The L.A. Times’ Matea Gold wraps up the Friday night/Saturday morning coverage of Hussein’s execution…

For most of Saturday, American TV relied on a tape made available earlier that showed only the moments leading up to the hanging.

CNN and Fox News also aired a grainy video of his body, his head twisted at a sharp angle as his shrouded corpse lay on a stretcher.

ABC, CBS and NBC decided to show a still photo from that footage, apparently made with a cellphone camera.

At the end of Saturday’s 10 pm CNN Newsroom they played a highlight reel of Carol Lin. Afterwards she had some closing comments…

Wow, that’s the first time that I’ve seen that…

One of the great writers on my team gave me a card tonight with a photo of a ladder which reaching for he heavens. And it reads…

And a dreamer began to climb…

Nearly four years ago I just wanted a good war to cover and a chance to tell your story. Well be careful what you wish for - I had Kosovo, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and 9/11. And then there was the unexpected battle - and the one that I lost - my husband’s cancer.

So it’s time I tell his story and mine. So many people have asked me, “What’s next?” Well one of the projects is a blog book that will serve as an online investigation into out health care system - who gets the cures and who doesn’t - and the heroes who held our hands. I hope you’re going to Google my name on Valentine’s Day…what a great way to celebrate love. To those Doctors and Nurses - my family…my CNN family…and the third street gang out there…a deep and heartfelt thank you. But there’s still more stories to tell. A check of the headlines after the break.

CNN - the most trusted name in news

The Hollywood Reporter’s Paul J. Gough writes about today’s coverage…

The networks were split on showing Saddam’s body. CNN and Fox showed a still photograph, with Fox News showing a before-and-after with one shot of the dictator in his heyday “Alive” and the other today “Dead.” MSNBC and NBC News didn not show anything.

“We here at NBC News have chosen not to take any video or stills that we may obtain and show them to you of Saddam Hussein’s body specifically,” MSNBC anchor Alex Witt said Saturday morning.

NBC’s decision was made by NBC News President Steve Capus and vp broadcast standards Dave McCormick.

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper also pledged restraint Friday night: “We’re going to be very judicious in how we show them to you. We obviously will take great care in that.”

MSNBC started running an ad on TV, which I haven’t seen yet, that says that the network will be devoting all day Thursday, Jan 4th to the topic of politics and the first day of the new Congress. As with its 2006 pre-election coverage a number of high profile NBC talents will be anchoring the coverage. ICN has heard the following people will be anchoring this special coverage Thursday…

Norah O’Donnell
Chip Reid
David Gregory
Joe Scarborough
Andrea Mitchell
Matt Lauer
Brian Williams

Expect a formal release from MSNBC early next week…

During the ceremony in the Rotunda, there was a disruption as an elderly mourner apparently collapsed. The networks were forced to ad-lib the situation. FNC quickly threw up a “Mourner collapses” lower third and was followed by CNN doing the same. MSNBC didn’t change its lower third. This was followed by the three networks delicately trying to avoid showing the commotion. FNC and MSNBC stuck with a tight shot on the casket. CNN put up an outside shot of the capitol as well.

7:55 pm - FNC’s Wallace I think was the first to identify the mourner; William Broomfield, a former Congressional colleague of Ford when Ford served in Congress. This info came from the pool reporter on the scene. I don’t think either CNN or MSNBC broadcast the mourner’s identity at the time. Wallace said Bill Frist was attending to Broomfield. ABC later said that Broomfield was being treated in the Speaker’s office…

UPDATE: Broomfield, after a brief respite, was okay according to Frist.

The AP’s David Bauder writes about the Hussein coverage last night. Sorry for the spam heavy Forbes link. It’s a royal pita…

“Everyone was anticipating we would have a difficult decision to make,” said David Rhodes, Fox vice president of news. “But when you consider what we and everyone else saw coming in, the pictures were fairly dramatic, but there was nothing we had to do” before televising it, he said.

Fox ran side-by-side pictures of Saddam, one a file photo labeled “Alive” and the other a blurry still photo after the execution marked “Dead.”

Anderson Cooper repeatedly told CNN viewers after the execution was announced late Friday that video was expected soon and the network would be “very judicious” in how it was presented.

However, “there haven’t been any tough decisions yet,” CNN spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg said Saturday.

NBC News, both on the Saturday “Today” show and on the MSNBC cable channel until about midday, aired only video taken before Saddam was hanged. NBC News President Steve Capus then approved the use of one still photo of Saddam’s body.

“I didn’t want them to rush into it,” Capus said. “I wanted them to be cautious. I didn’t think there was anything to be gained by being first with the pictures of the body.”

At around 4:35 pm, FNC aired some new footage from Al Jazeera of Saddam Hussein’s final moments alive as the noose was being prepared. The quality wasn’t great as it was cellphone quality and the footage stopped before Hussein was hanged. Did CNN or MSNBC air this as well?

I also heard on one of the channels that Al Jazeera would be releasing audio of Hussein’s final words.

At 5pm ET all CNN, MSNBC, and FNC were all focused in on Washington D.C. for Aireforce 1 (the plane isn’t being called that since that’s only used when the President is on board…it’s official designation for this flight is Special Air Mission 29,000) to land carrying President Gerald Ford’s body. With the gravity of the situation, the networks are putting on their A-teams. CNN has Wolf Blitzer, FNC has Chris Wallace, and MSNBC has Chris Matthews.

UPDATE: Tom Brokaw joined Chris Matthews…

UPDATE 2: Screengrabs…

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I think year end articles are overdone…it’s like sort of obligatory that you have to do one to wrap up the year whether it’s really warranted or not. Nontheless I decided to do one. But, what would I write about?

Well I could have written about CNN’s changes through the year. American Morning lost an hour, CNN said so long to Daryn Kagan and Carol Lin, cut back on its weekend news a bit, renamed Live From to CNN Newsroom (welcoming Don Lemon and TJ Holmes to the newscast), debuting the hi tech newsroom in New York City, bringing Zain Verjee over from CNN International first to The Situation Room and then later installing her at the State Department.

And I could have written about the changes at HLN. Glenn Beck’s show premiered and has started creeping up in the ratings, the anchor lineup during the day was changed not once, not twice, but three times which saw Kathleen Kennedy and Thomas Roberts get essentially demoted, Stephen Frasier moved to CNN International, and Sophia Choi let go (much to my consternation) while Robin & Company added an hour and Christi Paul moved from weekend tape to live news at 10 am.
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While FNC and MSNBC have been covering a mix of stories, CNN has spent the majority of the afternoon covering the Funeral for James Brown via a live feed from WJBF with Carol Lin anchoring. CNN has also presented some of the coverage without going to scheduled breaks.

1) What was the most over-reported story in cable news in 2006?

2) What was the most under-reported story in cable news in 2006?

The AP’s Lynne Elber writes about last night’s Hussein coverage…

TV news channels played a tense waiting game Friday as they ticked off the final hours of Saddam Hussein’s life, replaying scenes from the former Iraqi dictator’s reign as they waited for his death.

Saddam’s hanging Friday night ended a day of TV reporting fraught with uncertainty and speculation about whether his execution was imminent.

“The situation seems to be one of tremendous flux, but you and your viewers already know that,” Feisal al-Istrabadi, Iraq’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said on CNN several hours before Saddam’s death.

Catching up on my email from overnight…

3:38 am - CNNI broke news of a car bomb at the Madrid airport in Spain. No word on whether it’s related to the Hussein execution.

3:52 am - CNNI airs the first footage of Hussein in the moments before he is hung. FNC followed suit four minutes later. MSNBC interrupted a Marathon of the Headliners & Legends episode on Saddam Hussein at 3:59 to air the footage. MSNBC doesn’t mention the Madrid bombing. An emailer says that CNNI is owning that story.

Later on the networks were airing “before and after” stills and video. FNC put up a side by side comparison graphic during Fox and Friends.

UPDATE: Eat The Press’ Sklar chronicled the video moment…

10 am - The Saturday Business block on FNC has been pre-empted for live coverage from Page Hopkins and Eric Shawn. The Business Block will now air on Sunday from 3-5pm ET…

At Midnight while CNN stayed live with Anderson Cooper and FNC stayed live with Greg Jarrett and Jamie Colby, MSNBC opted to re-run a Headliners & Legends episode on Saddam Hussein…

UPDATE: I got email from a viewer who said they thought that MSNBC had put a new taped open on the episode with Lester Holt talking about Hussein’s death. Can anyone confirm?

At Midnight Gregg Jarret and Jamie Colby took over FNC’s coverage of Hussein’s execution. FNC’s coverage will be on until 2 am. Fox and Friends Saturday will start at 5 am.

UPDATE: At 12:09, Greg Kelly reported that President Bush had gone to bed before Hussein’s execution.

UPDATE 2: At 12: 16 FNC interrupted its Hussein coverage to break news that a ship carrying 850 passengers had sank in a storm off of central Java…

UPDATE 3: Updated the information with new data…

Anderson Cooper will be on the air until 1 am. At that point CNN will pick up CNN International’s coverage. CNN Saturday Morning will start an hour early at 6 am Saturday…

It’s 10 pm ET and all three nets are live awaiting word for the death of Saddam Hussein. Milissa Rehberger is anchoring MSNBC’s coverage. Greta Van Susteren is live on FNC. Anderson Cooper is anchoring for CNN. All three are reporting that Al Arabia and Al Hurrah are saying that Hussein has been executed but they can’t confirm yet.

UPDATE: Times for initial reports of Hussein’s execution on the nets…

CNN - 10:06pm (YouTube video)
FNC -10:08pm
MSNBC -10:09pm ET

10:15 - MSNBC is noting a Reuters report that Hussein has been executed.

10:17 - Van Susteren is interviewing one of Hussein’s attorneys.

10:24 - Even though it doesn’t have confirmation yet, CNN is carring a banner in the lower right corner that says “Saddam Executed/Death of a Dictator”

10:26 - FNC’s reporter David MacDougal is saying that the Arab networks are reporting that there was a still camera and a video camera at the time of the as yet unconfirmed execution

10:27 - MSNBC is reporting that Iraqi state television is reporting that Hussein has been executed. I haven’t seen FNC or CNN jump on this yet.

10:29 - On MSNBC Jim Maceda is reporting that there were two other executions as well.

10:30 - MSNBC’s lower third now says Saddam Hussein has been executed. CNN and FNC have not made similar adjustments to their lower thirds yet.

10:32 - CNN’s lower third now says that one of Saddam Hussein’s attorneys says Hussein has been executed. Why is CNN hedging (the same question can be asked of FNC)? MSNBC has already declared it. Is MSNBC’s intel that much better?

10:35 - MSNBC is reporting via NBC News that there’s celebratory gunfire in Baghdad.

10:35 - CNN has a lower third that says Hussein has been executed based on word from a “Senior Military Official”.

10:37 - FNC is now carrying a lower third with the Iraqi TV report that Hussein has been hanged.

The New York Times’ Bill Carter cranks out a last minute update on the networks grappling over what to televise regarding the exection of Saddam Hussein…

Though it was not known whether images of the execution would be released, the news divisions at ABC and CBS said that, should video become available, they will show some visual documentation of Saddam’s death but will not use overly graphic images or show complete execution.

NBC News, however, indicated it might go further. Steve Capus, the president of NBC News, said that network may show “a wide shot of Saddam hanging.” He said NBC would make its decision based on questions both of taste and of history.

“I think it might be appropriate at some point to see an image of Saddam after he is hanged,” Mr. Capus said, citing previous historic images of dictators who had been killed. “I think about that iconic image of Nicolae Ceausescu in Romania, lying literally in the gutter,” Mr. Capus said. “I want to do this with a measure of taste, but I don’t want to stand in the way of history.”

The cable news networks CNN and the Fox News Channel were less definitive about what limits they might not impose on any images of Mr. Hussein in death, saying they would decide after they saw what was available. (MSNBC, the cable channel owned by NBC, will follow the policies of NBC News.)

Johnny Dollar emailed in FNC’s programming schedule tonight in lieu of the imminent execution of Saddam Hussein…

O’Reilly live show only 30 minutes
H&C 8:30 to 10:00
Greta 10:00 to midnight

Since the top of the 7pm hour both CNN and FNC have been locked in a steel cage death match to see who can get the latest details in the execution of Saddam Hussein out first. Meanwhile over on MSNBC, Chris Matthews is interviewing John Edwards in a taped interview. In MSNBC’s defence, Saddam ain’t dead yet so to break tape at this point isn’t going to break a lot of pertinent news. But this sword cuts two ways because if you don’t break tape to cover the little details you set yourself up to be the network perceived to be not covering the story and therefore when the big news does break the viewers are going to be watching elsewhere because they’ll think you’re still in tape. But the Edwards interview is something of a get for Matthews so delaying it could be problematic for MSNBC.

UPDATE: A very odd sight just now near the end of Hardball. Chris Matthews was doing a segment on Gerald Ford but the lower thirds blared “Saddam awaiting execution”…

UPDATE 2: The MSN MSNBC board is in an uproar over MSNBC running tape with few updates.

Looks like FNC’s Page Hopkins now has company in the form of MSNBC/CNBC’s JJ Ramberg…

So how many times today did the cable nets announce that Saddam Hussein had been transferred to Iraqi custody? I know FNC did it once around 2:47 pm with Page Hopkins all but swearing up and down that it had definately happened after an earlier false rumor this morning…only to have Shepard Smith announce about half an hour later that the U.S. State Department had shot down that story as false. So who else jumped the gun today?

Cable News Ratings for December 28, 2006

P2+ Total Day
FNC – 758,000 viewers
CNN – 487,000 viewers
MSNBC – 357,000 viewers
CNBC – 187,000 viewers
HLN – 213,000 viewers

P2+ Prime Time
FNC –1,419,000 viewers
CNN – 872,000 viewers
MSNBC – 492,000 viewers
CNBC – 182,000 viewers
HLN – 376,000 viewers

25-54 Total Day
FNC – 254,000 viewers
CNN – 171,000 viewers
MSNBC –119,000 viewers
CNBC – 77,000 viewers
HLN – 85,000 viewers

25-54 Prime Time
FNC – 395,000 viewers
CNN – 216,000 viewers
MSNBC – 197,000 viewers
CNBC – 77,000 viewers
HLN –136,000 viewers

Morning programs P2+ (25-54)
FOX & Friends – 709,000 viewers (319,000)
American Morning – 372,000 viewers (200,000)
Imus in The Morning- 337,000 viewers (124,000)
Robin & Co. – 200,000 viewers (92,000)
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Recent Presidential candidate announcee John Edwards will be on Hardball tonight talking with Chris Matthews. MSNBC put a transcript out of the interview today…

MATTHEWS: Senator Edwards, you want to be the next president of the United States. Do you think we need to send more troops into Iraq?

EDWARDS: No. I think that’s the last thing we should do. I think it’s a mistake to escalate this war. I think it’s a mistake to have this McCain doctrine adopted as a policy by the United States.

I think what it does is it sends a signal that we’re going to be there forever, or for a long time. It takes responsibility away from the Iraqis.

There is no military solution to what’s happening in Iraq. The only solution’s a political solution.

MATTHEWS: Do you think the hawkish position of Senator McCain is going to be an issue in the general election in 2008?

EDWARDS: Assuming that the situation in Iraq is still going on and has not improved, yes, I think it’ll be an issue.

CNBC announced this morning that on Tuesday Jan 2 it will have seven hours of live programming as it looks ahead to business in 2007…

With many financial markets in the United States closed Tuesday, January 2nd, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq, CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, will air “7 For ‘07,” an unprecedented seven hours of live special programming taking a look ahead at business in 2007.

Beginning at 9 AM ET, each hour of “7 For ‘07″ will focus on what the New Year will hold for investors across every imaginable sector and industry.

Following the regular three-hour live edition of “Squawk Box” (6-9 AM), each CNBC program–”Squawk on the Street” (9-10 AM), “Morning Call” (10 AM-Noon), “Power Lunch” (Noon-2 PM), “Street Signs” (2-3 PM) and a special one-hour edition of “Closing Bell” (3-4 PM)–will originate from CNBC Global Headquarters. This will be followed by a special two-hour live edition of “Kudlow & Company” (4-6 PM) with Larry Kudlow.
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CNN broke into the 3 am airing of Larry King Live this morning to simulcast CNN International’s “Breaking News” report that Saddam Hussein’s lawyer had been told by the U.S. military that he should arrange to pick up Hussein’s personal belongings.

Broadcasting from CNN’s London studios, anchor Max Foster in London interviewed correspondent Ryan Chilcote who reported from Baghdad.

CNN/U.S. continued to simulcast CNN International regularly through the next three hours, bringing regular live updates from Baghdad and a phone interview on the implications with Mark Ellis of the International Bar Association in Boston in the 4am hour.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Paul J. Gough writes about how the nets will handle covering the execution of Saddam Hussein…

CNN and Fox News Channel still were discussing what they would do if the footage were made available. It also wasn’t clear what the newly launched network Al-Jazeera International would do. An e-mail and phone call to the channel’s Qatar headquarters weren’t returned Thursday. Despite popular assumptions to the contrary, Al-Jazeera’s pan-Arab channel has never shown an execution.

CNN’s Umm Zainab writes about CNN covering The Hajj…(via Newslab)

Christmas came today: but not for everyone on the team. The unlucky, grounded crew members were left in a pique as Adil, grinning like a Cheshire cat, left the hotel with our driver in the early hours this morning.

The destination: an airfield in the Mina Valley, some twenty minutes drive out of Makkah. The story: an exclusive ride over the holy sites in one of the Saudi Air Force’s choppers.

Though there are hundreds of journalists in the kingdom to cover The Hajj, the aerial view of the pilgrims on the move was a complete CNN exclusive.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Paul J. Gough writes about the cable nets’ coverage plans for the services for President Gerald Ford…

CNN Washington bureau chief David Bohrman said Thursday that there will be occasional live video on CNN of mourners filing past the former president’s coffin, but it’s not something that is going to be planned or any special programming around that Sunday or Monday.

Eric Kuhn’s interviewed HLN’s Carrie Lee. The interview can be heard here…

Someone at Wide World of Women got ahold of what appears to be promo shots for the new Juliet Huddy/Mike Jerrick Fox broadcast morning show. It looks to me like they had too much fun doing this shoot…

UPDATE: Actually they ripped them off the show’s site…

TV critic Ed Bark says MSNBC has momentum entering 2007 and FNC does not…

MO’ — MSNBC. It was the only cable news network to gain viewers this year, with acid-tongued Keith Olbermann’s Countdown leading the charge.

NO MO’ — Fox News Channel. Percentage-wise, it led the cable news league in audience erosion. Are President Bush’s continued low approval ratings and the Democrats’ mid-term election successes starting to turn heads?

MSNBC announced its coverage plans for the services for President Gerald Ford…

UPDATE: TVNewser says Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann will be anchoring coverage of the Ford service on Tuesday…

MSNBC will provide live coverage throughout the day on Saturday, beginning with the airport departure ceremony in Palm Springs, California and continuing with the arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in the afternoon. Coverage will then conclude with the arrival at the Capitol and State Funeral ceremony.

On Tuesday, MSNBC will also provide live coverage of the services at the National Cathedral at 10:00 a.m., ET, as well as the departure and arrival ceremonies at Andrews Air Force Base and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

On Wednesday, MSNBC will have live reports from Grand Rapids as the events surrounding President Ford’s funeral conclude.

MSNBC.COM
On January 2, MSNBC.com will stream live video of the services at the Washington National Cathedral. In addition, MSNBC.com will constantly update coverage in its special Gerald R. Ford section online at www.msnbc.com, which includes slide shows, a video gallery, a message board, and the best NBC blogs.

Cable News Ratings for December 27, 2006

P2+ Total Day
FNC – 654,000 viewers
CNN – 450,000 viewers
MSNBC – 312,000 viewers
CNBC – 273,000 viewers
HLN – 194,000 viewers

P2+ Prime Time
FNC – 1,024,000 viewers
CNN – 655,000 viewers
MSNBC – 469,000 viewers
CNBC – 509,000 viewers
HLN – 300,000 viewers

25-54 Total Day
FNC – 229,000 viewers
CNN – 190,000 viewers
MSNBC –120,000 viewers
CNBC – 105,000 viewers
HLN – 83,000 viewers

25-54 Prime Time
FNC – 274,000 viewers
CNN – 230,000 viewers
MSNBC – 163,000 viewers
CNBC – 169,000 viewers
HLN –148,000 viewers

Morning programs P2+ (25-54)
FOX & Friends – 705,000 viewers (293,000)
American Morning – 324,000 viewers (132,000)
Robin & Co. – 200,000 viewers (84,000)
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CNN announced its coverage plans for the services for President Gerald Ford…

As the official remembrance begins on Friday, Dec. 29, for former President Gerald Ford, CNN will provide extensive live coverage throughout the week of tributes to Ford in California and Michigan, the transport of his body to Washington, D.C., his body lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda and his memorial service at the National Cathedral on Tuesday, Jan. 2.

Throughout Friday, CNN will provide reports from Palm Desert, Calif., where the Ford family plans to hold a private service at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church.

On Saturday, Dec. 30, live coverage continues from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. as officials transport Ford’s body to Washington, D.C. As ceremonies move to Washington, D.C., CNN’s live reports resumes at 5 p.m. with a special edition of The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Jeff Greenfield anchoring coverage of the landing at Andrews Air Force Base, the procession to the U.S. Capitol, the state funeral at 7 p.m. in the Capitol Rotunda and the start of a public viewing.
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