Keith Olbermann Joins Current TV…

The New York Times Brian Stelter and Bill Carter write about today’s announcement that Keith Olbermann is joining Current TV…

Mr. Olbermann will have an equity stake in the company, and he will also have a management role. As the chief news officer, he will develop new programs and provide editorial guidance to the channel’s journalists.

“We are counting down the days to Keith Olbermann’s return to television,” Current’s chief executive, Mark Rosenthal, said on the conference call. But he did not announce a premiere date or a time slot for the program.

With Current TV, Mr. Olbermann gains a measure of independence. Unlike most cable channels, including MSNBC, which are owned by large media companies, Current is privately and independently owned by Mr. Gore, the former vice president, and other backers.

There’s a lot riding on Olbermann with Current TV and its backers. This paragraph really illustrates that…

Parties to the deal indicated it held out the promise of substantial wealth if the network shows significant growth.

Mr. Hyatt predicted that would eventuate. He said that cable systems that do not yet carry Current TV — it is only available in 60 million homes, a far cry from MSNBC’s 95 million — and those that have it relegated to distant channel positions in their digital lineup would be “hard pressed” not to improve the channel’s status “when we have Keith Olbermann in our prime time.”

Color me skeptical but Current is hoping for something that likely is not in the cards; definitely not in the short term, and probably not in the medium term either. Current TV has things going against it that Keith Olbermann’s presence alone will likely not be able to overcome. Increasing subscriber base for just one new hire is a tall order indeed. Don Imus never was able to put RFD-TV on the map and, so far, hasn’t been able to put FBN on the map either. It will take more than just Olbermann to get carriers to add Current TV. Current doesn’t have a corporate media empire behind it, an empire which can threaten operators with retalliation in the form of denial of other popular channels – as NBC Universal can do with MSNBC and News Corp. can do with FBN.

And channel placement improvement? That’s even harder. If NBC Universal and all its might couldn’t stop Comcast from moving established MSNBC to digital only tiers in some parts of the country a few years ago, what chance does Current TV have of moving its placement based solely on the hiring of one person?

Current is going to need more to convince already cramped operators trying to keep costs down that it is in their interest to add the channel, or move the channel, based solely on Olbermann. This is why Current’s upfront tomorrow will be very interesting. Olbermann’s hire may be part of a channel reboot.

Press Releases: 02/08/11

CNN (1), CNBC (1)

CNBC

CNBC MEDIA ALERT: CNBC’S CARL QUINTANILLA TO CO-ANCHOR “SQUAWK BOX” LIVE FROM HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH 6AM-9AM ET

Tomorrow, Wednesday, February 9th from 6AM-9AM ET, CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla heads back to Harvard Business School to co-anchor CNBC’s signature morning program “Squawk Box.” Guests include: Vikram Pandit, Citigroup CEO; Bill Ackman, Pershing Square Management Founder & Managing Principal; Jim McNerney, Boeing Chairman, President & CEO; and Michael Porter, Harvard Business School Professor.

______________________________

CNN

Soledad O’Brien Reports on Life of Civil Rights Photojournalist Revealed to have been FBI Informant

‘Pictures Don’t Lie’ zooms in on controversial legacy of Ernest Withers – Sun., Feb. 20, 8:00pm ET & PT

Photographer Ernest Withers documented the struggles and the victories of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s through shocking and inspiring images that evoke the injustice and the rage of that history even today. Along the way, he himself became an icon.

When Withers photographed the grotesquely mutilated body of Emmett Till, slain for allegedly whistling at a white woman, the photos rocketed across the country and around the world in magazines and newsprint – notably in JET and LIFE magazines, and the Chicago Defender – forcing the nation to focus on that amplified vision of injustice. Withers himself was so moved that he vowed to attend each day of the trial and photograph those accused of the lynching.

Free for All: 02/08/11

What’s on your mind?

MSNBC.com and Newsweek sever ties…

I missed this yesterday. Ad Week’s Lucia Moses writes about MSNBC.com and Newsweek severing their ties…

One of the supposed advantages of the combined NewsBeast was that The Daily Beast would get the benefit of Newsweek’s much bigger audience.

Now, it looks like that advantage is quickly diminishing. Newsweek.com has ended an agreement with MSNBC that provided a significant amount of its traffic—in some months, as much as half.

“We’re not continuing it,” Charlie Tillinghast, president and publisher of the MSNBC Digital Network, told Adweek. “They just decided not to do it. There wasn’t a lot of discussion about it. I got the impression they were busy trying to organize themselves.”

Keith Olbermann to Current TV?

The New York Times’ Bill Carter and Brian Stelter scoop that Keith Olbermann may be joining Current TV…

A move to Current TV would challenge Mr. Olbermann’s fans of his MSNBC show — where he drew about a million viewers a night — to follow him to a channel that is considerably less accessible. Current TV is available in only about 60 million homes, and is usually available only on the digital tier of cable television systems, which requires a separate receiver. MSNBC, which is owned by NBC Universal, is available in 85 million homes and is almost always available as a basic cable entry.

But the addition of Mr. Olbermann, the former sports anchor who made himself a progressive star at MSNBC, would surely elevate the channel, bringing it attention it has never before received. The channel also wears its liberal politics on its sleeve.

With Current TV, Mr. Olbermann would also gain a measure of independence. Unlike most cable channels, including MSNBC, which are owned by large media companies, Current is privately and independently owned by Mr. Gore and other backers.

It is also possible that Mr. Olbermann will separately pursue other ventures, like an Internet destination.

Another Al Jazeera Profile…

Multichannel News’ Mark Raubichaux interviews Al Jazeera’s Managing Director of Al Jazeera English, Al Anstey. (via TVNewser)

MCN: Unfairly or not, since 9/11, critics hve said Al-Jazeera has allowed anti-American, anti-Semitic content to air, and it doesn’t carry opposing views. True?

AA: I refute them whole heartedly. We don’t just cover opposing views, we cover all the relevant views. And covering the Egyptian story this week, we have covered all the relevant views in that story. And there is absolutely no partiality.

I can only talk for the English channel. We’ve begun this channel with the highest standards of journalism and we continue now with the highest standards of journalism. It’s not like we’ve evolved into this, it’s from Day One. We are populated by journalists from networks across the globe, including in the United States who have a reputation, and rightfully so, for the best journalism on this earth. And that is critical to what we do; without the credibility we are nothing.

MCN: Some say this is Al-Jazeera’s CNN moment, referring to that network’s coverage of the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Is this your CNN moment and, if so, how do you capitalize on that?

AA: There are similarities. I read with interest that we’re watched in the White House for the president and his advisers to know what’s going on, on the ground. We are the channel of reference on this story and for a number of stories that have happened during our history. So this is, in a way, the turning point for us in the United States is we’ve become the channel of reference and we’ve got this evidence of demand and that demand is exponential as we’re increasingly recognized for what we do.

Free for All: 02/07/11

What’s on your mind?

Al Jazeera Profile…

The New York Times’ Brian Stelter profiles Al Jazeera…

Al Jazeera stands to benefit greatly from its protest coverage, a fact not lost on the network, which has been placing advertisements in major American newspapers. The live reports strengthen the network’s already tight grip on its Arabic-language viewing public, while bolstering its argument that cable and satellite distributors in the United States should make the English version available to American viewers.

A sense of mission — and of opportunity — permeates the Al Jazeera compound on the outskirts of Doha, where on Friday the televised cries of antigovernment protesters resounded through the hallways at all hours along with the ringing of cellphones and the shouts of news anchors. Staff members were well aware they faced stiff challenges — from opponents who wish Al Jazeera off the air and skeptics who doubt the objectivity of a network backed by the emir of Qatar.

The network’s Cairo bureau was empty on Friday when an unknown group ransacked it, because four days earlier the Egyptian authorities banned Al Jazeera from broadcasting from the country.

“Since then we’ve been playing cat and mouse,” said Heather Allan, the head of news gathering for Al Jazeera English. Remarkably, the network has managed to transmit live from Cairo much of the time since then.

Al Jazeera Being Blackballed?: Update…

Following up on this, Kevin Coy of News on News emailed in the following…

EBU (you’re correct, it’s European Broadcasting Union), was created to provide easy access to extensive sat uplink provisions for european broadcasters. EBU is funded by the state broadcasters (BBC etc), but commercial broadcasters can use the services at a subsidised rate. Al Jaz is allowed to utilise these as Al Jaz English has a huge ops base in London. It comes as no suprise that the EBU cut Al Jaz’ links, as the EBU is very much tied to the EU, and the EU has been suspiciously quiet on the whole Egyptian uprising story, leading to thinking that the EU is most probably fiscally tied to Egypt or has interests there that they don’t want upsetting.

That then becomes a very political minefield, and exposes political impact of the EU on media coverage. Cue a great big can of worms being opened up.

You are also correct too that Al Jaz English is still broadcasting extensive coverage using broadband connections. One brief testcard displayed the phrase ‘Slingbox’ which may give an insight into the technology they are using.

Mark Whitaker Profile…

Variety’s Sam Theilman profiles newly minted CNN Managing Editor Mark Whitaker…

Within CNN, it’s important that Whitaker play well with others, since he has the final say on editorial matters across all of the net’s platforms — CNN, CNN Intl. and CNN Digital (little mention was made of Whitaker’s involvement at HLN, which continues to score high enough ratings to occasionally outpace its sister net).

Whitaker himself emphasizes the cooperative nature of the job. “What (Walton) wants to do is to have a sort of team approach,” Whitaker says. “I’ll be working as a peer with Ken Jautz and Tony Maddox, who runs the international network, and Susan Grant, who handles the affiliate relationships. The idea here is for me to be free to focus on the journalism and the creative content. I’ll be looking at all parts of the empire with an understanding that I have the freedom to roam across all of those territories.”

That freedom is key. Walton sees Whitaker’s appointment as a step out of the woods for the net, which has been dogged by negative coverage over its controversial hirings and firings as it’s attempted to staunch the flow of viewers away from CNN proper. CNN prexy Jon Klein was unceremoniously let go last fall just before the launch of pet project “Parker Spitzer,” which has earned consistently embarrassing ratings; former HLN topper Jautz now runs the net.

“He wants to win,” Walton says of Whitaker. “It’s an exciting time; it’s the next chapter. There’s a lot been written about the ratings on CNN domestic, but it’s a huge global business.”

Press Releases: 02/04/11

CNN (2)

CNN to Air Special Coverage of Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration

CNN will provide special coverage of the Reagan Centennial Celebration live from The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 6 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET. CNN chief national correspondent John King will anchor the coverage from The Reagan Library, and will be joined by senior political analysts Gloria Borger and David Gergen. The official celebration will be a remembrance of the 40th president of the United States and will include remarks by Mrs. Nancy Reagan, salutes by the U.S. military, musical performances and speeches. Notable attendees will include former Secretary of State James Baker, former Vice President Dick Cheney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and cabinet members of the Reagan administration.

______________________________

Piers Morgan Tonight Weekend Guest Line Up.

Tune in to CNN at 9pm EST.

Please note, the below is subject to change due to breaking news.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5th

Oscar Award Winner Anthony Hopkins

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6th

Legendary Women Episode: featuring Angie Dickinson, Linda Evens, Stefanie Powers, and Nichelle Nichols.

Free for All: 02/04/11

What’s on your mind?

Reporter Violence…

Paul J. Gough writes in Variety about violence facing reporters in Egypt…

At least one network, CNN, took in all that had happened and spent most of the day deciding how to proceed.

“We had one of our teams gathering stories and filing,” said Parisa Khosravi, CNN’s senior veep of newsgathering. “But for the most part, most of our people have been inside and reassessing the situation.”

CBS’ Friedman and CNN’s Khosravi said that there’s been no talk about pulling its crews out due to the danger. Friedman said there’s no bravado but the crews are aware of the danger, adding that it’s also their job to cover the story.

But they’re also taking precautions. The nets have security forces with them, experienced hands in Iraq and the Middle East who work with the journalists to decide whether it’s safe to cover a given story or travel to a location. No one would discuss whether the security forces were armed.

“We’ve done some things to increase security and change some of our arrangements,” Friedman said.

For NBC News, that included abandoning its Cairo bureau — adjacent to Tahrir Square — and switching hotels to one further away from the violence.

Al Jazeera Being Blackballed?

An unverified email came in today which I present in the hopes someone can track this down and get to the bottom of these claims…

From a friend working in al Jazeera’s newsgathering on the troubles in Egypt: “We’ve been refused by IHA, AP, VCSS, EBU, Overon”.

These are of course all big players (VCSS not necessarily included) offering satellite uplinks and various other broadcasting facilities.

Update: I have an inquiry in to Al Jazeera. I doubt I’ll get a response but it’s worth a try…

For the uninitiated IHA appears to me to be the Ihlas News Agency, AP is the Associated Press, VCSS is Video Cairo Support Services, EBU is apparently the European Broadcasting Union (though EBU could possibly refer to something else), and Overon is a satellite/production service company based in Spain.

Update 2: My source further reports that Al Jazeera is apparently just getting by on broadband. This all has to do with the Egypt order shutting the network down. Apparently a lot of brother organizations are afraid of getting on Egypt’s bad side. To further add weight to this theory is this tweet from Al Jazeera’s Adrian Finighan…

APTN has cancelled Al Jaz’s sat bookings to comply with Egyptian govt banning order. A principled stand by fellow journalists. Not.

APTN is the Associated Press Television News, one of the agencies cited in the original report. I have not heard anything about Reuters yet though…

Update 3: ABC reported that APTN had their satellite dishes in Cairo torn down by pro Mubarak protesters…

Jim Walton Interview…

The Hollywood Reporter’s Georg Szalai interviews CNN Worldwide topper Jim Walton…

THR: The continued profit growth seems to be in some contrast with your continued U.S. primetime ratings challenges that are often in focus. Is that just not as important a factor?

Walton: I don’t want to minimize it. The primetime programming on CNN U.S. is very, very important, and those ratings are important to us. But the ad revenue generated by our primetime programming on CNN U.S. is only about 10% of our total revenues. We have other parts of our business that are as big or bigger than that.

THR: What were some of the growth drivers for CNN last year?

Walton: Over the years, as various economies go up and down around the world, we are in so many different economies that we have a lot of touch points and are not weighed down by any one thing. We also have television, Web and mobile. Advertising is a huge component of our business [across platforms] domestically and internationally, but the distribution [fee] business is big for us. The Web business is big for us, mobile is growing, and we are in the syndication business as well.

Szalai manages to put Walton into spin mode when the subject of Parker Spitzer comes up…

THR: Parker Spitzer has been on the air longer, and you have tweaked that a bit. How happy are you with it now?

Walton: Much has been said and much has been written about the program. If you look at it just on its merits, it’s one of the smartest programs on television – whether cable or broadcast. It fits very much within the brand of CNN and what it stands for. And if you look at the last 10 days or so, its performance has gotten a lot better and the past couple of nights it has beaten MSNBC. It’s got some momentum right now.

THR: How do you explain that?

Walton: We had a couple of folks who weren’t television professionals, and now they have got some time under their belts. They are performing, and the show just gets better and better.

That’s not how I would explain it. Parker Spitzer’s increased performance is due to two things: 1) Egypt is dominating the news cycle, and 2) Olbermann is out at MSNBC. The former is bringing in extra eyeballs because CNN always spikes when there’s a crisis (it’s their brand identification) and MSNBC, though they have resources in the area to draw upon, has yet to overcome the stigma of years of brand identification as a primetime opinion channel. The latter is making some viewers who loved Olbermann and aren’t sure about O’Donnell take a look around a bit.

The only way Walton’s explanation will be prove to be valid is when the Middle East quiets down and Parker Spitzer keeps beating MSNBC. History suggests it will fall back to third as people return to more highly charged partisan opinion shows than the tepid Parker Spitzer can deliver to re-enforce their world view.

On the Road Again…

MSNBC announced that Morning Joe will be broadcasting remotely from Chicago on February 11th…

‘MORNING JOE’ LIVE FROM CHICAGO – FEB. 11

Media Mogul Oprah Winfrey joins Joe, Mika, and Willie Live On Set

Additional Guests Include Sen. Dick Durbin, Senior Advisor David Axelrod, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Tom Brokaw

NEW YORK –February 3, 2011 – MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” will broadcast live from Chicago on Friday, February 11 from the popular RL Restaurant. In a rare live interview, Oprah Winfrey will join “Morning Joe” anchors Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Willie Geist on set.

Free for All: 02/02/11

What’s on your mind?

Al Jazeera Being Simulcast on LinkTV…

LinkTV is temporarily simulcasting Al Jazeera. If you have DirecTV you can see it on channel 375…

Another Negative Sammon Memo Surfaces…

It has been a while since the last Bill Sammon memo surfaced on Media Matters and I was beginning to wonder if they’d run out of ammunition or the leaker got scared. Apparently not since another one surfaced today.

As with previous Sammon emails, this one is not recent, which continues to suggest that whoever is leaking these things may no longer be with the network and someone who waited a for a while after they left before launching a revenge campaign. This will continue to be my number one theory until I see a recent Sammon email surface.

For the record, I agree with whoever penned this Mediaite article…but only to a point.

There are many fine journalists who work at Fox News. Sammon’s continued presence at the network threatens to diminish their work, and you have to wonder how long the talent at Fox News will put up with embarrassments like these before they head out the door, or before Sammon does.

Sammon is probably a dead man walking at FNC but that misses the point. The point is these memos are old. One was written October 2009. One was written December 2009. Today’s leaked email goes all the way back to October 2008. Mediate is right that this shows a repeated pattern by Sammon but what Mediaite misses here is that this is a repeated pattern that apparently was okay with FNC management. It would be one thing to have a flurry of emails that occurred over a short period of time…say two months…and then stopped…which would suggest someone told Sammon to knock it off. But because this is now a pattern that could be documented over the course of a year, it means it falls outside the window for when corrective action by FNC management could have or would have taken place. FNC allowed this to continue for over a year…and perhaps longer…without taking corrective action.

Editorial control inside a network is pretty rigid. If something happens that isn’t part of the gameplan, you can bet your ass someone steps in and puts a stop to it. This is what happened to Sean Hannity when he tried to take his show to a Tea Party rally. You could make an argument that one or possibly two Sammon directives of the kind that have been leaked could fall through the cracks but not this many and not over this long period of time. The fact that there have been this many and over this long a time suggests that what Sammon was doing was what FNC Management wanted Sammon doing.

Sammon’s days are now numbered though. He’s going to have to go, if for no other reason than to make it look like FNC is taking a stand even if the evidence suggests that maybe this was something FNC was perfectly happy with for all that time as long as nobody knew about it.

January Numbers: CNN…

CNN is noting its January ratings…

CNN PRIMETIME GROWS COMPARED TO 4TH QUARTER AVERAGE; SURPASSES MSNBC DURING DAYTIME

Piers Morgan Tonight Off to a Strong Start; Parker Spitzer Gaining Ground Post Olbermann

105 Million People Viewed CNN in January; 15 Million More than Fox News

CNN.com Traffic Spikes in January 2011

In January, CNN”s M-F primetime grew compared to the network’s 4th quarter average, increasing 10% among total viewers (697k vs. 631k) and 10% in the key demographic adults 25-54 (204k vs. 186k).

Launch-to-date (January 17-28) Piers Morgan Tonight at 9p is off to a strong start, averaging 978k total viewers and 279k in the demographic adults 25-54. This represents a 50% increase compared to CNN’s 9p 4th quarter average among total viewers (654k) and 65% more in adults 25-54 (169k). PMT topped MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow show since launch among younger 18-49 viewers (217k vs. 198k).

Since Keith Olbermann left MSNBC, Parker Spitzer has gained ground, increasing +54% in the key demo 25-54 (163k vs. 106k), while MSNBC’s Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell dropped -21% vs. the prior week (232k vs. 292k) – omitting Tuesday’s State of the Union coverage.

January Numbers: MSNBC…

MSNBC is noting its January ratings…

MSNBC BEATS CNN IN TOTAL DAY FOR SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE MONTH – JAN. 2011 RATINGS

MSNBC BEATS CNN IN TOTAL DAY FOR THE SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE MONTH

“The Last Word,” “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “The Ed Show” All Beat CNN In New Line-up’s First Week

The Rachel Maddow Show Tops CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight During the Program’s Highly Publicized First Two Weeks

NEW YORK – February 1, 2011 – MSNBC topped CNN in total viewers and among adults 25-54 in January. This marks the seventh straight month in the target demographic and the third consecutive month in total viewers, according to data from Nielsen Media Research.

In their new time periods, “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” at 8 p.m. and “The Ed Show” at 10 p.m. each topped their competition on CNN for the week of January 24- January 28, 2011. Additional, “The Rachel Maddow Show” beat CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight” during the program’s highly publicized first two weeks on the air.

January Numbers: HLN…

HLN is noting its January ratings…

Morning Express with Robin Meade Continues to Surpass Morning Joe in 2011

HLN Grows Among 25-54 Viewers in Prime

Viewers Respond to Nancy Grace and America’s Missing

HLN’s Morning Express with Robin Meade continues its success from 2010, its highest year on record, into 2011 with another monthly win among 25-54 viewers over MSNBC’s Morning Joe. January marks the 22nd month that HLN has beaten MSNBC in the morning daypart. This month, Morning Express topped Morning Joe by 39% among 25-54 viewers (178k vs. 128k). Additionally, Morning Express increased 5% among total viewers (322k vs. 308k) and increased 7% among 25-54 viewers (178k vs. 166k) compared to prior year.

Press Releases: 02/01/11

Bloomberg (1)

BLOOMBERG TELEVISION PRESENTS “EGYPT ON THE EDGE: WHAT’S AT RISK”

- Live one-hour special airing globally at 9 PM/ET and 11 PM/ET –

Tonight, Tuesday, February 1st at 9:00 PM/ET, Bloomberg Television will present a one-hour special focused on the worldwide political, economic and market implications of the power shift in Egypt.

Bloomberg Television’s Margaret Brennan will interview a line-up of experts to discuss Egypt’s role in world oil markets, the political and business implications of the unrest in the Middle East and the possible risks to investors around the world.

With reports from Lara Setrakian in Cairo, Julianna Goldman at the White House, and the entire Bloomberg team, including special guests:

- Jamie Rubin, co-executive editor of Bloomberg View and a former assistant secretary of state under President Bill Clinton
- Naguib Sawiris, chairman of the board of Egypt’s largest telecommunications company, Orascom Telecom, and one of Egypt’s wealthiest citizens
- Thomas Petrie, Vice Chairman of Bank of America and an active investor and advisor in oil and energy deals worldwide

The Hazards of Live TV: #25,091

The Atlantic Wire’s John Hudson writes about The Rachel Maddow Show confusing a satire with a real article…

In the following clip (which MSNBC scrubbed from its website) Maddow falls for the article hook, line and sinker

The fact that ChristWire isn’t a sincere Christian web forum has been a difficult lesson for the mainstream media to learn—especially NBC and its affiliates. The Atlantic Wire first outed ChristWire last July, when NBC’s New York and Los Angeles affiliates published an article about the Christian right boycotting actor Bill Murray. NBC’s Drew Magary linked to a ChristWire article calling Murray a “murderer of lambs” and a “fatal disease” to America’s children. The article’s author? Stephenson Billings. Maybe the company should flag this guy in its employee handbook.

Now to Maddow’s credit, her blog acknowledged the mistake quickly after the broadcast aired.

Free for All: 02/01/11

What’s on your mind?

CNBC Expands Reach in The Baltic…

News on News reports that CNBC signed a deal to expand its reach into Scandanavia and the Baltic…

The agreement with Viasat Broadcasting, the leading satellite TV operator in Scandinavia and the Baltics, will see CNBC available in seven new territories: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, reaching approximately one million Viasat households.

As part of the agreement, Viasat will also have the rights to re-distribute CNBC to local IPTV and cable operators as part of their package to further expand the news channel’s reach.

Ratings Gold? Or Ratings Fools Gold?

Splitsider’s John Herrman writes about Nielsen and ratings…

Here’s where things get a bit weird. The press and public is interested in knowing how many people watch a show, because it’s the most obvious indicator of its success. This belief drives the way we think and talk about ratings. It also happens to be wrong.

To be sure, networks are interested in knowing how many people watch their programming, and freely tout or play down Nielsen’s wider audience measurements. But the numbers that networks and advertisers actually use — to sell ads, to set prices, and to decide on the fate of a show — are commercial ratings. In other words, advertisers don’t care how many people are watching a show nearly as much as they care how many people are watching their ads. Nielsen provides this number, which takes into account everything from next-day DVR viewing to fast-forwarding through commercials. If every Nielsen Family watched a show the day after it aired but skipped through all its ads, that show would probably be canceled.

In reality, a large majority of viewing still takes place live, when commercial skipping isn’t possible. (Though channel flipping during commercials can have a noticeable effect on C3 ratings.) Within the small-but-not-insignificant set of people who watch recorded shows, around half of them skip through commercials.

Welcome to Comcast NBC Universal…

CNBC and Nicole Lapin making an appearance on The Golf Channel’s Morning Drive…