From today's WaPo:

For political junkies, Todd has become all but inescapable. When he isn't shuttling between studios, he is being invoked as an authority by one anchor or another. After a career out of the limelight, the genial 36-year-old is the campaign season's most improbable TV star.

Every organization has someone like "Chuckie T," as his colleagues call him. He is the brainy guy poring over computer printouts, the number cruncher in the back office. But the voracious appetite of cable news has given him a huge megaphone and an outsize role in shaping coverage of the White House race.

Todd admits to worrying about overexposure, saying: "I don't like going on if I don't feel like I have new information or an interesting way to present the information." But he justifies his ubiquity by noting that audiences drift in and out all day.

When he started at NBC a year ago, Todd felt he was struggling. "The hardest part is to explain the minutiae clearly," he says. "Now I can take the minutiae and make it sound like English for laypeople who haven't been following the DNC delegate rules for 20 years." ...

On a cable channel packed with such opinionated personalities as Olbermann and Chris Matthews, Todd stands out by not being flamboyant. While others are getting punch-drunk on polls, New York Times critic Alessandra Stanley observed, Todd is "the designated driver of MSNBC's political coverage."

Also, who knew that a.) Todd plays the French horn? b.) He didn't graduate college? c.) He thinks he has too many chins?

Politico scoops that Peter Baker is headed to the New York Times magazine. You'll recall that Baker's wife, Susan Glasser, hit a rough patch with the paper recently and now works at the paper in a different capacity.

Also, here are some updates on the Washington Post's buyouts, given what FishbowlDC has learned...This is a big week for the paper, as decisions need to be made by May 15.

Ann Gerhart is not taking the buyout.

Gene Weingarten is not taking the buyout.

Assistant Virginia editor Steve Fehr is taking the buyout and will go work for StateLine.org. He wrote in a note:

"So ends 40 years of my family's association with The Washington Post. My aunt, Eve Edstrom, was a Metro and National reporter for The Post for 21 years before she died at age 48 of cancer in 1971. She helped pave the way for many of the women in the newsroom. I am proud that she knew Phil and Kay Graham, and that I had the chance to work for their remarkable son."

The latest:

John Pancake: YES.

Belle Elving: Yes.

Anne Groer: Yes.

Walter Nicholls: YES.

Peter Carlson : YES.

Bill O'Brian: YES.

Tom Ricks: YES.

K.C. Summers: Taking buyout.

Desson Thompson: Out.

Eve Zibart: Yes.

Richard Harrington: Yes.

Tamara Jones: Gone.

Susan Schmidt: Gone.

Tim Page: Gone.

Maralee Schwartz: Gone.

What about you, Posties: You or your neighbors considering the buyout? Let us know:

The following announcement was made today by Michael Jack, President and General Manager of WRC/NBC4.

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Camille Edwards as VP of News for WRC-TV. Her enthusiasm, knowledge, creativity and leadership will help position our news operation for growth in the years to come.

Camille brings a wealth of experience to the job. She joined NBC5 as News Director in October, 2003... before joining NBC5, she was the Assistant News Director at WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, an ABC O&O television station. Prior to Philadelphia Camille was at WLS-TV in Chicago for over four and half years. She started as a weekend producer and was the Executive producer of the 4:30pm and 6pm shows when she left.

Camille started her career as a reporter in Toledo, Ohio, where she made the jump to producing. She moved to Baltimore and was the 6pm producer at WBAL-TV. In 1993, she moved to Chicago as a weekend producer at CBS O&O, WBBM-TV.

Wolf Blitzer smiles after his "Situation Room" interview with Sen. Barack Obama yesterday:

Photo: Matt Guastaferro, CNN

ALSO: Yes, Brian Williams choose the Newseum's Pennsylvania Avenue studio (where "This Week" films) for his recent interview with Obama.

Alternate Headline: "Looks So Natural, No One Can Tell"

After 62 years, it was time for Chris Matthews to pull the plug and pull a reverse David Gregory...

As soon as "Hardball" came on yesterday, our inbox was filled with "Dude, check out Matthews' hair!" comments from readers.

What was the deal with his hair? We've got the photo evidence...so you be the judge:

From Tuesday's "Hardball":

And yesterday's "Hardball":

Remember when Fox News heavily replayed Terry McAuliffe calling the cable news network "fair and balanced"? Well, apparently McAuliffe says that to everybody.

From this morning's "Morning Joe":

MCAULIFFE: You guys are the best! ... You guys are fair.

What, but not balanced, Terry?

Also: That was McAuliffe calling Pat Buchanan "my right wing nut" and accusing David Shuster "not liking Puerto Ricans." And Mika? "I love you Mika."

FishbowlDC has learned that "Meet the Press" will have Sen. Chris Dodd and Terry McAuliffe this Sunday.

CNN scored a big ratings win last night, reeling in the most total viewers and viewers from the key 25-54 demographic between 8 and 11 p.m. "CNN out-delivered both Fox News and MSNBC, not only in primetime, but also throughout the network's extended primary election coverage from 7p to 2a.," the network writes in a release.

More details:

During primetime (8-11p), CNN averaged an impressive 2.659 million total viewers, FNC News placed second with 2.144 million and MSNBC was third with 1.676 million. In the key P25-54 demographic, CNN topped the other cable news networks with 1.037 million, MSNBC had 678k and FNC trailed again with 583k.

From 7p-2a, CNN also outperformed the competition with 2.250 million total viewers, while FOX News followed with 1.685 million, and MSNBC averaged 1.347 million total viewers. CNN led the competition in the P25-54 demo, averaging 933k, with MSNBC posting 574k and again FNC finished last with 496k from 7p to 2a.

CNN peaked with 3.108 million viewers during the 10p hour, the highest hourly delivery on any cable news network.

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