Robbins. You know, we can actually mix the politics and the show business. And then we'll have a roundtable, which will just really draw from my Rolodex, of people who I think are entertaining, and they could be from politics." She says that CNBC is committed to the show. Very long but very interesting conversation... 4:26:37 PM

Quote of the day
Ken Auletta is interviewed about 'Backstory' in this week's US News & World Report. "We moved away from the partisan press because of the growth of cities and mass marketing--newspapers had to reach large audiences. As we move to the digital age and have a thousand channels, there's an argument for finding niche audiences, to go back to the days where you have no common denominator source." 9:19:08 AM

P.R.: Expanded Today Show Web Site
Here's the press release announcing the expanded 'Today' web site. "With more exclusive and interactive features and columns written by the Today show hosts, this site is like having access to Today all day long," MSNBC.com EIC Dean Wright said. Former people.com editor Matt Diebel was hired to oversee the site. The problem is, MSNBC's template isn't fluid enough to allow for a really good site. 9:08:13 AM

A Theory For Why Dennis Miller Fell Flat
The question of who's funnier -- the left or the right -- is the topic of a USA Today story. Garry Trudeau thinks that "comedians on the left who crack jokes about the right have it easier right now than their counterparts on the other side of the aisle," the paper says. "That's why Dennis Miller has had trouble getting a little traction," Trudeau says. "What's he going to do? Go after the Democrats? They're not in power. They're so not screwing up the world the way the Republicans are." (The paper says Miller's show is on MSNBC -- whoops!) Campbell Brown calls it "a competition that neither side is winning"... 11:24:49 PM

NBC's "Objective: Peace" Begins Today
Once again, NBC News trumpets "comprehensive coverage" "combining the powerful resources of NBC News on broadcast, cable and the internet," and once again it doesn't go far enough. This time, it's "Objective: Peace," a two-week examination of Iraq one year after the bombs started to fall. The embeds return to Iraq (they should have already been there) to look at "how Iraq has changed in so many ways." The press release says MSNBC's special coverage started today. With all their resources, NBC could do so so much more... 11:24:09 PM

Martha Verdict: FOX Ratings Higher Than CNN, CNBC, MSNBC Combined
When the Martha verdict came down Friday afternoon, FOX's ratings were higher than CNBC, CNN, and MSNBC combined. From 3 to 4pm, Studio B attracted 1,617,000 viewers; by comparison, CNBC had 565,000, CNN had 767,000 and MSNBC had 265,000. CNBC fell all afternoon, to a low of 140,000 viewers by 6pm. CableNewser hears that FNC drew 681,000 viewers 25-54, compared to 237k for CNN , 207k for CNBC, and 64k for MSNBC. The #s were similar for 18-49. Will this give Ailes and Murdoch even more reason to start up a business news channel?... 6:35:23 PM

FOX Spokesperson Denies Sharpton Show Talks
Exclusive: A FOX News spokeswoman denies a report that Al Sharpton is talking to Roger Ailes about a TV talk show. "Al Sharpton is not in talks with Fox News Channel," the rep said. "As usual, Tucker Carlson is misinformed and got it wrong." // The FReepers are having a field day with it... 11:59:01 AM

I've added an SN link up above. I'm always on AOL IM as CableNewser. 10:43:26 AM

Peering Inside MSNBC.com
Mediapost examines the state of MSNBC.com. "As of February, MSNBC.com's ad revenue is up 50 percent year-over-year, and the site is "extremely close" to being cash-flow positive," the site reports. Tomorrow, a revived Today Show web site will be unveiled. "The goal: to offer a continuous, throughout-the-day presence for NBC's cash cow and ratings leader." "My philosophy has been to really make this the best news site by working more effectively with our partners," MSNBC.com's EIC says... 10:35:30 AM

Al Sharpton In Talks With Roger Ailes?
Newsmax picks up on a comment Tucker Carlson made on the Chris Matthews Show this weekend. "Al Sharpton is getting out of the race. He's going to ask the Kerry campaign to pay off his debt and he's going to do what he should have been doing from the beginning - and that is, host a talk show. He's already been in talks with [Fox News chief] Roger Ailes and he may go there," Carlson said. Would it be a weekend thing?... 12:47:21 AM

Media Rediscovers Iraq This Month
Peter Johnson writes about renewed media attention on Iraq in USA Today, today. "CNN's Aaron Brown anchors from Iraq and Afghanistan this week and has planned to interview Centcom commander Gen. John Abizaid. "I'm looking forward to seeing what has changed in the past year," he says." Also: "...Starting next week, NBC, MSNBC and CNBC will team with Newsweek and The Washington Post, with reports from Iraq from the NBC correspondents who covered the war: Kerry Sanders, Tom Aspell and Richard Engle." (Peter, it's spelled Engel.) 12:47:05 AM

Does the MS in MSNBC Stand for Martha Stewart?
The channel was live all day Saturday, from early morning to primetime, with coverage of the guilty verdict. The whole primetime team was dragged in, too. "Is MSNBC going to become a news channel for real?," a TVSpyer asks. Here's a comment from MSNBC MSN: Believe me, if Erik Sorenson was still in charge instead of Rick Kaplan, it would have been Headliners & Legends with some news updates at 1/2 past the hour." 12:46:51 AM

Quote of the day
Here's a clever story from the AP: President Bush skipped the Gridiron Club dinner this weekend; he headed to Crawford to meet with Vicente Fox instead. So at the dinner, WSJ columnist Al Hunt "spun that into a pun about conservatives' fondness for Fox News Channel: 'That pretty much sums up the White House philosophy: Why waste time with newspaper reporters when you can spend quality time with Fox?'" 12:46:14 AM

Lou Dobbs Vs. James Glassman
Howard Kurtz advances the Lou Dobbs/James Glassman battle a few notches in his column this morning. "Now Glassman is taking aim at Dobbs's $199-a-year newsletter, saying it is praising companies such as Boeing and General Electric that are on Dobbs's own CNN list of more than 200 firms he accuses of exporting jobs. 'I find it hypocritical for him not just to be recommending these companies but to be praising them to the skies,' Glassman says, calling Dobbs 'disingenuous.'" It's really not all that exciting... 12:46:00 AM

Light blogging today; much more tomorrow. 4:32:29 PM