Britain’s The Sun writes that Piers Morgan is about to ink a deal with CNN…
PIERS Morgan is to seal a £10MILLION US telly deal this week – making him one of America’s richest TV stars.
The former newspaper editor, 45, will take over from veteran interviewer Larry King, 76 – as the top presenter on CNN.
It will be the first time a Brit has landed a prime-time chat show on American TV.
The New York Times’ Brian Stelter writes about FBN’s “new” Libertarian bent…
“Freedom Watch” is arguably Tea Party TV in its purest form to date.
It is the latest product of the News Corporation, led by Rupert Murdoch, and being shown on the weekends on the Fox Business Network, which is searching for higher ratings by adding provocative commentators.
Fox News already dominates the market for conservative TV talk with hosts like Mr. Beck and Sean Hannity, and has generated billions in revenue to show for it. Now, the upstart Fox Business is making room for libertarian talk, too. An aggressive pro-civil liberties, anti-government streak is evident on both “Freedom Watch” and “Stossel,” a weekly Fox Business show hosted by the former ABC News anchor John Stossel that was added last fall.
As any libertarian will tell you, there are sharp differences in opinions between conservatives and libertarians, and now Fox has programs for both.
“I think Fox is seeing a business opportunity here,” said Jacob G. Hornberger, the president of the Future of Freedom Foundation, a libertarian educational group.
Update: Blowback courtesy of Talking Biz News…
The Times did not get a comment from Fox Business, but Talking Biz News did and shot it right back at Press.
A spokeswoman stated, “If anyone is familiar with being a ratings killer it’s Bill Press who hasn’t been able to maintain a steady hosting job on television since being dumped by CNN in 2002 and having his show canceled by MSNBC in 2003.”
Ouch…
From an emailer…
Martin Savidge is reporting for CNN again. He was reporting live from Baghdad earlier today on CNN International. According to his Facebook page, he will be in Baghdad until the end of the month.
Blogging resumes sometime Monday afternoon…
What’s Hot:
Elliot Spitzer – Spitzer mania is still going on with continued speculation about whether CNN or MSNBC will pick him up…
Jeff Corwin – Corwin is joining NBC/MSNBC news according to TVNewser…
Clark Howard – Howard just signed a two year deal to stay with HLN…
Alvin Greene – Greene’s shock win in South Carolina turned the media spotlight on him and he didn’t disappoint with a series of bizarre interviews with Shepard Smith, Keith Olbermann, and others…
Major Garrett – Garrett filled in will fill in for Chris Wallace this week July 4th on Fox News Sunday (yeah, yeah…I goofed that up. I was in a hurry Sunday morning)…
Chris Jansing – Jansing returns to anchoring MSNBC dayside fulltime after being farmed out to NBC’s Los Angeles bureau for two years…
What’s Not:
Dennis Kneale – Kneale is no longer a regular on CNBC’s Power Lunch…
Watch this channel even though we’re not on it – FBN’s recent TV ad campaign in the NYC market featured FNC all stars going to bat for FBN…
CNN’s Piers Morgan – News emerged that CNN is looking at Piers Morgan to maybe join the network…
From an emailer…
At 11am The Weather Channel had no live video. Between the local forecast and commercial breaks was a loop of weather graphics and music on the SD and HD feed. Finally came back on the air at 11:20am.
Post your nominations for this week’s What’s Hot/What’s Not. I’ll post the finalists on Sunday afternoon…
The Baltimore Sun’s David Zurawik really isn’t an Elliot Spitzer fan…and throws an elbow at Keith Olbermann along the way…
I am not going to go on and on about this, but I want to get on the record saying that if CNN decides to make former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer a regular on-air presence, it will be making a big mistake.
That probably goes for MSNBC as well, but that depends on how much damage you think Keith Olbermann has or has not already done to that channel’s credibility.
There clearly is a campaign being waged to get Spitzer a cable-TV job. And it is kind of shameless the way some of my colleagues are carrying water for those waging the campaign without acknowledging the folks behind it. That doesn’t do much for our credibility either — I get that.
But here’s my problem with Spitzer. It’s not his sleazy escapades with prostitutes. It’s that he tried to deceive the citizens of New York who put him in office about his sleazy escapades with prostitutes.
Bloomberg announced that Margaret Brennan will be broadcasting from the Gulf next Monday…
BLOOMBERG TELEVISION PRESENTS SPECIAL EDITION OF “IN BUSINESS WITH MARGARET BRENNAN” LIVE FROM THE GULF
Program to address local industry impact of BP oil spill
This Monday, June 14th, 2010, BLOOMBERG TELEVISION® anchor Margaret Brennan will report live from Pensacola, FL for a special 2-hour show (10 am – 12 pm/EST) devoted to looking into the potentially huge impact of the BP oil spill on Florida’s two largest industries, fishing and tourism. Bloomberg Television will also present coverage of President Obama’s visit to the Pensacola area.
Guests for “In Business with Margaret Brennan” include:
* Senator George Lemieux (R-Florida)
* Julian MacQueen, Chairman and CEO of Innisfree Hotel
* Joe Bracciale, President of Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort
* Buzz Richie, President of Gulf Coast Community Bank
* Kevin Fitzsimmons, Managing Director at Sandler O’Neill &Partners LP
Page Six reports that CNN is looking at Piers Morgan…
CNN is talking to snarky British journalist Piers Morgan about a potential slot in its troubled prime-time lineup, sources said.
Morgan, a judge on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and across the pond on “Britain’s Got Talent,” is a friend of Simon Cowell’s and the former editor of Britain’s Daily Mirror.
Cowell’s SYCO TV produces the talent contests. Morgan gained US notoriety as a winner of “Celebrity Apprentice.” Sources tell The Post’s Claire Atkinson that Morgan is now discussing a possible panel show at CNN, which has been battered by plunging ratings and is searching for a new identity.
The Business Courier’s Lisa Benson interviews FBN’s Gerri Willis… (via J$)
Q: What excites you most about having your own show on Fox Business Network?
A: I enjoy the freedom of choosing stories and themes – I have a definite point of view on the financial problems this country is facing and am enjoying talking to some of the smartest people in the nation about how to solve them. Plus, the people at FOX rock – the nicest, friendliest ever.
Q: How will your program be different?
A: My program won’t necessarily focus on the business news of the day or even market moves – we will talk about how the news of the day impacts your wallet. What is Congress doing to your taxes? What companies are charging hidden fees? We’ll be your advocate.
But what do these words really mean?
Update: The words don’t lie. After a two year absence, Chris Jansing is back fulltime with MSNBC.
This is rare major win for news junkies who are being inundated by the unwelcome prevalence of opinion journalism across cable news. The “voice of God” anchors are few and far between and getting fewer by the day. But their ranks just increased by one.
When she was assigned to LA, I called it a net loss for MSNBC. The fact that NBC has chosen to bring her back to MSNBC, something that rarely happens on the network level – anchor dispatched to bureau returns to anchoring – underscores this point. But I’m not going to beat up the network again for what happened two years ago. Instead I’m going to praise the network for doing the right thing, the smart thing, and bringing back someone who has more than earned her stripes over the past 12 years. Paraphrasing Mr. Spock from Star Trek 2 will probably seem corny to some but it’s apropos; “Anchoring a newscast is her first best destiny. Anything else is a waste of material.”
This is the best move MSNBC has made since moving Ratigan to 4pm ET and it is a sure sign that the network is still taking dayside seriously and is committed to improving it.
It is also another sign that David Shuster is done at MSNBC.
CNN (1)
CNN Wins Golden Nymph for Haiti Earthquake Coverage at Monte Carlo Television Festival
At a star-studded ceremony in Monte Carlo last night, CNN was awarded one of the highest honours in international journalism – a Golden Nymph, for its coverage of the earthquake in Haiti in the 24-hour news programme category, beating BBC News, Sky News, France 24 and Russia Today.
Judged by a panel of our peers from around the world this award underscores the on-going global impact that CNN’s journalism continues to have within our industry.
Read more »
ECHO! echo…echo…echo…
SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! NASCAR racing…racing…racing…
Backstory on CNN Observations….
Michael Smerconish pens an op-ed in the Washington Post about cable news polarization…
Another time, a Fox News producer invited me to appear on a program to discuss then-candidate Barack Obama. I was told they were “looking for someone who would say he’s cocky and that his cockiness will hurt him, if not in the primary, definitely in the general election against McCain.” I declined. A few hours later, the same producer made a new pitch: “What about a debate off the top of the show on whether or not Hillary is trustworthy? We have someone who says she is and we’re looking for someone who says she isn’t.”
The message of both episodes is clear: There is no room for nuance. Either you offer a consistent (possibly artificial) ideological view or you often don’t get a say.
Real Clear Politics reports that Major Garrett will be filling in for Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday this weekend…
Though Garrett is simply filling on a holiday weekend, his peformance will invariably be seen by some as a potential audition for a shot at the host chair when Chris Wallace, now 62, decides to call it quits at some point in the future.
At some point in the future? Wallace is 62. That “some point” may not be for a decade or longer…
CNN (2)
Chief national correspondent and anchor John King spent the day in Port Fourchon, Louisiana and will anchor John King, USA from there this evening. After attending a town hall meeting with Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), King spoke with him about the oil spill disaster, the federal response, BP’s responsibility and more. The full interview will air on this evening’s program. King will be joined live by CNN political contributors James Carville and Mary Matalin, who appear together exclusively on John King, USA.
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CNN and Foursquare Team Up to Connect World Cup Fans
Exclusive badges tied to more than 100 viewing venues across 32 countriesPutting football fans at the heart of its 2010 FIFA World Cup coverage, CNN has checked in with location-based social network Foursquare to connect fans all over the world throughout the month-long tournament. This is the first time Foursquare has teamed up with a media company for a multi-country initiative, with this one stretching across all 32 countries represented in the World Cup.
Read more »
What’s on your mind? Mine’s on a procedure I have to undergo at a hospital in a couple of hours. Should be nothing to it. But if you don’t see me back blogging by the end of the day, something went wrong. If you don’t see me back blogging in a couple of days, something went very wrong. If you don’t see me back blogging by the end of next week, I’m dead and my estate could use a good malpractice litigation attorney…
Update: I’m still not dead.
Even though Elliot Spitzer doesn’t have his own show yet – in fact he hasn’t even signed with a network yet – that’s not preventing people from already making show suggestions. And Daily Finance’s Jeff Bercovici is one…
CNN could try to tiptoe around this elephant-sized piece of awkwardness — or it could use it to give the show a frisson no mere cable news opinion-fest could match on its own. Pairing Spitzer with a female co-host would accomplish that.
Not just any co-host, mind you. The ideal one would have to be Spitzer’s equal in smarts and toughness — part sparring partner, part work wife, part chaperone. You can see some of this dynamic at play on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, where Mika Brzezinski’s eye-rolling keeps Joe Scarborough’s ego in check.
The Washington Examiner’s Nikki Schwab and Tara Palmeri write about Elliot Spitzer and CNN…
As Yeas & Nays reported last month, Eliot Spitzer is being considered for a panelist position on a “Crossfire”-type show set to replace Campbell Brown’s prime-time spot on CNN.
We hear from a CNN insider that President Jon Klein, a friend of Spitzer, is in the process of drawing up a contract for the former governor of New York.
Insiders also are buzzing about “The Rachel Maddow Show” executive producer Bill Wolff, whose name has been tossed around to lead the show.
The only thing bigger than Spitzer joining CNN might be Bill Wolff leaving MSNBC…
You may have recently noticed radio talk show host Michael Smerconish appear on MSNBC via a remote that wasn’t a TV studio. That’s because Smerconish installed a ReadyCam system in his Philadelphia home, which also serves as his radio studio. Smerconish bought the system from VideoLink so that he wouldn’t have to commute down to a TV station every time he had to do a TV interview. Smerconish isn’t the first radio talker to go this route. In 2007 Ed Schultz had a ReadyCam put in his Fargo, North Daktoa radio station.
Morning Joe hits the road Friday…
MORNING JOE TO BROADCAST LIVE FROM PENSACOLA – JUNE 11
“MORNING JOE” TO BROADCAST LIVE FROM PENSACOLA
NEW YORK – June 9, 2010 – In advance of President Obama’s visit on Monday, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” will broadcast live from Pensacola, Florida on Friday, June 11. Pensacola native Joe Scarborough and co-host Mika Brzezinski will talk with government officials and residents to showcase how the oil spill is affecting business and daily life in the region. The broadcast will serve as a call to action for civic service and tourism to help those in the Gulf impacted by the spill.
“Morning Joe” will originate from the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier and Observation Post.
For those who get FBN, what do you think of The Willis Report?
TVNewser’s Kevin Allocca scoops that Animal Planet’s Jeff Corwin has joined NBC/MSNBC News as its new Wildlife and Science Expert…
CNN (2)
John Roberts, anchor of CNN’s American Morning, has secured unprecedented access to Doug Suttles, Chief Operating Officer of BP Exploration and Production. Roberts will take a chopper tour and head out to the oil rig with Suttles for an inside look at BP’s efforts to stop the disastrous oil leak.
The interview will begin airing at 6 a.m. ET Thursday on American Morning. Transcript and video will be available tomorrow morning. Roberts will co-anchor the program from the Gulf region through Friday.
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Soledad O’Brien Investigates Case Against Nation’s “First” Black Serial Killer
Atlanta Child Murders debuts Thurs., June 10 at 9pm; Viewers review evidence, vote on verdict at CNN.com
Nearly 30 years after the trial of accused serial child killer Wayne Williams, CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien interviews Williams about the evidence used to connect him to more than two dozen murders of young adults and children that terrified the city of Atlanta, Ga. – and horrified a nation – for two years. A new, enterprising investigation of the case, including evidence never before shared with the public, is the subject of a new, two-hour documentary, ATLANTA CHILD MURDERS, debuting Thursday, June 10 at 9pm ET and PT.
Read more »
The Atlanta Journal Constitutions Rodney Ho writes that Clark Howard has re-signed with HNL for two more years…
HLN has given Atlanta-based consumer advocate Clark Howard a two-year contract, a sign his TV gig is reaping benefits for both sides.
Howard has already developed a major radio syndication presence over the past decade, but 18 months on the Atlanta-based cable network is giving him an expanded presence.
His 30-minute TV show airs multiple times on weekends but more importantly, Howard said in an interview, his 75-second bits of Clark advice air 16 times a day on weekdays. That’s where the ad money really comes in, he said.
Mediaite’s Steve Krakauer writes about a new FBN ad campaign that features…nothing but FNC talent?
In a TV ad that has played in the New York market on Fox News, but also has been seen this week on the cable news competition CNN and MSNBC, every major FNC star makes an appearance in a rapid 30-seconds. Bill O’Reilly says FBN is “straight-forward, no-spin talk you can trust,” while Sean Hannity describes “the power to inform.” Then there’s Glenn Beck, who says, “come on America the choice is simple,” and “this network wants you to succeed” (apparently the competition doesn’t).
Also in the ad are Greta Van Susteren, Megyn Kelly and Bill Hemmer. The tagline at the end, showing both logos, is “two networks, twice the power.”
What this ad also inadvertently says (which Krakauer didn’t mention): FBN apparently is neither strong enough nor has the star power necessary to speak for itself, so much so that they have to bring in “ringers” from its big sister to make its case for it. Krakauer argues that the increased star power may yield dividends down the line. It may, or it may not. But that isn’t what concerns me. What concerns me is the mixed message it sends to the viewers and to FBN’s staff.
Long time MSNBC viewers know of what I write. For years on end big news stories would get usurped by NBC News’ star talent while the rest of the time the network’s staff was left to fend for itself. This had the unfortunate result of re-enforcing in the viewers’ minds that MSNBC was weak and only mattered to NBC when it was a big news story. This is less the case today than it used to be but this phenomenon still occurs – but today it sometimes takes a slightly different form where MSNBC’s primetime talking heads start eating up dayside real estate during big news stories and leaving the in house bread and butter news anchors either marginalized or on the bench entirely.
The point, in FBN’s case, is this: By using people who don’t have much at all to do with FBN’s day to day on air presentation, the network risks making the viewers think that FBN can’t function well on its own, that it has to go outside for help, that it will look for something, anything, to bring viewers in regardless of the suitability of such an endeavor. I don’t think FBN is weak. And I think FBN is getting stronger every day. But that’s not what these ads covey to me. Instead of banking on the stars the network has to sell it, the network banks on the stars it doesn’t have to sell it.
