Q&A: Michael Bicks, ABC's "In The Jury Room"

The ultimate reality -- life and death -- comes to television tonight at 10pm. ABC News premieres "In The Jury Room," a seven-part series that takes viewers inside jury deliberations in several criminal cases. The Hollywood Reporter says the show "feels like a real landmark." The Houston Chronicle says it is "extraordinary." The Detroit Free Press calls it "fascinating" and notes its "educational value."

In an interview with TVNewser, executive producer Michael Bicks explains the reason he helped create the documentary:

"As a producer my goal is to take viewers to places they have never been. The Jury room is a place that almost no one has ever seen."

He also describes the unprecedented nature of the series:

Continue: Q&A: Michael Bicks, Exec. Prod., "In The Jury Room"

MSNBC's Scarborough Applauds Bush At Rally

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough was spotted on-stage with President Bush during a campaign rally in Florida less than an hour ago. Mark noticed it on FNC, and e-mails in: "Is it proper for a cable news host to actively campaign for a Presidential candidate?," he asks, and answers: "It doesn't seem 'right' for Scarborough to be there."

> Courtesy of Mark, here is a screen grab from FNC.

> ABC's Note says Joe was clapping for Bush on a riser behind him.

> Scarborough used to be a Republican congressman in NW Fla.

> FNC loyalist Chuck blows it off: It's "about as suprising as FNC's Alan Colmes supporting John Kerry. It's no big deal!"

> Update: 1:52pm: MSNBC's comment on the matter: "Joe Scarborough hosts an opinion show and is not a news anchor, therefore we did not have a problem with him attending the President's event today."

Evening News Ratings: NBC, ABC Tie In 25-54

NBC Nightly News edged out ABC's World News Tonight for the top evening news spot again last week, but the two networks tied in the 25-54 demo (each had a 2.2). The raw data:

NBC: 5.9 / 13 share / 6,349,000 HH / 8,271,000 viewers

ABC: 5.5 / 12 share / 6,014,000 HH / 8,071,000 viewers

CBS: 4.8 / 10 share / 5,207,000 HH / 6,687,000

> Here's NBC's press release with the season-to-date #'s

Ratings: Dean Beats Tina's 'Topic A' Average

Drudge's clever headline about the ratings for CNBC's 'Topic A' on Sunday: "Howard Dean's No Scream In Cable Debut." Ha ha. Dean filled in for Tina Brown, and "did better than [she] normally does," but "bombed with just 133,000 viewers," Matt "flash"es. The show averaged 68,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo. More...

Sports Journos Undergo Hostile-Envir. Training

CNN's staff covering the Olympic Games in Athens have undergone training in how to react to a terrorist bombing, how to secure their work environment, how to resist being taken hostage, and how to keep a low profile. CNN's Chris Cramer tells U.K. Independent that "we are sending sports correspondents on hostile-environment courses to school them in the things that might happen in something as previously relatively risk-free as a sporting occasion." (Via I Want Media)

Ratings: O'Reilly, Krugman Couldn't Boost 'Russert'

The Tim Russert-sponsored showdown between Bill O'Reilly and Paul Krugman didn't boost the CNBC show's meager ratings, as it averaged only a 0.2 during its three broadcasts Saturday night. The 7pm show earned 219,000 viewers, with 63,000 in the demo. The 10pm show spiked to a 0.3, 274,000 viewers and 105,000 in 25-54. And the 1am re-air unsurprisingly averaged a 0.1. "One would think that O'Reilly, the biggest draw in cable news, battling someone from the NY Times would attract at least a .5," an industry source said. "Has anyone given Jeff Zucker a heads up that even with O'Reilly as a guest on one of their signature shows, CNBC still can't get a respectable rating?"

> Update: 1:15pm: "Let's compare apples to apples when you talk about the ratings for Russert on Saturday," an e-mailer says. "The 10pm airing with O'Reilly was the second highest rated telecast of Tim Russert on CNBC this year with 274,000 viewers. It was the second highest rated program on CNBC last week (Meet The Press Sunday was #1). Saying that Russert's ratings weren't boosted is unfair. It is CNBC afterall - 274,000 isn't bad."

MSNBC.com Ooops: "Keyes Assails Osama"

MSNBC.com made a slight mistake this morning:



They fixed it around 10:15am, right after eagle-eyed reader Marshall captured it. Thanks! Check it out full-sized.

Whitney Named Senior Broadcast Prod. For 60 Min

60 Minutes E.P. Jeff Fager has named Michael Whitney his "senior broadcast producer" for both editions of the CBS newsmagazine. "He has held the title at '60 Minutes II' since 2000," Variety notes. The Wednesday edition will no longer have the "II" moniker attached, though CBS "has insisted the two newsmags will remain independent from each other editorially." Broadcasting & Cable says Whitney's job "entails overseeing the nuts and bolts of studio production and broadcast operations."

CBS Ignores CIA Presser This Morning

CBS was the only network that did not cover the Bush/Goss CIA director press conference live this morning. "NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, and FNC all covered it," while "CBS stayed with weather and some gardening segment on 'The Early Show,'" an e-mailer says. A CBS spokesperson confirms that they did not cover the announcement live, but says the news was reported during both the 7:30am and 8am newsblocks on CBS.

CBS Ooops: He's Not A Terrorist!

In a report about the terrorist suspect Asif Iqbal last week, the CBS Evening News mistakenly showed the picture of another Asif Iqbal — a 31-year-old software consultant who lives near Rochester, NY. And he's not pleased. "I've never been as scared in my life," he says. His lawyer says she may sue CBS if it does not correct the mistake. How and why CBS ran the wrong photo is unclear," the local paper says. Read the rest... (Via NewsBlues)

> Update: 10:03am: A statement from Iqbal's lawyer, Katherine Piccola: "Mr. Iqbal has canceled all travel plans in light of the CBS broadcast on August 4, 2004 in which he was wrongly identified as the former Guantanamo detainee as he does not feel it is safe to travel at this time. All available options, including redress with the courts, are being considered by my client whose main concern is for his personal safety and establishing that he has no connection whatsoever to Guantanamo Bay and/or any suspected terrorist activities."

'Today' Ratings Dip: "Mirage" Or Fading Stars?

The Louisville Courier-Journal asks: "Is the crown about to topple from the queen of the network morning shows? Could be." Today's ratings have slowly been slipping; "NBC says the dip is nothing more than a summer mirage that will disappear with big gains for "Today" when it goes live from the Olympics next week." But Tom Dorsey says "the larger question NBC executives have to be asking themselves is whether the bloom has faded a little for Katie Couric and Matt Lauer. Maybe it began when Lauer shaved his head or when Couric started changing her hairdo." (Via FTVLive)