Questions

•

One of our mediabistro.com colleagues pointed us to this quiz on Sporcle.com. The quiz has 20 photos of U.S. network news anchors, past and present, and you have three minutes to type in their names. Give it a try, and tell us how you scored in the comments section below.

Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews.

Buoyed by political coverage that included a forum, a debate, and New Hampshire primary coverage, Fox News Channel was the third ranked cable channel in prime time last week. FNC was 5th in Total Day based on Total Viewers.

CNN ranked 13th in Prime and 21st in Total Day.

MSNBC ranked 28th in Prime and 31st in Total Day.

Click here to see the PDF…

Have answers, or more questions? Drop them in the tip box…

> A tipster asks: “Why was Miles O’Brien’s agent was looking for another network anchor position for him over the past couple of weeks?…”

> “Maybe I’m reading too much into this amid all the excitement,” an e-mailer says, “but did you find it strange Soledad got her own personal press release and Miles didn’t?…”

> Is Roberts re-locating to New York City?…

> Who will replace Roberts on This Week At War?…

> Is there any chance that CNN will hire Chetry’s husband and former Fox weathercaster Chris Knowles?…

> Remember the last time CNN hired away a Fox anchor to host American Morning? Her name was Paula Zahn…

Have answers, or more questions? Drop them in the tip box…

> Will Rick Kaplan be doing some pruning of the CBS Evening News staff in the weeks to come?…

> Katie Couric “is at work on a prime-time special for May, with plans to do a couple more in the next year,” TV Week reports. What’s the topic of her next special?…

> We’ve been asking this question for so long. A tipster wondered again yesterday: “When is CNN going to cancel Paula Zahn Now?,” saying it’s “bringing down the primetime schedule.” A tipster says Lou Dobbs specials are airing all next week in the time slot; is it the beginning of the end?…

> Is Greg Kelly the new full-time host of Fox & Friends Weekend? He recently moved to NYC…

> Does The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet have a new senior producer? Update: 4:56pm: No, a spokesperson says. Is Tom Mazzarelli still the EP? Update: 4:56pm: Yes, a spokesperson says. A tipster says the show’s staff is going through a lot of changes. Update: 4:56pm: “The show is on its third director,” an e-mailer says…

A network insider asks:

“Which morning news show encouraged their producers to pose as ‘friends of the family’ to weasel their way in to Anna Nicole Smith’s private funeral as ‘guests’ of Virgie Arthur?”

In today’s Page Six: “Which married-with-children network anchorman is in trouble again with his wife? Someone tattled, and she learned he misbehaved with a comely co-worker at the office Christmas party.”

Does anyone have an answer? Use the tip box…

Have answers, or more questions? Drop them in the tip box…

> Has Nancy Grace been approached about hosting a crime and justice radio talk show?…

> An e-mailer asks: “What’s the latest on Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig? When and where do they go back to work?…”

> Is Good Morning America losing three important behind-the-scenes staffers? According to a tipster, “the head of live ops, the production manager, and head of the tape office are all leaving…”

> What does this tipster mean?: “Just wait until the next on-air shuffle at Fox News. It’s going to blow you away…”

> Why are the rumors continuing to swirl about MSNBC’s move to 30 Rock and Englewood Cliffs?…

> What’s Robert Dembo up to? Is NBC making moves in its Burbank bureau — perhaps something along the same lines as Dallas?…

> And here’s a final question from a snarky e-mailer: “Lou Dobbs never shuts up about broken borders. Why doesn’t he just quit CNN and build a fence?…”

> Are NBCers expecting a big change on the third and fourth floors of 30 Rock? Who’s moving to Englewood Cliffs?

> “…With forthcoming new assignments for Martha MacCallum and Jane Skinner, could more on-air changes be in the works?”

> “Will Meredith Vieira‘s success drive Diane Sawyer into early retirement? Will it also drive Campbell Brown to another network when her contract expires in early summer 2007?”

> “If Jonathan Wald‘s in charge of fixing CNBC, does that mean he’s about to clean house?”

> Speaking of Wald, is this true?: “CNBC staffers are aghast at the palatial office that Wald has custom built for himself. With NBC hemmoraging money, a hiring freeze in effect and layoffs looming, Wald has spent tens of thousands of dollars gutting his office and installing more than half a dozen plasmas and expensive custom made furniture and carpeting.”

> Update: 3:49pm: CNBC says “Wald occupies the former office of David Friend. Wald succeeded Friend as Senior Vice President, Business News, CNBC. Nothing in it is ‘custom made.’ Furniture is inexpensive and there have been no renovations. Jonathan Wald runs a television news operation and there is nothing unusual whatsoever about the television sets he has in his office.”

Have answers, or more questions? Drop it in the tip box…

> Is Dan Abrams still micromanaging his poor producers at MSNBC? His dearth of management experience is apparently painfully obvious in Secaucus…

> Is NBC about to make some major budget cuts? Last week FTVLive said they’re coming soon, and a tipster says Jeff Zucker may be about to sell off some of NBC’s sat trucks…

> With Ron Corning gone, who will sit next to Taina Hernandez on World News Now? Hari Sreenivasan filled in this morning…

> Would a fourth hour of the Today Show dilute NBC’s morning show brand? (And what would it mean for ‘Martha?’)

> An e-mailer asks: “What is FNC going to do about the amazing Gretchen Carlson? She’s too good for just subbing.” She’s been getting a lot of A.M. airtime lately…

If you have answers, or more questions, drop ‘em in the tip box…

> Who will replace Daryn Kagan on CNN Live Today? By the way, let’s hope they give the late morning news a new name in the fall…

> Is “CBS News is about to snag a top ABC News executive to run their talent recruitment office?” That’s what a tipster asserted earlier this week: “Barbara Fedida is a long-time producer at ABC (she used to produce for Jennings) and she currently works in ABC’s talent office.” CBS can’t confirm the move. But on Tuesday a tipster said “Paul Slavin sent an email to all the executive producers saying they needed to identify their most valuable people — so they could lock them up…”

> Laura Ingraham has subbed for Bill O’Reilly the last two Fridays. John Kasich is in for O’Reilly tonight; will Ingraham fill in again tomorrow? More importantly, is she “auditioning for her own gig?” And if so, how well is she doing?…

> Last night, a tipster wrote: “CNBC execs are meeting late into the night upstairs — a little strange for a Wednesday in the middle of the summer — especially when two of the execs in attendance are on vacation this week.” What were they talking about? Update: 1:42pm: CNBC says the only late night meeting involved the new program “Fast Money” since it airs at 8pm…

> When is CNBC.com becoming a standalone site? Goodbye MSN…

> When did the links to ABC’s early morning show World News Now disappear from ABCNews.com? The site is still up, but it’s hard to find…