ABC’s upcoming primetime editions of “Nightline” will no longer feature the “Nightline” name. They will instead be called “ABC’s The Lookout,” a reference to their consumer-centric focus. The programs had originally been titled “Nightline: Two Truths and a Lie.”

The primetime “Nightline” shows were a make-good on the part of ABC after it pushed the late night show from 11:35 PM to 12:35 AM. As we reported at the time, ABC promised the show a full season commitment. For now, the show has a relatively safe slot on the lineup through the Summer, although had it debuted in March as originally planned, it would have had roughly the equivalent of a full season’s worth of episodes. The show’s future beyond Summer is unclear.

“Like any show on the network, our success on the air will determine the future,” an ABC News spokesperson says.

While it will not have the “Nightline” name, it will be produced by the staff of the late-night news program.

“Nightline” has had a rougher time at 12:35 than it did at 11:35, although much of it was expected. It now has fewer than half as many viewers as it did when it was on an hour earlier, although ABC is quick to point out that it often (though not always) does better than the second half of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” did in that timeslot. It also used to regularly topped CBS NBC and CBS in total and demo viewers. Now, such a clear ratings win is a relative rarity.

The NBA playoffs propelled TNT to an overwhelming lead in last week;’s cable network ranker, but the slow bubbling of political scandal kept Fox News in the top five, even as CNN and MSNBC dipped.

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• ABC “Good Morning America” senior EP Tom Cibrowski is the only TV news representative on Fast Company‘s list of the “100 Most Creative People in Business 2013.” Cibrowski places in at number 61. The full list is here.

• CNBC has named former WNYW New York reporter Andrea Day to the crime and punishment beat, according to Tuned In’s Jerry Barmash

• The Huffington Post’s Michael Calderone talks to a number of White House correspondents, who say that while they are troubled by the actions of the Administration with regard to journalists, they won’t be staging a protest or walkout anytime soon.

CNN anchor Piers Morgan has inked a book deal with Gallery books for a new memoir, to be released in October. The book, Shooting Straight: Guns, Gays, God, and George Clooney, will focus on Morgan’s tenure at CNN.

The AP has details:

Morgan, in a statement issued by Gallery, promised a “warts and all” account of life at CNN and said the book would be like “‘The Newsroom’ on steroids,” referring to the HBO series.

The book will be centered around real-world news events, written in a diary format a la his last memoir, The Insider. The announcement comes the same day it was announced that ABC’s Robin Roberts is writing a memoir.

The Department of Justice didn’t just examine Fox News correspondent James Rosen‘s email records, they acquired his home and cell phone records, as well a number of phone records from Fox News Channel offices. The New Yorker‘s Ryan Lizza has those records.

In addition, Bret Baier revealed that the phone records of Rosen’s parents were also acquired by the FBI in the investigation.

The news of the full extent of the investigation comes as editorials take aim squarely at the Obama Administration for valuing secrecy over freedom of the press.

The New York Times editorial page writes that “the administration has gone overboard in its zeal to find and muzzle insiders.”

Obama administration officials often talk about the balance between protecting secrets and protecting the constitutional rights of a free press. Accusing a reporter of being a “co-conspirator,” on top of other zealous and secretive investigations, shows a heavy tilt toward secrecy and insufficient concern about a free press.

The Washington Post‘s Dana Milbank writes that the investigations are “as flagrant an assault on civil liberties as anything done by George W. Bush’s administration, and it uses technology to silence critics in a way Richard Nixon could only have dreamed of.”
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ABC “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts is writing a memoir, to be published by Grand Central Publishing in April 2014.

The memoir will tell “the amazing story of her courageous battle against a life-threatening illness, the life lessons she continues to learn, and her inspiring return to the GMA anchor desk,” according to the publisher.

It will be Roberts’ second book. Her first, From the Heart, 7 Rules to Live By, was published by Hyperion in 2007.

“I am humbled that many have an interest, and draw strength from my on-going journey,” said Roberts in a statement. “I’m grateful for the prayers and well wishes of so many people. I’m thrilled that Jamie Raab and Grand Central Publishing will help me tell my story.”

More information below.

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Former GOP VP candidate and Fox News contributor Sarah Palin has some kind words for CNN anchor Jake Tapper. Palin tweeted:

There’s something different, certainly refreshing, about Jake Tapper. I call it integrity and professionalism…. fb.me/Kjg5B3MR

— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) May 21, 2013

Palin linked to an interview with Tapper from Zap2It. Tapper talks about the Boston bombing coverage, as well as coverage of the Gosnell trial:
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CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson said on a radio program yesterday that her computers had been “compromised,” and speculated that it may be related to the investigation the Department of Justice conducted on Fox News correspondent James Rosen.

“I can confirm that an intrusion of my computers has been under some investigation on my end for some months but I’m not prepared to make an allegation against a specific entity today as I’ve been patient and methodical about this matter,” Attkisson said.

However, according to Politico’s Dylan Byers, the DOJ says it has not sought any information related to Ms. Attkisson.

“To our knowledge, the Justice Department has never ‘compromised’ Ms. Atkisson’s computers, or otherwise sought any information from or concerning any telephone, computer, or other media device she may own or use,” Dean Boyd, a Justice Dept. spokesperson, told POLITICO on Tuesday night.

The tornado that swept through Moore, OK quickly drew national attention, as cable news ratings from Monday show. You can see the full numbers here, but below are some notable mentions.

The tornado was picked up on cable news during the 4 PM hour, with the severity of the storm becoming apparent during the 5 PM hour.

• FNC: 4pm: 1.691M viewers / 186,000 A25-54. 5pm: 2.398M viewers, 364,000 A25-54

• Weather Channel: 4pm: 925,000 viewers / 302,000 A25-54. 5pm: 1.273M viewers, 464,000 A25-54

• CNN: 4pm: 645,000 viewers /167,000 A25-54. 5pm: 1.022M viewers / 321,000 A25-54

• MSNBC: 4pm: 433,000 viewers /81,000 A25-54. 5pm 709,000 viewers /135,000 A25-54

In primetime (8-11PM), with special schedules, the numbers were even higher, as people who came home from work tuned in to see what happened:
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25-54 demographic (Live +SD)

• Total day: FNC: 352 | MSNBC: 153 | CNN: 343 | HLN: 206

• Primetime: FNC: 632 | MSNBC: 337 | CNN: 790 | HLN: 229

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