WRAP: A Summary Of Today, July 29

If you only read one TVNewser post today, read this one. All of today's broadcast news in 80 words:

1: The TV pundits had high expectations for Kerry, and he met them;

2: This week, CNN is #1 in primetime, while FNC is #1 in total day;

3: The F-word was overheard on CNN post-speech;

4: Viewers wonder: Where is Paula Zahn?;

5: ABC News Now gets mixed reviews;

6: New tension between Couric and Sawyer;

7: Jeff Greenfield calls blogs a "breakthrough in political dialogue;"

8: and Jeanne Moos examines CNN's "moley-looking microphones."

...Peter Jennings concluded the week of convention coverage on ABC tonight with a look ahead: "We will of course go through this exact same experience in...New York with the Republicans at the end of the month of August."

"It's Shameful" That Kerry Rushed Through Speech For The Networks' Benefit, Scarborough Says

John Kerry began the speech at 10:10pm and ended at 10:56pm — just in time for the networks. "I think it's shameful that...a candidate has to race through a great speech so the networks won't cut away," MSNBC's Joe Scarborough said. "I think that is shameful." On NBC, Tom Brokaw noted that if Kerry had gone past 11pm, "we would not have bailed out, we would not have abandoned the speech." Nonetheless, 11pm was the "approaching witching hour," Brian Williams said on MSNBC: "He motored through, he motored through all applause breaks." So Joe Scarborough continued: "You do not rush history. You do not rush your introduction to the American people."

Post-Speech: Confetti, Curse Word On CNN

CNN had several interesting post-speech moments. At 11:02pm, convention producer Don Mischer was heard asking "what the f--k are you guys doing up there?" when the balloons weren't falling fast enough. Wolf noted it a few minutes later: "We want to apologize to our viewers who may have been offended by that bad word." Drudge has an audio clip.

By 11:15pm, it looked like 12:01am on January 1 in Times Square: The platform was buried in huge balloons and confetti. Judy Woodruff picked a piece of confetti off Wolf's face...

Post-Speech: Analysis, Minute By Minute

> 11:31pm: "Will there be a [5 point] bounce?," Chris Matthews asked. The entire panel said yes.

> 11:25pm: FNC had two great interviews from the floor: Chris Wallace interviewed Mary Beth Cahill and Greta interviewed Bobby Kennedy Jr.

> 11:20pm: Brit Hume handed off to Greta at 11:20. Wolf Blitzer turned it over to Aaron Brown 30 seconds later.

> 11:19pm: FNC's Bill Kristol: "John Kerry is running as an American patriot and not as Massachusetts liberal."

> 11:10pm: NBC was the first off the air, followed by ABC at 11:08pm and CBS at 11:10pm.

> 11:07pm: ABC's George S.: "They entered this convention [united in hating George Bush.] They are going to leave this convention united behind John Kerry."

> 11:07pm: CBS's Dan Rather:" Four years ago, terrorism and national security were barely mentioned by either candidate in their acceptance speeches."

> 11:06pm: RNC chairman Ed Gillespie is already offering a rebuttal on CNN. (The Kerry campaign's Tad Devine immediately followed.)

> 11:04pm: CNN's Jeff Greenfield: "Heavy on Vietnam, heavy on family, very light on Senate service."

> 11:03pm: FNC's Brit Hume: "John Kerry has awakened the emotions of this convention, something that some might have doubted he could do."

Convention Coverage: Tidbits, Updated Constantly

> 10:33pm: ABC showed a split-screen image of Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya, who were both airing the speech live

> 10:13pm: CNN and MSNBC turned the ticker off; FNC left it running.

> 10:09pm: Peter Jennings, as the crowd exploded: "It is an extraordinary moment in this man's life."

> 10:07pm: CBS previewed the speech and narrated Kerry's entrance, while ABC let the video speak for itself.

> 10:07pm: Tim Russert: "He is going to give the nation a chance to size him up."

> 10:02pm: CBS had the audacity to take a 60-second commercial break at 10:02pm.

> 10:02pm: CBS's Dan Rather said it was time for Rather to "make the sale." Bob Schieffer: "Now it is up to John Kerry."

> 10:01pm: Dan Rather: "This will be his single best chance before the November election to introduce himself to the American voters."

> 10:00pm: The anchors are setting the bar high: Tom Brokaw called it "the speech of his life."

> 9:49pm: It seems like the DNC is stalling, MSNBC said at 9:47pm. Andrea Mitchell: "They're waiting for the networks at 10pm." Howard Fineman: "They're stalling for time." Chris Matthews: "The worst thing that could happen tonight is for him to start his speech before the broadcast networks come in."

> 9:46pm: Brit Hume called it a "video so slicky produced that it might be hard for Kerry' s speech to live up to it."

> 9:17pm: "Sen. John Kerry to speak shortly," Fox's graphics said at 9:15pm. 45 minutes is "shortly?"

Send your impressions to tvnewser@mediabistro.com

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Koppel Reflects On Pre-War Coverage

Democracy Now! asked ABC's Ted Koppel if the networks owe America an apology for their pre-war coverage:

"No, I don't think an apology is due if what you are saying is could we all have been more critical? I think the answer is yes ... We did do a 90-minute town hall meeting, the title of which was Why Now? and the essence of which was: Where is the evidence that there's an immediate danger to the United States? Did we do enough programs like that? I concede we did not ... I will try and do better the next time, but I don't think I need to apologize for it."

For The Wonks: CNN's Convention Technology

CNN has been able to produce its convention coverage in Atlanta, rather than hauling everything up to Boston, thanks to advances in technology, the International Herald Tribune reports. Quoting CNN's Jane Maxwell: One of the big changes this year is that while the control room used to be on a truck here on-site, now the control room can be in Atlanta. There was a time not too long ago when it would have been cost-prohibitive to home-run everything to Atlanta." The story says that CNN is transmitting "unedited footage from 20 cameras simultaneously to Atlanta. That amounts to about 200 megabits a second; a T-1 office data line, by comparison, is 1.5 megabits."

Where Is Paula Zahn?

This is a story the cable nets would usually salivate over: An attractive blond woman, missing from her job for a week. CNN's prime time anchor hasn't hosted 'Now' since last Friday. (And she didn't tell her viewers she was leaving!) Why has CNN found a convention home for every one of its stars, except for Paula? Perhaps it's because of her past.

"There's a reason Paula Zahn is MIA," an industry insider writes to TVNewser. "If anyone remembers her disastrous performance from 2000 (at FNC) when co-anchor Brit Hume could barely mask his disgust with her inane remarks and embarrassing lack of knowledge, it's obvious why CNN put her out to pasture this week. Considering she blinked and smiled her way through the 2002 elections, CNN must have decided against using her. It's obvious they don't think she can handle coverage of this magnitude."

I mean, what journalist worth their salt isn't in Boston this week?

A CNN spokesperson says that she would be on the air if her show was in a different time slot. And the network's convention coverage P.R. was careful to note that Zahn "will host a town hall meeting in a swing state in between the two national party conventions." But it hasn't aired yet, and CNN hasn't said when it will air, either...
> Update: Okay, I was wrong. "On your assertion that every journalist 'worth their salt' is in Boston -- that's a broad statement. There are THOUSANDS of journalists worth 'his or her salt' not in Boston." True. And yes, it's true that Aaron Brown and Lou Dobbs are in NYC this week. But they're covering the convention too -- they angled for a "piece of the action." Paula apparently didn't.

Broadcast Ratings: Only Slight Changes From Mon.

From 10 to 11pm, 4,153,000 viewers tuned to NBC, while ABC averaged 4,057,000 and CBS had 3,853,000. (CNN was only one million viewers away from CBS.) Compare that to night one, when CBS and NBC averaged 4.5 million viewers, and ABC was close behind with 4.4 mil. Here comes another surge of stories about how Law & Order and The Drew Carey Show had twice as many viewers as the convention coverage...

Monday To Wednesday: CNN & FNC Are Both #1, Depending On The Time Of Day

CNN and FNC are both touting the three-day ratings averages, but for different reasons. CNN is #1 when it comes to primetime convention coverage, but FNC is on top in the total day.

From Monday to Wednesday, FNC has averaged 952,000 in the total day, compared to 709,000 for CNN and 420,000 for MSNBC.

Between 8 and 11pm, though, CNN has averaged 2,178,000 viewers, while FNC has averaged 1,917,000 and MSNBC has had 1,205,000. During the keynote hour of 10pm, CNN has averaged 2,796,000, compared to MSNBC's 1,643,000.

...No one will be surprised if FNC retakes the #1 position after the Democrats leave Boston, though...

Wed. Cable Ratings: What Does It All Mean?

> "CNN tops Fox News by 23% and doubles MSNBC (103%) in prime time convention coverage Wednesday in total viewers," CNN's press release says. "CNN leads competition during the key 10pm hour all three nights."

> "CNN's audience is 44% Democrats acccording to Pews, so this is not surprising," one insider e-mails...

> MSNBC dropped back to normal levels last night and lost 50% in the 25-54 demographic from Tuesday night. It "easily proves that as long as NBC News presents broadcast coverage, MSNBC will always be a third place also-ran," a cable news source says.

Wed. Cable Ratings: All The Raw Data

Here are all the numbers from Wednesday night's ratings race, so you can make your own conclusions:

Keynote speaker 10 - 11pm: Average households CNN 2,030,000 FNC 1,243,000 MSNBC 1,038,000 25-54 demographic CNN 879,000 FNC 496,000 MSNBC 385,000 Total viewers CNN 2,890,000 FNC 1,640,000 MSNBC 1,393,000

Prime time 8 to 11pm: Average households CNN 1,628,000 FNC 1,336,000 MSNBC 830,000 25-54 demographic CNN 542,000 FNC 511,000 MSNBC 252,000 Total viewers CNN 2,169,000 FNC 1,770,000 MSNBC 1,068,000

Describing ABC News Now: "Sign Of The Future," "Guerrilla Operation," "Low-Budget Effort"

I wish ABC News Now was getting more press. Only two big papers mentioned it today: "ABC's coverage has been not only the best but also a sign of the future," Tom Shales says. But Elizabeth Jensen is not as impressed: She calls it a "last-minute, low-budget effort." Since ABC doesn't have a skybox, Peter "Jennings spends much of his time squirreled away in a cramped two-room hideaway with concrete floors, curtain dividers and a rolling metal cart for a TV stand." Jennings calls the effort a "guerrilla operation..."

The Ticker: Paula Zahn M.I.A.; Joe Scarborough Mentions TVNewser

> "CNN insiders are buzzing about talks between anchor Lou Dobbs and TV news producer David Doss," the New York Daily News reports. He may replace Bill Dorman as Dobbs' producer...

> Several TVSpyers wonder: Where is Paula Zahn? "Did CNN send her on vacation, put her out to pasture for the week, or what?," an e-mailer asks.

> "The Intl. Broadcasting Convention has awarded...CNN founder Ted Turner its highest kudos, the IBC Intl. Honor for Excellence," Variety notes.

> Joe Scarborough mentioned this site on 'After Hours' last night: "There's this 18, 19, 20 year old kid, who's a student at a college, and he starts something called CableNewser.com ... You've actually got the heads of all the major networks reading this teenager's blogs. That's pretty revolutionary as far as publishing goes, isn't it?" (Audio clip)

Ratings: PBS Touts 7.7 Million Viewers!

Forget about the cable news networks. PBS is the ratings king! On Tuesday night, an estimated 7.7 million viewers tuned in to some or all of its extensive coverage, USA Today points out. "PBS says its number of viewers surpassed those watching CNN, Fox News and MSNBC combined." There is definitely an audience for the raw convention:

> "When talking ratings, don't discount C-SPAN," an e-mailer says. I know more people that are watching the DNC on C-SPAN than on any other channel (CNN/FOX, etc) because they don't want to listen to the talking heads."

> Update: 2:25pm: On Wednesday night, PBS "delivered a 2.5 rating in the overnight metered markets during primetime, and an estimated average audience of 2.7 million persons nationally." The estimated total audience was 6.9 mil.

Ratings: FNC #9 Among Basic Cable Channels

The July basic cable rankings are out, and FNC is the only cable news channel to crack the top 20. FOX News was #9 in total day viewing, behind TBS and ahead of MTV, Nielsen data shows. They were ranked #10 in prime time. And last week, FNC was ranked #9 in both categories. No sign of CNN or MSNBC in the top 20...

"Does Anyone Honestly Miss The Nets?"

...It's a question William Powers asks in the National Journal's Convention Daily. "There is no shortage of political news in this country, or convention coverage," he notes. "There may not be much coverage in the networks' prime-time slots, but as far I can tell, that's the only place it's lacking." More...

The "'Truman Show' Era" Of Political Coverage

A must-read Hardblogger post from Joe Scarborough: "I fear we are now entering the Truman Show era of American political coverage where every cough and sniffle will be recorded on video and turned into a cheesy Fahrenheit 9/11-type rip off. Several times today, I caught myself in the middle of a conversation before noticing that three video cameras were following every ebb and flow of my discussion with fill-in-the-blank reporter."

CNN's "Moley-Looking Microphones"

Lost Remote has the transcript of a hilarious Jeanne Moos story about the "moley-looking microphones" that CNN anchors are sporting this week. "Donna Brazille's earrings got pinned by the headset mike. They were later liberated by a hand mike. Hillary Clinton's people didn't want her to wear the headset, saying it felt experimental and looked questionable." But they sure look better than the big headsets used by other networks...

America 'Watching' Its 'Most Trusted' 'Newsroom?'

CNN is "America's Most Trusted News Source" MSNBC says "America's Watching." FOX News is "America's Newsroom." So Bob Sassone asks: "Has anyone actually asked America for its opinion?" Check out his great blog...

Diane Sawyer/Katie Couric Drama!

"I hear that GMA star Diane Sawyer returned from vacation this week in a foul temper about the show's political coverage, and raged in a Monday meeting with GMA senior producers that Katie Couric was getting better bookings on 'Today,'" the NYDN's Lloyd Grove gossips this morning. An ABC rep says that the report is "untrue and absolutely ridiculous" and that one of the anchors said Lloyd should "get a life..."

Convention Circus: Round-up of Coverage Notes

> There is one "constant" at the convention, Chris Jansing blogs: "Everyone is tired. But most of these delegates and journalists still have more than three months to go. The mantra: pace yourself."

> Great timing: ABC's Nightline went on the air just in time to watch the roll call putting Kerry over the top, a viewer notes.

> "During the celebration after Edwards was nominated, Brit Hume on Fox said the music was so loud (in their glass-enclosed skybooth) that he couldn't hear so they gave up on talking and went to the music," an e-mailer says. "Meanwhile over at CNN where the anchors were on the floor with their little Britney Spears microphones - the anchors could hear just fine and were able to talk with no difficulty."

> Media Nation says CNN is "cashing in on the reality TV craze" by outfitting for delegates with digital cameras. A CNN producer trained the delegates to use them, picks up the tapes, interviews the delegates and produces the reports.

> Interesting: "The cable channels have also been playing feverishly -- and often awkwardly -- with shots of the audience..."

> Bill Carter notes that PBS, CNN, FNC and MSNBC all benefited from the networks' absence Tuesday night.

> Shep Smith co-hosted part of On The Record last night...Why?

What's The Right Mix Of Convention & Commentary?

USA Today finds a professor to criticize cable coverage, then lets the cable execs defend themselves:

> David Bohrman, CNN: "We're going for the right mix of a feel for the convention and commentary."

> Marty Ryan, FNC: "There are many different ways to cover these things. We made an editorial decision to stick with our regular programming" during some of the speeches.

> Phil Griffin, MSNBC: "I think we've done it right and that we're capturing what's going on in the hall."

"Magnet Attraction" To Convention Cameras

On 360 last night, Anderson Cooper analyzed those pesky delegates who try to get their face on CNN: "It's not just what goes on in the foreground, that's me, but in the background as well. Check out the guy behind my right shoulder, this guy is a pro ... Anywhere there's a camera there's magnet attraction. Technique varies of course. There's the stand and stare with and without cell phone. The lean and even the jump ... The sign wave ... The big guy dancing head bob." Transcript...

O'Reilly: "Our Job Is To Analyze What Happens Here... Not Bring You Wall To Wall Blather"

Critics criticize: A columnist for the (Everett, Wa.) Daily Herald set out to cover FNC's convention coverage: "So you can imagine my surprise when I popped in a tape of Fox News' 'coverage' from Monday night. It wasn't there. I mean, they were there at the FleetCenter in Boston. They had cameras there. They had reporters there. They had signs there. They even had the all-important Democratic National Convention logo on the screen. But the coverage wasn't there." She concludes that FNC has decided "what matters most is what its own pundits have to say."

O'Reilly responds: Quoting his Wed. Talking Points: "Now a mini controversy has erupted in the print press. Some of the writers are saying The Factor should be covering the speeches rather than providing you with convention analysis. The newspaper pinheads claim because we aren't broadcasting the speeches, we're not fair. That, of course, a bunch of baloney. Our job is to analyze what happens here and at the Republican convention, not bring you wall to wall blather. If you want to see the speeches, they're broadcast on other outlets." So am I a pinhead too?...

! CNN's Greenfield Explains His Blogging Enthusiasm

All week, CNN.com has been publishing daily blog roundups, along with its own blog. And Jeff Greenfield has been reporting about the "blogosphere" on-air. In an e-mail exhange with TVNewser, Greenfield says he was introduced to blogs way before the convention assignment came up:

"I've been hanging out in the blogosphere for quite awhile," Greenfield says. "I started with Kaufiles out of Slate, and followed his links to a whole bunch of sites, including Instapundit, Andrew Sullivan, Buzzmachine, Dailykos, Talking Points, and, of course, Wonkette. I think the real-time quality to the opinions, corrections, and other voices is terrific; when someone makes a reference to another voice, says 'read the whole thing' and lets you link to the other voice, it's a breakthrough in political dialogue. Unlike some of my colleagues, I don't fear the lack of editorial control, because there's a self-correcting mechanism at work, and if peopel don't like the tone of the blogs, there's still plenty of traditional media around. My big complaint is that it's forced me to get up earlier to read all this stuff--including yours."

CNN Washington bureau chief David Bohrman has been all over the media spectrum, talking about the power of blogs. "I'm intrigued at the way that bloggers and blogs have forced their way into the political process on their own; that's why I want to incorporate the blogs into our coverage," he told the NYT. "I really want to lift the curtain on this," he told the TCA.

> So have they "lifted the curtain?" Has it been a success? E-mail your thoughts to tvnewser@mediabistro.com.