Which cable news big name talent may be headed to Iraq, possibly within the next couple of weeks?

UPDATE: CNN neuters my blind item by running ads for AC360 airing from Iraq…

Cable News Daily Ratings for September 5, 2007

P2+ Total Day
FNC – 998,000 viewers
CNN – 541,000 viewers
MSNBC – 296,000 viewers
CNBC – 188,000 viewers
HLN – 229,000 viewers

P2+ Prime Time
FNC – 2,822,000 viewers
CNN – 979,000 viewers
MSNBC – 583,000 viewers
CNBC – 143,000 viewers
HLN – 434,000 viewers

25-54 Total Day
FNC – 260,000 viewers
CNN – 162,000 viewers
MSNBC – 111,000 viewers
CNBC – 52,000 viewers
HLN – 87,000 viewers

25-54 Prime Time
FNC – 698,000 viewers
CNN – 240,000 viewers
MSNBC – 276,000 viewers
CNBC –54,000 viewers
HLN – 139,000 viewers

Morning programs P2+ (25-54)
FOX & Friends – 790,000 viewers (283,000)
American Morning – 346,000 viewers (115,000)
MSNBC Live (7-9am) – 260,000 viewers (72,000)
Robin & Co. – 206,000 viewers (89,000)
(more…)

Last night’s New Hampshire Republican debate on FNC was the most watched debate of the 2007 election season. 3.1 million viewers tuned in; 854,000 in the 25-54 Demo. FNC’s debate last night beat all of ABC’s, CNN’s and MSNBC’s previous debates this year based on Total Viewers. The above numbers are Live but the Live+SD numbers are even higher.

And this is what the Democratic party is missing out on when its candidates shoot themselves in the foot by ducking FNC debates…

ICN has learned that CNBC’s attempts to get an emergency injunction against Eric Bolling from appearing on Fox News Channel were denied in court today. CNBC had tapped high priced Manhattan law firm Proskauer Rose to handle this. Bolling was just a contributor on Fast Money, not even an anchor or front line CNBC talent. This was akin to using a bazooka to swat a fly. Or to send a message. Still it seems heavy handed to me. I wonder what would happen if this was a CNBC “name” instead of Bolling?

Last week TVNewser had an item on Countdown comning very close to an O’Reilly-less Factor in the Demo for the first few days of the week and wrote it up as a part of a trend for Countdown. Well if Tuesday is any indication, that “trend” didn’t last long as The Factor beat Countdown handily in the Demo…

8PM - P2+ (25-54)
O’Reilly Factor- 2,358,000 viewers (425,000)
Out in the Open – 599,000 viewers (155,000)
Countdown w/ Olbermann – 686,000 viewers (256,000)
Fast Money – a scratch with 98,000 viewers (a scratch with 13,000)
Nancy Grace – 516,000 viewers (113,000)

(numbers are Live)

FTVLive is reporting that CNBC is trying to get an emergency injunction against former Fast Money contributor Eric Bolling to prevent him from appearing again on Fox Business programming. Bolling has a non-compete in his CNBC contract but there is contractual wiggle room for “occasional appearances” on news programs.

GretaWire has posted videos from behind the scenes of last nights internet program that covered the Republican Presidential debate…

CNBC announced that it has teamed up with the Wall Street Journal to and would be broadcasting a Republican Presidential candidate forum on economic issues on October 9th. The forum will be rebroadcast on MSNBC.

CNBC/MSNBC/The Wall Street Journal announced today that they are jointly sponsoring the first Republican Presidential debate of the 2008 campaign focusing on economic issues. The two-hour debate is scheduled to be held on October 9 in Dearborn, Mich. and will be broadcast live on CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, at 4 PM ET and re-broadcast on MSNBC at 9 PM ET that evening.

The debate will be held at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Mich., a suburb of Detroit. The debate format, as well as its moderator, will be determined after further discussions with representatives from the respective campaigns.

“This debate will focus on issues that are at the heart of the Republican party’s identity, namely the economy, taxes, fiscal discipline and government regulation,” said Mark Hoffman, CNBC President. “This will mark the first time in the 2008 presidential campaign that all declared Republican candidates will be asked to provide voters with specific plans for the American economy and American workers in an increasingly global marketplace.”
(more…)

The New York Observer’s Felix Gillette writes about Dan Abrams’ attacks on CNN…including last week’s criticism of “God’s Warriors”…

“I felt very strongly that in its totality it was unfair,” he said. “It was a very successful, well-done, well-rated documentary for CNN.”

In fact, over 3 nights, God’s Warriors attracted more than six million total viewers, stunningly high for CNN, 407 percent higher the programs on MSNBC in that time period and 358 percent higher in head-to-head competition with Mr. Abrams’ own show.

“I felt that the journalism behind it was shoddy,” Mr. Abrams said. “I think that if you’re going to do advocacy—I do opinion all the time on my show—admit it. Just say, I’m doing an opinion piece. I was calling them out, effectively asking them to ‘fess up.’

“We called CNN before we did the segment … offered them an opportunity to have someone come on,” said Mr. Abrams. “I don’t blame them for declining. … I think you can work at CNN and still agree with everything I said.

A CNN spokesperson declined to comment.

Following up on this morning’s Bill McCuddy entry, an FNC insider with knowledge of his deal explained that McCuddy’s contact ends in early October – he’ll likely be around as a contributor through the end of the year.

New Hampshire Magazine’s Rick Broussard profiles FNC’s Carl Cameron…(via FishbowlDC)

In all your years following candidates around, what’s the best thing and the worst thing you’ve experienced on the campaign trail?

One of the best and worst moments was in 1996 when I was moderating the Republican presidential debates on national TV when the lights went out.

That was a best?

We handled it OK and for the first time I really understood what it was to be in the national spotlight. And I didn’t drool all over myself.

You get accused of having a conservative bias, as does Fox News. Is that a fair and balanced appraisal?

I am a libertarian in the New Hampshire sense of the word. I’m registered as an independent. I’ve voted for Republicans and Democrats over the years and I treat every politician as subject matter. It’s a little impersonal, but what serves me best is something I learned when working on the radio in Manchester on WFEA. It was the beginning of my career and I was up at four in the morning doing radio reports. I was going to cover a house fire and my boss told me, look, it’s not a good fire or a bad fire. Just tell us how high the flames went. That’s how I cover politicians.

People who know me from before I got into media or who know me from Ch. 9 or WFEA know I’m not an ideological person. What I strive to do at Fox is put the ball on the 50 yard line and right or left, they can run with it. I come from a very liberal family. My mom has been involved in the league of Women Voters and my dad is an Ivy League professor. There are times when my employment at Fox makes their skin crawl.

TV political coverage seems to be taking a lot of hits lately. Is it up to the challenge?

The problem with TV politics is the limited amount of time we have, particularly with six plus candidates on both sides, there’s no way we can do a comprehensive story in two minutes. I try to draw in the audience with high impact reports. I put the crash at the beginning of the race so people will watch. Give them political combat up front, rather than policy substance. Give them the horse race and some name calling and then at the end we can make them eat some of the spinach of policy.

Reese blogs about the August numbers…

I’ve tossed a lot of numbers onto the page, and only those who are really interested will spend a lot of time analyzing them. But the headlines are simple. MSNBC made major gains in all categories, but some of those gains slipped away in August. In other words, MSNBC was terrific in June and July, but has slowed down somewhat in August. For instance, MSNBC had 17% of the total audience for the quarter, but only 16% for August. That’s still terrific—in both cases up from 12% last year, but the MSNBC surge may have peaked.

Most of the MSNBC primetime gains came from Fox which lost 5% of its market share third quarter to ’06 to ’07. In total day MSNBC picked up 4% market share and Fox was down 4%. Probably coincidentally, CNN was down 2% in that period and Headline News up 2%. CNN did gain market share in Adults 25-54 in the third quarter, picking up 3% from Fox, while Headline News picked up 2% again from Fox. MSNBC remained at 16%, the only area in which they did not show progress. MSNBC made its best demographic gains in the highly coveted 18-49 market—up 7% in prime time. If they keep that up, maybe they’ll want to change the demographics they sell against.

Catching up on what I’ve been missing, Multichannel News’ Mike Reynolds adds an interesting detail the the MSNBC channel move on Time Warner Cable in NYC…

Other changes will see Fox Business Network, slated to launch Oct. 15 in MSNBC’s current slot of 43, while the News Corp. start-up’s progenitor, Fox News Channel, will migrate to Sci-Fi’s 44 from 46.

Sources familiar with the moves indicate that NBCU paid up to “several million dollars” for the enhanced channel positioning and to ensure separation on the dial for Fox Business Network from CNBC.

NBCU officials declined to comment. Time Warner Cable’s Giuliani didn’t specify a reason for the changes, saying only the operator moves channels for a variety of reasons that include “convenience, viewership and groupings.”

This is interesting but it’s just one aspect of a larger skirmish. More telling will be what happens on DirecTV and Dish Network…

MSNBC announced last week more than 25 new docs for its Doc Block this fall…

MSNBC unveils more than 25 brand-new documentaries to premiere in the “Doc Block.” The “Doc Block,” weeknights at 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET/PT, includes individual stand-alone documentaries and several MSNBC series. Premiering this September are “Lockup: San Quentin - Extended Stay,” “The Mind of Manson,” a one-hour feature documentary and “Verdict: You Decide.” In October, MSNBC debuts “The Runaways,” “The Five,” “Why They Run,” and “When Forensics Fail.”

“Lockup: San Quentin - Extended Stay” six-part series airs on consecutive Friday evenings at 11 p.m. ET/PT, beginning September 7th:

MSNBC’s new “Lockup” series, “Lockup: San Quentin - Extended Stay” is called ‘Extended Stay’ for good reason - MSNBC spent months taping inside one of the country’s most notorious prisons. This six-part series, which expands on the existing “Lockup” series, airs Fridays at 11 p.m. ET/PT, beginning September 7th.
(more…)

The Boston Globe’s Mark Shanahan profiled Geraldo Rivera last week…

He usually arrives on one of two boats - Rivera’s other ride is a 70-foot ketch called Voyager - or in a helicopter that lands on the lawn outside Seagate, the spectacular, 10-bedroom estate he bought several years ago with his fourth wife, C.C. Dyer. (Rivera is married to wife No. 5 now but remains close to Dyer, a Marion native with whom he had two of his five children.)

“Happily, I’m still an honored guest here,” he says, checking his BlackBerry while walking the perimeter of the swimming pool overlooking Buzzard’s Bay. “If you treat people right, they’ll treat you right.”

Because Rivera has not always felt well treated, especially by some in the media, he was initially reluctant to meet with a reporter in Marion. He was wary of what he called “another Geraldo hit piece.” But in the end he couldn’t resist. An entertaining talker and notorious tough guy who once pledged to kill Osama bin Laden and bronze his head, Rivera was happy to play host for a few hours.

“Look, I don’t care what people say about me. I’ve had a wonderful career,” he says. “I’ve been famous for 40 years.”

Following up on last week’s Bill McCuddy post, McCuddy’s name has been added back to the FNC bio page and McCuddy himself has been seen numerous times on the air. So I don’t know what’s going on. But I’ll try to find out…

Following up on the CNN HD announcement, TVPredictions.com says that DirecTV has agreed to carry FNC in HD when it launches, however no launch date has been announced.

But multiple sources close to the situation tell TVPredictions.com that the Fox News HD launch is in the works and that DIRECTV has agreed to carry it; only the specific launch date has yet to be determined.

By the way, some out there may be asking about whether MSNBC will go HD when it moves to 30 Rock. The answer is not at present.

Catching up on some of the more notable things that happened while I was away, CNN announced that it had launched in High Definition…

CNN Worldwide this week launched its first 24-hour news network in high definition, marking the company’s global commitment to provide more news and information in that format for years to come.

CNN HD, which was made available on Saturday, Sept. 1, stands as a separate high-definition signal offering a programming line-up identical to the CNN/U.S. channel broadcast in the standard-definition format. As part of its initial entry into high-definition television, CNN will produce all of its New York-based programs, select documentaries and special events, including Planet in Peril and presidential debates, in high definition.

The launch of CNN HD is part of a continued rollout of high-definition offerings and innovations. CNN Worldwide’s high-definition plans go beyond upgrades of studios and production centers and include a significant investment in equipment in the field to ensure that its journalists can gather news in high definition. For example, crews will be equipped with a combination of HD cameras, laptop editors, trucks and fly-aways and the CNN Election Express, the network’s mobile HD production unit.

“As part of our strategic growth, we are aggressively investing in our newsgathering efforts worldwide to bolster CNN’s delivery of news and information across all available platforms and services,” said Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide. “Our move into HD is one of many significant ventures we have undertaken this year to increase CNN’s edge as the world’s news leader.”
(more…)

CNBC announced yesterday that Power Lunch would be going on the road to eight cities in September and October…

CNBC’ s “Power Lunch” (12PM-2PM ET) is hitting the road September 7 through October 26 on an eight city, eight week tour, searching for investment opportunities across America. Bill Griffeth and Sue Herera, co-anchors of “Power Lunch,” will broadcast live each Friday from a major city, interviewing Fortune 500 CEOs, top money managers and local businessmen about what’s hot in their towns.

“Making Money Across America: The Power Lunch Road Show,” kicks off this Friday, September 7th, live from Chicago’s Navy Pier. Guests include the CEO’s of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Allstate, Excelon and U.S. Cellular. Griffeth and Herera will also be joined by local favorite, Chicago Bulls Guard Ben Gordon, to discuss his big endorsement contracts.
(more…)

It was announced yesterday that MSNBC would be moving up the dial on Time Warner Cable in New York. No word on when MSNBC would be made available on Verizon FiOS in Cablevision markets however…

NBC Universal cable networks – MSNBC, USA Network, SCI FI Channel and Bravo – are relocating to new channel locations on Time Warner Cable in New York beginning Monday, October 15. On this date, MSNBC will move to Channel 14 from its current position at Channel 43; CNBC will remain on Channel 15; USA Network will move to Channel 16 from its current position at Channel 40; SCI FI Channel will move to Channel 17 from its current position at Channel 44; and Bravo will move to Channel 18 from its current position at Channel 38. The announcement was made today by Bradley Fleisher, Senior Vice President, NBC Universal TV Networks Distribution.

“These new positions are incredibly favorable for all our networks and will contribute to their continued success,” said Fleisher. “We’re thrilled with our partnership with Time Warner Cable in New York, which resulted in a fantastic upgrade.”
(more…)

The AP’s Libby Quaid writes about last night’s Republican presidential candidate debate on FNC…

The debate occurred roughly four months before New Hampshire holds the first primary of the 2008 race.

Thompson clearly hoped to upstage the event — airing the first advertisement of the campaign on Fox News during a commercial break, and formally announcing his candidacy on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” after the debate.

He was not disappointed. Brit Hume, the debate moderator, opened up by asking each of the eight candidates to respond to the newcomer’s presence.

“I was scheduled to be on Jay Leno tonight, but I gave up my spot to somebody else because I’d rather be here in New Hampshire,” joked Huckabee.

Foster’s Michael Goot interviewed FNC’s Chris Wallace before the debate…
(more…)

Restarting the blog Thursday morning…