What’s hot/What’s not: 2007 Submissions…
Okay, it’s time for the 2007 edition of What’s hot/What’s not. Post your suggestions. They need to be game changers, events that fundamentally made an impact to the news cycle. I will post the final list on New Year’s Eve…
Hot:
Don Imus Controversy. Changed the landscape tremendously.
O’Reilly Controversies: All they did was raise his ratings.
Buzz around MSNBC trying to go very far left of center.
Not:
Paula Zahn leaving CNN.
MSNBC trying to cancel >Tucker.
Comment by Aaron — December 28, 2007 @ 8:47 pm
Not Hot:
- Media obsession with Britney/Paris/OJ/ANS. It was just awful
- Don Imus. He was made to look like a fool in 2007. And although popular around here, everywhere else, Imus is looked at negatively because of this episode.
- Tucker Carlson’s Ratings are really bad and although i like his show, its just not catching on.
- Paula Zahn for getting kicked to the curb
- John Gibson and the Big Story for finding that he needs a cohost. Couldnt do it by yourself Gibby?
-CNN debates though the most talked about, were all the most-widely viewed as bs.
Hot
- CNN debates because they were talked about for days and days
- The New 8PM is a big time period for Cable News with BOR in first, KO’s numbers continuing to rise, and Sanchez returning to higher ratings after the demise of Paula Zahn
- Super Tuesdays on MSNBC. I love these days because sometimes its sickening to hear nonstop about Britney and her little sis/Paris, and ANS. Its nice to have a break and talk nothing but politics.
Im sure Ill think of more.
Comment by randy — December 28, 2007 @ 8:55 pm
Not:
The Frielification of FNC. Even more bizarre than the hiring of the bikini model after her stint with the World Poker Tour is how Courtney Friel is being inflicted on seemingly every show on what is supposed to be the premier cable news network.
I realize that many viewers like to watch attractive people present and discuss the news, but she is nothing more than an empty vessel. Even when just reading headlines from the prompter, she often uses an odd tempo in her speech and sounds as if she doesn’t know English and is reading a phonetic translation of the news into English. Forget about analysis, or even adding anything interesting to any story not involving Paris, Lindsay and Britney.
Friel has absolutely no personality, most recently exhibited when she sat in the center seat on F&F last Tuesday, managing to be both utterly clueless about the purpose of handkerchiefs and insulting toward Greg Kelly’s mother.
Assuming she has a 1-year contract, it should be up in about a month and a half. I’m curious as to whether FNC will dump this albatross or re-up a nitwit who is incapable of being utilized for any serious breaking news. If they keep her, I’ll be getting my news elsewhere, because I’ll know that they’re aren’t at all serious about news and are just another T&A channel, like latenight Cinemax.
Comment by Amused — December 28, 2007 @ 9:04 pm
I basically agree with Aaron that Don Imus was the hottest cable TV story of the year. It made national news for weeks, diminished Imus’ career and reputation and potentially sent a subtle warning for all talk shows on radio and cable TV.
Despite all our discussions here about ratings; the end of 2007 really showed very little change in the audience gaps between FNC, CNN and MSNBC. Whatever the latter gained with Olbermann and the Doc Block, MSNBC lost with the Imus debacle, Tucker and the rest of their weekday schedule.
Two big non-political Hot news stories well covered by all nets were the Virigina Tech Massacre and the Minneapolis Bridge collapse.
Comment by Ira — December 28, 2007 @ 9:08 pm
HOT: The launch of Fox Business News; the Don Imus story
NOT HOT: The failure of MSNBC to launch a successful
morning show.
The unfortunate upsurge in the blending of
tabloid news with real news.
Comment by Cella — December 28, 2007 @ 11:21 pm
NOT HOT - With the exception of CNN’s superb docs, the downward spiral of original reporting. It seems so many nets rely on newspaper or magazines for the scoop. Whatever happened to getting out of the a/c and doing some real investigative work?
Comment by Terance — December 29, 2007 @ 7:28 am
Hot - CNN debates. As we approach a new year filled with elections and politics, this network has set the mark to beat; 4+ million viewers for a debate/event.
Comment by RC — December 29, 2007 @ 2:04 pm
I SOOOO agree with “Amused”!! You said it all way better than I could!
Comment by Caty — December 29, 2007 @ 2:51 pm
#3 I just watch Friel do the news update before Beltway Boys. She was awful.
“Even when just reading headlines from the prompter, she often uses an odd tempo in her speech and sounds as if she doesn’t know English and is reading a phonetic translation of the news into English.
Totally true. She wasn’t even looking at the camera half the time. She kept stopping in mid-sentence. She was a complete disaster. If she had been allowed to keep going on it would have been another Boom goes the dynamite
Comment by Aaron — December 29, 2007 @ 3:09 pm
Hot, made major effect on news cycles:
1. Natural disasters (wildfires, etc)
2. Unnatural disasters (Britney, etc)
3. Launch of FBC
Not Hot, surprisingly little effect on news cycles:
1. Accomplishments of Pelosi and Reid
2. Shlock shock doc blocks on MSNBC replacing news/commentary of the day.
3. Immediate impact of FBC
4. “Special Comments”: In a recent one, Keith Olbermann accurately noted that few pay attention to them, and he is right.
Comment by Missouri Show Me — December 29, 2007 @ 3:28 pm
Aaron,
I also watched Courtney do the news just before The Beltway Boys. I believe that is the worst I have ever seen her.
It appeared that someone cut her off almost in mid sentence!Thank you, whoever you are.
Let’s count her as Not Hot!
Comment by Cella — December 29, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
HOT (big impact):
1. Petraeus/Iraq testimony
2. Early primary cycle intensifies presidential race
3. Immigration protest/legislation
4. Death of Anna Nicole and related woes
5. Don Imus controversy
6. Revenge of the Bimbos (Britney, Paris, Lindsay oh who cares)
7. Global Warming awareness
NOT (little impact):
1. Afghan War
2. Dramatic increase in taped warnings from Al Qaeda in general, and Osama bin Laden in particular
3. De-nuclearization of North Korea
4. De-democratization of Russia
5. Crumbling US/China relations
6. Renewed US/France relations
7. Death of Gerald Ford
Comment by sivart — December 29, 2007 @ 5:35 pm
HOT: Don Imus thing
Launch of Fox Business
NOT: Anna Nicole Smith (a new low for news)
Bimbos both reading the news and being in it. (Friel, Lohan, Spears) AKA Pornification of news.
Comment by jmkaib — December 29, 2007 @ 8:05 pm
Hot: New England Patriots 16, National Football League 0
Comment by Aaron — December 30, 2007 @ 12:29 am
Hot:
Bob Woodruff returns to ABC News and produces a wonderful documentary and co-writes my favorite book of 2007.
After several years of hype, Fox Business arrives
Larry King hits the big 50 this year in broadcasting
Don Imus shows the World he can not be defeated.
Charles Gibson leads ABC News back to #1.
Fox News eliminates Fox News Live on weekdays to create its own branded shows
Not:
Fox News moved Red Eye to 3 a.m. EST (boo!)
MSNBC moves into new digs but some employees barely had the chance to unpack.
NBC News shows the morbid pictures of Seung-Hui Cho; news network quickly shun the pictures
The overhype of Anna Nicole Smith, Britney Spears and the rest.
Rosie O’Donnell makes news by leaving The View and coming close to a new MSNBC show; she apparently opened her mouth too soon.
Comment by Matt — December 30, 2007 @ 1:02 am
Hot: FBN launch. All things involved with the Don Imus controversy.
Not Hot: CNN. Programming is great but ratings seem to be stagnant.
Comment by myview — December 30, 2007 @ 12:23 pm
HOT: NBC 2.0 downsizing. And that includes the MSNBC move to 30 Rock. I think all cable news will have to do similar cost cutting moves in the coming years. Done right, it could be an improvement all around, which is why I consider it a “HOT” item.
NOT: Tabloidization of cable news. ANS, Hollywood Pop Tarts, missing white women, etc. etc. It’s a trend that escalated in 2007 and one we could do without.
Comment by Grandpa D — December 30, 2007 @ 3:22 pm
Hot:
The Launch Of Fox Business Network
The rise in quality of “Morning Joe” after moving to the new studio.
Money Honey 2.0 Erin Burnett. (Although the sickening lust displayed by numerous newsmen like Chris Mathews is upsetting).
Not:
CNN/You Tube Debates. Biggest joke of the year.
CNN’s “American Morning”. After bragging how they got one away from FNC, the show flops in the ratings and does less than Soledad’s numbers (and they also don’t have Imus to compete with). Hope they enjoyed spending $750K on Kiran. Robin Meade has even beaten it in the demo as well as Morning Joe.
The use of Live +SD for shows with numerous reruns in a 24 hour period.
Almost all of the cable news channels trying to talk down the economy by talking non-stop recession.
MoveOn shot itself completely over their General BetrayUs ad. Moved them to irrelevance.
All the doom and gloom “global warming specials”.
CNN’s attacks on Christians and comparing them to terrorists
The liberal fawning over Mike Huckabee.
The Frielification of Fox News Channel and the “retiring” of some of the seasoned vets.
Comment by Jimmy Cricket — December 30, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
HOT, CNN specials on Afghanistan and Pakistan, all this past week. I have been watching these specials, very well done and informative. Where are the other networks? When CNN runs “Gods Warriors” I groan because of the obvious bias. These specials I have been watching all week are close to the caliber of National Geograhic. That is a big compliment!
NOT canidates pimping their past relationship with Bhutto, for political gain.
Comment by Ree — December 31, 2007 @ 11:32 am