Former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, a regular on the TV news circuit, will be joining Bloomberg TV as a contributor and strategic advisor. He will appear on-air to discuss political and economic issues of interest to Wall Street and Main Street, and will also serve off-air, helping the financial channel with its business strategy.

“I am excited for both the on and off air relationship with Bloomberg,” said Plouffe in a statement. “Their programming lends itself to fuller discussion, which given the complexity of the issues before our country, is of great value.”

TVNewser has heard that other channels were interested in Plouffe’s services, but that BTV just offered the better deal.

More information below.
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Bloomberg TV is adding another hour of “Bloomberg West,” anchored by Emily Chang, Cory Johnson and Jon Erlichman, to its lineup next week. Along with the existing hour of the San Francisco-based tech show, which airs at 6pmET/3pmPT, a new hour will be added at 1pmET/10amPT beginning Monday.

The expansion sets off a domino effect of programming changes in the rest of the network’s lineup. “Money Moves with Deirdre Bolton” moves from 1pmET to 2pmET, while “Bottom Line with Mark Crumpton” moves from 2pmET to 7pmET. “Bloomberg Rewind,” a recap of the day’s top stories that aired at 7pmET, will be removed entirely from the lineup.

The New York Times‘ Quentin Hardy has more on the expansion:

“We see a real opportunity,” said Andrew Morse, head of Bloomberg Television in the United States.

“The television world is flooded with mediocre content — this extra hour is more of a place for big names in the Valley to come on and talk, and to dig deeper into what the news means,” he said, speaking of Silicon Valley.

NPR’s David Folkenflik tackles CNBC’s aggressive booking practices, and reveals some terrific anecdotes along the way. In the TV news world, booking is the lifeblood, so it isn’t surprising that networks get aggressive.

“Bookers are a unique life form in the ecosystem of news gathering,” said former top CNBC executive Jonathan Wald, now the executive producer of Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN. “They are often the snipers who sit waiting for their prey, drinking black coffee, smoking cigarettes and striking at the ideal moment.”

Wald said that he has issued strict instructions that Morgan will not interview guests once they’ve appeared on certain other shows.

“You don’t want to follow,” Wald said, “and so you’ll do whatever you can to impress upon the guest … the need to be on your show or your network first.”

Folkenflik also talks to Bloomberg TV president Andrew Morse, who notes that while it pays to aggressive, his channel doesn’t try to dictate terms… though sometimes they like to poke fun at the competition:
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Obama campaign senior adviser David Axelrod spent his final night with his mustache at New York’s Four Seasons Restaurant raising awareness — and money — for epilepsy research. Axelrod and his wife Susan hosted many Manhattan luminaries at the CURE New York reception at which Mayor Mike Bloomberg was presented an award for his support. In his brief remarks, Bloomberg caught sight of NBC’s Tom Brokaw in the crowd: “There’s Tom Brokaw. He’s my neighbor …. and my golf partner. Maybe he’ll even give me a few strokes next round.”

TVNewser spotted Fox News chairman Roger Ailes giving a warm hello to Susan Axelrod and Arianna Huffington as David Axelrod gave his remarks. The Axelrods established CURE: Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy as the family struggled to come to terms with their daughter Lauren’s epilepsy. Now 31, Lauren experienced her first seizure at seven months old.

We chatted with “CBS This Morning” anchor Charlie Rose, who, with his co-hosts Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell, is treating the “This Morning” staff to a holiday party next week. “It takes two jobs to be able to do it, but we’ll do it,” joked Rose, who also hosts “Charlie Rose” on PBS and Bloomberg TV.

Also at the event, organized for the most part by Tammy Haddad: “Good Morning America” and “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos and his wife Ali Wentworth, ABC political analyst

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Margaret Brennan, who has been with Bloomberg TV for nearly three years, is leaving the network, TVNewser has learned. Brennan joined Bloomberg from CNBC in 2009. Brennan’s departure, described as mutual, comes as the network plans changes to its morning lineup later this Spring.

Andrew Morse, head of U.S. TV for Bloomberg, says the changes are a continuation of Bloomberg’s “evolution into a digital, multi-platform news organization.” The changes have included a round of staff cuts as well as the posting of new positions, last month.

The programming shifts include a simulcast of Tom Keene‘s radio program “Surveillance” which airs from 6-8amET replacing “Inside Track” which was hosted by Erik Schatzker and Stephanie Ruhle.

“It’s not just doing TV on the radio,” Morse tells TVNewser, “but a true multi-media program.” The show will stream on Bloomberg.com and on the Bloomberg TV+ and Radio+ tablet apps. Keene will be joined by Sara Eisen, Scarlet Fu and Ken Prewitt.

Betty Liu will continue to anchor “In the Loop” from 8-10amET. Then, Schatzker and Ruhle will host a new show at 10am, replacing Brennan’s “In Business.”

In a Media Beat interview last summer, Brennan told us about her decision to leave CNBC for Bloomberg, and also hinted at a true passion: international reporting. Brennan’s final day hosting “In Business” is this Friday.

Keene’s NoonET program goes away and will be replaced by a what Morse calls a “high-profile ensemble cast” who will be assessing the market at Midday.

TVNewser has learned Bloomberg TV has laid off up to 30 reporters, producers, associate producers, editors and other staffers this morning as the company shifts to a digital-centric newsroom. As TV employees are cut, Bloomberg plans to add 13 new positions and create a Digital Video Desk focused on moving video productions to web platforms, including tablets, smartphones and desktops. Among those let go, Cris Valerio, a San Francisco-based technology reporter and host of the weekly show “Venture,” which was canceled last year.

The shift has been in the works since Andrew Morse joined as head of Bloomberg TV last summer. Morse spent 15 years at ABC News, most recently at ABC News digital. In an email to staff, obtained by TVNewser, Morse writes that while “new positions” will be added, “we have also had to remove some positions that are no longer aligned with digital newsgathering and production.”

Of the new jobs, to be posted soon, there are six new positions for digital producers and digital strategists, leaving a net loss of about 15 positions.

During the last staff cuts at Bloomberg in early 2009, more than 100 employees from the Radio and TV, including 45 at Bloomberg’s New York City headquarters, were laid off. Those cuts were overseen by then head of Bloomberg TV David Rhodes who is now president of CBS News.

Morse calls the changes “an overdue strategic repositioning.” His note to staff, after the jump…

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• Bloomberg TV will debut a new primetime show hosted by Betty Liu, “Titans at the Table,” Thursday night at 9pmET. The show is planned as a quarterly special and will feature interviews with prominent business personalities — over the dinner table. “When you’re interviewing someone on a set, you tend to get canned answers,” Andrew Morse, Bloomberg’s head of U.S. television, tells Yahoo!.

• NBC News has promoted two staffers in the political unit. Mark Murray has been named senior political editor and Domenico Montanaro has been named deputy political editor.

• BBC America is rolling out a “cheeky” new ad campaign to promote programming produced specifically for the channel. (“Even the loudmouth next to you would sound better with a British accent,” one subway poster reads.) The ads bring “a new voice, a new attitude” to BBC America, general manager Perry Simon tells the New York Times.

• ABC News senior producer Dan Arnall has joined Bloomberg TV as EP of news. “Dan’s extensive experience in covering business news and his passion for the beat, along with his creative production skills, will make him a crucial leader of the Bloomberg TV team,” said Bloomberg TV chief Andrew Morse.

• FBN anchor Liz Claman talks to Improper Bostonian. When asked if Fox News is “fair and balanced” she replied: “I’d rather push our fledgling network that’s doing incredibly well, and yes, we’re fair and balanced.”

• Speaking of Fox News, Ad Exchanger has a wonky look at FNC’s ad sales. If you live and breathe CPMs, this one’s for you.

Former CNBC anchor Trish Regan is joining Bloomberg Television as co-anchor of “Street Smart” which will air from 3-5pmET weekdays beginning January 9. She will also anchor a number of primetime specials and help lead anchor coverage of the 2012 Presidential election campaign.

Regan, who left CNBC in March, has been doing freelance work for ABC News, including as recently as last night when she was on “World News” talking about holiday shopping and the economy.

“Trish is an accomplished broadcast journalist and skilled reporter who has covered some of the most important global economic stories of our time,” said Bloomberg TV’s Andrew Morse. “She’ll play a key role on our Bloomberg team as we move forward with our goal of becoming the most influential business and financial news network.”

Regan is represented by John Ferriter and George Arquilla at Octagon, the same agency that represents CNN’s Piers Morgan and Erin Burnett.

More in the news release after the jump…

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ABC News producer Courtney Chapman was named executive producer of special events for Bloomberg TV, the company announced today.

At ABC News, Chapman was the coordinating producer of content development for digital media, managing digital coverage of the 2010 midterm election and the royal wedding in the UK. In her new role, she will be responsible for Bloomberg TV coverage of both live and planned major events.

Andrew Morse, Bloomberg’s head of U.S. television, joined the business network from ABC News in June. Earlier this month, Morse also brought on former ABCer Wendy Brundige as the network’s West Coast bureau chief.

In a statement, Bloomberg TV said the goal of Chapman’s role is “to deliver more in-depth special reports to our viewers.” The network produced several specials this summer and has another, called “EU Breakthrough,” scheduled for 7 p.m.ET tonight.

The full statement from Bloomberg is after the jump.

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