One of the issues facing traditional media in the online-media age is not just losing their status as gatekeepers for their readers; it’s how to remain the gatekeepers for their own staff. In other words, when anyone can post anything online, immediately, in chatrooms, blogs, Facebook or Twitter, what limits do you put on your …
Television
Nonprofit Press Release Theater: PBS's NewsHour Moves Into Future, Past
PBS announced today that it plans to overhaul The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer for the 21st century, by instituting some changes to better coordinate the show’s TV and online presence. It’ll also overhaul the newscast for the 20th century, by again pairing Lehrer with a co-anchor—though this time it’ll be rotating co-anchors, rather than a …
Breaking Bad and Party Down Watch: Perfect Together!
Because nothing goes together like drug-dealer dramas and catering humor, quick spoilers for the weekend installments of Breaking Bad and Party Down coming up after the jump:
Sean Hannity's Smear of Mustard
On the drive down, we stopped at a TGI Friday’s and I ordered a cheeseburger. When the waitress brought the food I asked her if she had any Dijon mustard. Dan [legislative aide Dan Shomon] shook his head.
“He doesn’t want Dijon,” he insisted, waving the waitress off. “Here”—he shoved a yellow bottle of French’s mustard in my …
Breaking Bad Watch: I Do Not Have Time For a Breaking Bad Watch Edition
Sorry. Just caught up with the episode and must needs prepare for NBC day. So just one nonspoilery thought on another excellent episode in a thus-far great season of Breaking Bad.
One idea that’s come up in the Great Saving Chuck debate recently is the idea that Chuck is worth saving because it is, unlike many critics’ favorites, a …
Obama Presser: Diminishing Returns?
Like a much-hyped drama debut shedding viewers to find its level, President Obama’s press conferences are drawing fewer viewers each time out. The President’s Wednesday night outing drew 28.8 million viewers on all networks covering, down 29% from his March conference and down from 49.5 million for his first. Nielsen has the numbers. …
Cable News' First 100 Days
Today, of course, news organizations like this one are in overkill mode dissecting President Obama’s first 100 days in office. The broadcast and news networks will all be covering tonight’s Presidential press conference (except Fox network, which will mark Tim Roth’s first 100 days in Lie to Me). While we’re at it, though, we might ask: …
The Morning After: Weekend Edition
I’m going to be delayed in doing any Sunday Watch posts, so I’m throwing it open for discussion of any weekend TV, including but not limited to:
* (SPOILER ALERT) The Amazing Race, whose two-part nonelimination round was not a surprise, exactly—it was clearly too early to get down to the Final Three—but annoying as usual …
Dead Tree Alert: The Fears of a Clown
My Tuned In column this week peers into the hour of extra-strength apocalyptic demagogue-a-tainment that is Fox News’ Glenn Beck show:
On March 23, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner unveiled the Obama Administration’s toxic-bank-assets plan. The stock markets cheered the news, sending the Dow up 497 points.
This meant one thing:
…
Don't Stop the Presses Over Bogus LA Times Ad Controversy
The buzz of newspaper-critic circles this morning—and, oooh, what exciting buzz that field generates!—is a front page ad in the LA Times for the new NBC cop drama Southland. (You can see it here, in a PDF that I assume will change with tomorrow’s edition of the paper.)
I wrote a column for Salon almost a decade ago when there was a …
Mini Breaking Bad Watch
Quick thoughts on last night’s installment of Breaking Bad (mild spoilers below):
MSNBC Picks Ed Schultz, Still Looking for Primetime Host
Fresh off of overtaking CNN for second place in the primetime ratings, MSNBC has struck a deal with progressive radio host Ed Schultz—though it’s to fill the 6 p.m. E.T. timeslot, not the talked-about 10 p.m. vacancy, currently occupied by a Keith Olbermann rerun. David Schuster, who had briefly hosted MSNBC’s 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue …
CNN: The Third Name in News
The ratings results are in for the first quarter of 2009, and they’re not pretty for CNN, which, after riding high for much of the election year, has fallen to third place in the primetime ratings for the first time. Fox News’ primetime is up 24% on the year, MSNBC up 22% and CNN is down 10%. (The one bright spot for the larger CNN …