Browse TVNewser December 2007 archives - TVNewser

Nightly / World News Neck and Neck For ’07

Chris Ariens — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 15:57:55 +0000

HuffPo’s Rachel Sklar writes about the neck and neck race that is the network evening news ratings battle: “Factoring in the numbers through December 23, 2007 takes ABC’s lead down to approximately 97,000 total viewers. Presumably the week of Christmas will not be enough of a lead to bring that down to zero (and both Gibson and Williams have been on vacation besides), but if trends remain constant it’s safe to assume that NBC and ABC will finish the year with less than 100 thousand viewers between them — a mere 1%.”

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Some More Top 10 — Courtesy of J$

SteveK — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 15:26:32 +0000

To add to the top 10 list barrage at the end of 2007, Johnny Dollar has the top 10 videos from his site this year. Johnny Dollar focuses almost exclusively on Fox News Channel content, thus the list plays out like a Top 10 most memorable moments on FNC.

Some notable clips include Geraldo Rivera and Bill O’Reilly‘s blowup, Laura Ingle getting mugged on the air and Charles Grodin calling out Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes (which also made our top 10 list).

The number one video was Shepard Smith sarcastically reporting on the breaking news of Paris Hilton‘s trip back to jail.

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Deborah Tang, Formerly Of BET News, Dies

Alissa Krinsky — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 13:58:38 +0000

Richard Prince writes in his Journal-isms column of the passing of Deborah Tang, “who created Black Entertainment Television’s news division and as vice president of news, entertainment and sports programming hired news anchor Ed Gordon, talk-show host Tavis Smiley and others…”

Tang, 60, died of cancer on December 25 in Washington, D.C.

(Photo/Floydetta McAfee)

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Dylan Ratigan Hangs with the Masses in Times Square

SteveK — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 13:23:55 +0000

Despite the rumored million people expected in Times Square by tonight for New Years, CNBC host Dylan Ratigan is stationed out in the crowd for much of afternoon and early evening. This morning, Ratigan co-anchored The Call at 11amET, and conducted many “man on the street” interviews from outside.

At 3pmET, Ratigan will co-anchor Closing Bell, and he will host Fast Money at 5pmET, all from the Times Square street level studio.

Ratigan’s will have no problem finding interview subjects on the crowded block. But the New Years Eve mass seems just as excited by the horns being sold down on the street by Ratigan, which are sure to add to the multitude of noisemakers present around the balldrop tonight.

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TVNewser’s Great ’08 Expectations

Alissa Krinsky — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 12:40:37 +0000

Alissa Krinsky
TVNewser Contributor

With 2008 just hours away, we present “TVNewser’s Great ’08 Expectations”: the hopes and expectations of ten television journalists for themselves — personal, professional, or both — in 2008.

So, in alphabetical order by last name, our respondents complete the sentence, “In 2008, I expect…”:

• ABC’s Jim Avila: “To right wrongs, speak truth to power and cut down on the chocolate.”

• Today Executive Producer Jim Bell: “Today to go back to ‘The Ends of the Earth’, with a twist.”

• MSNBC’s Tucker Carlson: “To spend more time in sub-zero primary states, and to wear more makeup. I’ve got a pretty good shot at achieving both.”

• Fox Business Network’s Cheryl Casone: “To create more personal time, and get back to my long runs in Central Park.”

• NBC’s Lester Holt: “To eat fewer sweets, and more fruits and vegetables (which I guess means less time ‘on the road’).”

• CNN’s Don Lemon: “To continue to harness my no-nonsense, aggressive reporting style; viewers tell me it’s refreshing and they appreciate it. I also would like to help as many children as possible to get a decent education in New Orleans, as knowledge is the power that will eventually lead them out of their current morass.”

• CBS’ Charles Osgood: “To lose my extra weight. But if I don’t, that will be fine, I’ll just have to lose it in 2009.”

• CNBC’s Dylan Ratigan: “To be Faster, Accurater, Actionabler and Unbiaseder.”

• CNN Headline News’ Linda Stouffer: “To spend more time reading novels and less time getting stressed out.”

• FNC’s Greta Van Susteren: “That On The Record stays #1 and maintains its dominance at 10 pm! The competition has spent lots of money on marketing…and has almost six times our staff…yet can’t beat us!!”

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TVNews in 2008: Howie Wants You To Decide

SteveK — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 12:21:28 +0000

There have been a lot of media predictions made over the last few weeks, so rather than follow that trend, Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post wants you to decide. Kurtz’ column today offers a multiple choice prediction quiz for 2008, and leaves the actual predicting to you!

Questions range from the future of Katie Couric, Campbell Brown and the Fox Business Network, to speculation of Karl Rove‘s future press work (in addition to his Newsweek column). Kurtz’ thoughts will not be revealed, as he writes, “My picks are being kept in a secure, undisclosed location. Unlike (William) Safire, I hate public humiliation.”

TVNewser will not be making predictions this year either (although we answered with four A’s, two B’s, a C and a D — in no particular order — in the Kurtz quiz). But you can make some predictions of your own in a TVNewser 2008 poll…stay tuned for that tomorrow.

• Related: HuffPo’s Eat the Press takes a look back at the media winners of 2007.

(image courtesy: JupiterImagesUnlimited)

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CNN’s Political Bowl

Chris Ariens — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 12:03:09 +0000

CNN rings in the new year with politics. Tomorrow beginning at 9amET, CNN airs seven hours of political coverage called the “Ballot Bowl.” The coverage will be anchored by CNN reporters in the field in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Tomorrow’s programming sets the stage for Wednesday’s one-day-out coverage of the Iowa caucuses, which includes a prime time special at 8pmET anchored by Wolf Blitzer along with Anderson Cooper, Lou Dobbs, and Soledad O’Brien.

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TVNewser’s Top 10 of 2007

SteveK — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 11:04:07 +0000

From Imus to Paris, Charles Grodin going Jon Stewart-on-Crossfire on H&C to the Chyron Screwup Read ‘Round the World, these are the top ten stories — by page view — on TVNewser.com during 2007 (since we started using Google Analytics in April).

A special thanks goes out to Drudge Report, Huffington Post and that guy Brian Stelter (you may have heard of him) and all the other sites who linked to TVNewser helping make these stories the most viewed of 2007.

1. CNN International Chyron: “Bush Resigns” — May 11 (401,333 page views)

2. Nancy Grace Hospitalized — November 13 (91,321)

3. FNC’s NH GOP Debate Highest Rated Yet — September 6 (58,180)

4. ABC Regrets Not Taking Bush News Conference — September 20 (57,892)

5. AFL-CIO Forum Ratings: Lowest Yet — August 8 (56,814)

6. Grodin to Hannity: “I Didn’t Say You Were a Nazi. I Said Your Co-Host Was a Nazi.” — December 17 (52,018)

7. Amanda Congdon Gone From ABCNews.com — September 21 (47,121)

8. Paris: Barbara Walters Has Exclusive Talk With Hilton; Details On The View — June 11 (36,433)

9. Debates: DNC Announces Six; Two On CNN, Two On NBC/MSNBC — May 16 (35,982)

10. Imus Slur: Williams Announces Suspension — April 9 (35,688)

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Charles Gibson On Saturday’s Debates: “Sort Of A High-Wire Act”

Alissa Krinsky — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 10:31:09 +0000

“This is sort of a high-wire act,” Charlie Gibson tells the Washington Post‘s Howard Kurtz, referring to this Saturday’s back-to-back GOP/Democratic Presidential candidates’ debates on ABC. “I could fail miserably with this.”

The Republicans will debate first, with approximately 15 minutes before the Democratic forum begins. Gibson says he’d like candidates from both parties to shake hands during that interim break.

As far as how he sees his own moderating style, Gibson explains, “I’m going to put a question on the table, and to the extent that I can, I’m going to disappear. It’s not about me. It’s not about showing I can ask a clever question. It’s about them.”

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CourtTV Adjourns

Chris Ariens — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 10:19:16 +0000

The AP’s David Bauder writes, “…with the new year, Court TV (1991-2007) adjourns.” Tomorrow the channel “that burst into public consciousness with the O.J. Simpson trial and other big-name courtroom dramas in the 1990s becomes part of television history.”

The network, which is being renamed truTV, will maintain six hours of “legal-oriented material during the day” to be called “In Session.” Bauder writes that network execs consulted outside experts to find a new name, even holding an in-house contest for ideas. Some 5,000 suggestions came in.

Frank TV (now a sketch show on TBS) was one popular suggestion as was True Nation, “but truTV tested better with focus groups,” Bauder writes.

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Did Cooper Want To Return For NYE?

Chris Ariens — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 08:34:00 +0000

He left for Pakistan Thursday night. And by tonight, Anderson Cooper will be in Times Square for CNN’s New Year’s Eve special. But would he have preferred to stay in Pakistan and report on the Bhutto assassination? From today’s NYPost, a quote from Cooper in Paper magazine:

“Each year it gets worse and worse, and then I always think it can’t get any worse, and then it always does. No matter where you go, I think everyone is having a bad time on New Year’s. There’s so much pressure. It’s like amateur night.”

In his autobiography, Dispatches from the Edge, Cooper writes about covering the CNN festivities just days after the South Asian Tsunami in 2004. “There’s been talk of canceling the celebrations, but in the end it’s decided that the show will go on. I’ve always hated New Year’s Eve,” Cooper writes.

>Update: Cooper posted a blog entry late this morning about looking forward to tonight’s New Year’s Eve special:

“As a kid I was never a big fan of New Year’s Eve. There always seemed something slightly menacing about the event. New York City streets are packed, people are drunk, it always kind of freaked me out. Then as an adult, I didn’t like it much because there was always so much pressure to have a good time, and you can never find a cab to go home in when you realize the party you’re at is lame. Now I really like New Year’s Eve because I’m working and Times Square is actually a really fun place to be.”

Also, CNN tells us the quote from Cooper in today’s NYPost is actually several years old.

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Group Calls on MSNBC to Host GOP Candidates Left Out of FNC Forum

Chris Ariens — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 15:25:58 +0000

A political blogger is calling on his readers to press MSNBC to host a roundtable discussion with two GOP presidential candidates who are being left out of a Fox News-sponsored forum. For the past several days, a blogger named Big Louie of Nolan Chart, has been criticizing FNC for not inviting Rep. Ron Paul to be a part of the forum. Now, he’s calling on his readers to email MSNBC and ask that they host a roundtable with Dr. Paul and Rep. Duncan Hunter, that would run opposite the FNC program.

The 90-minute FNC forum, announced last Thursday, will be moderated by Chris Wallace one week from tonight. Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Sen. John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson will all take part.

Yesterday in New Hampshire, Paul told a crowd that FNC was, “scared of me.” They “don’t want my message to get out, but it will,” Paul said.

>More: A few of you have emailed to say this story is a hoax. The Nolan Chart even updated their story with the headline: “Ron Paul NOT excluded from Fox debate.” That’s true in the sense that there is no debate, but rather a forum to which Rep. Paul still remains uninvited. There is a NH debate the night before on ABC, but the “debate hosts” will not decide who will participate until Friday.

Click continued to read the press release from Fox News about their GOP NH forum scheduled for January 6, one week from tonight…

continued…

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Katie Couric’s Year

Chris Ariens — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 13:48:03 +0000

The NYPost sums up Katie Couric‘s first full year at CBS: “…more than 1.1 million viewers have tuned her out over the last 12 months. That’s as if 100 percent of the households in Los Angeles had watched her last year and every last one of them shut their sets off last week.”

While that’s a dramatic analogy, it does not take into account that Couric’s numbers have risen this fall. The broadcast is averaging 6.61M Total Viewers over the last four weeks. That’s up from the 5.46M Total Viewer low point Evening News earned during the week of Sept. 3.

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Former NBC Producer Returns, As Guest

Chris Ariens — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 13:00:32 +0000

Ed Deitch, who announced last week that he was taking a buyout from his job as a senior producer of NBC Nightly News, was back with the network this morning, as a guest on Weekend Today.

Deitch, who is an award-winning wine columnist for msnbc.com was talking with anchors Lester Holt and Jenna Wolfe about choosing the right champagne (or sparkling wine) for New Year’s Eve.

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Bill Kristol Joins The New York Times

Chris Ariens — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 20:05:49 +0000

Conservative writer and TV commentator Bill Kristol is joining The New York Times. Kristol will write a weekly column for the Op-Ed page while continuing as editor of The Weekly Standard. In its story about the hire, The Times writes, Kristol “has been a fierce critic of The Times. In 2006, he said that the government should consider prosecuting The Times for disclosing a secret government program to track international banking transactions.”

Kristol will also continue his appearances on Fox News Channel. He was a regular panelist on ABC’s This Week in the late 1990′s.

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