CNN released a set of highlights from Kofi Annan’s appearance on Larry King Live set to start in mere minutes (depending on when you read this)…

Annan on US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice:

KING: Condoleezza Rice is going to the Mideast. We’re 10 days into this conflict. Should — the Lebanese, by the way, prime minister was with us yesterday, and he said his country is being torn to pieces. Should Ms. Rice have gone sooner?

ANNAN: I think she’s been busy discussing the possible solutions with many capitals and here in New York. As you know, she came to New York, and we had a working dinner. And she also talked to my team that went to the region this morning.

And obviously, she would want to go to the region but go with a package and proposals that will facilitate an agreement and negotiations.

And I’m sure she will go as soon as she’s ready, and as I hear, she’s going this weekend.
(more…)

MSNBC’s new half hour business show “Your Business” which TVNewser originally broke the story on will premiere on August 13th at 7:30 am ET. I hear that currently there are no plans to repeat the show but that could change.

In a Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable article on Brian Williams and his new anchor competition there’s also a blurb from Steve Capus on MSNBC’ race with FNC and CNN…

Capus also predictably tried to downplay the hype surrounding the cable news network ratings race, which sees MSNBC trailing CNN and Fox News.

“These cable news wars between Fox, CNN and MSNBC in my mind are silly,” he said. “The fact is, MSNBC is such a part of this news division, and to me that is the bigger story of MSNBC than that type of hype and ratings silliness.”

TMZ.com wants you to pick the Middle East Hottie and offers up Bill Hemmer, Richard Engel, and Anderson Cooper…

Please keep the comments restrained. No inuendo or rumors please…

CJR Daily has an article by Lawrence Pintak that criticizes a lot of what we’ve been seeing on cable regarding the Middle East crisis…

Hype abounded. “This could be World War Three!” more than one reporter was heard to say. The same dramatic images were endlessly repeated, as if on a loop. Rumor was elevated to fact — and the networks seemed proud of it. One CNN promo showed an unedited sequence in which a nameless photographer told Anderson Cooper, in northern Israel, that there was a rumor of rockets on the way. Cooper then turned to the camera and authoritatively reported, “The police say more rockets are coming.”

So much for checking sources.

To be fair, there was also a fair share of solid, informed reporting. Yeoman’s work has been done by Nic Robertson in Beirut, Matthew Chance in Gaza and Christiane Amanpour on the Israeli border, as well as CNN anchor and Beirut veteran Jim Clancy, NBC’s Martin Fletcher on MSNBC and the handful of others who are based in, or spend significant time in, the region. The problem comes with those — like Cooper — who have parachuted into the Middle East with little grounding in the region, and the anchors back in the studios in London and the U.S. The errors of the uninitiated embeds in Iraq have been endlessly repeated.

One example: CBS refugee John Roberts, now CNN’s senior correspondent, eruditely pointed to pro-Hezbollah demonstrations in Syria as evidence of a Sunni-Shiite split. The only weakness in that analysis is that Syria is a Sunni nation, so the demonstrations point to exactly the opposite — Sunni-Shiite unity on the issue of Hezbollah’s actions.

All of FNC’s prime time shows topped 2,000,000 viewers and On The Record’s Demo led the way with the most viewers on cable news.

July 20
P2+ Total Day
FNC – 1,215,000 viewers
CNN - 655,000 viewers
MSNBC - 232,000 viewers
HLN - 187,000 viewers
CNBC – 156,000 viewers

P2+ Prime Time
FNC – 2,294,000 viewers
CNN – 1,001,000 viewers
MSNBC - 353,000 viewers
HLN – 401,000 viewers
CNBC - 144,000 viewers

25-54 Total Day
FNC - 402,000 viewers
CNN - 263,000 viewers
MSNBC – 102,000 viewers
HLN – 81,000 viewers
CNBC – 58,000 viewers

25-54 Prime Time
FNC - 691,000 viewers
CNN - 367,000 viewers
MSNBC - 126,000 viewers
HLN – 159,000 viewers
CNBC – 60,000 viewers
(more…)

An emailer writes in noting the problems Tucker had this afternoon broadcasting from Israel with the feed going down a couple of times…

The first time it happened MSNBC brought up some music till the feed came back. Just now the feed audio was going out again and they cut a few seconds early to Tucker’s taped report. After the report MSNBC went to Allison Stewart at MSNBC who said they were having problems with the feed from Tucker in Israel and then went to break. I am guessing MSNBC will re edit that part of the show for the 6pm broadcast.

I should hope so.

UPDATE: A tipster says the horrendous weather in New Jersey is probably to blame for the satellite drop outs.

CNN issued a release this afternoon outlining their Middle East coverage plans…

In a continued demonstration of its power as the largest multi-platform provider of news, CNN provides breaking news reports and detailed analysis of the ongoing turmoil between Israel and Lebanon through extensive weekend coverage on its television networks and its online services.

Over the past 10 days of the conflict, CNN has deployed more than 90 personnel to the region. A rotation of nearly two dozen CNN anchors and correspondents from numerous vantage points across Israel, Lebanon and Cyprus have ensured that CNN has provided the most complete and accurate coverage available.

The weekend coverage begins tonight with Larry King’s exclusive interview with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Larry King Live airs every night from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. Anderson Cooper 360° follows at 10 p.m. with Anderson Cooper anchoring live from Beirut. Cooper also narrates the CNN Presents special “Inside Hezbollah,” a detailed portrait of the militant Shiite group involved in the violence. “Inside Hezbollah” will air tonight during the second hour of Anderson Cooper 360°.
(more…)

The AP’s David Bauder writes about the FNC “wish well” comment…

Plainly, public relations is a contact sport at Fox News Channel _ with, as Fox PR chief Brian Lewis explains, a sense of mischief sprinkled in.

“Has there ever been a more disingenuous phrase in the corporate handbook, or the PR handbook, than `we wish him well’?” asked Lewis. “`Earnings have fallen in the last eight quarters and we wish Joe well as he leaves the company to pursue other interests.’ We know what they mean, so we just thought we’d have some fun and point out the hypocrisy of the term.”

Bauder goes on to list some of the people who have been bestowed the FNC “wish well” and talks about The big “O”…

…and I don’t mean O’Reilly…

Break in times…

FNC 6:15:11:23
CNBC 6:18:28
MSNBC 6:21:52
CNN 6:22:00

Yesterday’s FNC schedule has been updated. Hannity & Colmes, and On The Record will air on both Saturday and Sunday in their regular time periods.

UPDATE: O’Reilly is not on Saturday. That was an error on my part.

Lloyd Grove dishes…

CLICK OFF GLICK? Just how brutal is the television biz? As brutal as they come, judging by the career trajectory of former NBC News “rising star” Alexis Glick. Remember when the 33-year-old Glick was being touted far and wide as a possible “Today” show successor to Katie Couric? Only a year ago, she was a regular on the morning show’s 9 o’clock hour and getting, according to one report, “increasing face time.” But in March, Glick abruptly left NBC. Now, I hear, she’s talking to Fox News Channel about an off-air management position.

“Abruptly left”?…that’s one way of putting it I guess…

I’ve heard that Amy Robach will return to MSNBC from maternity leave next week…

CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 last night to talk about the casualties in the Middle East Conflict. Transcript follows…

COOPER: Those pictures from Northern Israel. Wounded Israeli troops being taken into an ambulance for further treatment.

Want to take a look now at what sort of treatment many of the civilians here in Lebanon are receiving. Several hundred have already died. Many hundred more are wounded.

CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in Larnaca, Cyprus, monitoring what kind of care people here in Lebanon are getting. Sanjay, how has the care gone?

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it’s obviously a difficult situation. One of the most striking things, if you look at the overall injury-to-death ratio, it’s about 3 to 1. So about three injured people for every one death. That’s extremely high in terms of the number of deaths there. You know, talking around 600 people have been injured. Closer to 200 to 300 now have died. You know, the numbers keep changing. Obviously, that’s pretty remarkable.
(more…)

CNN announced earlier this evening that U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan will appear on Larry King Live Friday night…

In an exclusive interview for U.S. television, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan will appear on CNN’s Larry King Live on Friday, July 21, at 9 p.m. (ET).