The Miami Herald’s Glenn Garvin…

Say what you will about The ½ Hour News Hour, it’s not trying to fool anybody about where it’s coming from. Sunday’s debut episode opens with a shot of the White House, then cuts inside to the Oval Office where sits . . . President Rush Limbaugh.

When it comes to judging the size of the show’s audience, Nielsen ratings may be less effective than counting emergency-room admissions for heart-attack victims.

The LA Times’ Martin Miller…

So far, Fox News Channel has ordered only two episodes of “The 1/2 -Hour News Hour.” The first one will receive an “encore” presentation Feb. 25, and a new second show is slated to air March 4.

Surnow is confident that even with minimal ratings, the show will be greenlighted for weekly production. That could happen, he added, as early as next week.

Even with the considerable success of “24,” Surnow still had trouble getting the show on the air. The Fox network, which airs “24,” turned it down. But thanks to a long-standing friendship with Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes, Surnow was able to convince the executive to give his new show a chance.

“I don’t know how many people have been pitching shows like this,” said Surnow. “But up to now, the ones that get on seem to be pretty liberal leaning.”