.

Funny Obama Moment

2009-11-08T15:59:00.000-06:00

CBS Evening News with Katie Couric -- How Is It Now?

2009-11-02T18:19:00.004-06:00

My renewed battle with fall allergy season kept me at home tonight. So I decided to flip on the TV and watch the 'CBS Evening News with Katie Couric'. I know, I know... when was the last time you heard someone say that happened at 6:30pm? It's been a while since I checked in for an entire show. As you know if you have read any of my posts about the newscast since Couric assumed the helm, I believe the content is the star of the show, not Couric. There had been depth and perspective to stories. There were "ah-ha' moments -- times when you learned something. I believe Couric is an asset to the organization but in early sampling struggled to actually "talk" (not read a prompter) to me as a viewer. For someone making more than a million bucks a month, I want more. That's the only thing that has bothered me about Couric since she left the heavily ad-libbed 'Today' show. I like her. But, I need to like her more to lure me to the newscast often.

So... has much changed? Well... not much. But in this case, that's not a bad thing.

I really wondered though when the story teased at the top of the newscast was Ford's profit... voiced by Couric over what was obviously promotional video from Ford. That's just cheating. I know local TV is bad for that. But c'mon. Is that the best shot that CBS News could develop to open it's marquee newscast? I worried what was ahead.

To my surprise, and enjoyment, the first block of news was more focused on news and information than just presentation. Dean Reynolds spun the Ford story toward union troubles amid profit reports. David Martin voiced what I'd wondered all day. The re-election of the Afghanistan president was not what Barack Obama needed or wanted. The rest of the 'first block' was solid content. I felt at ease with the content and presentation. No one was screaming at me.. or talking to me like I was a fourth grade student. It was just solid content.

Dr. John Lapook opened the second block with a great piece about advanced Alzheimer's patients needing Hospice care. His talking to an elderly woman who as obviously in pain was engaging... even though only about five seconds. He asked a question, asked if she was alright and then patted her arm. It was the memorable moment of the entire newscast for me. Shouldn't those moments really he central in all of TV news? What is memorable becomes what is engaging.

On the flipside, the third block of the newscast was the weakest part for me. It was Couric's 'exclusive' interview with Al Gore. It was a blatant push toward her full interview on the web. Her first question in the edited version for the newscast seemed way too long. It was shot in a "creative" way... bring out the 'ol black curtain with a monitor between Couric and Gore. It was a cliche. The newscast is far better when Couric relies on her tremendous storytelling skills and those of her support staff -- reporters, photojournalists, producers, writers, etc. I know her long perceived strength is interviewing. For this newscast, tell a story. Of all evening newscasts, you will find much more consistently good storytelling here.

What about that Couric-prompter-reading that bothered me? Well, it's a bit better. But as a viewer, it still feels as though she's 'reading' to me. I know sarcastic wit proclaims... "Well she is." In the waning days of appointment newscast viewing, I long for someone who is so passionate and so knowledgable about the content that it at least "feels" like he or she is talking to me not "reading" for me. (even though the words all may be on the Tele prompter).

Now that I think about it, I long for the evening news presented by the Diane Sawyer that anchored 'Good Morning America' beside Charlie Gibson for most of the last decade. For me, Sawyer peaked in her style while sitting opposite Gibson. The GMA of a few years ago was hyper focused on quality content, great writing and great communication. It's not the same newscast, or show, now. Can Sawyer recapture that on "Wold News"?

No matter who anchors (Couric, Sawyer, or Brian Williams) content and communication are still king and queen.

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

MSNBC's Ed Schultz: Obama's A Backstabber

2009-10-31T16:37:00.003-05:00

From HuffingtonPost
On Friday night on The Ed Show, Ed Schultz gave an impassioned speech calling out the president for making concessions on health care and abandoning the robust public option.
"What does President Barack Obama want when it comes to health care in this country? What does he want in the bill?" Schultz asked, then declared Obama was backstabbing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and would sell his soul for republican support on health care.
"The White House is backstabbing Harry Reid on the public option," Schultz said emphatically. He added: "I think the president would sell his soul for some republican support at this hour."
Schultz concluded: "Mr. President, don't cave."

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

"Laura Bush Killed A Guy" WHY?

2009-10-31T16:32:00.001-05:00

It seems everyone is Googling "Laura Bush killed a guy." WHY?
Politico's Click has the answer.
What's causing all the buzz? A "Family Guy" episode that ran Thursday night in which cartoon characters Peter and Lois Griffin were dressed like the former first lady (Lois) and a bleeding man (Peter) for a costume party. The two repeated the phrase "Laura Bush killed a guy."
The rerun was a controversial take on a 1963 fatal car accident involving Bush.

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

Is The Economy Turning Around? Media

2009-10-31T16:25:00.001-05:00

The President says recent reports are a 'good sign' of an economic turnaround. But has anyone really looked at the state of our communities. People are still clinging to the ledge of unemployment and financial disaster. Will anyone cover the real story here?

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

Campbell Brown Asks White House About FOX and MSNBC

2009-10-27T21:00:00.004-05:00

You have to give CNN's Campbell Brown credit for pushing for an answer about MSNBC... not just FOX.

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

Lindsay Lohan's Dad On The Maury Povich Show

2009-10-27T16:51:00.003-05:00

More importantly than what Michael Lohan had to say in trashing his daughter.... was that Maury is still on! Who knew.

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

OY CNN's Response To Low Ratings

2009-10-27T16:28:00.002-05:00

TVNewser has it.... from Jon Kleins morning meeting at CNN.
Yes, our ratings in prime were down in October. Remember - we are a 24hr network - not a 3hr network. We are also just one network in a group that attracts hundreds of millions of viewers a month. Media writers might not understand that. Our competitors don't either. Despite the bad press we don't lose sight of OUR business. We, CNN/U.S., still attracts millions and millions of viewers a month, more than our closest competitors. Writers don't talk about our users -- we are on air and on line, globally -- rather they break it down to one part of the day.
Excellent journalism is what we are focused on. We refuse to do the things that might get us a quick number or cater to the extremes that would alienate our core viewers. It's important to work at it every day - it's our mission. It's the key to our growth. If we are outstanding ALL the time (and we are getting better and better at it) we will have an impact over time.
I'm convinced of it, as is Jim Walton, Phil Kent and Jeff Bewkes. And to top it off, we get to have fun doing the GREAT journalism. We are the lucky ones.

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

CBS' Jeff Greenfield Looks At FOX News - White House Battle

2009-10-24T15:42:00.001-05:00

Chuck Todd's Goatee... A Waste Of Valuable 'Today' Time

2009-10-23T18:08:00.004-05:00

I know some people may think it was cute.. and clever for the 'Today' show to take valuable time in its first block this morning to try to get White House chief correspondent Chuck Todd to shave his goatee.... but I don't. Todd lost a bet with ABCs Jake Tapper. So, he was supposed to shave his goatee. Viewers in most of the country likely had never even heard about the bet... and likely could have cared less about Todd's goatee.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Well after wasting 3 minutes of time this AM, there is this. Todd is not shaving his goatee at all
Todd chose to donate $1,000 to both his charity — Samaritan Inns — and Tapper's, Dr. Shershah Syed.
"The good news is we have a couple of charities that are going to benefit from my squeamishness," Todd said on the "Today" show Friday morning.

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

Will Nightline Be Conan's Undoing?

2009-10-23T18:01:00.001-05:00

It may be no direct fault of his own.. except that he can't grow an audience... but could the success of 'Nightlie' be the undoing of Conan O'brien?
Take a look at the latest numbers from TVNewser.com
CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" remained in first place last week as ABC's "Nightline" came in a close second. NBC's "Tonight Show" was in third by a gap of 1.42M viewers. This makes 17 weeks that "Nightline" has had more Total Viewers than Conan O'Brien's program (four weeks for the A25-54 demo).
The competition in the A18-49 has gotten very tight with all three programs tied in the rating (1.0)

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

Should Barack Obama Apologize to FOX News?

2009-10-23T17:54:00.001-05:00

From Huffington Post
The Obama administration's recent characterization of Fox News is a long overdue acknowledgment of the obvious: Fox News is not a legitimate news organization -- indeed, after many years of serving as the research and messaging wing of the Republican Party, it has now gone beyond even that, to become the electronic evangelist of an ultra-partisan and non-reality-based world view.
Historically speaking, White House criticism of the media has often been unseemly and defensive, with the president's ire generally provoked by journalists who excel at their work -- by asking cheeky questions, exposing important things that the president would prefer be kept secret, holding the powerful accountable and playing host to a vibrant and informed exchange of a wide range of political opinions.
But in this case, the critique is something else entirely. The litmus test is that the Obama White House is not upset at news gatherers for doing their job. What Obama and his aides are correctly pointing out is that the people working at Fox News are doing another job altogether.
The White House "attack" on Fox is being derided as bad politics, as ineffective and as a distraction from more important issues -- all of which may be true. But doesn't it kind of matter that, when it comes to the substance of what Anita Dunn, David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel, and now even Obama himself have said, they're exactly right?
Obama on Wednesday told NBC's Savannah Guthrie: "I think that what our advisers have simply said is, is that we are going to take media as it comes. And if media is operating basically as a talk radio format, then that's one thing. And if it's operating as a news outlet, then that's another. "Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/23/why-journalists-shouldnt_n_331748.html
***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

Balloon Boy Pukes On Morning Shows

2009-10-16T17:24:00.002-05:00

The balloon boy puked on Good Morning America...and Today. It could be a statement about the state of morning news these days.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Cokie Roberts: "Shoot Him"

2009-10-05T20:00:00.001-05:00

Cokie Roberts probably should not have said what many think about Roman Polanski.

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

Is NBC Dead?

2009-10-04T19:59:00.003-05:00

Interesting article from AOL Television... is NBC dead? More here.
Just a couple weeks into the fall television season, the prognosis is not looking good for NBC. To wit:
• The 'Jay Leno Show' experiment at 10PM is flailing. The premiere attracted 18 million viewers; now it averages in the 5-6 million range. And its getting trashed by the critics, like Nancy Franklin of the New Yorker, who scathingly writes, "The forensic evidence so far indicates that a kind of death is taking place before our eyes; the only question is whether what we're witnessing is an accident or a crime scene.
• The once-beloved 'Heroes' started season 4 with its weakest premiere numbers yet, falling an astonishing 46 percent from last year's opener. Consider that season 2's premiere netted 17 million viewers. NBC would kill for just half that these days.
• Returning favorite 'Law and Order: SVU' was down 34 percent• New drama 'Mercy' notched a weak second place last Wednesday with 8.2 million viewers, and the big, action-filled 'Trauma' arrived nearly DOA Monday night with 6.9 million.
• Acclaimed new comedy 'Community' slipped from its premiere numbers by 26 percent. Even worse, NBC slid down to fourth place last Thursday, thanks to Fox's combination of 'Bones' and 'Fringe.'Once the home of outstanding, Emmy Award-winning 10PM dramas like 'ER,' 'L.A. Law' and 'Hill Street Blues,' NBC seems to be on life support, surviving on cheap talk, reality and game shows. Perhaps it's too late and NBC is done for

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

Christiane Amanpour Special Tuesday On CNN

2009-10-03T19:03:00.003-05:00

Just saw a promotion for CNN's Christiane Amanpour and her new show.. which will be getting an odd Tuesday afternoon showing. The promotion pointed to the Amanpour show Tuesday afternoon at 3pm. There was no indication that this was a special report or anything. Amanpour usually airs Sunday at 2pm on CNN. Her interview show airs across many time zones on CNN International. So why a special Tuesday afternoon edition? Is she booting Rick Sanchez to rush a CNN exclusive? Is CNN giving this 'hard news' interviewer a shot at the weekday afternoons? Odd indeed. Here's a sample of the Amanpour show.

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

Who Is Andrew Shue - The Guy marrying Amy Robach of 'Today'

2009-10-03T07:36:00.003-05:00

So who is Andrew Shue... the guy marrying NBC 'Today" anchor Amy Roback?

From AOL TV
Remembered by many as the loveable Billy Campbell from the nighttime soap Melrose Place, Andrew Shue began his acting career not long before the show's premiere in 1992. His sister, actress Elisabeth Shue, found success as the star of 1987's Adventures in Babysitting when he began making appearances in movies as an extra while attending Dartmouth College. He graduated in 1989, and after traveling to Zimbabwe to play soccer for the Bulawayo Highlanders, he returned home to return to acting. When his big break came in 1992, he devoted his acting energy to the series, though he also played a number of games for the Los Angeles Galaxy Major Soccer Team in 1996. He stayed with Melrose Place until 1998, and later collaborated with his sister to write, produce, and appear in 2007's Gracie. - Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide.
Actor
Gracie [Movie] as Coach Clark
2007
Melrose Place: Season 06 [TV Series] as Billy Campbell
1997
John Grisham's The Rainmaker [Movie] as Cliff Riker
1997
Melrose Place: Season 05 [TV Series] as Billy Campbell
1996
Melrose Place: Season 04 [TV Series] as Billy Campbell
1995
Melrose Place: Season 03 [TV Series] as Billy Campbell
1994
Melrose Place: Season 02 [TV Series] as Billy Campbell
1993
Melrose Place: Season 01 [TV Series] as Billy Campbell
1992
Producer
Gracie [Movie]
2007
Other
Gracie [Movie]
2007
'

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

'Today's Amy Robach Getting Married

2009-10-03T07:13:00.004-05:00

A favorite of this blog.. is now off the market. Well, off the marriage market. Amy Robach on Today is getting married. From People.com

Former Melrose Place heartthrob Andrew Shue and the Today show’s Amy Robach are engaged, a spokesperson for Today confirms to PEOPLE. Both Shue and Robach are recently divorced, a source says. Shue, 42, had been married to floral designer Jennifer Hageney since 1994. Robach, 36, was married to Tim McIntosh. The source says both of them have been separated from their former spouses for about a year and started dating this spring after being set up by friends.

In April, Shue and Robach were spotted walking hand-in-hand on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, laughing and kissing. The two were engaged last week, the source says. "They're both very happy."

A former Miss Georgia contestant, Robach is also a national correspondent for NBC Nightly News. Since his days on Melrose, Shue has co-founded the nonprofit foundation Do Something, an organization that encourages volunteerism, and the social networking site CafeMom. The couple's engagement was first reported in the New York Post.

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

Michael Moore Takes a Dig at ABC

2009-09-27T13:56:00.002-05:00

Filmmaker Michael Moore caugthn 'Good Morning America' news reader Chris Cuomo off-guard this week. Moore took a swipe at ABC news for its use of freelance workers... a way to skirt benefits for employees. (ABC is NOT alone. Many companies use this practice.)

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

Joy Behard Slams Glenn Beck

2009-09-27T13:52:00.001-05:00

Joy Behar, new Headline News show host and 'The View' co-host, slams Glenn Beck on CNN's 'Reliable Sources'. Add her to the list.

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

David Gregory Pushes NY Governor on White House Call

2009-09-27T13:34:00.009-05:00

'Meet the Press' anchor David Gregory pushed and pushed NY Governor David Patterson on whether the White House administration asked him not to run for NY governor. Patterson hardly budged. there's a great line here.

WSB TV Reporter and Photog Argue On Cam

2009-09-24T08:09:00.001-05:00

Oh.. this is bad. Was no one prepping the live crew for the TOP OF THE NEWSCAST.

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN

This is funny....

2009-09-24T08:07:00.001-05:00

SNAGGED from Newsblues. Thanks!

Greta Van Susteren Ad: OOPPSS

2009-09-22T08:18:00.003-05:00

Notice the problem? It couldn't be more emphasized by the phrase "Nothing Gets By Greta"... except maybe punctuation. Hey.. no one's perfect right? LOL

Jay Leno: Week Two -- Six Ways To Help

2009-09-21T21:14:00.006-05:00

It's the start of week two for Jay Leno's 10pm show om NBC. I decided to sample again to see if it felt any different than last Monday's "put me to bed before the local news" feeling.

Sorry to say.. it doesn't.

Tonight, Leno's monologue was mediocre at best. His second segment featured a "reporter" skit. Jennifer Garner and Barney Frank were the featured guests. The show capped off with headlines -- the best part of the show. Is this the best you can do on day six of the new show? I can't imagine what day 16 or 26 or 56 will look like. It already seems exhausting. So as not to drench the sbow with initial bad impressions and walk away.. here are ideas that could help the show..

1. It's all about the big bookings! This is the single biggest key to success. More than ever before, Leno needs the best bookers in all of TV. He needs the big exclusive Hollywood interviews. He needs the big exclusive "talkers" that often land on 'Today'. Every night needs to become appointment TV for Jay's big exclusive. Jennifer Garner and Barney Frank? That may have worked an hour later for modest ratiungs. It will not work at 10pm (even worse at 9 central). Leno needs to invest a million bucks to bulk up with the best bookers for any show. Make it a six months to remember... to build a foundation. Otherwise, the same 'ol same 'ol is six months to failure.

2. Be edgy. You can be modest at 12:30... not at 1opm. Appeal to the core older demo while pulling in younger demos with more content on the edge... and interaction. I have yet to see LIVE Twitter updates or Facebook interactions integrated smoothly into the show. I would tune in to see if my Twitter comment scrolls across the screen during the monologue or big interview. The show is taped. The updates can be live and timely. Producing a show that appeals only to granny is like plotting the specific time of her death. We love her completely.. but we know the end is near.

3. Create shows within the show. This current show is produced like a traditiional hour show with new feature names. BORING. It's not how people want comedy like this these days. If I give you 10 minutes at the top.. give me an appointment card to return at 10:50.

4. Give local news sites a :90 content update at the top of the first commercial break. If they blow it, they don't deserve to be in the 11pm news game anyway. NBC no doubt sees this position as the most lucrative of the show. It will be pointless if the show fails. Giving this time to affiliates will allow them to produce actual content to draw the viewers back at 11pm. I mean real, substantive content... not those screaming :05 IDs or :30 promos that cram 4 stories into such a short time that none actually make sense. Seize the moment. Extend the news brand to the top of commercial break one in Leno. In the near future, it doesn's appear locals will get 10pm newscasts on NBC. This will allow them to embrace Leno to a greater degree... with much opportunity for them.

5. Embrace social networking to pull an audience TO Leno. Too many TV shows and local news stations try to "drive their audience" to the web. It's a backward philosophy. That worked 5-10 years ago. It does not today. Leno's social networking team should be working 24 hours a day to get the audience back to the next night's 10pm show. This is a powerful opportunity to show how new media can deliver success stories to traditional media.

6. Integrate a "Leno Last Laugh" into a local news commerical break... even if it's a paid NBC commercial. Commit to this for a year. A local station needs for NBC to appreciate them in this venture. NBC needs local stations to support this experiment for a year or two at least. Give locals some specific new :30 standup bit from Leno. Require them to air that bit in the last commercial break of their local news.. just before Conan. In the final break of Leno promote the heck out of the 'Last Laugh' by specifically teasing the content. A generic push will not work. It's like saying "We'll have more later." Instead for instance, "Tonight after your local news and weather, Jay takes on Octomom with a 'last laugh'.

Just some rambling thoughts as I turn Leno off and switch to cable. Notice that I am not staying tuned to WRC in Washington (where I live) to see the local news after Leno.

***GET MORE***
-VOTE: Who Is The Most Annoying Cable News Anchor? VOTE HERE
-Vote in Jenna Wolfe and Glenn Beck surveys in the right column
-MORE MEDIA: See the home page of WATCHING THE MEDIA FOR YOU for newest posts
-THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN