“First Thursday,” the big kick-off for March Madness, is over, and with it the 2013 TVNewser March Madness bracket challenge really gets started.

This early in the game everyone is really close, but a few people have separated themselves from the pack.

CNBC’s Brian Schactman leads the way, with his colleague Joe Kernen and CNN’s Brooke Baldwin right behind him. Right now Lisa Sylvester, Wolf Blitzer, Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell are at the bottom of the pack, but there is plenty of time for a comeback.

Take a look at the full standings, after the jump.
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• CBS correspondent Bill Geist is getting steamy for a segment on “CBS Sunday Morning.” Geist’s segment is about erotic romance novels, and based on the picture CBS sent over (see right) he really went in-depth.

• CNBC’s “Squawk Box” has launched a weekly blog called “Talking Squawk” from EP Matt Quayle. The post sets the stage for the week ahead, and looks at the lighter side of TV. Featured this week: The TVNewser March Madness Bracket Challenge.

• NBC “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie wrote a post about World Down Syndrome Day, and the personal meaning it has for her. Guthrie’s uncle, Pierce, was born with Down Syndrome.

Spring is here (even though it may not feel like it where you are) and with it comes the sweet sound of sneakers on hardwood: the NCAA March Madness college basketball tournament.

Every year we have some of the best and brightest from the world of TV news come together in one competition to see who is tops at picking winners and losers.

Ultimately there can be only one winner, and they get the chance to brag about their picking prowess for all to see. 2012′s winner was Fox Business Network stocks editor Liz MacDonald. Liz wont be participating this year, but 2011′s winner Dominic Chu is back to try and reclaim the title.

Here is your 2013 TVNewser March Madness lineup:

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With Kentucky’s 67-59 win over Kansas last night, March Madness has officially come to an end. That also means that it is time to declare a winner in TVNewser’s 2012 March Madness bracket challenge.

Your 2012 TVNewser bracket challenge winner is…

Fox Business Network stocks editor Liz MacDonald!

“It was great fun going up against really tough competition,” MacDonald says. “I am honored and thrilled to be this year’s champion.”

It was a close match this year, with CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux and Kyra Phillips very close behind MacDonald in the standings. This is the second straight year that a competitor for one of the business news networks won. Last year’s winner was Bloomberg TV’s Dominic Chu. Chu also had a good showing this year, placing ninth.

In last place, tragically, was your humble TVNewser editor, who clearly needs to reevaluate his college basketball picking skills. My strategy of picking teams who had cool mascots (Blue Devils? Awesome!) may not have been the most sound.

A big “Thank You!” to all of this year’s participants.

The final standings are below.
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After a week of Wall Street gyrations a Quick delivery. CNBC’s “Squawk Box” co-host Becky Quick delivered a baby boy Sunday.

This morning on the show Joe Kernen announced:

Breaking news. Do we have a drum roll? Bouncing baby boy, blond hair. Kyle Nathaniel Quayle and for short, Kye as in pie.

Kye comes in at 6 lbs., 15 oz. And this business of family revolves around CNBC. Quick is married to Matt Quayle — an 18 year CNBC vet — who is the executive producer of “Squawk Box.”

The time has come. The very first March Madness games are underway, and with them, comes the 2011 TVNewser bracket challenge.

Last year we had executive producers from across the TV news landscape make their picks, with “BBC World News America” EP Rome Hartman emerging victorious.

Hartman is back this year to defend his crown, but we opened the field up to all senior executives, executive producers and talent.

One thing we learned: “The Early Show” crew sticks together, and CNBCers love their college basketball.

Who are our players? Find out after the jump.

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It’s time for some College Basketball March Madness and while you’ve been asking your colleagues (or are being asked by your colleagues) to join a bracket pool, we’ve been asking your bosses (or your favorite show’s bosses) to join ours. In this, the second annual TVNewser Bracket Challenge, we’ve asked executive producers from all networks to submit their picks. We’ll be keeping tabs on the results as the rounds go by and will eventually crown a 2010 TVNewser Champion, or, as we are unofficially calling it, a 2010 “boss of all bosses.”

Here are this year’s entrants:

Amy Sohnen, “The O’Reilly Factor”
Betsy Fischer, “Meet the Press”
Bill Wolff, “The Rachel Maddow Show”
Bob Epstein, “NBC Nightly News”
Carin Pratt, “Face the Nation”
Chris Licht, “Morning Joe”
David Friedman, “The Early Show”
David Tabacoff, “The O’Reilly Factor”
Gary Schreier, Fox Business Network
Jon Banner, “ABC World News”
Kim Rosenberg, “FOX Report”
Matt Quayle, “Squawk Box,” “Squawk on the Street”
Alex Crippen, CNBC and CNBC.com
Michael Kane, CNN Money Unit
Ramona Schindelheim, CNBC Business Day
Regina Gilgan, “Mad Money”
Rome Hartman, “BBC World News America”
Sanford Cannold, “Power Lunch,” “Street Signs”
Stephanie Todd, “Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell”
Tom Cibrowski, “Good Morning America”

And now, to get you in the mood:

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