The 1/2 Hour News Hour premiered tonight on FNC. Some of the jokes fell flat (especially the canned ACLU segments) and there were times I thought the show tried too hard, particularly the Ed Begley segments, but overall it wasn’t bad for a pilot I guess. But that’s not what I’m going to be writing about; how funny the show was or wasn’t. The thrust of this entry is about whether the show should be on FNC at all. I say no and here’s why…

The 1/2 Hour News Hour is a comedy program on a cable news network. Talk about brand dilution. FNC is supposed to be about “Real Journalism: Fair and Balanced”, not “Real Comedy”. If CNN were to put on a liberal comedy program, more to the left than either The Daily Show or The Colbert Report, the outcry on the Red blogs would be huge and the mainstream media would question CNN’s thinking. MSNBC has been pummelled over the years for an over-reliance on canned programming with critics taking pot shots at “Crimetime in Primetime” and other sensational canned programming that has aired, and not without some justification in my opinion. Shots have been taken at MSNBC from both CNN and FNC over this. It got so bad that Steve Capus had to deny the network was headed to all taped programming or all crime programming when NBCU 2.0 was addressed at a Town Hall meeting. I fail to see why FNC should be any different if it goes off in a non-news tangent like this. I don’t consider “Red Eye” in the same vein because it’s more free form than structured comedy like 1/2 Hour is. 1/2 Hour has comedy writers, canned skits, and a laugh track (which was used very heavy handedly in my opinion tonight). Plus Red Eye is buried late at night where it’s disconnected from FNC’s regular primetime programming. 1/2 Hour is sandwiched in between first run primetime episodes of Hannity’s America and The Lineup.

It doesn’t matter to me what 1/2 Hour’s idealogy is or even whether it’s funny or not. I object to it on general principle. News networks shouldn’t be doing straight comedy programs. Period. That’s where I stand. What’s your opinion?

UPDATE: As has been pointed out in the comments, CNN International airs a half hour weekend update of The Daily Show so FNC wasn’t the first channel to do this. And nobody made a peep about CNNI doing it (though CNNI doesn’t have much of an audience in the US due to carriage issues). I don’t get CNNI so I didn’t even know it was on there; in primetime no less. Had I known though it wouldn’t have changed my position any. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

Newshounds has the audio from last week’s Radio Factor of Bill O’Reilly having a discussion with Billboard Deputy Editor Bill Werde about The Dixie Chicks and Ludicris which blew up with O’Reilly booting him off the air and went off on Werde. O’Reilly was really hot about it.

The Orlando Sentinel’s Hal Boedeker blogs that Bill O’Reilly should be worrying about Keith Olbermann now that he’s re-signed with MSNBC…

Now why can Olbermann keep saying what he says? Reason No. 1: He is terrific.

Reason No. 2: His audience has grown 91 percent since he started “Countdown” nearly four years ago.

Yes, of course, O’Reilly remains the king of the time slot. Congratulations … but let’s face it, Bill, Keith is a stronger commentator. And unpredictable, too. And eloquent. And for those reasons, Bill, you should be very afraid.

The Miami Herald’s Glenn Garvin skeptically blogs about Keith Olbermann’s new deal…

Supposedly he’s worth it because he upped MSNBC’s audience 85 percent in his time slot. A couple of thoughts on that: First, any increase at all at MSNBC shows up as a whopping percentage because the network starts from such a low point. Olbermann’s audience is still just 715,000 viewers, a fraction of his archenemy Bill O’Reilly’s. Second, what happens if the Democrats capture the White House next year? Olbermann’s show has exactly two drawing card, the way he eviscerates George W. Bush and Bill O’Reilly. Will his audience continue to grow if there’s no Republican to kick around?

Andrew Leckey writes about the announcement of Fox Business Channel…

But a more business-friendly channel? Unlikely.

Neil Cavuto, managing editor for business news at Fox, has a reputation as a well-researched, hard-hitting journalist. That won’t change, even if there may be a few controversial on-air hires at the new network that will surprise for various reasons.

But the “Up With People” for business? No way.

What tactician and former political adviser Ailes has done, at an opportune moment when CNBC has revived, is position his product as something different, as he did with Fox News. Whether it is or isn’t more friendly to business, he is encouraging viewers to take a look and make their own decision. It won’t be a CNBC clone.

Most business journalists and business people would agree that quality, sophisticated coverage of business is a positive for companies and investors alike.