Big Head D.C. notes that another NBC/MSNBC contributor is knocking Tim Russert on Twitter…this time it’s Ana Marie Cox.

Post your reactions to tonight’s Florida primary coverage here…

G4’s The Feed notes that Martha MacCallum commented on The Live Desk regarding the Mass Effect controversy…

We at X-Play reached out to Live Desk and managed to get our hands on a copy of the show transcript (and as of this posting are the only outlet to have it) of just what was said on air:

“Last week we aired a segment about a video game called Mass Effect. There has been some criticism from the gaming community about the segment – on Friday, Cooper Lawrence who was the guest who spoke-out against the game, had this to say in an interview with the New York Times:

(MacCallum reading Lawrence’s comments from Jan. 26th NYT article): “I recognize that I misspoke. I really regret saying that, and now that I have seen the game and seen the sex scenes, its kind of a joke. Before the show I had asked somebody about what they had had heard, and they had said its like pornography. But its not like pornography. I’ve seen episodes of ‘Lost’ that are more sexually explicit.”

MacCallum: That from Cooper Lawrence in the New York Times.

MacCallum: Again, we are inviting a representative from Microsoft, or BioWare or EA, the creators and distributors of this game for an interview with me, on this show to give their perspective of this story.

Here is a chart showing CNBC programming from 9am - 7pm was down in the 25-54 Demo year to year in January.
(numbers are Live)
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CNN’s I-Report has been featuring pictures of weather conditions in China. By 2p ET today, CNN had received more than 45 i-Reports of the worst winter weather in China in half a century during the busiest travel time of the year — the Lunar New Year holiday. Millions of people are stranded at train stations and airports across the country from Beijing to Shanghai.

New York’s Daily Intelligencer poses 20 questions for FNC’s Shepard Smith…

In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
I go to meetings, absorb the news, argue with [producer] Kim Rosenberg and read the TelePromTer poorly.

Would you still live here on a $35,000 salary?
I would have stayed in Mississippi where 35g will still pay the bills.

What’s the last thing you saw on Broadway?
I saw Rent like fifteen years ago.

January 2008 marked FNC’s 6th consecutive year as the #1 network in cable news. Also, FOX News has risen to 4th place in Prime Time among all basic cable channels for the month of January.

- FOX News Channel (FNC) continued its six-year reign as the most-watched cable news channel during the month of January, beating the competition in both Total Day and Prime Time viewership, according to Nielsen Media Research.
- Among all basic cable channels - FNC ranked fourth for the month in Prime Time viewership.
- FNC secured 14 out of the top 16 programs in cable news for the month based on P2+.
- In Adults 25-54, FNC grabbed eight of the top 11 programs.
- FOX & Friends increased by 26% in viewership, and was the only 7:00am – 9:00am show to post gains in Demo viewers.
- America’s Newsroom increased by 21% in viewership and 18% in the demo.

CNN put out a release regarding the two upcoming presidential debates it will by airing this Wednesday and Thursday prior to Super Tuesday…

CNN, the Los Angeles Times and POLITICO are conducting back-to-back presidential primary debates less than one week before Super Tuesday. The Republican debate on Wednesday, Jan. 30, and the Democratic debate on Thursday, Jan. 31, will be the final face-off for the candidates before primary voters in more than 20 states flock to the polls on Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Each debate will run approximately 90 minutes beginning at 8 p.m. (ET)/5 p.m. (PT).

Anchor Anderson Cooper will moderate the Republican candidates’ debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Jim VandeHei, executive editor of the POLITICO, and Janet Hook, senior political correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, will serve as panelists questioning the candidates. CNN’s lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer will moderate the Democratic candidates’ debate at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland the following night. Panelists will be Doyle McManus, Washington bureau chief of the Los Angeles Times, and Jeanne Cummings, a senior correspondent for the POLITICO.
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CNN is noting its January ratings…

CNN scored significant ratings wins in January, topping FNC and MSNBC among younger viewers throughout primetime, at 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. in the key demo P25-54, and during CNN debates, primary nights and political programming. For the first time in six years (since November 2001), more younger viewers turned to CNN primetime (M-Su) than any other cable news network, with CNN winning the key demographic P18-49 with 353k viewers, FNC placed second with 348k and MSNBC was third with 263k.

CNN won the key demographic P25-54 during the 9:00 p.m. and 10 p.m. time period (M-F) in January. At 9p.m CNN averaged 497k viewers, while FNC trailed with 484k and MSNBC had 304k.

During the 10:00 p.m. time period (M-F), CNN delivered the most viewers in the key demographic P25-54, with 485k viewers, while FNC posted 466k and MSNBC had 338k. In a head-to-head program comparisons, Anderson Cooper 360 was the top-rated program at 10pm throughout January with 382k viewers while FNC’s On the Record with Greta Van Susteren placed second with 360k. This represents CNN’s first monthly 10:00 p.m. time period and program wins in the key demographic P25-54 since November 2001.
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The Huffington Post notes the Morning Joe interview with Ben Jones and how Jones characterizes Mika Brzezinski. With video.

Barack Obama appeared on Bloomberg TV last night in an interview with Peter Cook. Transcript follows…

PETER COOK: Joining me now from Capitol Hill with more reaction to the
president’s State of the Union address tonight, as well as the presidential
campaign and what’s been playing out on the campaign trail is Senator Barack
Obama, the Democrat from Illinois, who is of course running for president as
well. Senator Obama, thanks for joining us here on Bloomberg.

And I need to ask you, did you listen to a lame-duck president this
evening?

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Bideawee.org has a debate going between Monica Crowley and Alan Colmes over First Pets. Bideawee is the oldest no-kill animal welfare organization in New York—and one of the oldest in the country.

Democratic Viewpoint

Alan Colmes: A great first pet needs to first and foremost be an agent for change. With so many inconvenient truths facing the next First Pet, we need someone who is not afraid to get her paws dirty, whose many naps in the sun knows the importance of solar energy, and who will always land on her feet. Great First Pets of the past have also known that it takes a shelter to raise a litter and have therefore instituted programs that may have been unpopular at first, due to their required tax-hikes, but have ultimately proven to benefit the alley cats and fat cats alike.

Daily Live+SD Ratings for January 25, 2008

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Newsday has an online poll regarding which cable channels should be added to Cablevision. So far RFD-TV, which simulcasts Imus, and BBC America are way out in front.

CNN has announced a series of Broken Government documentary specials to be produced in 2008…

CNN Productions plans to produce a series of one-hour documentaries in 2008 under its successful Broken Government brand. As it did in the 2006 midterm election, the series seeks to offer clarity to the political topics receiving close attention during the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign.

The first documentary in the series, Broken Government: Health Care Critical Condition, is reported by CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Critical Condition will premiere on Thursday, Jan. 31, at 11 p.m., immediately following the CNN/Los Angeles Times/POLITICO Democratic Presidential
Candidates Debate and will replay on Saturday, Feb. 2, and Sunday, Feb. 3, at 11 p.m. All times Eastern.
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The Deal’s Yvette Kantrow questions the media blitz at Davos…

So what does that mean for the coverage? Is Davos, as The Independent declared, really the best place to gauge the future of the economy? We would argue no.

Let’s look at the reporting. As countless missives told us, many movers and shakers heard the news of Ben Bernanke’s historic rate cut as they arrived at the snow-filled ski resort. (Tidbits about the weather, particularly about the amount of snow that has or has not fallen, is de rigueur when reporting from Davos.) This resulted in lots of stories quoting lots of “big” names saying lots of obvious things. “Fear of a U.S. recession is in the air,” Jürgen Grossmann, CEO of Germany’s RWE AG, told Bloomberg Television. “Obviously, that is dampening the mood.” Obviously. Then there’s this piece of insight from Kevin Kelly, CEO of headhunter Heidrick & Struggles International Inc., who told BBC News that the Fed’s action was “long overdue.” Thanks, Kevin.

We don’t mean to be too hard on the quotemeisters; after all, how thoughtful can you be when cornered by a jet-lagged reporter who has only a few hours, if not minutes, to fill his Davos reporting or blogging quota? Still, it’s a bit mind-boggling that journalists, and everyone else for that matter, are so eager to hear the prognostications of the Davos elite-arguably the same group that helped us land in our economic predicament in the first place. Among the media, The Wall Street Journal was one of the few outlets to note that irony: “Of course, most of the Davos crowd got the economy wrong last January-not a great return on the ticket price of Sfr20,000 [$18,090], on top of the 40,000-franc membership fee,” it intoned in a Davos preview story.

Update: Time’s Justin Fox responds…
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On Saturday, riding the coat tails of the South Carolina Democratic primary, CNN won the night. FNC and MSNBC split the difference for second with FNC taking the two spot in Total Viewers but MSNBC taking it in the Demo…

Daily Live+SD Ratings for Saturday, January 26th, 2008

Daily Live+SD Ratings for Sunday, January 27th, 2008
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CNBC announced that it will premiere “Swoosh! Inside Nike,” on Tuesday, February 12th at 10pm ET…

“Swoosh! Inside Nike,” the latest in-depth documentary from CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, is the most comprehensive television examination to date on Nike, the world’s largest shoe and apparel company. The one-hour documentary, reported by CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell premieres on Tuesday, February 12th at 10PM & 1AM ET and gives viewers unprecedented access to a major public company.

CNBC presents the major figures in the world of Nike-co-founder Phil Knight, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Charles Barkley and others-each giving their personal views of how Nike has climbed to its preeminent position.
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Former Bush Chief of Staff Andrew Card took on MSNBC’s coverage of the SOTU last night. NewsBusters chronicles the coverage, from their point of view of course, and provides transcript highlights of the evening, including Card’s takedown…

Update: Video…

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