As New York residents know, ever since Governor Spitzer got caught in the wrong hotel room, Albany has been in turmoil. The latest tempest involved the 23rd Congressional district where, to the astonishment of the political establishment, the Republican candidate was forced out of the race because of her positions...

First for the good news: In the October ratings, the Food Network had more viewers under 55 than any of the news networks, and that definitely includes Fox, which finished behind Food in every single advertising demographic category.

It is not surprising that all the news networks lost audience. Last...

As a follow up to the previous "Don Draper: For Women Only", it has been suggested that I repeat the question, substituting Hank Moody of Californication (Showtime) for Don Draper of Mad Men.

Like Draper, Moody seems irresistible to women, but unlike Draper Moody is not quite a cad...

I am associated with the Culture Change Institute, a Tufts based group founded by Sam Huntington and Larry Harrison, which examines various cultures regarding attitudes towards prosperity, democracy and social justice. My area is the effect of entertainment upon cultures. Next week, I'll be leading a seminar about the cultural...

Last month, I wrote about the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles (MRAPs) that are specially designed for warfare in Afghanistan. According to InsideDefense, "The first seven M-ATVs arrived in theater [Afghanistan] earlier this month." The manufacturer Oshkosh said "two field service representatives are also arriving in Afghanistan." However...

I have often thought that some of the things I have done have turned out exactly opposite to what I'd hoped for. In 1959 or '60 I revealed in the now defunct Reporter magazine that Spyros Skouras, then CEO of Twentieth Century Fox, had provided Nelson Rockefeller with a camera...

The full third quarter cable news ratings are in, and nothing has changed very much. Fox News still has more viewers than CNN and MSNBC combined. CNN and MSNBC are way down from their 2008 numbers: Last year was the election year and both CNN and MSNBC profited. But now...

Watching BBC News every morning, I am reminded by promos that BBC America is now showing Robin Hood every Saturday night through the fall, and it led me to reflect on the fates of Robin and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Robin is an everlasting hero, while the Sheriff is condemned...

As the progenitor of CNN and the man who told the New York Times editorial board back in 1980 that CNN's editorial strategy was built based upon "live, live and more live," I should be the last person to say that CNN made a mistake by going live to the...

You've all read and heard far too much about health care bills and proposals, and given the deep partisanship surrounding the issue and the prevarication and inconsistencies from both sides, you are probably as concerned and mystified as I am. I don't know what I could write that would add...

In the early 1960s, when John was President, and Bobby was Attorney General, and Teddy was a Senator, and the Kennedys seemed invincible, Republicans predicted, perhaps in jest, that "It was John in '60, Bobby in '68, Teddy in '76 and in '84--well, we all know what happens in 1984."...

Third quarter cable news viewing ratings are in, and FoxNews does better and better on a year-to-year basis, while CNN and MSNBC show declines in total viewing and demographics. Fox first: It's up 30% in primetime viewing and 27% in total day. CNN is down 6% in prime, but up...

In a recent essay, Tom Johnson, a Presidential aide to Lyndon Johnson, seems to suggest that President Obama might have had better luck getting his health bill through Congress if only he followed in President Johnson's footsteps. He then lists 17 specific steps that LBJ would've taken to cajole Congress...

If one believes, as I do, that people watch television news when they're pleased with the news and avoid it when it displeases them, last week wasn't a good week for the President's health care bill. You must also accept as fact that FoxNews viewers tend to detest Obama's bill,...

The headlines: July cable news ratings confirm FoxNews dominance. CNN benefits from Michael Jackson's death, and The Food Network wins the demographics.

Primetime's biggest news gainer was Fox: viewing numbers were up 43% year to year. CNN gained 39%, and MSNBC, 23%. In total day, FoxNews...

Once again, two stories in one piece:

In re Gates:

Forty-some-odd years ago, one of my college classmates became a "Public Defender" representing those who could not afford lawyers in New York state courts. After a few years of defending black men charged...

Now that Michael Jackson's passing on has passed on, the cable news network ratings are pretty much the same as they used to be -- although FoxNews seems to be better than ever.

Thanks to Cynopsis, I've learned that last week, FoxNews had more viewers than CNN...

One: Who Delivers the News? July 11, 2009

Today, it was The New York Times. Richard Oppel's piece reports that "at least 30 Americans have died in the first three weeks of July" in Afghanistan. He adds that, "the most significant factor is the increase in power of roadside...

Two stories before Cronkite was Cronkite:

Sometime before the US entered WWII, Helen Silver (the mother of the notorious Joel Silver) worked on the night desk at The New York Times. Part of her job was to assign a stringer in Kansas if a story broke there. Cronkite's name...

This tale recounts the interwoven fate of an Air Force Chief of Staff; potentially disastrous handling of nuclear weapons; a Texas based financial advising company with more than 300,000 military personnel as investors; and a $50 million video project to "re-brand" the Air Force that never got off the ground,...