Johnny Dollar has the audio from John Gibson’s radio show where Gibson grumbles about Your World not covering Anna Nicole and, with CNN also not covering Anna Nicole, FNC’s audiene ran over to MSNBC and stayed there when Gibson came on. Gibson works in a big shot at Anderson “There’s a War On” Cooper and how he “got his ass kicked” by Greta Van Susteren…

CNN announced its coverage plans for the Academy Awards on Sunday…

As Hollywood prepares to fete and award the top motion pictures and acting performances of the year, CNN/U.S. plans extensive coverage of the 79th annual Academy Awards with a live preview from Oscar’s red carpet as well as an “after party” at the midnight hour to recap the night’s winners and also-rans, fashion mishaps and ceremony highlights.

The network’s extensive coverage begins at 7 p.m. with “Hollywood’s Gold Rush,” an hour-long Oscar preview hosted by Brooke Anderson, A.J. Hammer and Sibila Vargas. For the special, Vargas traveled to Chicago to visit with nominee Jennifer Hudson of Dreamgirls and Chris Gardner, the inspiration of Will Smith’s nominated role in The Pursuit of Happyness. Anderson discusses how the Oscar-nominated documentary An Inconvenient Truth influenced the global warming debate.

At 10 p.m. on CNN Newsroom, viewers will find out why Mary Wilson of the Supremes does not like the movie Dreamgirls, based in part on the 1960s Motown girl group, and will her sing at Blues Alley in Washington D.C. CNN/U.S. concludes its Oscar coverage at midnight with “Hollywood’s After-Party,” an hour-long program hosted by Anderson, Hammer and Vargas reviewing the night’s events.
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Yesterday on Imus in the Morning, Don Imus told an MSNBC employee who was talking too loud while he was on the air to shut up. As a result of that incident all the people over in the far right corner of the studio (Imus viewers will recognize the space as the area where Amy Robach sits. Robach was on vacation this week) were moved out of that area during Imus’ broadcasts apparently.

FNC averaged more than 1,000,000 more that CNN in primetime. On The Record had another big night and led the way with the most Demo viewers in Primetime. Fast Money scratched for CNBC.

Cable News Daily Ratings for February 22, 2007

P2+ Total Day
FNC – 1,096,000 viewers
CNN – 541,000 viewers
MSNBC – 474,000 viewers
CNBC – 223,000 viewers
HLN – 347,000 viewers

P2+ Prime Time
FNC – 1,924,000 viewers
CNN – 911,000 viewers
MSNBC – 559,000 viewers
CNBC – 365,000 viewers
HLN – 576,000 viewers

25-54 Total Day
FNC – 346,000 viewers
CNN – 186,000 viewers
MSNBC – 161,000 viewers
CNBC – 82,000 viewers
HLN – 141,000 viewers

25-54 Prime Time
FNC – 484,000 viewers
CNN – 229,000 viewers
MSNBC – 214,000 viewers
CNBC – 99,000 viewers
HLN – 200,000 viewers

Morning programs P2+ (25-54)
FOX & Friends – 890,000 viewers (368,000)
American Morning – 435,000 viewers (179,000)
Imus in the Morning– 383,000 viewers (132,000)
Robin & Co. – 224,000 viewers (98,000)
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CNN has been doing “Fight Back Friday” all day today…

CNN has devoted a full day of live reports on some of the most common customer complaints that make your blood boil. “Fight Back Friday” takes an in-depth look at those issues and gives specific advice to help you fight back against lousy service. “Fight Back Friday” examines many different customer complaints from lousy cell phone service to getting ripped off by a home contractor or car mechanic. Resulting from the service meltdown at JetBlue last week, CNN examines ways in which we feel frustrated by how we’re treated by businesses sometimes, the lack of customer service, and what we can do to fight back. Ali Velshi is tackling cell phones service issues, Gerri Willis is taking a look at home repairs and Greg Hunter tells us how to avoid being ripped off when you’re taking your car in for service.

This Weekend at 8:30 AM ET, CNN will be airing a special Black History Month edition of House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta…

The African-American community suffers from some of the highest instances of chronic disease in the United States. With topics ranging from black churches’ involvement with the AIDS epidemic to black barbershops offering health screenings, House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta will feature a selection of compelling reports highlighting health concerns affecting African-Americans.

Below are segments appearing in the Black History Month special edition of House Call:

§ HIV/Black Churches: The AIDS epidemic has hit the African-American community hard. But some say their churches have been slow to respond just when spiritual guidance may be needed the most.
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Variety’s Michael Learmonth writes about FNC launching another half hour test pilot called “It’s out there” with Michelle Malkin which will follow the “1/2 Hour News Hour”. ICN had heard rumblings about something going on with Malkin at FNC’s NY studios last weekend (Malkin was already in NY last Friday subbing for O’Reilly). After reading this it sounds like they either shot the pilot or had a rehearsal last weekend.

Fox News Channel is testing another pilot on Sunday that will air following its experiment in news satire, “The ½ Hour News Hour.”

“It’s Out There,” a half-hour of stories derived from blogs, will get a half-hour test run following Joel Surnow’s satirical take on news.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Paul J. Gough writes about NBC’s “Wounds of War” weeklong series and MSNBC documentary airing in March…

“This is a critical moment in our history,” said Bazell. “It doesn’t matter how you feel about the war, it’s an interesting and important (medical) mission.”

Like everyone at NBC News who spends any time in Iraq, Bazell spent a week getting specialized training in security and first aid. He also made sure that his crew were all experienced in Iraq; several have been there more than six times.

It took several months to get the permissions needed to get Bazell and his crew to Iraq. Although it’s fairly easy to get an embed assigment in Iraq, NBC’s request involved two services — the Air Force and the Army — and it was a lot more complicated. But after getting the necessary permissions, they spent about two weeks in Iraq late last month and early this month.

Marketwatch’s Jon Friedman interviews Richard Engel…

Engel shrugged off my armchair-psychology notion that he must secretly seek some sort of psychic kick or an adrenaline rush that comes from living and working 24/7 in a war zone. “I’m pretty cautious,” he insisted. “I don’t like bungee-jumping or fast cars. I couldn’t do this kind of work if I wasn’t cautious.”

In a field crowded with superstar reporters, Engel has won the respect of people who know his work well.
“Richard Engel has the fascination with alien cultures, the need to learn what’s inside the heads of people in extreme situations — that a great foreign correspondent needs,” Matt Beynon Rees, former Time Jerusalem bureau chief and author of the new Palestinian mystery novel “The Collaborator of Bethlehem,” told me in an e-mail.

“He is extraordinarily courageous, but what amazes me more is his perseverance,” Engel’s NBC News colleague Campbell Brown said via e-mail. “He keeps going back long after many of his friends and family have said … ‘Enough already, stop tempting fate.’ That kind of dedication to the story is truly unique.”

Don’t look for Engel to leave his post anytime soon, either. “I’m determined to stay,” he said.