FNC’s 10 Years at #1….and Shepard Smith’s Weight Loss?!?!?

In one of the odder news combinations I’ve seen lately, The New York Daily News’ Richard Huff manages to combine FNC’s 10 years of cable news dominance with Shepard Smith’s weight loss. I’m going to zero in on the newsy part of the story…

One on-air impression in recent months is that Smith has dropped a lot of weight.

“I’ve lost too much,” he says.

After years of eating cheeseburgers, Snickers bars and having a generally horrible diet, Smith was told by his doctor that he had sky-high cholesterol and high blood pressure. He’s since cut out the junk and plays tennis three times a week. “I’m in the best shape of my life,” he says, adding that his last medical report was great.

As for the ratings shape of the network, Smith says that’s equally good.

Keith Olbermann Current TV Ad (non?) Controversy…

TVNewser’s Chris Ariens writes about a Current TV ad in today’s New York Times…

There’s a full page ad for CurrentTV on B5 of the Business section of today’s New York Times. It’s what’s missing that interesting.

While the ad features pictures of hosts Cenk Uygur and Jennifer Granholm, there’s no image of Keith Olbermann, whose show “Countdown” is the network’s longest-running — since June — and most-watched live talk show since the network reinvented itself last year.

At first I thought there might be something to this. But then I got an email which filled in a few blanks. The ad in question was created by L.A. based ad agency STUN Creative as part of a new branding campaign for print, online, and TV under the “Politically Direct” slogan. The New York Times’ ad is basically the standard print ad created by STUN.

There is also a web/banner ad which STUN created that is sans Olbermann.

But there is a full HDTV video version of the ad, narrated by Common, that does feature Keith Olbermann.

So I don’t make too much of the fact that Olbermann wasn’t included in the print/online ads. If he’d been excluded from everything I would start reading a lot more into that.

Florida Primary: CNN Coverage Plans…

CNN announced its coverage details for tomorrow night’s Florida Primary…

CNN Plans Comprehensive Coverage of Florida Primary

As the focus of the next Republican Presidential primary battleground zeroes in on Florida, CNN plans to utilize resources across its platforms for coverage on the ground and from the CNN Election Center. Anchors Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett and John King will headline the network’s America’s Choice: The Florida Primary coverage beginning at 7 p.m. A special edition of AC360 will air following the network’s primary coverage at 10 p.m. and a special edition of Piers Morgan Tonight will air at midnight. All times Eastern.

Press Releases: 01/30/12

CNBC (1)

CNBC’s Darren Rovell to Host NBC Sports’ Post-Super Bowl Hangout on Google+

NEW YORK – Jan. 30, 2012 — CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell will serve as host and industry expert for a NBC Sports Google+ Hangout discussion of Super Bowl commercials on Monday, Feb. 6. During the Hangout, Rovell will review the previous day’s Super Bowl commercials, dissect the talk around the ads, and interact with fans to find out what commercials worked best.

“The day after the Super Bowl is when people head back to their office water coolers to discuss what they loved and what they didn’t,” Rovell said. “Our conversation is about taking all those water cooler conversations and bringing it to a national, digital stage.”

Anyone Want Some Red Meat?

Greg Gutfeld Profile…

The Orange County Register’s Peter Larsen profiles Greg Gutfeld…

“I got a phone call that said there’s somebody at Fox who wants to meet you,” Gutfeld said. “So we met in a bar, because that’s where all of my meetings take place. This fellow said, ‘Hey, we’re thinking about doing something in the middle of the night,’ and the fact that I was drunk enough made it easy for me to say OK.”

He might be joking about the drinking; we’re not sure. But the outcome of that night is the same regardless. Gutfeld got hired, and “Red Eye” started broadcasting its oddball blend of politics, debate and comedy into the early morning hours, eventually earning strong ratings for the time slot.

“I think a lot about it,” Gutfeld said when asked why the show has succeeded and who he thinks is watching. “What ‘Red Eye’ does is, there’s a lot of ongoing humor and subtle humor that you have to watch the show a lot to get. So the first stage is revulsion – what the hell is going on? The second is confusion, because now you’re starting to get it. And the third stage is obsession, because now you’re getting all of the jokes.

“We discuss issues the way you might at a bar when you’re buzzed on three beers,” Gutfeld said about th

FNC to Ring the NASDAQ Tomorrow to Celebrate 10 Years at #1…

From the wires…

FOX News, a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political and business news, will visit the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York City’s Times Square to celebrate its status as the #1 news channel in the U.S. for the 10th year.

In honor of the occasion, FOX News Channel’s Greta Van Susteren along with Lou Dobbs, Lori Rothman, Liz Claman and Melissa Francis from FOX Business Network will ring the Opening Bell.

Things You Didn’t Know About Alex Witt…

Forbes’ Meryl Weinsaft Cooper writes about the Wharton Women Business Conference. This Alex Witt anecdote came up…

Another recurring theme throughout the day was how essential it is to know what’s important to you and where you should focus your energy. For example, MSNBC’s Alex Witt doesn’t let anything come between her and her top priority, her kids — not even being on air. The anchor shared that she leaves her phone on, even when she’s on camera, so that her children can reach her at any tie. Bottom line: Happiness at home translates to more productivity and success at work. Smart companies know this — and that’s the shift that we’re seeing towards supporting work/life balance for families.

Free for All: 01/30/12

What’s on your mind?

Inside FNC Advertising…

AdExchanger.com’s John Ebbert interviews FNC’s Jeremy Steinberg, VP Digital Sales and Business Development, about FNC advertising… (via J$)

AdExchanger.com: Last May, you discussed with AdExchanger.com some of the things you were doing on the product side to address audience buying. How has it worked out?

JS: Really well, and – within the next couple months – we’re going to be rolling out a fully-revamped audience insights suite of services for our advertisers, which will provide enhanced targeting opportunities for audience, as well as context.

It’s equally important to marry the two together and is a key differentiator for us. This is a big investment in our business and in our future.

We’ve known for quite some time that we have by far the most engaged audience in news, and the numbers in comScore really speak to that. We’re investing in new technology because we want to prove it to our advertisers that our advertising works.

We’re doubling down and offering robust segmentation of our audience so advertisers can dive in deep to reach their targets, or, even better, to find out who their ads are performing best against, and then optimizing accordingly.

Bloomberg TV Taps Dan Arnall as Executive Producer of News

Bloomberg TV announced this morning that it has hired Dan Arnall to be its EP of News…

DAN ARNALL NAMED EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF NEWS FOR BLOOMBERG TELEVISION

New York, January 30, 2012–Veteran business news journalist Dan Arnall has joined Bloomberg as Executive Producer of News for Bloomberg Television. The announcement was made by Andrew Morse, head of Bloomberg TV in the U.S.

Arnall brings more than a decade of experience covering the economy, American business and the impact of financial regulation, among other major stories. Based in New York, he will oversee Bloomberg’s television newsgathering and editorial in the U.S. Arnall will also work to integrate video content across the company’s multimedia properties including Bloomberg.com and Bloomberg Mobile, which together reach millions of users per day.

“Dan’s extensive experience in covering business news and his passion for the beat, along with his creative production skills, will make him a crucial leader of the Bloomberg TV team,” said Morse.