Cable News Ratings for September 28, 2006

P2+ Total Day
FNC - 903,000 viewers
CNN - 455,000 viewers
MSNBC - 286,000 viewers
CNBC - 162,000 viewers
HLN - 255,000 viewers

P2+ Prime Time
FNC - 1,539,000 viewers
CNN - 588,000 viewers
MSNBC - 463,000 viewers
CNBC - 133,000 viewers
HLN - 482,000 viewers

25-54 Total Day
FNC - 301,000 viewers
CNN - 184,000 viewers
MSNBC - 139,000 viewers
CNBC - 54,000 viewers
HLN - 109,000 viewers

25-54 Prime Time
FNC - 369,000 viewers
CNN - 204,000 viewers
MSNBC - 194,000 viewers
CNBC - 66,000 viewers
HLN - 199,000 viewers
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CNN has been airing a report throughout the day on the story of an Iraqi woman was was put on a death list and executed when she opened the door and identified herself. A background story can be read at CNN.com…

There is a name and a story that goes with every number in the mounting civilian death toll in Iraq. Rarely do loved ones have the courage to tell the victim’s story. 53-year-old Umm Luma was gunned down after the Brigades of Death filled in her name on the dotted line of a death threat, a death threat delivered to her house. Her niece heard the killers call her name, “He said to her are you Umm Luma? She said yes dear what would you like?” Then the killers shot her dead. A gut wrenching tale of a life lost as extremist groups carryout sectarian killings.

The story first aired on American Morning this morning. Transcript follows…
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The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Jill Vejnoska writes about Shepard Smiths appearance at the Atlanta Press Club yesterday…

“I’m sort of in enemy territory here,” Smith drawled to a lunchtime audience at the Commerce Club downtown. “People are wearing red, but it’s the wrong red. I’m terrified of Saturday. Please be nice and clean up after yourselves in The Grove. Unlike LSU fans.”

Yep, he was talking football. Specifically, Saturday’s faceoff in Oxford between the undefeated University of Georgia bulldogs and the — well, let’s just say, the NOT undefeated University of Mississippi Rebels (A Holly Springs, Mississippi, native, Smith went to Ole Miss and is still a season ticket holder for football there). He was NOT referencing the fact that he was making this appearance just a couple of blocks from rival CNN’s world headquarter, and that Fox has set up shop today right under CNN’s noses. Smith and Greta Van Susteren are broadcasting three shows live at 3 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. from the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce overlooking Centennial Olympic Park.

It’s part of Fox News’ 10th anniversary “Thank You America” tour. And, according to Smith, the occasionally overheated rivalry’s all pretty much in good fun.

The AP’s Megan Scott writes about Nancy Grace and features a critical TVNewser…

The show is called “Nancy Grace” — not the “Nancy Grace Factor” or “On the Record with Nancy Grace.” And it airs seven times a week on a 24-hour news channel.

But it’s no news show.

“She’s producing a drama just like any other crime show,” says Brian Stelter, editor of TVNewser.com. “She’s using journalism as her stage because she is taking these real-life events and putting her spin on them. Even the way she introduces the show, it sounds less like news and more like entertainment.”

Dramatic music at the start of the show sets a firm and controlling tone. Her sensationalized narrative (Baby Abby found alive!) Both grab the viewer at the outset, says Ted Mandell, who teaches in the Department of Radio, Television and Film at the University of Notre Dame.

“Musical scores are one of easiest ways to invoke emotion into a piece,” he says. “Let’s make the event really scary and really important with music and identify it as ‘The War on Terror.’ Give it a headline, a narrative. Simplify the story into a cliche bumper sicker — ‘America Fights Back.’ It gives the viewer something to latch on to.”

There are other parts to this theatrical performance — the sound effect of a cracking whip when Grace is interrogating someone. The way she inflects her voice with her barrage of questions (Tell me about the suspect. Was it a woman? Were they in a home? What kind of structure was it? Is the woman under police custody?”) How she ends her show with “Good Night, Everybody. And until tomorrow night, good night, friend.” Nancy Grace is our friend!

The Chicago Tribune’s Phil Rosenthal writes about the Bill Clinton/Chris Wallace interview and all the publicity it’s generated for FNC…

One week later and people are still talking about Bill Clinton ripping Fox News.

Fox News boss Roger Ailes is delighted.

“I would have paid him 100 grand to help us with marketing, just to get a half-hour of his time,” Ailes said by phone Thursday. “As it turned out, I got a half-hour of his time and he did it for nothing. We’re very grateful. … He’s kept us in the news for six days.

“It’s an amazing thing. And in light of that I would extend my hand to ask him to come on as a guest anytime. I would even consider him having a show.”

Told of this, a Clinton spokesman laughed. “Can you just say that’s my response?” he said.

The Boston Herald’s Jessica Heslam writes about FNC.com’s online “Campus Hook-Ups” segment…

Syndicated columnist and Emerson College professor Jeffrey Seglin said the producers of the FNC iMAG section on the Web and the network’s news programs aren’t “cut from the same cloth” and aren’t going after the same audience.

“It’s certainly not consistent with people like (FOX host Bill) O’Reilly and those guys who sort of tout family values,” Seglin said.

Leigh Hallisey, adjunct professor of pop culture at Boston University’s College of Communication, said the video is “racy on the outside but the messages are still conservative.”

“From FOX News Channel’s perspective, there’s no news here. There’s much more pressing issues in the country and around the world and that’s what we’re focused on reporting,” said FOX spokesman Darin Johnson.

Tuesday, I noted that Keith Olbermann crossed a line when he called FNC’s Chris Wallace a “monkey”. Apparently this is a line that Olbermann wants to stay on the other side of as evidenced by his characterizations of FNC head Roger Ailes’ weight both Wednesday and Thursday. As someone who has had his own up and down weight battles and has friendships with people who have weight problems, I wince whenever the subject of someone’s weight is brought up for ridicule.

That Olbermann hates FNC, and for that matter anything connected to Rupert Murdoch, is not really in dispute. But there are ways to crticize and there are ways not to criticize and school yard name calling isn’t one of them in my opinion. Olbermann isn’t going to convince the undecideds out in TV land of the validity of his arguments, however valid they may be, by going this route. Insults detract from whatever substance the arguments have and puts the focus of the attack squarely on the insult. And name calling and personal insults have a short life span as a weapon. At some point the viewer will become desensitized to them.

As these insults pile up, Olbermann risks becoming the very thing he apparently despises most about FNC (judging by his previous comments); a loudmouth talking head who takes the low road with the cheap shot instead of making substantive points. Is that really what he wants to be?

(Note: the “loudmouth talking head who takes the low road with the cheap shot” characterization is based on Olbermann’s numerous pieces on some of FNC’s talent and not based on any personal opinions I may or may not have. So don’t be sending me comments saying that I said FNC is made up of loudmouth talking heads who take the low road with the cheap shot. Because I didn’t say that. I would say that I pefer it if nobody went that route but I acknowledge that talking head TV is very opinionated and there is an audience segment out there who tunes in to see the talking heads give their opinions. I just wish they could do it in a less “volatile” manner.)

Tonight on Countdown in the Keeping Tabs segment, Keith Olbermann noted that his show’s Midnight repeat beat FNC’s Midnight repeat in the Demo by 16,000 viewers in response to Roger Ailes comments this morning about FNC going after the broadcast networks.

Roger Ailes, the circular gentleman, has spoken again. Having already fired or demoted several popular hosts from The Minsitry of Truth’s Fox News Channel and dealing with nasty fight between another host and his wife - now former Washington Bureau Chief - Ailes has announced his his next 10 year plan. Quoted by several TV Blogs as telling his staff, “It’s been a great 10 years…we’ve defied the odds…we should be congratulated…But ever decision I make from here on in is about the next 10 years.” adding that the Ministry of Truth needed “to focus more on taking audience away from the broadcast networks, not the other cable networks.”

Not so fast Sidney Greenstreet. Check out last night’s ratings. At Midnight Eastern, Nine PM Pacific, Countdown in first place in the only ratings the industry cares about; viewers 25-54…beat Fox News and Brit Hume by 16,000…beat Larry King by 52,000…HOUSTON GOODBYE!…beat Glenn Beck by…..181,000?

Mr. Ailes might want to focus back on keeping the other cables news networks from taking audience from his own network…and leaving some food for Canada.

Olbermann Watch was beside itself…
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Yesterday on Countdown, Keith Olbermann tagged Roger Ailes as Worst Person In The World for saying that Bill Clinton’s angry response to Chris Wallace was an “assault on all journalists”…

Our winner: Roger Ailes, “The Ming the Merciless,” of FOX News and congrats, incidentally Roger, on having achieved the perfectly circular shape. He says today that President Clinton’s reaction to Chris Wallace the other day was “an assault on all journalists.” No, Roger, what he said was an admonishment, somebody sending terrorist threats to me and others is an assault to all journalists.

This puts me in a bind. On the one hand, I feel badly for Olbermann because he was targeted with what amounts to several degrees of severity beyond a death threat and he probably, deservedly, feels sensitive about the whole incident. On the other hand, trying to compare Roger Ailes’ comment to what happened to him leaves me nonplussed. The two are not related.

I totally missed this last night. Keith Olbermann responded yesterday to yesterday’s Page Six item on him and deservedly shredded the New York Post for their antics.

And one of the reasons I offered no comment, was obvious: the authorities asked me not to.

Also, a New York Post reporter attempted to gain access to me by falsely identifying herself as a friend of mine.

And, most relevantly, the New York Post never called NBC News or MSNBC seeking any comment. They would have been told that the FBI had requested we try to keep this quiet.

But of course that would have interfered with the New York Post making fun of a terror threat.

It’s almost melodramatic to ask why the New York Post would choose the side of domestic terrorism, rather than choose the side of the FBI.

An interesting side note in Olbermann’s commentray is something I had long suspected but didn’t know for sure. According to Olbermann, FNC had contacted other networks when Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig were kidnapped and asked them to keep the coverage to a minimum. This should serve as a rality check to the critics of the time who were speculating that nobody was covering the story because it concerned FNC.