[IceBreaker]

http://www.nypost.com/gossip/38884.htm

January 27, 2005 -- THE three CBS News execs asked to resign earlier this month over the embarrassing Memogate scandal still haven't quit. Instead, they've hired lawyers. Unlike veteran producer Mary Mapes — who was fired outright for using bogus documents in a George Bush-bashing Dan Rather report on "60 Minutes" — the three were asked for their resignations. CBS is still waiting. Sources say Josh Howard, Betsy West and Mary Murphy are no longer coming into the office and could be threatening wrongful dismissal lawsuits as they negotiate severance packages. A spokesman said, "CBS refuses to comment on speculation."

[Randman]

Is this a surprise?

[IceBreaker]

No..not a surprise, I think that CBS not firing Dan Rather immediately was the biggest mistake CBS made SINCE discovering Rather & crew made up this scandel.

Because they are letting the "big fish" liar get off with a "retirement" the others have grounds for a major lawsuit against CBS... i.e. "I was just doing what I was told" etc.

[chris v]

WMD fraudsters aren't quitting, either. Seems like truth is just not a big deal anymore.

[MacNStein]

Originally posted by chris v:
WMD fraudsters aren't quitting, either. Seems like truth is just not a big deal anymore.

I know it's difficult, but stop trying to derail the thread. thanks.


Back on topic....

Doesn't surprise me at all, none of the "big 3" have had journalistic integrity for well over a decade. People recognize the liberal bias and have moved on to better things (Fox). The really good news is that few actually care what happens to CBS, ABC, or NBC news, no one's really watching it anyway.

[spacefreak]

This is somewhat ironic, with the recent fired-for-smoking stories and all.

Get fired for reporting a fraudulent story and there's a chance you can still keep your job. Smoke a cigarette in your house one night after work, and that's it.... you're gone.

[zerostar]

Originally posted by MacNStein:
People recognize the liberal bias and have moved on to better things (Fox). The really good news is that few actually care what happens to CBS, ABC, or NBC news, no one's really watching it anyway.

As much as you want to believe this, and Fox wants you to believe this.

Here are the raw figures:

Fox News Channel is so far neither the choice of most people who watch cable news, nor the more successful business model. But the perception that Fox is "trouncing" CNN--based largely on the fact that the number Nielsen releases to the public emphasizes heavy viewers--is of great use to Fox, which trumpets these ratings as a vindication of its partisan, "fair & balanced" approach to the news. Reacting to a guest's charge that Fox had a right-wing bias, Brian Kilmeade, co-host of the successful Fox & Friends morning show (2/25/03), boasted: "Then what does that say about the country when they made us No. 1?"

But even in the limited sense of average hourly watchers, Fox is only No. 1 among 24-hour cable news channels. Fox, like CNN, now reaches about 4 of every 5 television households, so comparisons with broadcast news shows are increasingly valid. And among all television news sources, Fox's performance is nothing to brag about.

The O'Reilly Factor is the best-rated show on Fox, with about 2 million viewers a night (Daily Variety, 12/5/03). CBS Evening News, the least-watched broadcast network evening news show, routinely gets four or five times as big an audience, and that's seen as a ratings disaster. Fox's flagship news show, Special Report with Brit Hume, gets a million viewers on a good night-a few thousand more than the local newscast of New York City's WNBC

The fact is most don't watch 24-hour news stations, while fox clearly is ahead in those who do, the majority of people watch evening news and you can look up FOX's ratings yourself, nothing to be bragging about.

[dialo]

Originally posted by chris v:
WMD fraudsters aren't quitting, either. Seems like truth is just not a big deal anymore.

Good point ... and on topic.

[mydog8mymac]

Originally posted by chris v:
WMD fraudsters aren't quitting, either. Seems like truth is just not a big deal anymore.

[vmpaul]

Maybe these 3 CBS employees figure if they can hang on to their jobs, they can make some extra money shilling for Bush Administration policies. I hear that pays REAL good.

[demograph68]

Originally posted by MacNStein:
People recognize the liberal bias and have moved on to better things (Fox).

So the alternative has be conservative bias. Nice how it's "balanced" in that way. Label everything as "liberal bias" so that we're left with Fox as the only remaining choice. It's a good marketing strategy.

[CRASH HARDDRIVE]

Originally posted by demograph68:
So the alternative has be conservative bias. Nice how it's "balanced" in that way. Label everything as "liberal bias" so that we're left with Fox as the only remaining choice. It's a good marketing strategy.

Wow, and all this time I never knew MacNStein was personally in charge of marketing the Fox news network, and that he's behind making CBS do blatantly biased things, as part of a giant plot to make the media look biased! Clever guy that MacNStein!

Gee, I thought Karl Rove was the one who made CBS bias itself!

[demograph68]

What?

[spacefreak]

Originally posted by zerostar:
As much as you want to believe this, and Fox wants you to believe this.

Here are the raw figures:

Fox News Channel is so far neither the choice of most people who watch cable news, nor the more successful business model. But the perception that Fox is "trouncing" CNN--based largely on the fact that the number Nielsen releases to the public emphasizes heavy viewers--is of great use to Fox, which trumpets these ratings as a vindication of its partisan, "fair & balanced" approach to the news.... But even in the limited sense of average hourly watchers, Fox is only No. 1 among 24-hour cable news channels. Fox, like CNN, now reaches about 4 of every 5 television households, so comparisons with broadcast news shows are increasingly valid.... The fact is most don't watch 24-hour news stations, while fox clearly is ahead in those who do, the majority of people watch evening news and you can look up FOX's ratings yourself, nothing to be bragging about.

How come we never heard about the faults of the Nielson ratings system, or any of this other stuff, when CNN was #1?

Fox clearly states that they are #1 in cable news. Most know that does not include the networks, so there's really no use trying to prove the point that FNC is considered cable news.

And the "majority" of people don't watch evening news, so you can stop that misportayal right there. If they did, combined viewership of the networks' news would surpass 150 million, and it comes nowhere close to that.

So you don't like FNC. That's fine. But trying to discredit their success with these arguments is ridiculous.

Oh yeah... just an FYI: this thead is about CBS.

[zerostar]

Originally posted by spacefreak:
How come we never heard about the faults of the Nielson ratings system, or any of this other stuff, when CNN was #1?

No one is citing faults of the ratings, why are you putting words in my mouth? Am I supposed to be a CNN cheerleader now?

Fox clearly states that they are #1 in cable news. Most know that does not include the networks

I didn't say this: "People recognize the liberal bias and have moved on to better things (Fox)."

And the "majority" of people don't watch evening news, so you can stop that misportayal right there.

The "majority" who do, don't watch Fox. But many people (at fox) would have you believe otherwise, its not so.

So you don't like FNC.

I said this where? I actually watch Fox News because I like some of the talent, don't necessarily agree with them all the time, but the ones I like are good people. The fact is they are no where near #1 for news.

Why do you think anyone who give facts and truth has a bias against it?

Oh yeah... just an FYI: this thead is about CBS.

I didn't bring up fox. FYI.

[spacefreak]

Originally posted by zerostar:
[B]The "majority" who do, don't watch Fox. But many people (at fox) would have you believe otherwise, its not so.....

Why do you think anyone who give facts and truth has a bias against it? /B]

I'll just tackle these, for I obviously misinterpreted the rest of your original post. My bad.

I guess this is the essence of the problem I have with your opinion: Whenever I do watch FNC, I never hear anything other then "#1 in cable news". You mention a quote by a Fox and Friends host mentioning that people recognize the liberal bias of other channels, and have come to Fox, making them #1. Aren't they the #1 cable news channel? Those viewers came to FNC for some reason. Hypothesizing (sp?) that liberal bias on other outlets had something to do with it doesn't seem unreasonable.

I don't think anyone who gives facts and truths has a bias against it. I just didn't quite understand what point you were trying to make with all that hoopla. And it's not the action of presenting facts that shows a bias, it's the selection and presentation that do.

If all you were trying to say was that more people watch network news than cable news, then why not just say that? Of course, I'd come at you with total viwership numbers. Sure, NBC evening news beats out Brit Hume in the time slot, but total "news" viewership over a 24-hour period is a different story.

[olePigeon]

Originally posted by MacNStein:
I know it's difficult, but stop trying to derail the thread. thanks.

It's a valid point. You can't blame one side and not have repercussions for the other. You guys are really good at making it sound one sided.

Blame the Democrats, punish them!
But the Republicans did the same thing ...
Don't derail the subject, we're talking about how only Democrats to bad stuff.
But the Republicans are just as guilty, why are only the Democrats at fault?
*insert Zimphire laughing smiley*
... Uh... OK. That smiley response makes no sense.
*insert smackdown picture*
WTF?