Cable News Polarization…

The Baltimore Sun’s David Zurawik blogs about cable news polarization…

I used to believe a national, media-driven conversation about race would make us smarter and more tolerant as a society. I really did. But that was in the good or bad old days — depending on your point of view — when legacy media like network news played a leading role in setting the national agenda.

Now, it’s 24/7 cable news and the Internet stirring the cocktail that fuels our nation’s after-dinner conversation, and you can see for yourself what a national conversation about race looks and sounds like.

It’s Megyn Kelly, on Fox News, pounding away at the tape of two members of the New Black Panther Party, one armed with a billy club, outside a polling place in Philadelphia in 2008 looking as if they might be agents of intimidation. And it’s Kelly leveling reckless charges against other broadcasters, like Bob Schieffer, of CBS News, for not acting on her interpretation of the tape.

Meanwhile,it’s MSNBC and even CNN showing the same images over and over of inflammatory, racially-charged, anti-Obama signs from what are described as Tea Party gatherings.

So much heat, so little light, and it all makes the blood boil while driving us deeper into one racial camp or the other — my cave versus your cave here on the banks of the primordial ooze that it feels like we have barely crawled out of these days and nights when I am watching cable TV news.

BP Coverage: Analysis…

The AP has an uncredited story (though I’ll lay odds it was David Bauder) on the coverage of the BP Oil Spill…

Live video of cascading oil was perfect for cable news, where producers could flip a switch and call it up anytime, making every spill story seem timely and urgent. Its absence is good news, but many who live and work in the Gulf are worried about what will happen when news crews leave, said CNN’s Anderson Cooper, in his eighth week anchoring his nightly CNN newscast from the region.

“People here feel that often they get forgotten,” Cooper said. “I know that’s a huge concern right now.”

News executives say they’re very aware the story won’t be over with the pictures changing.

“On any given day in the next couple of weeks, they will hopefully stop the flow of oil in the Gulf, and this turns into a story about a massive environmental cleanup _ the likes of which we haven’t seen,” said NBC News President Steve Capus. “I still think that’s worthy of coverage.”

Free for All: 07/20/10

What’s on your mind?

CNNMoney.com Profile

Talking Biz News interviews Chris Peacock; Vice President and Executive Editor at CNNMoney.com.

What is the strategy behind CNNMoney.com?

CNNMoney’s mission is to cover the money news that matters most. We do that by focusing on key verticals: markets, economy, technology, personal finance and small business. In addition to covering business news, our strategy includes “voice” and what we call “productization.” First, it’s not enough simply to cover the news. Audiences demand a diversity of viewpoints. We’ve been weaving thought-leaders into our coverage which gives the site distinctive voices. By productization, I mean packaging the right applications and tools to support coverage. A year ago we launched an ongoing effort to overhaul our all our markets products. We’ll do that with each of our coverage verticals, too.

What other Web sites do you see as competition, and why?

That’s a good question. We consider competition from the usual suspects across all media: TV, digital and print. It’s the competition for business audience, after all. We’re watching closely the growing competitiveness of new organizations, especially those untethered to legacy media. When you see the kind of changes Politico and TMZ have wrought on the velocity and volume of political and entertainment coverage, it means everyone in all spaces needs to amp their game.

Savannah Guthrie Profile

NPR’s David Folkenflik profiles MSNBC’s Savannah Guthrie…

The story of NBC’s Savannah Guthrie illustrates the new complexities that surround the modern network TV-news journalist. After a relatively short stint as a correspondent, Guthrie has emerged as a rising star. She’s one of NBC’s primary White House correspondents, appearing on its most popular news programs; she’s also the co-host of a weekday-morning political show, The Daily Rundown, on the network’s cable sister station, MSNBC.

“I’m constantly blown away by her range,” says an admiring Steve Capus, president of NBC News. “She’s had a very quick rise within the organization [and] has absolutely earned respect every step of the way.”

The Hazards of Live TV: #25,069

Rick Sanchez can’t remember when the Nixon/Kennedy debate took place…

Rick Sanchez stumbled again on-air on his CNN program on Monday, getting the year of the famous Kennedy-Nixon television debate wrong by a margin of two years. Sanchez, who was trying to describe South Carolina Democratic senatorial candidate Alvin Greene’s first public speech as the “converse” of the debate, initially guessed 1962 as the year of the debate, but then broadened his answer to “early ’60s”

Izzy Povich Tapped to Helm O’Donnell Show…

Michael Calderone tweets the following…

MSNBC names Izzy Povich senior EP for new Lawrence O’Donnell show

Nothing on the blogs or from MSNBC on this yet.

Update: Mediaite’s Steve Krakauer writes that Povich is leaving as EP of Countdown for O’Donnell’s show…

There’s really two stories here, Povich joining O’Donnell and Povich leaving Countdown. Not that this was entirely unexpected but Povich leaving Countdown is huge. You don’t usually see EPs leaving the network’s flagship primetime show for a new show that is totally unproven. As a network exec you don’t want to make the switch because you don’t want to potentially upset the applecart for the flagship show, unless you have to. This suggests that there may be a story here to be written concerning what’s been going on with Countdown that would force this move.

Note to Krakauer: I don’t know whether to feel honored that you remembered that blind item or annoyed that you could re-use it before I could.

Update 2: According to the release Krakauer noted, Povich has been named Senior Executive Producer. But that’s not a title someone with day to day oversight tends to have. Which raises another question: Was Povich kicked upstairs?

Update 3: TVNewser’s Chris Ariens writes that another staffer for Countdown may be leaving the show. This too was mentioned in my blind item.

Update 4: Ok, here’s my copy of the release which for some stupid reason I found in my Gmail spam folder and not the main in box. This drives me nuts. Here I am waiting for either Mediaite or TVNewser to come up with the info and I had it all along but didn’t know it. Sigh…

IZZY POVICH NAMED SENIOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF NEW LAWRENCE O’DONNELL PROGRAM

NEW YORK – July 19, 2010 – Izzy Povich has been named Senior Executive Producer of Lawrence O’Donnell’s new program, which will debut this fall at 10 pm ET on MSNBC. The announcement was made by Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC and is effective immediately.

Press Releases: 07/19/10

CNBC (1)

“BP: IN DEEP WATER” WILL PREMIERE ON CNBC ON JULY 21ST

“BP: IN DEEP WATER” will premiere on CNBC Wednesday, July 21st at 9pm ET. The 30 minute program will repeat that evening at 9:30pm ET, 1am ET and 1:30am ET.

“BP: In Deep Water” tells the story of America’s ‘greatest environmental disaster.’ Dubbed an environmental ‘9/11’ by President Obama, the leak caused by the explosion of British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig is still releasing thousands of barrels of crude oil a day into the waters of the Gulf. “BP: In Deep Water” examines the full consequences of the disaster amid a mounting war of words between the Obama administration and an embattled BP, asking what went wrong and who is really to blame.

Nasr: Friedman Weighs In…

Thomas Friedman penned an Op-Ed in the New York Times about Octavia Nasr’s firing…

I find Nasr’s firing troubling. Yes, she made a mistake. Reporters covering a beat should not be issuing condolences for any of the actors they cover. It undermines their credibility. But we also gain a great deal by having an Arabic-speaking, Lebanese-Christian female journalist covering the Middle East for CNN, and if her only sin in 20 years is a 140-character message about a complex figure like Fadlallah, she deserved some slack. She should have been suspended for a month, but not fired. It’s wrong on several counts.

To begin with, what has gotten into us? One misplaced verb now and within hours you can have a digital lynch mob chasing after you — and your bosses scrambling for cover. A journalist should lose his or her job for misreporting, for misquoting, for fabricating, for plagiarizing, for systemic bias — but not for a message like this one.

What signal are we sending young people? Trim your sails, be politically correct, don’t say anything that will get you flamed by one constituency or another. And if you ever want a job in government, national journalism or as president of Harvard, play it safe and don’t take any intellectual chances that might offend someone. In the age of Google, when everything you say is forever searchable, the future belongs to those who leave no footprints.

The Hazards of Live TV: #25,068

(via J$)

Free for All: 07/19/10

What’s on your mind?

NBC News’ Education Summit…

The AP’s David Bauder writes about an Education Summit NBC News is holding in September…

The two-day “Education Nation” event in New York will be carried online, and is part of a week of programming concentrating on education issues on NBC News broadcasts such as “Today” and “Nightly News,” and the MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo TV networks.

It’s also a chance for NBC to promote some of its education-related products, including a news quiz and historical archives of NBC broadcasts available to schools.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the governors of Minnesota and Tennessee, MIT President Susan Hockfield and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg have all said they would attend, NBC said. It will be held on the week of Sept. 27.

“I say this as a parent,” said NBC News President Steve Capus, “I think we’re tired of accepting the status quo and having America show up in the middle of the pack when it comes to the education of our children.”

Wardrobe!

This is kinda funny. Hunter Stuart writes on The Huffington Post about NBC’s Mike Viquera changing shirts four times yesterday and MSNBC’s graphics department and Norah O’Donnell calling him on it…

What’s Hot/What’s Not: 07/18/10

What’s Hot:

Piers Morgan – With an agreement between NBC and Turner over the rights to Morgan, CNN can now “negotiate with the heir apparent to Larry King…

Steve Friedman – Friedman is tapped to EP Ratigan’s show.

What’s Not:

Talking Head Primetime Invades Daytime – The on air blow up between Megyn Kelly and Kirsten Powers was a textbook example of what’s wrong with cable news these days…

Mel Gibson Coverage – This is another example of what’s wrong with cable news these days…

Scientology vs. Anderson Cooper – The Church of Scientology going after CNN’s Anderson Cooper in print after Cooper did his Scientology “expose” a few months ago says more about the Church than it does about Cooper…

If you can’t stand the heat – Hardball’s abrupt cancellation of Pamella Geller says a lot about what Hardball is willing to examine on the show…

The Daily Caller vs. Keith Olbermann – Trying to take a page out of Olbermann’s book, the Caller is hoping Olbermann will take a page out of Bill O’Reilly’s book and make a big public stink about it. The smart play is to do nothing and deny The Caller the publicity it so brazenly seeks…

What’s Hot/What’s Not: Submissions…

Starting this early as I’m away the next two days. Post your nominations for this week’s What’s Hot/What’s Not. I’ll post the finalists on Sunday night…

Julie Banderas Delays FNC Return by a Week…

Julie Banderas tweeted the following…

Hey Twits! I’m taking off ONE more weekend I need a couple more days to get settled! I’ll see you all on Saturday the 24th! Miss u

Press Releases: 07/16/10

CNBC (2)

CNBC DIGITAL HAS BEST JUNE EVER

CNBC.com and CNBC Mobile Web both draw their largest June audiences

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. – July 16, 2010 – CNBC.com, the online destination for global business news and expert analysis, had its best June ever in terms of uniques. According to latest data from comScore Media Metrix, the site was visited by 5.6 million unique users this past month and generated 278 MM page views.

CNBC Mobile Web had its best June ever in terms of page views with 56 MM, a 41% increase compared to June 2009. The site has also closed its best quarter ever, increasing page views by 37% compared to the same time last year. (Source: Omniture)

Free for All: 07/16/10

What’s on your mind?

What does this mean?

This Tweet from Cenk Uygur is a tad confusing…(via J$)

I will be appearing on MSNBC at 3PM ET EVERY Friday from now on. First one is tomorrow. The more people watch, the better.

Is this as a guest spot during the hour or for the whole hour? MSNBC News to lose another hour on Fridays? It’s not clear to me. Guess we’ll find out tomorrow.

Touche…

Politico’s Patrick Gavin writes about the Olbermann/Carlson bruhaha but adds an update where Salon.com sticks its nose in…

Looks like this thing could drag on for a bit. Salon.com has thrown its hat into the ring: TuckerCarlson.net now re-directs readers to Salon’s War Room. In a piece explaining the move, Salon’s Alex Pareene (who has a history with Carlson) writes, “No matter what you think of the Countdown host, this is childish, petty, and boorish behavior for a formerly respected journalist like Carlson. And that is why we here at Salon are proud to announce our purchase of TuckerCarlson.net.” (TuckerCarlson.com refers readers to DailyCaller.com)

In Depth: Is Keith Olbermann About to do an “O’Reilly”?

Keith Olbermann has a big decision to make, one that could affect him for a very long time. The question before him is whether he should do an “O’Reilly”. What I mean by that is that Olbermann now finds himself in a similar position to one Bill O’Reilly found himself in at the hands of Olbermann. O’Reilly had to make a decision, ignore the Olbermann taunts or fight back. O’Reilly chose to fight back and totally screwed the pooch in doing so with ridiculous stunts like the “Bring Phil Donahue Back” petition. This had the intended effect of elevating Olbermann as the thorn in O’Reilly’s side. Olbermann chortled in the press over O’Reilly’s response repeatedly saying “You don’t punch down, you punch up!”

Well now Olbermann finds himself with a “punch down” scenario of his own to ponder over. Despite Tucker Carlson’s claims to the contrary, I still believe this is something of a PR stunt designed to make the Daily Caller a player on the internet, all the ridiculous First Amendment chest thumping non-withstanding, with the Daily Caller being the thorn in Olbermann’s side that Olbermann was to O’Reilly’s side. I’m not a lawyer but I don’t think The Daily Caller has too much of a legal leg to stand on and if Olbermann goes after it, he could very well prevail. But at what cost?

In Depth: Carlson vs. Olbermann – The Case Law…

This morning Keith Olbermann sent a not so cryptic tweet about The Daily Caller getting keitholbermann.com…

Also regarding @TheDailyCaller and KeithOlbermann.com – the law’s pretty clear on this, so, nice waste of money, Tuckie.

Is it? I’m not a lawyer but this is what I was able to dig up on the subject from keytlaw.com on the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act…

Update: Replaced Bitlaw quotation with what appears to be a more relevant section covering the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act

(begin quotation)
_________________________

What is the ACPA?

The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act is a federal law that took affect on November 29, 1999. This new domain name dispute law is intended to give trademark and service mark owners legal remedies against defendants who obtain domain names “in bad faith” that are identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark. If a mark is a famous mark, the same remedies are available if the domain name is identical to, confusingly similar to or dilutive of the mark.
What Must a Mark Owner Show to Win a Case of Cybersquatting?

The plaintiff must prove the following elements:

1.

Steve Friedman Tapped to Helm Ratigan…

MSNBC announced that Steve Friedman will be the new Executive Producer of Dylan Ratigan’s show…

STEVE FRIEDMAN NAMED EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF “THE DYLAN RATIGAN SHOW”

NEW YORK – July 15, 2010 – Veteran television producer and executive Steve Friedman has been named Executive Producer of “The Dylan Ratigan Show,” which airs weekdays from 4:00-5:00 p.m. ET on MSNBC. The announcement was made today by Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC, and is effective immediately.

“Steve Friedman is a legend in the industry and brings a wealth of experience to Dylan’s show,” said Griffin. “I worked for Steve at the TODAY show for several years and know first hand that he’s as inspiring and knowledgeable as anyone in the business.”

“I look forward to joining the Ratigan team at MSNBC,” said Friedman. “I’ve always believed the stronger the talent, the better the show. And Dylan with his ‘mad as hell at the system’ message matches the tenor of our times. Joining Dylan and my old and dear friend Phil Griffin at 30 Rock is a dream come true for me and I can’t wait to get started.”

Carlson vs. Olbermann: Update…

Yahoo News’ Michael Calderone interviews Tucker Carlson about Daily Caller getting the Keith Olbermann URL…

“I woke up this morning with a smile on my face,” Carlson told the Upshot.

Clearly, Carlson’s pleased with the purchase, and his site’s trumpeting the news on its homepage. So what does Olbermann think?

“I hope whoever sold it to them got cash,” Olbermann told the Upshot in an email.

Currently, KeithOlbermann.com redirects back to the Daily Caller’s homepage. But Carlson claims to have bigger plans.

“We want to be the Keith Olbermann superstore,” Carlson said. “We want to be your first and last stop for Keith Olbermann analysis.”

Free for All: 07/15/10

What’s on your mind?

Tucker Carlson vs. Keith Olbermann…

Wow, this is interesting. The Daily Caller has acquired the domain keitholbermann.com and plans to use it…

“We plan to make The Daily Caller the one-stop online shop for Keith Olbermann commentary,” said Editor-in-Chief Tucker Carlson. “We will be THE Keith Olbermann superstore.”

Does Olbermann Watch know about this? I sense a threat to their title. Oh, wait…that’s right…Olbermann Watch threw in the towel quite a ways back and basically sucks now and is a poor imitation of its former self. Never mind…

“This is part of our long-term growth strategy,” added Publisher and CEO Neil Patel. “Our future acquisition targets include several other annoying cable news commentators.”

Olbermann, the host of a low-rated nightly show on MSNBC, attacked The Daily Caller last week on Twitter. “Daily Caller has never known what Daily Caller is talking about,” he wrote.

Anatomy of a Cancellation…

Atlas Shrugged’s Pamela Geller writes about getting booked to appear on Hardball…and then getting “unbooked”…(via J$)

UPDATE: lol. Hardball canceled. It’s a funny story. The producer calls me to do a pre-show interview where they review what your position is. So they ask me what SIOA is. I said, “SIOA is a human rights organization dedicated to freedom of speech, religious liberty and individual rights, no special rights for special classes.

So she said, “what do you mean? How is America being islamicized?”

So I went into the mosqueing of the workplace, how unions are imposing prayer times and lengthening the work to accommodate Muslim prayer (imposed on non-Muslims). I added the introduction of Muslim prayer for Muslim students in public schools and taxpayer-funded sharia (Islamic) finance.”

She stopped me dead, right there. And said angrily, How so?!

And I cited the case of the US Treasury department giving seminars in sharia finance right after Obama nationalized the bank. At that moment she said, “hold on!” And put me on hold for quite some time.

She then came back and said, “Uh, I have to call you back. I have another call.”

I laughed and said, “ok.”

A half-hour layer I got a call from Querry Robinson, Producer for Hardball, who canceled me. No explanation.

I guess they can’t play hardball. It’s obvious they did not want that information to get to the last remaining dolts who still watch that poison.

The Hazards of Live TV: #25,067

It’s Steady Cam Pinball Day at MSNBC…

Not Quite The Hazards of Live TV….

NewsBusters’ Matt Hadro writes about CNN’s Dana Bash laughing at an in poor taste Kathy Griffin joke while hubby John King made something of a grimace. This wasn’t live and didn’t air in CNN so it’s not a Hazard of Live TV. But it’s gotta be a Hazard of Something…

When the couple showed Griffin a picture of Sen. Scott Brown and asked her to identify the figure, she responded “Scott Brown – who is a senator from Massachusetts, and has two daughters that are prostitutes.”

Bash erupted with laughter, while King grimaced.

Beck: Mel Gibson = Keith Olbermann?

Media Matters has an audio clip from Glenn Beck’s radio show where he compares Mel Gibson’s tirades to “the end of a Keith Olbermann rant”