In Depth: The King Has No Clothes…

Everyone is making last night’s Cramer vs. Stewart showdown as a big deal. Many are saying Stewart mopped the floor with Stewart. I say, why are you all elevating Stewart like this? This King has no clothes…

It’s easy to beat up on CNBC and the Business Media, not to mention the government, big business, and the rest of the media for allowing this to happen. Funny that Stewart doesn’t include himself in this group. Polls have shown that more people use The Daily Show to get their news than other sources. That’s a big responsibility for Stewart to have. So where was he when the signs were already showing but nobody was doing anything? He’s just as guilty as everyone else.

Which makes last night’s little showdown ring very hollow. People like to characterize Stewart as this sage populist. He’s anything but. He’s a whiny opportunistic leech who piles on after the horses have come home. He makes news not by being first or even ahead of the curve but by mopping up after the damage has been done and it’s easy to pick targets.

Not that Stewart didn’t mop the floor with Cramer because he did. But that has more to do with Cramer turtling instead of fighting back. Most people who show up on Stewart’s show fall into this trap. They let Stewart dictate the debate even if the debate is at the very least skewed a certain way or at the very worst totally invalid.

Everyone is to blame for the economic mess. You can’t single out one group or organization or individual for special consideration here. From the tops of government, to the businesses who participated, to the investors who participated, to the media which covered all this; everyone is to blame. And that includes Stewart who tries to oversimplify a very complex situation.

Unfortunately this point was not thrown in Stewart’s face. He skates away unscathed once again. Worse, he’s being given hero status. When will people wake up and realize that Stewart may be a King but he has no clothes. And it’s too bad because there really are fundamental issues to address regarding the media and access and who they serve. But Stewart isn’t the one to be addressing them because he lacks the tools to do it properly.

Update: I would add that I probably wouldn’t have written this today if I wasn’t reading so much about Stewart “the big hero” in the MSM today. Treat last night for what it was; a bloodbath. Don’t try to decode any lessons that can be applied to the future because this was neither an honest discussion nor the proper format to do so.

Prepping for Today’s Glenn Beck “Event”…

FloridaToday.com has an article on local preparations in Melbourne for today’s Glenn Beck event…

Mick of WMMB, which is helping sponsor the event at the Mighty Mushroom, said Brevard County is responding to Beck’s message.

“This is growing beyond anyone’s expectations,” he said. “This community is active and always has been. They are tired of politics as usual and want our elected officials to represent them and the best interests of our nation. This public is going to speak out and be heard . . . and they will act if leaders don’t respond . . .with integrity.”

Arbic said she was expecting 50 viewers and has been overwhelmed with the response. She had to get permission from West Melbourne officials to move the party from her restaurant — which seats 206 — to the parking lot.

“It looks like we’re having a parking lot party,” she said. “We’re ready for 500 people.”

Anchor Wars: 02/13/09

Today…

CNN’s Campbell Brown and MSNBC’s Brian Williams…

Final Tally: Williams…

Cramer on The Daily Show…

What did you think?

The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling…

CJR Daily’s Ryan Chittum takes aim at the Glenn Beck program for what could be described as a Chicken Little meets Armageddon moment…

The economic crisis has most of us worried about a lot of things. How will I retire? How will I pay the mortgage? Will I have enough ammo and MREs to outlast crazed “urban” hordes marauding the countryside?

I’m especially worried about the last one after seeing Glenn Beck’s show on Fox News raising apocalyptic free-for-all as a very real possibility. With ominous music and images of swarthy people burning American flags, refugees, rioters, and military on the move, it was the very definition of public-service reporting, if by “public service” you mean “losing your mind.”

Rachel Maddow Show Profile…

CJR Daily’s Alissa Quart does a semi-profile of The Rachel Maddow Show but it’s a bit more than that…

According to Bill Wolff, executive producer of The Rachel Maddow Show and vice president of msnbc’s primetime programming, nothing less than George W. Bush has paved the way for his programs, as well as the others. “The funnier side of the political spectrum is the one where your enemies are most ridiculous,” says Wolff.

Maybe, but I think it has more to do with a shift in how people like information conveyed. Bush perhaps accelerated the process. So many felt degraded by the Bush era that they wished to degrade him back, on television. And then there are liberals who are now recalling their long-forgotten weapon: wit. As Jackson Lears, a professor of American history at Rutgers University, says of Maddow and the rest, “After decades of being mocked for excessive earnestness, the Left is remembering what the [1960s] counterculture knew: flagrant lies demand absurdist responses; they deserve to be not merely refuted but laughed to scorn.”

Still, MSNBC’s Wolff admits his network has gone in this direction partly due to the success of its rival network, Fox. A decade ago, Fox was established and MSNBC was just starting to brand itself as a distinct network. After Olbermann’s show became a hit, one might hypothesize that msnbc thought it could go for broke by doubling down on Maddow.

Wolff ties the rise of Maddow and Olbermann to their ability to bring analysis to news audiences. “With information becoming cheap, the success of Rachel and Keith is because people want someone collating or commenting on information,” says Wolff.

Press Releases: 03/12/09

CNBC (1)

LIQUID ASSETS

CNBC’s “CRUISE INC: BIG MONEY ON THE HIGH SEAS,” REPORTED BY PETER GREENBERG, EXAMINES THE $30 BILLION CRUISE INDUSTRY, PREMIERING TUESDAY, MARCH 24TH

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., March 12, 2009 – They are 90,000-ton floating cities: self contained resorts, shopping malls, swim parks, casinos, and nightclubs, offering passengers everything from art auctions to Botox. In the $30 billion cruise business the journey is the destination, but in an increasingly punishing economy, the industry is sailing in rough waters.

In the CNBC Original, “Cruise Inc: Big Money On The High Seas” premiering Tuesday, March 24th at 9PM/1AM, Correspondent Peter Greenberg and his crew investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the fastest growing segment of travel, as they spend seven days aboard the Norwegian Pearl, one of the newest ships in Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet. Fourteen stories tall and more than three football fields long, The Pearl is home to more than 4000 passengers and crew, and Greenberg was granted extraordinary access above and below deck to document the inner workings of the ship and the business itself.

Another Negative CNBC Article…

What is going on with all these negative CNBC articles that are popping up the past week or so? Today it’s Time.com’s James Poniewozik…

To watch CNBC today is to enter an alternative universe, where élites are populists, Wall Street is Main Street and bank executives are the oppressed. It’s not surprising that a voice of opposition to the new Administration would emerge. But who would have thought it would be on a channel not owned by Rupert Murdoch?

In a way, CNBC has no choice but to become political, since the economy itself has. And CNBC faces the same dilemma as the rest of the media: If psychology drives the economy, when does reporting bad news become creating bad news? How do you walk the line between desperate cheerleading and reckless ranting?

CNBC’s answer has been to dive off both sides of the line at once. On the silver-lining-hunt side, its straight-news interviewers now spend uncomfortable days (even when not talking about parent company GE’s woes) pleading with gloom-saying guests to declare a bottom to the market or find stock picks. “Do you have just one?” Steve Liesman asked an investment adviser, almost plaintively.

Fire Drills or a Technical Glitch?

Contessa Brewer tweets…

Wondering if there’s a real emergency at 30 Rock or if all the alarms and announcements are just a test.

Update: So is Courtney Hazlett…

Starting to wonder if this fire alarm in 30 Rock should be paid attention to.

Free for All: 03/12/09

Morning blogging will start a bit later than usual (it’s nearly 1am and I’m still not going to bed). So what’s on your mind?

John Roberts Profile…

Metro Canada’s Brian Towie profiles CNN’s John Roberts. And check out the ancient pic. Rachel Sklar will have another John Roberts moment when she sees it…

“I miss my family and Canada’s wide open spaces,” says Roberts. “I suffered a bit of culture shock when I first started working in the U.S. It gets said down here that Canadians are a kind of decaffeinated American. Things can move much faster, especially in New York where I am.”

Canadians may recognize Roberts, 52, from his earlier days as host of Canada AM from 1990 to 1992 and as a MuchMusic personality during its infancy, when he co-hosted The New Music from 1979 to 1985.

“The bulk of my career has been in news, but because of the exposure people do remember the MuchMusic days,” he said. “We were launching something brand new that was exciting for people. No one really remembers me from radio though. I suppose it’s because that happened during the cretaceous period.”

Anchor Wars: 03/12/09

Today…

MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell and CNN’s Rick Sanchez…

Final Tally: Mitchell…

Mobile Countdown?

Mediaweek’s Mike Shields writes about NBC doing a deal with Transpera to bring NBC News programs streaming to your mobile device…

Smartphone users can now stream full episodes of the series Today, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Meet the Press, Dateline, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and The Rachel Maddow Show on the mobile version of MSNBC.com. Down the road video from the MSNBC shows Morning Joe” and Hardball with Chris Matthews will also become available to mobile users.

In Depth: O’Reilly was Right? Maybe. But not the cause.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Paul Bond pens an opinion piece on GE’s Stock Price and Bill O’Reilly…

Despite the relentless nature of the tirades, there aren’t many on Wall Street who suggest O’Reilly has been the cause of GE’s free-falling stock. In fact, most experts dismiss it as partisan street theater, and they point out that shares of News Corp., parent of O’Reilly’s own network, also have been crushed.

The critics (and they are legion: Check out OReilly-Sucks.com to get a taste of the vitriol) have a point. But it’s also fair to note that News Corp. has outperformed GE in just about any time frame that begins on or after Sept. 7, 2001 — the day Immelt became CEO — and ended with Tuesday’s closing bell, even though GE rallied 26% in the past two days.

Since Immelt took over, GE stock has tanked 71%, compared with News Corp.’s 58% loss. So far this year, GE is off 53% to News Corp.’s 32% decline.

So detractors beware: As long as News Corp. keeps outperforming GE, criticism of O’Reilly and his stockpicking prowess will ring hollow.

Bond is usually a solid writer but this time he throws up a big air ball. To lay this all on O’Reilly or even hint that O’Reilly is the cause is vastly overstating things. There’s a thing or two that Bond doesn’t mention that affects GE far more than O’Reilly ever could and it’s also why a comparison of News Corp. stock price to GE stock price is lunacy.

The biggest drain on GE’s stock price has to do with GE’s Financial Arm, something Bond should know well since its been all over the news. News Corp. does not have that kind of a drain on its business (it has a totally different kind of drain…Rupert Murdoch’s obsession with newspapers and his willingness to overpay for them). To compare the two stock prices, given these circumstances, is a fool’s errand. It’s also why pushing an O’Reilly angle in GE’s stock price is at the very least a thin argument and at the very worst fool hardy.

Special Report Launches a Webcast…

Broadcasting & Cable’s Marisa Guthrie writes about Special Report with Bret Baier getting a Wednesday post show webcast…(via J$)

Special Report with Bret Baier will get supersized — on the web. Fox News launches a Special Report webcast Wednesday. The 15-minute, weekly webcast will run each Wednesday and feature an interactive continuation of the conversation among Baier and his guests.

Press Releases: 03/11/09

CNN (1)

Exclusive: Former VP Cheney to Appear on State of the Union with John King

In his first television interview since leaving office, former Vice President Dick Cheney will appear Sunday, March 15 exclusively on State of the Union with John King. The live, in-studio interview will air in the 9 a.m. hour.

Chief national correspondent and anchor John King will conduct a wide-ranging interview covering the anniversary of the Iraq war, the threat of a nuclear Iran, the ailing economy and more. King will also get Cheney’s impressions of the Obama administration and his thoughts on former President George W. Bush.

Free for All: 03/11/09

What’s on your mind?

Innapropriate Guest Shot?

The New York Times’ Allessandra Stanley criticizes NBC for putting Erin Burnett on The Apprentice as a judge…

The names are not the biggest show business can offer — Joan Rivers and Dennis Rodman are among the headliners — but the basic formula still works, and Mr. Trump manages to preside with a straight face.

That was a little harder for Sunday’s guest judge, Erin Burnett, a CNBC business news anchor, who took the place filled by Mr. Trump’s daughter Ivanka on the premiere episode.

NBC keeps testing the limits between news and entertainment in pursuit of cross-promotional synergy.

Ms. Burnett, whose day job is to report on the teetering economy, was shown last Sunday night shilling for Mr. Trump. It’s one thing for NBC to promote the reputation of a business tycoon who makes money for the network; there’s no synergy in denting the credibility of one of its most visible business reporters.

Reviewing CNBC…

Salon’s Gabriel Winant writes about CNBC…

On Monday, at 8:30 a.m., I turned on CNBC and started watching the business channel for the first time in my life. Twelve hours later, a long stare through the peacock-colored looking glass had shaken me. I was huddled in the corner of my living room couch, arms hugging my knees, wondering why the angry faces on-screen were yelling at me.

Since the dawn of the Obama administration, not even two months ago, CNBC has become notorious as a redoubt of talking — no, shouting — heads who insist that the market is tanking because the new president is an incompetent lefty. A Bolshevik even, according to Bloviator-in-Chief Jim Cramer. A squish who hands out free mortgage do-overs to “losers,” according to Chicago trading-floor populist Rick Santelli. Twice in the past week, “The Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart has responded with blistering mash-ups of the same talking heads talking out of their behinds. Larry Kudlow and Jim Cramer and others were seen, in CNBC footage assembled by “The Daily Show,” making absurd, toxic and ultimately tragic predictions about how awesomely awesome the market was about to be, how Bear Stearns would never fail, how turnaround was coming, how it was time to buy. Maria Bartiromo and various on-air soldier ants were also shown sucking up to assorted titans of business in the golden days before the recession began to seem like something worse.

The Problem with CNBC?

The Huffington Post’s Cenk Uygur writes about CNBC and what he thinks is its problem…

The real problem is their reporting – or lack thereof. The CNBC reporters and anchors make the Bush press corps look like draconian inquisitors. They are obsessed with access. This is a problem with all of the media, and something Jon Stewart points out all the time. But it is particularly acute at CNBC (and all other business news channels).

I have a close friend who works at a business news station – and here is the worst kept secret in show business – it’s all about the access. If you piss off the CEOs or the companies, you’re going to get a call from your boss. You have jeopardized our relationship with them!

That is very thinly disguised code words for – don’t ever say anything negative about a company we cover otherwise your job is in the trouble. The message is clear – go along to get along. This isn’t journalism. It’s public relations by another name.

CNBC never did any exposes about the enormous risks these financial companies took. They never exposed the insanity of the derivatives market. And they never told their audience that the executives of these companies have been robbing their shareholders blind. Because they didn’t see that as their job. They saw their job as doing whatever it took to keep Wall Street happy and playing ball with them.

They were part of the broken system. There was no journalism going on at CNBC. That is what our underlying complaint is. That is what CNBC continues to miss to this day as they try to defend themselves by saying their words were taken out of context. The problem was the context!

Anchor Wars: 03/11/09

Today…

MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer and CNN’s Tony Harris…

Final Tally: Brewer…

Cramer on The Daily Show…

The LA Times’ Matea Gold scoops that Jim Cramer will be appearing on The Daily Show on Thursday…

The ongoing feud between CNBC host Jim Cramer and Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart will culminate with a personal face-off. After fielding jabs from Stewart about the calls he’s made about Wall Street, the “Mad Money” host has agreed to make an appearance Thursday on “The Daily Show,” according to Comedy Central. Before then, though, Stewart plans to take another swipe at Cramer and CNBC’s coverage of the financial crisis on tonight’s program.

Free for All: 03/10/09

What’s on your mind?

HLN Changes…

TVNewser reports that Issues with Jane Valez Mitchell will be expanding to 7 days a week. To make room for that TVN reports that “Not Just Another Cable News Show” and “News to Me” are being canceled.

MSNBC: Trouble at 6pm?

The New York Observer’s Felix Gillette writes about Ed Schultz hosting 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue today and has questions about MSNBC’s 6pm timeslot…

According to an MSNBC press release, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with Mr. Shuster at the helm contributed to the network’s overall strong month by increasing total viewers 49 percent (571,000 vs. 383,000) over February 2008.

That said, the show has struggled in recent weeks, attracting less than 100,000 viewers in the 25-54 demographic on a handful of occasions.

The 6 p.m. hour has long bedeviled MSNBC brass. In recent years, the network has tried a number of anchors (Tucker Carlson, David Gregory, and David Shuster) in the spot—which is sandwiched between the first run of Hardball and its repeat, and goes head to head not only with the competition on CNN and Fox News but also with the local and national broadcast evening news shows. To date, nothing has grown into a hit ratings-wise.

When contacted by The Observer, some sources at the network questioned whether MSNBC executives were committed to Mr. Shuster over the long haul.

“Phil Griffin has not been visible recently, which I always take to mean he’s cooking up something,” said one source, with knowledge of the inner-workings of the newsroom.

Anchor Wars: 03/10/09

Today…

FNC’s Neil Cavuto and FNC’s Greta Van Susteren…

Final Tally: Cavuto…

Free for All: 03/07/09-03/09/09

What’s on your mind?

Blogus Interruptus…

No I’m not diving again. I’m skiing. Yosemite to be precise. No What’s Hot/What’s Not this weekend. Blogging resumes Tuesday.

HLN topping CNN?

Broadcasting & Cable’s Alex Welprin writes about HLN’s recent numbers surge over CNN in the Demo…

HLN, the little network that could, is beating its older sibling CNN in the target 25-54 demo in primetime.

Not only that, but CNN finished fourth in the demo those two days, behind Fox News, which typically lies at the top of the list, MSNBC and HLN.

The trio of Campbell Brown, Larry King and Anderson Cooper, all well known household names, and all very expensive, should not be finishing fourth, period.

Now the question is, why? During the presidential election and its related events (the inauguration, Obama’s recent address to congress, etc…) the race was between CNN and Fox News.

Beck Gets a Live Audience…

Glenn Beck announced that next Friday’s show will have a live audience for what is being billed as the “You’re not alone” special. Beck said the main seating is indoors but there will be additional seating outdoors. I presume Beck will visit both audiences but he didn’t say as much. There will be additional parties organized across the country which will be televised according to Beck. Tickets for the show can be requested by emailing becktickets@foxnews.com. To find out where these other parties are you have to go to GlennBeck.com.