About that new Soledad O’Brien Pilot…

Page Six in its story on CNN looking for something new at 7pm, mentioned that CNN would be shooting a second pilot with Soledad O’Brien. That pilot was shot yesterday in CNN’s studios in the Time Warner Center in New York.

ICN got a pretty detailed breakdown of what happened during this pilot taping and I’m going to share what I can with you because we don’t usually get this kind of peek into the world of the cable news pilot. This information comes mostly un-confirmed. CNN doesn’t comment on pilots but I do have evidence I cannot reveal which does buttress a lot of what I’m about to relay.

The pilot was shot in the Piers Morgan Tonight studio in front of a studio audience that was sort of led to believe that this would be for a special to air at a later date even though this clearly was a pilot. I’m not sure why the studio audience. CNN seems to be much more obsessed with studio audiences than FNC or MSNBC but for what purpose? There wasn’t really any studio audience interaction save for a couple of plants, one of which was a spokesperson for a Republican women’s group.

The format of the show was your typical segment based show with a different topic for each segment:

Imus Ratings Slide?

Now that FBN is fully rated by Nielsen we’re getting a better look at what its individual programs are doing. The Huffington Post has an un-credited column on Imus numbers.

According to the Nielsen ratings, Imus averaged 65,000 viewers in the first quarter of 2011–down 45% from his 2010 figures. Imus is also down 48% thus far in April when compared to his April 2010 numbers. (The show averaged around 127,000 viewers when it launched in October 2009.)

I don’t know how Nielsen works vis a vis numbers that come out after being publicly rated vs. all the numbers that came before that. Who has access to numbers that come from a time when FBN wasn’t rated officially? The above quote cites 2010 numbers…which was when FBN’s numbers weren’t publicly available. But someone had access to them.

And then there’s this tease pertaining to Imus:

But his show, once the top-rated program on FBN, has now slid to the 10th slot.

How about posting the entire 1-10 along with their numbers? FBN has only recently joined the public Nielsen family so there’s little information out there. TV by The Numbers doesn’t have a daytime breakdown by hour for FBN’s numbers. We need a baseline. Post the top 10 shows and their numbers so we know what’s going on. Instead of telling us what’s going on with FBN, this Huffington Post article is reflective of an ugly habit in the media writer industry. We don’t get a full accounting. We’re only teased with select items pertaining to FBN.

For instance, the program that follows it, Varney & Co, is averaging 20,000 more viewers thus far in April.

Some of the network’s business-related shows, such as “Cavuto” and “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” have been gaining traction in the ratings. Overall, though, the network is still struggling. For instance, on Friday, when all the cable networks saw their ratings spike due to the government shutdown fight, FBN averaged 61,000 viewers for the day—as compared to rival CNBC, which averaged 207,000 viewers.

Lou Dobbs Interview…

The Oklahoman’s Don Mecoy interviews FBN’s Lou Dobbs…

Q: Give me your take on the current state of business journalism.

A: I think business journalism has never been more challenged because of the complexity of stories and issues and events that make up our time. In no other time that I can recall have we seen so much military conflict, geopolitical competition, as well as international trade competition, and the challenge of bringing prosperity to an economy that has been, frankly, stalled for a number of years. It’s why it’s critical for our political leaders to understand this is a time for innovation, a time for strength and positive perspectives on the part of our leaders. Unfortunately, on the national leadership, I think, that’s been wanting for some years. I hope that that changes, and I hope that the business community will continue to exert serious and strong leadership, focused on the national interest and particularly the strength of our middle class and those who aspire to it.

Free for All: 04/13/11

What’s on your mind?

Dump John King?

Page Six continues its assault on CNN’s 7pm hour…

CNN brass are scrambling to find a new host for their troubled 7 p.m. timeslot, and trying to win back the African-American and Hispanic viewers sources say they’ve lost since the 2008 presidential campaign.

Hoping to accomplish both things at once, insiders said the network is interested in wooing African-American entertainers for the slot, currently held by “John King USA,” and has mentioned comedian Chris Rock and former “Talk Soup” host Aisha Tyler as possibilities.

CNN shot a pilot featuring Soledad O’Brien for the 7 p.m. slot, as we reported last month — but sources tell us it was deemed unwatchable by CNN Worldwide president Jim Walton. However, some CNN suits haven’t given up on the idea. “They are desperately trying to put together a show with Soledad at 7 p.m.,” an insider told Page Six yesterday. “So she is getting another chance and will be shooting another pilot today.”

Showbiz Tonight’s Brooke Anderson to “The Insider”…

The New York Post’s Michael Starr writes that Showbiz Tonight co-host Brooke Anderson will be taking over as co-host of “The Insider”…

Showbiz Tonight” co- host Brooke Anderson will replace Lara Spencer on “The Insider.”

Anderson, 32, will join Kevin Frazier on the syndicated show.

Anderson, who’s based in LA, will host HLN’s coverage of the Royal Wedding and is expected to join “The Insider” next month.

“I’m a huge fan of Brooke Anderson both professionally and personally . . . She’s everything you’d want in a co-anchor . . .” said “Insider” and “ET” executive producer Linda Bell Blue.

Although it won’t be written up this way by the Media Writers, who really aren’t attuned to what’s been going on with “The Insider”, I consider this a self-inflicted demotion for Anderson. The reason is “The Insider” has been fraught with problems since launch and has developed a reputation as a show that can’t make up its mind what its supposed to be. Originally it was more of an ET clone and a vehicle for Pat O’Brien. But then O’Brien self-destructed. Since then the show has gone through a slough of co-hosts and formats, including at one point an opinionated “View” style with a panel that argued over stories. Lara Spencer had been the only consistent thing about that show since it launched but now Spencer’s gone. So Anderson is inheriting a show in disarray. For Anderson, it may be a step up in profile from HLN’s “Showbiz Tonight” but “Showbiz” has been the more consistent and stable show.

CNBC.com Unveils new Video Player

CNBC.com announced that it has a new online video player…

CNBC.com, the online destination for global business news and expert analysis, today unveiled its new video player. The new CNBC.com player offers users an unmatched video experience filled with an extensive set of unique tools and features.

“We have long offered our affluent and influential user base access to the best business news video on the web,” said Meredith Stark, Executive Producer and Vice President, CNBC.com. “With our new video player, we are excited to also give them a compelling suite of tools and features to enhance their multimedia experience and create one of the highest caliber video experiences available online.”

Some key features of the new CNBC.com video player include: