Friedman vs. Dobbs…

Marketwatch’s Jon Friedman writes about Lou Dobbs in not so kind terms.

I used to laugh off CNN anchor Lou Dobbs’ eccentricities. I chalked up his bluster and preening to the concept of television news meets show biz.

But now, I’m sorry to say, I can no longer chuckle at the spectacle of Dobbs’ antics. Quite simply, the man has sold his journalistic soul to the devil.

How else could anyone explain Dobbs’ dramatic transformation over the years, from a professional business-news anchor to his current act, which somewhat resembles Howard Beale on steroids?

Press vs. Klein…

The Hartford Courant has an article by Bill Press concerning the Jon Klein decision to drop certain talk show hosts from the CNN appearance roster…

It took him a long time, but CNN President Jon Klein finally got around to doing what he should have done a long time ago. In order to maintain the professed trademark of his network for objectivity in broadcasting, he realized he had no choice but to fire Lou Dobbs.

Of course, cautious as he is, Klein did not fire the anti-immigration crusader directly, or even alone. He threw Dobbs overboard as part of a vendetta against radio talk show hosts in general.

As first reported on the Website TVNewser.com, in a conference call on Aug. 11, Klein told his producers they should no longer book radio talk show hosts on CNN shows: not on “The Situation Room,” nor Larry King, Anderson Cooper, or Campbell Brown. From now on, said his edict, no radio talkers will appear on CNN. Period.

Why? Because, argued Klein, radio talk show hosts are incapable of understanding or commenting on the important issues of the day. “Complex issues require world-class reporting,” sniffed Klein. Not only that, TVNewser.com quotes Klein as complaining that radio hosts too often do nothing more than “contribute to the noise,” and their comments are “all too predictable.”

FBN in Sequel to “Wall Street”…?

The script to Oliver Stone’s Wall Street sequel has allegedly leaked. In it FBN talent are all over it. Cody Willard, Alexis Glick, Jenna Lee, Eric Bolling, and Brian Sullivan are listed as making appearances on screen. I wonder who is going to draw comparisons to CNN and “Contact”? (via Zero Hedge)

Tweet of the Day…

FBN’s Liz Claman

I am wearing 4.5 inch orange Jimmy Choo stiletto’s that 12 people have already commented on. Can only wear them on air, canNOT walk in them.

The Hazards of Live TV: #25,015

Free for All: 08/13/09

What’s on your mind?

Double Standard?

Mediaite’s Colby Hall and Robert Quigley write about the case of MSNBC analyst Richard Wolffe…

Wolffe consults for a firm called Public Strategies, Inc.: in his Salon column, Glenn Greenwald made the point that “Wolffe’s role in life is to advance the P.R. interests of the corporations that pay him, including corporations with substantial interests in virtually every political issue that MSNBC and Countdown cover.” Responding on Daily Kos, Olbermann wrote, “What appears to be the truth here is certainly not what Richard told us about his non-news job … until we can clarify what else he is doing, he will not be appearing with us.”

But nearly all of the established political analysts in cable news do exactly the same thing. In fact, many of them would consider themselves consultants first, who then appear on television as a means to a larger end. Should they disclose any conflicts of interest? Absolutely. But it makes little sense that Wolffe would be singled out for so commonplace a practice. Consider these pundits, all paid contributors to the networks: