> On NewsNight, Mike Chinoy called the scene in Banda Aceh "some of the most unsettling things my crew and I have ever seen -- and we've seen a lot in our years of covering the developing world."

> Variety reports that NBC's Kevin Sites was on vacation in Thailand when the tsunami hit. He reported via phone on MSNBC today.

> CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka a few hours ago. He reported via videophone on NewsNight.

> Why didn't MSNBC scrap an "encore presentation" of Deborah Norville Tonight and air a special hour of disaster coverage?

> An MSNBC lower-third during Scarborough Country called the story "Asian Armageddon."

> Insensitive -- and basically a lie: FNC's Uma Pemmaraju transitioned from disaster coverage to a story about flooding in L.A. by saying people there were "running for their lives" today.

> Lost Remote links to incredible DigitalGlobe imagery of the tsunami...

> Mike Chinoy (in Banda Aceh) was asked what the conditions are like for his CNN crew: "We ourselves have a kind of a kit to cover these disaster areas, but it is tough. We are sleeping on the floor of a big building. But we at least have something -- a lot of people here have nothing."

> From an e-mailer: "I've been watching news coverage of the tsunami disaster this evening, and while seeing footage of the dead isn't pleasant, at least CNN has the fortitude to show it ALL as it really and truly is. No other cable or broadcast network has shown the enormity of human suffering and loss of life such a tragedy induces." All day, CNN anchors have been warning viewers that "some of the video you're about to see is very graphic."

> Again tonight, CNN/U.S. is simulcasting CNN International coverage from 11pm to midnight and 1 to 4am ET. I wish "it didn't take an international disaster of this magnitude for them to put on CNN-I!," an MSNer says.

> WABC forecaster Sam Champion hosted Larry King Live tonight. He said Larry has the night off. He interviewed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan by phone, and spoke to a series of CNN correspondents throughout the region. As I noted last night, Champion may be in line to take Tony Perkins' job on GMA...

Half an hour ago, MSNBC's Countdown aired what may be most extraordinary two and a half minutes of video I've ever seen. It's from a Norwegian tourist who was staying at the Kambala Beach Hotel in Phuket, Thailand. I felt chills run up my spine four times while watching it. It is a compelling example of how important images are in the world.

"Courtesy of the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet, we will show you the tape in its entirety, nearly two and a half minutes worth, and without narration," Keith Olbermann said at the top of the show. Here it is:

> Wave Of Destruction: Tourist Video (22MB WMV)

MSNBC was the first western news organization to broadcast the tape. Twenty minutes later, CNN broadcast the same video, from the Kambala Beach Hotel in Phuket. (Anderson Cooper refused to shut up and let the video speak for itself.) They apparently downloaded it from Dagbladet's web site.

> Update: 9pm: Jeff Jarvis: "I'm watching CNN right now and Anderson Cooper made a big deal of showing video of the tsunami 'just in.' Except I saw that video online this morning and linked to it then." He says the "new, distributed citizens' network" of the Internet beat "the old, centralized corporate network."

Viewers have noticed CNN's extensive coverage of the tsunami disaster, according to data provided by the network. In primetime on Monday, CNN averaged 1,351,000 viewers, up 69% from its prior three-week Monday average. Fox News averaged 1,615,000 total viewers during the same hours, down 22% from its average. In total day, CNN averaged 717,000 total viewers, up 69% over its prior three-week Monday average.

On Sunday, CNN averaged 422,000 total viewers, up 27% over its prior three-week Sunday average. In primetime, CNN averaged 628,000, up 26%. The ratings for Headline News have also increased...

> "In the quake coverage of the past few days, one cable news network has pulled ahead of the others in both the scope and quality of its reporting -- CNN," Dana Stevens writes on Slate. She calls CNN's coverage "consistently informative, seldom tasteless, and almost never altogether stupid."

> CNN's investment in videophones is paying off once again. Correspondent Mallika Kapur reported from the remote Andaman Islands this morning (ET). "A terrible situation is getting worse," she reported. Mike Chinoy is stationed in Banda Aceh. "It is a city of death...the streets are littered with bodies." Satinder Bindra traveled from Colombo to Galle, Sri Lanka Tuesday morning, and his reporting continues to be compelling...

> Another e-mailer who calls himself a CNN insider says "we are putting the other networks to SHAME, especially Fox."

> "CNNI's coverage was so-so," a TVSpyer says. "As usual, a lot of repackaging news material from from media outlets in host countries."

> CNN is being careful to confirm the rising death toll with government officials. Their independent count stands at 33,000, as of 6pm ET. Meanwhile, MSNBC and Fox News are reporting the AP's number, 52,000...

In 2003, the Iraq war boosted cable news net ratings across the board. As a result, all the networks lost viewers in 2004 -- but FNC's held onto the most viewers, and CNN seemed to lose the most:

In total day: Compared to 2003, FNC lost 11% of its viewers in 2004. MSNBC lost 23% and CNN dropped 28%. Also, FNC lost 20% of its 25-54 viewers in 2004. MSNBC dropped 34% and CNN lost 39%. In households, FNC dropped 10%, MSNBC lost 22% and CNN decreased 26%.

In primetime: Compared to 2003, FNC lost only 2% of its total viewers in 2004. MSNBC decreased 16% and CNN lost 22%. Also, FNC lost 13% of its 25-54 viewers in 2004. MSNBC lost 31% and CNN decreased 33%. In households, FNC lost only 3%, MSNBC dropped 15% and CNN lost 20%.

CNN highlights its unique viewers and election season ratings in a year-end press release today. Excerpts:

> The CUME: "CNN attracted 11% more unique P2+ viewers than FNC and 32% more than MSNBC," and 11% more viewers than FNC in the 25-54 demo, too.

> "In 2004, Headline News outperformed MSNBC and CNBC in total viewers during the day" -- M-F, 9am to 6pm, excluding Olympics coverage.

> "CNN was most-watched in both red states and blue states on Election Day (6am - 6am), reaching 20.2 million total viewers in red states and 18.5 million total viewers in blue states."

An updated release will come out tomorrow...

> Update: 6:40pm: Earlier, I said that advertisers don't purchase space based on the CUME (reach). A CNN rep clarified that "every single TV ad sale is made on both reach and frequency."

Nielsen ratings for the "final day" of 2004, December 26, have been delayed, so the following numbers are through December 25.

Total viewer averages for 2004:

Primetime: FNC: 1,668,000 / CNN: 855,000 / MSNBC: 374,000 / CNBC: 161,000 / HLN: 212,000

Total Day: FNC: 914,000 / CNN: 480,000 / MSNBC: 247,000 / CNBC: 146,000 / Headline News: 201,000

This is the third consecutive year FNC has claimed the "number one cable news network" title.

For the first time, Fox News Channel's primetime beat CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and Headline News, combined, in 2004, an FNC spokesperson tells TVNewser. This is the first year FNC claims the victory. Officials are noting that FNC "widened the gap" in '04.

> Multichannel News calls it "a stunning showing," and lists the numbers: "The four networks' combined averages totaled 1.602 million, less than Fox News," which averaged 1.668 million.

> The AP calls it a "ratings milestone" for FNC.

11 of the top 12 programs on cable news were broadcast on Fox News in 2004, according to Nielsen ratings data. O'Reilly, H&C, The Fox Report, On The Record and Special Report claim the top five spots, followed by CNN's Larry King Live.

CNN's second-highest-rated show is NewsNight, followed by Wolf Blitzer Reports, Paula Zahn Now, Lou Dobbs Tonight and Crossfire. Olympics coverage was MSNBC's top-rated program in 2004; Hardball was the most popular regularly scheduled show. Here's the must-see chart:

> 2004 Weekday Program Ranker (PDF)

*Use Acrobat to zoom in on the chart

Nightly News won the fourth quarter 2004 "in all categories," NBC notes in a press release today. Between October and December, NN "averaged 10.407 million total viewers, 13% (+1,198,000) more than ABC World News Tonight's 9.209 million, and a 45% (+3,194,000) advantage over CBS Evening News' 7.213 million. Nightly News has now won the last 21 quarters among total viewers." Here's all the data...

ABC and NBC will both claim victory in the evening news race during the week before Christmas. World News Tonight "placed first in the key Adults 25-54 demographic for the week of December 20-23," an ABC press release says. It was a close one: ABC earned a 2.9 in the demo, while NBC delivered 2.8.

Brian Williams beat Peter Jennings among total viewers, though: For the week, NBC averaged 10,630,000 viewers, while ABC delivered 10,320,000 and CBS had 7,950,000. It was ABC's best week in Total Viewers since February. The network says WNT "continues to close the gap between 'Nightly News' in Total Viewers."

Year-end ratings numbers for the cable news networks will be released later today. (For Nielsen, the year ended on December 26.) Don't expect the numbers to top 2003: "Without 2003's heightened war coverage, news channels CNN (down 22%) and MSNBC (down 15%) lost viewers, although Fox News was down a slight 3%," USA Today reported on Monday. Still, FNC's dominance will be evident, and the election-year boost for CNN and MSNBC will be notable...

FNC's Jennifer Griffin deserves kudos for her reporting along the shore in Thailand. Viewers felt like they were there -- especially when she started coughing from the smell of the decaying bodies. But some viewers are criticizing FNC's editorial decisions.

Around 10am, during a live report from Jennifer Griffin, FNC interrupted "to take a live shot of the end of a car chase in Charlotte N.C.," a TVSpyer says. Apparently they returned to Griffin's live report afterwards. An hour later, when Fox lost Griffin's satellite feed from Thailand, the network transitioned to a "Fox News Alert" about flooding in Los Angeles, with a live shot from the local affiliate.

> A couple of e-mailers are offended that FNC spent time talking about a supermodel whose hip was hurt in the cataclysm, "giving them a chance to run...bathing suit tape, instead of that annoying video that shows the heart-wrenching reality." MSNBC reported "A Supermodel's Story" during the 11am hour, and showed similar video...

Poynter's Jill Geisler asks questions about the disaster coverage:

> Will this story get as much coverage as the Scott Peterson case?

> Will media organizations -- especially those that have cut back foreign bureaus -- redeploy staff to cover and stay with this story for more than its first days?

> Will they reject the notion that Americans are interested in the story only in proportion to the number of U.S. citizens directly affected?

> Will networks send their top reporters, even anchors to the scene? What a powerful message that would send about the importance of this tragedy so far from our shores.

The New York Post's Linda Stasi says media coverage of the tsunami was the real disaster: "Apparently the tsunami would have had to hit Aspen to get the pros off the slopes and onto the story," she writes. And: "Think about the difference in the solemnity with which 9/11 was reported and how this disaster was reported. Can you imagine switching from Ground Zero coverage in the first few days to say, back-to-school shopping sprees?"

The most important paragraph in David Carr's tsunami-media-coverage round-up comes toward the end:

Bob Calo, an associate professor at the graduate school of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, said that there had been something of a reversal in the news-gathering process. "If you think back, news gatherers would get the story and then commission a photographer to go and get the pictures," he said. "Now we have flipped it around to where reporters are chasing the pictures, trying to create some context for what viewers are seeing."

The citizens, armed with cameras, became journalists. A couple other quotes:

> APTN director Sandy MacIntyre: "This has been one of the most geographically and logistically challenging stories to cover in a generation because of the sheer scale of it."

> ABC foreign news director Chuck Lustig: "We knew right away that we needed to get to the beaches of Thailand because that's where the tourists were."

Carr rightly writes that the networks "struggled to make sense of the largest earthquake in 40 years." But he doesn't mention CNN's superior coverage. More...

"For perhaps the first time since I started working there a year and a half ago, I am truly proud to be a CNN employee," an anonymous CNN employee wrote to TVNewser today. "This is the most significant human tragedy in a generation (at least in terms of casualty numbers) and I think we're embarassing the competition, especially MSNBC, who devoted much of the 9pm hour with a look at the life and times of Joan Lunden. Are the suits over there in some sort of extended coma?"

"I can't tell you how pleased I am with CNN's coverage of the tsunami," another insider writes. "It goes to show you CNN has the 'ingredients' at their hands that makes for a good product for folks to chew on. CNN just needs to find the 'packaging' that showcases their abilities. Perhaps, this is the new packaging Klein is bringing to the table." Other CNN notes:

> "The CNN Newsource service is BLOWING away NBC NewsChannel," an insider says. "It's generally the other way around -- but not for this story."

> At 11pm, CNN International broadcast a report from Australia's ABC network. Tim Palmer reported from Banda Aceh. He hasn't slept in two days. It also aired packages from ITV and ITN...

> Message to CNN: Please stop calling this a "developing story," 48 hours after the tsunamis! Just because your orange tab says it doesn't mean it's true.

> WABC weatherman Sam Champion appeared on Larry King Live to talk about the tsunami. From an e-mailer: "He's being considered to replace Perkins on GMA -- a bit surprising that he was on CNN. Why didn't Larry showcase some of CNN's solid weather team??"

> On Monday I noted that Paula Zahn is MIA from her primetime broadcast today. "Paula Zahn is vacationing in Vail at this time," an e-mailer says. "She cant be bothered with such news."

> Tucker Carlson anchored NewsNight on Monday, less than a week before his contract expires with the network. He said he was wearing a "lucky" purple bowtie his daughter gave him. As TVNewser first reported last week, Carlson may anchor a primetime program on MSNBC in 2005.

> Joking that he was filling in for Pat Buchanan, Joe Scarborough hosted MSNBC's Scarborough Country Monday night. He thanked viewers for their thoughts and prayers as he recovers from back problems.

> "We made history Monday," Brian Kilmeade blogs on FOXNews.com. "Through a schedule malfunction, I became the first 'FOX & Friends' host to go it alone."

> MSNBC viewers noticed a new weather anchor Monday morning: Amy Freeze. She is a meterologist for WCAU in Philadelphia...