Msnbc Television Network

After a year of explosive audience growth, the cable news channels head into 2009 buoyed by record ratings, a rare bright spot in what has otherwise been a gloomy media season. Thanks largely to avid interest in the historic presidential campaign, all of the networks scored their largest prime-time viewership in history this year -- though they suffered a steep drop in viewers after the election.

Normally billed as "The Place for Politics," MSNBC on Sunday night will be the place for Olympic hockey. Live coverage of the much anticipated United States-Canada men's matchup will run there in prime time, rather than on corporate cousin NBC. That may not seem politically correct to some sports fans, especially when it's ice dancing, speedskating, skiing and bobsled getting the marquee exposure on the big broadcast network instead. The NBC decision is a play in peak viewing hours for the largest possible audience, which would include marginal sports fans and women, and it's rooted in the expectation that those interested in Patrick Kane and Team USA challenging Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews of Team Canada will make the effort to go to whatever channel necessary to see the game.

The death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was the first of a liberal politician of legendary stature since the rise of the cable news networks and as such it brought out their biases in slightly new ways. MSNBC, which has increasingly positioned itself as the anti-Fox, covered his death wall-to-wall and most often sounded the heroic note. CNN, staking out the middle, made it the day's main, but not only story. And Fox News, which had to measure respect for the dead against its habitual rightward spin, made its feelings known by treating it, for the most part, as just another of the day's news events (though the lead story, to be sure)

The death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was the first of a liberal politician of legendary stature since the rise of the cable news networks and as such it brought out their biases in slightly new ways. MSNBC, which has increasingly positioned itself as the anti-Fox, covered his death wall-to-wall and most often sounded the heroic note. CNN, staking out the middle, made it the day's main, but not only story. And Fox News, which had to measure respect for the dead against its habitual rightward spin, made its feelings known by treating it, for the most part, as just another of the day's news events (though the lead story, to be sure)

There was an embarrassing glitch on the computer side when MSNBC, the cable channel and online service bankrolled by NBC Inc. and Microsoft Corp., officially launched Monday morning: The Web site was inaccessible for the first hour because Microsoft was still loading it with content. But the interrelationship between the two became evident later in the day.

The on-screen and behind-scenes feuding between rivals Fox News and MSNBC, which has erupted in recent months like two kids squabbling, has gotten so loud that their parents are trying to tell them to knock it off. Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corp., which owns Fox News, and Jeffrey Immelt, chief executive of General Electric Co., which owns MSNBC, met up at the Microsoft CEO summit in Redmond, Wash.

Television network executives looking for new talent are accustomed to getting pleas from agents urging them to check out their clients. But in the last few weeks, MSNBC has experienced a different kind of onslaught: a flood of unsolicited endorsements from fans of liberal radio hosts touting them as the network's next potential big star. The grass-roots campaigns were triggered by the news that the cable channel is contemplating creating a new show for its 7 p.m.

Tucker Carlson, whose "Crossfire" show on CNN has been canceled, will move to rival cable news outlet MSNBC and host a prime-time program, the channel said Wednesday. MSNBC said the new show is in development and did not offer a description. It will premiere in the spring. Carlson will continue hosting his weekly PBS show, "Tucker Carlson Unfiltered."

New talk show: Ron Reagan, son of the late President Ronald Reagan, will host a talk show on MSNBC with Monica Crowley. Premiering Tuesday, "Connected: Coast to Coast" will air weekdays at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. * More Emmys: The National Television Academy will stage its first Emmys en Espanol ceremony June 3 to honor leading personalities in the Spanish-language TV business.

Connie Chung and Maury Povich are teaming up behind the anchor desk for a new Saturday morning news show set to air on MSNBC in January. In the half-hour program, the married couple will discuss the week's news and conduct interviews. The show is being produced by Lizz Winstead, a co-creator and former head writer of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" and part of the creative team that developed Air America Radio. Povich hosts a syndicated talk show for NBC Universal.

The on-screen and behind-scenes feuding between rivals Fox News and MSNBC, which has erupted in recent months like two kids squabbling, has gotten so loud that their parents are trying to tell them to knock it off. Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corp., which owns Fox News, and Jeffrey Immelt, chief executive of General Electric Co., which owns MSNBC, met up at the Microsoft CEO summit in Redmond, Wash.

In recent days, much of the news media's attention has been focused on post-election protests and violence in Iran. But at MSNBC, the crisis has taken on a bit less urgency, at least if viewers are to judge from what the network is airing.

With gloomy economic news dominating the headlines, Fox News and MSNBC posted substantial audience increases in the last four weeks compared to the same period a year ago, while CNN shed a large share of its audience. Top-rated Fox News drew an average of 2.4 million viewers in prime time between Jan. 26 and Feb. 22, a spike of 28%, according to Nielsen Media Research data. CNN held onto sec- ond place with 1.2 million viewers but dropped 30% from last February, while MSNBC posted an average of 949,000 viewers, up 23%. Part of CNN's audience fall-off can be traced to the three presidential primary debates the network hosted last February, including one that drew 8.3 million viewers, greatly boosting its average viewership for the month.

Television network executives looking for new talent are accustomed to getting pleas from agents urging them to check out their clients. But in the last few weeks, MSNBC has experienced a different kind of onslaught: a flood of unsolicited endorsements from fans of liberal radio hosts touting them as the network's next potential big star. The grass-roots campaigns were triggered by the news that the cable channel is contemplating creating a new show for its 7 p.m.

MSNBC host Chris Matthews put an end to speculation that he was considering a bid for the U.S. Senate, telling his producers Wednesday that he had decided not to jump into the 2010 race in his home state of Pennsylvania. In a routine production meeting before his daily show "Hardball," Matthews informed the staff that he was not going to pursue the seat, network spokesman Jeremy Gaines said. The cable host, who is negotiating a new contract at MSNBC, declined to comment.

After a year of explosive audience growth, the cable news channels head into 2009 buoyed by record ratings, a rare bright spot in what has otherwise been a gloomy media season. Thanks largely to avid interest in the historic presidential campaign, all of the networks scored their largest prime-time viewership in history this year -- though they suffered a steep drop in viewers after the election.

It was the day of the ceremony officially ending recovery efforts at New York's World Trade Center site, and Jerry Nachman, MSNBC's newest commentator as well as its new editor-in-chief, was on the scene. As on the other cable news channels, CNN and Fox News, MSNBC had moving coverage of the solemn event, and numerous interviews with officials. Then there were Nachman's guests, such as celebrity saloon-keeper Elaine Kaufman and New York Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams.

Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf made a crucial visit to Washington last week and CNN and Fox News Channel carried his many appearances throughout the day live. MSNBC? It was airing the women's biathlon competition from the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. That hardly sounds like the way for the third-place cable news network to build viewer loyalty, but MSNBC, as a key component in NBC's strategy to amortize its $545-million Olympics rights fee, had little choice.

Rachel Maddow already has some ideas for her new show on MSNBC, which debuts Sept. 8. "Live audience. Live punk band. You know, mariachis for important segues," she joked with Keith Olbermann on Tuesday evening during an appearance on his program to announce her new gig. No matter what form her show takes, there's no question that the 35-year-old host will cut a different figure than most of her cable brethren. An openly gay woman, unapologetic liberal and Rhodes scholar with a doctorate from Oxford University, Maddow has drawn a passionate following during her stint this year as an analyst for MSNBC.

A new women's organization is setting out to get Chris Matthews fired from his job on MSNBC, calling his treatment of women on his cable TV show sexist. The nonpartisan group, called the New Agenda, held its first meeting this week and established as one of several goals getting Matthews yanked from his long-running show, "Hardball with Chris Matthews." Matthews' contract is up for renewal next year. His plans are unclear.