Progress Pond

MEDIA NEWS MONDAY 6/20/05 (posted a bit early)

Media News Monday!

Media News Monday is a compilation of media news from the past week posted on Monday. Media is an integral part of politics, and I think that it’s important to get to know media and media innovation in order to forecast future ways of campaigning, targeting voters, and disseminating information. If any of you are interested in campaigning, this weekly diary may help you with ideas.  It is also important to keep up with right wing corporate media (RWCM) news.  If you have any media news to add, please do so.  

Previous edition: June 13, 2005
For more previous editions, search my diaries.  

Now for the news from the past week posted today, June 20, 2005:

Note: I’m going to put a %%% next to things that are more interesting or go into things more in-depth. Those links/stories that get singled out are obviously must-reads, so I don’t bother with the %%%.

Week’s Must Read
Dean, Mehlman and the Media

Woohoo Senator Dorgan (D-ND)!
VIDEO: Dorgan defends Public Broadcasting, American jobs

Nomination for Worst Lede Ever
NYT tries to cover up the importance of the Downing Street Memo

Go Brian Williams!
Putting Jacko Coverage in Perspective

FAKE NEWS ALERT
What they’re doing to push CAFTA

Let’s See How Truthful Carlson Is
6 question interview… and how truthful Rick Kaplan is.

Lies, Damn PR Lies!
Harry Shearer busts cable news networks and their promos.

The state of CNN
* In Jacko’s Wake: CNN’s new president isn’t keen on stories like Michael Jackson’s. But will a more highbrow plan work in a tabloid era?

Seven months into his tenure, Klein is making revolutionary changes at the cable network–scrapping signature broadcasts like “Crossfire” and “Inside Politics,” shaking up his morning-show ensemble and his prime-time producing staff, and creating a new international news show at noon. These are only the first steps in a broad overhaul plan aimed at getting the pioneering and once dominant cable news network out of a seemingly perennial second-place finish, far behind Fox News. His unorthodox, even heretical game plan: serious news that doesn’t put viewers to sleep. “There’s a palpable thirst out there for the broad scope of stories if they’re told in a compelling way,” Klein says.

[…]

Privately, though, many staffers express discontent with the new regime, saying it’s not possible to make “60 Minutes”- style pieces on a limited budget and tight time constraints. The ratings have yet to pro-vide consolation: in May CNN averaged only 610,000 viewers in prime time, still well above third-place finisher (and NEWSWEEK strategic partner) MSNBC, but still far below Fox’s 1,401,000 viewers. CNN officials say they have numbers to be proud of, pointing to strong improvement in the key 25-to-54 demographic and a powerful performance by the brand name when CNN’s numbers are combined with those of its sister network, Headline News. That network has improved dramatically in the ratings thanks almost entirely to its legal-affairs program hosted by Nancy Grace. Last Thursday, Grace drew 804,000 viewers, more than any CNN prime-time program save for “Larry King Live.”

There’s a thirst for real news, but CNN won’t stop being a joke until it goes after the tough stories. They need their own Woodward and Bernstein in order to gain respectability again. Maybe tough pursuit of DSM would help? Anyways, the whole article is worth reading.

Public Broadcasting

Media Personalities

RWCM Watch

Notes & News on Programming & Specials

State of the Media, Trends, Research Reports, Innovations

Ratings, Circulation, & Ad Revenue Strength:

Almost 31 million viewers watched the Michael Jackson verdict live Monday on 13 networks, according to figures released by Nielsen Media Research yesterday.

Between 4:43 and 6 p.m., 28.1 million viewers were tuned in to ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, Court TV, E! Entertainment, CNN Headline News, MTV and MTV2.

Spanish-language networks Telemundo and Univision drew 2.5 million more from 4:48 to 5:30.

For more RWCM watch & Media News: Penndit’s News, Media News, and RWCM Watch Links. I get the advertising, public relations, targetting voters information, and media research from a variety of sources other than the links above.  

Cross-posted at Penndit.

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