Tamron Hall Interview…

The Huffington Post interviews Tamron Hall…

Indeed, Hall’s humble beginnings from rural Luling, Texas, to the top of the media industry came with countless hours of labor as an assignment reporter in Dallas to an anchor in Chicago. However, according to Hall, she did bear witness to the lack of black journalists in a few newsrooms.

“When I first started out as a young journalist, I know that on at least two occasions, when I walked into a newsroom I knew I was replacing the black person in that job,” she revealed. “There was always one reporter or one anchor. In fact, I replaced the same woman in Dallas and in Chicago. And she was the only African American on air in Dallas. I went to Chicago and she was the reporter/anchor, which just happened to be the job that I was being interviewed for, and that was the person that I replaced.”

“So there was this thing where I would go into a newsroom and feel a little uncomfortable because I thought to myself, ‘I’m not probably replacing the blonde. I’m not probably replacing the white guy,’ she added. “Sadly, I’m probably here to replace this person, and two times it proved to be true. I think that’s less so certainly now. Didn’t happen to me here when I was hired by MSNBC and NBC. But did happen to me early on in my career.”

Press Releases: 08/05/11

MSNBC (1)

PROGRAM NOTE: MSNBC’S ‘THE ED SHOW’ TO BROADCAST LIVE FROM WISCONSIN STATE SENATE RECALL ELECTION

MADISON, WI – August 5, 2011 – Ed Schultz, host of MSNBC’s ‘The Ed Show,’ will broadcast live from Madison, WI to cover the state’s recall election on Monday, August 8 and Tuesday, August 9, with candidates challenging Republican incumbents in six state Senate districts.

Free for All: 08/05/11

What’s on your mind?

FBN vs. Media Matters…

Politico’s Keach Hagey writes about FBN’s investigation into Media Matters…

Fox Business published a 2,500-word investigation into the legitimacy of Media Matters’ tax-exempt status yesterday, promising it was the first in a three-part series. The piece comes on the heels of more than three dozen segments into Media Matters’s tax status on Fox News.

Media Matters founder David Brock told POLITICO’s Ben Smith that the media watchdog was preparing for “war” and “guerrilla warfare and sabotage” against Fox News in March, and ever since, Fox has highlighted these words as evidence that Media Matters had drifted from the educational mission that justifies its tax-exempt status as a nonprofit organization.

But as I reported last month, so far there is no indication that Media Matters broke IRS rules, either by presenting “viewpoints or positions unsupported by facts,” as IRS rules put it or by crossing over from ideological into partisan activity. As Marcus Owens, a partner at Caplin & Drysdale and former director of the Exempt Organizations Division of the IRS, put it: “I’m afraid Fox loses this round.”

Examining the Potential Al Sharpton Debacle…

Politico’s Keach Hagey writes about Al Sharpton and MSNBC…

Behind the criticism is discomfort with the selection of an activist for a role that can look a lot like being a news anchor, even if it actually involves dispensing news-flavored opinion. And if Sharpton does sign a contract with MSNBC, the choice is likely to raise some of the same kinds of questions about the political affiliations of the cable news operation’s personalities that came to a head last year when MSNBC suspended two of its hosts, Keith Olbermann and Joe Scarborough, for breaking NBC News’s rules barring undisclosed political donations.

“What’s happening is MSNBC is trying to strike a balance between trying to be a legitimate news outlet, and capturing some of the heat of Fox,” said Amy Alexander, author of the forthcoming book, Uncovering Race: A Black Journalist’s Story of Reporting and Reinvention. “What Fox has done is essentially to give their opinion programming the veneer of news. What troubles me is that cable news is on an inexorable march toward becoming plain old entertainment.”

David Bohrman Departing CNN…

TV Newser’s Chris Ariens writes that CNN’s Chief Innovation Officer David Bohrman is leaving the network. I can’t say I’m completely surprised by this news.

Jautz Defends Morgan…

Adweek’s D.M. Levine interviews CNN President Ken Jautz who totally backs Piers Morgan…

The president of CNN’s U.S. operations, Ken Jautz, says he’s standing by primetime host Piers Morgan. In an interview with Adweek, Jautz, who took over the network in late September, a few weeks after Morgan was announced as Larry King’s replacement in primetime, said “we were very familiar with his background and several people talked to him about [his tabloid background].” Jautz added that Morgan “has been entirely consistent in his public statements and very firm in his denials and we do not believe there’s any impact on the show,” from the recent controversy.

Asked whether CNN would keep Morgan on the air were the controversy to expand into an actual criminal inquiry, Jautz declined to comment saying “I’m certainly not going to deal with a hypothetical. ”

FBN to Dump Imus for Pre Market Open Coverage Friday…

Almost two years ago I rhetorically asked the question whether FBN would ever encounter a story that would force it to dump Imus in the Morning for the day. It almost happened a year and a half ago when Imus got dumped midway through the show. Tomorrow it happens completely. J$ is reporting that there will be no Imus in the Morning tomorrow due to coverage of the Markets after today’s 500 point nose dive by the NYSE and drops in markets around the world.

Update: As was noted in the comments, Imus tends to be taped highlights on Friday during the summer so I now have to put an asterisk on what happened today. This was the dumping of Imus tape. We still have yet to see FBN completely dump out of live Imus. Indeed, had Imus been live today, would FBN have dumped out of it for the full three hours?

Update 2: As J$ notes, Fridays aren’t just a best of Imus all day. Dagen McDowell and Ashley Webster do conduct segments and live interviews. Still doesn’t change the fact Fridays aren’t really Imus in the Morning though…

Ed Henry Interview…

Men’s Health’s Mike Zimmerman interviews FNC’s Ed Henry…

MH: How have your friends and family react to your job change?

EH: One little nugget I’ve learned: Don’t assume ANYTHING about how jarring a job change like that can be. Not for you. For your family and friends who get so used to you at one company.

Here’s what happened to me: I had this list of people I wanted to tell, family, friends, everyone has their own “kitchen cabinet.” I wanted to tell my kids—I have a 10-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter—but I didn’t know how much they really cared about my career. They have their own things going, you know? But trust me, kids are intuitive and are very involved in your career whether you know it or not. They see you on the Blackberry at 10 o’clock at night when they want to hear a story and you’re chasing a different kind of story. So I sat my kids down and told them I was leaving my job—and they got upset. Which floored me. It never occurred to me that for basically their entire lives they only knew dad as a reporter for CNN. So I explained that this was a better situation, I’d be home more because of the way Fox structures its schedule, etc., and they said OK.

I found out later that my son went to my wife and he seemed down. So she asked him, “What’s wrong?” He said, “I’m just worried. Dad has so many friends at CNN. Will he make new friends at Fox?” He was afraid I wouldn’t make any new friends. And I learned that kids relate your situation to their own lives, and a kid goes to a new camp or a new school and is nervous about making new friends. It can be a difficult transition. So it was moving for me that my son wasn’t worried about how much money I’d make or what my job title would be, but would I be able to make new friends. We can get so lost in so much stuff—do I have my parking spot, do I have X clause in my contract, what’s my title? You can’t forget about the basics, which is, what does this mean for my life? My 10-year-old son figured that out immediately.

Market Turmoil Prods Business Channels into Action

Both CNBC and FBN will be live tonight covering the carnage on Wall Street. FBN will be live from 8-11pm ET. CNBC will have a special airing from 8-10pm.

Press Releases: 08/04/11

MSNBC (1)

BC NEWS ANNOUNCES SECOND-ANNUAL NATIONAL “TEACHER TOWN HALL” WILL AIR LIVE ON MSNBC AS PART OF THE 2011 “EDUCATION NATION” SUMMIT

Brian Williams Will Moderate the Event in New York on Sunday, September 25th at Noon/ET

EducationNation.com Launches Essay Contest Asking Teachers about Their Biggest Challenges and How They Measure Their Own Success; Winners Will Be Brought to New York to Attend the Town Hall

New York, NY – August 4, 2011 – NBC News will host a gathering of teachers from across the country for the second-annual nationally televised “Teacher Town Hall.” This special event will be held on Sunday, September 25th, and broadcast live on MSNBC at Noon/ET. The “Teacher Town Hall” is part of the 2011 “Education Nation” National Summit, which consists of live events and panel sessions on Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, and is complemented by education reports and programming across the network’s shows and platforms during the week of September 25th.

Free for All: 08/04/11

What’s on your mind?

CNBC Puts World Business on Hold…

Politico’s Keach Hagey reports that CNBC has cancelled World Business after an ethical cloud started to surround the program. Hagey also reports that blog which started this firestorm also alleged the BBC and CNN were impacted which is something that CNN has denied.

CNBC has pulled its weekend international business show, “World Business,” after a blog edited by Gordon Brown’s sister-in-law found that the show’s production company was doubling as a PR firm for Malaysian politicians.

The blog, the Sarawak Report, named after one of the states on the island of Borneo, reported that the London-based television production-company, FBC Media, had a contract with Sarawak’s Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud, to improve his international image. It suggests FBC carried out this contract in part through puff pieces in the news shows it produced.

“In light of serious questions raised last week, CNBC immediately initiative an examination of FBC and its business practices and has withdrawn the program ‘World Business’ indefinitely,” Brian Steel, senior vice president of media relations at CNBC, told POLITICO.

‘World Business’ did not run in the U.S. market, but aired in Europe on Friday nights and in Asia on Saturday evenings.

A Bump in the Al Sharpton Road to MSNBC?

The Daily has a story that MSNBC is hedging on giving Al Sharpton a contract because of all the blowback that has ensued…

Two weeks ago, Deadline.com reported the contract talks were “in the homestretch.” But sources tell Flash that no offer has been made to Sharpton, although he’s been filling in as an unpaid anchor at the channel for more than a month, and his ratings have been good.

On Monday, Sharpton actually hosted two time slots, 6-7 p.m. and 10-11 p.m. “Right now, he’s having a blast. He loves it,” said one insider.

MSNBC boss Phil Griffin, who was honored in April with a “Keepers of the Dream” award from Sharpton’s National Action Network, is stalling, sources say, hoping the public will get used to the idea of Sharpton as a cable news anchor, and the controversy will die down, before he is hired.

Well I hope the controversy won’t die down. All this public reaction and open skepticism is a red flag MSNBC should be taking very seriously. CNN had such a flag waved in its face last year when word leaked out that it was pursuing Eliot Spitzer and later when it was going to pair Spitzer and Parker. It ignored all the warnings to its detriment. MSNBC should be smart and learn from CNN’s mistake. Gracefully part company with Sharpton and pursue someone else. Griffin was talking at the TCA yesterday about how deep his pundit bench is. Finding someone else from that bench should not be too much of a problem.

Free for All: 08/03/11

What’s on your mind?

July Numbers: MSNBC…

MSNBC is noting its July ratings…

Bloomberg Television announces content partnership with leading Russian business channel RBC TV

New York, London and Moscow, August 2, 2011 – RBC OJSC (MICEX, RTS: RBCM) and Bloomberg Television (Bloomberg TV) today announced that beginning August 2nd, Bloomberg TV will serve as the primary provider of business and financial news video and television content on foreign markets for RBC TV, the largest dedicated 24-hour Russian business and financial news channel. RBC TV broadcasts in the Russian language to more than 90 million people across Russia and neighboring countries.

“We’re pleased to offer a daily selection of original Bloomberg TV videos, interviews and reports to RBC TV viewers,” said Malcolm Fried, Managing Editor for Bloomberg Television in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “As business leaders around the world have come to rely on Bloomberg TV for trusted, accurate and up-to-date business news, Russian-language viewers can now benefit from our award-winning interviews and reporting.”

Phil Griffin at the TCA…

The Wrap’s Lucas Shaw writes about Phil Griffin’s appearance at the TCA today. One of the things Griffin suggested he was looking at was creating a weekend show for Ezra Klein.

Yet if CNN is what MSNBC used to measure itself by, Griffin has been outspoken about his new target: Fox News.

“This is the point where I usually talk about CNN because we’ve beaten them three years in prime time and two in the morning,” Griffin said. “I wanna talk about Fox.”

Griffin feels confident his network is on the right track, citing 13 occasions in the past month MSNBC beat Fox in the ratings.

However, he also knows two things. For one, Fox is still well ahead in prime time. For another, MSNBC needs to develop its weekend programming.

Maintaining your ratio of live programming to tape on weekends is not the way to go. If MSNBC really wants to do something with weekends, that ratio has to change with more live or new programming and less tape docs.

New Bloomberg Series…

TechCrunch’s Rip Empson writes about a new series debuting on Bloomberg TV…

Move over American Idol, and move over Survivor? There’s a new reality show (okay, documentary-reality series) in town, but luckily no one’s getting voted off the island. In this tech TV version, it’s startups and their founders iterating, scrambling through feature sets, and competing for the affections of investors.

It’s a great premise, as the reality surrounding an early-stage startup can be a kinetic one: It may not quite be the car chase in Bullitt, granted, but it’s certainly tense, fast-paced, and, if founders play their cards right, can have significant bearing on the future success of their company (for the better).

But, by and large, the early evolutions of startups — and the role that the big technology incubators have in fostering this growth — happen behind closed doors. Or in low rent, shared office space, with lots of empty pizza boxes. Now, thanks to a partnership between TechStars and Bloomberg TV, all eyes will get a comprehensive peek at what it’s like to be on the founding team of a startup going through the gauntlet at a top technology incubator.

This “reality-documentary” miniseries, called “TechStars”, will premier on September 13th at 9 p.m., with the six episodes running through October 18th. It will air on Bloomberg TV, both on cable and the web.

Mark Halperin’s MSNBC Suspension Ends This Week

Broadcasting & Cable’s John Eggerton scoops that Mark Halperin’s MSNBC suspension will end this week…

MSNBC senior political analyst Mark Halperin will be returning to the network this week, according to an MSNBC spokesperson, saying it had been a one-month suspension.

July Numbers: CNN…

CNN is noting its July ratings…

CNN Posts More Growth than FNC and MSNBC in July

CNN Continues to top MSNBC in Weekday Daytime 25-54

CNN Signature Programs Surge with Double Digit Gains in P2+ and 25-54 in July

In the M-F Primetime daypart, CNN increased more than FNC or MSNBC versus year-ago, building by +15% in total viewers (662k) and +40% among 25-54 viewers (215k). This compares to gains of +12% in total viewers and +14% among 25-54 for MSNBC and declines of -6% in total viewers and -11% among 25-54 for FNC.

CNN also continued to surpass MSNBC in July during the M-F 9a-5p daytime daypart among both total viewers (504k) and the demo (144k), holding an advantage of 33% and 27%, respectively.

CNN Programs Surge with Double Digit Gains among both total viewers and 25-54 viewers in July

July Numbers: HLN…

HLN is noting its July ratings…

HLN Surges to its Best Month Ever in July

Ranks #1 in Cable News 9a to 5p Among 25-54 in July

HLN Programs Post Double and Triple Digit Gains Over Year-Ago

More Than 5 Million Tune in to HLN for Casey Anthony Verdict in July

In July, HLN posted its best month ever in Total Day among both total viewers and the 25-54 demo (702k and 230k, respectively), topping solid numbers from June and previous highly-ranked months including September 2001. It also had its best delivery ever in M-Su Prime among total viewers (998k) and ranked #1 in the dayside daypart (M-F 9a-5p) across all cable news among 25-54 viewers (256k).

Press Releases: 08/02/11

Bloomberg (1)

Bloomberg Television announces content partnership with leading Russian business channel RBC TV

New York, London and Moscow, August 2, 2011 – RBC OJSC (MICEX, RTS: RBCM) and Bloomberg Television (Bloomberg TV) today announced that beginning August 2nd, Bloomberg TV will serve as the primary provider of business and financial news video and television content on foreign markets for RBC TV, the largest dedicated 24-hour Russian business and financial news channel. RBC TV broadcasts in the Russian language to more than 90 million people across Russia and neighboring countries.

“We’re pleased to offer a daily selection of original Bloomberg TV videos, interviews and reports to RBC TV viewers,” said Malcolm Fried, Managing Editor for Bloomberg Television in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “As business leaders around the world have come to rely on Bloomberg TV for trusted, accurate and up-to-date business news, Russian-language viewers can now benefit from our award-winning interviews and reporting.”

Maddow Extends MSNBC Contract Long Term…

The Hollywood Reporter’s Marisa Guthrie reports that Rachel Maddow has extended her deal with MSNBC…

MSNBC has extended Rachel Maddow’s contract in a new multi-year deal that will keep the primetime host at the cable news network well beyond the 2012 presidential election.

The announcement is expected to come Tuesday at the network’s portion of the semi-annual Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles.

The news comes as MSNBC has already locked in many staffers and longtime contributors with contract extensions, a response to overtures from erstwhile MSNBC host Keith Olbermann, who abruptly left MSNBC last January. Maddow’s previous contract was not set to expire until next year.

Free for All: 08/02/11

What’s on your mind?

Chris Hayes Interview….

The Wrap’s Lucas Shaw interviews new MSNBC employee Chris Hayes…

As someone who has predominantly been a print journalist, how does it feel to be a TV host now?

I’m super stoked. It’s like planting a flag in virgin soil. I don’t think there is anything else on cable news that looks like this. Obviously Alex Witt has being doing weekends for a while but it’s the first post-Lean Forward weekend programming.

So in what way is it unique?

The way I’ve been describing it to people in a Tim Robbins in “The Player” shorthand is if you took the format and aesthetic sensibility of “Morning Joe” and the substantive perspective and sensibility of “The [Rachel] Maddow Show” and fused them. It will less prompter driven and more multi-vocal with chances for the explanatory journalism that I like to do.

MSNBC Continues to Play “Small Ball”…

When word leaked out that MSNBC was planning on creating a show for Chris Hayes we wondered where there was room M-Fr for another show in the network’s lineup. Some of us looked at weekends as a possible destination and thought that the network might be finally going to look at doing something about its 5 hours of news followed by 20 hours of tape.

Well, we were right to look at weekends but wrong to think that this was going to mean more live programming. MSNBC chose what I consider the worst option available, it will continue to offer five hours of live programming Saturday and four on Sunday but cut news in half in favor of more political programming. And Alex Witt gets shafted in the process.

Witt’s 12 years at MSNBC is the longest (it would have been Chris Jansing had she not been sent packing to L.A. for two and a half years). Weekends have been her stomping grounds longer than any other anchor in the network’s history. During that time her no nonsense approach has made her a dependable cornerstone at the network. And how is she rewarded for this service? She gets her on air time cut in half. Can you say “screw job”?

This development was apparently not lost on the network which put out a release this afternoon where Phil Griffin spun Witt’s shafting by giving her a plug and saying how important she was to the network – a curious statement given that he was taking half of her on air time away. It reminded me of Yvette Miley’s internal memo spinning Jansing losing an hour of her air time as a benefit for her when it patently wasn’t.

It didn’t have to be this way. Witt deserved better. MSNBC could have put Hayes in his scheduled slot and extended her shift past noon. But, noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…MSNBC just can’t disrupt all those Lockup episodes and Predator Raw repeats. NBC News has all but abandoned the Predator franchise on broadcast TV but years after its demise MSNBC continues to assault its viewers with repeats. Musn’t break tape on weekends. That should be MSNBC’s new catch phrase.

MSNBC continues to play “small ball”. Weekends have been a taped wasteland after 12pm. And they will continue to be so. Worse, the network is now offering five hours less news during the whole week. MSNBC was already offering the least amount of live news of the big three cable news channels.

I’m not going to comment on Hayes’ new show at this juncture. I want to see what it looks like first before I weigh in.

Press Releases: 08/01/11

MSNBC (1)

MSNBC TO PRESENT SECOND ANNUAL ‘MAKING THE GRADE’ SPECIAL AS PART OF ITS ‘STRONGER AMERICA’ INITIATIVE

TWO-HOUR LIVE SHOW FROM DETROIT, MICHIGAN

MSNBC ANCHOR TAMRON HALL HOSTS, WITH CO-HOST JEFF JOHNSON OF THEGRIO.COM AND MSNBC

NEW YORK, NY—AUGUST 1, 2011—MSNBC will air “A Stronger America: Making the Grade,” a live two-hour discussion on strengthening America through education, from the Detroit School of Arts, on Sunday, August 14 from noon until 2pm ET. The special, hosted by MSNBC Anchor Tamron Hall and co-hosted by MSNBC Contributor and TheGrio.com Correspondent Jeff Johnson, will bring together a roundtable of prominent figures to discuss parenting and early education, how to help our students compete on a global scale, the effects of the economy on education and opportunity, and other essential topics.

“All barriers to improving our nation, whether they be economic, geographic or otherwise, must be eliminated,” said Yvette Miley, Vice President and Executive Editor, MSNBC. “We must find ways to give all of our students, no matter their backgrounds, the same opportunities to have a quality education. MSNBC believes in providing the platform for these important discussions, which ultimately lead to solutions that help build a stronger America.”

MSNBC Changes Up Weekend Mornings…

MSNBC announced that Chris Hayes will helm a weekend morning show and Alex Witt continue to anchor news, but just not for as many hours.

CHRIS HAYES TO HOST MSNBC WEEKEND MORNING PROGRAM

ALEX WITT ANCHORS “WEEKENDS WITH ALEX WITT”

Hayes to Host Saturdays 7-9 a.m. and Sundays 8-10 a.m. ET

Alex Witt Anchors “Weekends with Alex Witt” on Saturdays 9 a.m. – Noon and Sundays 10 a.m. – Noon ET

New Weekend Line-up To Debut on September 17

NEW YORK – August 1, 2011 – MSNBC contributor Chris Hayes has been added to the network’s weekend lineup as the host of a new weekend morning show. The program, with a focus on politics, will be live on Saturdays from 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. ET and Sundays from 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. ET starting September 17. The announcement was made today by MSNBC President Phil Griffin. Hayes, a frequent substitute host for “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell,” will continue as an MSNBC contributor and will remain part of The Nation as Editor-at-Large.

CNBC to Host GOP Debate…

CNBC announced that it will host a GOP Presidential candidate debate in Michigan…

CNBC TO HOST REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE WITH THE MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN PARTY AND OAKLAND UNIVERSITY ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH

Debate to Focus on the Economy, Jobs, Taxes and the Deficit

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., August 1, 2011—CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, today announced it will host a presidential debate with the Michigan Republican Party and Oakland University on Wednesday, November 9th. With the fate of the U.S. economy hanging in the balance, this debate, which will take place one year before the general election, will focus on the key issues facing voters—jobs, taxes, the deficit and the health of our national economy. The debate will be held at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan and broadcast exclusively from 8PM-10PM ET on CNBC.

Triathalon Charity…

Triathalete’s Bethany Mavis writes about Liz Claman doing this years New York City Triathalon for charity…(via J$)

Fox Business Network anchor Liz Claman will be racing the Nautica New York City Triathlon next Sunday, Aug. 7, for the third year in a row. The difference this year is that she’s racing it for a cause. She’s raising funds for Building Homes for Heroes, a nonprofit that builds homes for severely disabled soldiers—many of whom are missing limbs—returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
641 300×225 News Anchor To Race NYC Tri For A Cause

“There are hundreds of these guys who come home and they don’t have a place they can live in to call home where they can function normally or comfortably,” Claman says. “So we try to build those homes. It’s one at a time; they’re highly custom.”