Hurricane: Cablers Plan Exhaustive Coverage

> CNN will air live around-the-clock hurricane coverage beginning at midnight.

> CNN's Karl Penhaul has been reporting via videophone from Freeport in the Bahamas.

> CNN and MSNBC have been running satellite/radar images of Frances in the bottom right corner of the screen.

> MSNBC will be live beginning at 6am Saturday. "Sean McLaughlin will be working overtime at MSNBC and so will the burned out staff... They've been working weekends and overtime all summer long," an insider complains.

> Anderson Cooper will anchor 360 from Florida tonight.

> Fox News is pre-empting The O'Reilly Factor tonight. (Bill was scheduled to be on vacation.) Shep Smith will anchor a special report.

> FNC will air live coverage Saturday, as well. The business block will be pre-empted; Neil Cavuto will anchor hurricane coverage between 10am and noon.

> FNC is running live reports from Geraldo Rivera flying in the eye of the hurricane. Jamie Colby, Jonathan Serrie, Rick Leventhal, Doug Lazader and Adam Housley are reporting from Florida.

> Housley: "In the final approach over Orlando, passengers get restless as they realize the next 24 hours are going to be tedious, dangerous and nerve-racking," he writes.

FNC Beats Nets Again: 7.3 Mil At 10pm

Fox News Channel averaged 7.3 million viewers between 10 and 11pm Thursday, early ratings data demonstrates. CNN averaged 2.65 million and MSNBC averaged 1.7 million during the hour.
The fast national numbers for the networks show that Fox beat the networks again last night. This data is not final, but CBS averaged 6.2 million, NBC had 5.6 million, and ABC had 4.7 million. Final #'s will be available later today...
> "Apparently the Tick-Tock diner was serving up some severe humble pie once the ratings came in every day," a source jokes...

CNN, Fox Use Videophones In Russia

Lost Remote says the coverage of the Russian school tragedy early this morning was compelling: "CNN and Fox had reporters outside the school with videophones -- and the reporters continued to talk even as people around them were being shot." Fox's Dana Lewis and CNN's Ryan Chilcote reported from the scene. MSNBC's coverage was less extensive....

CBS's Rather Contrasts FNC & Networks

Dan Rather talks to Bill Carter about Fox's ratings success. "I tip my cap to Fox," Rather says. "I'm sure people in the party are saying that's a great audience and on a channel that's friendly to us. But the wise ones know that this is preaching to the converted. And if they want to reach independent or swing voters, the way to do that is through the over-the-air networks."

Cablers Break Clinton News Around Noon

Fox News reported the Clinton bypass story at 12:09pm. CNN followed at 12:12pm and MSNBC had it at 12:23pm.
> Update: 1:50pm: From an e-mailer: "I believe ABC News Radio broke the news first on the Clinton Bypass. There was a brief mention of it on the 12pm ET 'Top of the Hour newscast, and then an "ABC Special Report with Aaron Katersky in New York" was broadcast at 9:05AM PT. Washington correspondent Bill Greenwood noted that Clinton has long had an affinity for hamburgers."
>Update: 2:17pm: (Headline changed) -- At 12:04pm, Wolf Blitzer reported that Clinton had checked himself into the hospital...

Convention Ticker: Triumph!; Not "Exclusive" With Laura

> "Watch FOX News!" could be clearly heard as Ralph Reed was interviewed on CNN around 11:30pm last night.

> Triumph the Insult Dog returned to MSNBC's After Hours last night. Rick Kaplan was shown cracking up, this viewer says.

> Noel Holston says Chris Matthews and Zell Miller "got into arguably the most explosive verbal brawl since the 1968 Democratic convention."

> NewsBlues notes that "Tom Brokaw billed his 'Nightly News' interview with First Lady Laura Bush as an 'exclusive.' An interesting choice of words since Mrs. Bush was shown being interviewed on CBS and ABC at virtually the same time."

CNN's Greenfield, ABC's Slavin Opine About FNC

"There's no question that whatever Fox is, Republicans think it is their network," Jeff Greenfield tells the Chicago Tribune today. ABC News senior VP Paul Slavin also weighs in about FNC's impressive ratings: "It does mean something about the nature of the Fox viewer," Slavin said. "I think it sends a message that's not dissimilar to the one the Republicans are sending at the convention: It's about the base, and Fox's base has found a home that they think more accurately reflects their views."

CNN's Diner: Successful, Delicious P.R. Stunt

CBS Marketwatch's Jon Friedman says the CNN convention diner gained a reputation as THE place to be during the week. The "blatant and shrewd grab for publicity" was "clearly a hit," he says. A CNN staffer told him that "the toughest thing about running this place is throwing everyone out by 2 a.m."

What A Difference Four Years Makes

Verne Gay's got great perspective this morning: "Exactly four years ago during the Republican convention in Philadelphia, the Fox News Channel began its conquest of CNN by luring more viewers than its rival for the first time. On Tuesday and Wednesday night this week, Fox News began its conquest of the news divisions of ABC, NBC and CBS by luring more viewers from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. for the first time. Can a Napoleonic complex be far behind?"