Between CNN and MSNBC, somebody has to win the silver medal! It's an exciting matchup, even if Cable Game gold seems to belong permanently to Fox News.
Variety's Michael Learmonth, always a reliable guide to the to-ings andfro-ings of The Cable Game, makes a clear case that Bill O'Reillly and Fox News Channel are the clear winners, while Keith Olbermann, despite a mostly adoring run of press coverage from an MSM that likes his Bush-bashing, is still struggling to defeat Paula Zahn, who doesn't even work at the network anymore.
Learmonth explains that in the battle for second place, "The margin came down to DVR viewing: In live Nielsen ratings, CNN topped Olbermann; when DVR viewing is counted, Olbermann is the narrow winner."
And Learmonth adds some more Cable Game news here:
Meanwhile, in the mornings, MSNBC is feeling the pain of the departed Don Imus. Last year, "Imus in the Morning" was running ahead of "American Morning," which triggered an anchor shakeup at CNN. Now MSNBC is fourth, behind CNN Headline News' "Robin & Co." That's a problem for MSNBC, which moved former Florida congressman Joe Scarborough to the morning and plans to re-launch the show as "Morning Joe" in the fall.
Oh well. I always liked "Fox & Friends" better, although it will be interesting to see where Imus ends up. Scarborough becomes more and more annoying as he continues to trade on his Republican credentials, which he seems to view as a license to trash Republicans, while pretending that he is sympathetic to the GOP. Better an honest liberal, such as Dan Abrams, than a hypocrite.
