Madrid News: The Cablers Were Taking A Nap
Reporters from CNN's local partner network CNN+ were on the scene offering updates. FOX is relying on phoners from a freelancer in Madrid. MSNBC isn't really a news channel on Saturday afternoons, and MSNBC.com cops out with an AP cut/paste... 5:11:35 PM

Michael, More Michael, and Laura Bush on FOX Tonight
FOX's primetime sounds promising this evening. At 9, Rita Cosby will talk about her hours spent following around Michael Jackson on Capitol Hill; At 10, Geraldo will interview an M.J. spokesperson; and at 11, After Hours offers an 'exclusive interview' with Laura Bush. The teaser text for At Large makes me a bit uncomfortable though: "It was a scene that horrified Americans — four U.S. civilians being murdered and mutilated by Iraqi insurgents. How will the U.S. respond? Plus — The latest in the Michael Jackson grand jury hearings." I hope they find a smooth transition between those two... 5:10:39 PM

Quote of the day
Anderson Cooper talking to the Campaign Desk: "I would never sell myself as the person with the best connection to young people -- some other people seem to think that, but it's not how I'd present myself. But in general, I think news in general doesn't really connect to young people. It's a question of where the interest level lies. Young people traditionally don't come out to vote in large numbers. I do think there's a way to cover news -- and politics -- in ways that connect to young people. But you're not seeing a lot of it out there." 5:03:20 PM

Bill Schneider: Karl Rove's Puppy Dog?
CJR suggests -- no, declares -- that CNN's Bill Schneider was used by Karl Rove on Inside Politics on Thursday. "Sometimes it's depressing to report how easily the news media gets duped," they say, and explain it all... 5:01:09 PM

Scarborough Flips Fridays With Sundays
CableNewser hears that Joe Scarborough's 'Country' will be testing out a Sunday night timeslot later this month. He'll be airing live on Sunday nights starting April 18th for seven weeks. National Geographic reruns will air in place of his show Friday night, according to an anonymous source... 4:41:42 PM

Should Media Have Aired the Full Fallujah Tape?
"A picture speaks a thousand words, but only if you get to see it," this local columnist says. He complains about not seeing the full Fallujah tape. "The simple fact of war coverage is, it's easier to be warm and fuzzy than it is to be brutally honest about what's really going on." 9:07:37 AM

What About the Ad Revenue?!
DCRTV Dave has a suggestion about the Audrey mess: "Why don't Rupert Murdoch, NBC, and Time Warner jointly sue Audrey Seiler for all the ad revenue their cable nets lost on Thursday afternoon providing wall-to-wall coverage of her un-kidnapping and non-disappearance... Clowns. All! 9:07:20 AM

Quote of the day
From the WP Names & Faces column: G. Gordon Liddy says that Bill O'Reilly "doesn't do radio well." He told CNN's Crossfire why not: "Maybe because his most nuanced explanation of something is 'Shut up!'" 9:06:11 AM

MSNBC Schedules Some Weekend Hardball Repeats
MSNBC is rerunning Chris Matthews' Hardball (softball?) hour-long interview with Dick Clarke. It's airing Saturday at 5pm, and Sunday at 12pm. Anything is better than another 'encore presentation' of Headliners and Legends! 8:11:22 PM

Are Public Figures' Personal Lives Off-Limits?
Rick Leiby got some not-so-happy e-mails blasting him for printing the Eason Jordan/Marianne Pearl romance story. "For weeks you people have berated me for being too focused on "real" issues, like politics and war," he says. "Now I'm getting heat for writing about the JUICY stuff. I'm conflicted. I am in deep psychic pain." It was an interesting chat... (Hat tip: Romenesko) 8:01:00 PM

Audrey Revisited: Do The Cablers Feel Like Fools?
A great message on TVSpy today: "So, having spent hours of live coverage showing the nation a dog running around a field as they provided "live, breaking, flash" coverage of the "disappearance" of Audrey Seiler, the cablers are at it again. Now they will spend hours more of live coverage on her un-kidnapping and non-disappearance and blame it all on her. They'll never ask themselves this question: Don't we feel like fools, or worse, for blowing this so out of proportion in the first place? Guess not." 5:07:56 PM

Aaron Brown Is A Nerd
Neal Justin offers a confession in his Star Tribune column today. "I like Aaron Brown." He says it is mostly "because he's a nerd." There's an interesting segment about how Wolf Blitzer has handled recent political event coverage with Brown's help. "Brown admits that he wants to play a bigger role in political stories, but he denies that his standing has dropped. 'When Reagan dies or the day we capture Bin Laden, there's no question who will be in the chair,' he said." (Hat tip: NewsBlues) 9:05:52 AM

MSNBC.com's Graphics Stand Out, Friedman Says
Jon Friedman compares MSNBC and MSNBC.com, and calls it a "tale of two media companies." He says that "much of what separates MSNBC.com from the online pack is its innovative and aggressive use of graphics - or 'art' in the news-business parlance." 24 of the site's 85 editorial employees work in multimedia operations -- they do "graphics, interactive, design and streaming-video work." 9:05:06 AM

'Yawning Boy' Catches On
This Letterman/CNN/WH story still has legs:
> Washington Post: "White House Spins The Boy Who Yawned"
> Miami Herald: "Well, at least the kid was real..."
> Florida Today: "Orlando kid a national hit after yawn fest at Bush speech"
> New York Times: Paul Krugman writes a column about it... 9:04:48 AM

First CNN, Then FOX, Now NBC For Eccleston
Former FOXer Jennifer Eccleston has been named an NBC News correspondent. She will be based in Europe, and will begin reporting immediately. Here's the NBC press release. 9:04:10 AM

Hannity and Colmes' April Fools Flip Flop
Henry notices a "Hannity & Colmes flip flop" on the radio today. "On their respective radio shows, both claimed to be converting to the opposite ideology," he notes. "Hannity went for a good 90 minutes plus saying he was a Kerry voter...Now a similar thing is going on on FOX News Live with Alan Colmes. [He is] is a tad more convincing an actor." 12:09:11 AM

Fallujah: Arab TV Was Relatively Restrained
Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya were relatively restrained in broadcasting the Fallujah images on Wednesday. Quoting the AFP: "Horrific images...were widely but cautiously broadcast by Arab television stations, one of which only briefly showed at least one of the charred bodies. Dubai-based Al Arabiya satellite television aired its most graphic image early Wednesday afternoon — a burnt corpse being pulled out of a burning car and kicked...These shocking images were repeated but with the charred body electronically blurred, and accompanied by commentary from the station's correspondent." 12:08:21 AM

GE Jack On FOX?
"Fox is expected to target the godfather of CNBC (Jack Welch) for a commentator gig at Fox's planned rival biz news channel," the NYDN says today. Phyllis Furman uses it as an excuse to resurrect FOX biz channel plans. "I think Roger is an incredible TV talent and he'd be a threat to anyone he went after," Welch says... 6:11:10 PM

Fallujah: "We take seriously the role of gatekeeper," Effron Says
MSNBC used "heavy blurring when bodies were in the footage," the Orlando Sentinel reports. Quoting Mark Effron: "We take seriously the role of gatekeeper. You can convey the awful brutality of a story without producing it like an Oliver Stone movie."
   > More coverage of media reaction to Fallujah 1:54:13 PM

How The Fallujah Images Shape Public Opinion
A Reuters piece today dissects what the Fallujah images mean to viewers. Some good quotes: "The media is linking the Falluja incident to Mogadishu and those images are already imprinted on our collective visual memory. Images are always processed through the previous knowledge that we have," said Cara Finnegan, a communications professor at the University of Illinois. The story talks to former CNN'er Ralph Begleiter (now a J-prof), who says that "it would take time for the latest images to sink in."
1:49:04 PM

David Letterman + Bored Boy + White House + CNN...
The David Letterman/CNN/White House fiasco (too confusing to explain here) is getting quite a bit of press:
> Associated Press: "CNN errs on reporting Bush-Letterman bit"
> Washington Post: "Boy Yawns, CNN Bumbles, Letterman Yelps"
> Orlando Sentinel: "Crotty's bored boy beamed nationwide"
> WP's White House Briefing has a compilation about it, too 1:45:44 PM

Audrey: Jon Stewart Laughs At The Cablers
The cable net obsession with Audrey Wednesday afternoon because fodder for Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. He recalled hearing the breaking news, but then noticing the coverage didn't end. "They stayed there and just watched the police walking around," Stewart mocked. "So I literally watched CNN for an hour, just [to] watch a dog walk around." He offered advice to the cablers: "You know that show 'Cops?' They edit that. They don't just leave the camera and wait." 12:35:39 AM

Audrey: "Hours of live reporting...shouldn't be a surprise"
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel recaps Audrey coverage in Thursday editions. "The hours of live reporting with little new information shouldn't be a surprise," the paper notes. "Live is what TV does best." They point out that "it was good news - and an unusual conclusion to a missing-person story. Other than Elizabeth Smart, these stories usually end badly." 12:33:29 AM

I Never Pretended To Be Modest!
I was Yahoo!'s Pick of the Day on Wednesday! (This sort of thing only happens when I don't glance at the access logs until midnight.) So let the self-promotion begin: "On this link-laden daily web log, you're treated to a ringside seat offering daily tidbits of news about the news," they write. "With an unwavering eye, he provides incisive commentary about who's showing what and why, cutting through the bias and balance. A must-read for news junkies, this blog provides just the right blend of behind-the-scenes gossip and bold opinion to keep you in tune with the day's events." Well, I try! 12:32:36 AM

Fallujah Massacre: Media Reaction


"No Consensus Emerged" On What To Show Viewers
Bill Carter and Jacques Steinberg team up for a media analysis in the NYTimes this morning. "...Editors and producers faced an immediate challenge: how to show what happened without offending viewers and readers?," they write, and conclude that "no consensus emerged" on television. "CNN showed so much restraint it wasn't really covering the story," CBS E.P. Jim Murphy remarks. After Dan Rather wrapped up, more graphic images aired on CNN. Murphy calls the Fallujah video "three to five times worse than the Mogadishu footage was." 12:31:29 AM

Anchormen Warned Viewers "That The Pictures Were Disturbing"
WP's Mike Allen mentions the media's self-censorship in Fallujah. "Edited footage of the attacks aired throughout the day on the cable news networks...The graphic nature of the images prompted anchormen on ABC, NBC and CBS to warn viewers that the pictures were disturbing." (But isn't that like passing a car crash -- you have to stop and look?!) And another quote from FOX's Bill Shine pops up: "We thought it might be too graphic," he says. "We're on all day, and at any moment, we know kids can be watching." To borrow a popular Vietnam message, kids are the ones dying over there, too... 12:30:35 AM

Viewer Feedback: Did Fallujah Deserve More (Graphic) Attention?
"I hope the families who loved these men never see the gruesome, horrific pictures, but have a hunch they will," Carole writes. "I really do not think the people who showed the gruesome pictures have any sense of decency at all. Fox took the only route that should have been taken." But Sir Rosis disagrees, and say it's ridiculous that the story didn't get more attention. "This Mogadishu-like event SHOULD have been the story of the day. The missing college student should been a distant second." An anonymous e-mailer compared the video to shots of New Yorkers jumping from the burning twin towers... 12:28:59 AM

CNN Shows Burned Bodies Hung From Bridge
CNN aired a report from Walter Rodgers during both the 7 and 8pm hours. The package showed the two bodies hanging from the bridge for a few seconds. The bodies were also partially visible in two other shots. "There is much more we will not show, but we believe some images are necessary to fully illustrate the extent of the violence," Rodgers said... 9:19:10 PM

Web Site Contrast: CNN.com, MSNBC.com Show Bodies Behind 'Warning'
CNN.com and MSNBC.com both show a photo of the hung bodies. Neither site shows the AP's most graphic images (published this morning but no longer accessible via Yahoo) of the bodies being mutilated by Iraqis. MSNBC.com's photo is larger and more gruesome than CNN.com's. Both sites warn visitors of the graphic content -- the photos must be actively clicked on before bodies are visible. FOXNews.com only shows two images, both of the burning vehicle. 9:17:03 PM

Attacks Impact the Media: Covering Iraq Becomes More Challenging
MSNBC.com's video from Newsweek's Rod Nordland is very interesting. He discusses media reaction to today's attack: "I don't think more journalists will pull out as a result of this, not yet anyway. But what is already happening, and will be hastened by the Fallujah incident, is that there are increasingly greater and greater areas into which we don't go anymore. Or if we go there, we go under very strictly controlled circumstances, or with the military, so a very large part of the Iraqi picture is getting much harder for us to cover." 9:15:34 PM

International TV Coverage of Massacre Varies
A second AP story describes international coverage: "In London, Channel 4 News broadcast an electronically blurred body being dragged through the street. In Paris, LCI television station showed the footage of the bodies without blurring them. In Germany, ZDF News showed riot scenes but not any bodies." Al Jazeera reportedly aired the raw video // Also: Howard Fineman says the web helped force the images into the spotlight... 8:57:44 PM

FOX Extensively Edits Fallujah Tape
The Associated Press puts it this way: "Macabre images of four American contractors killed in Iraq filled television screens worldwide Wednesday but were largely shunned by American television that deemed them too graphic." They quote FOX VP Bill Shine: "We have no plans to show more graphic footage. We made the call that it was too graphic in nature to put on our air." 8:56:00 PM

Balancing Act: Showing Fallujah Horror Vs. "Cleaning It Up"
FOX already has put together graphics for it: "Outrage in Fallujah," they say. On the FOX Report, Shep pointed out that we know about the "disgusting display" because "broadcast news crews videotaped it all." So it raises questions of how much of the video should be broadcast. "One of the ongoing issues today is how much of the scene do we need to show to make the point?," Aaron Brown writes in his Newsnight newsletter. "There is a balance between showing every horrible frame and 'cleaning' it up too much. All of us are working to find that balance tonight." Personally, if I hadn't viewed the AP photos of charred bodies this morning, this story wouldn't have such an impact. But that's just my journalistic desensitivity... 7:43:13 PM

Kevin Sites Says Some Pics Are "Too Hard To Stomach At Dinnertime"
As news orgs determine how much is too much in Fallujah, MSNBC's Kevin Sites addresses similar issues on his personal blog. He publishes "extremely graphic" photos of the injuries an ABC News cameraman sustained in Iraq. "The pictures are painful to look at...but they are, I know, the ugly reality of what happens when bullets meet bodies. These days it's difficult to show casualties of war on evening newscasts or in any American media outlets. The images become politically charged; take on meaning beyond their face value. But more often than not, the violence is just too grim, too hard to stomach at dinnertime. So the question becomes this; how can those who haven't seen it--begin to understand the truth of Omar's arm?" 7:42:24 PM

What do you think? E-mail [email protected], or use the form above.


Counting Down One Year Of 'Countdown'
Countdown is celebrating its 365th day on the air tonight. (That's quite an accomplishment for an MSNBC primetime show!) "Not wanting to take ourselves too seriously, we have the 'Count' from Sesame Street joining us to celebrate," the newsletter said today. "Lets hope he lasts so next year he can have a 2 year anniversary!," an MSN poster says. Hopefully Keith will stick around that long! 7:41:51 PM

CNN Newsource Revises VNR Policy
'CNN Cracks Down - on CNN' is the headline on a Campaign Desk story today: "CNN has made three changes to the way its Newsource service, which provides footage to local stations, handles VNRs." VNRs will now appear under their own heading, their producers will be clearly identified, and stations will be able to opt out of receiving them. 7:32:34 PM

Ed Henry: Starting At CNN In Mid-April
CNN officially announced the hiring of Roll Call editor Ed Henry today. He starts work at CNN in mid-April. "Ed is perhaps the most plugged-in person on all of Capitol Hill," David Bohrman said. "The team of Ed and Joe Johns gives CNN the finest team of congressional correspondents in television news. We are glad to welcome him to CNN." 7:05:49 PM

"Shep just keeps talking and talking and talking"
DCRTV Dave got sick of watching the same facts repeated over and over again today: "Shep just keeps talking and talking and talking. Saying the same sh*t over and over and over and over. Further proof that cable news its completely nutz..." But I bet you'll keep watching! 7:04:26 PM

Audrey Gets The Full Cable News Treatment
Audrey dominated cable news this afternoon -- and into this evening. Crossfire was postponed today (they had planned to interview Al Franken). Your World was delayed, too. Kudos to CNN for pulling the "just in" banner off after just 90 minutes. The channel put the girl's photo in the corner of the screen -- a bit strange, eh? MSNBC had trouble getting video at first -- while CNN and FOX aired helicopter shots from a local affiliate, MS had to rely on the chopper-less local NBC channel... 6:55:09 PM

Alerts, Flashes, and Just-Ins
The cable nets went wild when Audrey Seiler was found alive this afternoon. They aired live shots from a chopper hovering over the scene. CNN pre-empted Inside Politics (again!) to offer continuing coverage. They scrambled to get police and university representatives on the phone... 3:42:20 PM

"Wall Street was riveted" by Maria Bartiromo's Bangs
What has this site turned into? Two romantic couplings, now a story about Maria Bartiromo's bangs. "She wore her hair normal in the morning, but "after lunch, when she appeared on 'Closing Bell'...it was a whole new 'do. Suddenly there were bangs. Bangs down to her well-plucked eyebrows. Wall Street was riveted - and then bullish - on Bartiromo's bangs. Immediately the market started to climb. Since Bartiromo got her bangs, the Dow has risen a net 42 points - the result so far at yesterday's closing." More in the Daily News... 8:59:43 AM

Dan Abrams Dates Law & Order Star
MSNBC legal guru Dan Abrams is dating Law & Order star Elisabeth Rohm," Lloyd Grove says. "He's a lawyer and she plays one on TV," Grove writes. And the headline writers had fun, calling it a "a serious court-ship." 8:58:14 AM

Eason Jordan and Mariane Pearl's Romance (What Does His Wife Think?)
The Reliable Source column must have some really reliable sources: "Eason Jordan, a CNN news exec who was deeply involved in the network's coverage of the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Danny Pearl, is now romantically involved with Pearl's widow, Mariane, people familiar with the relationship told us yesterday," Richard Leiby writes. Eason has been married for 16 years, and his wife had no comment... 8:38:03 AM

Ashleigh Didn't Want a CNBC Spot; "We're amicably parting ways"
Ashleigh Banfield comments on her decision to leave NBC in a Calgary Sun story: "I've been working without a contract since mid-January and we haven't been able to come to an agreement. I'm not interested in doing what they see me doing (a CNBC project), so we're amicably parting ways." She said her criticism of war coverage was "not the issue." She is deciding between five possible jobs right now, three of which would take her overseas... 11:25:46 PM

Imus: "A thinking-man's shock jock"
'Imus in the Morning' is one of MSNBC's most popular shows, ratings data (posted below) reveals. He's the topic of an interesting thread at MediaLine. "Imus' appeal is simple. He's a thinking-man's shock jock," one person says. But "it'll be interesting to see what happens now that Imus' most hated man is in control of MSNBC," another poster notes... 11:13:31 PM

Matt Drudge: Screaming Spoon-Fed Distorter
Now we all know Drudge hypes the hell out of things. And tonight is no different. "Crisis At Cable," the headline screams. "CNN loses half of audience from one year ago." (Of course, he typed in ALL CAPS. But that's just rude.) Now Drudge took that headline, plastered it at the top of the page, reprinted the paragraphs fed to him by a source, and didn't bother to point out that ALL the cable networks lost significant %'s of their audience from one year ago. But hey, that fact would get in the way of real reporting, wouldn't it? 9:14:31 PM

Dennis Beats Debbie! And Other Cable Ratings
Distorting-Drudge is frustrating, but he still has those "cable news race" numbers once in a while. From Monday night: O'Reilly scored a 2.3, H&C; had a 1.8, Larry King with 1.5, Shep at 1.3, Brit with a 1.1, and Greta had 1.0. Aaron and Paula scored 0.7's. On MSNBC, Hardball and Countdown saw 0.5, Joe had 0.3, and Norville had 0.2. Even Dennis beat Debbie! He scored a 0.3. 9:10:48 PM

Aaron Brown's Cryptic E-mail: Newsnight's "Small Crisis"
Aaron Brown included an interesting and cryptic message in his e-mail newsletter tonight: "There are a few other things in the mix, but as I write this we are dealing with a small crisis that has to be resolved and hasn't been. How it resolves will shape the program, and in truth it is out of my hands now. It is a bit of a mess and that's all I can say. Sorry." It was sent at 6:30; we'll have to tune out to find out more... 9:09:32 PM

EXCLUSIVE: Detailed Cable News Ratings Data

Q1 Ratings: Nets Show Decline From War-Boosted '03 Stats
First quarter cable news ratings show a steep decline from last year's war-buoyed numbers, and demonstrate the significance of viewer loyalty during lulls between major news cycles. This chart compares '03 and '04. In total day, FOX lost 36%, MSNBC dropped 49%, and CNN went down by 52% in viewers 2+. The decreases were similar in primetime. FOX still dominates the chart, with an average 1.2 primetime rating, compared to 0.7 for CNN and 0.3 for MSNBC. The data broken down by age brackets is especially interesting.
Q1: 03/04 Comparison Chart (PDF)       1:46:25 PM

Q1 Ratings: FOX Tops The Chart; MSNBC Prime Holds Turf
Cable news ratings data for the first quarter of 2004 demonstrates a clear dominance by FOX. O'Reilly characteristically tops the chart at a 1.9, with H&C;, Shep, Larry King, and Brit Hume rounding out the top five. Eleven of the top twelve shows air on FOX. Notably, CNN's taped People in the News shows register a 0.6 average, placing it in the #16 spot for Q1, and making it CNN's fifth most popular program. On MSNBC, Hardball and Joe average a 0.4, Countdown comes in at 0.3, and Debbie manages a 0.2. Scarborough is the channel's most popular show; on the chart, it is listed as 'Investigates.'
Q1: Ratings For Each Cable News Program (PDF)        1:44:46 PM

Q1 Ratings: CNBC, Tech Summit Among Bottom-Feeders
The chart of cable show ratings indicates a challenge for NBC's cable networks. The bottom of the chart -- the very very bottom -- is interesting. MSNBC's Tech Summit barely registered on the chart, scoring a 0.1 and 51,000 viewers, despite intense promotion. The vast majority of CNBC's programming averages a 0.1 -- but keep in mind that the ratings don't include viewers at work. Tina's Topic A is pulling in an average of 91,000 viewers. Dennis Miller is averaging a 0.2 and 209,000 viewers. MSNBC Live is low on the list, averaging only a 0.2 during the day... 1:42:28 PM

Q1 Ratings: "CNN Loses More Than Half of 1Q'03 Audience"
FOX put a press release on the Biz Wire this afternoon pointing out its first quarter ratings victories. The channel "saw only a 36% decrease in its audience from 1Q'03, while its nearest competitor, CNN, had more than half its audience disappear, according to Nielsen Media Research," it says... 1:42:21 PM

Clarke Plays Hardball Tonight
Chris Matthews will interview Richard Clarke on Hardball tonight. "This will be Clarke's first interview since the White House's decision to have Condeleeza Rice testify before the 9/11 commission," a press release said today. Rantingprofs says Clarke cancelled a previously scheduled interview with Chris... 1:40:08 PM

Why Clarke Is Still In The Cabler's Spotlight
"Why is the Richard Clarke imbroglio heading into its second week with a full head of steam?," Howard Kurtz asks today. Among his answers: "1.) The White House counterattack has become so fierce that it has driven the story into the media stratosphere," and "Rice has gotten terrific press for nearly four years and was due for a media reappraisal." And my favorite: "The Martha trial is over and the Kobe case is unfolding behind closed doors." 12:47:41 PM

Campaign Coverage: The Media Formula
The Note offers a formula for political coverage in the coming months: "Genuine attempts at balance and objectivity minus (real and/or perceived) natural affinity for Kerry and Democrats divided by (the desire to filter free media through horse race lens + neenering about perennial debate over issues/strategy/horserace coverage + Gore-esque/Klein-esque critical coverage of Senator Kerry as a person) = more Annenberg/Columbia Journalism Review symposiums about the decline in campaign coverage and more Note ledes." Sounds like fun... 12:46:02 PM

Rice's Reversal: Listen to the Language
To what extent will the cablers stress the White House role in the Condi Rice reversal? MSNBC.com puts it simply: "Rice will testify." The subhead: "NBC News: Bush national security adviser Rice has agreed to testify under oath in public before the 9/11 panel" -- not even mentioning the fact that FOXNews.com stresses: "White House to Let Rice Testify," they say. On CNN, Daryn Kagan said 1600 Penn is "reversing its position." MSNBC was the first to report the news, these posts say -- it was a Tim Russert scoop... 10:14:55 AM

Murder Mystery: Media Overwhelms Wichita Police
A Wichita murder mystery is receiving heaps of attention from the national media. "Just today, my list of phone calls to return -- after yours -- includes CNN, two different television movie producers, the Denver Post, Fox News and ABC News," a local lawyer told this newspaper reporter. 32 national news organizations have requested interviews with the Wichita Police Dept., but they have all been turned down. The Wichita Eagle says that "among the media in town Monday was a crew from 'NBC Nightly News,' with field producer Michelle Hofland pulled off the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case in Colorado to help correspondent Don Teague and two cameramen put together a report." 10:02:49 AM

What If You Woke Up One Morning, And...
...there was no news?
You know the saying "when it rains, it pours?" Well it's like that with cable news news. And right now, we're in a drought... 8:02:41 AM

Does MSNBC Want To Become Headline News?
Cableguy makes an interesting observation at TVHeads: "MSNBC has turned into CNN Headline News during daytime," he says. He points to recent changes, including: "Very few live events, repeats same reports instead of doing live reports, Access Hollywood crap, repeats NBC Today show interviews, repeats same outline every hour." Is this Rick Kaplan in action? "Whatever they are doing, it ain't working. It is unwatchable," he says... 11:42:28 PM

FOX Is Bush's "Open Microphone," Salon Says
Salon is taking their liberal tilt a bit far: "While many intelligence and military experts knew how hollow these claims were, there was one place where the Bush administration was given an open microphone: Fox News," David Sirota says. "The Fox of War," the headline says: "By the time U.S. soldiers were headed across the desert to Baghdad, the "fair and balanced" network, owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, looked like a caricature of state-run television, parroting the White House’s daily talking points, no matter how unsubstantiated." 11:42:02 PM

Media Demands More M.J.: Appeals Court Today
"A media attorney on Monday asked an appeals court to overturn an order preventing access to the grand jury in the Michael Jackson molestation case, hours after the panel apparently convened in a secret location," the Associated Press wire reports today... 9:40:56 PM

Who's The Newsiest News Network?
Did anyone else notice that FOX was the only cabler to air John Kerry's big economic speech in full? MSNBC eventually broke in near the bottom of the 2pm hour, and CNN stuck with Michael Jackson type "news" the whole time. I thought CNN wanted to position themselves as the newsy news network... 3:34:23 PM

"Harrigan on the Hunt" Online
FOXNews.com has a new feature: "Harrigan on the Hunt," a blog from Steve Harrigan, on assignment in Pakistan. "We do our live reports from a camera position on the roof," he wrote last week. "There are no lights up there and a lot of obstacles, so you have to have a flashlight. I keep a Maglite in my right coat pocket at all times. When the bulb burned out tonight on the roof I had a mini Maglite hooked to the key chain inside my messenger bag..." 3:33:24 PM

NBC Announces "McEnroe" Details
Earlier today, I posted an item about the McEnroe show delay. This afternoon, an NBC press release offered up details. "McEnroe" will premiere on Wednesday, July 7, 2004 at 10pm. It'll be a "topical talker." Four fresh shows will air a week; Fridays will be repeats. He will have an "ensemble cast of contributors," including John Fugelsang. Here's more... 3:33:09 PM

Clarke Tape Sat In Angle's Desk For 18 Months
Howie Kurtz has a nice lead to the "Outing of Clarke" section of his Media Notes: "Fox News correspondent Jim Angle says the tape had been sitting in his desk drawer for a year and a half," he writes. A quote from Jim: "They knew zip," they being the White House. "They didn't know when it happened, that it happened or who was on the call." 8:56:56 AM

McEnroe's CNBC Show: Launch Pushed Back
Even more from TVWeek: John McEnroe's CNBC show will premiere in July, instead of this spring as originally planned. The network wants to "maximize promotional leverage" from the French Open and Wimbledon -- McEnroe will be offering commentary at each. 8:56:31 AM

Karen Ryan: "I did nothing wrong"
Karen Ryan (yes, THAT Karen Ryan) writes a commentary in TelevisionWeek. "I did nothing wrong," she says. "Nothing. I am not a hooker, in spite of Chris Matthews' out-of-control ranting and raving on MSNBC." Her defense, in her own words...
8:55:47 AM

Hardball's Happy Anniversary
Hardball is planning some "happy anniversary" segments. Quoting TVWeek's report from the R&TCA; parties: "...The irrepressible Ron Reagan, who has become a regular contributor to MSNBC's "Hardball," was collecting scads of "Happy Anniversary" greetings for the nearly 7-year-old show. Everybody from Mo Rocca to Kimberly Guilfoyle-Newsom and hubby San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom had a sentiment to offer. Even CNN's Paula Zahn waited patiently to wish "Hardball's" Chris Matthews well." 8:55:07 AM

Trend: "Fake anchors delivering fake news"
Frank Rich has a must-read in the 'Times today: "Real journalism may be reeling, but faux journalism rocks. As an entertainment category in the cultural marketplace, it may soon rival reality TV and porn. Television is increasingly awash in fake anchors delivering fake news, some of them far more trenchant than real anchors delivering real news. Even CNBC, a financial news network, is chasing after the success of Jon Stewart; its new nightly fake newscast, presided over by a formerly funny 'Saturday Night Live' fake anchor, Dennis Miller, is being promoted with far more zeal than was ever lavished on CNBC's real 'News With Brian Williams.'" 1:38:29 PM

Shep's "a breath of fresh air"
MK disagrees with the "tabloid-driven caricature" description of Shep Smith: "He's a breath of fresh air; I'm impressed by how he can ad-lib interviews, ask tough questions in an off-hand natural way, and leave viewers clueless as to his own personal politics. I agree with Brit Hume, who said 'Shepard Smith is the best natural broadcaster I've ever seen.'" Another reader writes in to note that the article is from today's NY Times Style section, not yesterday's editions as I wrote earlier... 1:28:42 PM

Roll Call's Ed Henry Joining CNN
Quoting the Post's Reliable Source: "We hear that CNN will announce tomorrow that Ed Henry, Roll Call's "Heard on the Hill" columnist and senior editor, has been hired as a Capitol Hill on-air reporter for the network." DCRTV adds that he will continue offering political analysis on WMAL radio... 9:25:26 AM

Shep: Master Communicator or "cheesy, tabloid-driven caricature"?
An anonymous e-mailer wasn't very happy with this Saturday NY Times piece about Shep: "Shepard Smith's comment that people 'don't communicate in full sentences' is idiotic, not to mention insulting. Television news writing is already designed to be easy enough for an eighth-grader to understand. Smith is a cheesy, tabloid-driven caricature of a news anchor - much like Joe Piscopo's rapid-fire sports anchor from the old 'Saturday Night Live.'" But the ratings are going up... 9:03:11 AM

Quote of the day
This local paper features ordinary citizens talking about media bias. “As a social studies teacher, I find it increasingly more difficult to inform students on how to find objective news coverage. There isn’t a news station or periodical today that doesn’t have some sort of bias to the right or the left side of the political fence. There is no doubt that the rise in the number of viewers of Fox News has been in direct reaction to the liberal bias of CNN over the past decade or so. But being a conservative network only adds to the problem instead of correcting it.” But FOX says they are correcting it, by offering balance... 9:00:21 AM