“Scam ad” airing on CNBC?

Business Insider’s Lawrence Delevingne and John Carney write about the murky story regarding an advertiser airing ads on CNBC…

Yesterday, we noticed their ads on CNBC promising between $20,000 and $200,000 a month from real estate investments with “no upfront or investment cost.”

That sounded too good to be true.

A quick examination of the company’s website, address and contact phone only raised more questions, especially the lack of detail provided about how the business worked, which we noted in a post this morning.

We spoke with Vice President Rob Doucett today, but he declined to describe the nature of the business, referring us to another officer who deals with the press, Kate Arney (We haven’t yet heard back to our multiple requests for comment).

Free for All: 03/08/10

What’s on your mind?

Press Releases: 03/07/10

MSNBC (1)

MSNBC’S CHRIS MATTHEWS TRAVELS TO THE MIDDLE EAST WITH VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN

Matthews interviews Vice President Biden in Jerusalem on Tuesday, March 9

NEW YORK – March 7, 2010 – MSNBC’s Chris Matthews will travel to the Middle East this week, interviewing Vice President Joe Biden in Jerusalem on Tuesday, March 9. Matthews will talk to Biden about his trip to the region, as well as the administration’s domestic agenda. The interview will air Tuesday, March 9 and Wednesday, March 10 on “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” 5-6 p.m. ET (re-air 7-8 p.m. ET) on MSNBC.

Matthews will anchor “Hardball” from Jerusalem on Monday, March 8 and Tuesday, March 9 and will report from the region as he travels with the Vice President throughout the week. NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd will anchor Wednesday-Friday.

What’s Hot/What’s Not: 03/07/10

What’s Hot:

Betty Nguyen – Nguyen jumps from CNN weekends to CBS News.

What’s Not:

Felis Gillette changes jobs at the Observer – And the quality of output average by the MSM Media Writers just took a hit…

CNN’s impending decision over Campbell Brown, or lack thereof – The New York Post put up a stupid story about CNN now having to worry about what to do with Campbell Brown if Dan Senor runs for Senate. It was typical Post, pre-mature and over-reaching in its claims…

Whoever is in charge of naming CNN programs – American Morning, Fareed Zakaria GPS, No Bias, No Bull, and now John King USA. Whatever happened to the days when show names stood for something or made sense; Crossfire, The Situation Room, Amanpour, Reliable Sources…it can be done right you know…

Craig Crawford leaves MSNBC – Networks lose analysts all the time but the departure of a sturdy, dependable veteran like Crawford, and the reasons why he left, are a sign of problems with the shape and scope of MSNBC’s programming…

What’s Hot/What’s Not: Submissions…

Post your nominations for this week’s What’s Hot/What’s Not. I’ll post the finalists on Sunday night…

Tweets of the Day…

Morning Joe EP Chris Licht answers the Bush cropped from Newsweek cover mystery…

To anyone concerned: Technical error in graphics dept. slightly cropped Newsweek cover.. No conspiracies, unintentional. You have my word.

Let me be clear: a graphic can have a “book” template or a “magazine” template. They have different perameters.The wrong template was used.

Free for All: 03/05/10

My bad. The Crawford news distracted me this morning and I forgot to put this up, which probably contributed to the polluting of several threads. So, what’s on your mind?

Jonathan Klein Interview…

TV Guide’s Stephen Battaglio interviews CNN President Jonathan Klein…

So why isn’t CNN U.S. president Jon Klein worried? He thinks his channel’s straight-ahead news coverage has become more valuable as his competitors draw viewers with opinion. “Last year was our most profitable year ever,” he says. “We’ve doubled our profit just in the last four years by being the only reliable provider of TV news day in and day out, online and internationally.”

Noting that CNN’s 2009 prime-time audience was higher than it was in 2005, Klein says his network has not been hurt by FNC, which he believes is in a different business with its partisan personalities. “We cover the news,” he says. “They are about fomenting outrage. They do it very well. Their viewers stay longer. That’s about a state of mind.” (A Fox News Channel spokesperson said: “We don’t respond to presidents of fifth-place news networks. The last time we looked, Jon was losing to the Weather Channel, so call us back when he and CNN regain relevancy.”) Fox News points out that its regular news programs also top CNN by wide margins.

Christiane Amanpour: This Week host?

Politico’s Michael Calderone scoops that ABC has been talking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour about hosting its Sunday morning “This Week” program…

Still searching for a permanent host for “This Week,” ABC News is in talks with Christiane Amanpour, the CNN foreign correspondent known more for globe-trotting reporting than talking politics within the Beltway.

Amanpour, through a CNN spokesperson, declined to comment, but sources with knowledge of the hiring process say she’s now in the mix of internal and external candidates ABC is considering to replace George Stephanopoulos, who left for “Good Morning America” in December.

Press Releases: 03/05/10

CNN (1)

John King, USA to Launch Monday, March 22

Sneak Preview to Stream Friday, March 19 on CNN.com

As John King announced on Twitter this morning, John King, USA will become the 7 p.m. destination for hard-hitting, provocative, relevant news and political conversation, beginning Monday, March 22. After spending 2009 traveling the country, John will continue to reach outside the beltway with special segments with contributors, the magic wall, as well as viewer interaction and news-making guests.

The program will take a fresh look at politics in and out of Washington while delving into issues of the day that matter to average Americans. On Friday, March 19, the final dress rehearsal will stream live online at noon on CNN.com and CNN.com/Live.

So, get ready to visit John King, USA every night at 7 p.m. for your fix of politics. You can check out a video clip about the show at www.CNN.com/JohnKingUSA – and follow John on twitter @JohnKingCNN.

I’m bored…

(played to the tune of the Beach Boys classic)

If everybody had a program
Across the U.S.A.
Then everybody’d be John King
In Atlanta G.A.
You’d see ‘em workin’ Magic Walls
And Blackberrys too,
A bushy bushy silver hairdo,
John King U.S.A.

You’d catch him at primaries (Inside, Outside U.S.A.)
New Hampshire’s snow,
Iowa’s farm belt,
The Super Tuesday Show,
All over Ohio,
And Michigan too,

Everybody’s gone John King
John King U.S.A.

Announcing John King, USA…

CNN took the wraps off the name of the show John King will be hosting and it’s called…wait for it…John King, USA. If you want to know what I think about that you should be following me on Twitter…

Craig Crawford leaves MSNBC…

Longtime MSNBC analyst Craig Crawford has left the network…according to Craig Crawford…

For those who might be interested – and you have every reason not to be – I am no longer with MSNBC. Three months short of my current contract I sent the following to the boss, Phil Griffin: “Phil, Just wanted to give you the heads up that my situation with MSNBC has become so unrewarding for me that I’ve decided to move on. — Craig”

And Crawford saves the real venom, and dirt, for the thread comments…

Can’t tell ya how hard this choice was to make. I’ve had a difficult time with MSNBC since the presidential primaries, should have pulled the trigger long ago. but my scotch-irish blood keeps me loyal long past the bitter end, which has long past, sadly.

_______________

i simply could not any longer endure being a cartoon player for lefty games, just gotta move on to higher ground even if there’s no oxygen

_______________

thanks bethy, i have never and never will forgive Chris for calling me a racist after the West Virginia primary (the last time I will ever go on air with him). Probably should have resigned then and there, but better late than never.

Crawford was a mainstay on MSNBC for a very long time and also one of the more level headed analysts they had. If the Craig Crawfords of the network are getting fed up with what’s going on, that’s bad. One can only infer from Crawford’s tweets exactly what at MSNBC is going wrong in his eyes (“lefty games”, while a pretty provocative term, is also maddeningly inexact and unspecific) but it’s obvious he really got fed up with Matthews. But aside from Matthews, what else?

Update: Crawford expands on his explanation to Mediaite’s Steve Krakauer…

Caption the Pic time…

This is just too good to ignore…(via TVNewser)

Update: Damn. AC360 beat me to it…though those comments are moderated so the really best zingers will never see the light of day on that site.

Betty Nguyen to CBS…

TVNewser reports that CNN’s Betty Nguyen is jumping to CBS fulltime…

Press Releases: 03/04/10

CNBC (1)

CNBC’S “THE SUZE ORMAN SHOW” CELEBRATES 8 YEARS AND HEADS INTO 9TH SEASON WITH A NEW MISSION

Season Premiere Airs Saturday, March 6th at 9PM & 12AM ET on CNBC

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. – March 4, 2010 – On Saturday, March 6th, CNBC’s “The Suze Orman Show” celebrates 8 years on CNBC and heads into its 9th season with a new mission: to help America become Healthier & Wealthier.

“I have always believed health and wealth are intertwined,” said Suze Orman.

Since “The Suze Orman Show” debuted on CNBC in 2002, Suze has always been focused on exploring the links between emotions and money and helping people understand the connection between their self worth and their net worth. And now, with rising healthcare costs weighing on the minds of all Americans and obesity increasing across the country, the link between health and wealth is stronger than ever.

Women of Fox News on The Insider Tonight…

Syndicated TV show The Insider will be airing a segment on the women of Fox News tonight. Too bad for Fox News that The Insider has gone through so many format and personel changes since its inception a few years ago, never the sign of a healthy strong program, that it now more or less sucks.

Update: I just watched the segment. What a total waste of air time. I learned just about nothing. And you probably won’t either. Not that it’s the ladies’ fault. This is The Insider we’re talking about here, where superficialilty and tabloidness is even greater than cable news.

Free for All: 03/04/10

What’s on your mind?

Get Campbell Brown…

The New York Post’s Michael Starr turns in a silly piece on something that may not even happen…

CNN is facing a sticky situation if anchor Campbell Brown’s husband — former Bush White House adviser Dan Senor — decides to run as a Republican against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

The network will have to decide if Brown can keep hosting her 8 p.m. nightly news show — or if she would be compromised by the conflict.

That’s not the issue at all. The issue would be whether Brown would be allowed to cover Senor at all. And we already have an example as to what CNN would probably do; NBC’s Andrea Mitchell. Mitchell is married to former Fed chief Alan Greenspan. When Greenspan was still chief Mitchell covered other stories that didn’t have to do with the Fed. This would likely be what CNN would institute with regards to Brown. She could still have her show.

But this is all just conjecture. Until Senor runs, and until he wins, this is a non-story. The Post knows this but that’s not going to stop it from making hay of the situation, right down to tossing in the non-sequitur of her show’s ratings last month.

This sucks…(tweet of the day)

@felixgillette:

after 2.5 years, a dozen covers, one Halloween w/ KT Couric, and a Super Tuesday w/ Chris Matthews am switching off TV beat at NYO

During those 2.5 years, Gillette became one of the most dangerous media writers in the U.S. He routinely turned up very insidery dirt, wrote up really good process stories, and broke scoops regarding several networks. There are only a few others who operate consistently at this level, so this loss is really bad.

MSNBC cuts Bush out of Newsweek cover…

NewsBusters’ Kyle Drennan writes about a Newsweek cover sans most of President Bush that was seen on Morning Joe…

The magazine cover showed Bush on the deck of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln in 2003, after making his “Mission Accomplished” speech following the successful invasion of Iraq. While Newsweek cropped the picture to include half of Bush’s body and face, MSNBC further cropped the image to leave only the arm of the former president visible

Free for All: 03/03/10

What’s on your mind?

February Numbers: CNN/HLN…

CNN is noting its February numbers for itself and HLN…

HLN NEARLY TRIPLES AUDIENCE SINCE 2005 REVAMP

Morning Express with Robin Meade Posts Best Month Ever

CNN TOP RATED DURING CHILE BREAKING NEWS

CNN TOPS MSNBC DURING THE DAY AND IN TOTAL DAY IN FEBRUARY (EXCLUDING OLYMPICS)

CNN Digital No. 1 in Current Events & Global News with 40.6 Million Unique Users

HLN

The Hazards of Live TV: #25,050

And the Hazards just keep on a comming. This one is Dylan Ratigan running over a guest on the air.

Speaking of Ratigan, I’ve been meaning to put up this poll for a while but now seems like the perfect time. The question is: What do you think of the new Ratigan show format?

FNC’s Keith Olbermann?

I don’t have much to say about the story that Keith Olbrermann at one point, years before he developed his ideological personality on MSNBC, was slightly courted by elements at FNC. What I do have to say concerns FNC’s repsonse to Mediaite’s Steve Krakauer…

An FNC spokesperson tells Mediaite: “It appears that Keith’s ratings plunge has driven him deeper into the world of delusion.”

That, my friends, is what we call a non-denial denial…

February Numbers: MSNBC…

MSNBC is noting its February numbers…

MSNBC Pulls Ahead of CNN in Primetime in February

Out-Rates CNN at 7, 8 and 9

MSNBC Number One Among Younger Viewers

CNN Back in Fourth Place

NEW YORK – March 2, 2010 – MSNBC pulled back ahead of CNN in primetime in February, with “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” and “The Rachel Maddow Show” all finishing ahead of their CNN and HLN competition for the month. MSNBC finished the month out-rating CNN in primetime by 75% in total viewers (935,000 vs. 534,000) and by 138% in A25-54 (350,000 vs. 147,000). CNN fell to fourth place again in February in A25-54 in primetime. Following are MSNBC ratings highlights for February 2010:

Free for All: 03/02/10

What’s on your mind?

The Hazards of Live TV: #25,049…NOT

Beckel strikes again on Hannity. First the finger, now an S-bomb. Let’s see the MSM media writers (and FNC) ignore this one… (video via J$)

Update: I’ve changed my mind thanks to Kraptv’s comment. It wasn’t an S-bomb. It sounded like one right up until Kraptv said the word was “yet”. Then it stopped sounding like an S-bomb. So Beckel is innocent. And since I helped cast aspersions his way I must apologize.

Velshi vs. Bunning…

NewsBusters’ Carolyn Plocher writes about Ali Velshi tweeting that Jim Bunning was an embarassment for blocking the Unemployment extension Bill in the Senate. Then again maybe Velshi called him an embarrassment for this…

Press Releases: 03/01/10

MSNBC (1)

PROGRAM NOTE: MSNBC PRESENTS SPECIAL INTERVIEW SERIES, ‘SO LONG CAPITOL HILL,’ 3-4 PM ET, ALL THIS WEEK

NEW YORK—MARCH 1, 2010—MSNBC anchor David Shuster will speak with members of Congress who will not seek re-election this fall in a special series, ‘So Long Capitol Hill,’ airing all this week, 3-4 PM ET.

Shuster interviews Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) today; Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan) on Tuesday; Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla) on Wednesday; Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn) on Thursday; Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark) on Friday.