1. Bill O' Reilly  - The Good: Bill O' Reilly's caring "Papa Bear" personality. Bill likes to look out for the little guy and is truly at the top of his game and deserves to be crowned the "King" of cable news.  Also, his popularity is proven by his massive viewership and they seem to be the most loyal in all of cable news. He's been #1 for years with very high ratings and has broken quite a few longevity records in the cable television industry. Bill doesn't seem to be slowing down or losing any of his momentum at all. The Bad: Bill O' Reilly's temper. Sure it makes for good television but Bill O' Reilly needs to settle down. Sometimes during his interviews, he gets so aggravated that if he doesn't relax ASAP... it seems like his heart will explode. O' Reilly takes it personally when someone disagrees with him, then he gets very upset and shouts down his guests... but it's his show, he can conduct the interview however he sees fit. The Ugly: Bill O' Reilly's ego. None bigger in all of cable news, maybe in all of television! It's out of control! In fact, I think during his show last week Bill O' Reilly declared himself a GOD! 

 

2.Glenn Beck  - The Good:  Glenn Beck's patriotism: It's apparent Glenn loves this country and just about everyday on his show you'll probably learn some sort of history lesson concerning our Founding Fathers. He has made it his mission to remind his viewers of the values that continue to make the country great. He wants to learn but also wants to teach! The Bad: Glenn beck's "gloom and doom" attitude. I find that sometimes he would rather use the power he has to communicate to his audience the failures and problems of this country instead of trying to lift all Americans to a more hopeful and promising outlook on the future. The Ugly: Glenn Beck's emotional breakdowns. I think most would agree that Glenn Beck cries on his show way too often. First, he needs to slap himself in the face, then remind himself that no one wants to see a grown on national television crying like a little whining baby!

 

3. Keith Olbermann  - The Good: Keith Olbermann's intelligence and wit. Whether you like him or not, or just flat-out disagree with his point of view, Keith Olbermann could definitely hold his own in a political debate. Keith also has the best one-liners in all of cable news, he can be a very funny guy at times. He can then also be very serious when it comes to the issues at hand which are important to his viewers. Olbermann is also the perfect counter-balance to Fox News' Bill O' Reilly... they need each other even though they would never admit it. The Bad: Keith Olbermann's Bill O' Reilly (or as he refers to him... "Billo") impersonation. It's clear Keith can't stand Bill (and vice-versa) but if Keith is going to insist on that stupid voice he uses, please get some more practice or hire a professional voice over. The Ugly: Keith Olbermann's "Special Comments." Enough already!! They are just long ramblings without any real solutions. It's just a simple way to get back at people that pissed you off! Can we please cut them back to what I believe was their original allotted time span of 5 minutes... instead of 15 minutes they sometimes expand into? If you want to get on you high-horse, then fine... it's your show but lets get to the point before you start putting your viewers to sleep.

 

4. Anderson Copper  - The Good:  Anderson Cooper's integrity and professionalism. When you want the facts and none of the opinions concerning a certain news event, then Anderson Cooper's your man. Anderson Cooper probably has the most credibility when it comes to all the cable news channel's hosts. Every major news event needs a news anchor like Cooper to get the story out in an untarnished way without any "spin" added. Anderson does his job at a very high level of competence. The Bad: Anderson's Cooper robotic personality. Maybe it's his monotone voice or perfect clean-cut image... but something about him reminds me of some kind of robot? Sometimes it seems that Anderson Cooper is lacking any emotions at all. Cooper needs to find a balance between covering the story seriously and yet, still letting his audience know that he's not just some news-bot reading his lines to a television camera. The Ugly: Anderson Cooper's sense of humour. I'm not sure even if he has one? Anderson tried a few months ago to crack a joke with his infamous "teabagger" line that he said on air that landed him in some hot water, since then I think he has stopped trying. Though, we have enough clowns on the cable news channels, we really don't need anymore and if Cooper wants to show no emotion during his show... well, I guess I could live with that... boring but dependable.

 

5. Nancy Grace  - The Good: Nancy Grace looking out for our kids. Everynight on her show, Nancy Grace runs stories concerning exploited or missing children across the nation. She sheds light on the predators who are living amongst us and she shows them no sympathy or mercy. Nancy Grace also has some very loyal viewers who respect Nancy for what she is doing on behalf of the children who are missing and also what Nancy is doing to help make the criminals committing these heinous crimes accountable. The Bad: Nancy Grace's propensity to get personal. When the show starts, I usually set my watch (usually within 10 minutes into the show) to when Nancy Grace will start talking about her baby twins, husband or criminal tragedies from her past. Some of her viewers may love the fact that she likes to talk about her personal life... I'm not one of them. The Ugly: Nancy Grace's rudeness. I don't think I've seen anyone so rude on television since the late talk show host Robert Downey Jr. from the early 90's. Nancy Grace also likes to "unleash the lawyers" just so she can rip them apart verbally! Nancy can be a very mean person when she wants to be. Nancy Grace takes no prisoners and when she is right and you are wrong... you had better shut up, step back and take a seat if you want to appear on her show again. Nancy Grace has proven that she is the undisputed QUEEN of RUDE in all of the universe!

6. Sean Hannity  - The Good: Sean Hannity's "pitbull" personality. Sean Hannity likes nothing more than to debate the issues concerning most Americans and show how the other Party has gotten it all wrong. Sean never lets anything slip by and he uses the information from his opponent to then fire it back at his opponent at any given moment. If there was any cable news host who could debate for the Republican side and their values against the Dems., and have a great chance of winning, I would say it would be Sean Hannity. Sean Hannity has the wit to make some on the other side look quite foolish and should never be under estimated for his intellect. The Bad: Sean Hannity going solo. The departure of Alan Colmes changed the show and brought it in a whole new direction. It was nice to see the two go back and forth discussing the issues at hand, usually Sean winning the argument and throwing in a personal attack on Colmes just for fun... I miss that! The Ugly: Sean Hannity's "All-Star Panel" appearing on his show. Who are these people? Most of the panel guests have no clue on even what politics are or what side they even stand on! Most seem to be "B" List stars/has-beens that have nothing better to do but try to claim a few more seconds of fame... the panel idea needs to go and never return!

 

7. Larry King  - The Good: Larry King's interviewing skills. Larry been interviewing for so long it seems like he invented it. When he conducts his nightly interview, you know Larry is going to have the most relevant guest to cover the topic and that Larry is going to ask all the right questions. It will be a sad day in cable news when Larry decides to hang it up and retire he will  be  sorely  missed. When someone has a story to tell and want to get their side out to the public, they go to one person... Larry King. He's like the "Yoda" of cable news! The Bad: "The Larry King Show" is only 1 hour long. I would love for Larry to get 2 full hours so he get really have time to get down to the core of the issues (that is if he would want to at his age). The Ugly: Larry King's suspenders. Nothing more needs to be said.

 

8. Greta Van Susteren  - The Good: Greta Van Susteren's calming personality. Greta has way of conducting herself and her show in a way that is somewhat relaxing, a big change from the "in your face" type approach often used by the other cable news show hosts. Greta is also known for conducting good, fact-finding interviews herself... many of them her own personal exclusives. In my opinion, Greta Van Susteren seems to be one of the nicest personalities in all of cable news, she's a refreshing change to some of the mean-spirited commentary in cable news today. The Bad: Greta Van Susteren going political. In the past few months Greta's show has gotten away from her usual covering of the latest sensational court cases going on in the country to a more political themed show. The show now covers more political topics like O' Reilly and Hannity do on their shows. Greta Van Susteren doesn't seem to have the style or personality to be a "pitbull" for a certain Party or set of values, there are other people more than willing to fight that battle. The Ugly: Greta Van Susteren on the move. Greta Van Susteren likes to be on the scene when a world event happens, such as the recent earthquake in Haiti but she ran into travel problems while trying to land was out-scooped by the other networks. Maybe she's losing her touch when it comes to getting to the scene of a world event first? Plus, Greta is in competition from one of the greatest of all-time when it comes to on-scene reporting, one of her fellow co-workers at Fox News... Geraldo Rivera!

 

9. Rachel Maddow  - The Good: Rachel Maddow's up-front attitude. Rachel Maddow has no problem explaining her views and what has driven her to  come  to those conclusions in a nice, precise and up-front manner. She usually does it with a smile on her face and in a way that adds a little humour to the issue being discussed. Rachel can also go on the attack in a meaningful way when it comes to defending her Party and what it stands for. Rachel seems to enjoy speaking out for the disadvantaged in this country, while still being able to lend a voice regarding the main political issues of the day. The Bad: Rachel Maddow still seems to be finding her way. I'm not sure if Rachel Maddow knows which direction to take her show, it seems very similar to the show that's on preceding hers... "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." I would like to see Rachel get her own special "A-List" guests/pundits who appear regularly as a panel or who would get together to have nightly roundtable discussions. It would be something that Rachel or her producers could do to try to set her show apart from the others, because if something isn't done and done soon, the show may start to fade away. The Ugly: Rachel Maddow bragging about her cocktail mixing skills. Enough already! No one really cares on how well you can make a drink, this is politics... not bartending 101. If Rachel Maddow doesn't start turning her ratings around, she may find her self heading back to her roots as a bartender sooner than she thinks.

 

10. Shepard Smith  - The Good: Shepard Smith's love for fun. More than any other cable news anchor, I think Shepard Smith is the one who really tries to stay real and true to himself while having as much fun as possible. Shep still knows how to cover the main events but also likes to have some fun at the end of the show usually having some type of "Bear" alert or L.A. traffic chase that's

happening live. Shepard Smith has been at Fox News for over a decade and during that time, Shep has built and maintained his credibility and integrity that permeates throughout the cable news industry. The Bad: Shepard Smith's rebellious side. Shepard Smith sometimes seems to forget who he's working for. He has a tendency to stray away from the talking points and just expresses how he feels on any given subject. Sometimes Shep say things or shows emotions concerning certain issues that you would commonly hear coming from a Democrat... such as his stance on torture. The Ugly: Shepard Smith not realizing it's time to move on. If there was one news host over at Fox News that doesn't seem to fit in (other than Geraldo), it would be Shepard Smith. If Shep went to HLN, he would be KING over there in a heartbeat! If Shepard Smith went to MSNBC, he would be Olbermann's instant equal! If Smith went to CNN, he would also instantly become Anderson Cooper's equal in who would be the leading face of the news channel. Shepard Smith knows that O' Reilly, Beck and Hannity are the faces of his network... Fox News.  Shep served his time in making the channel as popular as it is... it's time he moved on!

 After a long awaited return from maternity leave, Megyn Kelly is now anchoring her own show (America Live with Megyn Kelly) on Fox News every weekday in the afternoon hour. After her huge success hosting her morning show with Bill Hemmer, the move to have Megyn host her own show has been long overdue. Megyn has been Fox News' brightest star for the past few years and Fox giving her a chance to showcase her talents is a brilliant move on their part. With the lack of serious competition from the other cable news networks during the afternoon hours, Megyn Kelly has a great chance to dominate the ratings in the 2 hours that her show is on. CNN and MSNBC would have very little chance to keep up with Megyn with their lack-luster afternoon line-ups. Andrea Mitchell (even though I like her) and Ali Velshi don't even come close when it comes to the charm and style that Megyn Kelly provides her viewers on a daily basis.

 I'm sure most of her fans would agree that underneath that pretty smile and blonde hair, is someone who has the intelligence to debate the issues in a way that gets to the core of the matter that's concerning her viewers. But when it comes to getting those tough questions answered, she has no problem being forceful with her guests and sometimes, she can get down-right mean! When she's doing her popular segment Kelly's Court, Megyn shows that she has the professionalism to allow her lawyer guests to convey their thoughts, while still interjecting her own opinion when needed, I like her compassion for standing up for what is right. I also find her passion and stubbornness on these issues quite entertaining and watchable, and these are just some of the qualities that I think sets herself apart from the others. The others seem to be lacking something, while Fox News' Megyn Kelly, well... she's REAL.

 So, as for the competition, I have just to words to say.... GAME OVER! Megyn Kelly has just become the Queen of all cable news in the afternoons and the competition knows that it's just hopeless to even try. The only way Megyn Kelly would ever lose her crown, would be for her to move the show to a prime time slot, which could possibly happen within the next year or so. Possibly the move to prime time for Megyn Kelly could happen sooner than expected if Greta Van Susteren decides not to renew her contract with Fox News. 

 We all have heard about the young amateur filmmakers, who were repeatedly covered on Fox News' "Glenn Beck Show", for exposing corruption in certain ACORN facilities a few months ago. The film crew were all the rage and Fox News had a "field day" covering the story on a daily basis. But recently the same amateur filmmakers were arrested for trying to tamper with the phone lines of a United States Senator in the state of Louisiana. Four people were arrested in total, including the film crews ring leader... James O' Keefe. The possible sentence for their alleged crimes could land them up to ten years in a federal prison. I personally believe the film crew and O' Keefe became arrogant and willing to push the envelope as far as they could due to their huge notoriety and success over their ACORN videos.

 One person over at MSNBC was so excited over this news that he almost wet his pants! David Shuster, the "B-List" anchor at the cable news channel, decided to take it upon himself to show that the filmmakers involved in phone tampering got exactly what they deserved. During his morning show, Shuster went on to criticize O' keefe for his statements that he made the following day after his arrest. David Shuster also had some choice words on Twitter: @JamesOKeefeIII a) you are not a journalist b) the truth is you intended to tap her phones c) it's a felony d) you will go to prison. Granted, those statements were made on Twitter but they show very little class and lack any true professionalism. Shuster has made some controversial comments in the past that have landed him in hot water with the network. I would have thought by now that he would have learned to hold back a little and state his opinion in a less "kid calling names on the school playground" manner. Not only does he need to show more professionalism, he needs to act more like an adult.

 It's quite clear that MSNBC has one main liberal mouth-piece... Keith Olbermann. They also have back-ups in Matthews and Maddow, there's no need to add David Shuster to the mix, the channel has enough problems! David needs to remind himself that his standing compared to Glenn Beck's standing, isn't even close. Also, everyone can see that Shuster is taking personal enjoyment from the story instead of reporting it and moving on. Beck was also guilty of "milking" the ACORN story way past it's relevancy. If Shuster would keep himself under control when it comes to these certain issues maybe he could gain some of his credibility back? If he doesn't, he maybe be looking for a new job soon.

 

source: mediabistro.com/tvnewser

 I've grown to appreciate some of the roundtable discussions the cable news networks provide, they all seem to be doing it in one form or another but Fox News continues to lead the way when it comes to substance and style. Even though most of the panel members discussing the issues are either for or against the argument based on their political preferences or the network they are appearing on, but some roundtable panels are split evenly to allow for the best debate possible. As for Fox News, they have the whole roundtable discussion down to a science. They have good hosts such as Bret Baier and Chris Wallace to keep the debate from bogging down or getting too overheated. What I like best about Fox's roundtables are the quality of pundits that they have appearing on their network shows. Some of their best talent includes: Charles Krauthammer, Mara Liasson, Juan Williams, Bill Kristol and once in a while Britt Hume, who occasionally will make a special appearance on the Sunday morning panel.

 The broadcast networks of NBC and ABC also have good roundtable panels with experienced pundits on their Sunday morning news programs. They often have a good grasp on the issues that are being debated and show no fear when it comes to expressing their point of view. As for their personalities, they don't even come close to the panels over at Fox. Most of them over at the broadcast channels seem to have personal ego problems and seem to believe that their wisdom on any certain issue should be heeded by all. 

 As for the other cable news channels... well, they apparently haven't figured out how the whole roundtable discussion thing works. CNN used to have a roundtable discussion moderated by Lou Dobbs back when he still had his show on the network but every time someone would say something contrary to Dobb's point of view, Lou Dobbs would interrupt immediatly and spoil the debate. He was such an ASS!Now CNN usually just has two pundits to debate the issues on any given show, one on each side of the political spectrum. Very BORING! MSNBC has also failed to grasp the concept of having more than one or two people debating the hot-button issues of the day. The closest they come to an actual, legitimate roundtable would be Joe Scarborough and his panel of pundits on his morning show (Morning Joe). I'm cutting MSNBC a little slack due to the fact that they only have a few credible pundits. Fox News would be first and then CNN in second place, in having the most "A-List" pundits. MSNBC has a lot of work to do to catch up. As for HLN, they really have no roundtable discussions at all, except for the occasional mini-panel on "The Joy Behar Show", but Joy seems to have the potential for a lively roundtable debates in the future, once she gets settled in her new show.

Fox News: The big news so far has been Sarah Palin joining the Fox News team as a special commentator/pundit. Now to me, that is huge news, probably the biggest in a while concerning the cable news channels but with Fox News on top of the ratings there really doesn't seem to be the need to change things up. Fox just continues adding on! Another isssue concerning Fox News this new year is the LONG awaited return of Megyn Kelly from maternity leave, her fans are chomping at the bit for her to return to her morning show with Bill Hemmer. 

 

CNN: Erica Hill, who has been on CNN for over 7 years and a main fixture on Anderson Cooper's 360 has left to join CBS News. Also, Rick Sanchez will be getting a new show in the afternoon, taking away 1 hour from Wolf Blitzer's 3 hour afternoon show the "Situation Room." John King, who now hosts a Sunday morning news program will be getting his own prime time news show. Something to watch in the future is what CNN may do concerning Campbell Brown and her time slot, her ratings over the past few months have been very weak.

 

MSNBC: Dr. Nancy's show during the weekday mornings has recently been cancelled. While Dylan Ratigan's show has been moved from a morning slot to an afternoon time slot. White house correspondent Chuck Todd hosts a new morning show with co-anchor Savannah Guthrie called "The Daily Rundown" and Andrea Mitchell may be moving her show to an afternoon time slot in the next few weeks.

 

HLN: Really no changes on this network but with the rise of "The Joy Behar Show" in the ratings, little change maybe needed. Though, one change I would personally like to see is to have Nancy Grace try to control her rudeness.

 

Fox Business Channel: Don Imus just recently had his show expanded to 9:20amET and Stuart Varney will host his own new show until 11:00 am on FBN. Long time news anchor  Alexis Glick has left the channel after many years on the network. Also, Dagen McDowwell and Brian Anderson will co-host their own show in the noon hour.

 

CNBC: No personal changes but their prime time line-up has recently changed with CNBC adding more business specials and documentaries. Also, CNBC dispelled any rumours that Lou Dobbs will be offered a job at the network.

 

source: www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser

 I have to admit that I've watched the show and find Joy Behar to refreshing/different compared to her other cable news competitors. Now don't get me wrong, she just started and has a long way to go before solidify her time slot Making your mark in the cable news industry is not an easy thing to do, just ask Rachel Maddow. Maddow started off strong and had been on the decline ever since. Joy covers the hot topics of the day without taking herself or the show too seriously. I enjoy that! She interjects her opinion just like the other hosts but has a way of doing it without confronting the guest or being combative. She actually allows her guests to finish their sentences, unlike others. Now granted, her guests are of "B" list caliber but once her show gains firm footing, I'm sure the "A" list guests will be more than happy to appear on her show. The Nielsen ratings are the best way to calibrate the success of a new show, they usually are high when the show debuts but once the dust settles the picture becomes more clear and the reality sets in. Since the show started 4 moths ago, Joy's ratings have slowly but consistently been climbing. While her competitors on the other cable news channels have seen some of their ratings decline.

 Joy Behar's main three competitors are Rachel Maddow of MSNBC, Sean Hannity of Fox News and Larry King of CNN. In my opinion, there's definitely room to gain ground on them. Sean Hannity is a political bulldog with a Republican agenda to promote. Rachel Maddow is a clone of Keith Olbermann and shows no originality at all. While Larry King may have the tenure but some people find him to be boring and may switch channels if they don't like the guests he has on his show that night. A perfect set up for "The Joy Behar Show" to capture those views her are looking for something a little different then what they get 24/7 from the cable news channels. If she stays true to her own quirky little personality, keeps cracking those stupid but silly jokes, she will continue to rise and gain popularity.

The "suits" over at HLN seem to be making the right calls lately and adding Joy to their prime time line-up is a perfect example of this. While the other cable news channels (CNN and MSNBC) are scrambling to change their line-up to retain as many viewers as they can, HLN is getting it right and gaining strength. Will HLN ever be able to compete with the almighty POWERHOUSE in cable news (Fox News), probably not but second place is not far away. If CNN and MSNBC can't figure it out, then they deserve to FAIL! 

 After just watching his Sunday morning news program , I have come to the conclusion that it's time for Chris Wallace to leave Fox News. It's quite apparent that his own personal opinion dictates on how he's going to ask questions to his guests. Unlike his father Mike Wallace, who has a long and distinguished career in journalism and is respected by his peers, Chris seems to have forgotten how to conduct a professional and thorough interview to get the answers the viewers are looking for. No one is tuning into Fox News Sunday Morning to hear the opinions of Chris Wallace, who cares what he has to say? We as viewers, would like to hear what your guests or "roundtable panel" has to say on the subject matter being discussed, not the opinions of a so-called professional news anchor. Chris Wallace is constantly interrupting people to correct them, but not to interject fact but to interject his own personal opinion, which seems to be based only on Republican values/talking points. He also cuts the guests on his show off in mid-conversation to ask another guest on the show, another question. This drives me NUTS! No isssue is really discussed down to it's core, the debate always seems to go flat due to the lack of continuity.

 There's really no reason for Fox News to keep him or at least re-new his contract. Fox News is a ratings POWERHOUSE, but there's one category that Fox News loses on a weekly bases... the Sunday morning news programs. Fox continuously finishes in fourth place out of four behind NBC, CBS and ABC (in that order). What does Fox News have to lose by replacing him? Bring in a new face to host the show, who actually knows how to conduct a REAL interview, lets their guests finish their statements and maybe the ratings for the show would start to climb?

 Chris Wallace likes to act like he's God's gift to the cable news industry. I'm sure Chris thinks that he's the most professional, hard-hitting interviewer at Fox News and that he provides the network some credibility to counter-act any accusation of bias. In actuallity, Chris Wallace is nothing more than a partisan HACK with no professional credibility.

 Over the past couple of months CNN's ratings have consistently been on the downturn. The once # 2 cable news channel (next to Fox News) has now recently slipped to # 4 out of the four major cable news networks (Fox, MSNBC, CNN and HLN). In fact, CNN has finished #4 over 100 times this year, something that would have never occurred just a year ago. It's hard to put a finger on what's going on here but there's definitely a new trend forming. CNN's line-up hasn't really changed in the past couple of months other than the leaving of long time news anchor Lou Dobbs. With Dobbs leaving, CNN had an opportunity to bring in a fresh face to in that time slot to create a spark. They seemed to have dropped the ball on that issue and replaced Lou with just another bland news anchor.... big surprise!

 Granted all of the cable news channels recently have seen a decline in their ratings averages (HLN has had some good days recently but numbers are still low compared to the competition). Even the almighty Fox News is not immune to the ratings decline, though Fox News' decline is very minimal, especially compared to the others. So, the fall of CNN is somewhat of a mystery, there's really not a good explanation to what is going on. It's not like MSNBC and HLN have brought their channels up to a new level. CNN is going down levels, down to their competition and they better make some changes fast. Letting Lou Dobbs go was just the start but more needs to be done. I would suggest moving Rick Sanchez from his afternoon slot to replace the re-airing of Anderson Cooper at the 11pm slot. Also, 3 hours of Wolf Blitzer in the afternoon is too much, Wolf's ratings have been horrible for some time now and it seems people are getting bored with him. In fairness, CNN does has some stiff competition from O' Reilly and Beck in those respective time slots. I'm not saying CNN is going to knock them off the mountain but they need to show their viewers that they're actually willing to compete.

 I've always found CNN to be a respectable, legitimate news organization, and maybe that's the problem. CNN has always been known for being BORING. If CNN wants to be the best, then you need to take the best from the best! Offer Fox News' Shepard Smith a contract, offer MSNBC's, well I can't think of anyone at MSNBC that would fit at CNN... maybe Tamron Hall. Plus, there's some talent over at CNN's sister station HLN. Grab Jane Velez-Mitchell from HLN and offer her a new contract. Either way, CNN needs to do something to stop the bleeding. They remind me of vanilla ice cream, granted you're still eating ice cream but it's very bland and boring. While the other news channels offer a variety of flavors that people enjoy.