I will be in southern MD all day and will return late tonight. E-mail me or use the form above to send in your impressions of D-Day coverage. 9:23:23 AM

D-Day At 60: Remembering The Original 'Embed'
Chip Reid reports on "the original embed" on MSNBC this weekend. "Ernie Pyle has often been called the original embedded journalist, blazing a trail decades ago that's now being followed by reporters in Iraq...[but] he moved freely from unit to unit [and] instead of being embedded for one or two months, Pyle did it for an astounding three years." "Ernie Pyle was essentially the technology of World War II," Chris Jansing said. "His words created pictures for us," Alex Witt added. Here's the MSNBC.com report... 8:54:41 AM

D-Day At 60: MSNBC Begins Coverage Before Dawn
MSNBC's 'Celebration of Heroes' commenced at 4:00am. Alex Witt anchored from Secaucus. Nicest 'live' bug MSNBC has ever had. Good music and intros, as well. It is clear that there was an investment in the programming. "Over the course of the next 48 hours we wil chronicle the remarkable courage and great sacrifice that allowed the allies to pull off the greatest invasion in history," Alex said. After six minutes (including a report from Jim Maceda in Normandy), Witt turned to the rest of the day's news (with live hits from Keith Miller in Rome and Kevin Sites in Baghdad). The most compelling moments were when they aired snippets from the NBC radio archives. Back to sleep now... 4:18:36 AM

D-Day At 60: 'As It Happened' Took Five Hours To Shoot
An insider at MSNBC writes in with a preview of this weekend: "Putting together this special two hour re-enactment special today was a bear," the source says. "It did not go exactly as planned, and what was originally scheduled to be a two hour non-stop recording of the show took about five hours of stop and start recording and a lot of taping of segments out of order." The source says it's a good show, but not as strong as he had hoped... 10:12:39 PM

D-Day At 60: MSNBC's Ghastly Graphics
TO: Rick Kaplan, MSNBC | FROM: [email protected] | SUBJECT: D-Day At 60 Graphics
Rick, the 'special' D-Day graphics that premiered on tonight's Scarborough Country are terrible. MSNBC's lower-thirds are never pretty, but these are simply embarrassing. Double the font size for the "Celebration of Heroes" header. Cut the size of the text in half. I can read it from 50 yards away. And most importantly, use the lower-thirds sparingly! Just the logo will suffice sometimes... 10:02:08 PM

D-Day At 60: Bruce Perlmutter Describes 'As It Happened'
"Television viewers may get a peculiar sense of time warp if they tune in to MSNBC on Saturday night," David Bauder writes on the AP wire today. Quoting MSNBC's Bruce Perlmutter: "One of the most interesting challenges we have is that we know how the story ended," the veteran producer says. "At what point do we have to draw the line and say, 'This is how much we would have known at this moment in time?'" 6:54:44 PM

D-Day At 60: The Reporters For 'As It Happened'
MSNBC's 'Lester Holt Live' newsletter listed the correspondents who will contribute to tomorrow's 'As It Happened:'
> Richard Engel, embedded with the U.S. 1st Army, moving inland from Normandy Beach
> Andrea Mitchell, reporting from the War Department
> Dawna Friesen, embedded with the 82nd airborne, who will be in the newly-liberated French village of St. Mere-Eglise
> NBC White House correspondent Norah O'Donnell on President Roosevelt
> Don Teague from London, where he has gained access to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's bunker
> Charles Sabine in Berlin, the capital of the Third Reich
> Tom Aspell, in Nazi-occupied Paris
> Preston Mendenhall in Moscow, reporting on the Russian Army who has been fighting the Germans along the Eastern Front for three years
> NBC military analyst and retired General Barry McCaffrey will also help analyze the war map and surrounding areas 6:32:38 PM

D-Day At 60: MSNBC's Invasion "As It Happened" Sparks Debate
The centerpiece of MSNBC's D-Day coverage is "June 6, 1944: As It Happened." The show, slated to air from 8 to 10pm Saturday (repeated from 4 to 6pm Sunday) will be a "historically correct re-telling of D-Day," anchored by Lester Holt. NBC News correspondents will "contribute reports on the invasion as if it were actually occurring at that moment in time," a press release says. They will only report the facts known in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944. It's a "living history event" -- and some of the reaction is very negative.
"Whoever came up with this should be fired immediately," a poster at MSN wrote. "MSNBC is going to be the laughingstock of cable news if they do this," another person said. "This was Kaplan's idea, and he's always trying to push the envelope," a TVSpy poster said. "I don't think this is appropriate for real journalists. Why not get actors to do it instead?" But as another TVSpyer said, "I guess MSNBC can afford to take a chance or two given its place in the ratings race."
In USA Today, Peter Johnson said Lester Holt was originally skeptical when he heard about the idea. "But now I'm kind of like, 'Gee, I can't wait to watch it to see how it turns out,'" Holt said. He says that the show is a challenge: "We're used to being all about accuracy and real time and truth. In this case, we're saying, 'Give us a little latitude, because we're going to take you through what it would have been like if we had today's technology.'" 4:01:23 PM

D-Day At 60: Cablers Plan Extensive Weekend Coverage
The cable news networks will commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day with a number of special reports this weekend. All three cable news networks will air live coverage of Sunday morning's ceremony. On CNN, Christiane Amanpour and Wolf Blitzer will co-anchor coverage from Normandy beginning at 4am. On FOX, Rick Folbaum will anchor from NYC from 4 to 6am. On MSNBC, coverage will air from 4 to 6am. Other highlights of the cabler's coverage:

MSNBC:
...Has devoted the most resources by far to the weekend coverage. The network will be live most of both days. On Saturday:
> From 2 to 4pm, two taped Tom Brokaw specials will air.
> At 6pm, Dan Abrams will "focus on the security, intelligence and secrecy leading up to the attack."
> At 7pm, Countdown will "explore five things you didn’t know about D-Day."
> From 8 to 10pm, 'As It Happened' will happen. (See separate post.)
> At 10pm, Joe Scarborough will join D-Day veterans at Normandy.
> At 11pm, MSNBC will re-air NBC's 'Greatest Generation' documentary
MSNBC's coverage on Sunday will be extensive, as well. The day's ceremonies will be shown live. A special edition of Hardball will run from 6 to 8pm. Scarborough will be on again at 10pm. Here is the press release.

CNN:
> From noon to 2pm Sunday, Late Edition will air live from Normandy. Wolf Blitzer will be joined by Walter Cronkite, among others. (Press Release)
> At 7pm Sunday, a special edition of 'People in the News' "weaves together the eyewitness accounts of a former paratrooper, a landing craft driver, a sea-borne infantryman and a ranger in an epic tale of courage and survival." (Press Release)
> At 8pm, CNN airs 'CNN Presents: Warsaw Rising.' The network calls it a "groundbreaking documentary on a little-known chapter in the war. It is hosted by David Ensor. (Details | Press Release)
> Christiane Amanpour's report on "The Fallen" will air throughout the weekend. It is about "the staggering numbers of combat death during D-Day, especially when compared with the death figures in the conflict in Iraq."

FOX:
> Sunday at 8pm, Oliver North will host a special 'War Stories,' "from the beaches of Normandy and the D-Day museum in New Orleans."
> Sunday at 9pm, Oliver North and David Asman will host an hour of highlights from the day's ceremonies. 3:46:36 PM

D-Day At 60: MSNBC's Execs "Feel Strongly About Paying Tribute"
MSNBC is planning nearly nonstop coverage of D-Day for 48 hours this weekend. Why? It's not just a ratings stunt, right? Quoting an MSNBC spokesperson in an e-mail to CableNewser: "We've devoted resources to this because it is the 60th anniversary (a very big deal!) and because our executives feel strongly about paying tribute to the men and women who contributed to one of the most important events in world history - to tell their stories of enormous heroic deeds and to help viewers learn & understand more about the detail, planning, history and execution of the Allied invasion at Normandy." 3:20:05 PM

VP Cheney on 'Kudlow & Cramer' Today
Vice President Dick Cheney will sit down for an "exceptional broadcast interview" with Larry Kudlow, to be aired at 5pm today on CNBC's 'Kudlow & Cramer.' Cheney will discuss the "current jobs report, the state of affairs in Iraq, the presidential race and election issues, and the Halliburton controversy." The press release... 2:55:40 PM

Another Voice In The Chris Matthews Chorus of Criticism
"Lately I've just had it," Cori Dauber says. "Matthews talks more than the guests do; not because he's spitting out questions but because he's laying out his answer. It seems to me that what's happened is that once he decided that the war was not just a mistake but a lie, somebody's lie, and nothing but ideology overtaking analysis, he just stopped listening. And when you stop listening, you stop learning." She says that Matthews should admit that "what he's doing isn't journalism, but analysis, advocacy, and commentary." As the ratings climb... 12:46:46 PM

Should Members of Congress Be Anchoring Cable Shows?
An e-mailer writes in: "Did you notice who filled in for Joe Scarborough last night? Rep. J.D. Hayworth. Is this the first time a sitting member of Congress has anchored a national cable news program? Haven't we crossed a line here?" Well, some would argue that the show is "commentary/opinion/news analysis." He wasn't even a very good TV host...
> Update: From an e-mailer: "This isn't the first time a sitting member has filled in -- Rep. David Drier filled in for Buchanan on Buchanan and Press once or twice." And from another: "How is this any different than them being on the other side of the desk?" 12:41:59 PM

O'Reilly Refuses Media Matters' Request For On-Air Rebuttal
Media Matters for America requested time on the O'Reilly Factor to "discuss attacks on philanthropist George Soros by host Bill O'Reilly and by [NewsMax editor] Richard Poe." Surprise! O'Reilly refused. "It is hardly 'Fair and Balanced' for The O'Reilly Factor to continue to attack Mr. Soros with no opposing viewpoint, especially after they told Media Matters for America that they would no longer be discussing Mr. Soros," David Brock says. Here is the Media Matters press release... 11:04:27 AM

China Censors CNN Coverage of Tiananmen Square Anniv.
"China's government censors have been repeatedly blacking out CNN's coverage of the 15th anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen crackdown," CNN.com reports. "Since CNN started airing a series of Tiananmen-related packages last Monday, all but one of them have been censored...Live shots by Jaime FlorCruz from Beijing and Mike Chinoy in Hong Kong, as well as interviews with guests, including Columbia University's Andrew Nathan and former U.S. ambassador to China James Lilley, have all been blacked out." 9:44:19 AM

Farewell, FOX-y Billboards: CNN Replaces Competitor's Jabs
Workers were seen erecting a CNN billboard across the street from the network's headquarters on Tuesday, replacing FOX's billboard that has taunted Atlanta CNN'ers since the spring of 1999. So in a farewell to FOX's billboard, we reprint some of their many messages and images:

> "FOX News Channel - The Network America Trusts For Fair and Balanced News" > Greta Van Susteren, after FOX hired her away from CNN > The FOX & Friends crew: "Warmer, Younger and Smarter" > "America Trusts FOX News. We Believe The Press Should Not Be a Lap Dog For Dictators or an Attack Dog Against The Country, But A Watch Dog For Everyone." (During the Iraq war, after Eason Jordan's NYT op-ed.) > "Come Home Connie. CNN Needs You" (Went up in October 2003)

Last month, the final billboard message sparked threats of a lawsuit. It said: "Now That CNN's Ratings are Gone With the Wind, Our Work on This Board Is Done. We Love You Atlanta. Brought to you by your friends at FOX News Channel. Sign Up with America's Newsroom! Forward resumes to [email protected]."
Many CNN employees regarded the billboard stunts as "childish," but admitted that the messages were very noticeable from CNN Center and the Omni Hotel. Farewell, FOX-y billboards... 12:26:52 AM

CNN: "Confirmed, accurate and clear"
BOPnews.com notices something interesting: "A little while ago Richard Quest announced that Ghazi Al-Yawer has been named the interim president of Iraq. He concluded his report with the words: CNN News. Confirmed, accurate and clear. Hmm...Is this phrase merely Quest's improvisation? Or is it CNN's trial balloon response to the growing mistrust of establishment media that is rippling through the zeitgeist?" It's not as catchy as "fair and balanced," but maybe it will catch on... 12:23:08 AM

D-Day: The Germans Would Know "Because It Would Be On CNN"
The topic of Jon Friedman's column today isn't a surprise. It considers how D-Day coverage would have been different 60 years later. He talks to Wolf Blitzer: "I would have loved to cover it -- and I hope I would have been courageous enough," Wolf says. Parade magazine GM Lamar Graham notes that "the Germans would know we were coming because it would be on CNN"... 12:23:01 AM

Media Notes: Cooper Gets Older; O'Reilly Cancels In D.C.
> Thursday was Anderson Cooper's 37th birthday. (And CNN thinks he is hip? Hire me!) "We interrupt this broadcast for a little birthday celebration and humiliation," an off-camera voice said at the end of 360. "Gentlemen, send in the clowns." A troupe of clowns sang happy birthday to Cooper.
> Chess superstar Garry Kasparov appeared with Rita Cosby on FOX last weekend, and ChessBase.com has behind-the-scenes pics
> DCRTV notes that Bill O'Reilly has cancelled his planned Friday evening appearance in D.C. "No word on why the event was axed, but we'll guess that not enough people were willing to pay the $20 ticket charge," Dave writes...
> A great headline at the Campaign Desk: MSNBC Gets Punk'd! 12:22:15 AM

Al Sharpton Joins CNBC As Commentator At Conventions
Al Sharpton will serve as a commentator for CNBC during the political conventions, the network announced today. He will appear on Capital Report, Dennis Miller, and McEnroe, and some of the weekend shows. "We are delighted to add his experienced voice to the spectrum of political voices on our network at night," Cheryl Gould said in a press release... 4:04:35 PM

Neil Cavuto's 'Common Sense:' Buy My Book!
Neil Cavuto has used his "Common Sense" analysis segment to promote his new book seven afternoons in a row.
On May 24, it started: "...You might have heard me mention once or twice, that I have a book coming out next week, entitled 'More Than Money,'" he said. On May 25, he hammered it home. "Like we've been saying, one week to the day: June 1 marks the debut of "More Than Money."
...And ever since then, every bit of Neil's Common Sense has been dedicated to shilling:
> May 26: "Like my book, and like the intriguing chapter on him in the book, he was a lot more than your typical CEO."
> May 27: "Some of you have written and asked about how I came up with the people I profile in my book."
> May 28: "I don't mention him simply because he's in my book. I mention him because he defines my book and our country. You can read about him next week and see him on this show next week too."
> June 1: "You can read about him in my book out this week appropriately enough."
> June 2: "You can read about it in my book."
On the web site transcripts, the words "my book" are linked to MyCavuto.com. Neil doesn't seem to be about 'More Than Money'... 1:59:02 PM

If Bush Stutters, Should The Media Clean It Up?
A reader writes in: "A transcript is supposed to be that... a transcript, correct? It's not supposed to be fixed up to make it seem as if the person didn't stutter, use words multiple times, etc." But compare this White House transcript with FOX and MSNBC:
The White House transcript: "George Tenet is the -- is the kind of public service you like -- servant you like to work with."
The FOX transcript: "George Tenet is the kind of public servant you like to work with."
MSNBC.com's story quotes Bush: “George Tenet is the kind of public servant you like to work with."
Later in the statement, Bush said: "He's been a -- he's been a strong leader." FOX's transcript doesn't show this, either...
> Update: From an IM'er: "I interned in a newsroom for a year, and everytime Bush came to town I transcribed the speech. I asked my supervisor if I was supposed to type 'verbatim'....They said no, don't write it like he speaks, just write down what he says." Another person writes in: "The main point in the media-clean-up-the-Bush-stutters thing is that they typically do it with everyone speaking." And from an e-mailer: "Working in radio news, we 'dump' the audio in a computer editor and 'try' to make folks sound intelligent." 1:01:55 PM

Tenet Resigns: Hello 'Flash News,' Goodbye Commercials
> It was a good opportunity for MSNBC to serve as "NBC News on cable." They pulled Andrea Mitchell in from 30 Rock, and David Gregory came on the live line from Rome. But could the network have possibly found a less flattering photo of Tenet?
> CNN International simulcasted Daryn Kagan's coverage out of Atlanta until 11:18am ET, CNNFan.com says.
> One of Wonkette's readers laughs at the 0.2 network: "[The MSNBC] bubble-headed daytime anchor mentioned the news [about Tenet] and turned to the analyst and said, "This comes out of the blue." Well, sure, maybe if you haven't been reading the papers for the last 3 years..."
> Other observations of cable coverage?: E-mail me 11:35:13 AM

Media Safety in Iraq: CNN & FOX Express Concerns At Pentagon Meeting
Representatives from more than a dozen media organizations met with acting assistant secretary of defence Lawrence Di Rita last week to discuss media safety in Iraq. They discussed "how to reduce the number of media deaths caused by US forces," The Guardian reports. CNN's Eason Jordan and FOX's John Stack attended the meeting. "The meeting was blunt and constructive and discussions will continue in an effort to heighten the safety and security of journalists in Iraq, where more than 40 news organisation employees have died since the war began in March of last year," a CNN spokesperson said. 11:31:57 AM

Media Safety in Iraq: "Terrifying World" For Journalists, Cramer Says
The Guardian piece also quotes from an interview with CNNI managing director Chris Cramer: "I think [the issue of media safety in Iraq] is at a real head now," he said. "We are looking at a terrifying world generally and particularly for journalists. All news organizations are going to have to think long and hard about the number of people in Iraq now and in the future. We are planning our coverage very much with safety in mind." 11:30:13 AM

Greta's Missing Guest, And Claudia Cowan's Cute Sandals
Greta's blog is a must-read, as always: "The show [Wednesday night] was almost uneventful," she says. "During one segment my New York producer said to me in my earpiece, 'Don't tease Gloria Allred coming up, we can't find her.'" Two producers were sent outside to search for her. A new photo essay is up, too, with pics of the box Claudia stands on for her live shots. Click... 11:16:13 AM

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?
There is no love lost between Roger Ailes and the letter-writes at Romenesko. Several letters criticized Ailes' commentary in the WSJ yesterday. "Roger Ailes has the exact same knee-jerk narcisism as Bill O'Reilly when it comes to being the target of criticism," one person wrote. "Why be surprised when demagogues resort to demagoguery?," another person stated. Here's more... 11:15:04 AM

O.J. Goes On The Record
OJ Simpson has sat down with Greta Van Susteren for an interview 'On The Record' next week. It will air for the full hour on Monday, June 7. "In a rare interview he talks to Greta about what his life has been like 10 years after the murders," FOX says...
> Update: Drudge says that Katie Couric has taped an "exclusive interview" with OJ to air on 'Dateline' Friday and 'Today' Monday. What should MSNBC do? Re-air the interview at 9pm Monday... 10:50:04 AM

Cable Web Sites Quick To Report Tenet Resignation
At 10:36am, the AP moved the alert. At the exact same minute, the three cable web sites had posted the news on a red breaking news background. CNN.com: "President Bush says CIA Director George Tenet is resigning. Details soon" // MSNBC.com: "CIA Director George Tenet has resigned" // FOXNews.com: "CIA Director George Tenet Submits Resignation"...
> Update: At 10:43am, MSNBC.com had a three paragraph story, FOXNews.com had a 2 paragraph story, and CNN.com only had the headline.
> Update: At 11am, CNN.com had 7 short paragraphs and video of Bush's statement. They posted several links to stories about Tenet and intelligence skepticism. MSNBC.com had 9 long paragraphs and the video of Bush. FOXNews.com had five paragraphs and no video or links. 10:39:31 AM

Quote of the day
"You may hate Fox and never watch it, but Fox has done you a great service," Cori Dauber writes today. "Mainstream outlets...have for decades maintained a monopoly on defining the news for us," she says. And it hasn't been apparent that the frame is a choice. "The fact that Fox provides a different set of stories and a different frame for the stories they cover in common with other outlets means that whether or not you agree with Fox's frame, suddenly the gig is up: the fact that frames are the product of a choice cannot be hidden." 9:44:39 AM

Olympics or Countdown? Keith Olbermann Chooses The Countdown
Exclusive: Last year Keith Olbermann was named as one of the lead cable hosts for NBC's Olympics coverage this August. But that was before Countdown premiered on MSNBC, and way before executives noticed the show's ratings were beginning to improve. "During the Games, Olbermann will remain on 'Countdown,' which is gaining traction and has an opportunity during the Olympics to increase its audience," NBC announced today. So the next question is obvious: Was it Keith's choice?
So I asked him. "This was a completely mutual decision, we've been pondering it for over a year, and I think I brought it up first, but that's almost irrelevant," Olbermann said in an e-mail today. "What matters here, I think, is that this is tangible evidence of the commitment to Countdown by MSNBC and NBC, and the commitment to MSNBC by NBC. I wish I could be in both places at once, but I can't; but I am delighted that everybody in the process could get together and jointly and in the best possible spirit, prioritize." 9:11:00 PM

CNN Sues FL; Calls Dept. of Election Decision 'Unconstitutional,' 'Irrational'
CNN officially filed suit against the Florida Division of Elections today, demanding access to a list of potentially ineligible voters. Quoting the AP: "The list is of interest to journalists because of the potential for mistakes. CNN said 'there is enormous public interest in scrutinizing the potential disenfranchisement of such a large pool of citizens in what portends to be a closely contested presidential race.'" But the state says they need to protect the integrity of elections and the privacy of voters...
> Friday: CNN files suit 8:07:24 PM

May Ratings: Matthews Momentum: Pictures From The Party
Photographic proof of the Hardball party: An attendee sends over these photos of the T-shirts they made yesterday. "Chris wore some sporty sunglasses and waxed philosophical on the show and its future," the Hardball newsletter said today.
> More photos: The front and back of the shirts
> Wonkette has a photo of the intern-made banner! 7:39:29 PM

May Ratings: Compared To FOX, CNN Loses Less Audience
Compared to last year, CNN has maintained more of their total audience than FOX "every hour of the day," the network said today. In other words, when you compare CNN and FOX's total # of viewers for May 2003 and May 2004, CNN has lost less viewers. Let's take the 2:00 to 3:00pm hour as an example. In 2003, CNN averaged 587,000 viewers that hour. In 2004, that dropped to 477,000. That's a decline of 19%. FOX had 950,000 that hour last May, and averages 694,000 now. That's a decline of 27%. Crossfire, Wolf Blitzer Reports, and Lou Dobbs Tonight have gained viewers year-to-year, the P.R. points out... 6:46:36 PM

May Ratings: 61 Million Watched CNN In May
CNN is still #1 in the CUME (Total Unique Viewers) each month, the channel noted in a press release today. CNN averaged a 14% lead over FOX and a 34% lead over MSNBC among persons 2+. According to projections from the network, CNN reached over 61 million viewers in May, compared to 53.5 million for FOX and 45.8 million for MSNBC. (Headline News had 40.9 million and CNBC had 28.1 million.) 6:46:30 PM

May Ratings: FOX & Friends Losing Viewers: Down 45% In 25-54
"There appears to be a hairline crack in the fortress" that is FOX News, an industry source tells CableNewser. "FOX & Friends is down the most of all the morning shows and posted a staggering loss of 45% (year-to-year) in the key 25-54 demo. While the show still handily beats CNN, FOX & Friends was nipping at the heels of CBS's Early Show just a year ago." And the numbers are being noticed. "Fox executives are not happy with the latest direction of the show and voiced their concerns in recent days," the source adds. As their commercials point out, though, the show still beats CNN and MSNBC in the morning, combined... 3:35:49 PM

May Ratings: Chart of #'s For Each and Every Show
A chart of May ratings data (PDF) demonstrates a slight ratings decrease for most shows compared to April. (But keep in mind that month-to-month data tends to ebb and flow along with the news cycle.) FOX continues to keep its firm grip at the top of the chart...
> Compare the data to: February '04 show data | 1st Quarter '04 show data | April '04 show data (PDF's) 3:15:35 PM

May Ratings: FOX Increases Viewership Advantage Over CNN
When this year’s data is compared to 2003, FOX has increased its total-day viewership advantage over CNN by 24%, a press release today said. Quoting: "For the year 2004 to date, FNC enjoys a 78% viewership advantage over CNN, up 24% from its 2003 viewership advantage in Total Day. FNC is averaging 818,000 viewers in Total Day for 2004 to date vs. CNN’s 459,000 viewers." In primetime, the advantage has increased 18% vs. 2003. This chart from FOX (Word document) has all the #'s... 3:14:46 PM

May Ratings: MSNBC's Conundrum; Countdown's Improvement
"What's MSNBC going to do?," Mark asks in an e-mail. "Their only semi-successful show is Hardball, but it doesn't air in traditional ‘primetime.’" He suggests that Hardball could be moved to the 10pm slot. (Or be repeated there?) Also: Are Countdown’s ratings slowly improving? In the first quarter of ‘04, Countdown averaged 243,000 households. In April, it averaged 259,000. In May, that number rose to 276,000… 3:12:58 PM

May Ratings: Dennis Miller's Sinking Show
Dennis Miller’s 9pm CNBC show is still at the bottom of the ratings charts -- and it dipped lower last month. In April, Miller averaged 211,000 households, 263,000 persons age 2+, and 105,000 persons 25-54. In May, the show slumped to 132,000 households, 175,000 persons age 2+, and 66,000 persons 25-54 – declines of 30 to 40%... 3:11:24 PM

May Ratings: Primetime: 56% FOX, 32% CNN, 12% MSNBC
Quoting FOX's press release: "In the last month, FNC averaged 1,258,000 viewers in Prime Time, while CNN had only 32% of the cable news pie with 727,000 viewers. MSNBC brought up the rear with only 12% of viewers in Prime Time with 283,000 viewers." FOX has 10 of the top 11 shows in cable news. Larry King fell to fifth place, from fourth last month... 2:34:18 PM

CNNfn Anchor Impressed By New NYC HQ
I Want Media interviews David Haffenreffer, the anchor of CNNfn’s "The Biz." He described CNN’s new Columbus Circle headquarters: "Our new home at Time Warner Center is great. During our initial tours of the new facility we were told that CNN had never before built studios from the ground up. Needless to say, they made the most of it. The set for "The Biz" looks right out over the southwestern corner of Central Park. The view looks so good it almost looks fake..." 2:17:08 PM

FOX Confirms Shep's Contract Renewal
FOX confirmed the Shep Smith re-signing in a press release today. Quoting John Moody: "Shepard has a nose for news that is virtually unsurpassed in television today. He’s that rare individual who senses a developing story and who knows how to tell it in a way that makes for fun and exciting viewing for his ever growing audience." 1:56:26 PM

Peterson Media Circus: "Redwood City Bureau" Photos
Greta offers some photos of the temporary "Redwood City Bureau" on her FOXNews.com blog. Her set is on a rooftop across from the courthouse and jail. She says FOX is renting space from a law firm at night to broadcast the show. Here are the pics of tent city... 11:13:05 AM

Peterson Media Circus: Tents And Lights Litter Rooftops
"Every...media outlet with any sense of news has set up shop and settled in for the trial of Scott Peterson," Adam Housley writes in a FOXNews.com Reporters Notebook. "Within two blocks [of the courthouse] several two-story flat-topped generic office buildings are speckled with tents, platforms and lights. Makeshift railings fence people several feet from the edge. The overlook has already become familiar and will no doubt become tiresome as the trial extends well beyond summer, and as some speculate, possibly through winter." 10:53:14 AM

Peterson Media Circus: Locals Look For Star Anchors
Local residents stopped by the Redwood City Courthouse hoping to spot Dan Abrams or Greta Van Susteren, the San Mateo County Times says. "Condit pulled out about the same amount of media attention as this," one onlooker said. The paper says that "out of the public's view Tuesday were 50 to 60 journalists elbow-to-elbow in a remote room above the County History Museum, furiously taking notes as they listened intently to an audio feed of the opening statements." Journalists rolled their eyes and scoffed at the prosecutor's opening remarks... 10:51:59 AM

The Brian Behind The Blog: "Media Critic, 18, Praised By Industry"
The Baltimore Sun describes my web past and journalism future:

"Stelter's great hope is to become a multimedia reporter - someone who can report online, on television, and then in print. "If I've proved anything over the past five months, it's, in the words of the cliché, that age is just a number," Stelter says."

> Baltimore Sun: 'Writing Beyond His Years'

> Interview with Jobseekers Revenge: MP3

> My online portfolio | Contact me   9:39:23 AM

Shep Stays With FOX For Four More Years
Shephard Smith has renewed his contract with FOX News. Variety has the scoop; they say he has re-upped for four years. "This year marks the fifth-year anniversary of Smith's 'The Fox Report,' which has dominated the 7 p.m. cable news timeslot for 32 consecutive weeks," the site says. (Actually, it's been 32 months.) CableNewser hears that a press release about the renewal will be issued later today... 9:38:01 AM

Ashleigh's Wedding: Only Five Gifts Purchased So Far!
"Are Ashleigh Banfield's wedding guests wondering if she'll actually walk down the aisle this time?" That's what Lloyd Grove wonders in the NYDN today. He notes that "with only weeks to go, invitees have purchased only five of the nearly 100 items she's requested" on her online gift registries. "Guests might be forgiven for taking their sweet time," Lloyd says. "In the fall of 2001, Banfield got engaged to her then-producer, Drew Nederpelt, only to call it off by the following summer." 9:37:35 AM

John Carroll Owes FOX An Apology, Ailes Says
Roger Ailes responds to John Carroll's "attack" on FOX News in a Wall Street Journal commentary today. "Mr. Carroll obviously did not feel particularly restricted by facts, truth or sources," Ailes says, and lists a number of FOX "firsts and exclusives." "He owes the fine journalists at the Fox News Channel an apology for his insulting comments. However, we will never see that. He treated Fox News Channel worse in his newspaper than he treated the terrorists who recently beheaded an American. But of course, he sees Fox News as more dangerous." (Hat tip: Romenesko) 9:36:04 AM

Matthews Momentum: Chris Credits Haddad & "Black-Belt Bookings"
Chris Matthews explains why he thinks Hardball's ratings have beat 360 the last two months in the Philadelphia Inquirer today. "The show has a lot more energy," he says. "We've got more black-belt bookings. There were a few months when we had on terrorism experts night after night." He credits E.P. Tammy Haddad ('Tammy Why Not?') for the "surge" in viewers. Gail Shister notes that the show is receiving "big-time promotion" thanks to Rick Kaplan... 9:30:09 AM

Matthews Momentum: Hardball's Pool-Side Party
Exclusive: CableNewser hears that the D.C. Hardball team celebrated its ratings success on the rooftop of the New Jersey Ave. Holiday Inn today. "There was a little party for the DC staff by the pool," a source says. They ate cake, made a banner that says "Hardball Beats CNN," and distributed T-shirts that said "Hardball Beats CNN April .04" on the front and "Hardball Beats CNN May .04 (Because once is never enough)" on the back. Chris and E.P. Tammy Haddad congratulated the group... 9:03:24 PM

Matthews Momentum: Hardball Beats 360, Second Month In A Row
Hardball beat Anderson Cooper 360 in total viewers and households for the second month in a row, MSNBC announced today. In May, Hardball averaged 506,000 viewers, compared to 457,000 for 360. "Hardball continues to grow, averaging 6% more total viewers for May '04 than April '04, and 15% more total viewers 2Q to date over 1Q,"
the press release says.
> UPDATE: While MSNBC can (and will) herald its second place spot, it's worth noting that Shep's FOX Report still beat all the other cablers combined. He averaged 1,244,000 viewers. Notably, CNBC's Capital Report averaged only 68,000... 5:08:35 PM

Mailbag: Today Is The Birthday Of Cable News
A few interesting responses to my call for CNN anniversary messages. "There is not another news organization like it," one person writes. "CNN has 'been there' when no other news outlet has and brought home many life changing events 'live' into the living rooms of folks all across the globe."
> Mailbag: Happy birthday messages for CNN 4:42:26 PM

More Promos For "More Than Money"
DCRTV Dave writes in with a jab at his pal Neil: "There's a rumor that Neil Cavuto may just try to squeeze some business news into his 4 PM FOX News show today -- amid the self-promos for his new book." More Than Money comes out today. On 'Your World,' Neil profiles "one of his personal heroes," CEO John Duffy. 3:17:54 PM

Paula Zahn In NYC's Olympic Torch Relay
Paula Zahn will run with the Olympic Torch in NYC, CNN announced today. She will be among the 135 torchbearers on Saturday, June 19. She ran the Atlanta leg of the 2002 torch run, as well... 3:16:38 PM

FOX Is About Terrorism, MSNBC Is About Laci Peterson
Rantingprofs rants: "I've made the argument before that while everyone knows Fox tilts right the reason it's winning the cable ratings wars is by being the news network that openly structures its coverage as though the nation were at war..What's the central focus of Fox during the 9 o'clock hour so far? They're mentioning The Apprentice, celebrity pregnancies, and all the rest of the nonsense fake news -- but they're about al Queda. MS is about the Scott Peterson trial." 3:16:17 PM

Peterson Media Circus: Day One
So Scott Peterson's trial begins today, as the cable news networks are reminding us constantly. Let's watch and see what channel decides to milk the story the most. CNN promised "live coverage of Day 1" on American Morning. And MSNBC.com says that the Abrams Report will be on top of it. "Dan Abrams takes you inside the courtroom— and tells you what you can expect," the site says. I highly doubt he will literally take us inside the courtroom... 8:59:51 AM

O'Reilly Vs. Canada: House of Commons Gets FOX
The FOX News/O'Reilly/Canada spat continues this morning with a story in the Globe & Mail: "A Fox mouthpiece in New York tells me the Commons has been getting the Fox service -- free of charge -- since last August," a columnist writes. "...Fox, always eager to curry favour with foreign politicians, simply provided the Commons with a descrambling code, allowing a dish somewhere in Ottawa to receive a feed from Fox's Galaxy satellite. So if our pols are entitled to get a signal, why aren't the rest of us?" 8:58:22 AM

Happy Birthday CNN
The Cable News Network marks its 24th birthday today. Ted's network went live on June 1, 1980 and hasn't stopped since. It is fun to re-read CNN's 20th anniversary special report.
How would you describe CNN's evolution since 1980? E-mail your thoughts or use the form above. 12:26:09 AM

MSNBC Ignores Karachi Bomb Blast
A bomb blast rocked Karachi, Pakistan today, but MSNBC didn't seem to notice. FOX broke away from the president's speech at 11:37am with an Alert: "At least 5 dead after bomb blast in Karachi, Pakistan." CNN mentioned it at 11:42am during a 10-second 'At This Hour' brief. FOX repeated the news at 11:45am, saying the death toll had risen to 6. At 12pm, CNN said 13 had died; on FOX, Gregg Jarrett repeated the new # at 12:03pm. As of 12:18pm, though, MSNBC hadn't mentioned the bombing; instead, they were airing a report on the Laci Peterson case...
> Update: This ignorance extends to the cabler's web sites, as well. CNN.com and FOXNews.com both have have a story about the bombing displayed prominently on their home page. MSNBC.com makes no mention of it. 12:18:20 PM

Media Manipulation: "We want viewers to see the campaigns unfiltered"
"In an age of endless news cycles and an explosion of news outlets, the major presidential campaigns engage in daily battles of media manipulation and one upmanship to get their messages out," an interesting CNN.com report says. It quotes CNN senior E.P. Sam Feist: "We want viewers to see the campaigns unfiltered rather than see just sound bites. We have the luxury of running stump speeches and through a reporter's story to tell the story -- rather than using sound bites." (Hat tip: IWantMedia) 11:42:24 AM

CNN Won't Become Talk TV, Parsons Says
Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons discusses the ratings war with FOX in an interview with Multichannel News: "What happens with the Fox viewers is that they stay longer," he says. "We realize one of the challenges we have at CNN is that we’ve got to get that larger audience to stay with us a little longer, and it has to do with the quality of the programming, the nature of the program. But we are going to keep it fundamentally a news channel as opposed to talk TV." 11:41:52 AM

Prediction: Broadcast Networks May Outsource Newsgathering
Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons, describing the opportunity to join forces with a broadcast network: "The closer we got to seeing if you could put these two together, we realized that there were just too many decisions. It wouldn’t work as a practical matter. How do you actually share the news between the brands and how do you make it work as a practical matter? We couldn’t figure out how to do that. So we pulled away from that. I do think in the next couple of years, it would not surprise me to see one of the big broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, NBC — decide that they’re going out of the business of producing their own news, and they’re going to essentially turn to outsourcing. They’re going to retain somebody to fill that kind of spot." 11:40:13 AM

Conventions Not The Only "Staged-Managed Extravaganzas," Kurtz Says
On the subject of political conventions: "Why the sudden reluctance to send armies of journalists to stage-managed extravaganzas devoid of any hint of spontaneity?," Howard Kurtz asks. "News organizations do it all the time." It's a fun column: "If a new standard emerges that journalists should boycott events where they know in advance what will happen, all sorts of coverage could be jeopardized." He names presidential inaugurations, corporate conference calls, sideline sports interviews, and cicadas as examples... 12:43:31 AM

Why Don't The Cablers Air Full Press Conferences?
Rantingprofs has a question: "Why do the cable news nets bother to air a few minutes of the CPA daily brief?" And other briefings, for that matter. "All it accomplishes is to symbolize coverage of the briefing, to demonstrate that Fox is aware of the briefing," Cori Dauber writes. Kudos to MSNBC for providing translation during the Arabic questioning, but before she could finish the post, MSNBC had cut away as well. "I guess I should ask Cablenewser [why]," she says. But I'm just as perplexed... 12:08:23 AM

Cheatwood's Plan To Change Headline News In Primetime
The TVWeek Insider hears that Joel Cheatwood is planning a change for CNN Headline News's primetime. "He's looking for a diverse quartet of on-air types who have opinions to anchor a prime-time Headline show that would originate live from New York, where Mr. Cheatwood lives, instead of Atlanta," the trade mag reports. During the show, the graphics may shrink... 9:59:08 PM

Media Notes: Video Wallpaper and MSNBC's D-day Plans
> A viewer notes: "MSNBC Flash News on the Saudi Arabia hostage ordeal at 2am ET Sunday. Same video of commandos jumping from a 'copter is being shown. So far, the same bunch of guys have jumped 4 times. Oh, make that 5 times now. (yawn)"
> CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield's advice for college graduates: "Keep dreaming. Dream huge. These are the best years of your life. You have this as your launch pad and you have every day to look forward too."
> MSNBC wants your letters and correspondence about D-day. The network is planning a "spectacular two days of special live programming" for 'D-day at 60: A Celebration of Heroes' next weekend... 9:22:28 PM

Investigators Skeptical About FOX Hoffa Scoop
FOX is promoting its Jimmy Hoffa scoop, but investigators are expressing doubt about the supposed revelation. They are "skeptical they'll find much evidence of the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa after tearing up floor boards in a Detroit house where traces of blood were uncovered by the Fox News Channel," the AP reports. FOX sent experts to the house in March. "We're disturbed that we weren't the first at the scene and the first to conduct testing at the scene," a local prosecutor said... 7:30:47 PM

Saudi Prince Calls Into FOX To Complain; Breaks News On-Air
Here's another reason why the cablers should have live programming on the weekends: Rita Cosby scored a scoop Saturday night at the beginning of the 'Big Story,' when Prince Bandar bin Sultan called into the network to complain about a comment John Kasich made in the previous hour. Rita asked him about the hostage crisis, and the prince said that seven Americans had just been freed. The news was prominent in many news stories the next morning, all citing FOX... 7:27:33 PM

FOX's "Baghdad Diary" Airs Tonight
FOX News airs "Baghdad Diary" tonight at 9pm and midnight ET. "Watch never-before-seen combat footage!," the web site says. Hosted by Shep, the special will "provide an intimate look of the journalists embedded with troops and reporting from war fronts," a press release says. Correspondent Rick Leventhal and cameraman Christian Galdabini are featured. 5:22:46 PM

Which CNN Producer Regrets Sending Drunk Blackberry Messages?
Jennifer 8. Lee describes 'drunk-berrying' in the New York Times, and has this interesting bit: "Another 31-year-old producer, who works for CNN, regrets a BlackBerry message he sent when drunk to a woman he was interested in, after seeing her one night at Kingpin, a Washington bar. He started the e-mail in the cab and finished it in bed before he went to sleep. 'I sent this totally passive-aggressive drunken e-mail,' he lamented. 'She woke up in the morning and read it and thought I was a total freak.'" I hear that some CNN staffers are using a process of elimination to figure out which co-worker it is... 3:32:53 PM

MSNBC VP Gaines Gets Married
MSNBC VP of corporate communications Jeremy Gaines married Ashley Magids in New York yesterday. She is a senior marketing manager for Pfizer and has an M.B.A. from Harvard. Here's the NYT announcement... 12:08:21 PM