CNN.com is devoting special coverage to the problem of homeless attacks by teenagers…

Following a year in which authorities reported more than 120 instances of teenagers attacking homeless people – as many as 20 resulting in death – CNN.com delves into this disturbing trend with extensive online coverage that includes an exclusive prison interview with a convicted teenager, video and audio packages and other interactive elements.

The coverage will be featured prominently on the homepage at www.CNN.com.
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Cable News Daily Ratings for February 16, 2007

P2+ Total Day
FNC – 849,000 viewers
CNN – 522,000 viewers
MSNBC – 275,000 viewers
CNBC – 204,000 viewers
HLN – 302,000 viewers

P2+ Prime Time
FNC – 1,630,000 viewers
CNN – 918,000 viewers
MSNBC – 480,000 viewers
CNBC – 138,000 viewers
HLN – 617,000 viewers

25-54 Total Day
FNC – 241,000 viewers
CNN – 206,000 viewers
MSNBC – 117,000 viewers
CNBC – 77,000 viewers
HLN – 127,000 viewers

25-54 Prime Time
FNC – 424,000 viewers
CNN – 297,000 viewers
MSNBC – 187,000 viewers
CNBC – 67,000 viewers
HLN – 213,000 viewers

Morning programs P2+ (25-54)
FOX & Friends – 738,000 viewers (246,000)
American Morning –416,000 viewers (204,000)
Imus in the Morning– 333,000 viewers (153,000)
Robin & Co. – 268,000 viewers (138,000)
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Yesterday ICN posted some numbers showing MSNBC beating CNN for the 7 straight daytime hours in the Demo Thursday. Well today ICN has obtained the Demo average hour by hour for the two networks in that same time period from the start of the year through last Thursday .

P25-54 (01/01/07-02/15/07)

8 AM
CNN - 180,000
MSNBC - 123,000
CNN Advantage: 46%

9 AM
CNN - 190,000
MSNBC - 93,000
CNN Advantage: 104%

10 AM
CNN - 198,000
MSNBC - 90,000
CNN Advantage: 120%

11 AM
CNN - 178,000
MSNBC - 94,000
CNN Advantage: 89%

12 PM
CNN - 161,000
MSNBC - 91,000
CNN Advantage: 77%
(Ratings are Live)

An insider commented, “Each time MSNBC tries to compare itself to CNN with cherry-picked numbers it looks more and more desperate”.

Tomorrow’s Oprah will be show called “Kidnapped As A Child: Why I Didn’t Run” and one part of the show will be on Bill O’Reilly’s crusade to keep pedophiles behind bars.

MSNBC has been doggedly covering today’s courtroom activity in the Anna Nicole Smith case. An emailer said that it had been airing the courtroom drama for nearly the whole 12 pm hour. MSNBC.com says that Rita Cosby was the only other reporter (Access Hollywood’s Tony Potts was the other) to talk with Larry Birkhead on his way into court. FNC wasn’t covering it much in the 11 am hour but increased coverage after Noon. CNN was airing regular programming.

TVNewser notes that Keith Olbermann added a laugh track to some Brit Hume comments about John Murtha from Sunday’s Fox News Sunday because of the laugh track which was used on FNC’s The 1/2 Hour News Hour. Though TVN writes the thing up with a blog header that makes it sound like this was an MSNBC decision and not something cooked up internally at Countdown; “MSNBC Adds Laugh Track To Fox News”.

Meanwhile over on FNC during the same hour, demonstrating that he’s more than capable of following the Olbermann playbook, Bill O’Reilly launched attack number 20-something on NBC News and its liberal bent. Last night’s victims; Chip Reid for calling Mitt Romney a flip flopper for Romney flipping positions 180 degrees on a whole mess of subjects between when he was first elected Governer and now when he’s running to the right to run for President; something that most political writers have noted and the Romney camp is scared to death over being labeled and not without good reason (see Kerry, John; Iraq Vote).

O’Reilly said Reid had Ana Marie Cox on as a guest and that this was important because apparently she’s a former editor of a Marxist publication or something (O’Reilly didn’t bother mentioning that she now works for Time Magazine and used to run Wonkette). Also cited was MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer for a “softball interview” with one of the bloggers John Edwards fired. The clip played seemed to come from the tail end of the interview and was probably the worst (or best) possible example to use to make O’Reilly’s point. O’Reilly also called Jeff Zucker a committed leftist without presenting evidence. Listening to O’Reilly speak with a high pitched girly voice was nearly worth having to sit through the segment. Nearly, but not quite. I did think for a split second about YouTubing O’Reilly’s girly voice however. But it was late (I caught the replay) and I was tired. Maybe someone else will post it.

I wasn’t going to write up what O’Reilly did last night because it just contributes an air of legitimacy to his ridiculous attacks. But then I read what Olbermann did and I had a “moment of clarity”. It’s become readily apparent to me that FNC’s and MSNBC’s two biggest stars also happen to be their two biggest children…

The Rocky Mountain News’ Dusty Saunders writes about the 8pm timeslot…

Olbermann’s new contract has raised the stakes in this bubbling broadcasting brouhaha, since his deal stipulates that his hard-hitting Countdown commentaries, which have been mostly against the Iraq war and President Bush, will be featured occasionally on the NBC Nightly News. This certainly will give Olbermann and Countdown a higher visibility.

While O’Reilly has basically ignored Olbermann on the air, he has been swinging hard at NBC News, which O’Reilly feels has a leftist agenda that is harming the Iraq war effort. But as Olbermann’s profile rises on NBC News, he could become a personal target on The O’Reilly Factor.

Television “feuds” often are manufactured in an attempt to attract viewers. While acknowledging that possibility here, there’s no doubt that a legitimate hostility exists between the two on personal and professional levels.