> NBC is very proud that The Chris Matthews Show has tied with Face The Nation as the number two public affairs show on Sunday morning. Matthews beat ABC and Fox...


> NewsBlues reports that 35-year CBS vet Bruce Dunning will retire this month. Dunning was "most recently chief of the CBS News Asia bureau..."

> In a Seattle P-I column, Bert Sacks says Fox News distorted his Oil-for-Food scandal comments. Watching the segment was "an amazing fantasy trip into a virtual reality," he says...

> Today's mb news feed linked to a Guardian write-up of a study from Nottingham Trent University: "Watching an average day's events from around the world in a short time triggers depression, confusion, irritation, anger, and anxiety..."

> Howard Kurtz is back! We really missed you. (And yes, we'd be happy to promote your TV appearances.)

I know it's been a month since election night, and this Washingtonian column reviewing TV's winners and losers seems out of date, but here's a few highlights just for kicks:

> "CNN couldn't have aired a funnier satire of itself if it tried."

> "Election night proved that [Brit] Hume remains cable's dependable anchorman.

> "Host Chris Matthews found everything on election night 'incredible.'"

"FOX News has promoted Mark Kranz to Chief Financial Officer," Roger Ailes announced today in a press release. Kranz replaces Jack Abernethy, who was recently named Chief Executive Officer of Fox Stations Inc. "In his new position, Kranz will oversee all financial matters of the network including budgeting, accounting, purchasing, as well as business and strategic planning."

Drudge went a bit over the top this morning. "CAN NBCNEWS BRIAN WILLIAMS STOP THE SLIDE?" he asked, based on these numbers: "Mon: 8.0 rating, Tues: 7.4, Wed: 7.2."

Unfortunately, Matt, it's not that simple. The headline could just as easily be: "Can Peter Jennings stop the slide?" or "Can Dan Rather stop the slide?"

Brian Williams has still TOPPED Peter Jennings and Dan Rather, though all three of the evening newscasts are experiencing a "slide" this week -- it's simply not as busy a week for news. Here are the HH ratings from metered markets this week:

Monday: NBC - 8.0 / ABC - 7.2 / CBS - 5.0

Tuesday: NBC - 7.4 / ABC - 7.0 / CBS - 4.8

Wednesday: NBC - 7.2 / ABC - 6.8 / CBS - 4.5

> Update: 1:50pm: "The most important thing about the numbers...is that Williams is first all three nights and THAT is driving ABC and Jennings NUTS," an e-mailer says.

Only on TVNewser: CNNfn will cease broadcasting in less than one week.

The financial news network will sign off at 2pm next Wednesday. And that's why some employees hope Fox announces plans for a biz news channel soon.

"Everyone is hoping Rupert Murdoch will pull the trigger soon," a CNNfn insider said, adding that a significant number of CNNfn employees are interested in taking a job on 6th Avenue.

After all, times are tough for financial news reporters -- CNBC isn't doing too well, and CBS Marketwatch was just bought by Dow Jones. Some CNNfn staffers have been hired to work on the new Headline News shows.

Meanwhile, desks at CNNfn are being cleaned out. "Slowly the plug is being pulled on their live, daytime programming," a TVSpyer said last week. "'The Money Gang" has been reduced from two hours to one hour, 'Street Sweep' was cut in half from one hour to half an hour and 'The Biz' wrapped production on Friday 12/3."

"It has been a tad bizarre," the insider said, "because they have been doing this slow phase-down of the shows, so people can find other jobs."

Open House, anchored by Gerri Willis, will move to CNN in January, but the scheduling details are still unclear. Dovans Unscripted is also expected to last. CNNfn anchors like Susan Lisovicz and Christine Romans will stick around as correspondents.

On Wednesday, Dec. 15, from 1 to 2pm, CNNfn will air a "finale" show, according to the network's program schedule. The network will begin airing CNN International programming at 2pm.

Have you heard about the FOXBlocker? It's an "innovative new product that filters out the Fox News network. Simply screw the filter into the back of your TV and never be exposed to right wing propaganda again." They're available for purchase online: $8.95 each. Details...

> "NBC anchor Brian Williams is already in hot water barely a week after filling Tom Brokaw's shoes," Page Six yells today. "Asked by United Airlines' Hemisphere magazine about the scarcity of women and non-whites in top jobs at news organizations, he replied, 'We have bigger problems. There are no black members of the U.S. Senate. We should keep some perspective on this.'" More...

> From Lloyd Grove: "Fox News personality Bill O'Reilly is in the crosshairs of the Anti-Defamation League for suggesting to a Jewish caller on his syndicated radio show that if he's offended by Christian attempts to convert him, 'You gotta go to Israel then.'"

It's a new feature: Klein Watch! When you notice a change on CNN that seems to be straight from new prez Jon Klein, send a tip.

"I noticed something tonight on CNN I hadn't noticed before," an e-mailer says. "At about 7:45 on Anderson Cooper's show, he had a live check-in with Paula Zahn about what was coming up on her show and then they switched to Aaron Brown and they had a live tease about what was coming up on NewsNight." The new tease element was introduced on Monday.

> "CNN's in depth reporting continues tonight on 'Paula Zahn Now' and 'NewsNight' with Aaron Brown. Paula and Aaron join me from their studios with a preview of what they're covering," Anderson said Wed.

> TVSpyers notice the emphasis on "investigative reporting..."

How's this for a ringing endorsement of the Fox/Clear Channel deal? "You couldn't say enough about how phenomenal this is for Fox," Matt Feinberg, senior VP for radio at ad buying agency Zenith Media, says. "This is gigantic." Today's NY Times examines just how gigantic the deal is. The story includes quotes like "marriage made in heaven" -- and "Exhibit A of what's wrong with media consolidation." More...