At the end of tonight’s O’Reilly Factor during the Most Ridiculous Item of the Day segment, Bill O’Reilly weighed in on the Wolf Blitzer/Dick Cheney interview. A clip was played of the Mary Cheney part of the interview and ended with Cheney saying “I think, frankly, you’re out of line with that question”. O’Reilly then commented…

I disagree. The question was legitimate because Cheney is involved in public policy decisions concerning gays. But, once the Vice-President says he doesn’t want to talk about personal stuff, that’s it. He doesn’t have to.

By the way, Mr. Cheney continues to decline our invitations to appear on The Factor which may be ridiculous. We hope he reconsiders.

Fox and Friends brought up the Maria Bartiromo/Citigroup plane incident this morning. YouTube has the audio…

FNC and the New Hampshire Republican party announced that FNC will be carrying two Republican Primary debates in 2008…

FOX News and the New Hampshire Republican Party have jointly announced that they will present two 2008 presidential debates, which are expected to attract the top Republican contenders for President. The debates will be presented live on FOX News Channel (FNC) and FOX News Radio.

The first of the two debates will be held on September 6th at a location to be determined. The second debate will take place prior to the New Hampshire primary, which is tentatively scheduled for January 22nd, and will be a forum for the candidates to make their platforms known.

In making this announcement, FOX News Executive Producer of Political Programs Marty Ryan said, “We look forward to presenting these debates from the ‘first in the nation primary state’. Fox News is proud to commit air time, production and technical resources to the 2008 presidential election.”
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Cable News Daily Ratings for January 24, 2007

P2+ Total Day
FNC – 975,000 viewers
CNN – 472,000 viewers
MSNBC – 318,000 viewers
CNBC – 218,000 viewers
HLN – 205,000 viewers

P2+ Prime Time
FNC – 1,802,000 viewers
CNN – 614,000 viewers
MSNBC – 473,000 viewers
CNBC – 192,000 viewers
HLN – 333,000 viewers

25-54 Total Day
FNC – 272,000 viewers
CNN –150,000 viewers
MSNBC – 137,000 viewers
CNBC – 83,000 viewers
HLN – 86,000 viewers

25-54 Prime Time
FNC – 404,000 viewers
CNN – 182,000 viewers
MSNBC – 208,000 viewers
CNBC – 78,000 viewers
HLN – 114,000 viewers

Morning programs P2+ (25-54)
FOX & Friends – 903,000 viewers (311,000)
American Morning – 511,000 viewers (213,000)
Imus in the Morning– 413,000 viewers (184,000)
Robin & Co. – 187,000 viewers (110,000)
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TVNewser reports that FNC’s Brian Wilson will succeed Kim Hume and has been appointed Vice President and Washington D.C. Bureau Chief…

UPDATE: Here is the release which also mentions the promotion of interim Bureau Chief Bruce Becker to Vice President Business News in Washington for the proposed Fox Business Channel…

Brian Wilson has been appointed Vice President and Washington Bureau Chief and Bruce Becker was promoted to the newly created position of Vice President, Business News in Washington for the proposed business channel, announced Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO, FOX News.

In making the announcement, Ailes said, “Brian Wilson is a strong leader who will continue to implement the standard of excellence practiced by the best political team in Washington. Bruce Becker has done a remarkable job as deputy and interim bureau chief but his extensive experience and insight in Washington is now integral to our development of the proposed business channel.”
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CJR Daily’s Satta Sarmah writes about yesterday’s Situation Room fireworks and the fallout that ensued…

Wolf Blitzer surely succeeded in “making news” with his interview of Vice President Dick Cheney on last night’s Situation Room — though, perhaps, not in the way the CNN anchor intended. Today, the story is as much about Blitzer as it is about the V.P.

After querying Cheney on hot button issues like the Iraq War, the Scooter Libby trial and Hillary Clinton’s presidential run (Blitzer: “Do you think Hillary Clinton would make a good president?” Cheney: “No, I don’t.” Blitzer: “Why?” Cheney: “Because she’s a Democrat…”), Blitzer wrapped up by asking Cheney how he felt about conservative groups like Focus on the Family who have criticized his daughter Mary’s decision to have a child with her female partner. Cheney refused to respond to these critics, responding instead directly to Blitzer by telling him he was “out of line.” Blitzer’s seemingly startled replies included, “[Mary’s] obviously a good daughter” and, “We like your daughters.”

Not surprisingly, this Blitzer-Cheney confrontation has sparked some highly-charged chatter in the blogosphere. So, which man should be hanging his head in shame today? Depends who you ask.

The Huffington Post’s E.A. Hanks pens a portrait of Keith Olbermann that alternates between praise and damnation but the majority of the focus was on MSNBC’s SOTU coverage…

What I like about the show is how much Olbermann clearly cares about what’s going on. Even when he sets aside the grandstanding of his special comments, he has a passion for discovering the truth, which all good journalists have. But he’s too comfortable. He’s begun to coast along, thanks to an all too agreeable audience and iff he doesn’t stop pandering, he’ going to end up more Howard Beale than Edward R. Murrow. I don’t want a “Mad Prophet of the Airwaves.” I want newsman.

(Of course, unless Christian Amanpour starts a nightly news show, because if she does … Forget Olbermann, I’m going with her.)

The Wall Stree Journal’s Monica Langley, Clint Riley, and Robin Sidel write about the big flap over Maria Bartiromo flying on a private Citigroup jet. This was the article that broke the story…(sub req.)

Citigroup Inc. Chief Executive Officer Charles O. Prince, moving to cut costs at the global financial giant, was jolted last week by an expense item from a senior executive.

Todd Thomson, chief of Citigroup’s wealth-management unit, had used more than $5 million from his division’s marketing budget to sponsor a new television program for the Sundance Channel, people familiar with the matter say. The program’s hosts were slated to include CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo and actor Robert Redford.

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An angry Mr. Prince told Citigroup directors last week that the expense was among a number of lapses of judgment by Mr. Thomson — from improper use of Citigroup’s corporate jet to installing a wood-burning fireplace in his office to spending Citigroup money on functions featuring Ms. Bartiromo, according to a person familiar with the situation. Over the weekend, Mr. Prince forced out Mr. Thomson, 45 years old.

Mr. Prince declines to comment. CNBC says it and Ms. Bartiromo have no comment. Ms. Bartiromo is no longer set to host the Sundance program.

Don Imus to Chris Wallace this morning regarding the Cheney/Blitzer interview…

There’s a reason that even we on MSNBC beat CNN, Chris, I know that’s hard to believe, but they are just dreadful and that was so transparent, weasely and phony to talk about how much you like the daughter.

The New York Daily News’ Ken Bazinet writes about yesterday’s Situation Room interview…

The Cheneys have a penchant for locking horns with Blitzer. In October, the vice president’s wife, Lynne, slammed a CNN series, “Broken Government.” She complained on-air to Blitzer, calling the series “terrible distortions of the President’s and vice president’s positions on many issues.”

The veep, meanwhile, predicted Sen. Hillary Clinton won’t become President “because she’s a Democrat.”

White House press secretary Tony Snow later told Fox News that Blitzer was out of line, complaining about “a double standard … I think that family members ought to be off-limits.”

Variety’s Michael Learmonth…

On cable, Fox News Channel dominated with 4.6 million total viewers, nearly double second-place CNN’s 2.3 million.

MSNBC came in third with 1.6 million during the president’s address but beat CNN in the 25-54 demographic on the evening on the strength of its programming before and after the address, hosted by Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews.

Coverage of the address was “sustaining” in Nielsen parlance, meaning it won’t be included in nightlong or weeklong averages.

UPDATE: Mediaweek’s Anthony Crupi…
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This story continues to grow in the press. John Gibson broke out the reimbursment cost CNBC must have paid (he figured it was around $100,000 based on the hourly charter rental rates) yesterday on The Big Story. However The New York Post’s Roddy Boyd writes that the figure is more likely $50,000.

Assuming a $3,000 per hour average cost for the 16-hour flight to New York, Citi shelled out $48,000, not including the commercial airfare for the three execs Thomson bumped in order to fly alone with Bartiromo.

A CNBC spokesman said that Bartiromo only paid “prevailing commercial rates” for her seat, approximately $3,000 to $4,000.

UPDATE: The AP’s Dan Wilchins has the story as well…
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