Protecting the Wall Street Journal: It's All About the Brand, Stupid

  Now that Rupert Murdoch seems poised to take ownership of the company which controls the Wall Street Journal, there is just one thing that stands between the global media mogul's business interests and the Journal's reputation for editorial independence.

It's the brand, stupid.

That's because Murdoch's $5-billion offer for Dow Jones includes buying the heftiest name in financial journalism. And the wily mogul knows the world will be watching to see if he turns the Journal into a shill for his business interests.

I know some have predicted much worse for the Journal, and I don't blame them. Murdoch has a long history of manipulating the content of even his most prestigious outlets to serve his fiscal imperatives.

But despite some efforts made by the family which controls Dow Jones stock to preserve the journal's independence, the fact is, Murdoch's respect for the newspaper's brand is the only thing which may keep him from messing with the journalism too overtly. I wouldn't place bets on seeing any more aggressive Journal reporting from China, but that may the smallest price to pay for a deal with a media devil necessitated because the newspaper never lived up to its potential.

Here's some other reaction:

The Most Painful TV News Interview You Will Ever See

I've never been particularly sympathetic to folks who get TV interview gigs because of their looks, but this stilted Holly Hunter interview by greenhorn Merry Miller for ABC News Now is so painful, you can't help sparing a bit of pity for the girl.

It's already getting lots of play on YouTube and media sites; makes you wonder if she's ever even seen a Tv interview before. Watch and wince... 

Hillary Clinton's Cleavage and What I Don't Get About CNN's Zahn/Brown Trade

I'm an experienced media critic who has been around the turn a time or two. Still, I remain amazed that MSNBC and CNN -- I didn't get an extended look at Fox News today -- have spent many segments today talking about an 800-or-so-word column by Washington Post fashion writer Robin Givhan written 10 days ago about Hillary Clinton's cleavage.

Yes. You read right; the ex-First Lady's rack.

Here's a sample: "The cleavage, however, is an exceptional kind of flourish. After all, it's not a matter of what she's wearing but rather what's being revealed. It's tempting to say that the cleavage stirs the same kind of discomfort that might be churned up after spotting Rudy Giuliani with his shirt unbuttoned just a smidge too far. No one wants to see that. But really, it was more like catching a man with his fly unzipped. Just look away!"

Really? A slightly low-cut black top is like a guy with his fly unzipped? I mean, I know Robin has won a Pulitzer -- and is an SP Times alum -- but, well, REALLY?

I find myself, however morbidly, grateful that breaking news of the FBI and IRS busting Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, along with news of a seizure suffered by Chief Justice John Roberts, kept CNN from wallowing in much discussion on this topic.

  I also know it's irresistible. Male politicians mostly wear suits in variations of gray, black and blue. Women offer much more variation and opportunities to critique -- the same dynamic I noted when Katie Couric took over the CBS Evening News and began wearing more than the red tie/striped tie/yellow tie  variations practiced by rivals Williams and Gibson.

Still, the upshot is that women get pieces like Givhan's written about them, while men -- at least those with enough sense to avoid $400 haircuts -- do not. And the fact that I just spent seven paragraphs exploring this issue -- like TV, I've shrouded the discussion in exploring media and blog reaction to the issue -- only highlights the problem.

What I Don't Get About the Zahn/Brown Exchange

Now we are days past the official announcement that former Weekend Today cohost Campbell Brown is coming to CNN to unseat longtime fifth wheel Paula Zahn -- allowing Zahn to do her exit interviews and Brown to do her entrance talks.

So I can ask the question: Is CNN really getting anything for its trouble?

What is working at 8 p.m. is the opinion of Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, the big winner, and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, the up and comer. Zahn was essentially a hire from the big broadcast networks who stopped at Fox before landing at CNN.

So why did the cable newschannel go out an grab another version of the same kind of broadcaster, but a dozen years younger? "I'm not Bill O'Reilly," Brown told the Washington Post in an article today. "I'm not Keith Olbermann. I'm not going to do opinion. That's not who I am."

Neither was Zahn, who sometimes placed fourth in the ratings, despite viewership gains from a year ago.

So why would Brown's tenure turn out any differently...?

Remembering the TV Critics Press Tour: Last Musings of a Decompressing Critic

It has been three days since I got home from the two-week marathon that is the TCA summer press tour, and my body is still stuck somewhere between West Coast and East Coast time -- which means you get odd bursts of energy at midnight and 3 a.m., but can't keep your eyes open during a 10 a.m. meeting.

But another thing a few days from press tour offers is a little distance. I didn't have much when I wrote this Floridian piece published today about some of the odder trends in network TV this fall -- particularly the influx of Brits playing Yanks -- but with a few more days perspective under me, I've got a few more observations.

So, borrowing a format cribbed from my pal Robert Philpot at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, I want to add a few more notes to the press tour aftermath.

Most Buzzed-About Shows

Best thing about TCA is you get to talk TV with 150 other people who are just as obsessed about TV as you. And some of them are even a little smarter -- so you get some valuable perspective on what's working and what ain't this fall.

So far, the only buzzed-about new shows seem to be ABC's Pushing Daisies, which features a fanciful pilot about a guy who can bring people back from the dead with a touch, but send them back to the beyond for good with another touch. so what happens when he touches a dead girlfriend? NBC's Chuck and CW's Reaper also got some heat, both focused on nerdy guys granted heroic powers (Chuck gets secrets downloaded into his brain and the Reaper becomes a slacker bounty hunter for the devil) Hey, I told you this fall season wasn't so hot.

Most Hated Shows

ABC's Cavemen is probably tops here, just because its such a broad premise so widely missed. also not much liked is Fox's New Amsterdam, mostly because it's a show about a cop (police procedural) who lives forever (sci fi/fantasy) but may become mortal if he finds his true love (romance) Could they stick more moving parts on this thing? And shows with no pilots, or pilots so extensively remade they might as well be new -- including CBS' drama about a vampire private eye, Moonlight -- automatically land on most critics' to hate lists.

Most welcome trend -- With science fiction and fantasy shows ruling the movie box office and TV, this comic book geek has really enjoyed seeing writers and producers on top TV shows who are also active in the comic industry. From the top executive at BET to top writers at Lost and Medium, the TV industry is filled with folks who respect the storytelling of comic books and still work in the medium, which makes some of these science fiction and fantasy shows go down a bit better.

Most unwelcome trend -- The lack of truly great TV comedies, which even veterans such as Kelsey Grammer and Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre couldn't explain.

Coolest TCA Moment -- Besides watching Jeff Goldblum play pool in the Sand Room at the Friars Club or confronting the Cavemen at the Beverly Hilton patio, it was probably watching House star Hugh Laurie suck out loud at Skee Ball during a street carnival held by Fox (I told him it was a good thing he didn't have to win an Emmy that way) and watching Brian Williams explain how fans of his appearances on the Daily Show "keep saying, Brian we want more Big Giant Head." Which he actually said. Really.

Coolest non-TCA moment -- This year, I made sure to get out of the hotel by scheduling visits to sets outside the official press tour lineup. So I spent time on the set of CBS' new Hispanic family drama Cane, where a very nice, but very distracted Jimmy Smits made sure I saw everything there was to see on set and chatted me up. I also hung out a bit with the most underrated guy in late night television, CBS' Craig Ferguson. And I saw Oliver Platt in the passenger's seat of a convertible in Beverly Hills, looking like he'd had about 10 times too much hair of the dog, if you know what I mean.

Sigh. Los Angeles. I miss it already...

TV Guide Names TV Stars' Salaries

Is it possible that Maury Povich -- the guy whose daytime talk show has mostly devolved into telling women who fathered their babies on air -- makes more than award-winning 60 minutes journalist Lesley Stahl?

Does Judge Judy take home three times more cash than the father of modern TV game shows, Bob Barker?  And is the oddball guy with the beard on CSI really one of the highest-paid actors on television?

If you believe the salary figures quotes in a recent TV Guide they are. I'm never sure exactly where these numbers are coming from -- agents always quote high to make their clients look successful and networks always quote low to keep other stars from asking for more, and every quote is off the record.

Still, it's fun to look at the numbers and play compare and contrast. See where your fave star lands in the mix of compensation.

NETWORK PRIME TIME (all salaries are per episode)

William Petersen (CSI):  $500,000

Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men):  $350,000

Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU):  $350,000

Chris Meloni (Law & Order: SVU):  $350,000

Hugh Laurie (House):  $300,000

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (New Adventures of Old Christine):  $225,000

Ellen Pompeo (Grey’s Anatomy):  $200,000

Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives):  $200,000

Jeff Foxworthy (Are You Smarter Than…): $150,000

T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy):  $125,000

Chandra Wilson (Grey’s Anatomy):  $125,000

Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters):  $100,000

CABLE (all salaries are per episode)

Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer):  $250,000

Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck):  $125,000

Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck):  $125,000

Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck):  $90,000

James Roday (Psych):  $60,000

DAYTIME

Judge Judy (per year):  $30 million

Bob Barker (per year):  $10 million

Maury Povich (per year plus profit participation):  $7 million

Ellen DeGeneres (per year):  $5 million

Jerry Springer (per year):  $3 million - 4 million

Tyra Banks (per year):  $3.5 million

NEWS ANCHORS (all salaries are per year)

Katie Couric (CBS Evening News anchor):  $15 million

Matt Lauer (NBC Today co-anchor):  $12 million

Meredith Vieira (NBC Today co-anchor):  $10 million

Keith Olbermann (MSNBC anchor):  $4 million

Harry Smith (CBS The Early Show co-anchor):  $3 million

Ernie Anastos (New York City local news anchor):  $2 million

Lesley Stahl (CBS 60 Minutes correspondent):  $1.8 million

WFTS-Ch. 28 Wins the Local News High Definition Race

It's an open secret that every news shop in town has been racing to claim a substantial bragging right: First to broadcast a local newscast in high definition.

If the press release i just received is any indication, it looks like WFTS-Ch. 28 broke the ribbon with its 6 p.m. newscast today, anchored by the station's top dog, Brendan McLaughlin. Click here to check out WFTS' on air victory lap, preserved on their Web site.

Here's the press release:

(Tampa, FL – July 28, 2007) WFTS-TV/ABC Action News is Tampa’s first television station to broadcast its local news in High Definition (HD). This allows viewers to see a sharper and clearer picture. Coupled with enhanced audio, the viewing experience is improved dramatically, regardless of what type of television set (high definition or standard) you watch.

“We are leading the way for all news viewers in Tampa with the most significant advancement of viewing technology since color TV,” said WFTS-TV Vice President and General Manager Bill Carey. “We have been recognized with numerous awards for leading the way in breaking news, investigative journalism, and our weather forecasting and coverage, so it is only fitting that we are the first in Tampa to offer viewers a superior newscast. It was also a distinct honor to have our main anchor, Brendan McLaughlin, who anchored our station’s first newscast, usher in this new era with our 6 p.m. news today.”

All ABC Action News newscasts will now be produced and transmitted in HD. Viewers with HDTV sets will see the newscast in a 16:9 wide-screen format and will enjoy a distinctly better picture. Viewers can receive the HD broadcast signal for free through their antennas, or, if they subscribe to cable, fiber, or satellite service, through those providers as well. Viewers with standard TV sets (4:3 ratio) will notice improved pictures too.

WFTS-TV’s Director of Engineering Jack Winter says “the planning and work behind the scenes to convert our newsroom studio and control room is an all-consuming task and we are proud our team of engineers and station staff are the first to serve Tampa Bay viewers in HD.”

WFTS-TV is the ABC affiliate serving the greater Tampa Bay area, the twelfth largest TV market in the country, and the largest in the state of Florida. It now joins ABC sister affiliate WFTV in Orlando as the only two stations in the state broadcasting local news in HD.

Scaring the Cavemen: Fun and Games in the Dog Days of Press Tour

It's a given that critics get a little giddy toward the end of the TCA tour. Two weeks living out of a suitcase -- even one parked in one of the ritziest hotels in Beverly Hills -- will do that to you.

So when I and a group of mostly black TV critics saw the actors from ABC's Cavemen series sitting on a patio at the Beverly Hilton, decked out in full regalia, having a smoke between filming promotional shots for the network, we couldn't resist. We had to go over and talk to them.

We didn't really say anything mean or aggressive; we mostly made small talk about where we were from and how the tour was going. But you could see in the eyes of the actors, who were fully made up in the fake hair, plastic noses and arm/hand hair, that they were wondering if we would hassle them about the show.

"Some people are pissed that we're even making the show," said actor Bill English, sweeping a lock of fake hair out of his face to exhale a plume of cigarette smoke.  "We're only in it for the money," joked the guy who plays the funny ascerbic cavedude, Nick Kroll.

In a few minutes, a beefy-looking security guy came to the table and said the guys had to shoot some more promotional spots. But as we left, one of my friends saw the guard pushing the guys into a meeting room, saying "Don't leave here."

Did we intimidate the guys just because they know some critics, particularly critics of color, don't find Cavemen's allegory to black people all that amusing? I'm not sure. But I think it may have helped them a bit to know that there are real people on the other end of their portrayals -- people who have to live with the consequences of their creative choices every day.

NOTE: Don't assume the TV show, as depicted in the pilot circulated to critics, is like the GEICO ads. It is not. While the cavemen in the GEICO ads look more like repressed metrosexuals, the allegories to race are much more obvious and heavy-handed in the initial pilot. See a scene from the pilot here.

Hot Ghetto Mess Review: Was there Too Much Made of This Show?

As the glow faded from the final segment on the BET show everyone is talking about, I couldn't help wondering:

Is this what everyone was so worried about?

True, the debut episode of BET's We Got to Do Better, aired at 10:30 tonight, was a disjointed, hyperactive sprawl, playing out like an episode of America's Funniest Home Videos drenched in urban cool. But it was hard to reconcile the tsunami of outrage mounting against this show nationwide with the mostly mediocre program BET unveiled tonight.

The balance of the show was divided between clips of people acting stupidly -- which, despite the show's original title Hot Ghetto Mess, featured folks of all races failing to act sensibly -- and clips of people asked questions requiring a particular knowledge in a segment called "streetwalkin'."

So the clips featureed an awful commercial in which a guy holding a joint urged people to use his wireless service named G-Mobile; a teeth-challenged black man who made up his own words to the star spangled banner, and an overweight white woman who plunged into a mud bath while competing in something called the Redneck Games.

The question segments were more interesting, asking an assortment of average people questions such as: "Are there any African Americans on the Supreme Court (most people shown couldn't provide the answer: Clarence Thomas)," or "What does the NAACP stand for? (most people didn't get that one, either)

"I'm hoping that, by seeing examples of people acting like damn fools, you will be less likely to replicate the behavior yourself," said host Charlie Murphy, who must not have re-recorded his segments after BET tried to tamp down protests by changing the show's name; he kept calling the show by its original moniker, Hot Ghetto Mess.

I'm betting the protest around the show mostly convinced producers to change the graphic images. The logo of the Web site on which the show is based, which features a stereotypical blackface-style character behind a red circle with a line through it was absent. Instead, there were circles with lines through a handgun, a blinged-out necklace and other examples of ghetto excess.

Mostly, it felt to me that the point of this show was blunted by spreading the focus to groups outside of the black community. It gives those are protesting less room to complain, but it also, curiously, seems to sap the show of its pro-black mission.

BET seemed to capitalize on the attention by loading up the show with commercials for their other new programs -- or the protests targeting advertisers were more effective than they've admitted.

At any rate, We Got to Do Better probably should do better. Even if its success will just revive another argument -- whether these extreme images of black folks should be tolerated by people of good conscience anywhere.

   

Is Cavemen the Series About Black People ABC Was Too Scared to Make?

LOS ANGELES – I summed up my reservations about Cavemen with a single question to the producers and cast here today: "Is this the series about black folks that ABC was too scared to make?"

I asked because the pilot episode of the show given to critics showed an opressed group of people who had athletic ability and sexual prowess, faced stereotypes of being dumb and lazy, and fought the popular notion that they were inclined toward criminality. From my perspective, the program offered a clumsy, intese allegory to black people -- with the added benefit for ABC of not actually starring any black people.

"In terms of them standing in for any one ethnic group, that's not our intention," said producer Josh Gordon, one of five producers onstage with the show's three stars, a long line of white guys defending their questionable choices. "We're aware that the pilot seems to lean a little more in that direction."

At first, I wasn't so passionate about this show and its choices, because it seemed so likely to fail. And for most people, the first question they probably had upon hearing ABC was developing a TV comedy starring the GEICO cavemen was: Why base a series on characters from a car insurance commercial?

But after 45 minutes watching the cast and producers of Cavemen field questions from TV critics here at the summer press tour, it was obvious: Even they don’t know why there should be a series on a concept whisked from a moderately funny collection of TV advertisements.

Executive producer Mike Schiff, a veteran of series such as In Living Color and 3rd Rock From the Sun, could barely stammer out an answer when asked what the series would actually focus on. Another producer, former adman and GEICO caveman creator Joe Lawson, said he was surprised critics would question a series developed from a commercial: “I didn’t know we would catch so much hell,” he cracked. “It was a nice surprise.”

Mostly, this crew could only agree on what Cavemen was not; noting that its leaden, heavy handed pilot episode – in which the cavemen are subjected to the kinds of stereotypes which often trouble black people, such as assumptions of laziness, stupidity or lawlessness – would not air until the 5th or 6th episode.

“Unfortunately, if you pick an offensive stereotype of any kind, you bump up against an ethnic group (victimized by it),” said Schiff, sitting among a collection of eight actors and producers who were all white men, saying the show would focus on the struggle for acclimation by outsiders.

They didn’t seem to get the irony; that a stage packed with white males would try writing a series about exclusion from the mainstream. Or that they would admit -- as these producers did during the press conference -- that there will be no cavemen shown who are not white people underneath.

Critics seemed to abandon any ire they might have felt about the pilot’s clumsy racial overtones for a feeling of pity – these guys clearly have no idea what a drubbing they are in for.

ABC Entertainment President Bows to Critics Ire, Complains about Isaiah Washington Coverage

Here's a tip for the press relations folks at ABC: When you face a group of reporters expecting to hear some news, don't tell them you're releasing your biggest announcement of the day somewhere else.

That's the unfortunate scenario ABC entertainment president Stephen McPherson found himself in minute ago here at the TCA tour, telling a roomful of critics that the producers of Lost had a major announcement to make about the show at the Comic-Con convention in San Diego tomorrow.

"I've cast Don Imus on Lost," he joked in a tone that communicated just the right amount of contempt for the room.

Given that the questions launched here had mostly devolved to polite queries on why the network is shooting another episode to serve as the debut of Cavemen -- couldn't they tell a series based on a car insurance ad was a bad idea before spending millions to make a pilot that will not air until its fifth or sixth episode now? -- TCA members got surly quickly.

In a tribute to the power of the press, an ABC staffer quickly got on the phone to Lost producer Damon Lindelof, seeking his OK to release the news early, even as critics made the point that releasing news to a ballroom filled with 150 journalists probably made more sense than releasing it to a convention hall filled with fans.

So McPherson gave it up: Harold Perrineau, whose character Michael sailed off into the sunset with his son Walt at the end of Lost's season 2, is coming back to the show this season. McPherson gave no specifics, but rumor around here has it that Perrineau left Lost to star in a pilot for a series that didn't get picked up, leaving him free to return to the show, salary negotiations permitting.

In other news, McPherson confirmed that Dana Delany is joining the cast of Desperate Housewives, along with Nathan Fillion (Serenity). The network is developing and American version of Dance X, a reality show in Britain pitting two choreographers against each other, starring dancer/choreographers Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba from Dancing with the Stars.

In talking with reporters after his press conference, McPherson seemed bitter that critics didn't  challenge NBC president Ben Silverman when he faced us, both for Silverman's decision to hire Isaiah Washington for the Bionic Woman remake after he was fired by ABC and for his covert negotiations to take the job leading NBC's entertainment division, ousting a McPherson friend, Kevin Reilly.

"He's either clueless or stupid," McPherson said, referring to Silverman and his statements that he talked with Washington about possible projects before he was fired by ABC, unaware of the swirling controversy over the actor's use of an antigay epithet.

McPherson also implied the NBC president might be guilty of inducing Washington to break his contract with ABC in the middle of the controversy, perhaps by letting him know Bionic Woman and a development deal was an option at NBC: "You guys let him off the hook...it was pretty obvious what went on there...(Silverman) didn't know what went on? Was he living in a cave?"
   

Visiting Heroes and the Closer: The Fun of Hanging With Showbiz Winners

There's something about hanging with the cast of a TV show which has just become a hit.

New to the perks and trappings of fame, they are mostly eager, excited and enthusiastic. Not yet jaded by fame or warped by petty jealousies, they are well aware the ride of their life has begun, and they are determined to enjoy every moment of it.

That's what it felt like to bask in the company of the cast of NBC's Heroes today, during a special set visit arranged especially for the TV Critics Association. Fresh off a stellar freshman season and eight Emmy nominations, the team exuded an almost contagious good spirit, taking TV writers through their make-believe world.

Think David Caruso would bother leading a bunch of schlubby-looking TV writers through the autopsy room on CSI:Miami? But Greg Grunberg -- mind-reading police officer Matt Parkman, for those keeping score -- was like a giddy schoolboy showing off the comic book drama's intricate sets, including the moody loft where future-seeing artist Isaac once worked (scoop: Peter Petrelli keeps up the franchise) and an Irish bar which shows off the increasing international flavor of the new Heroes.

Noah Gray-Cabey (Micah Sanders), Ali Larter (Niki Sanders) and James Kyson Lee (Ando Masahashi) joined us for the tour, taking time to explain their personal connection to the sets -- Grunberg notes his character spends lots of time in the dark office of Mohinder Suresh, with a host of new characters, for reasons he can't explain -- and to the special effects used.

"I'm a huge fan! I sign autographs for myself!" enthused Grunberg, explaining why he seems so jazzed. "How else would a geek like me get on a magazine cover? There's this subculture out there and they're in the majority, people who appreciate this genre. It's like a restaurant; you get one shot. They're a smart audience and if you give them what they expect, they won't keep coming back."

Cool things I learned: some of the smallest touches in Heroes episodes, like the endless cubicles in the office where Hiro once worked, are added by computer effects technology; Zachary Quinto (Sylar, left) is not about to dish on rumors he's the new Spock in the "prequel" revival of Star Trek; Grunberg originally auditioned for the role of Peter Petrelli played by Milo Ventimiglia; since the actors playing both Petrelli brothers have come to promotional events, those characters must not have died the way they seemed to in last season's finale; and even Noah Bennett's pretend house is cooler than mine.

Earlier today, we paid a visit to Kyra Sedwick's The Closer, hanging out in the broad squad room that the detectives use to dissect their various crimes. The whole cast was on hand for critics to question and fawn over, with Sedwick perched on a table in her character's office, surrounding by a buzzing horde of tape-recorder-wielding TV writers.

I spent much of my time with once of my favorite characters actors, J.K. Simmons, who now mostly gets recognized for this gig or from playing J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider Man movies. My favorite role of his, however, was seeing him play the murderous neo-Nazi Vern Schillinger on HBO's explicit prison drama Oz.

Then I learned something that really made me pause: Simmons is actually a family man who turned down offers to star in a series for the toll it might take on his kids. And he coaches two little league teams.

Can you imagine Schillinger teaching your little boy how to hit a baseball?

"Mostly, the parents see J. Jonah Jameson," Simmons said, laughing. "And none of the 9-year-olds are big OZ fans."

Scoops here: Sedgwick is filming a movie with the Rock where she plays a sports agent; we will soon meet Brenda's father on screen and he's going to be a tough daddy; and Cory Reynolds (Det. David Gabriel, left) is so hot to star in a movie about the black Green Lantern, John Stewart, that he wears a watch with the Lantern symbol and has an envelope sitting on Gabriel's desk with a Green Lantern stamp on it.

"Nobody's ever seen Superman with a black face," said Reynolds, who noted he was meeting later today with the folks who hold the copyright to the Lantern character to show them a script he wrote. "And the best thing, is that he's powered by his will. Isn't that an amazing example?"

Creative Loafing Buys a Huge Chunk of Alternative Media

Why do the biggest stories break when you're on vacation or miles away from home?

When I got a call from a friend at Creative Loafing telling me the company was about to close a deal to buy the Chicago Reader and Washington City Paper -- two of the biggest alternative newspapers in the country -- I was stepping into a car to drive over to the set where they film TNT's The Closer (more on that in a separate post). So I wasn't able to do muc more than alert our crack business news staff, who probably already knew.

They're going to have a full story in tomorrow paper that I had nothing to do with. What I wonder: will we see a further corporatization of alternative media? Or will these new outlets find a new way of doing business that won't compromise their editorial mission? Will Creative Loafing try to leverage some of the reporting and editorial assets of these papers in its other properties -- particularly those located in Florida?

If our story tomorrow doesn't answer those questions, I promise to try exploring them when I return to town. In the meantime, here's the full press release:

"Creative Loafing Inc. Acquires Chicago Reader and Washington City Paper

TAMPA, Fla. – Two of the country’s leading alternative weekly newspapers, Chicago
Reader and Washington City Paper, were acquired today by Creative Loafing Inc., which owns alternative weeklies in Atlanta, Tampa, Sarasota and Charlotte.

The Chicago and Washington, D.C. papers were both controlled by founders of ChicagoReader. Also included in the acquisition is the “Straight Dope” syndicated column, whose
associated website, straightdope.com, has nearly 2.3 million page views per month.

Chicago Reader, founded in 1971, is one of the oldest alternative newspapers in the
country and now has an average weekly circulation of 135,000 papers. The Washington City Paper, founded in 1982, has an average circulation of 80,000. Both newspapers are highly regarded for their coverage of urban issues, arts and culture.

“We are extremely proud to be associated with these great media companies,” said
Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason, whose family founded the first Creative Loafing newspaper in Atlanta in 1972. The company expanded into Charlotte in 1987, Tampa in 1988 and Sarasota in 1999 and is now headquartered in Tampa. It also has a minority interest in the Birmingham
Weekly in Alabama. “We have built our Creative Loafing brand by offering valuable content to
people who influence public opinion and public tastes in culturally vibrant markets. The addition
of two top-ten markets – and two of the industry’s most respected alternative news products –
offers us a pivotal gateway of connectivity with the young adult audience.”

“Our expansion into Chicago and Washington reflects our confidence in the future of
alternative publishing – in print, on the web and in other media as they emerge,” Eason said.
“While others may be looking at publishing companies through the lens of old print media, we
are pioneering the opportunities offered by convergent print, web, and new media applications.”

The previous owners of the Reader and the City Paper issued a separate statement.
Skyway Capital Partners, LLC, of Tampa represented Creative Loafing in the transaction.

The acquisition includes a financial investment from BIA Digital Partners, a private investment firm in Chantilly, Va. Gregg Johnson of BIA Digital Partners will serve on Creative Loafing’s Board. Chicago Reader and Washington City Paper were represented by Bulkley Capital, L.P., based in Dallas.

Creative Loafing’s other four newspapers have combined average circulation of nearly
275,000 papers per week. “We will have weekly circulation of approximately half a million
newspapers, monthly print readership of 2,000,000 and more than ten million page views per
month on our various websites.

“We operate in fantastic cities that have vibrant cultures. All are wonderful places to live
and work and play, and our company will grow as they grow. The real opportunity,” Eason
added, “lies now with our advertising partners, who can advance meaningful marketing initiatives
through our unparalleled ability to engage the most creative and involved community leaders
through our print, internet, and new mobile and event opportunities.”

Eason said the combination of these two groups of alternative papers will produce
substantial savings from combined corporate and administrative costs and reliance on CL’s
centralized operations for production and printing. The combination of publications, internet
platforms and event/social networking strategies will also appeal to national advertisers seeking
to reach its educated, culturally aware audience in these major metropolitan areas.

“There has never been a more exciting or challenging time to be in the publishing
business. We’re thrilled to be in the position to take advantage of the trends that are emerging:
localism, local search, hard hitting/community focused journalism, and the avenues available to
local media companies like Creative Loafing/Reader/City Paper. We have the brands and
credibility to offer our audience content in print, web, and mobile and the creation of events and
social networks to tie individual audience members into communities.”

Drew Carey Is the New Bob Barker: CBS Picks Carey As Price Is Right Host

LOS ANGELES -- When Drew Carey faced critics here a few days ago to talk up his new CBS game show Power of 10, he was uncharacteristically close-mouthed about another rumor -- that he was up for the gig to replace Bob Barker as host of the Price is Right.

"They came to me, because of this (new show, the Power of 10)," Carey said, about CBS execs asking him if he wanted to host Price. "I don't think there's such a thing as an audition for the Price Is Right. I don't think that exists, with anybody they're interested in...'Why don't you come down and play these games and see what happens -- I don't think that happens."

He also had some insight into the rumors that Rosie O'Donnell might host, calling that story the result of CBS and Rosie having to talk about something everyone else was talking about. "I think that came about because of someone asking Bob Barker, 'Hey, what about Rosie?' looking for a soundbite. What's Bob's Barker going to say? No? Or Screw her? No, he's going to be polite and say it sounds like a great idea." Listen to the last podcast for more info.

Unfortunately for us critics, Carey didn't close the deal until he was in New York to promote his other CBS game show, the Power of 10. So, instead, he told the world on David Letterman:

"“I actually had lunch with an AP reporter today, we had a big, long lunch,” Carey said. “I couldn’t tell him anything because we were negotiating the deal. And they approached me right after the pilot for ‘Power of 10,’ and they called me, I said, ‘No.’ Then they called me a month later, they said, ‘What if we really’ — they called my agent: ‘What if we really go after Drew.’ This is like a month later after I did the pilot for ‘Power of 10’ and I said, ‘Well, what does that mean?’ and he said, ‘Well, you know, I mean, maybe this kind of money.’ I go, ‘What kind of schedule?’ He said, ‘I don’t know,’ so I met with them and stuff and we’ve been negotiating ever since.  Couldn’t say anything, but during your ‘Harry Potter’ bit — honestly it was like 15 minutes ago — they called me. It’s a done deal.  I’m the new host of ‘The Price Is Right.’”

Letterman offered Carey his congratulations.  Carey said that he’s not sure when he’s going to start working on “The Price Is Right,” but did say that already “my girlfriend was on the phone with a personal shopper from Bergdorf’s.”

The only other hitch: As an avid soccer fan, Carey insists all his jobs be arranged around the L.A. Galaxy soccer team's playing schedule. Ah,the power of celebrity....
   

Hot Ghetto Mess Finds a New Name: Austin Blogger Forces BET to Blink in War of Images

UPDATE: BET emailed me a statement late Monday on the name change: "The show’s original title was HOT GHETTO MESS: WE GOT TO DO BETTER.  We’ve decided to change the name because we want to highlight the show’s real intent, which is to offer social commentary in a context that sparks dialogue, debate, and most importantly, change.

Additionally, the early misperceptions about the show and its title were diverting attention from the overall original programming strategy we’ve begun implementing at BET Networks – which is to deliver smart, creative shows that explore the full range of the Black experience. Our 2007 slate is the most ambitious and diverse aggregation of Black programming in television history, and it features a wide range of genres – from inspirational shows like EXALTED!, to animated comedy shows like BUFU, to family entertainment like SUNDAY BEST. As we move into the fall season and 2008, you’ll continue to see the increase in the quality, quantity and breadth of shows that we have to offer at BET."

As controversy over the reality show Hot Ghetto Mess exploded, BET executives tried to play it cool, saying the show was a Bill Cosby-style dose of constructive criticism while limiting the public's access to the actual show to see for themselves.

But today the cable channel blinked in its struggle with the Austin lawyer who has insisted the show will simply spread stereotypes, officially changing the name of Hot Ghetto Mess to the program's motto: We Got to Do Better. See the blog announcement here.

"For the past 27 years, the black community has gone to BET on bended knee (with concerns about stereotyping)," said McCauley in an interview today from her Austin office. "At the end of they day, somebody from Viacom probably called BET and said there is no way you're going to tie our sponsors' brands to a Web site featuring naked black women and a blackface cartoon."

McCauley is hopeful that the name change will separate BET's show from the Web site on which is was originally based, discouraging people outside the black community from referring to certain black people as a "hot ghetto mess." She said a vice president in Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition came to her last week, asking what BET could do to resolve the controversy and curb McCauley's dialogue with advertisers; among several suggestions was a name change for the show. (BET entertainment president Reginald Hudlin is shown at left.)

"BET could have done this a long time ago," said McCauley, who was besieged with calls from media outlets such as the New York Times in the wake of the decision. "They're so arrogant and contemptuous of their own target audience. They have abused their unique place (in black history), but their hubris is going to be their downfall."

McCauley initially sent an email announcing her victory: "On Friday a third-party called me and said that BET was reeling and didn't know what to do," she emailed regarding the blog-based campaign which convinced advertisers such as State Farm Insurance and Home Depot to remove their ads from BET's Web site for fear of being connected to the show.  "That was when I gave them several alternatives. I suggested that they either release the show directly to DVD or they could change the name."

No word on whether the channel will also change the logo, which features a stereotypical-looking blackface character behind a red circle with a line across his face. Since stumbling across an item on BET web site about the show in late June, McCauley has used her own blog, whataboutourdaughters.blogspot.com, to target the show's advertisers.

Her biggest problem: that the six-episode show is based on an exploitive Web site. "" The website is indefensible," McCauley said in her email, titled Hot Ghetto Mess is Hot Ghetto Gone.

"For BET to be so arrogant to think that they were going to get away with promoting and promulgating something as abominable as HotGhettoMess.com, they had to be complete total idiots," she said. "My position has always been that people who want to watch foolishness should pay for it.  I will not purchase  the products, goods and services of a company that advertises on something called "Hot Ghetto Mess."

McCauley vows to keep an eye on the show, which debuts at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, to see if further protest is warranted.

Campbell Brown Joins CNN: TV News Worst Secret Finally Confirmed

When I asked CNN president Jon Klein last week about the rumors that Weekend Today co-host Campbell Brown was coming from NBC to replace Paula Zahn, Klein defended Zahn's ratings and downplayed the notion Brown might be coming over.

"Campell Brown works for NBC News and she's a talented journalist," he said. "I think the speculation is fueled by the fact that a lot of people would be interested in a journalist of that caliber working for them."

Today, CNN confirmed its own interest, announcing that Brown, who said farewell to NBC Sunday, would join their network Sept. 1. No word yet on what she'll be doing for the network, but seeing how quickly Klein changed faces on American Morning after hiring Kiran Chetry, if I were Zahn, I wouldn't be hanging any new pictures on my office walls right now.

Here's the press release:

Campbell Brown, an experienced and respected broadcast anchor and correspondent, will join CNN on Sept. 1, it was announced today by Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S.  Brown joins the network from NBC News where she served as anchor of Weekend Today and correspondent for NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, for whom she was also the main anchor substitute.

“We are extremely fortunate to be able to bring Campbell Brown to CNN,” said Klein.  “Campbell stands out in this business as an impressive anchor with a distinctive ability to connect with viewers. She has covered a range of stories over the years and is particularly well suited for CNN’s global and journalistic reach.”

"CNN has a first-rate and well-earned reputation for solid journalism,” Brown said. “I'm honored to join such an impressive team of anchors, reporters and producers and to become part of that long-standing tradition.”

Prior to joining Weekend Today, Brown covered numerous major news events for NBC and served as White House correspondent during the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and the build up and launch of combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Before being based at the White House, she had covered the Bush presidential campaign and Republican primaries, the Republican National Convention, the presidential debates and Election Day in 2000.  She also covered the Bush team from Austin, Texas, during the Florida recount story.          

When Brown joined NBC News in 1998, she served as a Washington, D.C.-based correspondent where she covered President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial among other stories and later served as Pentagon correspondent reporting on the war in Kosovo. 

Throughout her NBC News career Brown covered the most significant news events impacting the world including the war in Iraq, the last two presidential elections, the first Iraqi elections, and the death of Pope John Paul II from Rome. She reported from Gaza and the West Bank on the violence in the Middle East and extensively covered Hurricane Katrina and its devastating aftermath from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. 

From 1996 to 1998, she was a correspondent for the NBC News Channel, where she covered national breaking news stories such as the crash of Swiss Air Flight #111 and the pope’s historic visit to Cuba.

Brown started her career in local news as the political reporter covering Kansas politics for KSNT-TV, the NBC affiliate in Topeka, Kan.  She then moved to WWBT-TV, the NBC affiliate in Richmond, Va.  Brown also reported for WBAL-TV in Baltimore and WRC-TV in Washington, D.C., before joining NBC.

Brown graduated from Regis College in Denver with a bachelor of arts degree in political science. 

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

My Second Favorite TCA Quote: Kevin Reilly Edition

During Fox’s first day before critics, new entertainment president Kevin Reilly tied himself in knots trying to speak diplomatically about NBC, despite the fact that the network essentially fired him as their entertainment president back in May.

“I got an anonymous email telling me that (NBC’s new co-chairman of entertainment) Ben Silverman had been offered my job,” said Reilly, who quipped his focus wouldn’t fall on beating fourth-place NBC, though he created their fall schedule just a few months before.

  Fox also announced Tony award-winning actress Cherry Jones would play the latest president on the real-time espionage drama 24, revealing that the production would conserve energy and change practices in an attempt to render its series finale “carbon neutral.”

By running generators and vehicles on biodiesel fuel while purchasing energy from renewable power sources such as windmills and solar cells, 24 honchos hope to add no new carbon emissions to the atmosphere.

I'm hoping this is for real. But as a TCA-seasoned critic, I'm thinking 24 producers could probably help the world a lot more by toning down on the gratuitous violence and torture scenes in their series.

Just a thot.
 

Kelsey Grammer Predicts a Clinton Presidency and Hates on TV News: Fox's First Day at Press Tour

He may be known as a not-so-secret conservative in Hollywood.

But even former Frasier star Kelsey Grammer thinks the Republicans are going to roll snake eyes in the 2008 election, despite his affection for as-yet-undeclared-sorta-front-runner-actor-turned-politican Fred Thompson.

"I don't think it's the Republicans' year..I think it's going to go to Hillary, actually," said Grammer, facing critics to talk about his new TV anchor comedy with former Everybody Loves Raymond star Patricia Heaton, Back to You. Though he'd also like to get into politics, Grammer said it's not going to happen until he's into his dotage -- say, 70 years old.

“(Politics) requires a level of selflessness that I haven’t reached yet…a level of responsibility to a greater idea than oneself,” said Grammer. “I think, by the time I’m 70, I might be mature as a 45-year-old was back when George Washington was walking around.”

Grammer spared few kind words for today's TV news coverage, either. Saying he consults about 10 different news stories stories each day -- he actually estimated he spend three hours each day consuming news; something I don't do, and I WORK for a newspaper -- the former Frasier star advanced ther not-so-new idea that TV news is no longer focused on news.

“They’re personality pieces rather than actually event driven,” he said. “Even Fox News, which I do watch, whenever they say alert, it’s supposed to mean something else. It’s supposed to mean Anwar Sadat got shot…(not that) a baby slipped off a subway platform and was rescued by a policeman.”

Grammer and Heaton, who earned a reputation as an extreme Catholic by taping public service announcements opposing embryonic stem cell research, denied that their shared political views led them to team up on Back to You. Based on producer Steven Levitan’s early days as a local TV news reporter, the series centers on an aging, egotistical anchorman who lands in Pittsburgh after a mistake in Los Angeles gets him fired (as opposed to Frasier, where he played an aging egotistical psychologist who landed in Seattle after a bad marriage got him to leave Boston).

Heaton, who made the critics laugh by admitting she jumped at the pilot offer with no idea who was attached to it because she had no other offers, also charmed by telling stories of her days working as a tape editor for an ABC affiliate in Cleveland during college – an experience which has helped her identify the different types of TV anchors across the country.

“You’ve got your New York City anchors, who could use a little tweezing on the eyebrows, and you get these West Coast anchors – some of them look like hookers,” she said, laughing (Heaton, a TCA veteran, must know we love nothing better than slagging off higher-profile, better-paid TV journalists). “They have to do all this goofy stuff and try to be funny while keeping their journalistic integrity, and that’s interesting.”

Grammer seemed to bristle at a question from me, centered on the idea that he seems to have a healthy film and TV producing career going (his Grammnet Productions oversees the CW’s Girlfriends and NBC’s Medium). So why would Grammer and Heaton jump into a new series just after completing gigantically successful runs on classic, immensely popular TV comedies?

“I’ve got more to say,” said Grammer. “What would be wrong with being on three of the greatest sitcoms in TV history?”

Nothing. Except I've seen the pilot episode of Back to You, and I think he's setting an awfully high bar.

Loving the TCA Awards: Where Critics Make Up for Emmy's Mistakes

LOS ANGELES -- It felt a little like the awards show Emmy should be having.

Taking time to honor the shows we liked, the TV Critics Association Saturday handed out awards to series and actors who got the big snub when Emmy nominations were announced last week, including Michael C. Hall of Dexter, and Friday Night Lights.

Yours truly got to hand the trophy to Hall last night, quipping that a series about a forensic police technician who moonlights as a serial killer sounds more like a documentary to somebody from Florida. My brush with fame, besides a quick compliment to Hall, was getting a chance to talk a bit with James Remar, who plays Dexter's father and also played my favorite movie character -- killer Albert Ganz in the Eddie Murphy movie 48 Hours.

The coolest thing about the TCAs is that most every star who wins an award shows up (except Mary Tyler Moore, who inexplicably blew us off, sending along a note saying she liked "most" of us). Alec Baldwin regaled us all with a story about ducking into a bathroom at the Four Seasons in New York and whipping off his sweat drenched shirt to dry it on an air dryer, only to have David Chase, creator of the Sopranos walk in, looking at him like he was insane.

"I just remember thinking, holy shit, that's Alec Baldwin, a famous movie star," said Chase later, stepping up accept his own award for the Sopranos. "I didn't even notice he didn't have his shirt on."

I can remember past TCA awards shows where stars stuck around for the post-show hang out with critics; Martin Sheen stayed until the place shut down after winning an award with the West Wing, regaling us with old showbiz stories, and Jon Stewart roamed the pre-show reception, a long line of worshipful critics trailing behind.

Not this time. Chase probably didn't want to spend hours fielding Sopranos finale questions ("When I went to film school, I went to see the Planet of the Apes and saw the Statue of Liberty at the end," said Chase, offering to explain the Sopranos ending. "And I said, 'Wow, they had a Statue of Liberty, too?' So that's what you're dealing with.") Baldwin probably didn't want to talk about leaving awful voice mail messages for his daughter. So they both bolted quickly.

Heroes star Adrian Pasdar had a bushy beard, allegedly for his role on the series, which means he didn't die at last season's end. And the whole event was kicked off by a side-splitting set from British Daily Show correspondent John Oliver, who reminded us that the English pioneered destroying other cultures' countries with a mix of clueless arrogance and blithe regret.

We also honored Dusty Saunders, the 3rd president of the TCA, who is retiring this year after his 67th press tour and more than 50 years in the biz. Not a bad way to spend a night so far away from home.

Among those on hand at the Beverly Hilton Hotel to accept were Lorraine Bracco, Connie Britton, Kyle Chandler, Jack Coleman, Edie Falco, Mindy Kaling, Masi Oka, Zachary Quinto, and Sendhil Ramamurthy (click on any photo to enlarge).

2007 TCA Award recipients:

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: “Heroes” (NBC)

OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM: “Friday Night Lights” (NBC)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: “The Sopranos” (HBO)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: “The Office” (NBC)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION: “Planet Earth” (Discovery)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING: “Kyle XY” (ABC Family)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINI-SERIES & SPECIALS: “Planet Earth” (Discovery)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock” (NBC)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: Michael C. Hall, “Dexter” (Showtime)

HERITAGE AWARD: “The Sopranos” (HBO)

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: Mary Tyler Moore

The Vanishing TV Critic: What to Do When Your Life's Work Disappears

LOS ANGELES -- She hasn't set foot in the Beverley Hilton hotel this month, but onetime Philadelphia Inquirer TV  columnist Gail Shister remains a ghostly presence here at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour.

For those of us who cover TV for a living, she is becoming the symbol of our worst fate: despite reaching the top of our field, breaking big stories, gaining a national reputation and never slowing down over decades of work, we can be told our efforts are no longer needed.

Many of us knew of Gail's struggles at the Philadelphia Inquirer long before this year's summer tour started. First we learned she wouldn't be joining the rest of us in Los Angeles; then she lost her regular column on TV issues despite breaking important stories about the TV news biz; then, just before tour started, we heard she had been re-assigned to a job on the metro desk.

As with any personnel story, there are likely aspects the public will never know. But a recent story in Variety highlighted the problem nationwide, providing a depressing list of firends past and present who may be losing their jobs. From Mark McGuire at the Albany Times-Union to Jill Vejnoska at the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Ed Bark from the Dallas Morning News and Larry Bonko at the Virginian Pilot.

I wanted to congratulate old friend Bill Goodykoontz of the Arizona Republic for his recent placement in the American Association of Sunday Feature Editors awards contest, but he's been reassigned as a pop culture writer. And I wanted to congratulate buddy Neal Justin of the Minneapolis Star Tribune for his penetrating questions during a press conference, but Variety reports that his job may be in jeopardy.

And we all miss Shister, who pursued sources here with such intensity that no one else could get a question in edgewise, peppering subjects with a fussilade of questions until they finally gave in and said something substantive. Busy as we all are during press tour, longtime TCA members can't help exchaging tales of cutbacks, reductions and retrenchments. Everyone, it seems, has a story about how financial constraints has limited their work.

It's easy to see this as the compalning of a priviledged cadre of journalists. But one thing you quickly learn here at press tour is that 50 people can interpret an occurence 50 different ways.

When it comes to tracking the impact of the world's most influential medium, you want more than a handful of people standing at the gates.

Look Out St. Petersburg: A Look at CNN/YouTube Debate

Her face fills the picture; a tense, weary mask relieved only slightly by a splash of lipstick and a brightly-colored scarf around her neck.

Her question is simple: "I would like to ask the candidates what they have in plan for our health care system," she says, moving back the scarf to reveal a massive scar stretching from the base of her neck to mid-chest.

"...so someone at my age doesn't have to have a heart attack and triple bypass and this scar just because I could not get any doctor to order the tests that I needed."

Her name is Kristy Ivey. And the Spokane, Wash. resident's personal, passionate plea is a prime example of the kinds of questions pouring in for the Democratic presidential candidates as part of CNN's partnership with the video file sharing site YouTube on what they're calling "the first voter-generated presidential debates," according to anchor Anderson Cooper.

"I watch (the submissions) every day...I’ve watched hundreds of them a day," said Cooper, who is helping producers select about 30 questions from the more than 1,700 videotaped queries already uploaded to YouTube for the Democratic debate, scheduled 7 p.m. Monday in South Carolina. "What’s great about them is the variety of them – the way questions are asked. Some are extraordinarily simple—its just a person sitting in front of a computer and asking a question. Some are funny and some use historical footage. Clearly, for some, they are are questions that are life or death for them. There is something very compelling about that."

When CNN and YouTube announced they would hold two debates mostly featuring questions provided by average people through video clips submitted on the Web, more than a few critics wondered if it was a cyber-centered gimmick.

But CNN U.S. president Jon Klein insists the questions, which users can submit for the Democratic debate until Sunday, are unique and revealing. They also provide a potent preview of the queries expected for the Sept. 17 Republican debate, which the cable channel is expected to officially announce today will be held in St. Petersburg at the Mahaffey theater (even after we printed a story on the debate location Thursday, CNN officials refused to comment until after a 1 p.m. press conference today)

"They're very intimate questions...(with) an earnest quality that it will be interesting to see if the candidates can match," said Klein, relaxing in a lounge at the Beverly Hilton hotel after meeting with TV critics in Los Angeles. "Somebody's asking about health care because they've got a relative who has cancer and can't pay for it. That's a lot different than a professional journalist asking the intellectual question about policy."

Cooper admitted the format does a bit of his work for him, eliminating the need to research many of his own questions. Instead, he expects to serve as an onstage traffic cop and truth squad, making sure the politicians don't shrug off the questions presented.

"My job is to make sure the politicians honor the question by answering the question," Cooper said. "It’s important, because people put time into developing these questions and they deserve straight answers. We've all seen from user-generated content that’s exploded across the Internet...people are often smart and incredibly well spoken. And even if they’re not well spoken, they ask intelligent questions that should be honored with intelligent answers."

Even a competitor, NBC News anchor Brian Williams, said the CNN/YouTube partnership has attracted his attention. "I'm looking forward to seeing the debate," he said in a separate meeting with TV critics. "Look, you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. These (online) outlets are out there, and our job now is to get on whatever screens people are watching however we can."

A spin through the myriad of questions already uploaded speaks volumes. One post features a montage of black and white photos of young people, interspersed with text describing them as uncaring, uninterested and unfeeling, asking finally how would the candidates connect with this generation.

Another post features a woman standing in a refugee camp in Chad, asking about the humanitarian crisis following the genocide in Darfur. There's even an unemployed truck driver doing a George Bush impersonation, asking why Hillary Clinton won't apologize for voting to give the president authority to wage war in Iraq.

"When I first talked to the YouTube guys, what I really sparked to was their commitment to doing something that was really about the issues," said Klein, noting CNN has aired a series this week exploring the issues raised by the questions. "They could care less who's ahead in the fundraising. They and the people in their (online) community just want to know what works, what doesn't and what these candidates are going to do about real problems. I think TV viewers are going to find that very refreshing."

 

'Jericho' scoop straight from the TCA floor: CBS built the online network that defeated it

By the time they faced TV critics here in Los Angeles, you couldn't wipe the grins off the faces of the producer and stars of CBS' Jericho, likely just the fourth series in history to be canceled by a network and wiped off the schedule, only to see a massive fan effort (to the tune of 50,000 emails) change the network's mind.

"Our audience became faces and people and lives; these are real people who said 'This is my show and I love this..stop treating me like a number,'" said Lennie James, who plays enigmatic soldier Robert Hawkins, his British accent lending a saucy lilt to his words. "It was a rare insight for the networks; I hope they learn from it."

First, the facts: producers expect to focus on Jericho in the seven new episodes CBS has agreed to produce, though they had originally hoped to split time between Jericho, rival town New Bern and New York, which has survived the nuclear attack which seems to have fractured the country.

Viewers will initially see the battle between Jericho and New Bern, and then flash forward weeks to the arrival of the new government from Cheyenne, which will take over as an occupying force trying to stem revenge killings and friction between Jericho and New Bern. Executive producer Carol Barbee expects lots of parallels with our real-life adventure in Iraq, and says she's fully prepared for blowback from the Limbaughs and Hannitys of the world.

Star Gerald McRaney is definitely off th