Press Releases: 05/18/10

CNBC (1)

CNBC PRESENTS “ESCAPE FROM HAVANA: AN AMERICAN STORY”

One-Hour Documentary Narrated by Meredith Vieira, Co-Anchor of NBC News’ TODAY, Premieres Thursday, May 27th at 9PM ET/PT on CNBC

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., May 17, 2010—As the debate over immigration policy in the United States heats up, CNBC unearths an extraordinary chapter in American history that sheds new light on the controversial issue. It is the heart-wrenching tale of a group of immigrants who arrived on U.S. shores as children—without their parents—and have succeeded in America against all odds.

At the height of the Cold War, between 1960 and 1962, more than 14,000 Cuban children were secretly flown to the United States to escape Fidel Castro—a covert airlift that became know as Operation Peter Pan

On Thursday, May 27th at 9PM ET/PT, CNBC presents “Escape from Havana: An American Story,” a CNBC Original narrated by Meredith Vieira, co-anchor of NBC News’ TODAY.

Free for All: 05/18/10

What’s on your mind?

Bloomberg Profile…

The Atlantic’s Peter Osnos profiles Bloomberg News…

The senior management and editors of Bloomberg News now include (to the point of possibly being crowded ) such stars as Amanda Bennett, the features editor, who was managing editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer and has just been named chair of the Pulitzer Prize board; Al Hunt, who was for years the most visible presence of the Wall Street Journal in Washington and is now Bloomberg’s executive Washington editor; Norman Pearlstine, who was managing editor of the Wall Street Journal in one of its best periods, was later was editor-in-chief of Time Inc., and is now chairman of the new Bloomberg Business Week; and Andy Lack, whose considerable resume includes being president of NBC News. The editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News is Matt Winkler, whom Bloomberg hired in 1990 from a then seemingly indomitable Dow Jones as the first employee of a fledgling news service because of his expertise in bonds. There are about 2,600 journalists working for Bloomberg News now in the headquarters tower on Lexington Avenue and in major bureaus in places like Beijing, London, and Chicago (which has 22 people, last time I checked).

About 600 of these news people work for Bloomberg television, which is available on cable systems around the world. In Ho Chi Minh City last year, a young Vietnamese journalist described to me, movingly, how she and her colleagues watched the Obama inauguration on the channel. I think it was then that I began to understand that this financial data service, in which news was considered a marginal loss leader to support the lucrative terminals, was being transformed into a multi-platform, international enterprise intent on parity (at a minimum) with the Associated Press and Thomson-Reuters, in financial news of course, but also in politics and investigative reporting. The competitive edge among these enterprises for news breaks and prize-winning takeouts has started to make a difference in coverage. In its award for “exemplary reporting on social justice issues,” The Sidney Hillman Foundation hailed a Bloomberg project titled “The Fight for Transparency” for being the first “to determine the true cost to the taxpayer of the Federal Bailout of Wall Street.”

Swimming with the fishes: Update…

I was a tad premature with my show and tell. I had only uploaded the best of my pics at the time. Now I have the best of all the pics and uploaded another 40 or so.

Oil? What Oil?

Brit Hume on Fox News Sunday may have gotten into some trouble over the BP accident. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen mention of the ocean’s natural ability to deal with oil seepage. I saw a report a little over a week ago on FNC about the ocean’s ability to absorb oil and perhaps that was what Hume was basing his commentary on. But that report and anchor Greg Jarrett’s lead in, drew a bit more of a distinction between natural oil seepage spread out throughout the world (I even saw some of this seepage in Palau via a methane leak in a couple of reefs I was diving) and a concentrated mass rupture like what’s happening with the BP spill which overwhelms the ocean’s ability to deal with it easily. I nearly wrote up a blog entry on this last week after that report aired but decided to give it a pass since it was really talking about a different phenomenon. But Hume’s comments yesterday were a different matter… (via Jason Linkins at the Huffington Post)

Spitzer and Hopkins fill in on Ratigan…

Elliot Spitzer and Page Hopkins are co-hosting on Ratigan’s program today…

Press Releases: 05/17/10

CNN (1)

CNN Puts Boots on the Ground as Part of 2010’s “Super Primary Tuesday” Coverage

Lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer and CNN’s Best Political Team on Television will be on-air throughout the day on Tuesday, May 18, covering the state primary races and their impact on the political landscape in a year where a number of incumbents already have lost in primary challenges. Senior political analyst Gloria Borger will be on hand to explain the significance of the results, while chief national correspondent John King will man the Magic Wall to breakdown results county by county. Chief political correspondent Candy Crowley will travel to Pennsylvania to cover the contentious Democratic senate primary race between Representative Joe Sestak and Sen. Arlen Specter, both of whom she interviewed Sunday on State of the Union with Candy Crowley. Senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash and national political correspondent Jessica Yellin head to Arkansas and Kentucky, respectively, to cover the tight state races.

Stay tuned to CNN throughout the day and night on 2010’s “Super Primary Tuesday” for the latest results and analysis of how the day’s races impact the balance of power. The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. will extensively cover the primaries, as will John King, USA at 7 p.m., when first returns are expected. Coverage will continue during primetime as the results come in to CNN’s Election Center.

Free for All: 05/17/10

What’s on your mind?

Open Mouth, Insert Foot…

The Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz writes about Ed Schultz putting his foot in it by incorrectly relaying the amount BP donated to Mary Landrieu’s campaign…not once but twice.

“It is unfortunate that in the rush to portray Senator Landrieu as a ‘shill’ for BP, such an egregious error was made, especially at a time when Senator Landrieu was unable to defend herself on air,” says Landrieu spokesman Robert Sawicki. “The right thing to do would have been to correct the record with numbers that truly show how far off his claim really was.”

Sawicki says the network didn’t respond to his follow-up complaint, but “The Ed Show” corrected the mistake Friday after I called MSNBC. Spokesman Jeremy Gaines says the initial number came from a CNN.com post, which itself was quickly corrected, and the second wrong figure was from a watchdog group. He says the “initial plan” was for Schultz to ask Landrieu about the donations during the interview.

I don’t know what’s worse, Schultz’s and his staff getting it wrong twice? Or the fact that they lifted the source material from CNN and a “watchdog group” rather than use their own resources? They are a news network after all…

What’s Hot/What’s Not: 05/16/10

What’s Hot:

FBN drops another pre-market open business program – It’s all Imus now before the market opens.

David Shuster – Shuster once again tooks a share of the media spotlight thanks to The Washington Examiner which reported that Shuster allegedly blabbed about his status at MSNBC, or lack thereof right now, to some softball league colleagues. Shuster vehemently denied the accuracy of the Examiner’s reporting and demanded that the source be revealed.

Shepard Smith vs. BP – Smith delivered a commentary during the Fox Report on BP’s response to the oil spill. It was classic Smith.

What’s Not:

MSNBC Dayside’s continued downward spiral – Save moving Dylan Ratigan to 4pm, which appears to have done what I figured it would do and boost the hour’s ratings, MSNBC’s dayside hours continued to slide.

No What’s Hot/What’s Not last week – My fault. I should have done it but didn’t. Now J$ can sleep easy, safe in the knowledge he’ll have something to reference on his blog first thing Monday and I won’t be reading hate mail from in like last week.

Olbermann vs Shales (vs. Stewart)

Page Six recaps that back and forth between Tom Shales and Keith Olbermann over Shales’ ridiculous attack on Alison Stwewart. But check out the end where Bill Wolff gets dragged into it and the odd response from MSNBC…

An MSNBC spokeswoman denied Wolff has anything to do with Olbermann’s show, saying, “Bill is the executive producer of the Rachel Maddow show. He does not have any oversight over Keith’s show. He is not Keith’s boss.”

Asked if Wolff’s programming title was fake, the spokeswoman said, “You can characterize it any way you want.”

Shepard Smith has a Shepard Smith moment…

Shepard Smith goes off at the end of the Fox Report with a rare commentary. Very Walter Cronkite like…(via J$)

MSNBC’s Alarming Updates…

From an emailer…

During the 2:32am ET news update by Thomas Roberts the fire alarm started to go off. He just ignored it and finished the report. Seems like a odd time for a test.

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…

David Shuster vs. Yeas & Nays…

The Washington Examiner’s Charlie Spiering has David Shuster aggressively responding to the Yeas & Nays article on him… (via J$)

(3) You claim that a week after I was suspended, I spoke to a fellow softball player or players about being on “paid vacation.” I’ve never said any such thing to anybody in the media softball league. And the only conversations I’ve had about my status are with my agent, my immediate family, and my closest friends. None of them play or interact with anybody in the media softball league.

In Depth: MSNBC Dayside Still Declining…

Mediaite’s Steve Krakauer writes about MSNBC Dayside’s dismal numbers…

Hey media writers and TV critics – remember when you had all those ideas about how to help CNN’s lagging prime time ratings?

Well, put on those executive hats again because it’s time to help MSNBC. The network’s 9am-5pmET (dayside ratings) is headed for its worst year since 1999, with even less viewers in May.

The MSNBC ratings comparison is based on the A25-54 demographic, and so far in 2010 the network is averaging 73,000 from 9am-5pmET. In the first two weeks of May, that average falls to 68,000. It takes going back to 1999 (less than three years after the network launched) to find an average lower.

Then Krakauer goes off the rails…and straight into quicksand…

So how does MSNBC fix this? Well hopefully the dozens of media writers have some ideas of their own. But when looking at what has been successful for the network, certain themes emerge. With Keith Olbermann as the face of the new MSNBC, we see strong personalities, and yes, a liberal tilt. That works for Rachel Maddow, as well as Ed Schultz and Chris Matthews before prime time. It doesn’t worry about appealing to the lowest common denominator – and in the process has built a loyal audience that has grown in the last few years (although MSNBC shows have declined year-to-year, as most programs have).

One solution could be to build up the dayside hours with more personality-driven news. While Andrea Mitchell and Chuck Todd are well respected journalists, their anchoring duties have not produced significant ratings.

What’s Krakauer been doing with his time? Apparently not watching MSNBC dayside (he’s in good company there). Krakauer just looked at MSNBC primetime and came to the same wrong conclusion that the MSNBC brass did last June when it tried to put strong personalities on dayside by hiring Dylan Ratigan for mornings, putting on Carlos Watson, and pairing David Shuster with Tamron Hall and letting them run wild with a more “shoot from the hip” newscast (we’ll ignore Nancy Snyderman’s show which never fit in with the rest of the format and was sort of forced down MSNBC’s throat by those with much higher pay grades). It’s why we continue to see Ed Schultz pop up anchoring on dayside, something he has no business doing. The point: Strong personalities are not a sliver bullet. Content matters as well.

Shuster done at MSNBC? According (allegedly) to Shuster, he is…

The Washington Examiner’s Nikki Scwab and Tara Palmeri drop a bombshell that David Shuster is done at MSNBC. And the source for their story which is itself the bombshell? David Shuster.

Shuster has played in the Metropolitan Media Softball League on and off for 20 years and has gained the reputation of being a hard-core player. Last year, he’s remembered for flaunting WRC’s victory trophy around the field. And as long as he’s employed and credentialed, much to competitors’ dismay, he can still play.

“One funny thing is he has his own uniform, while the rest of the teams play in shorts and T-shirts,” a player from an opposing team told Yeas & Nays. “What a dork,” the player added.

The weekend after Shuster was “suspended indefinitely,” he told players on an opposing team (hint: one he considered playing on) about his suspension, saying he was on paid vacation for the remainder of his contract.

(emphasis ICN’s)

Paid vacation for the remainder of his contract? That wouldn’t happen if he was going to be retained. They’d bring him back before it was up. So all signs point to Shuster being done at MSNBC. If this is is true, and someone will have to see if MSNBC will either confirm or shoot this down (the odds on getting any response other than one of the “no comment” variety, Vegas probably wouldn’t take money), it means Shuster is front and center in the media spotlight once again because of something he said or did.

Erin Burnett to Today?

Marketwatch’s Jon Friedman floats a trial balloon. But is there any helium inside? Maybe more than the one Friedman tried to float with Joe Scarborough…

In the past few years, the most noteworthy media trend of all has been the emergence of blogs as a force in shaping America’s views about culture, politics and every other subject. You can dismiss bloggers as amateur journalists and godless gossip hounds but the fact is that they often have the first word — and the loudest voice.

Sure, NBC News has a deep bench, filled with any number of professionals who could slide on to the “Today” couch and not have the program miss a beat.

Certainly Joe Scarborough of “Morning Joe” has the chops to make a move up. He has a sharp command of the news and a likable demeanor.

But Burnett, 33, is a unique case. After establishing herself at Bloomberg TV, she went on to be an anchor, reporter and interviewer at CNBC. Burnett has appeared on “Meet the Press,” NBC’s weightiest news vehicle. Plus, Burnett has done stints on “Today.”

Burnett is getting to a point at CNBC where NBC may have to contemplate moving her to a higher plane. Burnett connects with all kinds of viewers whether she is being serious, playful, inquisitive or contemplative.

Planet in Peril in peril…

TVNewser’s Alex Weprin writes about CNN shelving Planet in Peril, the program which was the reason why CNN dumped Miles O’Brien and killed the Space, Science, and Environmental unit, and has CNN ham-handedly trying to spin its way out of it…

Multiple sources familiar with the matter say that “Planet in Peril” was a pet project of CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who felt strongly that the network should be covering science and the environment. The problem is that filming the multi-hour documentary series–often in hard to reach corners of the globe–was expensive and kept Cooper away from the studio and off the air more than the network would have liked.

With the series not drawing high enough ratings to demand another new installment, CNN put it on the shelf.

Branding Run Amok: Example 1,005

From the season finale of NBC’s “Mercy”. CNBC being shown off breaking non-business news. What were the producers thinking? Why not use MSNBC instead?

Update: Yes, I have created a new category called “Branding Run Amok”

Dead Pixel Syndrome…

Oh dear, it appears one of the cameras in CNN’s new HD set has a dead pixel in it. I haven’t seen it myself yet (haven’t had time to check) and the above screengrab isn’t true HD and therefore can’t show it (it’s supposedly in the area of that red chair behind Ali Velshi), but according to emailers, it’s there. These cameras are expensive so don’t be expecting it to go away any time soon unless they stop using the camera. I’ve been seeing a dead pixel on one of my local newscasts for well over a year now.

Update: An emailer sent in an updated image highlighting the area of the screen where the dead pixel lies, though you still can’t see it really.

Free for All: 05/13/10

What’s on your mind?

Press Releases: 05/12/10

CNN (2)

Max Kellerman Joins CNN as Contributor

Kellerman to Appear Regularly On “American Morning” and other CNN Programming beginning Immediately

HBO boxing analyst Max Kellerman will join CNN’s roster of contributors, it was announced today by Bart Feder, SVP of programming for CNN/U.S. Kellerman will provide his passionate perspective and insightful commentary on news related to sports and pop cultural issues for CNN’s American Morning program (weekdays 6a-9a ET), and other CNN programs.

“Max has a tremendous gift of commentary, he’s passionate and curious which makes him a perfect fit for CNN, said Feder. Inevitably there are stories from the sports world that hit the national spotlight and we are pleased to have someone of Max’s experience to call upon when the news warrants.”
Said Kellerman, “I could not be more excited to join CNN and this extraordinary team.”

Kellerman is one of the most respected and gifted analysts in sports. He is currently a commentator for HBO, where he provides ringside commentary for HBO ‘Pay Per View’ and World Championship Boxing and the HBO Boxing After Dark series. While at HBO he was a regular contributor on MSNBC. Kellerman worked previously at ESPN as one of the architects and original hosts of Around the Horn and contributed to the network’s boxing series Friday Night Fights. Kellerman was also a frequent contributor to SportsCenter and penned a weekly column at ESPN.com.

______________________

Anderson Cooper 360° Takes a Close Look at Children, Parents and Race

Free for All: 05/12/10

What’s on your mind?

Stuart Varney Profile…

The Bergen Record’s Virginia Rohan profiles FBN’s Stuart Varney…

A vital part of Fox News Channel’s business team since January 2004, Varney makes a regular appearance on FNC’s early-morning “Fox and Friends,” and makes many contributions to that network’s business programming. He joined Fox Business Network as an anchor when the network launched in October 2007.

And in January, FBN introduced “Varney & Company,” which airs from 9:20 to 11 a.m. weekdays.

“It’s a relatively fast-paced program with lots of personality,” Varney says. “We’re not shy of a point of view. We’ll take a position and discuss it in a fair and balanced way, and we steer clear of what I’m going to call jargon,” he says. “We talk much more in down-to-earth terms that everybody can relate to.”

John King, USA in trouble? Or not?

The Washington Examiner’s Nikki Schwab and Tara Palmeri write about Johnathan Klein allegedly being displeased with the direction of John King, USA…something CNN denies…

Sources tell Yeas & Nays CNN/U.S. President Jonathan Klein reached out to senior executive producer of political programming Sam Feist and “John King USA” executive producer Michelle Jaconi weeks ago to say he was not pleased with the state of the show, calling it the worst program on the network. Klein went on to say changes needed to be made, and since the conversation, the show has been tweaked.

CNN, not surprisingly, denied that version of events this week.

“That conversation didn’t happen — but like all CNN programs, ‘John King USA’ will continue to evolve. John is one of the best political reporters, and we have confidence in the show and its journalism,” said CNN spokesperson Edie Emery.

The Hazards of Live TV: #25,054

(via J$)

Free for All: 05/11/10

What’s on your mind?

Undercovering Britain’s Election…

For What It’s Worth’s Teri Buhl writes about CNBC not paying enough attention to what’s going on over in Britain these days…(via Talking Biz News)

Smack dab at the top of the lunch hour UK’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced he’s going to resign. Surprise-Surprise. But you might not have known about it if you were only watching CNBC for your business news.

On a day when the Dow was soaring 400 points and trading on debt defaults in Euro Countries are shrinking because of the trillion dollar EuroZone bailout announced last night – Brown’s news was really market effecting. But not one of the four talking heads on CNBC’s Power Lunch broke in with a news flash and began yelling at their viewers that Brown was stepping down. This would have been important to traders who might not have realized for a few minutes why trading on the British pound was in a tail spin.

CNBC even had their UK correspondent Simon Hobbs on set, who likely could have done a great job explaining what impact Brown’s news had for the markets. But we got nothing, ZIPPO, from the crew who thinks they are the world’s leader in delivering unbiased-actionable business news before the Bloomberg speed desk can ever post story to their terminals.

Swimming with the fishes…

Ok, here are the pics…