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Demote \De*mote"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Demoted; p. pr. & vb. n. Demoting.] [Pref. de- + mote, as in promote; cf. L. demovere to remove.] To reduce to a lower grade, as in school.
Commentary: MSNBC apparently was stung by liberal-bias blasts
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- MSNBC's Bully Boys, Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann, have apparently been overshadowed by Tom Brokaw.
Olbermann and Matthews had been dominating the network's content -- and image. They gained a reputation for shrill, liberal, utterly unbalanced chatter, creating an image for MSNBC as the Fox News Channel of the left (although Fox has routinely crushed MSNBC in the crucial component of audience ratings).
Olbermann and Matthews received a public rebuke over the weekend, though. The New York Times (NYT:
15.25, +0.02, +0.1%)reported that the network, a unit of General Electric (GE:
, , ) , has lowered their profiles from anchors to analysts. Meanwhile, David Gregory's star rises, as he will be the anchor during the coverage of the upcoming presidential debates. Read New York Times story.
I wouldn't be surprised if Brokaw had had enough with the Bully Boys. During a panel discussion in Denver, Brokaw said Olbermann and Matthews had "gone too far" at times. He stressed that they were "not the only voices" on MSNBC, the Times said, citing the Washington Post.
The NBC News community admires Brokaw so much that his sentiment might as well have appeared in 128-point type.
Brokaw and Williams
Perhaps Brokaw -- with the backup of Brian Williams, his colleague and successor as evening-news anchor -- intervened at NBC and suggested (strongly) that MSNBC was becoming a captive of the left and an embarrassment to NBC News' reputation. The Times correctly described Matthews and Olbermann as "politically incendiary hosts."
Video: Media Web Minute
Jon Friedman says the news network is seeking a more objective tone in contrast with the liberal identity established by Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann. (Sept. 9)
The Times noted: "When the vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin lamented media bias during her speech, attendees of the Republican convention loudly chanted 'NBC.'"
Don't think that MSNBC is completely severing its ties with the left. Liberal radio star Rachel Maddow recently joined MSNBC as the host of a prime time program. And, even in their new roles, somehow I doubt that Olbermann and Matthews' voices will be muted much.
As always, ratings are what count in television programming. MSNBC almost doubled its total audience compared with its performance at the 2004 national conventions but it remained mired behind News Corp.'s (NWS:
, , ) CNN. (News Corp. is the parent of MarketWatch, the publisher of this report).
Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, told the Times: "The bottom line is that we're experiencing incredible success."
MSNBC has long perplexed the leaders of NBC and parent GE. Its Web site has received honors and awards for excellent coverage. But the cable network has struggled to attract a large audience.
Olbermann, in particular, has tried to create a distinct style. He has made no bones about his distaste for President Bush's policies and has succeeded in attracting plenty of publicity for his attacks on Fox's Bill O'Reilly, the No. 1 star in cable news. Interestingly, you could make the case that Olbermann is to the left what O'Reilly is to the right -- an outspoken, brusque, uncompromising hero.
It must irk Olbermann that MSNBC is giving him a lower profile. He has, in the newly minted tradition of CNN's Lou Dobbs, sought to become the face and voice of his cable network by latching on to a cause. Dobbs is now synonymous with the hot-button immigration issue. Olbermann has criticized Bush in strong terms.
With support waning for the war in Iraq and the current administration dropping the ball on everything from Hurricane Katrina relief to gas prices at the pump, Americans have become disillusioned with Bush's rhetoric.
Olbermann shrewdly sensed the rising tide and jumped into the fray in the hope that his brand of tough talk would solidify his hold on MSNBC in time for the 2008 presidential election. Traditionally, the network's stars rise and fall on the basis of their reviews during a presidential campaign.
But the influential Brokaw, it would seem, has reminded NBC News that a pretense of objectivity and decorum means more than loud chatter.
Olbermann and Matthews should've seen this coming, in a way. When Tim Russert died unexpectedly of heart disease a few months ago, NBC immediately appointed Brokaw to fill his seat on "Meet the Press."
Brokaw's star, once again, is on the rise -- and so is his influence at NBC.
But the Bully Boys are on the decline at MSNBC, for now.
MEDIA WEB QUESITON OF THE DAY: Do you believe that Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams trumped Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews?
Feel free to send email to jfriedman@marketwatch.com or join the online community of Media Web readers by posting comments directly to the MarketWatch.com site.
Jon Friedman is a senior columnist for MarketWatch in New York.
Palin Finalized 20-Year Quest for Pipeline Deal in First 20 Months Monday, September 08, 2008 By Josiah Ryan, Staff Writer
Stockpiling pipe (Photo courtesy of TransCanada Communications)
(CNSNews.com) – In her first 20 months as governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin completed a deal for a natural gas pipeline that had been a top economic goal for the state for nearly two decades.
After battling oil companies and leading lawmakers over the project, Palin signed the bill on Aug. 27, 2008. The deal grants a Canadian company $500 million in state funds and permission to build a $36 billion pipeline to transport natural gas from Alaska's North Slope to the continental United States.
The pipeline, to which Palin referred in her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, represents a step towards leading America to energy independence, she said.
“When that deal was struck, we began a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence,” said Palin during her speech. “That pipeline, when the last section is laid and its valves are opened, will lead America one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart.”
GOP presidential candidate John McCain and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin
The 1,715 miles of pipeline will begin in oil- and gas-rich fields on Alaska’s Northern Arctic Ocean and Chukchi Sea coast and continue south through Fairbanks, Alaska, ending at a hub in Alberta, Canada, where gas will be then distributed throughout North America by export pipelines and transport trucks.
A contract for the pipeline, which had been discussed for the last 20 years, was finally negotiated after Palin became Alaska’s governor in 2007.
Palin, who ran against then-incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2006 pledging to open up bidding for the pipeline in a competitive and transparent manner, rejected negotiations that Murkowski had conducted with oil companies.
Murkowski had offered the major firms exclusive contracts to build the pipeline and had agreed to freeze oil taxes for 30 years and natural gas taxes for up to 45 years.
Palin beat Murkowski in the 2006 primary and took office in January 2007. By February 2007, she had released new requirements for pipeline bidding.
Maintenance duties at a compressor station (Photo courtesy of TransCanada Communications)
TransCanada, a Calgary-based independent shipper of natural gas, won the bidding, but BP, ConocoPhillips, and ExxonMobil declined to submit plans by Palin's deadline: Nov. 30, 2007.
“Integration of the pipeline with TransCanada’s Alberta System will provide access to diverse, lower 48 markets across the U.S.,” states the TransCanada Web site. In April 2007, BP and ConocoPhillips announced they had formed a partnership called “Denali” to build their own gas pipeline.
“This project is vital for North American energy consumers and for the future of the Alaska oil and gas industry. It will allow us to keep our North Slope fields in production for another 50 years," Tony Hayward, BP Group chief executive, said on April 8, 2008 – one year after the initial announcement.
According to a TransCanada press release, planning for construction of the pipeline will likely take two more years, leading to a “regulatory review and permitting” phase, a construction phase, and then commissioning of the pipeline by late 2018.
In early August, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama endorsed Palin’s bill, about one month before she was chosen to be the GOP vice presidential nominee.
“We should work with the Canadian government to finally build the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline, delivering clean natural gas, and creating good jobs in the process,” Obama said Aug. 4 in Lansing, Mich.
In an interview with Time magazine in August, Palin named energy policy as one of the causes she will champion if she becomes the nation’s next vice president.
“I would push for a strong military and a sound energy policy,” said Palin. “I believe that Alaska can help set an example on energy policy.”
Animal rights activist Pamela Anderson is clearly not a fan of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
The former "Baywatch" babe was asked by an E! reporter if she she'd seen the photo of Palin, a proud hunter, with an animal fur in the background.
"I can't stand her," Anderson replied after rolling her eyes. "She can suck it!"
Hypocrisy (or the state of being a hypocrite) is the act of preaching a certain belief or way of life, but not, in fact, holding these same virtues oneself. For example, an adult telling children not to smoke cigarettes, even though the adult smokes. Hypocrisy is frequently invoked as an accusation in many contexts.
Jealousy typically refers to the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that occur when a person believes a valued relationship is being threatened by a rival. This rival may or may not know that he or she is perceived as a threat.
VERO BEACH, Fla. — Ron White of the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour" was late to a sold-out performance on Florida's Treasure Coast — but he had a good excuse.
The Vero Beach Police Department arrested the 51-year-old comedian Wednesday on charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
White, whose comedy album is titled "You Can't Fix Stupid," was booked at the Indian River County Jail shortly after 6 p.m. and released about two hours later on $1,000 bail.
His publicist, Kathe Nelson, says he went straight to the show after being released from jail. The show was delayed about an hour.
One of White's most famous routines includes a joke about being booked into a Texas jail under the alias "Tater Salad."
McCain to visit NHMS on Sunday UPDATE: Republican presidential candidate and Arizona Sen. John McCain is scheduled tomake a brief appearance at Sunday's event. McCain and his wife Cindy, (there is no information yet as to if she will accompany her husband to Loudon Sunday) are no strangers to racing — McCain was the grand marshal of the 2006 Sylvania 300 and Cindy McCain is a trained racecar driver. "We've done a lot of events like this," said speedway media spokesman Fred Neergaard. "We prepared twice for President Bush — once when he was the governor of Texas and once when he was president." State Police Lt. George Brown said no information is available about when McCain will visit, but helicopters flying overhead and an enhanced police presence are already present at the track.(The Citizen), The trip will reportedly include McCain taking a lap around the NASCAR race oval before the Sprint Cup playoff series is to begin in New Hampshire. It was not known whether running mate and AK Gov. Sarah Palin would be with McCain.(Nashua Telegraph)(9-11-2008) UPDATE: John McCain thanked NASCAR for its support of the military as he spoke during the prerace drivers meeting Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. McCain was a couple of minutes late, and the drivers and crew chiefs remained in their seats waiting for him after their prerace instructions had ended. When he arrived with NASCAR President Mike Helton, the drivers and crew chiefs gave him a standing ovation. McCain was joined by Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, a major supporter of the candidate. “I just want to say thank you [for the ovation], but most of all I want to thank you for your support for the men and women in the military,” McCain said. “It’s remarkable. It’s uplifting to these young people. When I am in Iraq and Afghanistan, they’re watching you. You are their role models. You are their heroes. And they are ours. So I just want to say that NASCAR and the heroes and the competitors and the teams are supporting the men and women who are serving in the most exemplary fashion – I thank you, God bless you and God bless America.” Security was extra tight for the drivers meeting with everyone attending being checked with a metal-detecting wand. McCain then toured the garage area. The NASCAR hauler was equipped with several cameras pointed in various directions in the garage.(SceneDaily)(9-14-2008)
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing! 9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing! 9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing! 10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing! 12:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing! 1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing! 3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing! 5:00 pm - Dinner! My favorite thing! 7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing! 8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing! 11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
The Cat's Diary
Day 983 of My Captivity
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now ...