Mailbag: So Who's Biased, Koppel or Sinclair?
I'll get back to cable news news soon, I promise. But this Nightline controversy sparked a lot of e-mail messages today. I used some of them for the poster protest:
> Mailbag: Comments on the Nightline/Sinclair controversy
I'm curling up in bed and watching tonight... 6:38:16 PM

Sinclair Is Listening
...Or reading, anyway: This site has recorded 130 hits from hv.sbgnet.com today...
6:38:10 PM

New On-Air Policy?: MSNBC Points Out Sinclair's Republican Donations
The National Debate notices something neat: "In reporting on Sinclair Broadcasting's decision to pre-empt Nightline, MSNBC's Sam Shane concluded his report by noting that Sinclair Broadcasting executives donated money to the Bush-Cheney campaign but did not donate money to the Kerry campaign. Perhaps this is part of a new policy at MSNBC where they inform readers of political contributions made by executives of companies mentioned in their news reports. Or, perhaps Sam picked up the talking points memo from the Center on American Progress." Great idea, or no? Let's do a mailbag on it... 6:37:56 PM

Note to FOX: Don't Accuse Koppel Of Bias By Ignoring Half The Facts
A FOX correspondent summed up the Nightline controversy on The Big Story at 5:45pm. Jonathan Hunt said that Koppel said he didn't have time for an interview with FOX today, but noted that Koppel did have time to call into "liberal" Air America. What Hunt forgot to mention is that Koppel also called into Sean Hannity's ("conservative") radio show this afternoon... 5:48:44 PM

My Poster Protest: Outside Sinclair Headquarters
I headed up I-83 to Hunt Valley this afternoon. You can see the Sinclair building from the interstate exit. I pulled past the "No Trespassing" sign and dropped off my posters. Other messages included "737 Americans have died in Iraq: Sorry it's not 'good news.'"
I dropped off the posters in the parking lot. I didn't think they'd be too friendly inside. Apparently it was only a coincidence that two police cars tailed me as I headed back onto the highway.
Don't mistake my anger at Sinclair as a liberal bias -- I'm frustrated only at the particular situation. I'll be watching Nightline tonight. I will post some of your e-mails later today...

Two of the signs

Outside the building
> More photos from outside Sinclair's headquarters 4:36:17 PM

Sinclair: This Is My Boiling Point
It's not cable, but I'm pretty pissed off:
> WP: Stations to Boycott 'Nightline's' List of the Fallen
> NYT: "Some Stations to Block 'Nightline' War Tribute"
> Balt Sun: Sinclair stations won't air 'Nightline'
Anyone want to e-mail me a message for Sinclair? I think I'm going to take a drive up to their Hunt Valley headquarters this afternoon... 10:17:05 AM

The Snowball Effect
An MSNBC show (Hardball) beat a CNN show (360) for the first time ever this month. So this e-mailer has an interesting thought:
"Remember... when Fox began to overtake CNN, it started with one hour (O'Reilly), and eventually spread to total day."
Something to think about... 10:16:01 AM

Cheney Praises FOX News Channel: "They're more accurate"
"Cheney Praises Fox News Channel" is the headline for Mike Allen's A5 WP piece today. Here is Dick's quote: "It's easy to complain about the press -- I've been doing it for a good part of my career," Cheney said. "It's part of what goes with a free society. What I do is try to focus upon those elements of the press that I think do an effective job and try to be accurate in their portrayal of events. For example, I end up spending a lot of time watching Fox News, because they're more accurate in my experience, in those events that I'm personally involved in, than many of the other outlets." Allen points out that "it is unusual for a president or vice president to single out a commercial enterprise for public praise..." 10:08:27 AM

Ratings in Perspective: "Big stuff" for MSNBC; still "whomped" by FOX
Lisa de Moraes puts the Hardball-over-360 story in perspective: "Of course, both got whomped by Fox News Channel's "Fox Report," which clocked far more viewers than the other two shows combined -- 1.5 million -- and also beat their combined ratings in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic." But she notes: "Still, MSNBC's beating of CNN at 7 is pretty big stuff. Heck, MSNBC beating anybody is pretty big stuff. Especially when you consider that as recently as March, Cooper had a fairly comfortable lead over Matthews: 502,000 viewers to 436,000 viewers." 8:35:54 AM

Hardball Host "disappointed me by lobbying softballs" to Kerry
Scripps Howard director of editorial policy Jay Ambrose sums up several e-mails I've received since Tuesday night: "The other night the host of MSNBC's 'Hardball with Chris Matthews' disappointed me by lobbing softballs to an ideological soul mate, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry...The questions directed at the Democratic presidential candidate were on the order of why he is so great and President George W. Bush so loutish...The portion of the Matthews-Kerry interview that I saw was a reminder of the Matthews past, the fact that he had labored on behalf of Democrats for much of his adult life." 8:34:22 AM

Tricky Teases: It Takes A Pro To Write A Promo
Next to a photo of Bill Hemmer smiling, CNN.com asks this question: "Ten U.S. troops are killed in a string of attacks in Iraq. Is there hope that the violence will end?" It's a tease for American Morning. But it's pretty pathetic. Of course there is hope that the violence will end. I don't need you to tell me that, Bill. Tell me if it is realistic that the violence will end... 8:20:03 AM

"Harrigan on the Hunt" Returns
Steve Harrigan has a new blog entry online, straight from Baghdad. He describes the journey from Jordan to Iraq, including "one more decent meal." 11:39:29 PM

Al Sharpton to CNBC? "He should be on Comedy Central"
The e-mails about Sharpton's CNBC talks were all negative:
Jill: What would Al Sharpton have to contribute to a business channel? He should be on "Comedy Central."
Joni: Don't know why CNBC continues to "try" more and more "edgy" entertainment. The more they try, the worse they get. I wouldn't watch Al if he was the last guy on tv. What a farce!
Sir Rosis: Sharpton is perfect for CNBC. They are the "losers network" -Tina Brown and Dennis Miller are getting zilch in the ratings book and hopefully CNBC will put Fat Al into obscurity by signing him. He's as "entertaining" as hemmoroids. 11:39:02 PM

Hardball Tonight: "Primetime television moment of historic proportions"
Dominic Bellone sure knows how to tease Hardball. Check out his newsletter today: "Members of our staff have been working on something for Chris so super secret that even your Briefing editor has been kept largely in the dark...Tonight we'll reveal it to the world in what promises to be a primetime television moment of historic proportions...If you've even enjoyed one scintilla of a moment in the last seven years of Hardball (and I know you have or else you wouldn't be reading this), you'll not want to miss tonight's show...Should you plan your dinner around it, pop the popcorn & break out the TV trays? Yes. Should you call your neighbors, friends and family about it? Yes. Should you take the phone off the hook during the show? Yes"... 5:30:33 PM

Car Chase Controversy: What Happened To Five-Second Delay?
A TVSpy thread discusses the car chase video aired live on FOX this morning. "Was it right for helicopter photographers to zoom into a body and clearly isn't moving?," one person asks. "The Fox anchor apologized for showing the unconscious dude but the net got what it wanted," another person remarks. But: "Let's all remember the general viewing audience can probably stomach a brief glimpse now and then," a third person adds. What happened to the five-second delay?... 3:40:54 PM

Car Chase on FOX: Driver Crashes, Ejected From Vehicle
They were airing a car chase in Houston around 11:30am. The truck sped off the road into grass and rolled over multiple times. The driver was ejected and laid motionless in the grass. As the chopper cam zoomed in to the body, David Asman reacted: "Let's get off -- let's get off of that right now...We're sorry -- sometimes we have a tape delay...We do apologize for that." No word yet if the driver is alive...
> UPDATE: The driver was taken to a hospital. No word on his condition yet. (KHOU) 11:37:11 AM

Cablers All Air Pool Report; FOX Drops It For Car Chase
All three cable news networks aired Karl Penhaul's pool report from Fallujah at the top of the 11am hour. His reports continue to be top-notch. FOX dipped out of the pool report at 11:06am to air helicopter video from a car chase in Houston. At the same time, CNN turned to Jane Arraf, who reported via videophone from Najaf, and MSNBC showed a coalition spokesperson. MSNBC seemed "to be on a 5-7 second delay behind CNN and FOX" with the pool report, Henry notes... 11:11:53 AM

Vester: Good News Segments Inspired By Viewers & Gary Sinise
Linda Vester writes into CableNewser to explain the impetus of her new good-news Iraq segment on DaySide: "[It] was inspired by numerous complaints from my audience (both in the studio and at home) that they do not feel they're seeing an accurate picture, that all they see is the violence," she says. "And they're right."
She continues: "I don't want to be part of the problem: I want to be part of the solution. I've been talking a lot recently with actor Gary Sinise, who co-founded a charity called 'Operation Iraqi Children' -- and it was Gary who gave me the idea to feature good news stories directly from soldiers in the field. He put out the word to all the soldiers he knows, and I put out the word with Public Affairs Officers for the military. Then the emails started flowing in -- letter after letter from soldiers, sharing the things they have done for Iraqis (rebuilding schools, starting soccer teams, I can go on and on). Every letter I read is wonderful -- so now I'm sharing these stories with our viewers." 9:57:17 AM

WHCA Dinner: 'Apprentice' At MSNBC's Table; Wayne Newton At CNN's
The WP Reliable Source begins the White House Correspondents Association dinner gossip with a list of what celebs will be sitting at what table. "MSNBC has scored Bill Rancic, winner of the NBC reality show The Apprentice," Leiby says. And: "CNN charmed Wayne Newton into cutting his European vacation short to attend (which may have been the reward for Tucker Carlson referring to the singer as "one of the most charming people anywhere" on "Crossfire" last week)." You just know Wonkette is buzzing... 9:55:27 AM

Third-Place MSNBC Gets First-Place Ratings Write-Ups
FOX won the ratings war in April, but MSNBC won a key battle, and that's the story TV crix are focusing on. Variety titles their story "MSNBC talker tops CNN" and writes that "for the first time in its history, MSNBC outdrew CNN in a key evening slot." The LA Times says "'Hardball' scores over CNN foe." Their lead: "It's rare that third-place cable news network MSNBC has good ratings news, but April was an exception..." 9:53:05 AM

Al Sharpton Is In Talks With CNBC
Reuters has the scoop: "CNBC is in talks with Sharpton...about hosting a series of specials, with an option to turn him into a regular nightly contributor to the cable business channel. A CNBC spokeswoman confirmed that the network is in talks with Sharpton but declined to elaborate." What would you like to see Sharpton talk about on TV? Will you watch his show? E-mail your thoughts or use the form above. 9:41:49 AM

Mailbag: Good News = Good Journalism?
Most readers who responded to this question supported Linda Vester's good-news-from-Iraq segments on DaySide. It's the subject of a mailbag:
CableNewser Mailbag: Is A 'Good News' Segment Good Journalism? 1:03:15 AM

Dobbs' Outsourcing Crusade: "An attempt to create a signature" for CNN?
"Lou Dobbs is on a crusade," Caroline Wilbert writes in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Tuesday morning. The crusade is about "offshoring," of course. "The topic strikes a chord with many Americans, and Dobbs' ratings are moving up. Dobbs, however, says that his motivation isn't ratings. If it were, he said, he'd do sensational stories about Kobe Bryant or Laci Peterson." An obligatory media critic quote: "The big thing in cable is how do you get attention, how to do you stand out," Tom Rosenstiel says. "CNN has had difficulty creating signature programs. This could be an attempt to create a signature by owning a topic." 1:02:36 AM

Another Soldier Complains About The Media
It should become a daily feature: Another newspaper quotes another soldier who complains about the media's version of events in Iraq. Angel Rivera says he has watched cable news coverage since coming home from Kirkuk. "We didn’t see the media over there," Rivera said. "We wouldn’t watch the cable news stations [because] they’re portraying every­thing in a different way than it’s really happening." His wife stopped watching it: "[Those stations] only show the negativity," she said... 12:03:34 AM

Kudos to Karl Penhaul: Amazing Reports From Fallujah
Karl Penhaul's live reports from a rooftop in northwest Fallujah were compelling this afternoon. The CNN correspondent reported live via nightscope and videophone for all the networks. CNN and MSNBC took his narration live.
"Karl Penhaul is the pool reporter for all the networks right now," Kyra Phillips said on CNN. "Because of the security situation and the danger and the threat that exists there in Fallujah, Karl is the sole reporter, doing live shots for all the networks."
Miles O'Brien called Penhaul's work "extraordinary." The transcript is a must-read...
11:59:06 PM

! Hardball Beats 360 In April
Hardball beat Anderson Cooper 360 in April, marking "the first time MSNBC has ever claimed a win over CNN in a key evening hour," the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says. "Hardball with Chris Matthews averaged 476,000 viewers in April, beating CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, which averaged 461,000. Fox News' 7 p.m. show with Shepard Smith was the winner, attracting an average of 1.47 million viewers." A CNN spokesperson has a sad quote in the story... 5:56:51 PM

April Ratings: FOX Dominates (Surprise!)
Quoting a FOX press release today: "FOX News Channel (FNC) beat CNN and MSNBC combined in viewership and demographics in the Prime Time and 24-Hour time periods for April '04, according to Nielsen Media Research." The channel had 10 of the top 11 cable news shows. "April's losers included CNN's much hyped Paula Zahn Now and Wolf Blitzer Live, down 72% and 65% respectively from Apr. '03. On MSNBC, Countdown with Keith Olbermann and Lester Holt Live were down 69% and 82% respectively from their Apr. '03 averages," the press release says. Keep in mind that the war in Iraq was ongoing in April '03... 5:55:10 PM

Linda Vester Tries To Fix "The Media"
"What's Wrong With The Media?" is the headine on Linda Vester's FOXNews.com column. And she answers the question: "They're not showing you an accurate picture in Iraq." And she is doing something about it: "As of today, you're going to see something new on “DaySide.” Something called "Only on Fox", because that's the only place you'll see it. Dispatches directly from soldiers (with photos -- the miracle of e-mail!), showing the GOOD news in Iraq." She's doing it for us, apparently: "You deserve more balanced coverage -- and I, for one, will bring it to you." So is Linda no longer a member of the "media," then? Is this good journalism? E-mail or use the form above to weigh in... 10:23:39 AM

How Old Can "New Video" Be?
DCRTV Dave thinks the "New Video" graphic is abused: "Fox News got about 3 minutes of new generic "war" footage of soldiers running around buildings in Iraq, firing guns, etc. And during the first half hour of John Gibson's "Big Story" (David Asman subbing) [they] must have cycled through it a dozen times (!) while talking heads went blabbering." This morning, FOX offered a News Alert for nightscope video "just in to the FOX newsroom" from Sunday.
Update from Mark: "David Asman was showing more "new video" from Iraq this morning. He took pains to ask the reporter in Iraq why this was "new video" when in fact the pictures were a day old. The eporter went into an explanation of how it had to go from here to there by courier, etc. Somehow I think they were reading cablenewser!" 10:20:42 AM

CNN Has "Too many chiefs and not enough Indians"
Michelle writes in: "Did you see Scott Collins on FNC this morning? He said the single greatest reason FNC overtook CNN was due to the streamlined, stable management at Fox. Roger Ailes has a "definite vision" of what he wants the network to look like, Collins said. Conversely, he accused CNN of being an overloaded bureaucracy with too many chiefs and not enough Indians." 10:19:08 AM

Sharpton's TV Talk Show Deal
The National Debate points out this one-liner in a NYPost story: "The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to close on a TV talk-show deal this week." Stay tuned... 9:46:26 AM

Soldier: "CNN only airs what they want you to see"
Army Specialist Justin Jacobsen, of the 51st Airborne Signal Battalion in Iraq, complains about the media in a story in the Desert Dispatch (CA) newspaper. "CNN only airs what they want you to see," he says. "I finally told my mom to stop watching, because it wasn't true." His partner Bryan Neice agrees: "He said the media is "wrong" and that the picture they are depicting for Americans is inaccurate," the paper writes... 9:27:31 PM

Are Cable News Polls Fair And Balanced?
"Did you find it interesting that the CNN and Fox presidential polls seem to have undergone roll reversal?," a WP chatter asked Howard Kurtz today. "CNN (an allegedly liberal network) had Bush up by 5 or 6 points but Fox (an allegedly conservative network) had the race even." His response: "This is one area where I don't believe bias comes into play. They don't send Aaron Brown and Bill O'Reilly out to do these polls--they're conducted by professional companies hired by the networks. There might be room for bias, or a little topspin, in interpreting the survey results, and conceivably even in the questions, but the networks don't really have any influence on how the numbers come out." 6:55:33 PM

Lou Dobbs Is "On A Jihad," CEO Rep Says
...Quoting the Reuters lead: "The head of a group representing the chief executive officers of America's largest corporations on Monday accused CNN's Lou Dobbs of alarmist "one-sided" reporting about outsourcing and the shipping of U.S. jobs overseas. 'He's on a jihad,' John Castellani, president of the Washington-based Business Roundtable, told reporters." The wire service has a response from Lou... 6:50:37 PM

CNN Exec Donates $114,000 For Stranger's Kidney Transplant
On Sunday, CNN executive Eason Jordan read an Atlanta Journal Constitution profile of a 13-year-old immigrant who couldn't afford a life-saving kidney transplant. This morning, he drove to the hospital and offered to pay for the $114,000 procedure. "This is a humanitarian gesture," Jordan said today. "It's a gift from my heart." Heroic. "God has answered my prayers," the boy's mother said... 4:21:37 PM

CNN, Chemical Weapons, "Exclusive," & Confusion
"CNN has obtained a video of alleged al Qaeda operatives confessing to Jordanian police about plans for a major chemical weapons attack in Amman," Kagan said during the 10am hour. She said John Vause would play the video on NewsNight this evening. Then at 2:15pm, there's a news alert from CNN.com: "Jordanian authorities say they broke up alleged al Qaeda plot to unleash deadly chemical cloud in heart of Amman. Details soon." By that time, the NewsNight web site promised "exclusive details and a full report" tonight. So what happened? Why did CNN 'tease' the story this morning, then announce it as 'breaking news' hours later? And didn't FOX mention this story days ago?... 3:36:59 PM

Michael Okwu: Goodbye CNN, Hello NBC
The channel-swapping continues: CNN NY correspondent Michael Okwu became an NBC News correspondent today. The press release is here; he starts immediately. Okwu will be based in Burbank... 3:17:52 PM

CNBC's "Executive Leadership Awards"
CNBC and the Wall Street Journal are teaming up for the first annual 'Executive Leadership Awards.' They will "honor individuals who are making a difference through business leadership and innovation," the press release says. "Winners in four categories will be announced at a gala awards dinner on Wednesday, June 23, 2004, in New York." 3:17:24 PM

CNN's Penhaul Reporting For Network Pool In Fallujah
Embedded CNN correspondent Karl Penhaul reported for the "U.S. networks pool" from a roof in Fallujah this morning. "We are sharing his duties with other networks around the world," Bill Hemmer said on American Morning. CNN has aired Penhaul's reports repeatedly. FOX showed the video, but not the voiceover. Hemmer said his transmission ability has been "touch and go." His reports have been outstanding... 11:47:59 AM

Greta Describes The Best Part About Her Job
"The best part about my job is meeting people who have been part of history," Greta Van Susteren writes on FOXNews.com today. She describes her relationship with Henry Kissinger. "You can learn so much and you get a chance to try and "fill in the blanks" -- get information you never had and always wondered about. Plus, it is always fascinating to get the story from the inside." 11:47:26 AM

"Information Black Hole" For Journos Covering N.K. Train Crash
BBC correspondent Louisa Lim writes a profound dispatch from Dandong, China, where she is attempting to report on the North Korean train disaster. "For the international press pack sent here to cover the aftermath of the blast, Dandong is little more than an information black hole," she writes. "Two days in Dandong has been a sobering reminder that access to information, in some places, is still a privilege, not a right. In most countries in the world, we take it for granted that if a disaster happens, we will find out and hold whoever responsible to account, and we also take it for granted that we will respond with compassion." 10:51:39 AM

Peterson Trial: "Giant Media Bazaar" Outside Courthouse
The San Francisco Chronicle excerpts Maureen Orth's new book "The Importance of Being Famous" in Sunday editions. Several fascinating paragraphs refer to intensive media coverage of the Laci Peterson case. She describes Camp Peterson: "The networks each have white tents, which are spread out across the street from the courthouse. The scene is like a giant media bazaar, with numerous talking heads selling their wares over the airwaves. Until recently, a local denizen with some radio experience knocked on the doors of the satellite trucks daily to ask if any man-on-the-street sound bites were needed." 11:32:43 PM

O'Reilly: Laci Peterson is "the only thing keeping Larry King on the air"
Chronicle excerpt quotes Bill O'Reilly on his rationale for Laci Peterson coverage: "Every time we put (the story) on, the ratings spike," he said. "It's the only thing keeping Larry King on the air. We do Laci Peterson every 15 minutes and see the numbers go up. It's a story that resonates with women particularly." Larry King E.P. Wendy Whitworth counters: "I don't determine what I do according to Fox." 11:31:00 PM

Carry The FOX Theme In Your Pocket
Want the FOX News theme song to ring on your cell phone? MIDIRingTones has the main theme for purchase, along with jingles for the FOX Report, O'Reilly Factor, H&C;, and On the Record. They cost $2.50 each; the polyphonic rings sound great, while the standard ones are barely distinguishable... 11:27:30 PM

FOX + Canada = "Cross-border food fight"
The New York Times summarizes the FOX border dispute, and offers a fair and balanced look at the mess: "Two weeks ago, the Canadian cable industry filed an application with the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission to begin including the Fox News Channel among its listings...The cultural divide burst into raw insult when Fox News' Bill O'Reilly recently got into a public brouhaha with John Doyle, the television critic for The Globe and Mail, Canada's most influential newspaper. American news junkies couldn't help but get into the cross-border food fight..." A must-read. 11:26:46 PM

M.J. Indictment: FOX Was There Part Of The Time
A senior source inside FOX News sets the record straight on the M.J. indictment story posted Friday: "Fox was in Santa Barbara, at the courthouse all day on Wednesday, when the MJ indictment broke. It wasn't staffed in the weeks beforehand. The nets left people there for the whole time, but nets don't mind expensive people sitting around for weeks. However, with earlier rumors of an indictment, Fox sent people. Anita Vogel did two live hits during Greta, in the 10pm E hour." 11:15:08 PM

Apprentice Runner-Up Weighing CNBC/MSNBC Job Offer
Could the Apprentice runner-up turn up on NBC's news networks sometime soon? Kwame Jackson is "weighing an offer to become an on-air financial correspondent for CNBC or MSNBC," a Knight Ridder story says. NBC spokesman Jim Dowd confirmed that the networks are in discussion with Jackson... 7:41:04 AM

Playboy Reveals The 'Sexiest Newscaster' Survey Results
CNN Headline News anchor Robin Meade is TV's sexiest newscaster, according to a poll by Playboy.com. "Meade beat the competition hands down with a solid 40 percent of the more than 40,000 votes cast," the site says." She "edged out her Headline News coworker Rudi Bakhtiar, who received 19 percent of the vote, and Fox News's blonde bunker-buster Laurie Dhue, who got a commendable 15 percent." 7:37:55 AM

Quote of the day
An MSNBC MSN poster pastes Lester Holt's RTNDA/NAB speech from Monday. On the value of having experience as a reporter in the field: "The thing I love about anchoring on cable is I get to do the work of a reporter right from the anchor desk. Lots of interviews. Lots of breaking stories where we go scriptless sometimes for hours on end. At moments like that every hostage siege I ever covered, every strife-ridden foreign country I've worked in, every trial and city council hearing I sat in on is an experience that I can immediately call upon to help viewers understand a story." 7:37:13 AM

"The demand for speed is increasing," Princell Hair says
LostRemote sums up CNN GM Princell Hair's speech at RTNDA earlier this week. He referred to the Internet and gadgets that are changing the field: "So what does this mean for journalists? It means that the demand for speed is increasing. It means that the appetite for news is increasing." Here's the money quote: "Speed not only kills on our roadways, but it kills in our television newsrooms. Being first doesn't matter if you're wrong.." So how can you be first and correct? 7:36:01 AM

FOX Wasn't In Town For M.J. News: "No wonder they got skunked"
Why did FOX drop the ball when news of the M.J. indictment broke? An anonymous e-mail explains that the channel was nowhere near Santa Barbara. "I was at the intersection near the Santa Barbara Sheriff's office training center for three weeks. All the nets were represented...except FOX. They never had a single person there. I don't think they ever had a single person even in town the whole time. No wonder they got skunked Wednesday night when the judge rolled in to see the jury." Another source says: "Their live truck pulled into the Santa Barbara courthouse right when every one else left. And they love crime stories so why were they so out of the loop on this one?" 8:34:01 PM

CNN's Rym Brahimi Resigns; Will Become Princess in Sept.
It's like some sort of fairytale. CNN international correspondent Rym Brahimi is engaged to Jordanian King Abdullah II's half-brother, Prince Ali, CNN.com reports today. "An engagement ceremony was held Friday in Paris and the wedding is set for September 7." She becomes a princess after the wedding. "The engagement ceremony was aired on Jordanian state-owned media," the site says...
> Also: Brahimi's father causes U.N./Israel controversy 8:33:18 PM

Controversies: Caskets, Coffins, and...Butt Cracks
The headline on the Inside Politics newsletter? "Casket Controversy." The headline on the Crossfire newsletter? "Coffin Controversy." And the headline on the Countdown newsletter? "Crack Controversy." It's not about dying soldiers or poignant photos: "In Louisiana local officials are trying to pass a law banning low-rise jeans. Butt-baring youngsters might face fines and even jail time. State Rep. Derrick Shepherd said he filed the bill because he was tired of seeing the boxer shorts and G-strings of young adults. Clearly, plumbers aren't the only 'crack addicts.'" I can't make this stuff up... 8:32:05 PM

NewsNight's New Producer: Broken Foot, 1st Week On The Job
On Monday, NewsNight welcomed Sharon van Zwieten as a new Senior Executive Producer. On Friday, Aaron said she was hurt. "Our new producer has been placed on the injured reserve list," he wrote in the newsletter tonight. "She broke her foot. The job, I guess, is tougher than anyone imagined." It didn't take her long to get her footing, eh? (Pardon the terrible pun.) Get well soon! 8:29:44 PM

Quote of the day
Campaign Desk asks Ron Brownstein: "Are there things you say on CNN that you wouldn't write in the [Los Angeles] Times?" His answer: "My absolute rule of thumb when I started doing TV in December, 1993 is that I will never say anything on TV that I won't say in print. People get in so much trouble when they try to be clever or provocative. On TV you don't get a chance to edit or reconsider what you say. When you write a column the biggest question you ask at the end, is do I believe that? Or am I just saying it because it sounds good. You don't get that chance on TV"... 8:02:18 PM

Coffin Photos: FOX Shows Images; NYT Was Wrong
FOX News has reported on the coffin photos, despite a New York Times report to the contrary. One viewer saw the images on FOX at 10:30am. A rep from the First Amendment Center was interviewed on the air today, a source says. FOXNews.com has the story, too. So who messed up -- the NYT or the spokesperson? 5:55:33 PM

In D.C. this afternoon; more updates tonight. 1:30:10 PM

IRAQ: Vital Security Precautions Hinder Reporting, Eason Jordan Says
CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan appeared on PBS's Newshour to discuss the dangers faced by journalists in Iraq. He says the precautions impact newsgathering: "I think news consumers are being shortchanged to a degree, not just on television but in print, because journalists are not able to do their jobs effectively, and certainly the depth and breadth of reporting that you saw even a month ago was far more vast than what news consumers get today." 12:06:49 AM

IRAQ: 'Unprecedented:' Media Execs Cooperate On Iraq Safety Issues
Quoting Eason Jordan on Newshour last night: "About three weeks ago, there was a meeting in New York among my five network counterparts and a few others, and we decided to do something that was unprecedented in working together, cooperating, collaborating on safety and security issues and in sharing a certain amount of news coverage, all in an effort to minimize exposure in the field and to bring our people home alive." Network execs are communicating frequently via e-mail... 12:05:01 AM

"Our coverage is fair and balanced" --CNN rep
CNN International managing editor Paul Cutler uttered three powerful words at a media seminar in Kuala Lumpur today: Fair and balanced. “We go out of our way to see that all our coverage is fair and balanced,” he told attendees. Some of the participants said the channel was biased. His response: "When covering the Israeli-Palestinian issue, we make sure that the Palestinian voice is heard. And, in some parts of Palestine, if they can’t come to us, CNN goes to them to get their side of the story." The Star in Malaysia has more... 12:02:39 AM

Finally: A Site Feed!
Several visitors have messaged me in the last few days (and weeks, and months) asking for a site feed for their RSS newsreaders. Well here it is. Blogger offers an Atom XML feed, which plugs into many popular syndication programs:
> Syndicate this site via Atom
> What is Atom? (Blogger FAQ)
> AtomEnabled.org 12:01:31 AM

A Lousy Attempt At Gossip
A Gawker operative spots Law & Order actress Elizabeth Rohm at Cafe Luxembourg on NY's Upper West Side. She was with Daily News gossip columnist Lloyd Grove. "What's up with that?," the tipster asks. "Just business, or a love connection gone wrong?" Let's hope it's not the latter -- after all, Grove reported last month that Rohm is dating MSNBC's Dan Abrams... (By the way, it is her birthday today.) 12:00:17 AM

The Coffins: FOX News Decides Not To Show Pictures
The New York Times notes that the coffin photos appeared extensively on TV today. "Among the national television news organizations, only the Fox News Channel had no plans to use any of the photos or explore the issue of why they had been barred from use in the news media, a channel spokesman said." "It would seem that the only reason somebody would come out against the use of these pictures is that they are worried about the political fallout," NBC Nightly News E.P. Steve Capus tells Bill Carter... 11:41:57 PM

The Coffins: "We show them because they are part of the story"
In his newsletter today, Aaron Brown notes that NewsNight first aired a coffin photo on Monday: "The picture was a very powerful reminder of the kind of month it has been," he writes. And Aaron explains why his program showed the photos again tonight: "Now, having said that, I want to say one other thing about this all, and this is a personal comment, no more, no less. We show these pictures not because we want to make some political point. Indeed the attempt to politicize these dead young men and women offends me beyond words. We show them because they are part of the story." 11:41:40 PM

Is 'Buchanan & Press' Coming Back? Bill Hopes So...
Bill Press made a comment in an interview with BuzzFlash that caught my eye. Discussing his history as a cable shouting head: "Now Pat and I continue to be political commentators at MSNBC, and I’m hoping that someday soon we’ll get our show back." Will 'Buchanan & Press' be resurrected as election day nears?... 11:41:15 PM

MSNBC's Explorer Wins Overseas Press Club Award
MSNBC's National Geographic Ultimate Explorer won an Overseas Press Club award for its documentary "Liberia: American Dream?" The Edward R. Murrow award for best TV interpretation or documentary on international affairs was awarded to Scott Bronstein, Michael Davie, Neil Barrett, and David Royle. Here's a press release. 11:40:54 PM

FOX Beats WWE & Spongebob In Cable Rankings
FOX News Channel's broadcast of the president's news conference was the most-watched show on basic cable last week, Nielsen says (via the AP.) It ranked #1 with 3.49 million homes at 8:30pm. Wrestling was 2nd and Spongebob was 3rd; analysis of the news conference ranked #9, with 3.02 million homes... 3:51:51 PM

Hardball Celebrating Its "Lucky Seven" Next Week
"Chris Matthews rolls a "Lucky Seven" next week as 'Hardball with Chris Matthews' celebrates its seventh anniversary, starting Monday, April 26, 7-8 p.m. on MSNBC. Chris will be interviewing Donald Rumsfeld, Ted Kennedy, and many other notables. "Each show will include tributes from celebrities and newsmakers," the press release says. Chris has anchored 1,565 Hardball episodes. NBC has some fun facts in the P.R. The best one: "Number of "Hardball" shows in which someone said "let me finish": 132 and counting." The press release will be online soon...
> On MSNBC.com, you can send a Happy Anniversary message to Hardball... 3:51:27 PM

What Is The Countdown Smoking?
It sounds like a fun Countdown tonight: "With beleaguered parents grappling with their hyperactive kids on a daily basis, perhaps the news we're about to deliver was inevitable, somehow, but it still shocks. The Newsflash -- a little weed might help. Not you...the kids!" They have a doctor booked to talk about it... 3:50:53 PM

Inside The Green Rooms
Greta takes blog readers into the green rooms for the O'Reilly Factor and Hannity & Colmes. "It does not get more behind the scenes than our 'green rooms,'" she writes. Here are the photos... 3:50:06 PM

3,000 Dead? How To Tell A Story Without Pictures
How do you cover a story when you can't even get into the country? The cablers wish they had an answer: the North Korean train crash is the lead story on all three cable news web sites, but all they have are maps of the country to illustrate the story. "Trains Crash, Explode," Msnbc.com says; "Trains collide, explode in North Korea" is CNN.com's version; and FOXnews.com calls it simply "Catastrophe in North Korea." Here is the most telling sentence in MSNBC's story: "In a sign of the accident's magnitude, the North Koran government also cut international phone lines to prevent news of the crash from leaking across its borders, Yonhap said, citing no sources."
> Update: Former CNN N.K. correspondent Rebecca MacKinnon is blogging the news... 12:38:27 PM

CNN Wins Overseas Press Club Awards
Quoting a press release: "The Overseas Press Club of America has cited Nic Robertson for his exclusive coverage of a military raid in Iraq." Additionally, the group awarded the "The Eric and Amy Burger Award for Best International Reporting in the Broadcast Media Dealing with Human Rights" (that's a mouthful) to CNN Presents for the documentary "Easy Prey." The club also gave CNN an honorable mention for the documentary "Seeds of Terror." 12:31:15 PM

The M.J. Indictment: MSNBC Offers Extensive Coverage; FOX Lags
The indictment: MSNBC presented the most extensive live coverage in primetime. During the 10pm hour, Dan Abrams anchored some of the coverage, and went live to Kerry Sanders outside a courthouse. One tipster says that NBC News was first with the story; the network put a crawl pointing viewers to MSNBC for details. CNN put the news on the lower-thirds at the end of Larry King Live. Headline News also reported it. Greta didn't report the story until the second half of the show; FOX was the last cabler to report the news... 11:39:10 PM

"Sports fans should change channel from ESPN to CNN"
...That's what Matt Sober says in the Valley News Dispatch. He uses an example from Hardball: "After lulling Toomey into a relative comfort zone with a few tough but straightforward questions, Matthews went for the knockout on the topic of abortion...In sporting terms, it was a classic mismatch. Toomey is a relative unknown serving his third term in the U.S. House. Matthews, on the other hand, is a relentless interrogator..." (Read it all.) 10:53:33 PM

FOX Invests In New Graphics Machines
FOX ordered seven FXDeko II character generators from Pinnacle Systems, a press release said today. "The systems will provide the new foundation for graphics operations at the Fox News operations center in New York." Check out the product description and imagine what the graphics team will do with it... 10:40:19 PM

CNN's New Online Ad Campaign
Looks like CNN has commenced a new ad campaign. An ad for Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics popped up on the Drudge Report a couple days ago, and today I spotted a promo for Wolf Blitzer Reports on Washingtonpost.com... 9:38:04 PM

Juggling Three Big Stories This Morning
An e-mailer notes that news judgment decisions today are difficult. "This is one of those days when each story [Basra, Riyadh, tornadoes] is a viable lead -- but we should not get into the mindset of 'the highest death toll leads.' And I will point out that CNN was live throughout much of the night." He adds that CNN was the first with images from Riyadh... 10:46:55 AM

Fast and Slow News Alerts
Earlier this morning I complained that CNN.com did not send out a breaking news alert on the Basra bombing until 8:00am. A CNN employee wrote in to point out that an alert was sent at 2:06am. We were both right: A CNN.com International Edition alert was sent early on, while CNN.com Domestic decided to wait six hours. My advice: Subscribe to the international feed. Have alerts sent to a specific e-mail address, then route all those e-mails to your cell phone e-mail address. That way, the next time all hell breaks loose in the middle of the night, you'll know. 9:46:46 AM

Basra Bombing: Three Questions for Cable
> "Quite possibly, Carol, this is the worst day since the beginning of the Iraq conflict more than a year ago," Jim Clancy said around 5:05am. So why did Daybreak lead with the Illinois tornadoes instead?
> If the bombings had happened in Baghdad, how much more coverage would there be?
> Now that 10 are reported dead in Riyadh, which story will get more attention? 9:02:03 AM

How Did Cablers Handle Middle-of-the-Night Bombing?
An e-mailer was up really late/really early: At 3:00am ET, "CNN is LIVE from Iraq on the bombings. MSNBC has a Scarborough rerun. FNC has a Greta rerun. Don't know if the latter two have had live updates, but CNN is once again proving its a news outfit." CNN returned to Larry King Live at 3:08am. Was anybody else awake? E-mail me what you saw... 8:58:47 AM

Quote of the day
NBC News president Neal Shapiro fishes for an excuse after using his news shows to promote The Apprentice: "I'm not going to tell any one of our shows that if you think you can do this in a compelling way you shouldn't because the aggregate would seem that we're promoting a show. Part of NBC News is that we tend to run with all the big stories of the day, and we're not cheating hard news . I would say this was the most talked about story of the week, absent Iraq." I bet if you added up the # of minutes spent talking about Iraq, it was less than the # of minutes devoted to the Apprentice... 8:46:06 AM

NPR: "Most TV stations practiced measured restraint" Re: Fallujah
On Talk of the Nation, NPR's Neal Conan discussed "War Images" and poses two questions: "What images should we see from a war zone? And how do editors decide what to run?" They discuss a distinction between cable nets who are "reacting instantly" and broadcast networks who had more time to consider the implications. "Most TV stations practiced measured restraint," Poynter Visual Journalism Group Leader Kenneth Irby said. I listened to the first fifteen minutes; it is a very interesting conversation... 11:30:13 PM

Homeland Security Inspector General Asked To Examine NBC Report
Brock Meeks with an update on this story: "The inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security is being asked to look into allegations that an NBC News segment highlighting the federal air marshal program breached security, MSNBC.com has learned." More... 11:22:40 PM

Rumsfeld, Clinton, and ... Bubba
Let's compare the 9pm guest lineup on cable tonight:
> FOX: Donald Rumsfeld is chatting with Hannity & Colmes in an "exclusive"
> CNN: Hillary Clinton sits down with Larry King in a "rare live interview"
> MSNBC: Radio host Bubba The Love Sponge talks to Deborah Norville "exclusive"ly
The analysis writes itself. 4:10:32 PM

Media Notes: Prank Caller and Other Remainders
> A Howard Stern fan prank-called MSNBC during coverage of a small plane crash
> CNNFan has some speculation about Heidi Collins and American Morning
> Pinnacle Systems products are being used at CNN's new NY HQ
> FOX trumpeted an interesting "exclusive" report about a Palestinian man who tried to create a bomb with HIV-tainted blood 4:01:58 PM

CRAZY Like A Fox: Kurtz Calls Allegation "Absurd"
Kurtz's response to suggestions that he hasn't interviewed Scott Collins because of corporate pressure: "That's absurd. It would be hard to argue there's a scintilla of corporate pressure since I haven't discussed it with anyone at the network. I'm still looking at the book and trying to see if there's much new here, but have been busy booking guests like Bob Woodward." 1:09:56 PM

! CRAZY Like A Fox: Will Howie Publicize A Book Critical of CNN?
A cable insider writes in with a question for Howard Kurtz: Why hasn't Scott Collins appeared on Reliable Sources to talk about 'Crazy Like A Fox?:' "Industry insiders are speculating that Kurtz is carrying the mother load of corporate water for CNN in bowing to pressure from higher-ups. They are "loudly wondering: why he has not turned his supposed "critical lens" on Collins' book?" 12:57:32 PM

CRAZY Like A Fox: "Time Warner TV Bans" Scott Collins
The New York Post says 'Crazy Like A Fox' author Scott Collins "is getting no love from Time Warner and its affiliates." Quoting Page Six: "Collins had been booked on Catherine Crier's Court TV show, but the day he was set to show up, he got a call canceling his appearance. '[Crier's producers] loved the book and wanted to do a big, big segment on it,' Collins told PAGE SIX. 'Everything looked like it was going to be great. Then, this morning, I was told the Turner Broadcasting people at Time Warner put the kibosh on the segment because of their stake in Court TV.' 12:56:01 PM

CNN Crew Detained Near Israeli Nuclear Plant
A CNN crew was detained and their tape was confiscated after apparently attempting to videotape an Israeli nuclear reactor this afternoon. "The four-strong team was detained at around 5 P.M. Tuesday after apparently attempting to shoot footage on a road to the right of the reactor," Haaretz reports. "A spokeswoman for CNN told Haaretz that the four were not trying to film at the plant, but had mistakenly crossed into a secured area." A nuclear whistleblower is being released tomorrow; they were preparing a report about him, the crew said. Update: CNN released this statement to CableNewser: "This was nothing more than a misunderstanding and the matter is fully resolved." 12:41:13 PM

Remembering "Terror in the Rockies"
Five years ago today, the word Columbine was added to our collective vocabulary. (FOX called it "Terror in the Rockies.") Dusty Saunders says the cable news networks will concentrate their coverage on the "6 p.m. memorial service and the 7:30 p.m. vigil." (Those are mountain times; it'll be primetime on the east coast.) Watch for the narratives today, and the reaction pieces: Interviews with parents of dead children (sometimes promoting a book); "are schools safer now?" packages; "could it have been prevented?" questions... 12:04:13 PM

Will The Cablers Air SCOTUS Audio Feed?
An e-mailer says: "It's going to be interesting to see which nets (if any) air the audio feed of today's oral arguments before the Supreme Court. It is a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the nations most important judicial body." The court is discussing "enemy combatants" at Gitmo today... 10:03:29 AM

Koppel: Don't Go Live For Live's Sake
Ted Koppel criticized cable news networks in a RTNDA Q&A; today. LostRemote quotes him: “We act as though because live satellite news is possible, it is a mandate. The problem is that when you go live you need even more background and experience on the part of the reporter than if you have some time to put together a story on tape. Often what I see owes more to the marvel of technology than to journalism." (Props to Cory and Steve for excellent coverage straight from the strip...) 7:32:31 AM

An Obligatory Post Complaining About MSNBC:
From TVSpy: "MSNBC is just pitiful. Criticizing it is like complaining about the weather. An example, last week the daytime crew acted as if the season finale of "The Apprentice" was a news story. Not just a news story, but a BIG news story. Here we are in a war spinning out of control, Israel shooting rockets down narrow Palestinian streets, terrorists vowing revenge against Israel... a presidential election with the nation about evenly divided, and the news channel MSNBC thinks Donald Trump is the big story of the day." 7:31:22 AM

Guess What The Topic of Lou Dobbs' Book Is?
CNN outsourcing-basher Lou Dobbs has signed a deal to write a book about the issue. "Exporting America: Why Corporate Greed Is Shipping American Jobs Overseas" is slated to be published in August by Warner Books (a TW subsidary, like CNN). It will be printed in America. There are details in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the New York Times, and the press release... 11:35:42 PM

NewsNight's New Senior Exec Producer
NewsNight finally has a new Senior Executive Producer. "We welcome Sharon van Zwieten to our world today," Aaron Brown wrote in his newsletter. "She is smart, she has experience, and most of all she gets NewsNight, what it is, and what it can grow to be. So, it is a good day around here." She has produced for CNN and ABC News... 11:35:32 PM

"Is CNN America dumbed down from CNN International?"
That's the question one WP chatter asked today. Howard Kurtz responds: "No, they're run as separate operations appealing to different audience. CNN International is aiming at countries around the world and carries a lot more international news and has a more sober tone." But the best line in the chat came later: "The American media have the attention span of a gnat," he remarked... 11:30:48 PM

! # of Media Embeds Doubles In 2 Weeks
"The number of journalists embedded with U.S. military units in Iraq has more than doubled over the past two weeks," John Cook writes in the Chicago Tribune today. 51 journalists are embedded in Baghdad, Fallujah, and Ramadi, according to a Pentagon spokesman. "...It has gone up quite considerably over the past two weeks," Capt. David Romley told the paper. "It had been hovering at 23 or 24 since May." 3:11:41 PM

Comparing Cable Coverage of Bush & Kerry
NRO's Corner offers three complaints about Howie's analysis of Bush/Kerry cable coverage. They say the study period was terrible -- "Kerry took eight days of vacation and the media took a rest from Democrat coverage." They also blame a "scrutiny imbalance;" and "what reporters say." "Hasn't [Bush] also received about ten times as much criticism and negativity?," they ask. (Thanks Cableguy) 3:10:02 PM

Harrigan to Iraq: "I could feel the energy and excitement pour in"
FOX's Steve Harrigan is heading to Iraq, and he can't wait. "It was a brief note in the computer, headed 'Travel,' and it was what I was hoping for — a request to go to Iraq...I watched myself, and I could feel the energy and excitement pour in. I felt like pumping my fist." He writes more on his blog... 3:01:10 PM

! Journos in Iraq "in much greater danger" now than ever before
Newsweek correspondent Melinda Liu talked to Wolf Blitzer about the dangers of reporting news in Iraq this afternoon. She said journalists thought the three-week "war" last year would be the most dangerous period, but "now, a year later, we're in much greater danger just working and moving around the city, if we dare to." She said it has forced reporters to change their way of working. Quoting: "On one occasion there was a lockdown in the two major hotels...so that the coalition itself had to make arrangements to convoy journalists to the green zone just to [get to] the daily press briefing." Liu said a lot of people are requesting embeds with military units... 12:47:07 PM

Media Notes: Missing Persons & Lots of Hats
> One of ABC's Note developments to watch this week: "Will the cable nets be swayed/pressured by today's Howie Kurtz piece to give John Kerry more 'air' time?"
> "Whenever someone vanishes, I confess I am not optimistic that the person will return home alive," Greta admits on her blog. "I try and be optimistic -- especially so that we can use the influence of the media to keep pressure on the authorities to keep looking -- but the odds seem to be much against it."
> "I wear a lot of hats at NBC," Lester Holt said at NAB this morning. "Never in a million years I would have imagined anchoring a network morning show. I'm exercising a new set of anchor muscles." 12:38:19 PM

Tom Brokaw's Last Day: December 1
NBC News has announced that December 1 will be Tom Brokaw's last day as Nightly News anchor. Brian Williams will take over; Reuters has details... 12:37:47 PM

TVWeek's Top 10: Zucker/Shapiro, #1
TVWeek has offered up its list of the 10 Most Powerful in TV News. Topping the list: Jeff Zucker and Neal Shapiro. "Whether the team of Mr. Zucker and Mr. Shapiro can still reasonably dream of a more competitive MSNBC...remains to be seen. But Mr. Shapiro made a bold move in installing former ABC colleague Rick Kaplan as president of MSNBC. Mr. Kaplan has begun moving pieces behind the scenes and should be able to count on discernible ratings boosts from the heat being generated in Iraq and in U.S. politics." 8:56:33 AM

TVWeek's Top 10: Roger Ailes, #2
#2 on TVWeek's 10 Most Powerful: Roger Ailes. "The cable news ratings wars are over, at least for now, and the visionary and ferocious Mr. Ailes is the undisputed winner...Mr. Ailes has largely silenced his competitors, most of whom seem to have lost interest in trying to argue with or ape Fox News...Meanwhile, Mr. Ailes continues to seek ways to expand Fox News' profile..." 8:55:08 AM

TV Week's Top 10: Jim Walton, #8
#8 on TVWeek's 10 Most Powerful: Jim Walton. "Saving CNN may come down to him. However, CNN watchers, who have become increasingly dismayed with whiplash-like changes in management and direction in the past few years, are genuinely uncertain about what is in Mr. Walton's mind. It's clear he knows how to save money by the millions, which increases the CNN profit margins and further endears him to Time Warner management. However, it's not clear Mr. Walton knows how to maintain CNN as a premier global news organization that attracts a large audience..." 8:54:33 AM

TVWeek's Top 10: Other Highlights
Other highlights of the TVWeek 10 Most Powerful list:
#3: Tim Russert: "combination of political instincts, a nose for news, extreme preparation, bottomless supply of energy and a dogged but respectful refusal to take a non-answer for an answer means news will be made on his show"
#4: Bill O'Reilly: "He is the best at what he does on the tube: Turning one man's opinion-whether one agrees with him or not-into terrific TV."
Honorable mention: Chris Matthews: "[He] has made it a real race for second place with CNN's 'Anderson Cooper 360'" 8:53:42 AM

NAB: Crossfire Live From Las Vegas Today
CNN's 'Crossfire' is airing live from NAB this afternoon. Its Election Express bus is located between the Central and South halls at the conference. "Guests will include the Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and Rep. J.D. Hayworth as well as Las Vegas icon, entertainer Wayne Newton," the press release says. After the show, Tucker Carlson will moderate and E.P. Sam Feist will participate in the "Covering Campaigns Correctly" panel. 8:01:50 AM

NAB: Super-blogging at LostRemote
LostRemote is promising in-depth coverage of NAB-RTNDA this week... 8:00:41 AM

Bush Dominates Kerry on Cable; But What About Equal Time?
Howie buries the lead in his Post Media Notes column: "In the daily battle for airtime, Bush has drawn more than three times as much live cable coverage as his Democratic challenger, yet another example of the advantages of incumbency." But Kurtz misses the big story: FOX's allegiance to equal-time laws. More on that in the near future... 12:01:07 AM

"Being on the cable news programs is very important"
Bush spokesperson Terry Holt in Howie's WP column: "We think being on the cable news programs is very important because people who follow politics and cover politics keep a close eye on their TVs during the day." 12:00:19 AM

Carville: More Than Just A CNN Commentator
The The NYTimes profiles CNN co-host James Carville. Commentator is just one of his many roles: He has "blended politics, entertainment and celebrity into a lucrative empire with a single product to sell: James Carville," the paper says. "His weekly appearances on 'Crossfire' add a mid-six-figure stream of cash to his income each year"... 11:57:43 PM

Quote of the day
From the New York Times review of 'Crazy Like A Fox:' "Scott Collins renders the fight for cable-news dominance as a schoolyard throw-down. CNN is the brainy scholar who oozes superiority, MSNBC is the new kid at school, endlessly trying to please, and then along comes Fox News, the loudmouth at the back of the class who trashes the rules everyone else lives by." 11:57:01 PM

Soldier Proposes Marriage Via FOX Videophone
She said yes: Cpl. Charlie Lauersdorf asked Shannon Carpenter to marry him on FOX & Friends this morning. Lauersdorf was live with Ollie North via videophone from Ramadi, Iraq. "I dont think we've ever had anyone in a combat zone, wearing a flak jacket, holding an M16...ask a lovely Texas girl to marry him," North said. Lauersdorf is scheduled to come home in September... 4:44:17 PM

Shields Apologizes For "Women talk too much"
Last night on Capital Gang, Mark Shields apologized for calling women dumb: "Last week at the end of one of our heated discussions, I interrupted my colleague Kate O'Beirne by saying something dumb and rude, namely, "women talk too much." To Kate and anyone else who was offended by my words, I apologize. In fact, scientific research indicates conservatives -- no, men talk too much." 4:40:06 PM

I Read The Reliable Source Transcript So You Don't Have To
Reliable Sources was pretty boring today. But there's gotta be something quotable, right?
Arianna Huffington: I think actually they were asking legitimate questions. There's a real contrast in the tone between this press conference and the press conference on the eve of war. You remember when everybody was so differential.
Kurtz: Just about a year ago.
Huffington: ...I think that is when [journalists] were really not doing their job.
Transcript... 4:07:57 PM

Breaking News: CNN Airs Bloody Images Of Rantisi's Body
The Rantisi news broke between 1:45 and 2pm; the cablers covered it extensively during the 2pm hour. CNN aired graphic bloody images of Rantisi's body being rushed into a hospital. Rantisi's bloody left shoulder was clearly shown, and his face was clearly visible for a second. The video repeated at least five times. Another snippet of video showed the face, arms, and chest of the dead man. The video also showed rescue workers shoving a news photographer away from the stretcher. When FOX aired the video at 2:48pm, they edited out the part with the body... 3:05:49 PM

Breaking News: Rantisi or Sjodin? And Media Notes...
Let's watch and see what story gets more attention: Will it be the discovery of Dru Sjodin's body, or the assassination of Aziz Rantisi? CNN appears to be spending the most time on Rantisi; FOX has spent a bit more time on Dru. Carol McKinley was on FOX after speaking to Dru's boyfriend. Other notes: At 3pm, FOXNews.com and MSNBC.com led with the Hamas story, and put Dru below; CNN.com still didn't have a story on the N.D. student // When the FOX anchor was tossing back to Mike Tobin for analysis about Aziz Rantisi, he called Tobin "Mike Rantisi" // Saeb Erakat was on the phone with CNN by 2:45pm... 3:05:37 PM

Breaking News: Should MSNBC Tell Viewers To Watch CNN/FOX?
One IM says that "MSNBC has its news priorities straight today: "Everyone else is running with the Dru Shodin news flash...but MSNBC is staying with the assassination in Gaza, it even has the NBC Tel Aviv Reporter on the phone." But people at TVHeads are not impressed: The channel started airing a H&L; repeat about Sylvester Stallone. Robert suggests that Witt should have said "for more info on this breaking story, tune in to Fox or CNN, since we don't have the resources to continue coverage." 3:04:15 PM

Media Safety in Iraq: "A time when journalists are really tested"
From the Financial Times: NBC News prez Neal Shapiro says that the current Fallujah pool arrangment exists to "minimise the danger [and] maximise your ability to get the news out." He adds: "This is a time when journalists are really tested. And at a time like this, I'm proud that we're not letting our competitive pressures get in the way of covering the story." 10:57:42 AM

Media Safety in Iraq: "Minimize exposure, minimize risk"
CNN's Eason Jordan is quoted in an FT story: "Under normal circumstances, the television networks are tenacious competitors...[but]...so many journalists are being targeted there, we thought it was essential among the networks to minimise exposure, minimise risk and try to do everything we could to keep our people alive." More... 10:56:19 AM

Sunday on MSNBC: Special Analysis of 9/11 Hearings
Genius: "MSNBC will present special analysis of the 9/11 commission hearings, Sunday, April 18, 12-4 p.m. (ET). MSNBC anchor Chris Jansing hosts this special afternoon, with an expert panel that will listen to key testimony given over the past several weeks and provide in-depth analysis on how this testimony could affect the findings of the commission." Here's the press release with names of guests and the testimony they will talk about... 12:59:15 PM

"The Wives:" Howie Gets Around To It
Howard Kurtz finally writes about "the wives:" "By speaking out against the Bush administration, several of these women -- dubbed the 9/11 Widows -- are being denounced on talk radio and some Web sites as partisan hacks." 12:57:03 PM

FOX Producer Joins 'Star' Tabloid
"Hard-charging" FOX producer Eric Spinato is changing platforms. Star Magazine has hired him to improve their "reporting." "I'm not a yeller and a screamer, but I am aggressive and I want people to think out of the box and be assertive," he told the NYPost... 12:50:07 PM

"Young, white, female, attractive:" Guidelines For Missing Persons Stories
David Folkenflik wonders why missing persons stories only focus on those who are "young, white, female and attractive." "It's not as if there's a cabal of cable news guys sitting around and anointing them," MSNBC's Mark Effron, vice president for live news programming at MSNBC says. More in the Sun... 9:17:26 AM

MSNBC.com Didn't Trump The Trump Finale
LostRemote says MSNBC.com did a good job covering the Apprentice finale: "Instead of spoiling the winner on the home page, MSNBC producers included a picture of Donald Trump and a link with the words, 'And the winner is...' A fair warning for those of us on the left coast." 9:09:40 AM

Bin Laden, Fad Diets, & Cable News
Rantingprofs notices something strange: "Ever since November of 2002 I have been tracking with a colleague an odd and incontrovertible fact: if there is an al Queda threat, then cable news will either announce a new diet, or present an in-depth analysis of an old one." Debbie offered an "in-depth examination of the South Beach" diet tonight... 12:39:55 AM

"Paula Zahn Then" and "Larry King Taped"
"At 2am Thursday CNN International came on with a Breaking News alert about a purpoted bin Laden tape," a tipster writes in. "CNN in the US took the feed of the lovely Euro anchor. MSNBC ran their regurgitated Deborah Norville and the same with FNC running Hannity & Colmes. The Breaking News update lasted 5 minutes. CNN j-i-p a Paula Zahn rerun at 2:05 am." He says he doesn't understand the program names: "Paula Zahn NOW is really THEN when it reruns twice. Larry King LIVE should be LKL TAPED when it airs the second and third times each overnight. And if Anderson Cooper is trying to get a young audience, then CNN should program his replay show against Conan, The Late Show, and Jimmy Kimmel." 6:43:56 AM

"The Wives:" More Reactions
> Oliver Willis e-mails Chris Matthews and CC's me: "Please continue to showcase the 9/11 widows and their strong story of determination and perseverance. After months of Peggy Noonan's fawning idolatry of Bush, it's refreshing to have someone with more than talking points to share."
> Brace: "After Chris Matthews' formal adoption of the widows...I have stopped watching the Show. Matthews is a Sock Puppet for Kerry."
> Robert Cox's CNBC appearance was delayed/postponed/...
> A NationalDebate commenter: "Matthews is treating these people very differently than almost every other guest"
> "I find it hard to believe that MSNBC cannot find at least 4 'widows' who think Bush is doing a good job," Jerry says... 1:16:15 AM

Why Aaron Brown Invites The "Competition" Onto Newsnight
Aaron Brown commented on coverage of Iraq in his newsletter Wednesday. "Reporting [the Fallujah] part of the story has been very hard because it is simply not safe to send our folks out there," he writes. "It has left us at themercy of others, which is never especially comfortable." Newsweek's Rod Nordland was on the show tonight. "I am asked, from time to time, sometimes by our own reporters, why I like having reporters from other agencies on as guests. I like the perspective. No one reporter can see it all and talk to everyone. The more voices we offer, even if some disagree, the better off you are. Iraq is an extremely complicated story, and that is especially true now, so we will continue to offer you a variety of voices and hope it is more helpful than confusing." 1:10:48 AM

EXCLUSIVE: Or Not...
Mark has an exclusive report: "Watching Chris Matthews tonight, I saw an interview with Congressman James Sensunbrenner. Across the top of the screen was superimposed "EXCLUSIVE." But just an hour earlier I saw the Congressman being interviewed by Brit Hume on Fox. So what made the Matthews interview "EXCLUSIVE"? I guess you could say it was the only interview of that Congressman conducted by Chris Matthews, but by that definition every interview of anyone by anyone would be EXCLUSIVE." 1:01:12 AM

The AP Reviews Kathie Lee's F&F; Fun
The AP has a brief write-up of Kathie Lee Gifford's stint in the FOX & Friends anchor chair. It really doesn't say anything exciting... 12:23:18 AM

FOX Triples CNN Ratings During Bush News Conf.
FOX ratings spiked last night, when the channel recorded over 5 million viewers and tripled CNN's ratings, a FOX P.R. rep said this afternoon. FOX averaged 5,156,000, compared to CNN's 1,740,000 and MSNBC's 867,000. The rep also noted that FOX's 25-54 demo beat CNN's total viewership: FOX averaged 1,938,000 in the age range, while CNN had 489,000 and MSNBC had 289,000. 4:47:59 PM

Media Safety in Iraq: "Every day we're beefing" up security, Engel says
USA Today quotes NBC Baghdad correspondent Richard Engel on security precautions in Iraq: "Every day we're beefing" up security, he says. "Every day we meet to think about ways to improve it.'' When he travels: ''I'm more organized about where I'm going, how long I'll be out, what route.'' Engel says he misses eating kabobs in Fallujah. More... 2:28:21 PM

Harrigan Blogs About Creating Packages
Steve Harrigan did a brief hit from Islamabad on FOX today, talking about madrasas. He has a package about it slated to air on Special Report tonight. In this must-read blog entry, he describes packages vs. live shots: "There is less writing and more talking." The video shot by cameraman Mal James is fascinating; I bet the fact that the camera seems unobtrusive is one reason why he was allowed to film something that is typically off-limits... 2:27:37 PM

Where Do Chunks Of Newspaper Text Go To Die?
Early this morning I linked to a WP story that described the seating chart Bush uses at news conferences. But then a funny (disturbing?) thing happened: Campaign Desk noticed that the Post description no longer existed. "...Unless you were reading the early edition of today's Washington Post online soon after midnight, are a Cablenewser reader, or live in one of a handful of cities that picked up the early version of the Milbank-Allen piece (like Seattle or Palm Beach), you missed an illuminating nugget," CJR concludes... 2:04:00 PM

"The Wives:" More Feedback
> David e-mails Hardball with a request for Chris and CCs me: "In the future, please show some intellectual honesty by calling 'the wives' what they really are -- "9/11 Widows for Kerry."
> Robert Cox is becoming a media star! He is appearing on Capitol Report tonight to talk about the widows.
> Anonymous comment: "I'd like to register a dissenting opinion on the 9/11 widows...I believe that the people who have written to you protesting their appearance on Hardball are upset exactly because they did such a good case of presenting their case." 2:01:00 PM

Spodek Named MSNBC CFO
Quoting the press release: "Robert Spodek has been named Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, MSNBC, it was announced today by Rick Kaplan, President, MSNBC. Spodek joined MSNBC Cable as Director of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A;) in June 2002. He has served as acting CFO since December, 2003." 1:15:59 PM

FOX's Baghdad Hotel Hit -- For The Sixth Time
"Sheraton hotel in Baghdad hit by incoming round," the FOX News Alert said this morning. As you should know by now, FOX is housed in the hotel. David Piper reported live from the camera position on the roof. "We've now had six attacks on this Sheraton over the last four months," he said. Some of the FOX folks apparently saw the missile coming in... 12:43:13 PM

Last Week's News Viewer Index
Cynopsis has the news viewer index for April 5 through 11. In total day, "Fox News had 50% of the viewing, CNN 26%, MSNBC 13%; and Headline News 11%." In primetime, "Fox News had 51%, CNN 29%, MSNBC 11% and Headline News 9%. 11:18:02 AM

Joel Cheatwood: Known For "Tabloid Style" and "Ratings Stunts"
Google "Joel Cheatwood," and you get some fun results. Quoting an On the Media transcript: "In Miami, Cheatwood made his name by using flashy crime coverage to build WSVN into the town's dominant station....In Chicago he made Jerry Springer a commentator." This story calls him the "undisputed king of trashy local news." AJC says Joel is "known for his tabloid style." B&C; calls him "controversial." He told CJR that he has "studied MTV and VH1 for ideas." Newsblues once wrote about Joel's "devotion to sensationalism and ratings stunts"... 12:18:57 AM

Joel Cheatwood: Named Program Development E.P. For Headline News
Joel Cheatwood has been named senior executive producer in charge of program development for the struggling CNN Headline News channel. GM Rolando Santos said in a memo that "I appreciate and respect Joel's unique ability to create innovative programming that has a wide range of audience appeal. I am delighted that we can add Joel's skills, energy and experience to our efforts to take HLN to its next level." More at TVWeek and TVSpy... 12:15:32 AM

Hardball Beats 360 By Over 200,000 Viewers Monday
An anonymous tipster says he thinks that Anderson Cooper's smileys are a "cute idea," but points to 360's plummeting ratings. On Monday night, Hardball beat 360 by more than 200,000 viewers (593,000 to 371,000, according to the source.) "I am not sure cute smiley faces are going to help CNN as it desperately fights for, and loses, second place to MSNBC," he says... 12:14:15 AM

Softball For The 9/11 Widows: "Same four ideological activists"
Mark writes in with reaction to today's 9/11 widow segments. Before the interview: "Chris Matthews just stated 'we're going to have the wives on tonight!' You don't have to be Miss Cleo to know they will be the same four ideological activists he has been serving up over and over again." And after: "I don't know why I keep watching. Wait a minute, yes I do...it's so I can annoy you with emails and vent my frustrations!" If anyone else feels the same way, they can e-mail feedback to [email protected]. CC me and I'll post your note... 12:10:55 AM

Softball For The 9/11 Widows: "Stop treating them like a Greek chorus"
"Out of the thousands and thousands of family members who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attack...I would be interested to hear Chris Matthews explain why he continues to book these four like-minded women who have put themselves forth as self-appointed advocates for the 9/11 families and presents them as if their views were representative of the 9/11 families," Robert Cox writes. "If Chris Matthews is going to continue to book these four women he is going to stop treating them like a Greek chorus - and more like every other guest on Hardball." 12:10:34 AM

Bush "has the seating chart before him"
At the end of the Post's A1 news conference sum-up, Dana and Mike talk about who got called on and why: "Bush has acknowledged that he calls on reporters from a list that has been prepared in advance, and McClellan was asked whether the news conference would be 'a free-for-all' or whether the president would 'handpick reporters.' 'He has the seating chart before him,' McClellan said. 'There are some that he wants to make sure to get to, and then others he can call on from the seating chart.' Asked whether there are some 'that he doesn't want to get to,' McClellan said with a smile, 'Of course not.'" It's notable that those grafs were included in the main story... 12:09:16 AM

Cable Web Sites Are On The Ball Tonight
By 8:43pm, the three cable web sites had screen grabs of Bush's intro, and a quick summary. "Bush discusses latest violence, reaffirms commitment to democracy," FOX said. "Tough Weeks," the headline on MSNBC.com said at 8:43. Two minutes later, it changed to "Must not waver." CNN.com quoted a couple of lines from the statement. The latter two sites streamed the speech live... 8:54:03 PM

It's A Presidential News Conference
Damn, we can't watch Deborah Norville tonight! The President is dominating cable tonight -- no big surprise there. CNN's coverage with Wolf Blitzer started a few minutes before 8:30. Brit Hume did the same on FOX. Chris Matthews has been going since 7pm. Kudos to CNN's graphics department for the nice lower-thirds. More like lower-fifths tonight; we're all getting a break from the ticker for an hour! 8:48:47 PM

Two Callers Beat The Bleep On F&F;
...It was a call-in segment on FOX & Friends, and the topic was Howard Stern. One caller said something about "Bush fucking Howard," and another referenced "[bleep] on Kirin's face" [think 'DNA sample']," according to posts on Free Republic and TVHeads. Don't you love live TV?... 2:09:13 PM

Greta: "Monday night was the show from hell!"
Greta's blog entry today is a must-read: "Monday night was "the show from hell!" In the end, all went well, but for us it was a juggling act." She describes challenges her team faced in stacking the show, getting guests on the air, and responding to ever-changing situations. Plus, she is giving away bumper stickers! More... 1:16:44 PM

Matthews And His Hardball Dominates MSNBC
Chris Matthews is omnipresent on MSNBC today. "We were joking this morning that we're gonna have to get Chris a port-a-potty on set," Dominic says in the newsletter. Chris was on MSNBC during the break in 9/11 hearing coverage today, and is hosting more of it this afternoon; he is hosting a 90-minute version of Hardball until 8:30 previewing the press conference; he is back at 9:30 with post-game analysis; and he is live again at 11pm with the last word today. "It's a very fluid day as you might imagine," Dominic says... 1:16:16 PM

Cablers Covering 9/11 Hearings
The cablers are airing the 9/11 Investigation hearings this morning. FOX has finally stopped calling these events "Alerts" -- now it's "9/11 On The Record." Will live coverage of the hearings continue all day?... 10:48:02 AM

Media Safety in Iraq: CNN Assignment Editor Wounded In Fallujah
CNN assignment editor Tomas Etzler was slightly wounded in Iraq today. He was part of the media pool in Fallujah covering rebellion in the city. Eason Jordan said he was wounded in the head and back, the AP reports... 11:18:28 PM

Media Safety in Iraq: Fallujah Pool Details
"ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox News Channel have agreed to share the reports of a single camera crew embedded with the U.S. military in Fallujah...The pool in Fallujah is currently made up of personnel from different organizations." Oliver North reported from the city exclusively for FOX this weekend, but his future reports will now be available to all the networks. The Associated Press has more... 11:17:12 PM

Introducing A New Feature: Mailbag
I want to start a new feature on the site. It needs your help! It's called Mailbag. I get a lot of e-mail messages, but don't always have a place to put them. That's what the Mailbag is for. Some days, it will focus on a single topic. (Today, it ponders FOX News war coverage.) Other days, it will be a free-for-all. Use the form above or this this contact page to share input.
> 04/12/04 Mailbag: "Does FOX "strengthen the pro-war preconceptions of its viewers"? 11:14:31 PM

Cooper Complains About Cable Graphics: Suggests Replacing ? With :-)
Tonight on 360, Anderson Cooper complained about question marks on cable lower-thirds: "We've been noticing more and more punctuation on TV. ...[It is] nearly always a question mark. Yeah, have you noticed? See, with a question mark you can say anything in a banner? Is the world ending? Probably not, but it sure did get your attention. We'd like to see a pause on the use of cable news question marks. Yes, in its place, we suggest a smile. Or a frown. It may not make any sense, but it sure would put a whole new face on the news." It sounded less strange on-air. Transcript... 11:11:34 PM

Mark Shields: "Women Talk Too Much!"
Mark Shields, scolding Kate O'Beirne on the Capital Gang this weekend: "Kate! Time out, Kate! You've had three times now. That's enough for you. Women talk too much!" Here's the transcript. (Thanks Henry!) 11:09:51 PM

EchoStar Threatens To Pull CNN Off The Dish
EchoStar Communications is threatening to drop CNN and other Turner channels because of a contract dispute. EchoStar says Turner is seeking "unreasonable rate increases;" the two sides temporarily extended their contract, but now the pull-the-plug threat has been renewed. Here's more from the AP wire... 11:01:12 PM

O'Reilly Asks Collins: Why Is FOX Beating CNN?
O'Reilly stroked his ego quite a bit during his interview with "Crazy Like A Fox" author Scott Collins tonight. Collins said it was "absolutely true" that FOX catered to a "nation that was disenchanted with CNN." Other highlights:

O'Reilly: "So why are we beating these guys [CNN]?"
Collins: "I think a lot of it has to do...that CNN didn't have a plan"

O'R: "Look at Larry King. We kick his butt every single night, and I'm saying well, why?"
C: "Because Larry's show hasn't changed."

O'R: "Why can't they get people who are just as provocative as we are?"

O'R: "News-stuff is not going to work in primetime."
C: "The people in Atlanta at CNN Center have a problem with that"
O'R: "So they still won't acknowledge it? They are almost in denial--"
C: "Yes, they have a problem with it." 8:59:45 PM

Note to Wonkette: Start Reading The 'Newser!
Wonkette obviously isn't reading CableNewser frequently: "Which uninterruptible cranky cable news host recently befuddled power players around town by asking them to tape congratulations for his show's not-ending-in-a-zero-or-five anniversary?," she asks. As this site said weeks ago, the answer is Chris Matthews... 8:45:52 PM

Media Safety in Iraq: Correspondents Stay Inside Hotels As Precaution
This Wall Street Journal piece says that many Baghdad correspondents are staying inside their hotels as a security precaution. Quoting FOXs John Stack: "We've told them to stay in their resident hotels and not to venture out for even midlevel stories." NBC's staff "stayed inside Friday of their own volition," and CNN reporters were asked not to leave the building that day... 4:25:49 PM

"Crazy Like A Fox:" Links and Notes
> Another author interview at I Want Media
> The Atlanta Journal Constitution has a brief write-up
> A review in the Detroit Free Press
> Henry writes in with a brief review: "Great book...well-written and well-researched...but it lacked freshness and detail."
> Author Scott Collins will appear on the O'Reilly Factor tonight. The e-mail tease calls the book "controversial" and says that the "tell-all ticked off Ted Turner!" (Thanks Mark.) 2:53:01 PM

Kathie Lee Gifford Co-Hosting Fox & Friends Wednesday
Quoting a press release from FOX this afternoon: Kathie Lee Gifford will return to morning talk television on Wednesday, April 14th (7-9 AM ET) to co-host FOX News Channel's (FNC) FOX & Friends with Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade. Gifford will revisit the morning talk show format, which made her a household name, to substitute for E.D. Hill, who is on maternity leave." (Not) incidentally, she's promoting a new CD... 2:51:40 PM

Media Safety in Iraq: Networks Pool Resources & Share Info
TV Week describes the precautions news media in Iraq are taking: "The city of Fallujah in particular has become so unsafe that network news divisions have set aside their usual competitiveness to create a pool arrangement for sharing TV images...The news organizations agreed to share information and recommendations from the private security forces that each employs." (Hat tip: Romenesko) 10:41:30 AM

"Crazy Like A Fox" Comes Out Today
"Crazy Like A Fox," a behind-the-scenes account of the cable news wars, officially hits bookstores today. CableNewser interviewed author Scott Collins last month, and excerpts from the Q&A; are online now:

"The rise of Fox News is, to me, one of the biggest stories to hit the TV business in the past decade. In just a few years, FNC has not only overtaken CNN, but also changed the very dynamics of the news business. For instance, FNC's hosted shows are now the prime time model for cable news outlets. CNN's longtime "news is the star" mantra has been deemphasized, at least in prime. Witness that network's intense focus on Paula Zahn and Anderson Cooper. You certainly wouldn't have seen that even five years ago. One could even argue that cable news nets are helping turn politics into entertainment and polarizing popular debate."

> Click here for a CableNewser Interview: "Crazy Like A Fox" 12:45:52 AM

Reliable Sources: I Watch So You Don't Have To
Taking a page from Wonkette's reader crutch, here's all the great quotes from Reliable Sources in a handy list:

Coverage of Condi:
> Steve Friedman: "I think you're going to see more and more of the breaking news relegated, if that's the word, to cable"
> Frank Sesno: "The issues and the wound are so deep, so profound, that it warranted a few hours of the country taking a break from its fake soap operas to look at this one."

Audrey Tricks The News Media:
> Liz Marlantes: "There is this new genre in cable television now of the missing girl"
> Sesno: "This is life in the live lane. OK? This is what happens." 12:10:33 AM

Does FOX "strengthen the pro-war preconceptions of its viewers"?
Business Week says that "sources of information" about the war in Iraq are one reason why the nation is split on the issue: "People who rely on Fox News as their primary source are far more pro-war than non-Fox watchers. It's no surprise: The top-rated cable news channel is relentlessly hawkish on Iraq, and its mix of information and commentary strengthens the pro-war preconceptions of its viewers." Do you agree? 12:09:37 AM

Quote of the day
Howie Kurtz (does he check his e-mail, BTW?) talks about the Veepstakes in his column this morning. Hes got a cute quote from Charlie Cook: "When you see people on television pontificating about this, it should say across the screen: 'This is for entertainment value only.'" 12:08:08 AM

Doesn't National Geographic Have Its Own Channel?
It's the weekend, so it's time to complain about MSNBC's taped programming. Quoting a TVHeader: "I love National Geographic. But they have their own channel, right? Why does MSNBC have to repeat their programs over and over on the weekends? Do they not think that news happens on the weekends? I don't get it!" 4:57:57 PM

Seeking Feedback: Coverage of the Uprising in Iraq
"One can't help but notice that you have been virtually ignoring (artfully?) the biggest ongoing story of the week..that is the violence or "uprising" in Iraq. What about cabler's coverage of this story? Isn't that important? Well it certainly looks like what is rumored is true..that you have a political agenda." Well I am flattered that there are rumors about me, but my lack of discussion about the uprising is less sinister. It's difficult to equate coverage of the story. I'd love to hear from viewers about their impressions of coverage, so send an email or use the form above... 4:57:06 PM

"It would be nice to have a real news network again"
This commenter at Political Animal begrudgingly appreciates FOX News: "Speaking of bad new[s], a confession: I get all my TV News from Fox. This is not because I like their lies, distortions and relentless propaganda, or even (only?) because I'm stupid. It's just the only news I can find. The PDB comes out and NOBODY but Fox covers it. CNN is interviewing Mel Gibson and the so called major networks sleep through it. Same deal last Sunday when Iraq was imploding. It would be nice to have a real news network again - something along the lines of the old CNN would be fine." (Rick, are you listening?) 2:41:44 PM

PDB: The Play-By-Play
A comment thread at Daily Kos has the play-by-play as the PDB was released: FOX heaped the most attention on the document in the minutes before release. "CNN returns from commercial and keeps People in the News on, for probably the 10th time in 2 weeks, while the PDB is breaking," one person complains at 5:43pm. "Am I the only one disturbed that CNN hasn't got Aaron Brown or Wolf or someone in the studio analyzing this thing?," a 6:32pm post said. FOX rolled 'News Watch' toward the end of the 6pm hour. "David Gregory is going through this item by item on MSNBC," one person writes at 6:48pm. "At least they had the good sense to pre-empt National Geographic." 7:21:18 PM

PDB: Cori Compares Cabler Coverage
Rantingprofs seems disappointed with initial coverage of the PDB release: "But Fox's panel, allegedly on until the document is out, at which point they will read it, is so delighted with the sound of their own voices, they just keep jawing. MSNBC, this being a Saturday, has some news bunny on who can barely pronounce 'al Queda' much less do more than read the first paragraph out loud. CNN is proceeding with Iraq news. It isn't on the web yet. You have got to be kidding me." By 7pm, CNN.com and FOXNews.com had the transcript online. Apparently MSNBC.com is taking the day off... 7:20:59 PM

Steve Harrigan Gets A Haircut
...And he writes about it on his blog: "...There were several men cutting hair underneath trees in Islamabad. Our man's cousin was just across the street, also cutting hair. Our man's name was Shah-ram. He charged about fifty cents for a haircut. He was unmarried and took a bus about one hour each day to get to this tree in a park in Islamabad. He commuted to his tree. It was a blackberry tree." Simple dispatches like these help people understand and respect other cultures... 7:19:33 PM

What Happened To The Media-Hyped Killer Flu?
Robert Cox in The National Debate newsletter: "MSNBC ran a 15 second story reporting that this winter's Flu Season was 'normal.' The report also noted that there had been an unprecendented surge in demand for flu vaccine at the beginning of the Flu Season. Hmmmm. Perhaps that had something to do with the news organizations like MSNBC running wall-to-wall stories on death and destruction from what was dubbed the 'KILLER FLU.'" 2:21:59 PM

"Bad journalism and bad manners" at CNN
Tom Shales cites two examples of "bad journalism and bad manners" at CNN. "If CNN doesn't clean up its act, 'Chicken Noodle News' will be too kind a nickname," he says. "'White House News Bureau' would be more appropriate." 2:20:00 PM

Rice on the Record: FOX Beats CNN & MSNBC Combined
Stunning news: More people watched FOX than CNN during the Condi Rice hearing yesterday. Reuters reports the numbers: "Fox News drew an average of 1.921 million total viewers in the period from 9 a.m. to noon ET on Thursday, ahead of CNN's 1.228 million and MSNBC's 470,000." Yes, your addition is correct: FOX beat CNN+MSNBC combined. 5:10:59 PM

And The Award For Stupidest Question Goes To...
A funny moment on MSNBC today, as described by a TVSpy'er: "2:03pm eastern today... MSNBC anchor Allison Stewart mentioned the Japanese civilians taken hostage in Iraq. She asked the MSNBC military analyst if "the Japanese military" is going to mount a rescue mission. Even the MSNBC analyst was startled, and tried to explain that the Japanese are not equipped to conduct such a mission in Iraq...Another MSNBC classic." "Keep Stewart on entertainment stuff," another person says. "She's not credible as a news anchor." 5:07:35 PM

Imus Isn't On The List
Don Imus insulted Keith Olbermann (and other MSNBC anchors) on Thursday morning. Apparently the talent is getting together on Saturday the 17th for a promo shoot. "They’re all lucky they're employed!," Imus said. So Keith responded with a tape of Imus-bashing-MSNBC soundbites, then pointed out that Imus isn't on the list for the photo shoot. "Maybe they just want you to come over here and tell us some jokes while we're in makeup, or something," Olbermann said. The transcript is here... 5:01:46 PM

Lou Dobbs: "Man on a mission"
The AP profiles Lou Dobbs' "mission:" "Every weeknight for more than a year 'Lou Dobbs Tonight' on CNN has insistently covered — and condemned — sending American jobs to other countries, aka outsourcing or offshoring. At 24-hour cable news networks, both time and opinion are in abundant supply. But exhaustive reporting on a single issue is unusual, as is Dobbs’ strong blend of journalism and advocacy." MSNBC.com gives the story the full treatment... 4:05:13 PM

FOX's Baghdad Hotel Targeted, Again
The Sheraton Hotel in Baghdad -- where FOX News is headquartered, among other organizations -- was attacked again today. CNN says that "a projectile landed near a tennis court outside the Sheraton Hotel in Baghdad, but no casualties were reported." FOX showed video of slight damage on the scene. I'm running out of fingers to count the number of times the Sheraton has been targeted... 12:54:13 PM

It's A One Year Anniversary...
Let's watch today and see how many times the anchors point out that today is the one-year anniversary of the infamous Saddam statue fall. After all, that event fit into the media narrative so perfectly -- television helped declare the war "over." But was it just the beginning?... 12:49:55 PM

Last Day For 'Save MSNBC' Submissions!
Have you submitted your suggestions for Rick Kaplan? This is the last call for submissions. I will take them until 11pm tonight. A summary of your responses (there are hundreds of them) will be posted in a few days -- it takes time to read through them all!
Click here to help save MSNBC. 10:38:51 AM

More Random Advice For MSNBC
Naples Daily News columnist Dave Taylor offers advice for MSNBC: "MSNBC should use the talent of NBC more in its morning and daytime schedule, including Tom Brokaw, Tim Russert, Andrea Mitchell, Keith Olbermann and Brian Williams...[Dump the Headliners & Legends:] How can a news network run "filler" when there is a constant world of news unraveling before our very eyes?...The format of the news would be to just deliver the information, no hype, no sensationalism, no news alerts and very little graphics...The recipe sounds like CNN at its inception. It worked once. MSNBC has nothing to lose." Well, they have .2 to lose... 10:37:07 AM

Reminiscing: "Shark attacks in Chandra Levy"
Peter Johnson quotes a couple media critics in this morning's USA Today: "With the words 'breaking news' being used in connection with shark attacks and Chandra Levy on the cable outlets, pre-empting regularly scheduled programming is the only remaining way to emphasize the importance of a story," Matthew Felling of the Center for Media and Public Affairs said. When did Peter get that quote? Felling could have said that sentence in 2001. When you're dissing the media, at least reference their flavor of the month! 10:20:47 AM

Media Demands More M.J.: More Legal Moves
An update from the AP: "An attorney for news organizations asked an appeals court to immediately lift a gag order that bars those involved in the Michael Jackson child molestation case from speaking about it publicly." More... 10:20:34 AM

Shales: "CNN had the bad taste to keep its ticker going"
Tom Shales skewers CNN and FOX in a must-read WP C1 today. It deserves two posts, so here's #1 -- Tom takes the opportunity to diss the scroll: "CNN had the bad taste to keep its ticker going even when it turned to 'news' about health, so viewers saw Rice talking about 9/11 and the horrors of terrorism while below her there were items about the efficacy of Viagra and how 'iron therapy' can relieve the 'restless leg syndrome.' Even less forgivably, CNN used the space above the ticker to promote one CNN show after another, some of them two and three times." 12:23:29 AM

FOX's "Shocker;" Wacky David Asman
Tom Shales also offers some observations about FOX: "[They] pulled a shocker after the testimony by including a genuinely (or at least seemingly) bipartisan analyst among its contributors, veteran foreign affairs expert Richard Holbrooke." Shales also references Brit Hume's analysis: "When he concluded his remarks, Hume was thanked gushingly by wacky anchor David Asman. 'What a pleasure to have you, Brit!' Asman exclaimed, as if Hume were a visiting dignitary from a foreign country." 12:22:21 AM

Beating Up On Chris Matthews, Part Two
Mark, referring to this post, notes that Chris Matthews "replayed lengthy clips of the 9/11 widows from this afternoon. I laughed out loud when they got to the part where the one started on her litany of 'we know,' and then they cut off the clip in mid-sentence just before the part where she talks about Aschroft and Willie Brown." Some of the widow comments got repeated on the AP wire. Also: Professor Bainbridge says that Chris "misrepresented Rice's testimony"... 12:17:02 AM

Seven FOX Shows Out-Rate Larry 'King of Talk'
Exclusive: I bet the folks at FOX are pleased about Tuesday's cable news ratings. Larry King -- typically one of the top primetime shows, and CNN's only show that ever creeps above a .8 or so -- was beaten by seven FOX shows. Karen Hughes was his guest, and he still couldn't score more than a 1.1 (948,000 households / 1,132,000 viewers). Compare that to O'Reilly (2.0), H&C; (1.6), Shep (1.5), Brit (1.3), Greta (1.3), Gibson (1.2), and FOX & Friends (1.2). Daytime shows like F&F; and the Big Story have fewer households watching TV at a given moment, but they are still beating Larry. That can't possibly bode well for Mr. King... 7:51:41 PM

Tina Brown: On Religion, Terrorism, and Fashion
Tina Brown is discussing Religion in America on this week's Topic A. (A smart move by Amy and Julie: a press release previewing the show.) She will also talk to Ray Kelly and Steve Brill about defending America. And a Vogue fashion writer will talk about her new book, to cover all the bases. Will her ratings start inching higher? 7:50:34 PM

Quote of the day
Rantingprofs: "How do you know combat in Iraq is getting intense? Media outlets have brought back the deathwatch story. What, you ask, is the deathwatch story? Simple. Send reporters to stake out the main gate at a base that has deployed a large number of troops in a unit engaged in heavy fighting, and wait for something to go wrong...But while those reporters are waiting for something to go bad enough on the battlefield to do the, 'heavy casualties: with heavy hearts, a Marine community reacts' story, they have to do something. So they do the story, 'it's service members at war: with anxious hearts, a community waits' story." It's sad because it's true... 7:48:23 PM

Robin Meade Dominates Playboy Vote
(Never thought I'd write that headline on this site.) More than 16,000 viewers have voted in Playboy's sexiest newscaster contest. As of 8pm Thursday, Robin Meade is dominating with 36%; Rudi Bakhtiar comes in second with 21%; and Laurie Dhue is in third with 17%. The rest of the "contestants" are in single digits -- Paula Zahn has 7%, and Alison Stewart has 4%. 7:45:12 PM

Newsletters You Should Subscribe To
If you still don't receive Aaron Brown's newsletter, you are missing out on a great glimpse inside the newsmaking process: "I considered asking our bosses to let us do 90 minutes tonight instead of 60," he says today. "In the end, we made some cuts and trims and we'll bring it in on time." Here's the subscription page. (Other must-reads: MSNBC's Hardball and Countdown e-mails.) 6:03:31 PM

MSNBC: Hiring Producers, Bookers, Directors
A TVHeads post points out this job opening at MSNBC: "PRODUCERS (SENIOR, LINE, FIELD AND SEGMENT) and BOOKERS, MSNBC/NJ: seeking seasoned news professionals for future staff Dayside News openings. Email your resume to [email protected] or fax to 201-583-5819 (4/9)." And then there's all these Secaucus jobs on NBCjobs.com... 4:46:51 PM

An Open Letter To Chris Matthews
Mark writes an e-mail to [email protected], and copies it to CableNewser: "My jaw dropped when I saw one of the carefully-chosen 9/11 widows say on your broadcast this afternoon that "we know" that John Ashcroft and Willie Brown were warned not to fly on 9/11. My jaw hit the floor when you just sat there and didn't challenge any of this...The Chris Matthews I used to watch daily and admired greatly would never have allowed this kind of bilge to go unchallenged. But your personal blind spot on this issue has destroyed your news judgment." 4:45:15 PM

"We'll be back to Peterson," Cabler Says
An anonymous senior exec at one of the cable nets comments on the lack-of-Peterson-coverage story I linked this morning: "We'll be back to Peterson. There's just absolutely NOTHING going on right now. If/when the war simmers a bit and the trial starts, Peterson will be back in full force. Too many people, especially with Nielsen boxes, care about it." 12:43:33 PM

MSNBC: "The beginning of a long-overdue reorganization"?
"Daytime news managers Dave Levine and Steve Hyvonen were dismissed by MSNBC boss Rick Kaplan, in a move that many network insiders see as the beginning of a long-overdue reorganization," Newsblues says in a bombshell. "Their boss, Mark Effron, VP of daytime programming, is said to be in "delicate" ongoing negotiations to remain somewhere within the NBC organization, but will almost certainly leave his position at MSNBC soon." MSNBC denies that Effron has been removed... 12:40:21 PM

Rice on the Record
I was away from the TVs this morning. Sounds like I didn't miss too much though. Anybody have thoughts about the cabler coverage? Good? Bad? Stuck in between? Use the form on the top of the page to comment. 12:31:48 PM

Condi Follows In Dean, North, Thomas's Footsteps
Interesting lead previewing Condi's hearing in the Orlando Sentinel: "Like John Dean, Oliver North and Clarence Thomas before her, Condoleezza Rice is inspiring the broadcast networks to clear their daytime schedules." More... 8:06:00 AM

"Media stars give up on Peterson case"
That's the headline on this San Francisco Chronicle story: "What was anticipated to be a star-studded journalism affair has slowly turned into Just Another Trial, populated mostly by the same old faces from the local media. Since pretrial motions began at the Redwood City courthouse in February, there's been no Geraldo Rivera, no Greta van Susteren and no Dominick Dunne. (A few sort-of-familiar faces from CNN and MSNBC have shown up sporadically -- the celebrity journalism equivalents of free acts on the county fair concert schedule.)" 8:04:40 AM

Ted Turner Is A Star
CNN founder Ted Turner was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame yesterday. He called it "a great honor." Here's a wire story about it... 8:04:28 AM

Kerry's Interview Blitz
John Kerry isn't limited his media blitz to Neil Cavuto today. He will be appearing on Inside Politics at 3:30, according to a CNN press release. He is scheduled for an NBC interview to air on CNBC's 'News' at 8pm. But how much attention will he get in the midst of Iraq coverage and Condi countdown? 12:45:30 PM

Quote of the day
David Folkenflik quotes Bill O'Reilly's opinion of Air America: "Never in the history of the American press has one tiny enterprise gotten so much free publicity," Bill said on Monday. "The reason, of course, is that the elites want liberal bomb throwers to embarrass and defame people with whom they disagree. It's like hiring hit men and women." 12:43:20 PM

All Hell Breaks Loose: Reaction To My Rant
I received several complaints about my Iraq rant yesterday. I missed Studio B, when Shep covered the escalation all hour. Bret Baier first broke in with the story just before 3pm. One e-mailer praises Bret: "His sources were on the ground in Iraq, his reports were detailed, and his updates were often with clear and concise details through the 3 and 4 pm hours as events unfolded." CNN and MSNBC were very slow in responding.
//
"Do you want them next to the soldiers while they fight?,” one e-mailer asked me. Well yes, I do. That was embedding. Journalists should still be embedded. Their job is to report the news. They cannot do that effectively from a Baghdad rooftop. Are there security concerns? Absolutely. Security is on the minds of top executives at every network. But what news consumers need right now is information and context, and for a time yesterday we weren’t getting it. 12:06:46 PM

"Who Is Jesus?" On DVD
DCRTV Dave notes that FOX is selling its "Who is Jesus?" special on DVD. It is $19.95. He calls it the "Gospel according to Rupert;" I call it a good documentary... 12:01:27 PM

RSS Feeds From The Cablers
A reader writes in with a great question: "Can you explain why these news outfits don't offer RSS feeds of Breaking News?" No, I can't, but I wish they would. Question for techies out there: Is it possible to convert an e-mailbox into an RSS feed? I'll host the cablers' breaking news feeds... 9:09:21 AM

Tom Johnson Threatens 'Crazy Like A Fox' Author
Rush & Molloy say Ted Turner and Tom Johnson are "fuming" over "Crazy Like A Fox," a new book about the cable news wars. Johnson sounds serious: "Unless immediate corrective steps are negotiated to my satisfaction, you will leave me no choice but to file legal actions against your publisher and you personally," he told author Scott Collins. But Collins said the book is solidly sourced. Read all about it. (CableNewser's interview with the author is coming later this week...) 9:06:55 AM

Kerry Chats With Cavuto Today
Neil Cavuto will interview John Kerry today. "Among the topics to be discussed during this interview include: the U.S. employment rate; fiscal responsibility, and current spending by the Bush administration," a press release says. It will air on FOX at 4pm. 9:06:36 AM

What It's Like To Appear On MSNBC
A Stanford newspaper columnist appeared on MSNBC during the channel's spring break fixation, and writes about it this morning: "[Contessa] Brewer didn’t know what hit her," Mac Levine writes. "She had met her match. In those five short minutes, I caught the television bug. From what I hear, it’s more contagious than SARS." 9:05:13 AM

Countdown to Condi: Lots of Live Coverage Planned
Reuters says that the three broadcast networks plan live coverage of Condi Rice's 9/11 testimony on Thursday morning. Brokaw, Jennings, and Rather will be at their respective anchor desks. MSNBC plans live coverage beginning at 9am with Lester Holt; Chris Matthews will be playing Hardball at noon. (Here's the press release.) If you know what CNN and FOX are planning, e-mail me. (Big Rick has a guide to the cast of characters...) 10:46:05 PM

An Average Ratings Night
Drudge has some cable ratings for Monday, April 5. O'Reilly received only a 1.9 rating last night; H&C; and Shep tied for second with 1.4 each, and Brit had 1.3. Greta rounded out the FOX slate with a 0.9. Larry King also had a 0.9; Aaron Brown pulled a 0.7, and Paula Zahn saw a measly 0.4. Hardball beat her, with a 0.5; Olbermann had 0.3, while Miller, Norville, and Scarborough each had 0.2. 10:45:52 PM

The Anchor Responsibility: "One of those important nights"
Quoting Aaron Brown's newsletter: "As you can tell, this is one of those tough nights. The news is hardly uplifting. It is also one of those important nights where the program is tested." Do all news anchors think in that way? I hope so. It is an important night... 10:45:19 PM

All Hell Breaks Loose: And The Media's Caught Off Guard
The CNN lower-third tells me that "U.S. Marines move into Fallujah, under heavy fire." There are "reports" that coalition troops are under attack. Then why the hell are you airing Crossfire? Walter Rodgers was finally live from a rooftop at 5pm. Unacceptable. At 5:01 on FOX, Bret Baier reported "significant U.S. casualties" from an "extremely intense battle." Two minutes later, CNN's graphic said "Source: fewer than 12 coalition troops killed." Media organizations have been caught completely off guard, and they should be embarrassed. 5:03:58 PM

Quote of the day
CJR criticizes NBC's ad critiquing: "...Notice how NBC relied on two outside 'experts,' Jackson and Goldstein, to critique the ads, rather than simply doing it themselves. Call us crazy, but we thought it was the job of the news media itself to help viewers make sense of campaign rhetoric. By getting outsiders to do it for them, NBC distances itself from the criticism, suggesting the network isn't entirely comfortable with questioning the campaigns' veracity so flatly." 4:50:59 PM

FOX's Average Vs. CNN's Cume
NPR's 'On the Media' takes a look at FAIR's report on the FOX/CNN ratings game. Steve Rendall came on the show to talk about it: "I expect that Fox will surpass CNN at some point in cume, but that will not necessarily mean that they'll bring in more ad revenue, because Fox will still have a core viewership made up of those heavy viewers that are not as attractive to advertisers," he says. Here is the transcript. (Hat tip: Romenesko) 4:48:38 PM

Jeopardy: Ashleigh (Or Ari) Beat Aaron Brown
Wonkette has a source inside the Jeopardy media-types show taping: One episode was "Ari Fleischer against Ashleigh Banfield and Aaron Brown, and let's just say the always confident Aaron Brown was not happy with the final results. Tim Russert also lost his round. As for Ashleigh, the biggest loss for her was having to be introduced as "a television journalist'...Jeopardy's publicists told me NBC also nixed her right to be associated with the network for Celebrity Jeopardy." She hasn't been picked up by anyone yet?... 11:14:29 AM

Tina Brown Just Can't Rate
Tina Brown simply cannot find an audience for 'Topic A.' On Sunday night she scored a measly 0.2, with 154,000 households and 174,000 viewers tuning in. (I wonder how many of those viewers are in NYC?) Only 61,000 folks in the 25-54 bracket tuned in. Anderson Cooper was among Tina's guests -- apparently "proving that he can't get a rating on at least two cable networks," a cable news source says... 11:13:40 AM

"Greatest Indignity?:" O'Reilly Interviewing Hughes After King
Rush & Molloy have the scoop on "Fox's Hughes media sway:" "Did Bush buddies at Fox News pressure former White House counselor Karen Hughes to put Bill O'Reilly ahead of CNN's Larry King? King promised his audience on March 30 that Hughes would be his "special guest" the next night. Instead, the former communications director turned up on O'Reilly's show, not on King's. One source tells us that conservative cronies at Fox told Hughes...that it would be the greatest indignity for O'Reilly to follow King." A Hughes rep denies it. (Hat tip: Newsblues) 11:09:45 AM

The Booker Wars
An interesting story in the WSJ today: "Tyco juror Pete McEntegart was waiting in the 'green room' at CNN to be interviewed about the case. He thought the other two people in the room with him were CNN staffers. So he was shocked when they introduced themselves as being from ABC's 'Good Morning America' -- and asked him to commit to appearing on their show. "I was like, 'Is that illegal?' " Mr. McEntegart recalls thinking about the appearance of rival bookers inside CNN's studio." The story discusses the TV booking hunt... 11:04:14 AM

Remembering David Bloom
The site is draped in black today in a memorial to NBC News correspondent David Bloom. He died one year ago today, on April 6, 2003, in the deserts of Iraq. Share your memories of David using the form at the top of the page, or e-mail [email protected]. I will be posting messages throughout the day. Some pages to remember him by:
> His NBC biography
> MSNBC.com: "Remembering David Bloom"
> Alter: "Consummate pro with a human touch"
> BWOnline: "David Bloom's Last Ride"
> Reliable Sources: Remembering David Bloom
> Poynter: "Bloom's Colleagues Reflect on His Career, Legacy" 2:05:28 AM

1:55:00 AM

Dhue, Zahn, Bakhtiar, Stewart?: Searching for the Sexiest Newscaster
Playboy.com is searching for America's sexiest newscaster. Is it Rudi, Laurie, Robin, Paula, Alison, Linda, or one of the network women? Cast a vote in our wonderful democracy... 11:50:31 PM

Quote of the day, part two
I love this Kurtz quote about the Fallujah video from yesterday's Reliable Sources transcript: "Well, my sense was that cable TV, in particular, became particularly uncomfortable with this story on Wednesday, and by the afternoon, they broke away from Iraq and spent two hours covering the safe return of this missing Wisconsin teenager. We saw a couple of hours of dog walking around, searching for evidence. I think they thought that that was a happier story than the very disturbing news from Fallujah." 4:02:29 PM

Quote of the day
From the LA Times: "In elections past, the first question traveling reporters asked about the next night's hotel was a half-joking, 'Does it have a bar?' This season, the question is a dead-serious, 'Does it have high-speed Internet?'" There's also a couple great comments from Jay Rosen... 3:55:40 PM

Greta: Non-stop work on road trips
Greta describes life on the road: "As with all 'road trips,' we are working non-stop: traveling, working on the special and also doing the preparation for 'On the Record.' In between all that we will eat and sleep -- hopefully. The trip ends later in the week with my favorite: the red eye (which guarantees no sleep.) Yes, exhausting but still a great, great job." 3:47:44 PM

Does Dennis Miller Make You Laugh?
Dennis Miller offered some generic, typical, and generally not-funny jokes last week. An example: "The U.S. food giant Heinz tried to publicly distance itself from John Kerry this week. A spokesman said the company wants to make it clear that money from ketchup sales is not going toward the Democrat's presidential campaign, and the fact that Kerry's stand on any given political issue comes in 57 varieties is purely coincidental." Here's more "quotables," and his schedule for the next 2 weeks... 3:46:45 PM

Bill O'Reilly Feuding With G. Gordon Liddy
"Fox News Channel host Bill O'Reilly and nationally syndicated radio host G. Gordon Liddy are blasting each other in a mini-feud ignited by media libs Paul Begala and Al Franken," Newsmax says today. O'Reilly turns it into a talking points memo... 3:46:22 PM

Rick Needs Your Help: Let's Save MSNBC
We all know MSNBC needs some help. So what can the #3 news network do to improve its ratings? How should Rick Kaplan turn it around? Let's play cable news God. Submit a suggestion -- your opinion of how the channel should be improved.

I will take all the submissions, print them out, place them in a package, tie a bow around it, and mail it to 1 MSNBC Plaza. (They will be addressed to the new prez, of course.) The best suggestions will be featured on the site, as well.

Use the anonymous form below, or e-mail your idea to [email protected]. The submissions are completely confidential.

How would you save MSNBC?:

Type your suggestion here.

9:28:33 AM

Past Headline News Plans: Quiz Show and Puppets
TVWeek describes two old plans to liven up CNN Headline News primetime: "a quiz show and a topical puppet news show." The ideas are no more, but "the idea of creating programming that might help meet the goal of doubling the channel's prime-time audience is not. A CNN source said that what CNN Headline News Executive VP Rolando Santos is exploring now are projects that would have less entertainment quotient than, say, 'Larry King Live' and would fall more on the news side of the spectrum." Do I need to run a save HLN contest next?... 9:24:50 AM

What About Missing Men?
Tim Cuprisin admits: "Demographics play role in abduction coverage." He has a column in the Journal-Sentinel on the subject: "Even with the addition of a reported February attack, this story was as bizarre as any other missing person case. No more, no less. But it's part of TV news' continuing attempt to target a key demographic that hasn't traditionally been a consumer of news: women." USA Today also has a story about it... 8:54:04 AM

Carl Cameron: "FOX's Middle Man"
Howie Kurtz calls Carl Cameron "FOX's Middle Man." "There are always going to be critics of Fox who'll say it's too far right," Campaign Carl says, but argues that the image is outdated. He boasts about the times he has broken news about Democratic candidates, and Kurtz notes that Cameron also helped break the news of Bush's DWI. Here's the quote I love: "I know I'm supposed to say I've had enough of riding around on a bus, eating fast food and watching the candidate make the same speech over and over. But the truth of the matter is, I can't think of anyplace else I'd rather be." 12:53:41 AM

Covering Kobe: $20,000 A Day For NBC
AJR also describes the expenses the networks swallow to cover big-time trials: "For the preliminary hearing, NBC, which supplies MSNBC and CNBC as well as the traditional broadcast network, employed 24 people. Through peak periods of coverage, it is spending more than $20,000 per day to report on Bryant's legal travails, according to one source." It says the channel brought more than 2,000 feet of cable to Eagle... 12:52:57 AM

Covering Kobe: The Media Consortium
The April/May edition of the American Journalism Review describes the media's focus on trials, and has a couple notable clips. It describes a media consortium established for the Kobe case: "The news outlets brought in a trailer to serve as a listening room, with air conditioning and heat, so members without courtroom seats could follow testimony. They also negotiated to bring in power and phone lines to the site, rented portable toilets and arranged for a trailer to serve as a media workroom during the trial. Consortium members were assessed $500 to cover expenses from January through May. Parking in the dirt lot was an additional $100 per day, per satellite truck. By mid-February, 47 news organizations planning to regularly cover the case had joined. They had little choice--if they didn't pay, they wouldn't be able to use pool video, the listening room or other consortium resources." 12:51:34 AM

FOX Finds Out Who Jesus Is
"Who is Jesus?" That's what FOX asks in a special airing tomorrow night. Jon Scott traveled to Israel to host the show. Jennifer Griffin and Greg Burke chip in reports, too. It will air Sunday night at 9pm and 12am. Here's more information... 12:06:45 PM

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