Mark Levin Accuses Media Matters of Criminal Matters! Bring On The Lawsuit, Please!! So We Can All Get To Look Inside David Brock's Toy Chest!!!

Mark Levin is more of a radio guy than a Cable Gamer, but he should be doing more of both media. Why? Because he is both entertaining and enlightening. And oh yes, as a third "ing," he is thought-provoking. And maybe, fourth, lawsuit-enticing? And maybe, fifth, David Brock-ensnaring?

Here's an example of Mark being all three: As downloaded and preserved by the always-valuable Olbermann Watch, Levin speculates that Media Matters could, in fact, be a criminal organization.

That's a strong charge. Just to make sure that everyone heard him loud and clear, Levin repeated the accusation several times on his Friday show. Levin is clearly asking for legal trouble, because clearly he figures he can stare down that legal trouble.

Criminal? Really? How so? Criminal in the sense, Levin argues, that Media Matters might well be playing fast and loose with the tax laws. That is, according to Levin--and he's a lawyer, so he has an informed opinion, unlike this humble Cable Gamer--MM's tax exemption requires that it be non-partisan. Tax-exempt outfits can't get involved in elections,and they have to sign and swear that they are abiding by the law when they send in their papers to the IRS. And it's a no-no, of course, to fib to Uncle Sam.

And, Levin asserts, if there were a process of discovery, such that every e-mail and phone call to and from MM were revealed, it would be clear enough that MM is in league with partisan Democrats and thus had violated its tax-exempt status. And that's a crime, such as perjury, Levin says--certainly it's a crime if it's done knowingly.

Now The Cable Gamer is in no position to judge the legal merits of these comments. I don't know whether or not MM is in violation of the law as it is written, given all the loopholes and whatnot. But I sure know--we all sure know-that MM leans way to the left.

As Levin sez, MM never attacks a liberal or a Democrat--it's always conservatives and Republicans. So don't sue me, MM, because I am merely passing along some news about Levin said, without warrantying that what he said was true. (Although I have great respect for Levin's legal judgment, gained over the decade since he burst on the scene during the Clinton Scandal Years. Which could mean, of course, that we'll be seeing a lot of him in the future.)

In this excerpt, Levin also had some great stuff to say about some Cable Game figures, such as MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, whom he called "a weasel," and of course, Levin ripped into Keith Olbermann , whom he called a conscious cog in the liberal conspiracy, whereas Scarborough is more of a useful idiot. And Levin also defended Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh against MM's ridiculous cut-and-paste attacks.

But I do hope that MM sues Levin for libel, or defamation, or whatever the exact term might be.

In fact, I am sure that Levin wants Media Matters to sue him! Levin is baiting MM, TCG reckons, precisely because he knows that if there is a lawsuit, then Levin & Co. can gain access, through discovery, of MM's files. And we can find out where the MM bodies are buried, who's lurking in MM chief Brock's closet, and so on. You never know what you'll discover when you go into a haunted house. George Soros, anyone? Connections to the Hillary Rodham Clinton prsidential campaign?

And that's why I predict that MM will simply ignore Levin, no matter what Levin says about MM. MM wouldn't dare sue Mark, and open up that can of worms.

And finally, thanks, as always, Johnny Dollar!

Fox Business News...

...it's coming! A sneak, of sorts, on October 1.

Juan Williams Is A Strong And Brave Man

That's the headline, as The Battle of Bill heats up.

Bill O'Reilly is under fire from those weasels at Media Matters, and the rest of the Left is joining in, piling on.

Now Juan Williams has joined in on O'Reilly's side, joining with such other strong African-American figures as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. In this powerful piece in Time magazine, Williams puts the controversy in a larger context.

Wiliams starts by knocking down "the suggestion...that O'Reilly had racist preconceptions." Williams dismisses this notion as a "twisted assumption," recalling that those false allegations "led me to say publicly that the attacks on O'Reilly amounted to an effort to take what he said totally out of context in an attempt to brand him a racist by a liberal group that disagrees with much of his politics." That liberal group, of course, is Media Matters.

Then Juan continues:

But the out-of-context attacks on O'Reilly picked up speed and ended up on CNN, where one commentator branded me a "Happy Negro" for allowing O'Reilly to get by with making racist comments without objection.

This is so far from the truth of the conversation on the radio that it is beyond a matter of words being taken out of context. This is a pathetic cowardly, personal attack against me intended to damage my credibility and invalidate any support I offer to O'Reilly against the charges that he is a racist.

And just so that we don't forget, who is Juan Williams? What does he know about race and racial issues?

For the record, I am a black man who lives in a black neighborhood in a mostly black city, and is married to a black woman. I am also the author of several books and documentaries on the civil rights movement. And any viewer of the O'Reilly TV show knows that O'Reilly and I respect, even like, each other but are frequently at loud, finger-pointing odds over politics and people.

And then Juan really spells things out:

But this is an attempt to take down O'Reilly and dismiss anyone offering him support — me. This is along the lines of telling anyone who calls attention to the excesses of hip-hop culture a "self-hating" black man and skewering anyone who dares to say there is a crisis in black America because of the high dropout rates, high crime rates and high out-of-wedlock birth rates.That is what happened to another well-known Bill, Bill Cosby, after he spoke out about the self-destructive images and behavior in the black community.

The critics want to shut up Cosby, O'Reilly, me and anyone else who points out the crisis in black America. They want anyone who dares to speak publicly about problems in black America to fear being called a racist, if they are white, or a "Happy Negro" if they are black. They want silence so they can continue to make money by distorting black life and allowing black on black murder rates to climb along with the black dropout rate and the black poverty rate.

The critics want to paralyze efforts to help those locked in poverty and too often in a criminal culture where acceptance of drug use and violence becomes acceptable. They don't want black people to be known as Americans with a long distinguished history of patriotism, reverence for education and a willingness to fight for America's ideals — justice for all — despite the harsh facts of slavery and legal segregation.

They prefer to bash anyone who points out their tragic, mindless willingness to sell out the history and pride of black people to make a buck. But take this from the "Happy Negro." The critics are some Sad People.

In other words, the real fight here is over the future of Black America. No wonder Juan cares--because the next step in the civil rights struggle is not school integration, it is economic integration, and that can only happen after the cultures find common ground--American common ground.

Still, it's hard for this Cable Gamer, operating from comfortable remove from the Beltway Battles, to imagine the kind of assault that Williams is destined to endure from liberals and bloggers, all because he was willing to stand up and tell the truth. They will come after him. As I said, he's a courageous man.

Meanwhile, Johnny Dollar comes through, as he always does, with some clutch a/v on the tiff, this from another brave fellow, LaShawn Barber.

“There’s no difference" between "David Shuster or the Democratic National Committee”

The Politico newspaper has emerged as a strong force in Washington. And Anne Schroeder has emerged as a significant force at the The Politico--and here's an item that proves it. Schroeder gets the goods on a looming boycott of "MSDNC," finally triggered by David Shuster's obviously liberal partisanship:

Looks like MSNBC correspondent David Shuster may have deprived loyal MSNBC viewers of their favorite GOP talking heads—at least for now.

This week, the MSNBC reporter “sandbagged” Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) during an interview by asking her to name the last solider from her district to die in Iraq. After she couldn’t, Shuster named the solider himself and then scolded the Tennessee Republican for her hypocrisy.

But it turns out that the soldier Shuster named— Pvt. Jeremy S. Bohannon,—was not from Blackburn’s district after all. The incident landed Shuster in some GOP hot water, and the newsman was forced to make an on-air apology for the incident last night.

But that might not be the end of it, as irked Republican Hillers are now planning a boycott of Shuster’s employer. ...

Word is, a growing number of GOP lawmakers have become mysteriously “unavailable” when asked to appear on MSNBC. Numerous meetings have taken place in both the House and the Senate side regarding the interview and “what to do about it,” Hill sources report.

One MSNBC producer told a Hill staffer, as relayed to us: “We can’t even get any republican senators!” While other offices immediately declared “absolutely not” when they heard the host was Shuster.

“There’s no difference because sending your boss over to David Shuster or the Democratic National Committee at this point,” sniffs one high-placed House source.

Schroeder also wallops Shuster & Co. with this:

“We don’t mind skipping MSNBC. No one watches that channel anyway,” says a high placed Republican consultant.

MRC Rights Wrongs! Takes on Liberal MSM Bias!!

The Media Research Center, founded by Brent Bozell, is an invaluable resource for Cable Gamers. Over the last two decades, it has done heroic work in chronicling media bias--and it was, in fact, a major inspiration to the founding of The Cable Game.

The MRC is, indeed, "The Leader in Documenting, Exposing, and Neutralizing Liberal Media Bias."

A case in point is MRC's exhaustive treatment of the Bill O'Reilly vs. Media Matters flap is a case in point. Here's MRC, in all its analytical, let's-go-to-the-tape glory:

The morning after CNN and MSNBC began salivating over a potential "Imus moment" pushed by a far-left group to suppress Bill O'Reilly over a supposedly racist remark, CBS and NBC on Wednesday advanced the liberal group's cause with multi-part segments on the topic. But while NBC's Today at least provided some balance and proper labeling, CBS's Early Show, with "In Hot Water" and "O'Race Factor" on screen, aired a story which failed to identify the ideology of Media Matters and followed with Julie Chen pressing the only guest to agree O'Reilly's comment was racist and that he must issue an apology. Amazingly, neither show bothered to mention that Juan Williams, the black journalist who was on O'Reilly's radio show when the FNC host made the remarks in question, defended O'Reilly: "It had nothing to do with racist ranting by anybody except these idiots at CNN."

Harry Smith teased Wednesday's Early Show: "Bill O'Reilly in hot water over race remarks. The controversy ahead, early this Wednesday morning, September 26th, 2007." Chen hyped a "firestorm" over O'Reilly before reporter Bianca Solorzano innocuously described Media Matters as a "watchdog group." Solorzano asked an employee at the Harlem restaurant O'Reilly talked about: "Do you feel Bill O'Reilly's comments about his meal here are racist?" The woman affirmed: "Definitely. One of the worst stereotypes ever of our customers, of our people." Chen next interviewed Alex David of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. She pressed him: "You say ignorance, but do you think racist?" Chen also urged him to agree: "Does he need to apologize at this point, do you think?"

In contrast, Today co-host Matt Lauer properly tagged Media Matters and gave O'Reilly's point of view, teasing at the top of the show: "Bill O'Reilly is in the headlines again, this time for some comments he made about race in America. He says his comments were taken out of context and he's being targeted by a left-wing Web site. In fact he says he was complimenting African-Americans and speaking out against racism. We're gonna get into that debate." Co-host Meredith Vieira considered the possibility that O'Reilly is the victim and not the perpetrator, "Still ahead: Bill O'Reilly catching some flack for comments he made about a Harlem restaurant, but is he the victim of a smear campaign?"

In the subsequent segment, following a set-up piece, Lauer interviewed Paul Waldman of Media Matters as well as Republican strategist Joe Watkins who defended O'Reilly. Lauer even challenged Waldman with the larger context of O'Reilly's remarks: "I looked at it, Paul and I, and I thought Bill O'Reilly was saying that we should not be surprised. That, in other words, it's only for the small group of people who look at the entertainment of somebody like a 50 Cent or a Ludacris and thinks that represents all of African-Americans, that those people, need to get out and live life a little bit. You didn't see it that way?"

For much more on Tuesday coverage, the context of O'Reilly's comments and more of what Juan Williams said Tuesday night on The O'Reilly Factor, see the September 26 CyberAlert rundown, "CNN Sees 'Imus Moment' for O'Reilly, Williams Calls CNN 'Idiots,'" online at: www.mediaresearch.org

The key quote from O'Reilly featured by CBS and NBC, from O'Reilly's recollection on his radio show last week about dinner at Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem with Al Sharpton: "And I couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same. Even though it's run by blacks. There wasn't one person in Silvia's who was screaming 'M-Fer I want more iced tea.'"

In "SMEAR 101: Hoping to Create the Next Imus, Enemies Clobber O'Reilly," RadioEqualizer blogger Brian Maloney on Wednesday provided a media outlet by media outlet timeline of the spread of the impugning of O'Reilly. Maloney's posting includes links to audio of O'Reilly's remarks in full as well as examples of inaccurate attacks on O'Reilly by CNN and others. An excerpt from his conclusion:

Under scrutiny, none of the allegations against O'Reilly hold up. Where to begin?

First, placed in their proper context, his comments simply don't come across as inflammatory. O'Reilly's overall theme is that many whites have very little real experience with black people. As a result, their views of African- Americans are clouded by negative perceptions that come from mainstream media consumption.

Are all black people gangsta rappers or convicts? Of course not, but without a lot of personal interaction, many white people may not recognize that.

Does O'Reilly share some of that ignorance? Perhaps, especially when his words are improperly isolated.

Even if he does, so what? Obviously, this a common problem in our society. That should not seem newsworthy to CNN.

Another gaping hole in the Media Matters smear campaign is the fact that the comments in question were made during an interview with liberal African-American pundit Juan Williams. And if you listen to the audio, Williams agrees with O'Reilly on these very points!

In fact, Williams has actually come out swinging in order to defend O'Reilly....Williams makes it clear that their discussion has been turned on its head by O'Reilly's enemies....

Between O'Reilly and Imus, there's no comparison. While the latter was guilty of uttering some outrageous slurs, Bill O'Reilly was doing nothing more than attempting to carry on an intelligent discussion about race relations in America. CNN, CBS and the New York Times are guilty of perpetuating this Soros-funded smear campaign and should truly be ashamed of themselves.

And there's a lot more detail, including all the transcripts, on the MRC website.

CNBC's Melissa Francis -- Scratched! And after "On The Money" Goes, Who's Next? Maybe "Fast Money"? And "Mad Money"?

A "Scratch," as Cable Gamers know, is when a program gets below a certain number of viewers "in the demo"--that is, viewers 25-54. For CNBC, the "scratch" number is 51,000. Which is to say, basically, nobody's watching.

And that was the sad fate of "On the Money," and Melissa Francis, as CNBC tries to get its act together before the launch of Fox Business News next month.

As this chart shows, both "On the Money" and "Fast Money" were, uh, SCRATCH FESTS.

In September 2007, "OTM" scratched 64 percent of its airings, and for its part, "FM" scratched 48 percent of the time. So "OTM" was cancelled, and "FM" was moved--such a move usually a sign that a show is sliding toward the exit.

The Cable Gamer has no real criticism of "OTM" and "FM." OK, they're not so "on" and not so "fast"--and "Squawk Box," of course, is a turkey, too.

But the real dog--a rabid dog--in the CNBC manger is "Mad Money," which TCG simply can't watch, even with toothpicks holding her eyelids apart. And in fact, my faith in human nature was restored when I learned that "Mad Money" was scratching 70 percent of the time.

UPDATE: As TCG was processing this news--I am slow with numbers, and not much faster with graphics, I hope you can read my "scratch" chart, above--a trusted source suggested that maybe Ms. Francis was bounced because she had complained to CNBC management about the favoritism shown to money honeys Maria Bartiromo and Erin Burnett.

TCG gives this tip some credence, because it would explain why Francis' "OTM" got canceled while Jim Cramer's "MM," which did even worse, survived.

Of course, it's also true that Cramer is famous for being a suck-up to Bill Clinton and now Hillary Clinton, so maybe CNBC figures it's a good idea to keep him around for the day, if and when--probably when--that Hillary gets elected President.

Of course, the soonest that Hillary could take office is January 2009--So CNBC has to figure out how to survive until then, and not get scratched out of existence in the meantime.

Verne Gay Bites Dog -- I Mean, Defends Bill O'Reilly! And Trashes Media Matters!!

Newsday's Verne Gay is about to get slimed by the Liberal Attack Machine. The Cable Gamer has no inside sources, but by the pricking of her thumbs, she knows that if Gay starts telling the truth about Media Matters, MM will, in return, start lying about Gay.

Here's the best of it:

Today, I defend Bill.

This is a highly amusing act, because O'Reilly has attacked me on the air a couple of times. He once called me a "left-wing journalist with an agenda..." I loved that
best of all, for it was so joyously, ludicrously wide of the mark. He used to refer to me as "that guy" too. He couldn't bring himself to call me by name.

But this isn't about me. It's about Bill. He was attacked by a self-described "progressive" media "watch-dog" site called Media Matters. Apparently these people at MM have nothing better to do than spend their days and nights looking for conservative bias in the media, and now - are you ready for this? - they've come after Newsday.

Newsday!

TCG will interpolate here: Newsday is a terrific newspaper, with great coverage of Long Island, but like most MSM papers, it leans left. So for MM to attack it, well, that just shows how far over MM really is.

And by direct association, me, whose byline was on that article.

This time, I'm actually on this guy's side.

That is to say, Gay is defending O'Reilly against MMM--Media Matters Mud. Now back to Gay:

Here's what MM posted on their site: "The headline of a Newsday article on Bill O'Reilly's controversial remarks about a Harlem restaurant run by African-Americans asserted, 'O'Reilly lashes out at CNN over misquoted report,' but the article provided no examples of a 'misquot[ation],' nor did it quote O'Reilly claiming to have been 'misquoted.' The article also stated that 'Mediamatters.org released a partial transcript' of O'Reilly's comments. In fact, Media Matters provided the relevant transcript and audio clip of O'Reilly's remarks, which included the full context of his statements."

Now, let me give you a little lesson in journalism, Media Matters Person. When you quote someone out of context - as you did - it's the same as misquoting them. You may as well make up their words, because the import is the same - a disingenuous conveyance of information that had no bearing on the speaker's intent.

Second, let me take issue with the weasel word "relevant." In fact, it WAS a partial transcript, both print and audio. The print transcript that MM has on its website is in fact HEAVILY redacted, and the audio - or at least the audio posted Tuesday when this whole thing exploded - was only a small portion of a conversation that lasted an hour.

What did Bill say?

Here's my own transcript of the conversation and any mistakes are mine alone. There are many small elisions here and there, but I've tried to be faithful to the general tone, tenor and context of the conversation. (This is about eighteen minutes of the full hour - the RELEVANT eighteen minutes.)

My summation: It's O'Reilly’s standard-issue anti-rap diatribe. I've heard it before, and so have you. And if he’s guilty of anything here, it's of being a flat-footed white guy with a tin ear. But he's always been guilty of that, so what else is new? The comments about Sylvia’s were – of course – silly but part of a much broader context which I think renders them harmless.

Verne, you're a brave man for writing all this. I pray that you will survive the MM counter-attack, because it's coming!

O'Reilly Goes On The Offensive Against Media Matters

The Big O is kicking some major butt on his counter-offensive against those weasels--yes, it's a weasel-rich environment out there!--at Media Matters. He is going after them, speaking the truth, on his show, and it's clicking with the public, which is tired of leftwingers trying to intimidate people--the Silent Majority, the folks who pay the taxes and maybe watch Fox--into bowing down to George Soros -type political correctness.

And he has the public with him, as measured by a new AOL poll. According to data summarized here, 130,671 people (at the time of this posting) had voted on whether or not Bill O'Reilly had said anything offensive on his "Radio Factor" show on September 19. And here are the results, by percentage: Inoffensive: 60, Offensive: 32, No Opinion: 8.

TCG has followed the whole debate, and found nothing offensive in what O'Reilly said--Indeed, he was actually making a point in favor of tolerance! (Not that those schmucks at Media Mattters care, since they have to meet their quota of Fox-bashing items every day, no matter what, and so MM is not giving up in its jihad against O'Reilly.

So of course, especially if it "whips" its own Koolaid-drinking followers, MM can find a third of the people who will vote "their" way. But only a third, or slightly less. Because the vast majority is with O'Reilly!

Hey CNN! Bring Back The O'Briens--Soledad and Miles! Cuz Kiran Chetry and John Roberts Are Driving Away Auds!

Inside Cable News, always a must-read for Cable Gamers,
has the numbers and the analysis for CNN's "American Morning." Take a look:

According to this data which is broken down by Male and Female Total Viewers and Demo viewers and also combined Total Viewers and Demo viewers, the program is down across the board.

CNN Prexy Jon Klein made a big deal of revamping "AM," and so he got rid of the adorable Soledad O'Brien and the perfectly serviceable Miles O'Brien (the two, Soledad, and Miles, are not related).

Instead, Klein, anxious to show that he was making changes, even if changes for the worse, brought in John Roberts, and the backstabbing Kiran Chetry. John's no different, and Kiran is worse. No wonder the ratings are down.

Note to Jon: People have to like the people that they are watching on TV. And so ice princesses don't make it--isn't that right, Paula Zahn?

Weasel Watch: Marsha Blackburn Takes Down David Shuster

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), clobbers David Shuster on FNC: "What David Shuster did was inappropriate, it crossed the line." And of course, News Hawk Johnny Dollar has the whole thing.

So Shuster wants to be another Keith Olbermann, playing to the leftward lurch at MSNBC engineered by Dan Abrams. I wonder what the viewers will think of this. And I wonder what NBC and GE are going to do. They are publicly traded corporations, which means that they are subject to all sorts of rules about fairness and fiduciary prudence. Or am I wrong? Have the rules changed?

Speaking of Weasels, How 'Bout That David Shuster?

David Shuster has had to apologize, big time, on MSNBC, because Mark Finkelstein, of Newsbusters, busted him, big time. Here's the text:

On Monday evening while guest-hosting the 6 p.m. evening hour, I conducted an interview with Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn. The congresswoman spoke at length about a newspaper ad that criticized General Petraeus. In what I believed was an effort to examine Representative Blackburn's priorities, I then asked her to name the last soldier from her congressional district killed in Iraq.

She responded "the name of the last soldier killed in Iraq from my district, I do not know." After that response, I identified who I believed to be that fallen soldier, a Tennessean killed in Iraq last month. But according to Pentagon documents, that young man came from a town inside a neighboring congressional district, not from Representative Blackburn's, and for that, I apologize for that mistake.

It's nice that Shuster apologized, but if you follow what happened, it's clear that Shuster intended to nail Representative Marsha Blackburn, so that he, Shuster, could become a hero in the eyes of George Soros-type lefties.

For such malicious use of his journalistic power, Shuster should do more than apologize.

Jesse Jackson on "The O'Reilly Factor" Thursday Night

Jesse Jackson and Bill O'Reilly on "The Factor" tomorrow night. The Cable Gamer will eat her (many) hats if the subject of Media Matters and all that does NOT come up.

Jackson is too old, and to well established as a civil rights legend, to pull any punches. So if JJ thinks that BO is a racist, he will say so.

But TCG predicts that while the two will have a spirited discussion, both will agree that despite their disagreements, each man deserves credit for operating from a spirit of good will and fair play--which is more than one can say for those weasels at MM.

Maria Bartiromo As You Have Never Seen Her--But Might Have Suspected!

The Cable Gamer doesn't exactly know what to make of this painting of Maria Bartiromo, found featured on Dealbreaker.com, by one Geoffrey Raymond.

But whatever's going on here, I think it's pretty cool! And TCG looks forward to Erin Burnett getting equal time!

David Brock Gets Caught! (Although Secretly, He Probably Loves Being Naughty and Nasty)

Media Matters, of course, is the notoriously left-wing hit group, founded by that flamboyantly self-hating conservative apostate, David Brock. Brock has that rare distinction of being accused of being dishonest by both liberals and conservatives alike. But don't take my word for it: Here's what you get if you type "David Brock liar" on Google: 168,000 hits.

Johnny Dollar nails Brock's Media Matters here. on the fabricated pseudo-issue of Bill O'Reilly's alleged racism. That's to be expected, because J$ is such a sharp news hawk--as distinct from a blunt-instrument news hound!

But amazingly, MM was so outrageous in its distortion and misrepresentation of O'Reilly's words that even the liberal Matt Lauer, of NBC's "Today Show," called 'em on it, as we see here, and here.

NPR Dislikes George W. Bush THIS Much -- Fox News Picks Up The Slack

We all know that NPR is biased to the left, but only now do we know how totally addled NPR has become, consumed with dislike for George W. Bush, and also, to a lesser extent, disdain for one of its own employees, Juan Williams.

The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz gets the story first, as he so often does: It seems that the White House reached out to Williams, offering him an interview with the President on civil rights--this being the 50th anniversary of President Dwight Eisenhower's courageous decision to send federal troops to Little Rock, Ark., to enforce integratration orders.

But NPR said no. As Williams told Kurtz, he was "stunned" by NPR's decision. Here's Williams, in his own words:

"It makes no sense to me. President Bush has never given an interview in which he focused on race. . . . I was stunned by the decision to turn their backs on him and to turn their backs on me."

NPR's Ellen Weiss told Kurtz that the network rejected the interview because the White House had suggested Williams, and that's some sort of editorial interference in the Dupont Circle mindset of NPR.

In fact, NPR is lucky to have Williams, who is one of the best journalists working around--he's also one of the best historians, too, being the author of three books on civil rights and the civil rights movement.

A source familiar with the situation explains the context to The Cable Game: "The real story here is that NPR doesn't like Juan. He works at Fox after all. If the White House had offered the interview to Tavis Smiley, NPR would've taken it in a heartbeat."

This source, whom we will call Deep Radio--and call upon again, in the future, I suspect--is on to something. Williams is no conservative, but he's no left-winger, either, and he does moonlight at Fox, too. So,even though Williams is a perfectly likeable fellow, of course his NPR colleagues loathe him. Of course they are happy to tear him down, even if that means hurting NPR.

By contrast, Smiley--who like Williams, is African-American, but who regularly reviles Republicans and then wonders why GOPers don't agree to appear with him--is exactly NPR's idea of "fair and balanced." So if by some accident Bush had wanted to be interviewed by someone who hates him, well, that would have been fine with NPR.

If NPR is the big loser, as Kurtz makes clear, the big winner is Fox News--because FNC got the story.

CNN: "Failure Leads to Desperation"

Bill O'Reilly clobbered CNN tonight over the ludicrous allegation, spread around by CNN's Rick Sanchez --who shouldn't be throwing stones, as Cable Gamers know (see posting earlier on Tuesday night), along with those professional lefties at Media Matters that Bill, in arguing against racism, was somehow a himself a racist.

The accusation is absurd, not made more true by turning up the volume. But Media Matters has a quota of Fox-bashing flapjacks to make every day, so this item was just another Foxberry pancake for them to flip.

And as for CNN, well, I'll Bill explain their motivation, making use of his usual incisiveness, as he did in his "Talking Points" tonight:

Failure leads to desperation. The Factor has been number one for six consecutive years and defeats our cable news competition combined. The other cable news outlets are ratings disasters. Last night, The Factor had six times as many viewers as CNN at 8pm. But that is no excuse for being dishonest.

And Juan Williams, always a stand-up guy, stood up for O'Reilly here--brought to you c/o Johnny Dollar.

Actually, the whole of Bill's "Talking Points" is worth reiterating. So I will, from the top:

“Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thanks for watching us tonight. CNN goes over to the dark side. That is the subject of this evening's Talking Points Memo.

Every weekday we do three hours of commentary -- two on the radio, one on TV. And, everyday, the far-left smear website Media Matters takes that commentary out-of-context and feeds defamation out to the public.

Media Matters, which acts in concert with the now notorious MoveOn, has labeled me anti-black, anti-Hispanic, homophobic and anti-Semitic. I'm sure I'll be a member of the Manson family shortly.

Of course, this is all non-sense and we usually ignore it until it is picked up by the so-called mainstream media. Elements at NBC News have made a living parroting media matters garbage and now, sadly, CNN has jumped into the swamp.

Recently on the Radio Factor, I did an hour on how racism is dumb, how it is driven by fear and I even used my own late grandmother as an example. Now you can hear that radio hour on billoreilly.com. It's a very interesting discussion and we didn't hear one complaint about the program that ran on more than 400 radio stations.

Well, yesterday Media Matters distorted the entire conversation and implied I was racist for condemning racism.

Stunningly, CNN echoed the defamation on at least three of its programs. The reason CNN did this is because its ratings are abysmal. It is getting hammered by Fox News so they are desperate for attention and smearing me is one way to get it.

Unfortunately, many in CNN’s audience have no idea what I said and some believe the garbage they are hearing.

Now I talked to CNN last night before that program. It was obvious they didn’t listen to the Radio Factor so I explained the deal. They went ahead with the racist angle anyway.

This is dishonest and dangerous. If a slime machine like Media Matters can get its far-left propaganda on CNN and NBC News, the nation is in trouble.

Talking Points has said many times on this broadcast that we respect CNN. We have not attacked them in any way and in the past, they have been responsible. But this is absurd. The Media Matters defamation was also picked up by the local ABC affiliate here in New York City -- again, totally irresponsible.

Finally, CNN did a documentary a few weeks ago by Christiane Amanpour. In that documentary, Ms. Amanpour put forth that religion has caused a lot of pain in the world. Now, some considered her presentation anti-Semitic and anti-Christian. We could have easily hammered CNN and Ms. Amanpour. It would have been simple to do that. But we did not. They reported -- the audience is smart enough to decide if anti-religion bias was present.

Failure leads to desperation. The Factor has been number one for six consecutive years and defeats our cable news competition combined. The other cable news outlets are ratings disasters. Last night, The Factor had six times as many viewers as CNN at 8pm. But that is no excuse for being dishonest.

And that's the memo.

Radar Scanned by Cable Game--Blips on Keith Olbermann and Anderson Cooper

Radar has always been a Cable Game fave. Unfortunately, just as the magazine seems to come and go, in terms of existing and publishing, so, too, its content seems to flit on and offline.

The Cable Gamer, of course, believes that information should be free--she would never charge for her love of Cable Gaming!

But while this link will take you to a lot of good juicy stuff, about who's overrated, you have to buy the magazine. Warning: there's some strong language ahead, which, come to think of it, I am going to edit, because even if Keith Olbermann is a lowlife, I am going to keep The Cable Game on a higher level:

KEITH OLBERMANN

With his entertaining harangues against the Bush White House, Olbermann has positioned himself as the market beneficiary of liberal rage. But as Edward Murrow’s moral heir, he falls short. It’s impossible, for instance, to imagine Murrow boasting to a disagreeable viewer- as Olbermann did last year in a series of e-mails for which MSNBC brass ordered him to apologize- “By the way, with my new contract I could buy and sell you.” Or offering up such fine sentiments as “you couldn’t be stupider, wronger, or dumber if you were Ann Coulter’s c__.” Stay classy, San Diego!

And this:

ANDERSON COOPER

CNN’s Bambi-eyed anchor has been anointed the media’s next golden boy- a compassionate, handsome heir to Rather, Brokaw, and Jennings. But his numbers tell a different story. “If I stood at my window naked, I would have more viewers,” scoffs an insider (who notes that Coop draws an even smaller audience than Aaron Brown, the man he replaced). But because he looks so pretty on the cover of Vanity Fair, his flaccid numbers haven’t diminished his standing at CNN (or rumors of a Tom Ford-bottled, Cooper-inspired fragrance).

I must say, Radar is worth it!

Roger Ebert--The Most Influential Pundit?

Forbes magazine provides a wide-ranging list of the
most influential pundits in America, scattered across such fields as politics, news, entertainment, sports, and law.

The Cable Gamer kinda wonders about the methodology of a survey that mixes up such diverse media characters as Bill O'Reilly, Al Franken, Geraldo Rivera, Rosie O'Donnell, Leonard Maltin, Greta Van Susteren, Lou Dobbs, Bill Maher, and basketball legend Bill Walton.

But hey, all I have to do is report--you decide!

Hey Rick Sanchez! Be Careful With The Liberalism Rocket Fuel!

CNN's Rick Sanchez was happy to toss around reckless allegations about Bill O'Reilly, thereby earning brownie points from Media Matters, but he has been known to toss them back, too.

Now, Sanchez is drinking CNN's 200-proof liberalism juice. Since Rick might be a little out of control in the future, it's worth taking a look at some what's missing from Rick's bio:

MIAMI HERALD

February 12, 1991, Tuesday
TEST: SANCHEZ DROVE DRUNK

BYLINE: BY DON VAN NATTA JR

Blood tests reveal that WSVN-Channel 7 television news anchor Rick Sanchez's blood level exceeded Florida intoxication levels when his car struck and critically injured Jeffrey Smuzinick in mid-December 1990; Sanchez insists test's results are mistaken; Smuzinick remains in coma; photo (M)

==========================================

MIAMI HERALD

February 16, 1991, Saturday

SANCHEZ CHARGED, WILL STAY ON AIR

BYLINE: BY DON VAN NATTA JR

Miami (Fla) WSVN-Channel 7 news anchor Rick Sanchez will maintain regular on-air work schedule, despite recent charge of driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident; station says it 'stands behind him'; Sanchez declines comment (S)

==========================================

Anchorman charged with DUI

Associated Press

17 February 1991

St. Petersburg Times

A Miami television anchorman has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in a December accident in which police say he left the scene after hitting a man and returned later.

Rick Sanchez, anchor for WSVN, was charged Friday with one count of DUI, a first-degree misdemeanor in the Dec. 10 accident outside Joe Robbie Stadium, prosecutor Kathleen Hoague said.

If convicted, Sanchez faces a maximum of six months in prison and a $500 fine.
A blood test showed Sanchez had a blood-alcohol level that night of .15 percent. A person with a .10 level is considered legally drunk in Florida.

The man Sanchez hit was critically injured and remains in a coma at North Shore Hospital.

Ms. Hoague said Friday that she thinks Sanchez was driving drunk at the time of the accident, but prosecutors decided not to charge him with causing bodily injury while driving drunk, a third-degree felony.

==========================================

Miami New Times (Florida)

March 04 ,1992

New Times and the Law

For the past 37 years the Florida Bar has honored media organizations for " outstanding journalism aimed at increasing public understanding of the system of law and justice in America, particularly in Florida." In Tampa this past Saturday, New Times was presented with one of four Florida Bar Media Awards for 1991.

The statewide competition is open to all print and broadcast media. WEVU- TV of Bonita Springs won in the television category and WUSF-FM of Tampa won for radio. Two newspapers with circulations under 50,000 shared top honors: the Winter Haven News Chief and the Gadsen County Times of Quincy. New Times was the winner among publications with circulation greater than 50,000.

Submitted for the judges' consideration were six New Times stories published in 1991:

* Staff writer Sean Rowe's "The Accident, the Investigation, the Questions" (January 16) examined the unusual actions of local police following an accident in which a pedestrian was severely injured after being hit by a car. The driver of the car was Channel 7 news anchorman Rick Sanchez, who later pleaded no contest to a charge of driving while intoxicated.

==========================================

Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

May 13, 2002 Monday Broward Metro Edition

SANCHEZ HITS STRIDE AT MSNBC; FORMER CH. 7 ANCHOR IS IN FAST COMPANY

BYLINE: Tom Jicha TVRadio Writer

Rick Sanchez isn't anticipating a Rookie of the Year Award for his first season in the big leagues of TV news. But the brash former anchor for WSVN-Ch. 7 says he's no Mighty Casey, either, whiffing in his big opportunity.

It was a year ago that Sanchez, an ardent baseball fan, announced he was leaving South Florida to take a job at MSNBC to see if he "could hit major league pitching." His first couple of swings on a national stage were a humbling experience. "I struck out an awful lot," he acknowledges.

His detractors, who would relish seeing him fall on his face, shouldn't be leaping to their feet with glee, however, Sanchez says. "I'm hitting it pretty good lately."
He has been tapped on several occasions to step up to even a higher level, filling in for NBC newsbreaks. He did them during last summer's Wimbledon tennis championships, and he also was on call when President Bush choked and fainted. "I got a lot of air time then," Sanchez says. "I got to debrief [NBC correspondent] David Gregory at the White House."

His familiarity with this region also led Dateline NBC to assign him to interview one of the survivors of the anthrax mailings in Palm Beach.

Several factors are responsible for the turnaround, not the least of which is overcoming rookie jitters. Anxious to make a good impression, he was initially over-preparing for interviews. "I would write down 52 questions to ask and I was so intent in asking them that I missed opportunities for obvious follow-ups. One thing I've developed is a real respect for people like Bill O'Reilly and Larry King, who have a knack for always asking the question a viewer would."

Just watching how the masters do it has helped him, Sanchez says.

He's obviously elevated his game. He's a nominee for an ALMA Award, a prestigious national prize for Hispanics in media, and he's in some in pretty fast company. The other nominees in his category are Soledad O'Brien, Meredith Viera and Geraldo Rivera.

Sept. 11 also hastened his transformation to feeling like a real part of his new team. He was in makeup preparing for his normal shift when the first plane hit. His instincts immediately took hold. "I ran into the control room and said, 'Send me there.' I just got out of the car when I saw the first building crumbling down."
He didn't leave Manhattan for five days. "The first day I was on the air for 20 hours. It was a lot like Hurricane Andrew. You would grab a short catnap here and there, then go back to work."

Perhaps the biggest boost Sanchez got came from a most unlikely source. Curmudgeonly Don Imus has become fond of him and has made him an extended member of his program, which is simulcast on MSNBC. "Can you imagine a radio talk show host who actually likes me," Sanchez says, a wry reference to the beating he took -- actually, continues to take -- from Neil Rogers.

Sanchez, whose regular MSNBC shift is 9 a.m. to noon, connected with Imus while doing news cut-ins during the simulcast. "It was typical Imus at first," Sanchez says. "He'd ask, 'Who's this big, fat jerk doing the news?' I figured the best thing to do was to play along, so I asked his producer to put me on with him. I just had fun, doing an exaggerated Spanish accent and things like that.' He must have liked it because now he uses me a lot."

Sanchez figures his future also brightened when NBC bought the Telemundo network. "I'm one of the few people, who, when big stories break, could move comfortably between the English and Spanish networks. I think that makes me really valuable to them."

The same traits also have him well-positioned for a major role in what could be the first colossal news story of the 21st century, the inevitable turmoil when Fidel Castro passes from the scene. "I salivate about that," Sanchez says. "It's the huge story I've been preparing all my life for. Who else has the sense of perspective and background I will bring to that story?"

However humbling his early days in the big leagues might have been, he has obviously gotten over it.

^^^

And so belated admiration to digging reporter Sean Rowe, and best wishes to victim Jeffrey Smuzinick.

Better Blogger Etiquette -- Although It Won't Help You, Kevin Goldman!

A month ago, a blog called BigHeadDC scooped that CNBC was looking around for a replacement for p.r. flack Kevin Goldman. Now this is typical corporate behavior: don't blame the message, blame the messenger--or, in this case, the message-manager.

That is, the problem at CNBC isn't that Goldman did, or did not, do his job properly. The real problem is that CNBC has only a couple of daytime stars--including, of course, the tarnished Maria Bartiromo--and nothing worth watching with its primetime sked. And let's not forget those terrible infomercials all weekend, which make the whole network seem like a joke sometimes.

None of those Cable Game-sins were Goldman's fault. He's the p.r. guy, not the programmer.

But now, through no obvious fault of his own (unless "McEnroe," or "Donny Deutsch" or "Tina Brown" were his idea, in which case, I take all this back!), Goldman has been scapegoated and pushed aside, replaced by Brian Steel--I wish you well, Brian, but watchyer back!

Meanwhile, BigheadDC rightfully takes credit. But here's something amusing: TVNewser, which has often been accused of mulcting other folks' scoop, prominently gives credit to BhDC, and then adds lots of good fresh detail.

That's the way The Cable Gamer likes it: Everyone working and playing well together--there's plenty of good juice to go around.

Avatars: The Future of The Cable Game?

I'll confess that I had never heard of Midwestern Business.com, but I try to keep up with what's hot, and they've got something that's hot--check her out! How'd you like to have her reading and delivering the news to you?

And don't worry, girls, this image of a fetching newscaster could just as easily be a male who likes like, oh I dunno, Brad Pitt. Or, Ben Widdicombe!

An avatar is best described as a cartoon--2-D, 3-D--that can be operated on a computer by a human, or by a computer. Avatars have been around for a while, but most of them, frankly, haven't been good enough quality. And you need some pretty serious computer power to support the face; so this is all a work in progress.

But that work is making progress, that's for sure. Now Kristian Hammond, co-director of Northwestern University’s Intelligent Information Laboratory, has got a good one--as you can see!

TCG is too poor and dumb to invest in anything, but she will pass along this tip: One of these avatar technologies is going to gain traction, and take off.

How the Lower Third Lives

The New York Times' Wendy Lee offers an interesting take on "the lower third." You know, the space at the bottom of the screen that features the "crawl," or "ticker," concerning news, upcoming show teasers, etc. Today, some viewers complain about such "clutter," and they certainly have a right to their opinion.

But The Cable Gamer is pro-clutter, and here's why: because "clutter" is a synonym for "information."

And information is what the Convergence World is going to be all about, when the TV and the computer merge. You want a "clean" screen? Just somebody talking to you? You got it. You want a thicket of data? You can have that, too. Each is just a click away.

You want cartoons, graphics, animations, music? You can have that, too.

In the future, there won't just be one crawl, or two, there'll be an infinity.

"Roger and Me: Some CNBC Staffers Are Pining for Ailes"

I transcribe, you decide. TCG is a fan of Fox News--and Fox Business News--chieftain Roger Ailes, because he revolutionized the cable game and brought so much new energy into cableville, but I didn't write those words in headline above. The Cable Gamer merely borrowed the headline "Roger and Me: Some CNBC Staffers Are Pining for Ailes" from The New York Observer, where they sit atop a story written by Felix Gillette.

But the NYO piece is fascinating, mostly for the openness with which so many CNBC staffers express their desire to jump ship, from CNBC to FBN.

But of course, if Gillette is correct when he writes of CNBC morale:

“The general feeling is that Fox will crush CNBC,” one pessimistic CNBC staffer told NYTV. “Politics aside, Ailes is worshiped. The leadership here is in total denial.”

Then it's hard to blame CNBC-er Ted David, quoted at length in the piece, for wanting to skedaddle over to FBN.

Nielsens for O'Reilly vs. Olbermann in Black and White--Actually, in Full Color!

TCG reader Bill Gorman just alerted me to his tres cool site, TVbytheNumbers, which provides a feast of data on the ratings.

Indeed, there's a whole section on Bill's site on cable ratings,, which show, visually, what I have been trying to demonstrate with mere tables: And that is, Bill O'Reilly is clobbering Keith Olbermann in the ratings. In the picture above, gratefully borrowed from Bill's site, red lines on top are for O'Reilly, and the blue lies--I mean, lines!--below are for Olbermann. As anyone can see, it's not even close.

The Cable Gamer has RSS'd Bill's site; all Cable Gamers might wish to do the same.

Will the US Senate Condemn Keith Olbermann, Just As It Condemned Moveon.org? After All, Olbermann Said "Betray Us" First!

On Thursday, the US Senate voted 72:25 to resolve that it will "strongly condemn" and "specifically repudiate" any attack on General David Petraeus and the Army in which he serves so ably. That was a clear vote, by nearly three-fourths of the Senate, to condemn Moveon.org for its despicable full-page attack on Petraeus, which appeared in The New York Times on September 10.

Yet on September 12, Newsbusters' Noel Sheppard observed that Keith Olbermann had expressed himself by using the exact same "betray us" smear on his "Countdown" show, way back on August 16.

Here's what Sheppard wrote on on September 12:

Which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow? The Petraeus report, less Petraeus, more betrayaeus (ph). The definitive assessment of the surge will not only not be written by General Petraeus, it will not be presented by General Petraeus. Secretaries Gates and Rice will be the messengers. The White House insists General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will be there to testify.

As a Nielsen sidelight, it's interesting, of course, that when Olbermann said those hateful words, nobody noticed--what's that about a tree falling in a forest and not making any ratings noise? But then Moveon.org, which quite possibly got the attack-Petraeus idea from Olbermann, took the same smirking locution, and put it in the Times--which does have a substantial audience and impact.

And the rest is history, now enshrined in the Congrssional Record. All those Senators who voted for the resolution ought to be proud of themselves, and all those who voted against it ought to be ashamed of themselves--and yes I mean you, Hillary Rodham Clinton. You've now made it clear where you stand, if the choice is between lefty billionaires and bloggers and our armed forces.

But of course, history never ends, until the final chapter is resolved and written. If Moveon.org is to be "strongly condemned" and "specifically repudiated" for its hateful speech. shouldn't Olbermann suffer the same fate?

Cable Gamers and ordinary citizens should tell Olbermann, in no uncertain terms, what they think of such verbal hit-and-run.

But because Olbermann is obviously a rhetorical recidivist, there should be further action, too, beyond changing the channel: Specifically, why does MSNBC get away with keeping such a vicious person on the air? And even let him moderate presidential debates?

And let's go further, in the spirit of true accountability--no more hiding behind layers of corporate bureaucracy! Why does MSNBC parent company NBC-Universal get away with ignoring Olbermann's antics? And what about NBCU's owner, General Electric? Where's the accountability for corporate chieftains Jeff Zucker and Jeff Immelt? How long will we--viewers, shareholders, citizens--let those highly paid corporate suits get away with pleading ignorance about these diatribes by one of their employees? Don't rich media execs have some sort of obligation to elevate the discourse, not degrade it?

Will the American people really let all Olbermann & Co. get away with the rhetorical assassination, directly and indirectly, of a great American? If Olbermann could be made to behave himself, the "civility" that liberals say that they prize would be greatly enhanced.

C'mon MSM: Do your part, for once, to help America.

Fox Moves On General Petraeus...

...But something tells me that this Fox News special on General David Petraeus, our commander-in-chief in Iraq, Saturday night at 9 pm ET, will be a bit different from what Moveon.org had to say in its hateful advertisement last week.

Jon Scott is no Keith Olbermann--and that's a good thing!

What's in YOUR Cable System?

TCG reader A.W. writes in with this question:

I'm part of an online community that is majority liberal and I'm mainly independent. Whenever the O'Reilly or Olbermann topic comes up I'm usually quick to defend O'Reilly and his ratings, pointing out pretty much what you already have that O'Reilly beats the competition with a stone fist. The excuses I get is that Fox news is more widely available than MSNBC or CNN. Some other excuses are that Rupert Murdoch controls the cable market in that Fox is available everywhere on the basic cable as CNN and MSNBC are only available on extended basic or you have to pay more in many markets to get MSNBC and CNN. Also, the high ratings for Fox are also contributed to worldwide numbers and satellite subscribers as the numbers for MSNBC and CNN are not.

The Cable Gamer is much more of a TV watcher than a number cruncher, but she got curious, and motivated, to find out the answer. Here, thanks to an industry source, is the latest estimate of the number of homes in which the key cablers are available:

CNN: 96.2 million
FNC: 92.4 million
MSNBC: 92.1 million

Interesting! Facts are fun.

Sally Field, Newsbusted! But Also Boycotted?

Newsbusters' Noel Sheppard is one of many bloggers to call out Sally Field for her inane comments about "mothers."

But TCG reader RM, of Cincinnati, OH, wants to go further, all the way to boycotting Boniva, the product Field endorses:

I sent an email to the folks at Boniva and informed them that if I ever did need an osteoporosis medication, their product would be LAST on my list because they have an airhead for a spokeswoman. I found what Ms. Field said to be most offensive to patriotic menopausal women everywhere and we should all band together and let the Boniva people know that we won't be needing their product until they can hire someone with a brain as their mouth piece.

TCG will follow this case closely, to see what develops, because somebody has to tell these mouthy lefty verbally violent femmes, including such alleged comediennes as Rosie O'Donnell and the also-Newsbusted Joy Behar, to just knock it off.

Murdoch Speaks on Fox Business News: "We want to spend a lot of time on innovation, successes and people who are making money."

Variety's ace Michael Learmonth gets a great story from Rupert Murdoch, in which the News Corp. chieftain spells out the competitive distinctions between CNBC and the forthcoming Fox Business Network:

"It's going to be different from CNBC, just as Fox News is different from CNN," Murdoch told Wall Streeters at a Goldman Sachs-sponsored conference. "CNBC is a financial channel for Wall Street; we're for Main Street." ...

"They dwell too much on failures and scandals and politics," he said. "We want to spend a lot of time on innovation, successes and people who are making money."

Murdoch said the launch of FBN, and the acquisition of Dow Jones coincide with what he believes to be "a unique point in history" where demand for financial information will increase for decades as prosperity and entrepreneurial culture spread around the globe.

So the Cable Game is heating up, not just in America, but around the world!

Bill O'Reilly, First in the Ratings, First in Looking Out For You, and First in Keeping Tabs on the Blogosphere

Bill O'Reilly gave The Cable Game credit, just a few minutes ago on "The Factor," for speaking the truth about the cable-news ratings--specifically, taking note of the reality of the ratings: O'Reilly vs. Keith Olbermann, Nancy Grace and fill-in-the-blank at CNN.

It's nice for a humble blogger to get a on-air plug from a media giant such as O'Reilly, but, what feels even better is nailing the story, with fairness and accuracy. As the philosopher George Santayana put it nearly a century ago, the truth is painful, but we learn to love it. Or, to borrow from another sage, TCG is a no spin zone!

I also see that billoreilly.com linked to my site earlier today--I posted that item on the Nielsens at 12:33, and the O'Reilly team found it in just a few hours. So nobody can say that Factorites don't keep their ear close to the new-media ground.

Indeed, Bill has gone to war with Daily Kos and the rest of the far left blogosphere; and in the past, he has attacked, as well, right-wing smearers. But for those of us in blogland who simply try to call 'em as we 'em, it's reassuring to discover that we are getting noticed, just for being reasonable and rational.

And it's also comforting to know that, as big as Big Bill might be, he and his Factorites are still covering the waterfront, as it were. They know what's really going on in Blogosphere USA--the good, the bad, the fair and the balanced. They just proved it.

View Megyn Kelly

Megyn Kelly, meet the Ladies of "The View."

(h/t to those alert folks at TV Newser)

Foxy Heather Nauert Back Where She Belongs--At Fox!

I missed the debut of Heather Nauert on the revamped and improved "Big Story" yesterday afternoon, but I won't make tha mistake again at 2 pm PT.

I am told that she charged right into the OJ Simpson story. Heather is quite a reporter; here's some background on her, in her own pretty hand, for newbie Cable Gamers.

Oh, Gossip Can Be So Cruel, Especially When it's Accurate--Isn't that so, Erin Burnett? And who is sabotaging Maria Bartiromo?

The Cable Gamer makes no secret of her, uh, admiration for The New York Daily News' Ben Widdicombe. But even if he weren't so blonde and dreamy--ooh, did I say that?--BW would be a great dinner companion, because he always has good stuff, like this item:

Snarky items have been popping up in the gossip columns about rival CNBC presenters Maria Bartiromo and Erin Burnett. It has been alleged that off camera, the two beauties do nothing except seethe with jealousy over each other's success.

But some say one source of the stories is Burnett's agent, Alan Berger.

"Berger started this feud with Maria to increase Burnett's profile, because the Fox Business channel is launching and he wants to get her a spot there," says one insider.

"The only thing the leaks are doing is hurting Burnett's credibility as a newscaster."

Everybody denies everything of course, which infuriates The Cable Gamer. People shouldn't lie to my Ben!

PS: Note to Maria: I watched you last night on NBC "Nightly News" with Brian Williams; you were talking about Alan Greenspan or something, but all I could process was that your hair was down in your face and the white of your bra was showing. This is not a good look for you! (In truth, it's not a good look for anyone!) If your stylists try to tell you different, then it's obvious that they are working for Erin/Alan, trying to sabotage you!! Beware those evil blue-green eyes of Erin, Maria!!!

O'Reilly vs. Olbermann et al. -- A Time For Truth

For a long time now, liberals across the media--in the MSM, and here,
there, and everywhere in the blogosphere have been trying to hype the "meme" that MSNBC's Keith Olbermann is catching up, or even beating, FNC's Bill O'Reilly.

It's b.s. Here're the numbers, for Fox News, for MSNBC and also, for the fun of it, for CNN and CNN Headline News.

Last week (9/10-9/14), according to Nielsen Media Research, "The O’Reilly Factor" beat the cable-news competition--"Countdown," plus whoever is on CNN, plus that horrible harridan, Nancy Grace--combined in both Live and Live Plus Same Day. Below is a breakout of the 8 pm competition from 9/10-9/14 in both Live and Live Plus Same Day, (that is, including Tivo and the like).

Live:

O’Reilly: 2,282,000 viewers (486,000 25-54 demo)
CNN: 618,000 viewers (210,000)
Countdown: 781,000 viewers (287,000)
Nancy Grace: 644,000 (236,000)

Live Plus Same Day:

O’Reilly: 2,304,000 (496,000)
CNN: 619,000 (211,000)
Countdown: 860,000 (347,000)
Nancy Grace: 651,000 (243,000)

Those are the facts. Now Cable Gamer is not so dumb as to think that merely posting the unvarnished data will stop lefty Olbermannites from trying to continue to pimp the illusion of KO's Nielsen numbers, using whatever new tactics and stunts they might be able to think up. But of course, pimping is, by definition, not honest.

So TCG makes this pledge: So long as the Olber-pimps keep lying about The Cable Game ratings--I will keep telling the truth!

The News -- The Best Reality Show Ever!

This Cable Gamer will admit to being morbidly fascinated by O.J. Simpson. Like most Americans, I think he murdered Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, and so to some extent, following Simpson on the news these past dozen years since his acquittal has been akin to a search for justice. I turn on the news and hope that today, this day, finally, Simpson will be nailed.

And now it looks like it's happening, and cable news is all over the story, as it twists and turns as The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz details, with good quotes, especially, from FNC's Greta Van Susteren.

As TCG likes to say, the news is the best reality show, and the stakes are high--way higher than on some semi-scripted fake "reality" show.

Now let's hope and/or pray that in this real world, which we are following in real time, that Simpson finally gets what he deserves. And then maybe Nicole and Ron can truly rest in piece.

Fox Business News in High Definition

Multichannel News' Mike Reynolds has the scoop on FBN going high def.

And adds new dope on FBN producers, Terry Baker, who will produce weekend and primetime hours, Brian Donlon, who will produce the network’s morning lineup, and Andrew Hoffman, responsible for the service’s daytime content.

Who Fox News Viewers Are--Curious! More Interested in the Democrat!!

The Cable Gamer has sometimes been critical of TV Newser, but despite its flaws, it is a trove of information.

For example, last Saturday TVN took note of the ratings for the dueling television addresses of President George W. Bush and Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) about Iraq policy last Thursday night.

The inaccurate stereotype of Fox News Channels viewers, of course, is that they are all right-wing nuts. But in fact, Fox watchers appear to be a) more numerous, of course, but also b) more curious about both sides of an argument. And the proof is in the ratings:

On Fox, 745,000 people watched Bush, but then the 813,000 watched Reed. That's a jump of nine percent! So whatever the politics of Fox watchers, they obviously want to see/hear the pro and the con.

By contrast, on second-finishing MSNBC, 455,000 people watched Bush, and then 446,000 watched Reed, a drop of two percent. (Now what does that say about the open-mindedess of MSNBC viewers?)

Finally, on CNN, 454,000 watched Bush, and then 507,000 watched Reed.

Update, 9/19/07: Reader JM from Canada notes that the increase in Reed viewers relative to Bush viewers on CNN was actually larger than the increase on Fox. It was 11 percent on CNN, compared to Fox. JM is right, of course.

But at the same time, it's less newsworthy that CNN viewers would like the Democrat, because of CNN's well-established liberal leanings.

And in addition, it's worth noting that because FNC's audience is so much larger, the aggregate increase on FNC, Bush to Reed, was 68,000, compared to 53,000. Still, JM is not wrong in what he says.

FBN Goes for the Gold--Will CNBC be stuck with Silver?

Broadcasting & Cable, always a must-read for Cable Gamers, scores a sneak peek at the new Fox Business News logo. Reporters Michael Malone and Marisa Guthrie even score an interview with the mastermind:

Ray Lambiase, vice president of Graphics for FBN, who started the project in June, says the gold is a nod to the riches one might garner from tuning in to FBN. The trickiest part was composing something that could work in the various platforms a program exists in today, whether it's on-air, online, or on a promotional item, such as a pen. “Making it look good is tough enough, but it has to work a dozen different ways,” Lambiase says. “It's not one size fits all.”

This is going to be hot! FBN is taking dead aim at CNBC, just as Fox News took dead aim at CNN a decade ago.

Speaking of hot, Market Watch's Jon Friedman analyzes FBN's strategy: to be the anti-CNBC. While acknowledging that CNBC has a huge head start--or course, so did CNN, relative to FNC--Friedman observes that all that is familiar does not glitter:

Familiarity, it's said, can also breed contempt. CNBC's detractors allege that the network has gotten dull and complacent. For better or worse, CNBC has seldom had to sweat over a competitor with the resources and expertise to challenge its stranglehold on the cable-business-news market.

And then Friedman adds these zingers:

Most damaging, perhaps, are the accusations by some that CNBC is out of touch with individual investors' needs. These critics say the network has overlooked the interests of Main Street by getting cozy with Wall Street. (Too cozy, if you believe the critics of star CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo.)

Yes, it will be good to get a little competition in the cable business game, so that, for example, the Maria Bartiromo/Todd Thomsondoesn't get lost.

To paraphrase the famous Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, "competition is the best disinfectant"!

Too Much Bile in Keith Olbermann? Plenty Left, Even After the Operation

"Emergency Surgery For Olbermann" -- that's the headline from TV Newser.

Here's the rest, with full credit to TV Newser:

Keith Olbermann is recovering from emergency surgery to remove his appendix. The surgery occured late Friday. Olbermann will miss his appearance on NBC's Football Night in America, as well as at least a few days of Countdown on MSNBC. MSNBC spokesperson Jeremy Gaines tells TVNewser Olbermann "is doing fine" and hopes to be back hosting Countdown at some point next week. Gaines tells us Alison Stewart will be filling in tomorrow and Tuesday on Countdown.

The Cable Game figures that all the bad karma is biting Olbermann.

Can You Imagine If Bill O'Reilly Had Said This? Where's the Outrage Against Keith Olbermann?? And the Boycotts???

Olbermann Watch keeps getting better and better. It's always been an amusing and provocative website, but now it has become supremely important in the present and future struggle to bring fairness and justice to the media.

Why? Because OW is one of the few sites that keeps track of maybe the most dangerous man in The Cable Game, Keith Olbermann. OK, Olbermann has just a #2-rated TV show in his cable-news slot, but because of all his screaming and defaming has become a hero to the nasty left.

Indeed, TCG thinks that one secret of KO's success is that he says what a lot of MSM reporters wish they could say. But those reporters can't, in their regular day jobs, because their bosses insist on some modicum of fairness and professionalism. But Olbermann has been given a long leash by Dan Abrams and MSNBC, and so is free to be a rabid attack dog against anything in the middle, and everything on the right. That's why so many in the MSM cheer for him--because he speaks for them.

And that's why Olbermann is dangerous, because he is injecting a new degree of irresponsibility ito the media. That's not only on his own show, but across the media: by being so nasty to non-lefties, he is creating more psychic space for others to ape Olbermannite leftism. Isn't that correct, Joe Scarborough? Isn't that correct, Christiane Amanpour?

Olbermann Watch's video compilation reminds a seemingly uninterested America that Olbermann said recently--in the October issue of Playboy, in fact--that Fox News is worse than the Ku Klux Klan, and worse than Al Qaeda. Not everyone has to like FNC, of course, but isn't there some limit to the unfairness of an attack?

Remember the days when liberals used to complain about the "coarsening of the discourse"? Well, maybe, say right-winger G. Gordon Liddy went over the line sometimes, but Liddy never had anywhere near the audience of Olbermann. And Liddy never had such corporate parents as MSNBC/NBCU/GE. Which is to say, Olbermann should be getting some corporate supervision.

But instead, Olbermann is a hero to liberals (even if, as noted, it's not helping his ratings much).

Meanwhile, as a thought experiment, ask yourself this: What if, say, Bill O'Reilly had said that someone he didn't like was worse than the KKK, or worse than Al Qaeda. Can you imagine the outrage? The talk of boycotts? The pressure on advertisers?

If O'Reilly had said those things--but he didn't, of course. Olbermann did. So the media watchdogs and high-minded cultural critics are benignly silent. After all, Olbermann is trashing someone one Fox. And that's not only not to be criticized, it's to be admired.

Eventually, Olbermann will get his comeuppance. Drunk with his own indiscipline, and in love with his own egomaniacal vocabulary, Olbermann will eventually go too far, because it's obvious that KO isn't really a true liberal. Instead, he is a true hater--a truly angry man.

And so when Olbermann blows too hard, there'll be a crisis for MSNBC, and NBC, and GE. And that's when Jeff Zucker and Jeff Immelt will have to get involved--and probably get rid of Olbermann--to cut off additional embarassment.

At which point, Olbermann Watch will be remembered and honored for its painstaking accounting of all of Olbermann's excesses.

Liz Claman on the move to FBN?

Conde Nast Portfolio magazine's Jeff Bercovici has become a Cable Game must-read. He's got some hot stuff on Fox Business News.

Specifically, Jeff wrote on Wednesday:

Earlier today, recent CNBC refugee Liz Claman was spotted in the offices of the Fox Business Network, lending weight to widespread rumors that she'll be part of the nascent network when it hits the airwaves (or the cable wires) October 15.

Interesting!

And here, for the record, is the text of a Fox press release on FBN:

FOX Business Network (FBN) has named five anchors from the FOX News Channel (FNC) business team, announced Kevin Magee, Executive Vice President, FOX News. They join Neil Cavuto, Senior Vice President and Managing Editor of Business News, and Alexis Glick, Director of Business News.

The anchors include: David Asman; Cheryl Casone; Rebecca Gomez; Dagen McDowell, and Stuart Varney. FBN will also draw upon FNC anchors Brenda Buttner of Bulls and Bears and Terry Keenan, business correspondent and anchor of Cashin’ In. All will retain their current roles on FNC.

David Asman is currently the host of Forbes on Fox and has been with FNC since 1997, when he joined as weekday anchor for Fox News Live. Prior to FOX, Asman held numerous roles at The Wall Street Journal including editorial features editor.

Cheryl Casone has been a correspondent for FNC’s business unit since November 2006, providing hourly market updates for FoxNews.com and partner site Yahoo! Finance. Before joining FNC, she was a freelance business correspondent for CNN, primarily reporting from the New York Stock Exchange.

Rebecca Gomez serves as a business correspondent for FNC with regular appearances on Your World with Neil Cavuto and the Cost of Freedom business block on Saturdays. She joined FNC when the network launched in 1996, and prior to that position she was an anchor/reporter at Lifetime Television.

Dagen McDowell has served as a business correspondent for FNC since 2003, appearing regularly on Your World with Neil Cavuto and Cashin’ In. McDowell was previously the author of a personal finance column for TheStreet.com called “Dear Dagen.”

Stuart Varney has been part of FNC’s business team since 2004, most recently as a business contributor and substitute host for Your World with Neil Cavuto. Before joining FNC, Varney was the host of CNBC’s Wall Street Editorial Board with Stuart Varney.

Bill Hemmer: Made in America--Literally

US magazine details the 25 Most Stylish New Yorkers. It includes such obvious style leaders as Aerin Lauder and Dylan Lauren, but look who else is here: Fox News' own Bill Hemmer. And it's all made in America!

No argument from The Cable Gamer, but here's the mag's take:

Style report:While taking a fair and balanced approach to fashion (tailored navy blue suits, white shirts, grey-toned ties), he’s also one of TV's most debonair newsmen.

Favorite designers:custom suits by Sharp Consultants ("an American company in New Jersey"), custom shirts by Skip Gambert & Associates, Brioni (for ties), Earnest Sewn (for jeans)

“My approach to sartorial decisions for television: There's enough on screen to keep viewers interested. It’s important not to distract from any news and information we're trying to relate. You don’t want viewers to squint their eyes and wonder, What is that?”

What Will CNN do if Time-Warner Breaks Up?

Market Watch's Aude Lagorce reports a storm warning for Time-Warner, when Dick Parsons is replaced by Jeff Bewkes. Here's the gist of what's possible, according to a source at Lehman Brothers:

Potential logical moves could include complete separation of Time Warner Cable ... a tax free sale or spinoff of publishing assets and the eventual public floatation of minority stake in Internet provider AOL or consolidation with a leading portal focused Internet player such as Yahoo or MSN once the U.S. access business is sold.

TV Loser?

TV Newser is getting slapped around pretty hard. FTV Live is mad at TVN for stealing its stuff, and in the meantime, Inside Cable News seems to be coming on strong.

For its part, The Cable Game has noticed that the post-Brian Stelter TVNewser seems to be carrying a lotta water for the employer of TVN editor-in-chief Chris Ariens, which is MSNBC.

That, uh, conflict of interest might explain why TVN does so many Olbermann posts, and why TVN madea big deal about a tiny, very tiny, Keith Olbermann win using Live + Same Day data for 25-54 on a Friday--and dubs that a significant trend. Yet, TVN failed to update his post, as did ICN, when Bill O’Reilly kicked KO's ratings butt the very next Monday.

But even juicier is this post from FTV Live:

Shortly after 6PM yesterday FTVLive opened up our email box and found 146 messages from people telling us that new TVNewser editor Chris Ariens was stealing our shit again and not giving FTVLive credit.

As you know FTVLive reported FIRST that when Fox launches their business channel they will be giving on of the prime time spots to radio money talker Dave Ramsey.

We posted that story at 5:35AM.

12 hours later TVLoser TVNewser writes "An emailer asks: "What well known radio host and author has been signed for a prime-time gig at the new Fox Business Network?"

Chrissy must think that the people that read TVN don't read FTVLive. He must figure that he can rip stories off and no one will know.

And then FTV Live concludes with a kiss to ICN, for running the story, with credit to FTV Live, and another brickbat at TVN:

TVNewser has all but lost any credibility that they might of had. Juging by the emails FTVLive got last night, it looks like they are doing a good job of losing eyeballs as well.

"Keith Olbermann jumps the shark"

That's the headline from Chris Reed, an editorial writer and blogger for The San Diego Union-Tribune. "Jump the shark," of course, is a TV term that refers to the point where the TV star crosses the line, goes past the point of no return.

Here's Reed's posting in "Sign On San Diego," which I will admiringly repeat almost all of, because it's so good.

Reed begins by recalling what Keith Olbermann had to say recently, in Playboy magazine, about Rupert Murdoch:

"Al Qaeda really hurt us, but not as much as Rupert Murdoch has hurt us, particularly in the case of Fox News. Fox News is worse than Al Qaeda -- worse for our society. It's as dangerous as the Ku Klux Klan ever was."

The Cable Gamer could insert her own comment here, and she will, but first, let's Chris Reed have his say:

Unbelievable.

Olbermann is a hugely talented broadcaster and one of the smartest guys around, but his tunnel vision on politics is wearisome. The mainstream media is loaded with liberals as dishonest and slanted as Fox News' GOP stalwarts; sorry, as bad as Fox News is, nothing it has done compares with Dan Rather's use of forged documents to try to prevent W.'s re-election.

TCG isn't so sure about the "hugely talented" part--it seems that his "talent" consists mostly of Bush- and Fox News-bashing. And for that you only need a sledgehammer, not talent. But let Reed have some more say:

For someone as sharp as Olbermann to look at this landscape and see only one class of bad guys is baffling and off-putting.

Once again, TCG will get the last word on this "Olbermann-ocity," but next, let's hear from Jeff Bercovici, writing for Conde-Nast's new magazine, the business monthly Portfolio:

Comic exaggeration is part of Olbermann's shtick -- this is, after all, someone who names a new "Worst Person in the World" every night. But equating Fox News and Rupert Murdoch with racists and killers is neither funny nor particularly insightful. It's shrill and unattractive, and reeks of the same blowhardism that Olbermann is usually the first to skewer. I know the O'Reilly feud has been great for Countdown's ratings, but it's time to ease up.

OK, here's what TCG thinks: It's time for all those media watchdog groups, such as Media Matters and FAIR, to step in and make Olbermann apologize. Look, Murdoch is fair game, for a lotta reasons. But there's satire, criticism, and ridicule--and then there's outright slurring and sliming. Of course, those groups are mostly liberal, so they probably won't say a thing against Olbermann.

Now here's some advice for MSNBC management: Dan Abrams should step in to muzzle Olbermann. Because KO has gotten to the point where his ego is out of control, and that means he will keep on attacking and defaming, getting worse and worse, till eventually, his big mouth causes real trouble for not only MSNBC, but also corporate parents NBC and GE.

Mark my words, Olbermann's rendezvous with destiny is coming soon. Karma does, indeed, have a way of biting.

'Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Fox News?"

Good question from conservative leader Gary Bauer , wondering why Democrats are so afraid of Fox News.

Bauer assesses the situation clearly in the pages of Human Events magazine:

The Democrats' Fox News boycott is curious for two reasons. First, by shunning Fox, the Democrats are ignoring half of America, effectively telling them that their votes are not wanted. These are voters who, heaven forbid, may not have tuned in to previous debates on You Tube or the ‘gay forum.’ Democrats have the right to believe that Fox has, as John Edwards insists, ‘a clear and long history of bias against Democrats,’ but it's simply bad politics to slough off Fox, the current cable news market leader, which consistently earns higher points ratings than its chief competitors, CNN and MSNB C, combined and is home to eight of the 10 most-watched cable news shows.’

...Second, at a time when the Democratic contenders are doing all they can to convince voters that they can be tough with America's enemies, their avoidance of Fox News conveys not toughness but fear. As liberal talk show host Bill Maher put it: ‘If you can't stand up to (Fox News's) Chris Wallace, can you stand up to terrorists?’ How is it that the Democratic contenders for the White House think they are man-or woman-enough to take on those who wish them dead, but quake at the thought of fielding a tough question from a fellow citizen in a blue suit?’

CNN: The Cheapest Name in News

A few days ago--September 3, to be exact--The Cable Game noted that CNN had severed its relationship with the Reuters news agency. It was obviously a cost-cutting move for the beleaguered network, although, equally obviously, the news channel denied any such thing. Instead, CNN offered brave talk about doing more news-gathering with its own resources--without mentioning any plans to expand those resources.

The whole attempt at spin was just so much vaporware, of course, and now we have proof. Just a week later, we see that CNN viewers are paying the price of false economy. As cable news-beater Brian Stelter details in today's edition of The New York Times , CNN, now Reuters-less, was caught flat-footed--and empty-screened for a time--during the rush to get the latest Osama Bin Laden video on the air.

That's great reporting, Brian--proving that you can still do good work at the Times, as well as at your dream-gig, TVNewser.

But The Cable Gamer has her own possible explanation as to CNN's dereliction. Maybe it was Christiane Amanpour who held up showing the OBL video, because the "God's Warriors" queen, the empress of politically correct neutralism in the global war on terror, was demanding "equal time" for fanatics from Christianity and Judaism, too.

Paula, We Hardly Knew Ye--But We Know We Can't Afford Ye!

The Cable Gamer was never a fan of Paula Zahn--not when she was at CBS, nor Fox, nor CNN. But it could have been worse: I could have been married to her.

Actually the Cable Gamer is not that kind of girl, but it would have been horrible, nonetheless--not to mention ruinously expensive--even to live under the same roof with her. As The New York Daily News' Jose Martinez details the dirt pouring out of her apparently cuckolding marriage to real estate developer Richard Cohen:

"The $20 million cost of her Connecticut mansion alone (without even including the extravagant nature of Ms. Zahn's annual expenditures) consumed more than her entire income over their 20-year marriage," Cohen's lawyer, Douglas Flaum, charged in court papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.

A source close to Cohen, 59, added that Zahn, who recently lost her anchor job at CNN, spent "wild" money on clothes, even as the network gave her a healthy clothing allowance.

And there's more. But before you read, grab hold of your wallet. Your money might not be your most precious possession, but it would be your most endangered possession if Paula is anywhere close.

CNN's Amanpour's "Shoddy"? Or merely "Morally Equivalent"?

Christiane Amanpour apparently bit off more than even her strong jaw could chew with her "God's Warriors" special that aired, beginning August 21, and "encored," in its triple entirety, many times since.

The crticism continues to cascade down on her, and her network, CNN. Reportedly, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is preparing a major factual refutation of the three-part special's basic premise, which is that there's not much difference among the "extremists" within Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

Meanwhile, Newsday columnist James Pinkerton took note of controversy on September 4th:

Last month, many people thought that CNN went overboard on "neutrality" with its three-part special, "God's Warriors." Reporter Christiane Amanpour neatly divided her reporting into thirds, among Jews, Christians and Muslims. Yet, one watchdog group, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, called her reportage "one of the most grossly distorted programs" ever aired on TV. At a minimum, one can say that by rigidly assigning "equal time" to zealotry in all three faiths, she was imposing an artificial and misleading "fairness."

Parenthetically, in that same column, Pinkerton--who doubles as a panelist on Fox's "News Watch" show--takes a whack at MSNBC's Tucker Carlson. The column was a discussion of "virtue" in the media, and Pinkerton, while freely confessing his own failings (as we all are fallen), nonetheless took note that Carlson, the oldest living frat boy, was worse than most. Describing the "moral hazard" of TV--which is that those who are good at attracting attention are not always good, Pinkerton obvserved that the media is full of people for whom "modesty and decency are strangers." And then Pinkerton continued:

A case in point is MSNBC's Tucker Carlson, who on Aug. 28 bragged about a gay-bashing incident from his youth. Carlson will no doubt be doing penance before gay groups for years to come, but his chuckling recollections of his own thuggery provide a wide window into his true self. Yet, he's "good television," and so he still has a job.

So if Amanpour is going to be worked over by Jewish (and Christian) groups, expect Carlson to get some bashing by gay groups. And both Amanpour and Carlson ought to take lessons in fairness and civility.

"The media biz's juiciest smackdown"

That's Jon Friedman's description of the "catfight"--his word, not mine!--between CNBC's Maria Bartiromo and Erin Burnett.

Friedman reports, you decide, as to which CNBC-er is going to end up at the Fox Business Network: Liz Claman? Or maybe Maria or Erin?

The Game begins!

Drudge Flash!

FLASH: Last night's New Hampshire debate on FOXNEWS was most watched debate of '07 election season..3.1 million viewers tuned in (854,000 in the 25-54 demo) ... Debate blows out CNN's Bill Clinton appearance on KING which averaged just 1.4 million viewers... MORE...

Bill O'Reilly Crashes Harvard Yard

OK, you'd figure that a snobby magazine about a snobby college would seek to diss an alum who happens to be the President of the United States, just because that President was a little too red-country to be blue-cool. But you might not expect the purplish--someone in the middle, looking out for ordinary people, and their values--Bill O'Reilly to rank so high.

That's the case with a magazine called 01238, after the zipcode of Harvard University. The mag, playing to its liberal audience, put Al Gore at the top of its list of "most powerful" alumni, bumping George W. Bush to second place. I mean, like, Bush is the commander-in-chief and everything, but what's the presidency next to the starring role in a movie about global warming?

But interestingly, amidst the likes of Bill Gates and Barack Obama , FNC's own O'Reilly turned up, at #24. O'Reilly's ranking is completely justified, of course, but it's still surprising to see it admitted to.

No doubt some of the more liberal readers will demand a recount.

Hey Democrats! You Missed Some Good Stuff--and some Good Vote-Getting Opportunities--on Fox!

The Republican debate in New Hampshire was a good show--Brit Hume, Wendell Goler, Chris Wallace, and Carl Cameron all did fine--but the real show was the candidates. I suppose that Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee seemed to do the best, with very different messages, and the FNC text-messaging poll results agreed.

But The Cable Gamer was struck by the absolute ordinary-ness of the "real people" questions, handled by Cameron, live from a diner. One fellow, who didn't seem like Mitt Romneyvery much, asked the former Massachusetts governor about the Iraq war. And a woman seemed to expect the Republicans to be for gay marriage, as she was.

In other words, these folks, assembled by Fox News, seemed to have only one thing in common: They lived in The Granite State. Which is to say, for all we know, they might be voting in the Democratic primary next year, and for the Democrat in the general election (it's worth recalling that John Kerry won NH's electoral votes in the '04 general election.)

And yet the Democrats have chosen to snub Fox during the debates, thereby costing them access to such obviously swinging voters.

Most peculiar.

NBC Nervous Nellies Pay Big Bucks To Keep FBN AwayAbout Fox Business News Away from CNBC. If Only It Were That Easy!

What's NBC afraid of? How much money will it give to the cable company owned by Time-Warner--a corporate rival in the battle for second place-dom--in order to fend off the foe it realy fears, namely, Fox? Those are the real questions posed by the seemingly innocuous shuffle of cable channels in the New York City market.

The Cable Game is getting gamier! TCG can smell the fear on the companies that are already competing for the #2 spot in cable news, NBC (owner of MSNBC) and T-W (owner of CNN). Now they are colluding--one getting paid by the other--to keep yet another NBC property, CNBC, from slipping into second place behind the forthcoming and fastcoming Fox Business News.

Multichannel News' digging reporter, Mike Reynolds,had the story first, posting the news of the inter-corporate channel reshuffle at at 10:18 a.m. on Wednesday.

The issue, of course, is that the soon-to-debut Fox Business News has to be carried on cable in NYC--and that cable is controlled by Time-Warner, which owns CNN. Cable Gamers will recall that back in 1996, T-W cable tried to block the Fox News Channel from even being carried, as a way of protecting CNN. It was quite a struggle to bring fairness and balance to New York City viewers, but FNC got "on" quick enough.

Of course, getting cable "carriage" in New York, the business capital of the world, is even more important for a business channel. And now FBN has done just that; it will be right there on Channel 43, thanks to Rupert Murdoch's clout, and Roger Ailes' doggedness, having a much easier time than FNC did 11 years ago. According to Reynolds, FBN will debut in 31 million homes--a pretty good takeoff altitude. So that's great news, because the more the merrier in The Cable Game!

But then, five hours later, at 3:07 p.m., Reynolds came back with more detail, updating his scoop:

Sources familiar with the moves indicate that NBCU paid up to “several million dollars” for the enhanced channel positioning and to ensure separation on the dial for Fox Business Network from CNBC.

Now that's hot stuff! Viewers outside of New York might not care which channel is where on the T-W system, that MSNBC is moving to Channel 14, to provide a sort of beard for CNBC at 15, thus blocking FBN from possibly getting Channel 15, right next to CNBC.

But all Cable Gamers, everywhere, are amused by the thought that NBC would feel compelled to lay out money to keep FBN from cozying--or is it muscling?--next to CNBC. Are they really that afraid? I guess they are! Continues Reynolds:

NBCU officials declined to comment. Time Warner Cable’s Giuliani didn’t specify a reason for the changes, saying only the operator moves channels for a variety of reasons that include “convenience, viewership and groupings.”

Anything you say, T-W!

And in the meantime, CNBC is obviously quaking.

Campaign Carl: "Iowa Picks Corn. New Hampshire Picks Candidates."

New Hampshire magazine's Rick Broussard scores a
detailed interview with Fox News' own"Campaign Carl" Cameron.

Full of interesting stuff, including the liberal leanings of Carl's parents, his best and worst moments, and his revelation as to how the Democratic candidates feel about the lefty blogosphereans who terrorized them into dropping out of the Fox News/Congressional Black Caucus debate.

And check out Carl's ultra-inside blog, here.

Geraldo, The Hardest Working Man in the News Biz

It seems safe to say that Geraldo Rivera, now 64, doesn't need to work anymore.

But as the grand old man of TV tabloid news tells The Boston Globe's Mark Shanahan from aboard his yacht, he still enjoys the game.

And so no doubt he'll soon be in yet another hot zone, far from the cool breezes of Massachusetts.

Anderson Cooper! Knock Me Over With A Leather--I Mean, Feather!!

I just ran across a clip of Anderson Cooper on on YouTube hanging out in a leather emporium delightfully entitled, The Noose. I mean, it sure looks genuine to me.

That man gets around--and not just from ABC to CNN, if you know what I mean and I think you do.

But I report, you decide--and take a look at the comments!

CNBC: Rhymes with "Classy." (Not!)

A verbatim about Peter Frangie from TV Newser:

CNBC's Peter Frangie is headed to Fox Business Network as a senior producer. Frangie was a producer for CNBC's signature morning show Squawk Box. Insiders tell us Frangie offered to give two weeks, but was instead escorted from CNBC's headquarters. We're also told CNBC's human resources department started calling-in employees who are not under contract to ensure that others were not following Frangie to FBN.

So a longtime and notably effective employee gives two weeks' notice, doing the honorable thing, but is instead treated dishonorably, almost like a criminal--immediately "escorted from CNBC's headquarters."

I guess that settles the issue of whether or not Frangie's old bosses, Mark Hoffman and Jonathan Wald, will show up at his goodbye party.

Like I said: There's real class at that joint.

This Used to be CNN. So Bye Bye Reuters, with more cuts to come?

Most of CNN has been hard to watch for a long time time, but one of CNN's remaining strong suits was always its website--there was a lot of news there, and if you didn't mind the slant, you could at least learn some things.

But maybe no more, because CNN is cutting costs by eliminating Reuters.

That's not the headline that either CNN or Reuters gave to the announcement, but that's the unmistakable gist. For its part, Reuters gave CNN due deference: "This is all about us, not Reuters. This is about content ownership," CNN spokesman Nigel Pritchard was quoted by the wire service. "Everything is changing and content ownership is king." Yeah sure.

If that were true, what Pritchard was saying, then where was the big announcement at the same time about an upgrading of CNN's own newsgathering capability? Hiring staff, and all that? There wasn't one.

Maybe CNN, locked in that struggle for second place, is having a harder time than we realize.

Which reminds me, now that summer vacation is over, and all those Wall Street moguls are back from the Hamptons, it's time to start looking into those persistent rumors about a breakup of CNN's parent company, Time-Warner. One influential site, BloggingStocks, describes T-W CEO Richard Parsons as "A dull, competent caretaker who is unimaginative and slow-to-act."

If I were a T-W shareholder, looking at a stock that is down over the past three years--and down 80 percent since 2000--I might be looking at a change at the top.

Maybe Parsons knows that much, at least--that he has to do some cost-cutting. And so, to help get his company's act together, and avoid the Wall Street wolves, he has been telling each division to cut costs even more.

And so Reuters has been just the latest to walk the plank.

"Money Honey leaving sour taste in the mouths of co-workers"

That's the headline from the always hot FTVLive:

We told you a couple of days ago about how staffers at CNBC are getting sick and tired of how Money Honey Maria Bartiromo and Erin Burnett are getting all the attention and time in the spotlight.

One CNBC insider tells FTVLive that this is nothing new and it has been going on for months.

The insider tells FTVLive "It's not so much that Maria was treated like more of a star than her numbers commanded (her show consistently comes in4th or 5thduring business day of all CNBC's market shows), it's that they completely ignored bona fide stars like Liz Claman, Bianna Golodryga, Eric Bolling and Ron Insana. And looky here, allfour have gone on to bigger and better things. This all comes from the top and mark my words, you watch as head honcho Mark Hoffman continues to operate with a tin earwhile savvier underling Jonathan Wald lets him step in his own doggy doo. Wald tried hard to keep Claman happy but the tone comes from the top and the whole newsroom knew she was meant for better things. Trust me, NBC brass at 30 Rock NOT happy about these talent losses, especially with Fox on the way."

And the punch line:

Stay tuned it appears that CNBC talent are not happy and many could be opting out and heading to Fox.

Dr. Ablow Comes Aboard Fox News

Dr. Keith Ablow to join Fox News, according to a story by the always interesting Marisa Guthrie in the authoritative Broadcasting & Cable.

Dr. Keith is a really interesting fellow. He is the author of eight non-fiction books, and also has penned six murder mysteries.

He'll make a terrific addition to FNC, bringing a cold-eyed insight into the heart of dark killers such as Scott Peterson(who was the subject of one of Keith's books).

The Battle for Second Place Heats Up! CNN and MSNBC Vy for Avis-status!

Between CNN and MSNBC, somebody has to win the silver medal! It's an exciting matchup, even if Cable Game gold seems to belong permanently to Fox News.

Variety's Michael Learmonth, always a reliable guide to the to-ings andfro-ings of The Cable Game, makes a clear case that Bill O'Reillly and Fox News Channel are the clear winners, while Keith Olbermann, despite a mostly adoring run of press coverage from an MSM that likes his Bush-bashing, is still struggling to defeat Paula Zahn, who doesn't even work at the network anymore.

Learmonth explains that in the battle for second place, "The margin came down to DVR viewing: In live Nielsen ratings, CNN topped Olbermann; when DVR viewing is counted, Olbermann is the narrow winner."

And Learmonth adds some more Cable Game news here:

Meanwhile, in the mornings, MSNBC is feeling the pain of the departed Don Imus. Last year, "Imus in the Morning" was running ahead of "American Morning," which triggered an anchor shakeup at CNN. Now MSNBC is fourth, behind CNN Headline News' "Robin & Co." That's a problem for MSNBC, which moved former Florida congressman Joe Scarborough to the morning and plans to re-launch the show as "Morning Joe" in the fall.

Oh well. I always liked "Fox & Friends" better, although it will be interesting to see where Imus ends up. Scarborough becomes more and more annoying as he continues to trade on his Republican credentials, which he seems to view as a license to trash Republicans, while pretending that he is sympathetic to the GOP. Better an honest liberal, such as Dan Abrams, than a hypocrite.

"The Gphone is coming; how Google could rewrite the rules"

Last 100 is a blog that I hadn't heard of before, but it's got lots of interesting stuff, which speaks to the future of The Cable Game. The title, "last 100," by the way, refers to the last 100 feet, between the wire and the home computer--and that 100 feet is increasingly wireless. Which speaks to the big change coming, which is complete mobility for the digital user; he or she will no longer be forced to sit in front of a screen, be it TV or computer. In other words, what has happened with telephones--gone from cordless to completely mobile--will happen to other critical machines, too.

In the opinion of Daniel Langendorf, "The Gphone and not the iPhone will be the one to change the face of the wireless industry." And thereby hangs a tale of technology, worth exploring.

It's a given, TCG thinks, that in the future, the personal digital assistat(PDA) will be the key device that serves as the standard unit for communications, as the telephone was, then the television, and then the personal computer.

The PDA, of course, will be all three, especially when it is coupled with accessories and hooked up, as need be, to "dumb terminals" and the like. And so in the not-too-distant future, you will walk around with your PDA and "light up" various keyboards and terminals as you need them. And of course, various advertisers will light up your PDA, as you permit them to.

Cable news will do fine in this environment, because people always want to keep in touch--indeed, in a world of instantaneous happenings and interconnectedness, it will be all the more vital to keep paddling in the "river of news."

The question, then, is what sort of device will win--what will be the standard PDA, if in fact, there will be a standard PDA.

Last spring, TCG would have guessed that the standard PDA would be the iPhone. Needless to say, there have been cell phones and BlackBerries and the like for a couple of decades now, but we all kept reading how totally awesomely cool the iPhone was going to be, and how pretty, to boot!

Well, the iPhone debuted in June, to enormous hoo-haw (remember FNC's Laura Engle getting mugged, on camera, during a standup in front of the Apple Store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue?), and yet once TCG got her hands on that hot little thing, it felt, well... cold. As in, not hot.

I mean, it's nice and everything, but the iPhone is clearly not so superior that it is going to blow Motorola, and Nokia, and Samsung, and RIM, and all the rest of the cell phone/PDA makers out of the water.

And so the world waits. Maybe, suggests Langendorf, the waiting game will end when the "gPhone" debuts, which could be as soon as Spring '08.

We shall see, of course, but if Google can do to phones what it has done to search and to web-based advertising, it will be a pretty ferocious threat to the status quo.

Of course, TCG isn't totally happy with Google. This significant article in The Economist paints a somewhat scary picture of the Googled future, in which all content providers, including news outlets, bow down to Google. As the magazine put it,

The list of constituencies that hate or fear Google grows by the week. Television networks, book publishers and newspaper owners feel that Google has grown by using their content without paying for it. Telecoms firms such as America's AT&T and Verizon are miffed that Google prospers, in their eyes, by free-riding on the bandwidth that they provide; and it is about to bid against them in a forthcoming auction for radio spectrum. Many small firms hate Google because they relied on exploiting its search formulas to win prime positions in its rankings, but dropped to the internet's equivalent of Hades after Google tweaked these algorithms.

That's a lot of issues that the political process is going to have to work through!

And for its own sake, among other reasons, The Cable Game needs to be on top of it.