CNN announced this afternoon that Anderson Cooper 360 will be devoting a show tomorrow night to crime in New Orleans…

Anchor Anderson Cooper and a team of CNN correspondents show Anderson Cooper 360° viewers a 24-hour stretch of crime and fear in the Crescent City when the program originates from New Orleans on Thursday, Feb. 8. The special “Murder City USA” airs throughout the program.

“The city of New Orleans has already reported 18 slayings to date for 2007 and only one related arrest,” said David Doss, senior executive producer of Anderson Cooper 360°. “We offer viewers a 24-hour examination of a city overwhelmed in so many ways—and now with a fear of lawlessness.”
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Cable News Daily Ratings for February 6, 2007

P2+ Total Day
FNC – 903,000 viewers
CNN – 501,000 viewers
MSNBC – 292,000 viewers
CNBC – 243,000 viewers
HLN – 206,000 viewers

P2+ Prime Time
FNC – 1,685,000 viewers
CNN – 783,000 viewers
MSNBC – 475,000 viewers
CNBC – 409,000 viewers
HLN – 378,000 viewers

25-54 Total Day
FNC – 273,000 viewers
CNN –193,000 viewers
MSNBC – 114,000 viewers
CNBC – 98,000 viewers
HLN – 87,000 viewers

25-54 Prime Time
FNC – 403,000 viewers
CNN – 247,000 viewers
MSNBC – 148,000 viewers
CNBC – 170,000 viewers
HLN – 162,000 viewers

Morning programs P2+ (25-54)
FOX & Friends – 818,000 viewers (293,000)
American Morning –335,000 viewers (160,000)
Imus in the Morning– 404,000 viewers (148,000)
Robin & Co. – 162,000 viewers (74,000)
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Media Guy Simon Dumenco in Ad Age opines on Maria Bartiromo (with a gratuitous mention of Anderson Cooper hosting “The Mole”)…

Fun as it’s been for all of us presumptuous observers, I predict Mo Money Honey Blues will soon subside. (CNBC, which reimbursed Citi for a small fraction of the cost of Maria’s jet-setting, is standing by her.) I mean, if Anderson Cooper could survive having hosted a freaking reality-TV game show (remember “The Mole”?), then Maria can survive this cheesy little pas de deux.

I’m more concerned about what the rest of us will learn from Money Honeygate. We’re all pointing fingers, sure, but maybe it’s time we reconsider our own ethical boundaries.

MSNBC is doing an hour special on the Lisa Nowak story this hour. It went by so fast at the open but I swear I saw the words “Astronaut Scandal”. I half expected to find Rita Cosby hosting it but she’s not.

Dealbreaker’s Bess Levin blogs about Henry Blodget’s book party where Jim Cramer’s name came up…

There are more drinks to be had so we move toward the bar where the conversation is about how one might convince Jim Cramer debate Blodget live. I offer that perhaps dangling a piece of cheese on a string and making Cramer run after it, ultimately leading him into some sort of auditorium where, coincidentally, Blodget, a camera crew and an audience are present might do the trick, but my suggestion is ignored. Unfortunately, nobody comes up with anything better, so a request is placed to “put it out on DealBreaker tomorrow”: Why won’t Jim Cramer Debate His Critics? (Consider it put).

We circulate a bit more, waiting for the groupies to fan out of Blodget’s way and make an introduction. Upon hearing the name ‘DealBreaker’ a look of panic spread’s across Blodget’s face but he toughs it out, and even manages to ask us if we ever write about Jim Cramer. Since we do, we say yes, and since we’re completely sycophantic by nature, add, “Though we like you better! Even though you don’t have your own bobble head. Have you looked into getting one of those? ” He laughs nervously and completely avoids answering the question which we take to mean ‘no.’ And that’s rather unfortunate because, as we all know, bobble heads sell books.

The Orlando Sentinel’s Hal Boedeker thought Miles O’Brien did a great job on the story yesterday.

I credit CNN’s Miles O’Brien for displaying sensitivity on the story. His reporting Tuesday night gave more insight into the pressures that astronauts face. And O’Brien talked to some excellent sources.

Eat The Press’ Rachel Sklar…

Okay, so a murderous astronaut love triangle doesn’t exactly come along every day - still, we’re not sure that’s an excuse for simultaneous space puns, as Greta Van Susteren intoned last night that “police think it’s a love affair that rocketed out of control” (if by “out of control” you mean “drove 900 miles in a diaper to confront a rival”) while meanwhile the chyron read “LUST IN SPACE” (okay, that one’s sort of awesome).

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tim Cuprisin…

The most repeated detail in the tale was that “diaper” she wore to avoid stopping on a 900-mile drive from Houston to Orlando, Fla.
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Greta Van Susteren will be interviewing Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. The interview is being done this afternoon on Capitol Hill and will air tonight at 10 pm ET on On The Record with Greta Van Susteren.

UPDATE: Added photos from interview. More after the jump…
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Dubbing her, the “Anti-Bartiromo”, Marketwatch’s Jon Friedman profiles CNBC’s Liz Claman…

CNBC needs journalists like Claman, who have earned the trust of viewers and newsmakers, more than ever. With the wariness of people eyeing a coming storm, CNBC’s executives are looking over their shoulders at the expected arrival of a Fox News business channel.

Claman has confidence that CNBC can thwart Fox — or anybody else. “All competition is good,” she said. “It makes us all better, and fight harder.”

While Fox has been low-key (if not downright vague) about its intentions, the media have widely speculated that it will introduce a competitor to CNBC later this year.

“It’s all about the people — I know that sounds so Polyanna-esque,” she said animatedly. “Whoever has the smartest, gutsiest, most interesting people to watch wins at this game.”

Poor Chris Matthews. The guy just can’t seem to handle live TV these days. He dropped the F-Bomb on Imus this morning…

UPDATE: Newsbusters has the video…

The Miami Herald’s Glenn Garvin blogs about (what sounds to me like) a lower third that appeard on HLN today regarding the case of Astronaut Lisa Nowack…

Nowack was charged attempted murder and attempted kidnapping. The Headline News tagline for the story: “Astro-naughty.” Think CNN would have slapped a cute headline on the story if a man was charged with the same crimes?

The St. Petersberg Times’ Eric Deggans has a blog interview with FNC contributor Juan Williams in conjunction with Black History Month…

You were inspired to write this book (Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements and Culture of Failure That are Undermining Black America – and What We Can Do About It - Spud) by Bill Cosby’s now-legendary speech telling black people to start helping themselves.

“It was the criticism (of his speech) that caught my attention. People saying Cosby didn’t understand racism in America, he didn’t understand systemic racism, that he was a self-hating black man, he was giving ammunition to the conservatives…I thought, this is interesting: Cosby is, like, an icon…I think Cosby was onto some hard truths. I think he spoke from the heart and with true concern. And yet, he was absolutely vilified.”

What did that criticism say to you?

“It said there’s an enforced silence. You are not supposed to say anything that breaks with the orthodoxy. And the orthodoxy is: you can appeal to white guilt, you defend the status quo, but you don’t ever say ‘Let’s really look for solutions that require both individual responsibility as well as change on the part of the larger society.’ Don’t look for real answers, just let the situation go as it is. I don’t know why people would want that? Why would you want to allow people to live in poverty and say that’s just the way it is?”

CNN and WMUR released New Hampshire Democratic Primary poll results late this afternoon. I just love this question…

QUESTION: I know it is early, but if the Democratic primary for president were held today, which of the following would you support for the Democratic nomination for president? (NAMES WERE READ AND ROTATED)

Yes, it’s early! Too early!

CNN/WMUR NEW HAMPSHIRE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY POLL

February 1-5
Democratic Primary Voters’ Choice for Nominee

Clinton 35%
Obama 21%
Edwards 16%
Gore 8%
Others 8%
Undecided 14%

Sampling error: +/-5% pts