Outside Cable News

Via WSFA
CNBC Highlights Governor Riley in Special

Montgomery, Al. (WSFA) — Governor Bob Riley was the focus of a special series on cable-news channel CNBC Tuesday.

The series Mike on America, hosted by Mike Hegedus, was in the capital city to interview Governor Riley recently.

From the governor’s annual one-shot turkey hunt, to the golden star where Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as the first President of the Confederate States of America, Governor Riley let the cameras follow him around as he explained his vision for Alabama.

One major reason for focusing on the Riley administration? Alabama’s economy is doing well despite a sagging overall U.S. economy.

Major companies like Northrup-Grumman, Thyssenkrup and Hyundai are now highlights of the state’s economic boom.

To see the segment from Mike on America click on the video.

Via Drudge/KXLY
>Thanks to an email tip.

SPOKANE — Former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow has canceled a series of speaking engagements at Eastern Washington University because of illness.

Snow was supposed to make a series of appearances Tuesday at EWU. However, he was taken to the hospital to be treated for exhaustion, in consultation with his doctor, according to a source at the University.

The source said he checked into the hospital at 9:30 a.m.

Snow was diagnosed with colon cancer several years ago, and he left his position as press secretary for President Bush in September to deal with the disease. He has said the cancer is in remission.

This week, Snow was hired by CNN to be a conservative commentator. Before being named Press Secretary, he spent several years working at CNN rival Fox News.

On Monday, Tony Snow appeared on KXLY 920 AM’s Newscope with Mike Fitzsimmons.

Via Politico
CNN’s new site angers voter activists
By Ben Adler

When CNN announced a new Web site yesterday, “The League of First Time Voters,” it seemed like a pretty innocuous effort to engage new voters.

But voter engagement activists have been quick to deplore the site as redundant of their efforts and an imitation of their style.

Current and former employees of the “League of Young Voters,” which was previously known as the League of Pissed off Voters, are, well, pissed off.

Carmen Berkley, 22 who is vice president of the United States Student Association, used to work for the League and opposes the concept of CNN’s project.

“I was a bit taken back today to see that CNN has created a space called the League of First Time Voters without the partnership or the blessing of the League of Young Voters,” wrote Berkeley in an e-mail. “CNN should take this opportunity to apologize to the League of Young Voters and partner with them in this massive effort to get young people out to vote,” Berkeley added.

Jen Martin, a spokesperson for CNN, said that she had never heard of the League and that it does not infringe on its territory since the CNN project is not just for young people.

“The League of First Time Voters is for more than 18 year olds who are eligible for the first time, but also for people who haven’t voted in the last few elections,” said Martin. She added that it is also for immigrants who just got their citizenship and, “people who feel re-energized and engaged.”
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Via TVPredictions
By Allison Moore
Cox to Add 6 HD Channels In Oklahoma
The cable operator now offers more than 30 HD channels there.

Washington, D.C. (April 22, 2008) — Cox Communications next month will add six new High-Definition channels in the Tulsa/Oklahoma City area.

The new channels, which will be added on May 20, will be: Bravo HD; USA Network HD; Sci-Fi Channel HD; Lifetime HD; CNBC HD; and The Weather Channel HD.

With the additions, Cox will offer 37 HD channels in the Tulsa/Oklahoma City market. The cable operator is following a cable industry trend to expand high-def lineups to keep pace with satcasters DIRECTV and Dish Network which offer 95 and 79 national HD channels respectively.

Cox also recently added HGTV HD, The Travel Channel HD; and The Food Network HD in Oklahoma.

The cable operator has also alerted Cox subscribers in Oklahoma that CNN HD will soon move to channel 780.

Via Penn State Live
Visit by CNN analyst Toobin canceled

University Park, Pa. — Dickinson School of Law officials announced Tuesday that CNN legal analyst and author Jeffrey Toobin has canceled his visit scheduled for Wednesday (April 23) at Kern Building on Penn State’s University Park campus due to a work schedule change related to coverage of the Pennsylvania primary election.

His free lecture had been scheduled for 6 p.m. It is not yet known if the event will be rescheduled

A legal analyst for CNN, Toobin has written about numerous pivotal legal events of our time. His most recent book, “The Nine,” explores the state of the U.S. Supreme Court in the wake of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s departure and the “conservative counterrevolution” in the United States. Toobin is also the author of “Too Close to Call: The 36-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election” about the Supreme Court decision that halted the Florida recount and “A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal that Nearly Brought Down a President.” His coverage of the Elian Gonzalez case earned him an Emmy in 2000.

>Earlier: Best-selling author, CNN legal analyst to visit University Park

Via Fox News
Live on FOXNews.com: Streaming Political Coverage of the Pa. Primary

Join FOXNews.com Tuesday night for live streaming of two exclusive programs to be broadcast during Fox News’s coverage of the Pennsylvania primary.

The special online programming begins with the latest installment of “The Strategy Room” at 8 pm ET, where readers can watch, hear and help participate as Fox News’ Brian Wilson moderates a freewheeling discussion among some of America’s leading political minds. Wilson and crew will also appear live on Fox News Channel throughout the evening’s coverage, discussing the vote results and work their own sources to report new information.

Fox News’ Shepard Smith will follow with his own streaming feature at 9:45 pm ET. Fox News viewers will get a behind-the-scenes look as Shepard prepares for and delivers his live shots for Fox stations around the country, updating viewers and Foxnews.com users with the latest from Pennsylvania.

A series of guests and Fox News personalities will also be on hand to participate in the streaming. Among those scheduled to participate include:

- Karl Rove, FOX News contributor and former Bush political strategist;

- Chris Wallace, host of Fox News Sunday;

- Kirsten Powers, author and political commentator;

- Bob Beckel, Democratic strategist and FOX News contributor;

- Michael Steele, former lieutenant governor of Maryland;

- Angela McGlowan, political consultant and FOX News contributor.

Via Ny Mag
Olbermann Plays Nice With Hillary on ‘Countdown’

By cable-news standards, Olbermann was restrained during his interview with Hillary Clinton last night; by Olbermann’s standards, he was almost sedated. The MSNBC host is a known critic of the senator from New York. We suppose that’s okay; it wouldn’t kill him to lend the appropriate gravitas to the situation on the eve of the Most Important Pennsylvania Primary Ever to Occur on April 22. He cited the latest survey to come out at that given millisecond, noting the Pennsylvania race was “fairly competitive” but in Clinton’s favor at 48 percent to 43 percent. To signify her happy role as marginal front-runner, HRC appeared in an extremely bright red blazer (it was, dare we say, a St. John’s knit?). Though she sounded hoarse, she looked good — the hair and makeup gods had blessed her on this night.

>Read the rest at Ny Mag.

Via Ny Mag
Bill Hemmer Drinks Stella Artois, on Tap

Name: Bill Hemmer
Job: Co-host, Fox News’ American Newsroom. Also co-host (with Megyn Kelly) of America’s Election HQ. He and his pretty face will be toiling many hours on camera covering the Pennsylvania primary today.
Age: 43.
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village

Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
Tie: Theodore Roosevelt, Superman.

What’s the best meal you’ve eaten in New York?
Name one? That’s not fair. Or balanced.

In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
I learn thismuch about everything.

Would you still live here on a $35,000 salary?
Yes. But the cabbies would get less tip money.

What’s the last thing you saw on Broadway?
Jersey Boys.

Do you give money to panhandlers?
Seldom. But their appeals get more creative each year.
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