• The newest addition to CNN’s weekday afternoon line-up, “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” debuts at 4pmET Monday, March 18. Tapper left ABC News for CNN in December.

• MSNBC contributor Michael Smerconish is moving his daily radio show to satellite.  Beginning April 15, The Michael Smerconish Program will cease broadcasting on terrestrial radio and move to SiriusXM.

• For the seventh time in 10 shows, “60 Minutes” made the Nielsen Top 10. Sunday’s show drew 12.02 million viewers finishing at #5 for the week.

MSNBC has taken out another full page ad in the Sunday New York Times, this time tying together the Super Bowl and 2012 Election coverage.

A few weeks ago, MSNBC ran an ad — criticized by some — promoting “Morning Joe” as “The Most Influential Political Show in America.” A week later, there were dueling full page ads from MSNBC and CBS ahead of the launch of “CBS This Morning.”

Today’s ad features Rachel Maddow, who has been anchoring MSNBC’s caucus and primary nights, except last night when Michael Smerconish and Chris Matthews had Nevada duty.

The networks have not yet announced plans for Tuesday’s Colorado and Minnesota caucuses. But the ratings for Florida’s primary showed channels like Fox News and MSNBC actually perform better with regular programming, while CNN, which ranks third in primetime, has experienced significant tune in on primary nights — up 75% last Tuesday during Florida coverage, from its Monday average.

The fight for the Republican Presidential nomination continues tomorrow in Nevada, and as usual, the cable networks will be there.

MSNBC’s coverage will run from 6-10:30pmET. The first two hours will be hosted by MSNBC political analyst Michael Smerconish. Chris Matthews will take over from the DC bureau at 8pmET.

CNN’s live coverage will run from 7-10pmET and will be anchored by Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper and John King. At 11pmET, Don Lemon will anchor a live edition of “Newsroom.”

Fox News will stick with a regular Saturday night schedule in the early part of primetime — “Huckabee” at 8pmET, followed by “Justice with Judge Janine.” At 10pmET, Bret Baier will host a one-hour live special on the caucus results. Baier will also provide extended live cut-ins during the rest of primetime programming.

MSNBC’s early evening line-up will look a little different this summer week. Radio personality and MSNBC analyst Michael Smerconish is filling in again for Chris Matthews on “Hardball” all this week. Meanwhile, The Young Turk’s Cenk Uygur will be in for Ed Schultz on “The Ed Show.” Uygur recently filled in for Dylan Ratigan as well.

Philadelphia radio talk show host and MSNBC regular Michael Smerconish says CNN’s Larry King‘s departure reminds him of Bruno Sammartino, the 1970s WWF star who was the “ultimate good guy.”

On Saturday mornings, wrestling was a weekend fix for kids. Nobody got hurt, especially the wrestlers. The stakes are higher in Larry King’s ring. Today’s incarnation is political poison for the country. Elected officials and would-be politicians now take their behavioral cues from TV and radio hosts.

Larry King no longer fit into that equation. His outdated sense of civility and relatively nonpartisan approach made him a dinosaur bound for extinction. Like [Sammartino], the game he helped create has left him behind.

WWF star Bruno Sammartino in his heyday.

Radio and television personality Michael Smerconish writes an editorial in the Washington Post decrying the partisan state of cable news.

Smerconish argues that television and radio is shaping the partisan climate in Washington, and writes that the forthcoming departure of Campbell Brown from CNN “marks another tombstone in the graveyard of moderate, thoughtful analysis.”

CNN is rumored to be looking at a “Crossfire” type debate program to plug into Brown’s slot, though no programming decisions have been made. Eliot Spitzer has been said to be in consideration for that show, and today the New York Post‘s Claire Atkinson writes that her fellow Brit Piers Morgan has been approached about the program.

Smerconish also talks a bit about how the TV news sausage gets made, recalling calls from CNN and Fox News producers seeking guests that fit a predetermined mold.

The message of both episodes is clear: There is no room for nuance. Either you offer a consistent (possibly artificial) ideological view or you often don’t get a say.

So why is there a lack of centrist voices? The answer, according to Smerconish, is about as straightforward as it gets:

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As we continue to report on Fox News host Bill O’Reilly stepping up to assist the family of a fallen Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder with their mounting legal bills, here’s a look back at where it all began.

In June, 2006 on Fox News Channel’s “The Big Story Prime Time,” Julie Banderas interviewed Matthew’s father Albert. In a separate interview, she talked with Shirley Phelps Roper, a member of the Westboro Baptist Church who picketed Matthew’s funeral a few months earlier.

In a moment of must-see-TV news, Banderas takes on Phelps Roper, who fires right back, with a slew of Bible passages, taunts and eternal damnation.

> Update: An emailer reminds us that radio talk show host Michael Smerconish interviewed Fred Phelps on this case while guest hosting on MSNBC, on April 11, 2006.

And like O’Reilly, Smerconish is writing his own check to the Snyder family and encouraging his audience to as well.

> CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo hosts “Meeting of the Minds: The Future of Capitalism” tonight at 9pmET. The roundtable features former GE Chairman Jack Welch, Citi CEO Vikram Pandit, and Mark Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League.

> FishbowlDC’s Matt Dornic went to the Michael Smerconish book party the other night where he got another “I’m not running for the Senate” from MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. • Read…

> FBN’s Liz Claman‘s got Twitter moxie: Fox Business taking the full Obama/Netanyahu news conference. Global, crucial, newsmaking. Other biz networks r ignoring. NOT US. Then later – The news conference is almost done, then we’ll be back on. GREAT guests coming up in both 2:30pET and 3pET. Hang in there with us.

Breaking: Sen. Arlen Specter‘s first interview since crossing the aisle to the Democratic party will be on NBC’s Meet the Press.

TVNewser has learned David Gregory will interview Specter live on Sunday.

> Update: Well MTP may be first, but not by much. Specter will appear on CBS’ Face the Nation as well on Sunday. And a tipster writes: “Senator Specter’s first interview is not Meet the Press — he was on air this morning with Michael Smerconish — just moments before he went to meet the President and Vice President. 7:15am this morning — that’s the first interivew!!” Okay, so first TV interview…

Philadelphia radio talk show host and perennial cable news guest Michael Smerconish has written a new book about his life as a professional talker. In Morning Drive: Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Talking Smerconish argues the cable TV news presents a too-simple and ultimately unrealistic, “liberal or conservative” view of the world.

And this morning on Reliable Sources with Howard Kurtz, Smerconish revealed some personal anecdotes about his talk show experiences involving Glenn Beck, David Gregory, Larry King and a Fox News program – experiences that may well affect future bookings.

More after the jump…

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