Print Journalism Snobbery?

Yesterday, while going back and forth with Brian Stelter over the Alan Murray CNBC shot, Stelter tweeted the following to me…

i’m at your service. i would add: this is what i love about Sorkin on “Squawk:” he’s a journalist who happens to be on TV.

I let that comment pass on Twitter because 140 characters just isn’t enough space to properly respond to it and I wasn’t 100% convinced that my read of Stelter’s tweet was what he was trying to get across. But after getting egged on by Stelter and others, here’s my response…

Maybe Stelter didn’t intend it to come across this way, but I took that comment to mean that print journalists like Andrew Ross Sorkin when they’re on TV are better at it on TV than traditional TV news journalists; the sort of dismissive print journalism snobbery we see from time to time when the TV medium gets discussed by the print press. TV news has its faults but to compare print journalism and TV news is an apples to oranges scenario. The rules and processes are different.

National TV news, especially live TV cable news, is basically news by committee; far more so than print journalism. You have editorial directors, writers, producers, and the talent all working together in real time on the product – a journalism assembly line if you will – where viewers get the news in a steady stream as it unfolds. As with traditional assembly lines there are people on the line with specific knowledge who only contribute when the need arises. Because it is an assembly line approach and basically has no controlling authority outside of a set of guidelines sent down from the Editorial Director, we are presented with something of a paradox where the news anchor is considered to be the authority and gatekeeper by the viewing public because of their position on the air yet their input, what there is of it, comes extremely late in the assembly line process. This is why if you talk to a grunt at any network you will hear at least one story about a talent going to the control room and chewing out the staff for something the staff did that ended up making them look bad. It’s also why I have a lot of sympathy for news anchors. They get all the blame by the public but have comparatively little input in the news as it unfolds.

Free for All: 09/14/11

What’s on your mind?

Wall St. Journal vs. CNBC?

Buried in Brian Stelter’s New York Times article on the expansion of the Wall St. Journal’s web video section is what appears to be a juicy little shot at CNBC from Deputy Managing Editor Alan Murray…

Mr. Murray, who once anchored a daily newscast for CNBC, said he never felt like journalism was “the top priority” there. On WSJ Live, it is, he said: “We think of it as another way of highlighting the good journalism that goes on around here.”

Update: Putting Murray’s accusation into context, 2005 – when Murray’s show got cancelled – was the year Mark Hoffman took over. And it before when Jonathan Wald showed up at Englewood Cliffs I believe. In other words it was a different era. Stelter, via a Twitter exchange with me, added more context to Murray’s statements…

“it’s production, it’s entertainment.” separately, he said: “quality of the journalism was 4th or 5th on the list.”

he hesitated about talking about CNBC in much detail, however. and he noted that his show was cancelled in 2005.

The charge that CNBC is entertainment is one that’s hung around even in the Hoffman era. Jon Stewart and others have taken shots at the network for its entertainment aspects and its “lack” of being a watchdog, particularly during the 2007 economic collapse and investment bank chaos. Still, CNBC regularly breaks news on the air so I don’t see how one could argue that entertainment is the overriding concern. Indeed, I’m not sure Murray makes such an argument about the CNBC of today.

Press Releases: 09/13/11

CNN (1)

CNN Takes on Female Boxing – the Last Frontier of the Olympics – in New Latino in America Documentary
In Her Corner reported by Soledad O’Brien debuts Sunday, Sept. 25 at 8:00pm ET & PT on CNN/U.S.

CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien traces the U.S. Olympic dreams of female flyweight fighter Marlen Esparza. The International Olympic Committee has finally allowed women’s boxing for the 2012 games, the last female sport excluded from the world’s most prestigious sporting competition. The one-hour documentary reflects the lives of girls who typically box in this country – generally young women from ‘blue collar’ backgrounds, often women of color who must focus and train against a backdrop of challenging family struggles. Frequently, they must also fight for acceptance in their communities for their competition in traditionally a man’s sport, as a pathway to success for themselves and their families, and positive recognition for their communities.

For In Her Corner: Latino in America, O’Brien profiles Houston-based, Mexican-American fighter Esparza. Esparza aims to push aside negative stereotypes of her community, while pursuing her dream to represent America for Olympic Gold. In Her Corner debuts on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 8:00pm ET and PT, and replays Saturday, Oct. 1 at 8:00pm ET and PT.

CNN Tea Party Debate Numbers…

CNN is noting its Tea Party debate ratings from last night…

CNN’S REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES DEBATE WAS #1 LAST NIGHT IN BOTH TOTAL VIEWERS AND DEMO 25-54; DRAWS 3.6 MILLION VIEWERS

CNN Digital Live Video of the Debate Triples New Hampshire

According to Nielsen Fast National data (8-10pm), CNN’s Tea Party Republican debate moderated by Wolf Blitzer delivered 3.6 million total viewers and 1.1 million among adults 25-54 last night, Monday, September 12. CNN ranked first in both total viewers and among the P25-54, topping second place FNC by +88% in total viewers (3.6m vs. 1.9m) and by +204% in the key demo (1.1m vs. 370k). CNN also out-rated third place MSNBC by +455% among total viewers (3.6m vs. 643k) and by +599% among 25-54 (1.1m vs. 161k).

Compared to CNN’s recent New Hampshire GOP debate (June 13, 2011), this debate increased 13% in total viewers (3.6m vs. 3.2m) and grew +23% in the key demo 25-54 (1.1m vs. 918k) despite other big events last night including the season debut of Monday Night Football and the U.S. Open Men’s Finals.

CNN.com – Global – 8-10 p.m.

Free for All: 09/13/11

What’s on your mind?

August Numbers: CNBC Digital…

CNBC Digital is noting its August numbers…

CNBC DIGITAL SETS NEW RECORDS

CNBC.com sets new record for page views; CNBC Mobile sets multiple records

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. – September 13, 2011 – CNBC.com, the online destination for global business news and expert analysis, had its best August ever in terms of uniques and its best month ever in terms of page views. According to the latest data from comScore Media Metrix, the site was visited by 7.4 million unique users last month, a 44% increase compared to the same time period last year, and recorded 437 MM page views, a 58% increase year-over-year.

CNBC Mobile Web had its best month ever in terms of both monthly unique visitors and page views. The site attracted more than 3.3 million uniques, a 124% increase compared to the same time period as last year, and scored over 109MM page views, a 94% increase year-over-year (Source: Omniture). CNBC’s iPhone App also had its best month ever in terms of both monthly unique visitors and page views. Year-over-year, the App grew uniques by 28% and page views by 144% (Source: Omniture). Additionally, the CNBC iPad App had its best month ever in terms of both page views with 23 million and uniques with 390K (Source: Omniture). CNBC’s Real-Time Android App also scored its best ever page views with 6.3 million and its best ever uniques with 108K.

Additional August 2011 highlights include:

CNN Debate: Your Reactions…

Post your reactions to CNN’s Tea Party debate here…

Press Releases: 09/12/11

CNBC (1)

CNBC PRESENTS “THE COFFEE ADDICTION”

CNBC ORIGINAL TAKES VIEWERS INSIDE THE $80 BILLION GLOBAL COFFEE MARKET

One-hour Documentary Reported by CNBC’s Scott Wapner Premieres on Thursday, September 29th at 9PM ET/PT on CNBC

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., September 12, 2011¾ It’s called “The Social Drink”—the jolt that gets us through the day and the one we can’t live without. Coffee, once just our morning fix, has become an American cultural obsession in a nation that consumes 400 million cups of it—every day.

On National Coffee Day, Thursday, September 29th at 9PM ET/PT, CNBC presents “The Coffee Addiction,” a CNBC Original reported by Correspondent Scott Wapner. The documentary captures the extraordinary journey from coffee bean to coffee cup as Wapner takes viewers from the jungles of Peru to the frenzied commodity trading pit of lower Manhattan, to the Seattle headquarters of Starbucks, and finally, to the local coffeehouses across the country where a new breed of baristas fuels a national passion.

Ed Henry Interview…

AdWeek interviews FNC’s Ed Henry…

Were you concerned about moving to a news organization that has a reputation for a conservative bias?

I know what people say about Fox and about what they say is a tilt to the right. Meanwhile, the reporters I know, like Bret Baier, are right down the middle and are tough on everybody.

Any challenge in preserving your reputation as a straight shooter since moving to Fox?

I asked tough questions of the Bush White House when I was at CNN. I asked tough questions of the Obama White House when I was at CNN and nobody freaked out. I start asking tough questions at Fox and everybody freaked out. If I was a shrinking violet at CNN and was meekly sitting in the corner and occasionally raising my hand and then went to Fox and on Day 2 started asking really tough questions, I think the case would be stronger that I had some sort of bias. I was asking tough questions at CNN, I’ll be asking tough questions at Fox.

Free for All: 09/12/11

What’s on your mind?

What’s Hot/What’s Not: 09/11/11

I was going to do What’s Hot/What’s Not this weekend but 9/11′s 10th Anniversary kind of makes trivial things like that seem out of place. Will pick it up again next weekend.

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…

FBN’s “Bulls and Bears to Become “After the Bell”…

Trader Daily’s S. Lord scoops that FBN’s “Bulls and Bears” will be rebranded starting Monday. The show will now be called “After the Bell”…(via J$)

We’ve learned FOX Business Network is planning to change the name of their 4 PM/ET program from “Bulls & Bears” to “After the Bell”. Word on the street is the name change takes effect Monday, September 12; anchors Liz Claman and David Asman stay the same.

Cable News Streaming for the Air…

The Los Angeles Times W.J. Hennigan writes about an in flight streaming company striking a deal to air most of the major cable and business news channels. Conspicuously missing are CNN and HLN which indicates Time Warner isn’t on board with this idea while News Corp. and Comcast apparently are.

Westlake Village-based Row 44 Inc., an in-flight broadband Internet provider, said it signed a deal with an array of television news and political talk stations to deliver live streaming video to onboard passengers.

Under the deal, passengers will be able to watch Fox News, MSNBC and BBC World News; live business news from CNBC, Fox Business Network and Bloomberg Television; and sports on NBC Sports Network.

It is the second major announcement for the firm in a week.

Free for All: 09/09/11

What’s on your mind?

The Hazards of Bob Beckel…er…Live TV: #25,127

4 on 1 The Five with another gem…(via J$)

Press Releases: 09/08/11

MSNBC (1)

REPUBLICAN DEBATE ON MSNBC DRAWS 5.4 MILLION VIEWERS

Republican Debate On MSNBC Draws 5.4 Million Viewers

MSNBC Delivers Highest Rated Republican Debate in 2011

New York – September 8, 2011 – The Republican Presidential Debate that aired on MSNBC last night drew 5.4 million viewers, soundly out-rating both FNC and CNN in total viewers and the key adult demographic, with 5,411,000 in total viewers and 1,728,000 viewers in the A25-54 demo, according to program data from Nielsen Media Research. Below are ratings highlights from the MSNBC GOP Debate on Sept. 7, 2011.

CNN Tea Party Debate Details…

Here are CNN’s schedule and details for its upcoming Tea Party Debate…

CNN, Tea Party Express to Host First-Ever Tea Party Debate, Sept. 12

CNN and the Tea Party Express, along with more than 100 local tea party groups from every state across the country, will team up Monday, September 12 to present a first-of-its-kind debate from the site of the 2012 Republican National Convention: Tampa, Florida. Eight Republican presidential contenders will face questions from moderator and lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer during the two-hour event, which will air live on CNN from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. from the Florida State Fairgrounds. The debate will focus on a wide-range of topics, including the role, size and scope of government, with a specific emphasis on issue number one to tea party members and all Americans: the economy.

In addition to questions from Blitzer, audience members inside the debate hall, made up in part by members from tea party groups in 31 states and the District of Columbia, will be invited to ask questions directly to the candidates. Questions will also be taken live from tea party members at debate watch parties in Phoenix, Ariz.; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Portsmouth, Virginia. Online, CNN will solicit questions via comments on CNNPolitics.com, the CNN Politics Facebook page, and by using the #CNNTeaParty hashtag on Twitter.

Free for All: 09/08/11

What’s on your mind?

CNBC’s Growing Talent Rentention Problem…

Liz Claman, Dylan Ratigan, Charlie Gasparino, Trish Reagan, Erin Burnett, and now Nicole Lapin, who had been considered by some to be a rising star, have all left CNBC within the past few years. That’s a pretty impressive talent drain; a much higher exit rate than all the other networks, broadcast and cable, during the same timeframe, save for maybe CBS which is in full on makeover mode. What’s going on over at Englewood Cliffs? To be sure not all of these exits have the same root cause. But still when you look at who has left, you start to wonder what’s going on over there…

Nicole Lapin Out at CNBC?

Page Six scoops that Lapin and CNBC have parted company. I began to suspect something was going on over a month ago when she stopped doing daily in studio appearances on MSNBC.

CNBC anchor Nicole Lapin is moving on from the money network after less than two years. The business beauty, who was named the New York Observer’s top power media bachelorette, is starting her own production company for financial content called Nothing But Gold. Sources say Lapin and CNBC have mutually ended their relationship before the end of her contract. Her rep told us, “Nicole would like to thank CNBC for her time at the network, and she is looking forward to her next opportunity.” She plans to provide financial advice to women and young people, and will appear as a financial expert on shows including “Today” and “Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers.”

Update: Lapin writes on her Tumblr…(via TalkingBizNews)

Let’s be honest, I’ve been more MIA lately than usual. The reason I’ve been more twitter-silent than ever before is because I was hard at work on the launch of Nothing But Gold — a multimedia production company I started focused on creating accessible financial content across various platforms. In the more than ten years I’ve been on the air, this is the most exciting chapter yet.

Reporting during what seems to be another leg down in the financial crisis made me realize that a lot of it is complicated, confusing and scary for most people. Lots of you wrote in to me, confided in me and told me you saw a void in candid, plain-English reporting. I agree. There isn’t a bridge between Wall Street and Main Street during this critical time in our economic history. I am going to fill that void.

Ed Schultz Profile

The Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Neal Justin profiles Ed Schultz…

On this August morning, though, you could forgive Schultz if he didn’t want to talk about what’s wrong with Washington. Less than 24 hours before, he had to make the most important radio broadcast of his life.

He was piloting his single-engine Cessna 206 back to Minneapolis from his Canadian fishing lodge when the plane’s motor lost a cylinder. Smoke filled the cockpit. Oil covered the windshield. The threat of losing an engine became very real.

For the first time in his flying career, Schultz put out a mayday call.

“It was pretty hairy,” said the plane’s only other passenger, Wendy Schultz, his wife of 13 years and an assistant producer on his radio show.

With the help of a pilot friend, Schultz managed to find an abandoned dirt strip in the Canadian bush and land the plane.

Press Releases: 09/07/11

Bloomberg (1), CNN (1)

CNN

TUNE IN TO CNN: Special Programming of President Obama’s Address

to a Joint Session of Congress; coverage begins at 5 p.m. on CNN

AC 360° and Piers Morgan Tonight to follow the Presidential Address

On Thursday, Sept. 8, CNN will broadcast special coverage of President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress with coverage beginning at 5 p.m. with a special edition of The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. The President’s address on job creation is scheduled to air at 7 p.m. CNN lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer, along with chief national correspondent John King from Capitol Hill, will anchor the network’s coverage. CNN International will simulcast the President’s speech.

AC 360° at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. and Piers Morgan Tonight will follow at 9 p.m. and will feature special coverage and analysis of the presidential address. CNN will replay the president’s address at 11 p.m.

CNN.com will live stream the address in the new CNN video experience and the address will be available live on the CNN Apps for iPhone, iPad and Android. CNNPolitics.com will feature in-depth reporting and The Political Ticker will incorporate live blogging during the speech.

___________________________________________

Bloomberg

BLOOMBERG TV PRESENTS “TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH: WALL STREET AFTER 9/11″ AIRING THIS THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 8th AT 9PM

Andrea Mitchell Announces Breast Cancer Battle…

At the end of today’s Mitchell Reports, Andrea Mitchell anounced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Mitchell said it was caught early and her prognosis is good. Colleagues of Mitchell came out on Twitter with their support…

Gwen Ifill

Andrea Mitchell once again shares her gifts of toughness and tenacity. Add to that courage. Love and prayers to my friend @mitchellreports.

Chuck Todd

There’s not many people I know as tough as @mitchellreports. We’re all rooting for you. Go get ‘em.

Norah O’Donnell

Andrea Mitchell is one of the bravest women I know and always an inspiration. She’s proved that again today

Craig Melvin

Friend and mentor, Andrea Mitchell announces she’s fighting breast cancer. “Terrific prognosis!” We’re with you @mitchellreports.

Shannon Bream

Fervent prayers and lots of positive wishes to Andrea Mitchell

Free for All: 09/07/11

What’s on your mind?

Death to the Crawl!

The New York Observer’s Kat Stoeffel writes about a subject near and dear to my heart…

Some hypothesize that the news crawl had been a strategy to replicate the experience of reading the news online—which was quickly becoming the primary medium for news consumption among the advertiser-beloved 25-54-year-old demographic.

If this is true, the ticker experiment has been a failure. This year, the Internet surpassed television as the number one news source for people under 30. For the demographic loyal to cable news, the crawl is a distraction: outside of a state of emergency, the ticker displays news unrelated to that which is being broadcast by the journalists, competing for the viewer’s attention. In 2003, Newsday reported on online petitions hundreds had signed asking the stations to take it down.

Indeed, the widgets adorning a cable news broadcast threaten to cannibalize the primacy of the television’s breaking news authority. Like spending a date scrolling one’s iPhone under the table, the crawl’s messages are in competition with the ones coming out of anchor’s mouth. It disintegrates the intimacy that bonds viewers to their anchor—the relationship that dictates to whom they turn in moments of chaos and crisis. In 2007, Eric Ober, a CBS News executive in the ’90s, said that distracting viewers from the message the anchor is trying to convey is “the worst thing you can do on a TV screen.”

AC 360 and CNNI…

CNN Observations writes about how the new placement for AC 360 on CNN US is impacting CNNI…

If CNN International does continue to take the Anderson Cooper 360º replay at 10:00pm (eastern) – CNN was still yet to confirm this with CNN Observations at the time of this post – the weekday schedule between 6:00pm and 12:00am (eastern) will be as follows:

6:00pm – The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer (60 minutes) [All feeds except Asia Pacific where World Report airs instead]
7:00pm – World Report (60 minutes)
8:00pm – Anderson Cooper 360º (60 minutes)
9:00pm – Piers Morgan Tonight (60 minutes)
10:00pm – Anderson Cooper 360º (60 minutes)
11:00pm – World Sport (30 minutes)
11:30pm – Taped feature (30 minutes)

For viewers in Asia, that means the only chance they’ve got to see an international news bulletin on CNN International during their morning will be at 6:00pm and 7:00pm (eastern) which is 6:00am and 7:00am Hong Kong time. The next 4 hours are filled with Anderson Cooper 360º (1 hour live, 1 hour taped), Piers Morgan Tonight, World Sport and a 30 minute taped feature. In short, the new schedule means CNN International loses a live hour of news, and that has many on the forum questioning what CNN International’s thinking here is.

It’s not only viewers in the Asia Pacific region who have expressed displeasure at this scheduling change either. Viewers in Europe are complaining about the lack of substantial international news coverage from CNN International during, what is, their late evening / overnight hours. If you take into account the hour of Back|Story and World Sport that airs before The Situation Room simulcast in the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions, the argument could be made that viewers in the northern hemisphere are possibly worse off (in terms of hours between seeing a standard World Report news bulletin) than those in any other region.

Al Jazeera: America’s Post 9/11 Network?

Marketwatch’s Jon Friedman makes his case…

I’m not happy to have to defend Al Jazeera. It should require no defense, for it should be able to stand on its record of presenting sophisticated news segments in an admirably serious way. News junkies ought to be flocking to Al Jazeera and enjoying its low-key, straight-forward approach. But many of us from Maine to Oregon prefer to follow the antics of Mel Gibson, Lindsay Lohan and other tabloid favorites.

American cable news programs figured out long ago that their viewers would, by and large, would prefer to be titillated than informed. It’s too bad but as Bruce Hornsby once sang, That’s just the way it is.

Regis Philbin announced the date of his final broadcast on his “Live with Regis and Kelly” program, which kicked off its 24th season. Alexandra Cheney has details on Lunch Break.

Al Jazeera should be in the sweet spot of media right now. In the decade since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans have become fascinated by the world outside their borders.

Once we let go, somewhat, of our initial grieving process, our citizens developed a thirst for knowledge and information — above all, we desperately wanted to try to understand how someone so evil and maniacal as Osama bin Laden could come to power and rock our comfy little way of life. Before bin Laden, all we needed to think about was the latest mindless movie star gossip, video games and sports.

Press Releases: 09/06/11

MSNBC (1)

PROGRAM NOTE: MSNBC’S “HARDBALL WITH CHRIS MATTHEWS” TO BROADCAST GOP DEBATE SPECIAL LIVE FROM REAGAN LIBRARY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 AND WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

NEW YORK – September 6, 2011 – In anticipation of tomorrow’s GOP presidential debate airing live on MSNBC, “Hardball with Chris Matthews” will broadcast from the site of the debate at Reagan Library, Tuesday, September 6 and Wednesday, September 7. Along with special broadcasts of “Hardball,” live analysis following the conclusion of the debate will be led by MSNBC’s primetime anchors including Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz, Lawrence O’Donnell and Rev. Al Sharpton. A schedule with guests and times for each broadcast, along with media usage guidelines are listed below.