WRAP: A Summary Of Today, July 30

If you only read one TVNewser post today, read this one. All of today's broadcast news in 51 words:

1: The Democratic convention concludes;

2: David Westin tries to reframe the convention coverage debate;

3: Thursday night convention ratings were notable;

4: CNN was #1 in primetime this week, and

5: MSNBC experienced growth, but

6: FNC was still #1 in total day; and

7: NBC & MSNBC's "Deadline" collaboration airs.

...Closer: Paul Mason, senior vice president of ABC News, has the quote of the day: "When I speak to my friends, they say that it's important that you cover [the conventions]," he says. "When I ask them, 'do you watch it?' they say, 'we have to see what else is on.'"

Kerry Earns More Viewers Than 2000's Gore

Reuters puts the ratings in context: "Kerry's TV audience was by far the biggest of the four-day event...Kerry even managed to generate a bigger overall audience than the estimated 21.8 million who tuned in to the final night of the 2000 Democratic National Convention, when then-Vice President Al Gore was nominated as the party's standard bearer. However, broadcast networks' share of the total shrank by about 3 million viewers -- from 18.5 million in 2000 to 15.6 million this year, Nielsen said." More...

Barnhart Asks: How'd The Networks "Weasel Out" Of Covering The Conventions?

"In the last week the government has opened inquiries into why cable TV bills are so high and whether the V-chip has done anything to cut down on TV violence," TVBarn.com's Aaron Barnhart opines. "While they’re at it, how about a commission to investigate how ABC, CBS and NBC — which continue to reap the benefits of free broadcast spectrum — were able to weasel out of covering one of the essential moments in a free society?"

NBC News, MSNBC Collaborate For "Deadline"

Kudos to NBC and MSNBC for its collaborative effort tonight. From 8 to 10pm, Dateline "will present Deadline, a compelling two-hour documentary that takes an inside look at one man's attempt to decide the fate of not 1 but 171 condemned men," this press release says. Then at 10pm, "Dan Abrams will lead a roundtable discussion on MSNBC with leading experts on the death penalty, including critics, supporters and lawyers, all familiar with death penalty cases." Great idea, (even though it's a Friday night and not many folks will watch), and a step in the right direction.

> Also: Here's the New York Times review of the documentary...

What To Watch: Garafalo, Stossel, Olbermann

> Janeane Garofalo on Hannity & Colmes: "After a heated radio debate, it's round two" for the liberal radio host and her conservative counterpart, FNC says. Campaign Desk has a recap of round one...

> John Stossel examines bars who are banning "Ladies Nights," and says "Give Me A Break" on ABC.

> Expect MSNBC's Countdown to have some fun with last night's CNN curse word...

Ratings: FNC Notes 348% Increase Since '00

FNC is highlighting its total day averages and its increases since 2000. Compared to the 2000 DNC, FNC is up 348%, while MSNBC is up 98% and CNN is up 42%. In total day, FNC was #1 this week, just like every other week. The network averaged 971,000 viewers, while CNN had 748,000 and MSNBC averaged 435,000.

Ratings: MSNBC's "Tremendous Audience Growth"

"MSNBC enjoyed tremendous audience growth over the course of the Democratic National Convention in Boston this week," a network press release says. "For the full four days of the DNC, the network averaged a 1.2 rating, 951,000 households and a .6 rating 1,300,000 total viewers from 8-11 p.m. ET." The release also notes that "MSNBC is up more than CNN and Fox News Channel in all key measures."

> Also: NBC's press release

> Update: "Up more how?," one cable news'r asks. "Not in viewers, nor 25-54. So how are they up more?"

Ratings: Almost 25 Mil. Watched Kerry

Add up the viewers of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FNC, and MSNBC between 10 and 11pm Thursday night, and 24,434,000 people were watching John Kerry address the nation. A total of 18,251,000 homes were tuned in; the rating was 16.9 and the share was 30. Individual #'s for the Big Three aren't available: "Because coverage on ABC and NBC was sustained (commercial-free) the individual network figures are proprietary to those networks," Nielsen explained. Obviously many, many more Americans saw his speech and heard his message, but there is no way to measure that...

Ratings: CNN Declares Primetime Victory

CNN was the most-watched cable news network between 8 and 11pm this week, while FNC was still #1 in total-day ratings. Here is a chart including the four-day average for total viewers in primetime:

	CNN	FNC	MSNBC
Monday	2,004,000	1,641,000	1,144,000
Tuesday	2,362,000	2,340,000	1,404,000
Wednesday	2,169,000	1,770,000	1,068,000
Thursday	2,663,000	2,507,000	1,586,000
4 Day Average	2,300,000	2,065,000	1,301,000

Ratings: CNN Counts Four Mil. At 10pm

"CNN is the most-watched cable news net of the 2004 Democratic National Convention during prime time," the network's press release says today. CNN delivered 1.4 million more viewers than FNC between 10 and 11pm Thursday: CNN averaged 4,007,000 to FNC's 2,591,000 and MSNBC's 2,183,000. (FNC won in total-day viewership.)

Is "Excessive" 'Outfoxed' Coverage Revenge For Variety's Peter Bart?

Page Six asks, "Which L.A.-based media chief has a hidden agenda — revenge — in his excessive coverage of "Outfoxed," the little documentary that attacks Fox News Channel?" Industry insiders are repeating the name Peter Bart, the editor of Variety, TVNewser hears. "Turns out his talk show pitch was rejected by" FNC, the paper says. FNC reps are keeping mum...

CNN's Creative Convention Coverage A Success

CNN is pleased with its "moley-looking microphones:" "They were all taking swipes at us and making fun of us," Wolf Blitzer tells the NY Post. "but it's worked out great." The paper says that "reporters and guests are raving about the new device, which filters out almost all background noise from the convention floor." But the Republican convention reps say there is no space on the floor for CNN in New York next month...

Early Ratings For Networks' Kerry Coverage

The early overnight ratings for Kerry's speech show a slight decrease from 2000. The big three nets had a combined average 12.7 rating / 19 share from 10 to 11pm, down from a 13.8 rating and 24 share during Gore's 2000 speech. Drudge notes that an earlier CSI rerun on CBS earned an 11.3 rating and 17 share. More comprehensive data will come out later this afternoon...

Attack Of The Talking Heads!

(It's a light news day, okay?) FNC's Steve Doocy describes his experience in Boston: "Every talking head I've ever seen was within one square block of the FleetCenter. No wonder there is so much security. I think it's to keep the reporters from escaping and sound-biting some poor Bostonian to death." Ha ha...

Convention Circus: One Last Round Of Tidbits

> The lesson for the cable news nets this week: "Cover the story, and
the audience will come." (Union-Tribune)

> Marin Independent Journal: "Even though their bosses probably relish the lack of competition, the on-camera cable news anchors, reporters and commentators seem disheartened by the broadcast networks' disinterest in the conventions."

> Post-speech, "the blather on CNN was so superficial as to make one wonder how they move their mouths and say so little," NewsDissector asserts.

> What a strange media bubble we're in: On MSNBC.com, Newsweek-MSNBC analyst Howard Fineman Blackberry's that he failed to defend NBC-MSNBC's Chris Matthews when MSNBC-WFAN's Don Imus criticized MSNBC's Hardball show.

> "Here's what worked in Boston," ABC's Note says. "3. The press didn't hate it" and "ABC News Now!!!!" (Their exclamation points!) And what "didn't work in Boston:" "Getting Trippi into the convention... Putting Harold Fineman next to Joe Scarborough... A live interview on Today this morning producing any new news."

New Rumblings About A "Progressive TV Network"

"A group of progressive media activists covering the Democratic National Convention in Boston plans to launch a new television network to counter the conservative news coverage they see on Fox News and CNN," Wired News reports. One of the SummitNet04 organizers "said he wants the best progressive journalists and online publishers to join the New Media, the name he uses for the planned network. Editorial standards at the network will be high, he said."

MSNBC's "Vitality:" How To Continue It

"For the first time in a long time, MSNBC showed some vitality during the convention," an e-mailer says. "From the outdoor Chris Mathews show to the 'after hours' show with Joe and Ron, there was some real energy there; when it worked, it made CNN and even FOX appear to be in slow motion. MSNBC needs to bottle the energy and open the bottle every day." So what can the network do to keep it going? Should they add "After Hours" to the schedule permanently? "We’ll see how smart Rick Kaplan is in keeping the momentum going from here," one e-mailer remarks. Send your suggestions to tvnewser@mediabistro.com.

ABC's Westin Reframes The Conv. Coverage Debate

In the Washington Post this morning, ABC News president David Westin says "the usual condemnations of ABC, CBS and NBC" for not airing more of the conventions "feel oddly out of date:" "We've moved from a media oligarchy to a media democracy...This changes fundamentally the decision a news division makes about what it covers....The challenge we face is how to take this new world of media and make it a new world for great journalism. We're being given an opportunity." A must-read.

"What Good Is A Speech That Nobody Hears?"

...That's the question Newsday's Noel Holston asks today. "No TV news organization wants to be a mere conduit for the Democrats' neatly planned pep rally. They have a right, arguably a duty, to add perspective and point out misstatements... Is it too much to ask that the news teams get out of the way a little more and let us see firsthand what the parties are selling? If it is, well, as I said, God bless C-Span."

Kerry's Next Test: The Bounce

"Journalists have been bouncing their way through the Democratic convention, bouncing the question off each other, bouncing off the walls of this week's echo chamber," Howard Kurtz says in the WP. "The B-word is inescapable in Boston, from the bars to the buzz...In today's poll-obsessed media culture, the bounce rules."

> Update: From ABC's Note: "Bump estimates from the media seem to top off at 6 percent. (Stop saying "bounce" — because of that whole gravity thing, it's never been the right metaphor.)"