O.J. In '04: "It Changed The Way News Is Presented On Television"
Greta Van Susteren calls it "the first reality TV show." Roger Cossack said it was "the perfect story." The 10-year anniversary of O.J.'s car chase was "celebrated" by several newspaper columns in the last few days, and I've been collecting these highlights and quotes:
> Cossack believes it was the beginning of 'newsetainment:' "In my opinion, it changed the way news is presented on television," he says.
> "It also made it clear that a single subject could dominate the news, and that we're voyeuristic," columnist Paul Maxwell tells the Hartford Courant. "Since then, they have been trying to replicate it because it captured so many viewers." 7:41:07 PM

O.J. In '04: It "Demonstrated How Viable 24-Hour News" Could Be
> Oft-quoted prof Robert Thompson weighs in: "In an odd sort of way, the whole O.J. thing really demonstrated how viable 24-hour news coverage could be. If you've got a big story, it can become a perpetual miniseries."
> The LA Times' take on OJ's legacy: "Every time TV sinks its claws into another spectacular case and sends a familiar corps of legal pundits into battle, it is paying homage to the Simpson trial." Bob Baker says that Greta Van Susteren and Dan Abrams "owe their careers to this phenomenon."
> John Gibson says it demonstrated a new style of reporting: "That was the last gasp of us in the media doing things the old way. The old thing in TV news was to take all day to prepare a newscast. You boiled it down to essentials. Now, we're saying every little facet is interesting and every little angle can be talked about. It was a watershed moment, but it was an odd one, because it occurred before the advent of the cable wars. But all the people who staffed those early cable networks came right out of that O.J. experience." 7:40:49 PM

O.J. In '04: Quote of the day
I love this line in the Boston Globe: "CNN's Larry King famously said, 'If we had God booked and O.J. was available, we'd move God.' And for more than a year, it was all O.J. all the time, with an endless array of chatty know-nothings parading across TV screens with a grim-faced punditry..." 7:40:28 PM

O.J. In '04: It Was A "Preview Of Coming Attractions"
Verne Gay has an interesting comment from CBS News president Andrew Heyward: ""One of the quirks of the 24-hour cable world is that when there isn't legitimate news happening, then a tabloid story can take on overwhelming significance. The people who program these channels treat the competitive atmosphere as a zero sum game played out in real time. You can only gain a viewer at the expense of your competitor. So you run the risk of losing that viewer to your competitor at any time when you [cover] something else.... It's a bizarre phenomenon and there's only one story in the world. O.J., to me, was a kind of preview of coming attractions." 7:35:52 PM

Cavuto: I "hope [the media] will show what happened to Paul Johnson"
Yesterday's Common Sense:

"We know what happened to Paul Johnson. I just hope eventually news organizations will show what happened to Paul Johnson. Yes, some discretion is advised, but not too much. I want the world to see what savages do...A lot of people can't handle images like this. But I can't handle our not trying to handle images like this."

Read his full commentary. 2:11:38 PM

The Cross-Promotion Benefits of The "Talking-Head Class" Club
Scott Lamb reveals "how Tim Russert, Bill O'Reilly, Chris Matthews and their talking-head pals wet-kiss each other all the way to the bank on Salon today. Here's the money quote:

"In just a month's time, Russert has conquered a stunning array of media outlets, including, but not limited to: "Today" (NBC), "Dateline NBC" (NBC) "Hardball with Chris Matthews" (MSNBC), "Capital Report" (CNBC), "The News" (CNBC), "American Morning" (CNN), "Larry King Live" (CNN), "Wolf Blitzer Reports" (and "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer") (CNN), "The Daily Show" (Comedy Central), "Reliable Sources" (CNN), "The O'Reilly Factor" (Fox) and "Hannity & Colmes" (Fox) -- twice."

(Don't forget his self-titled CNBC show!) Lamb concludes that "the talking-head class relies upon each other to help them move units," and offers three pages of excerpts and examples... 10:56:45 AM

Should You Buy Your Newspaper From CNBC or CNN?
Quoting the Atlanta Journal Constitution: "The latest trend in cable news? Put your name on an airport newsstand." CNBC has 24 stores, with 21 more planned by the end of the year. FOX has one at Dulles, and CNN has three in Atlanta. "This wasn't entered into with the thinking, 'We are going to make a whole lot of money,' " CNN VP Scot Safon said. "We want people to connect with news via CNN in lots of places."
> UPDATE: From an e-mailer: "I work at the NBC affil. in Boise Idaho -- we have a CNBC News outlet in our airport. People think it's linked to our station -- it's a weird branding twist. One side note: Walk in to the store on a given weekend (when a lot of people are traveling), and the huge flat panel screen won't be showing CNBC (of course, it's all infomercials), but MSNBC -- with some H&L; repeat." 10:54:39 AM

Olbermann Earns More Viewers Than Zahn Thursday
In a marked improvement from earlier in the week, MSNBC's Countdown earned a 0.5 HH ratings on Thursday night, even beating Paula Zahn Now in persons 2+. The show delivered 381,000 households and 525,000 P2+, 155,000 of whom were in the 25-54 demo. Paula pulled in only 470,000 P2+...
> Keith references today's Sports Jersey Day! Here's the video. (Thanks Jeff!) 11:21:45 PM

Beheading: "You Won't Be Seeing Them On This Channel"
Rantingprofs: "Fox's Shepard Smith just described one of the images. I'm glad he did, because it's quite clear that the situation has changed here. These are not merely images of the act which was the situation with the Berg images, these are images that have been very consciously posed."
Chuck notes that "Shep said that he's getting some angry e-mails about those comments, but they feel it is important for you to get that information. Shoot, we all know how Nick Berg was beheaded, and now we pretty much know how Paul Johnson was beheaded. These are the kind of days when the cablers stop being G/PG-rated and turn into an adult-only network."
On Free Republic, a view says "the camera caught [Shep Smith] looking at his laptop and winching" during Studio B today. "I could tell he was...looking at Paul's pictures. He described them to us, but he said "You won't be seeing them on THIS channel." 4:49:06 PM

Beheading: MSNBC Preempts Abrams and Norville Tonight
MSNBC is running a special on the beheading at 6pm in place of the Abrams Report. Bob Kur and Randy Meier will anchor it. Joe Scarborough will replace Deborah Norville's taped reality-star interviews at 9pm, and anchor until 11pm. (Thanks Mark) 4:30:20 PM

Beheading: How Much Gruesome Detail Is Too Much?
> A MediaLine poster references FOX's report that Johnson's head was placed on his back and a knife was stuck in his eye, and asks: "Do we need to have that level of detail reported in this case? I mean, a beheading is savage enough."
> A TVSpyer is angry at CNN's beheading coverage: "Stations should never assume. They should stay vague until it is confirmed. And guess what? They family is probably watching it. Can we be any more brazen and graphic with the information?" 3:49:27 PM

Beheading: Another Set Of Coverage Notes
> Cableguy says the main difference between CNN and Fox is that "CNN relies on its own reporters while Fox relies on a wide number of in-house and outside analysts." CNN "relied on Nasr and Nic," he adds...
> FReepers are mad that MSNBC called the killers "militants"
> From an e-mailer: "CNN has exclusive video of Johnson family in New Jersey."
> FOX "missed 'meat' of Colin Powell statement on Johnson," an e-mailer says.
> Mansour Ijaz shared an interesting scoop on FOX. ("When he shows up, I stop whatever I'm doing and listen!," Mark writes.) "Ijaz said the kidnappers have a list of 25 names of people connected to the oil industry, and they are trying to get info in order to attack oil facilities. 3:11:44 PM

Beheading: It's No Longer Just "Reportedly"
In the last hour, the story has shifted from "there are unconfirmed reports of Johnson's beheading" to "Johnson has been beheaded." CNN.com's headline no longer uses the word 'reportedly;' instead, it says "Captors behead U.S. hostage." FOXNews.com ups the rhetoric: "Terrorists behead U.S. hostage." FOX says Johnson's body has been found in the Saudi capital, and Drudge has posted a pic of Johnson's severed head... 3:06:26 PM

Beheading: The Challenge of Confirmation; Relying on the Competition
> This is a very tough story for the cablers to cover. "The claim could not be independently confirmed," MSNBC.com says. "No independent confirmation of the contractor's beheading was available," FOXNews.com says.
> MSNBC.com's story relies on a competitor: "The Saudi correspondent for the Arab satellite network Al-Arabia earlier told CNN he had seen a video of the beheading."
> Mark writes in: "After a few minutes of the breaking news on Dayside, I checked out MS and they had the story too (don't know if they beat FNC or not). Then I checked CNN...commercial!" They all had the story by 1:30, though. Another e-mailer says CNN deserves praise for their use of Octavia Nasr: "Job well done"...
> Markus says CNN's Deborah Feyerick reported several times from Johnson's hometown. 2:13:43 PM

Beheading: Cable Nets Jump On Story
> CNBC and MSNBC reported the news at 1:28pm.
> On FOX, the audience for 'Dayside' was shocked when the news came in.
> Octavia Nasr -- CNN's senior editor for Arab Affairs -- was at the anchor desk by 1:48pm.
> At first, MSNBC reported that "Paul Marshal" had been beheaded. They later clarified that "Marshal" was his middle name. Walid Phares offered instant reaction on the network.
> AP report: "Al Arabiya said its bureau chief had been shown the video of the killing."
> Send in your coverage notes to [email protected] 1:51:42 PM

Beheading: Arab Satellite Network Breaks The News
By 1:30pm, each cable web site had stripped the ‘breaking news’ banner on their home pages. Quoting CNN.com: Al Arabiya TV: Al Qaeda militants behead U.S. hostage Paul Johnson. CNN working to confirm." The news hovered on the CNN Headline News lower-third. Work stopped for several minutes in my office as people watched the initial reports on TV… 1:39:31 PM

Media Notes: Live TV Is Like A Airplane Flight; King Doesn't Depends
> Quoting GretaWire: "Thursday night's show was 'uneventful' — meaning no technical surprises for me. A live TV show is like a flight on a plane, you want it to be 'uneventful.'"
> "Fox News has a 'rolling list' of 'out-of-favor writers,'" NewsBlues reports. He says David Bauder, David Folkenflik and Jason Gay have been part of the "fairly large fraternity." It's a topic of conversation at TVSpy.
> Larry King responds to yesterday's rumor: "I've never heard of Depends. I wouldn't know what a Depends looks like." 1:11:16 PM

No More Interviews for Roger Ailes
I Want Media has a tidbit from a reception at the Harvard Club on Tuesday. FOX head Roger Ailes told the site that "he has decided to no longer grant interviews." Quoting Ailes: "My wife said not to do them. They just make me a target. I'll let the work speak for itself." 10:12:21 AM

Cheney "Blasts" or Cheney "Blames"?
So how do you sum up Cheney's interview on CNBC in a sentence? CNN and MSNBC's web sites chose the media-criticism angle. "Cheney blasts media on al Qaeda-Iraq link," CNN.com declares. MSNBC.com boils it down to three words: "Cheney blames media." FOXNews.com doesn't mention it. He blasted the media, but did he really blame them?... 10:10:27 AM

Quote of the day
From Jay Rosen's Press Think: "There's nothing to stop Fox from "coming out" as the conservative network and sharpening the conflict even more, a rhetorical step that campaign manager Ailes has so far refused to take-- for tactical reasons, I think. Fox's friends all know, so why not be open? But the pressure is equally real for CNN and MSNBC. If their viewer base continues to skew Democratic, how long before someone makes the argument: let's come out of the closet and claim our market?" 10:01:21 AM

Olbermann Says "Shallow, Phony Patriotism Will Always Draw A Crowd"
This is the fourth post mentioning Keith Olbermann today! Keith saw the ratings post and e-mailed me to respond: "Whoever wrote you about the Fox 8 PM ratings has the perfect right to quote them; shallow, phony patriotism will always draw a crowd -- like dogs humping in the street. But the reference to the Olympics is a lie; I asked NBC management here to permit me to stay with Countdown rather than leave the show for a month, and after considerable discussion, they reluctantly agreed. Anyone who says differently not only doesn't know what's going on IN television -- they probably also don't know how to turn ON a television."
Previously: Tuesday's Countdown | FOX Responds | Wednesday's Countdown | 10X Viewers for Factor 7:31:10 PM

Cheney's News-Making Capital Report Interview
Gloria Borger's interview with VP Cheney broke some ground tonight. Capital Report's E.P. forwards the transcript; Cheney blasts the New York Times for its report about no evidence of "collaboration" between Iraq and Al Qaeda. Quoting Dick: "What The New York Times did today was outrageous. They do a lot of outrageous things but the headline, Panel Find Qaida-Iraq Tie. The press wants to run out and say there's a fundamental split here now between what the president said and what the commission said. Jim Thompson is a member of the commission who's since been on the air. I saw him with my own eyes. And there's no conflict." It is airing this hour on CNBC... 7:30:34 PM

The O'Reilly/Olbermann Spat: Factor Has 10 Times As Many Viewers
Well it's not from Bill O'Reilly, but it's the next best thing. A cable news insider notes that Keith Olbermann's Countdown averaged only a 0.1 last night, and scratched in the 25-54 demo. He averaged 129,000 viewers -- only 37,000 in the demo. "Jeff Zucker must be proud that his anchor is paving the way for MSNBC to plunge even deeper into obscurity," the insider writes. "At least Dick Ebersol had the common sense to pull this ratings killer from NBC's Olympic coverage." Countdown has been seeing growth in recent months though... 5:57:45 PM

FOX Recognizes Web Site Criticism, Tweaks Layout
Concerns about the FOXNews.com re-design reached the highest levels at FOX earlier this week, and the site appears to be changing in response. It looks like tweaks have been made to the design today. "It is much more appealing than it was before," Jeff writes in an e-mail. The blue background (which I liked, personally) has been replaced by a pastel color. The home page has more space for the top story and other headlines. But that stupid Flash animation at the top of the page still slows down my computer at work, and news stories still hover at the bottom of the 'above-the-fold' area on most monitors. But it's definitely an improvement... 2:51:44 PM

Lou Dobbs Contradictions: Crusader vs. Investment Advisor
In a detailed report titled "The Two Faces of Lou Dobbs," CJR Campaign Desk points out an apparent contradiction between the CNN anchor's "crusade" against outsourcing and his print newsletter's advice. "There comes a time when Dobbs takes off his anti-outsourcing hat," Zachary Roth writes. "That's when he switches from financial journalist to investment advisor-for-hire, peddling a monthly newsletter [it costs $398 for two years] containing his investment recommendations." Here's the kicker: "Of the 14 companies Dobbs has highlighted for investors since starting his newsletter last year, eight appear on his CNN website as companies that outsource jobs." The must-read story is another reason why we should all hope the Campaign Desk sticks around after election day... 1:28:21 PM

The O'Reilly/Olbermann Spat: C'mon, Bill, Take The Bait
Last night on Countdown, Village Voice columnist Michael Musto joined Olbermann to discuss the F9/11 premiere. Musto pointed out that he saw Bill O'Reilly there. And that was Keith's invitation

OLBERMANN: And we understand O‘Reilly did leave early, obviously, because he was not in it or the star, so he had to go.

> Yesterday: Olbermann's Reagan-related shot | Today: FOX's ratings-related response 1:16:46 PM

Media Notes, Round 2: Brian Williams, TPS Reports & NewsBlues
The National Debate notes that Brian Williams is hosting this year's Father of the Year luncheon in NYC today. He was named the 1996 FotY...
> Via Howie, the WashTimes reports that "the Bush administration, which has long been criticized for being secretive, is suddenly opening up just in time for re-election."
> Wonkette: "We'd like to remind everyone that tomorrow is Sports Jersey Day at MSNBC. Please do not forget to put a cover sheet on your TPS reports."
> Half of you cheered on my "sniping" at NewsBlues, and the other half called me four-letter words! I was just teasing, of course. 1:14:35 PM

Norville's MSNBC Set Makeover: Employees Suggest A Waste Of $$$
Exclusive: Deborah Norville's MSNBC studio is getting a makeover. The anchor, whose primetime hour premiered only five months ago, will soon be sitting on a new set -- and some employees aren't pleased, a source inside MSNBC tells CableNewser. "The majority of MS employees I've talked to aren't all that thrilled with the idea," they write in an e-mail. "The show pulls very little on the ratings chart, so the change doesn't seem warranted. [Employees] feel that Norville should get the format/content/guests up to par, get viewers, then pay big bucks for the new digs." It raises an interesting question: To what extent do sets matter? Does it make or break the show? (If so, wouldn't Larry King's show have been revamped a long time ago?) "It's another example in which MS can spend money on something that will not help us in the ratings but will make somebody, somewhere in the front offices happy," the source complains.
> Also: Look back at the first night of Deb's show
> Mark writes in with some thoughts: "Do sets matter? I don't think so. MSNBC has a terrific basic set--roomy, high-tech but not cold, etc. And what has it got them? Their highest rated shows are shot in a radio studio (Imus) or a glorified phone booth (Hardball)...Interesting reporting will win over a new desk every time." 11:09:44 AM

Fox & Friends Jumps Aboard The Blogging Bandwagon
...Steve Doocy kicks it off: "Thank you Howard Dean. He made this whole BLOG thing popular with America... and so just as all television steals what works, we we're stealing the blog business." He asks readers to send him an e-mail explaining what they'd like to read on the site. (The three anchors will be rotating the posting duties.) Steve says his show is "the No. 1 morning news show in the world." (Where'd that data come from?) 10:50:19 AM

Bill Fitzgerald Named MSNBC Anchor
Birmingham anchor Bill Fitzgerald will join MSNBC as an anchor in July, network VP Mark Effron announced this morning. Fitzgerald has had a few stints subbing in earlier this year. He is a weekend anchor and reporter for the NBC O&O; in Alabama. He used to work for News 12 Long Island and WVIT in Hartford. The press release is not online yet... 10:49:04 AM

Media Notes: Ball Is Back In Keith's Court; Imus Says "MSNBC Sucks"
> A FOX insider has a rebuttal to my post about Keith Olbermann's latest O'Reilly insult: "Are you one of four people who watched Olbermann's show last night?"
> Page Six: "An embarrassing photograph of Larry King's garbage has been pulled from an art exhibit because it shows a box of Depends adult diapers among the detritus."
> Imus said "MSNBC sucks like Bill Clinton" this morning. (6:31am ET -- Thanks Ron)
> Gloria Borger will sit down with VP Dick Cheney for an interview to air on CNBC's Capitol Report tonight. (Press Release) He appeared on Kudlow & Cramer less than two weeks ago... 10:39:36 AM

Gibson: I've Been Censured, Now Read My Book
John Gibson comments again on the British censure of his anti-BBC comments: "Because I dared to say it, I have been 'censured by an agency of the British government,'" he says. "My attitude has been... do you get a medal with that? If there were an official "I've been censured" medal, I'd wear it on the air right next to my flag pin. Honest... if the palace has one of those, send it on over and I'll wear it." He suggests they pick up a copy of his new book, "Hating America: The New World Sport"... 10:10:48 AM

Visiting CNN: New Building, New Studios, New Newsrooms...
    Exclusive: I visited CNN's New York operations late on Tuesday afternoon. They have taken up residence in the Time Warner Center at the southwest edge of Central Park. The expansive, state-of-the-art facilities are a big leap forward for the network. CNN occupies the 5th through 9th floors.
    The primetime studios occupy one level. Anderson Cooper and Aaron Brown share a black box (interesting duo, eh?); so do Lou Dobbs and Larry King. Paula Zahn has her own, and it looks a lot nicer in person than it does on TV. The studios have windows built in, so future tour groups can see inside. I'm surprised none of the studios take advantage of the building's Manhattan skyline views:

    Those views are reserved for CNNfn shows. Their studios are adjacent to the channel's massive, airy, bright newsroom.
    Another floor is home to the NYC bureau. I poked my head into Aaron Brown's office, and was amused to see a framed Sun-Times newspaper on the wall. The giant vat of jellybeans on one staffer's desk was a bonus (complete with a Jelly Belly chart!). A (low-quality) snapshot of a portion of the CNNfn newsroom:
11:45:37 PM

The O'Reilly/Olbermann Spat Continues!
Keith Olbermann took another shot at Bill O'Reilly on the Countdown last night. Quote:

"The Fox News host—the news—that guy who decided last week that his show was more important than Ronald Reagan lying in the state Capitol Rotunda, so he had the president preempted, that guy, he is being threatened with a lawsuit by liberal author Eric Alterman. Last month, on air, O‘Reilly called Alterman—quote—“another Fidel Castro confidante.” Careful, Billy. You may want to pull back a little bit. This is how Joe McCarthy‘s trolley started to come off the tracks."

10:12:45 PM

Shuster's Reporting Reward: A Free Oil Change
I missed this great tidbit from Tuesday's Hardball newsletter. Quoting correspondent David Shuster: "Today I received something really valuable... a free oil change!!!," he writes (with three exclamation points!). "Yes, it seems that Tom and Mohammad at the Georgetown Exxon are big fans of the show. They pointed this out to me yesterday. And this morning, when I picked up my car following some muffler work, Tom said 'I love the purple states. It was a great report. So, the oil change is on the house.' I was flattered, of course, especially since the muffler work seemed a bit pricey. However, I am now feeling wracked with guilt. After all, I am a devout follower of our GE NBC/UNI ethics guidelines... I'm hoping that the oil change was free because I'm a regular... and not because Tom and Mohammad really love the purple states. But, then again, you never know." 10:12:21 PM

Visiting FOX News: A Look Behind The Camera
    Exclusive: I toured FOX's Sixth Ave. headquarters on Tuesday. The newsroom is always alive with activity. In the live shot location -- Studio N -- only half the newsroom is visible. TV viewers can see master control and the assignment desk; they can't see the tape decks, show desks, FOX News Edge office space, and shelves of recordings.
    Each show has a "pod" for their staff. The Factor's area has a wood-carved sign identifying it as "O'Reilly's No Spin Zone." The Hannity & Colmes pod has big campaign posters for Joe Lieberman and Wesley Clark. John Gibson was at a desk preparing for the Big Story when I walked by. (The only show missing is Dayside, which works out of space on another floor.)
    The studios are dynamic. They change dramatically when FOX folks change around the set elements. Your World and Dayside are broadcast from the same studio, but you'd never know it from watching the shows.
    The control rooms are the most fascinating part of the operation. There is a constant 'buzz' among the producers and directors. Standing in the control room during Your World, I noticed the TV set tuned to MSNBC had a "Flash News" banner on screen -- possible explosive device at JFK. The moment I noticed it, the producer did too. "They say it's nothing," a voice called out. The non-story wasn't a factor in the show's quick pace.
    Here's a (grainy) photo I took during Neil's show. (I couldn't use a flash camera, so it's not the best quality.)
6:24:20 PM

The Billboard Wars: Why Isn't MSNBC Fighting?

I noticed plenty of CNN and FOX billboards in New York yesterday, but no MSNBC ads. They could at least put something up near 30 Rock! Kudos to the huge FOX billboard outside Penn Station -- it's very hard to miss. There are ads scattered throughout the News Corp building that read "Thank you America for making us the #1 news network in daytime," and the same for primetime. (You're welcome.) And I noticed two nice signs advertising CNN's primetime programs near Time Square:

6:20:05 PM

'Countdown to Handover:' CNN's Three Global Panel Discussions
CNN U.S. plans to air three panel discussions hosted by CNN International anchors leading up to the 'Countdown to Handover.' They are each an hour long, and will air at 1pm ET on their respective days. On Monday the 21st, Jim Clancy will anchor "The Arab Pulse" from Dubai; on Thursday, Richard Quest will host "The European Pulse" from London; and on Friday, Jonathan Mann will host "The American Pulse" from Atlanta. Here is the press release, and a Khaleej Times story about it. 3:25:44 PM

'Countdown to Handover:' CNN Announces Extensive Coverage Plans
Kudos to CNN for planning extensive coverage of the Iraqi handover at the end of this month. The network announced its domestic channel plans today, which include several special reports:
> Anderson Cooper will anchor 360 from Baghdad June 21 through July 2.
> On June 27, Cooper will anchor a special live edition of CNN Presents.
> On June 29, Paula Zahn will anchor from Fort Drum, N.Y. and Aaron Brown will host NewsNight from Washington, D.C.
> Cooper and Christiane Amanpour will anchor live coverage in Baghdad on June 30. 3:24:54 PM

"One of the most dangerous things in a war zone is the food"
...Steve Harrigan writes on his FOXNews.com blog. One of his producers got sick from a hamburger recently. "It is a mistake to eat beef or chicken in most war zones because of lack of refrigeration...Peter Arnett told me the best thing to eat was bananas. They were clean, because of the peel, and they contained no ground water. I had gotten salmonella three times, once from Afghan ice cream, once from a tomato slice...and once from a shwarma, a lamb sandwich." He describes passing out from dehydration in Afghanistan... 11:50:10 AM

Michael Moore, Bill O'Reilly, Joe Scarborough, & Angry FOX Fans
Lloyd Grove has the Lowdown on Bill O'Reilly's presence at a screening of Michael Moore's new movie -- and describes how the Factor star walked out halfway through! "Don't you want to stay and watch the whole film?" Moore asked him. A FOX spokesperson said the film started 40 minutes late, and Bill had a previous committment... (Hat tip: Romenesko) Also:
> FOXNews.com posted a positive review of F9/11, and FReepers are shocked.
> Joe Scarborough threatens to sue Moore, Daily Kos says 9:34:31 AM

Media Notes: Matthews Momentum Moot?; Norville 'Ecstatic' For Free Tix
> Cable news insiders are wondering what has happened to Chris Matthews' momentum recently. On Monday night, Shep averaged 1,224,000 viewers and Anderson Cooper earned 594,000, while Matthews saw only 374,000.
> "The final public hearing of the 9/11 Commission is underway," Cori Dauber says, and "...not one of the cable channels is carrying" it.
> Kevin Egan has been named CNBC's Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He used to serve a similar role at MSNBC. Here's the press release.
> Sen. Bill Nelson explains why he joined CNN's lawsuit against the state of Florida
> Deborah Norville won tickets to a Mets game yesterday... 9:32:38 AM

The "Murdochization" Of Cable News
Howard Dean said his "scream" revealed the "Murdochization" of the news, and showed cable "at its worst," Broadcasting & Cable reports. "Not because Murdoch is a right winger, which he is," said Dean, "but because Roger Ailes is so incredibly good at what he does that the other stations [sic] are starting to copy what Fox does." (Hat tip: Kurtz
> Jeff Jarvis doesn't buy it: "Yeah, and I go hunting in the wood of Vermont for unicorns." Here's a great comments thread... 9:29:41 AM

FOX News To Sign Off In Japan
Quoting the Bloomberg wire: "News Corp. will stop airing its U.S.- based Fox News Channel in Japan at the end of July because of low subscriptions." The company is concerned that "subscriptions in the country for Fox News won't grow enough to generate a suitable profit." 8:36:19 AM

Reagan: FOX's Coverage Was The #1 Basic Cable Program Last Week
FOX's coverage of Reagan's Farewell ranks atop the list of basic cable programs for the week of June 7. FOX's coverage between 10 and 11pm on Friday was the #1 show -- it even beat the 2004 MTV Movie Awards (a 4.7 for FOX vs. a 4.6 for MTV). Other segments of FOX's coverage ranks as the #3 and #4 rated shows. (The shows even beat Spongebob and WWE.) All in all, the coverage accounted for 5 out of the top 10 (and 7 out of the top 20) programs during the week.
> UPDATE: 9:30am: The Miami Herald points out that CNN didn't even crack the top 20. The channel had one show in the top 40, at #22. MSNBC didn't have any in the top 40... 12:35:58 AM

Tie Dye and Crazy Hats: It's MSNBC's Summer Dress-Up Days
Gawker got ahold of a memo detailing MSNBC's Summer Dress-Up Days! "In keeping with the fun casual Fridays we've expanded on the Hawaiian shirt Friday concept and would like to offer some additional suggestions for the next 12 Fridays," it says. The days include Sports Jersey Day, Crazy Hat Day and "Madonna, Neon, Preppy." There will be prizes! But on-air talent are exempt from participating, and the memo reminds employees that "there is always a chance that viewers may get a glimpse of people in the background." So can we get CNN and FOX in on the fun? How about having Disco Day in Atlanta and Tie Dye Day on Sixth Avenue?... (Thanks Cory)
> The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the big news! 12:35:56 AM

CNN Breaks News Of Hostage Videotape
I came home to several e-mails about this afternoon's breaking news. "CNN kicked some butt breaking the story on new video of American hostage Paul Johnson," one e-mailer said. CNN was first with the story, at the top of Wolf Blitzer Reports at 5pm. MSNBC reported the news (without video) at 5:10pm. "CNN should do exactly what they did here with EVERY story," David says in an e-mail. FOX didn't report the news until 5:50pm... 11:34:53 PM

FOX's Gibson Responds To British Censure
John Gibson responds to a British complaint about one of his commentaries. Excerpts: Great Britain is a country of some 60 million people, 24 of which officially complained — writing letters officially about something I said in this spot six months ago. That started an investigation, which is now complete and a verdict on me has been rendered by the British government." And: "My opinions about this major Brit media outfit are entirely buttressed by the truth, and they know it... which is what makes them so mad." Read more...
> UPDATE: 2:15pm: Some other links to stories about the censure: The Guardian has a piece, and the BBC has its own version of events. Howard Kurtz says he is "frothing over the way the British deal with these things"... 12:12:40 PM

Reagan: Cable Broke The Rules Last Week
"I think we broke most of the rules of cable television this week," David Bohrman tells David Folkenflik in the Baltimore Sun today. "We tried to be as elegant and as quiet as we could." He writes that Wonkette "derisively referred to the television coverage as 'Gipperporn'"... 11:49:07 AM

Al Sharpton Co-Hosting Crossfire Today
Quoting CNN's press release: "Former Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton joins Crossfire co-host Tucker Carlson as a guest host of the show for Tuesday, June 15, and Friday, June 18. For today's program, Carlson and Sharpton will debate the major issues involving the presidential campaigns of President Bush and Sen. John Kerry." But he's a CNBC contributor!... 11:11:58 AM

I'm in New York City for the day, so posts may be limited until this evening. 5:46:12 AM

Eric Alterman Demands Retraction From Bill O'Reilly
Quoting the WP Reliable Source: "On his show the other day, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly apologized to Texas columnist Molly Ivins for calling her a socialist. Now liberal author Eric Alterman wants a retraction from O'Reilly, who recently labeled him a fellow traveler of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro." Alterman's lawyer is threatening a defamation suit... 5:45:04 AM

Mailbag, Part Two: Reactions To FOXNews.com's Redesign
The vast majority of commenters are critical of FOXNews.com's redesign today. Tom calls it "quite possibly the slowest website I've ever gone to." "Where's the news?," one visitor asks. "It's buried somewhere, I think." "Go teach them how to design it!," another visitor said. Mark tried to e-mail them to complain, and it bounced back to him! Many LostRemote commenters are unhappy, as well; "my eyes are bleeding," one person says...
> Mailbag (updated!): Reactions to FOXNews.com's new look 6:07:28 PM

Reagan: "This Is What Cable News Is Designed For," Bohrman Says
It's another story about excessive media coverage of Reagan's passing! This time, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch takes a crack at it. They quote David Bohrman: "Are they (the viewers) missing Laci Peterson for a few days?" he asked. "This is actually something real, someone who had an impact on the 20th century...This is what cable news is designed for." And Brian Williams offers his take on it: "People see the combination of - by nature - a mostly reverential coverage and the saturation of it on the cable channels," he said. "It's a combination that didn't exist when we buried LBJ, so they come to the conclusion that this is all being overdone." Romenesko) 5:46:12 PM

Friday Ratings: Nearly Five Million Viewers For FOX Prime
The day-long coverage of Reagan's final memorial services drew many viewers to cable on Friday:
> From 10am to 3pm: FOX averaged 2,845,000 persons 2+, while CNN had 1,512,000 and MSNBC had 832,000.
> From 7:30 to 11pm: FOX averaged 4,664,000 persons 2+, while CNN had 2,903,000 and MSNBC had 1,293,000.
> Total day: FOX averaged 2,037,000 persons 2+, while CNN had 1,186,000 and MSNBC had 577,000.
CNBC's ratings are particularly interesting. They averaged only 139,000 viewers during the Washington coverage, and 142,000 Friday evening.
UPDATE: Drudge acts like the ratings are a surprise, with a size 48 headline: "FOX NEWS TOPS CNN, MSNBC COMBINED AUDIENCE IN REAGAN FAREWELL." But FOX beats the other two nets combined all the time... 4:02:26 PM

Brit Hume Jumps Out Of An Airplane
> NYDN: Hume's interview with Bush airs tonight during Special Report
> Howard Kurtz quotes Brit: "We reporters are supposed to be up for stuff, aren't we? It's kind of an adventure."
> Wonkette: "Thank God for Fox News Alerts. Otherwise, we might not have known that yesterday at approximately 1:20PM EST, Brit Hume landed safely from his tandem parachute jump."
> Today's Hardball Briefing newsletter quotes David Shuster: "This week, our own prime time lineup will include: "Chris Matthews, the Human Cannonball, Bungee Jumping with Tom Brokaw, Tim Russert's Fun with Alligators, Barreling Niagara with Brian Williams, Keith Olberman's Rip Tide Challenge, Blasting over Snake River Canyon with Lester 'Evil Knievel' Holt, Deborah Norville's Rodeo ride," and Shooting the apple off of Joe Scarborough's head." 3:48:08 PM

WP's Terry Neal To Become CNN Political Analyst
Quoting the Washingtonian Buzz: "Terry Neal, who covers the political campaigns for Washingtonpost.com but not for the daily newspaper, is about to sign a contract to become a political analyst for CNN." Harry Jaffe uses this as one example of how " more African-Americans covering the presidential campaign on television than for major newspapers." "The cables display the most diversity on TV, with Fox News Channel and CNN leading the way," he writes... 1:37:44 PM

Quote of the day
Howard Kurtz and E.J. Dionne discussing Reagan coverage on Reliable Sources:

KURTZ: E.J. Dionne, you watched television this week and you see President Bush the elder, you see Ed Meese, you see Michael Deaver, even "CROSSFIRE" has only Republican guests. Is there a fear that putting Democrats on television who might even mildly criticize Reagan would spark some kind of backlash? DIONNE: I was worried about that. I mean, I think what you've had a sort of 30-year campaign on the conservative side to say that the media is liberal, and now I think you're having another reaction from liberals who are saying, wait a minute, when we look at a week like this, a week of praise of Ronald Reagan, it is very hard to say there is a liberal media anymore.

1:20:34 PM

FOXNews.com Redesign: "A Reaction To What Advertisers Want"
The Wall Street Journal says the FOXNews.com redesign "aims to make the site look more like the cable channel." Quoting ad veep Roger Domal: "One of the reasons we are taking on this redesign, in addition to just freshening up the look and making it easier to navigate, was also to adjust to what we are seeing in the advertising space. It's a reaction to what advertisers want." The new look helped FOX sign on DreamWorks SKG, Honda Motor Co. and America Online as advertisers... 12:21:07 PM

Media Notes: Ppotpourri: Car Bomb, Randy Meier, CNN Management
> An e-mailer at 1:15am: "Car bomb in downtown Baghdad. CNN is on it thru CNN international. Where is MSNBC? FOX? Nowhere!"
> The St. Paul Pioneer Press notes that MSNBC anchor Randy Meier is moving his family back to Minnesota from New Jersey. He "has told friends here his wife and daughters simply missed the Twin Cities too much, and he intends to commute."
> Tucker Carlson's parents hosted a party in Great Falls on Saturday
> "Maybe, just maybe, it is safe to go back to reporting and reading news about the issues that were buried last week," Danny Schecter says.
> The New York Times publishes Pew's cable credibility and viewer-ideology data in the Business section today. Andrew Kohut expresses his "surprised by the extent to which we’ve seen this" political polarization.
> Henry the Intern analyzes 'Topic A with Tina Brown' on Gawker.
> A thread at TVSpy blames management for CNN's woes... 10:22:54 AM

Reactions to the FOXNews.com Redesign: Negative
As a web designer myself, I expected the reaction to be negative, but not this negative. Almost all the e-mails responding to the FOXNews.com redesign so far have been very critical. Then again, they may not be the 'type' of visitor the site is designed to attract. Send in your feedback via e-mail or the form above; I'll be updating the mailbag later today.
> Mailbag: Reactions to The FOXNews.com Redesign 10:20:44 AM

FOX's "More Than Money" Party
FOX's Studio D was the site of a celebration for Neil Cavuto's new book 'More Than Money' on Tuesday night, and TVWeek Insider names some of the notables in attendance (Jack Welch, Rupert Murdoch, Robert Barnett). Ailes joked that Mr. Cavuto was "just the first person from Fox News Channel who put out a book this week"... 10:15:56 AM

Britain's Media Watchdog Censures FOX News
...For a January commentary segment by John Gibson. Ofcom, the "regulator for the UK communications industries, received two dozen complaints when Gibson said the BBC was "lying" regarding the Hutton report. Quoting the Guardian: "Ofcom rejected Fox's defence and ruled that it had breached the programme code on three separate counts by failing to pay due respect for the truth; failing to offer the BBC the opportunity to take part, and by broadcasting opinions based on false evidence." More... 10:10:18 AM

FOXNews.com Unveils Its Redesign
FOX News has unveiled its revamped web site. Some of the changes are dramatic. It has a FOXy style and presentation, of course. The right side of many pages is dedicated to "Access" video, using a very cool menu. The pull-down menu gives prominent space to blogs.
> What do you think of the redesign? E-mail me or use the form above. 12:32:06 AM

Quote of the day
From a TV Spy conversation asking "did you cry?" along with Nancy Reagan on Friday: "To see that final, raw depiction of grief from an 82-year-old widow, graveside... 'I don't want to leave him' -- my god, yes, I teared up, and I'm glad I did. When the day comes that I am no longer moved by such a thing - What kind of human being am I? ...Regardless of my political persuasion, if I am ultimately left unmoved by loss, by grief, by tragedy, and am proud to crow about my imperviousness to such human frailties, what kind of fool I must be! At the very least, that blindness to the pain of others would make me a poorer story-teller. And I sure wouldn't want to hire me." 10:17:32 PM

FOX Correspondent James Rosen Is A Married Man
FOX News correspondent James Rosen married Lara Ann Durkin in Washington yesterday, the New York Times says. Durkin, 26, is a "sales manager for Abbtech Staffing Services in Sterling, Va." They met in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in D.C. two years ago... 9:25:33 AM