Tweets of The Day

Keith Olbermann…

@InsideCableNews How stupid is this Fox Poodle at Johnny Dollar? The mismatch was intentional, and got the appropriate laugh.

In response to this from me…

@johnnydollar01 Awww…comeon. So he got his uber producers confused. If that’s the best you can do today on @KeithOlbermann, give it up..

Which itself was a response to this from J$…

Links: Parker/Spitz an instant ratings disaster. @KeithOlbermann thinks Spielberg did Star Wars. Rick Sanchez flashback http://bit.ly/cdPUYQ

Which is because of this article…

Olbermann and Thurber…

New York Magazine’s Matt McCue writes about Keith Olbermann’s appearance at a James Thurber event last night…

While in college at Cornell, Olbermann watched a PBS special by William Windom that turned him on to the works of Thurber. Then, this past March, Olbermann was sitting in a hospital, reading Thurber stories to his dying father as he fell asleep. “My father said to me — he had never said anything like this in my entire career — ‘You should read this on your show,’” Olbermann remembers. “I said, ‘I can’t imagine it would really fit that well. It’s a newscast, more or less. How would I?’ And my father said, ‘Have I ever suggested something like this? It would be tremendous. I enjoy it. You should do it.’ How could I say no in that position?”

Olbermann gave one test reading and realized he had a slight dilemma. “I said to my father, ‘You know, these sorts of things are copyrighted and there is a small chance that a fee may be required.’ If we run a movie clip, for instance, somebody from Mr. Spielberg’s , will call and say, ‘That will be $10,000 for the three seconds of Star Wars you just used.’”

But he told his dad he’d give it a shot. “And that’s when I heard from Thurber’s estate,” Olbermann said. “I said to my dad, ‘Here is an email from the literary trust. It’s got to be a bill.” And it was anything but. It was the most wonderful, genuine invitation on behalf of Rosemary Thurber (James’s daughter) to read whatever I wanted on the air and off, and even to edit the work for time, if necessary. Which is basically like saying, ‘You’re not actually a heart surgeon, but go on in.’ Well, the ratings response was marvelous. In fact, on Friday nights it represented an increase in our ratings and that pleased my employers.”

Squawk Box Comes to St. Louis

CNBC announced that Squawk Box will be broadcasting from the St. Louis Fed on October 8th…

CNBC TO BROADCAST SPECIAL EDITION OF “SQUAWK BOX” LIVE FROM THE ST. LOUIS FEDERAL RESERVE ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8TH

Co-Anchors Joe Kernen, Becky Quick and Carl Quintanilla and CNBC’s Steve Liesman Will be Joined by Special Guest Host James Bullard, St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President

For the First Time, Bullard Provides Instant Reaction and Analysis to Critical Jobs Number

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., October 5, 2010—CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, will broadcast a special edition of CNBC’s “Squawk Box” (M-F, 6AM-9AM ET), live from inside the St. Louis Federal Reserve on Friday, October 8th. Co-anchors Joe Kernen, Becky Quick and Carl Quintanilla and CNBC’s Senior Economics Reporter Steve Liesman will speak to some of the biggest names on the front line of business. And, for the first time, special guest host James Bullard, St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President will react live to the day’s critical jobs number coming out that morning.

In addition to the jobs report—the final report before the pivotal mid-term elections—the program will focus on the Fed’s next move, economic recovery and taxes. Guests include Fred Smith, Chairman & CEO, FedEx; David Peacock, President, Anheuser-Busch; Andrew Taylor, Chairman & CEO, Enterprise Rent-A-Car; James Weddle, CEO, Edward Jones; and Ronald Kruszewski, Chairman & CEO, Stifel, Nicolaus & Co.

MSNBC’s “Lean Forward” Campaign…

MSNBC put out a release concerning its Lean Forward ad campaign…

MSNBC SET TO LAUNCH NEW BRAND CAMPAIGN OCTOBER 11th

Lean Forward: An Invitation To Viewers – And The Nation – To Advance The Issues

Spike Lee Directed Ads Air On All Network Platforms

NEW YORK – Oct. 5, 2010 – Building on the most successful period in MSNBC history, including solidifying the network’s ratings strength over CNN, MSNBC is launching a comprehensive branding initiative. The brand platform will be built around the new network vision Lean Forward, which captures the network’s mission to become a thought-leader brand dedicated to advancing the issues that move America ahead. The announcement was made today by Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC.

Launching on October 11, the brand evolution will be supported by an aggressive advertising campaign, including out of home, online, print, and off-channel components. One element includes a series of television ads directed by academy award winner Spike Lee. The advertising campaign, featuring MSNBC anchors, will run on all platforms of the network, including msnbc.com.

Click on Lean Forward or visit http://leanforward.msnbc.com/ to see broadcast ads debuting Oct. 11

Free for All: 10/05/10

What’s on your mind?

Parker Spitzer: 70′s Late Night Crashes into Morning Show, Comes to Primetime…

When CNN first announced that Eliot Spitzer would be paired with Kathleen Parker for a new 8pm ET show which wouldn’t be Crossfire, I said nothing. When CNN announced that the show would be called Parker Spitzer and Spitzer’s name would be second, I said nothing. When article after article started popping up in the press concerning promoting this new show, I said nothing. I’ve waited until the show actually launched. You never really know what’s going to happen for sure until you really see it. Well having really seen it now, I can safely say Ken Jautz has his work cut out for him to say the least.

Let’s get this out of the way first. Parker Spitzer is not Crossfire reborn; at least not most of the time. But that’s about the one positive thing I can say about this show. What Parker Spitzer is though looks like the result of a bizarre collision betwen 1970′s Late Night TV (think Tom Snyder’s Tomorrow Show) and 1980s era Regis and Kathie Lee as portrayed by James Carville and Mary Matalin.

Have you ever seen Carville and Matalin together and left unchecked? They come across as this overly chummy pair (they’re married after all) but with vastly differing opinions. While the opinions of Parker Spitzer are not as divergently extreme as Carville and Matalin the clumsly chumminess is out in force. Parker and Spitzer have never been paired together before but you wouldn’t know it from watching them.

Inside MSNBC’s Big Ad Campaign…

The New York Times’ Brian Stelter writes about MSNBC’s Spike Lee ad campaign…

The tagline “defines us and defines our competition,” said Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, his implication being that the Fox News Channel, which is No. 1 in cable news and a home for conservatives, is leaning backward. Fox’s best-known tagline is “Fair and Balanced.”

Some of the new MSNBC ads include shots of President Obama on his election night; others, directed by the filmmaker Spike Lee, showcase hosts like Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow preparing for their nightly programs; and still others feature quotes like “the future belongs to the fearless.”

The multimillion-dollar campaign is a long time coming for the 14-year-old MSNBC, and particularly for Mr. Griffin, who has complained for years about not having more money to market the channel. With “Lean Forward,” MSNBC is following other cable channels that have found success by building easy-to-identify brands — like Bravo, TBS, HBO or, Mr. Griffin freely acknowledges, Fox News.

“When you’re clear about who you are, you actually make money,” said Sharon Otterman, the chief marketing officer for MSNBC, who started work there one year ago.

Name Change Coming for Eric Bolling’s Program?

From an emailer…

Just heard an ad for FBN with Eric Bolling on WFAN radio and he is now calling his show “Follow The Money”. The guide on FOXBusiness.com just lists the show name as FOX Business. Has the name been changed?

Good question. Has it?

Press Releases: 10/04/10

CNBC (1)

CNBC’S JIM CRAMER TAKES HIS POPULAR “MAD MONEY BACK TO SCHOOL TOUR” TO THE BIG EASY

“Mad Money w/Jim Cramer” Live from Tulane University on Tuesday, October 19th

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., October 4, 2010—With the fall semester just beginning at colleges across America, CNBC’s Jim Cramer is hitting the road again taking his “Mad Money Back to School Tour” to the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University, home of the Green Wave. The program will be broadcast from Dixon Hall on Tuesday, October 19th at 6PM & 11PM ET, in front of a live studio audience.

“Taking the ‘Mad Money Back to School Tour’ to New Orleans has always been a goal of mine. This city, much like the economy, is resilient and its people are fighters,” said Jim Cramer. “New Orleans has taught the world what being an American is all about and what it takes to make it even in the face of the worst kinds of adversity. These qualities are crucial to success for the next generation of leaders.”

Bloomberg Launches “Surveillance Midday”

TVNewser’s Alex Weprin writes about a new Bloomberg program launching today…

Bloomberg TV is launching a new program today, “Surveillance Midday.” The show will be hosted by Tom Keene, and will run Monday through Friday from noon to 1 PM.

Free for All: 10/04/10

What’s on your mind?

Parker Spitzer Profile…

The Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz profiles Parker Spitzer…

One problem with the pairing is that they’re not natural antagonists, and cable shows thrive on disagreement. “Parker Spitzer” will be up against Bill O’Reilly on Fox News and Keith Olbermann on MSNBC, and pleasant chat is going to be a tough sell.

Spitzer defends Bill Clinton; Parker didn’t think he should have been impeached. Spitzer thinks the Democratic Party has sold out to Wall Street; Parker believes Anita Hill was telling the truth. At one point, she tells executive producer Liza McGuirk: “It’s going to be hard to pin me down on a right-wing position.”

That, in part, is McGuirk’s challenge. “Traditionally,” she says, “government officials and journalists have an antagonistic relationship, which should make for good television.” But despite the awkwardness of their initial blind date, when Spitzer concluded Parker was a star, they hit it off.

“Because they’re now friends and they really enjoy yakking, they try to smooth over the opinions in conversation,” McGuirk says. “What I often hear is, ‘Gosh, Eliot, I guess I can see what you mean,’ and ‘You’ve got a point there, Kathleen.’ What I want to hear is them clearly stating their differences.”

Cable News One Upsmanship…

In what may turn out to be the 2010 must read of the year, Gabriel Sherman writes in New York Magazine about the cut throat world of cable news. Why is it a must read? Oh because of things like this…

And so Klein set out to poach Olbermann. At the time, Olbermann had a window to negotiate in his MSNBC contract and Klein made a hard sell. He told Olbermann he could bring Countdown to CNN—the two even discussed which members of Olbermann’s staff would make the move with him. “Jon and I were in very deep discussions on a regular basis for me to go over there,” says Olbermann. “One of the premises was we would have put MSNBC out of business.”

And this…

Walton pushed back on Klein’s plan to hire Olbermann. “I’m not gonna be the guy who’s gonna turn CNN into an opinion network,” he told executives in meetings. But in Klein’s view, CNN already was an opinion network. For an hour each night, Walton tolerated Lou Dobbs’s anti-immigration tirades. Klein pressed Walton to reconsider, but Walton held firm. “I bailed out when it became apparent that the people above [Klein] were less than sanguine about this,” Olbermann tells me.

And this…

Klein faced a possibly insoluble cable-news riddle: How do you build the kind of excitement that draws in viewers without being partisan? At a Time Warner board meeting this spring, Walton was forced to defend CNN’s ratings issues. The pressure on Klein ratcheted up. In April, Klein began talks with British talk-show personality Piers Morgan. In June, he announced that he would hire the famously black-socked and disgraced former governor Eliot Spitzer. Klein faced stiff internal resistance to hiring Spitzer. When one CNN executive expressed to Klein the concern that viewers risked being turned off by Spitzer’s hooker scandal, Klein had snapped, “I don’t give a fuck.”

And this…

This past summer, MSNBC announced it was developing a 10 p.m. show for Lawrence O’Donnell to replace reruns of Olbermann. Recently, MSNBC tried to buy the Huffington Post (Huffington Post founder Ken Lerer rejected the offer). The network hired Spike Lee to shoot a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign and developed its own obtuse slogan: “Lean Forward.”

And this…

Recently, Joe Scarborough quietly called political advisers after his name was circulated as a possible candidate in the blogosphere, but he was counseled against it. “Everyone says the same thing,” Scarborough tells me. “Why do you leave where you are to be the 99th-ranking member of the United States Senate?”

And this…

What’s Hot/What’s Not: 10/03/10

What’s Hot:

Anderson Cooper – Cooper signed a syndication deal which allows him to stay with CNN and AC360. How this will end up working is still a little gray though.

EEOC vs. FNC – The EEOC filed a lawsuit against FNC over complaints FNC reporter Catherine Herridge made. FNC responded, first by not saying much and then by putting out a lot of information which painted a picture of politics at work by the Obama Administration.

Rick Sanchez – Sanchez is hot. Very hot. So hot he’s now radioactive for CNN and he got fired. Sanchez has always been a shoot from the hip kind of guy but this time his aim was so bad he ended up shooting himself.

Greta Van Susteren vs. Gloria Allred – Van Susteren was brutal and Allred was feckless in her response.

Lawrence O’Donnell – O’Donnell launched The Last Word this week.

What’s Not:

Lawrence O’Donnell – For all the hype that MSNBC was finally going to do something with 10pm the fact that they couldn’t give O’Donnell a five night a week show says a lot. I find it inexcusable to keep the Friday doc block and relegate The Last Word to a M-Th position.

Ed Schultz – Schultz got called on the carpet yet again, this time for comments made about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Obama White House vs. FNC – Not again. This didn’t work last time and it’s not going to work this time.

James O’Keefe – O’Keefe’s attempt to shame CNN’s Abbie Boudreau blew up spectacularly in his face.

Jansing & Co – That’s the name of the new two hour block on MSNBC from 10-12pm ET. No, really. You’d think MSNBC’s brain trust would be able to come up with a name for the show other than one which sounds like a ripoff of HLN’s old Robin and Company. But you would be wrong. Hopefully the show is more original than the name…

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…

Steve Capus Interview…

The New Republic’s Seyward Darby interviews NBC News President Steve Capus about Education…

I have been grumbling to people this week that you had some big ticket items, like “Meet the Press,” that covered Education Nation—but what am I going to see next week? Could you give me a sense, as an NBC viewer, what am I going to see that’s going to be different?

You’re going to see coverage from all around the country under the umbrella of Education Nation that focuses on any number of relevant topics: teacher accountability, teacher pay, where we stand, achievement gaps. … I said specifically to the producers of “Today,” “Nightly News,” and so forth, “Give me your homework. Tell me what you think you can do and how you can do it.” I’ve been getting nothing but getting incredibly strong notes since then….

One thing that frustrated me about Education Nation was that it it felt like the anchors had read the Spark Notes about education reform—they’re not necessarily people who’ve been invested in covering it. Are you going to bring in other journalists who have their finger on the pulse of education?

I wouldn’t rule that out. We have an education correspondent, Rehema Ellis.* But by design, NBC News wasn’t going to play expert in Education Nation. Look at the people we brought in from around the country and, in some cases, the world. I wanted the NBC journalists to take a backseat to the experts….

Rick Sanchez Fired…

Well this is something of a surprise and will be debated for a while. Rick Sanchez has been dumped by CNN…

Rick Sanchez is no longer with the company. We thank Rick for his years of service and we wish him well.

Proportional response to a single incident or a response to a cumulative set of incidents combined with some internal division at CNN regarding Sanchez’s shtick in general? That will be what people will be discussing in the coming days.

Then again, after Octavia Nasr’s all too quick firing for a first time offense, should we be surprised that someone who’s known to have a big mouth like Rick Sanchez gets canned? CNN seems to have become increasingly risk adverse, Eliot Spitzer’s hiring notwithstanding, especially when unauthorized opinions are being given. I’m not the first one to note this. Others like Jay Rosen have been saying this for a while now.

Update: That said, Sanchez did take a direct swipe at CNN Management and by inference its news judgement. Um, does the name Ashleigh Banfield ring a bell? Never, never bite the hand that feeds you. At least not publicly. Controversy with Stewart or no, that dig at CNN is probably enough to get him canned.

Update 2: You should really read the transcript snippet as posted by The Wrap. Or listen to the posted audio. It gives you a better idea of what CNN would be chafing over. It could have less to do with Stewart and “control of the media” and more with talking out of school…

RS- I had a guy who works here at CNN who’s a top brass come to me and say, ‘You know what, I don’t want you to –

PD- ‘Will you wash this dish for me, Sanchez?’

RS- No no, see that’s the thing; it’s more subtle. White folks usually don’t see it. But we do – those of us who are minorities and women see it sometimes too from men in authority. Here, I’ll give you my example its this ‘You know what, I don’t want you anchoring anymore, I really don’t see you as an anchor, I see you more as a reporter, I see you more as a John Quinones – you know the guy on ABC. That’s what he told me. He told me he saw me as John Quinones. Now, did he not realize that he was telling me, ‘When I see you I think of Hispanic reporters’? Cause in his mind I can’t be an anchor. An anchor is what you give the high-profile white guys, you know. So he knocks me down to that and compares me to that and it happens all the time i think. To a certain extent Jon Stewart and Colbert are the same way. I think Jon Stewart’s a bigot.

EEOC vs. FNC: Update 2

Mediaite’s Steve Krakauer has new information, courtesy of FNC, on the EEOC lawsuit which casts the suit in an even more suspicious light…

But according to Brandi, the case was resolved in March 2010, with the EEOC saying at the time, “there is insufficient evidence to establish a violation of the statutes as to these allegations.” Also, Herridge is clearly still an employee with the company – the image above is from her reporting on the network today. Also, A Fox executive tells Mediaite, “the EEOC’s press release omits the fact that Herridge demanded to be paid in excess of $900,000 (a 96% increase) in the first year of her proposed new contract with escalating salary increases thereafter, and that’s why her new deal was not signed until June 2009. When her salary demands became more reasonable, the contract was signed.” Sources in a position to know say Herridge is among the D.C. bureau’s highest paid correspondents, making more than $500,000 a year.

This definitely puts the onus back on the Obama Administration to show that this isn’t some sort of politics deal. But what I find odd is that the one person who could address this issue and put it all in the proper context, especially if what FNC is leaking to Mediaite is true, has not spoken. Why have we not heard from Herridge herself?

Open Mouth, Insert Foot…

Okay I’m a bit late getting to this but it appears Rick Sanchez has done it again with commentary about Jon Stewart and CNN and Jews. TVNewser has this tidbit…

CNN tells TVNewser they will be commenting on the matter later this afternoon.

Translation: CNN is probably waiting for Sanchez to apologize on the air…and then will post his apology.

Update: Scratch that theory. Sanchez is out today.

Free for All: 10/01/10

What’s on your mind?