Television News

Ann Coulter has been a reliable name for years among people who plan television news shows -- an attractive, articulate blond conservative who's made a living lobbing verbal bombs. After her use of a gay slur about Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards this month during remarks to the Conservative Political Action Conference, some on TV are wondering whether her shelf life is expiring. Many were angered by her use of the "f-word."

THE movie "Live From Baghdad" was on one of my HBOs the other night; I came in midstream, as a motley, intrepid band of CNN-ers (played by Michael Keaton and Lili Tayor and an alt-rock-looking Helena Bonham Carter) were deciding whether to stay in Baghdad for the first bombing campaign of the Gulf War. They did, of course, and got the live feed when no one else did, minting CNN as an upstart major news source.

MEMO to Katie Couric: You should send flowers to Don Imus. No, not so the shock jock might spill his guts to her in the inevitable comeback-trail interview. Instead, Couric should be grateful that last week's Imus uproar took the heat off "CBS Evening News" for its own embarrassing ethical lapse, this one involving plagiarism and other brands of deception. America, luckily for the former "Today" show co-host, has room for only one media scandal at a time.

THE Griffith Park fire may have attracted national attention, but television updates Tuesday may have seemed rare as rain to Angelenos desperate for the latest information on the blaze. Los Angeles stations offered wall-to-wall fire coverage during their 5 p.m. and late newscasts but mostly stuck to regularly scheduled programming during prime time and late night.

LAST Memorial Day, CBS correspondent Kimberly Dozier, cameraman Paul Douglas and soundman James Brolan headed out on a sweltering Baghdad morning to do a fairly routine story: the tale of an Army division on patrol while Americans back at home enjoyed the holiday. Dozier had lain awake the night before with the usual pangs of anxiety she felt before going on a patrol. But by morning, most of her dread had ebbed, and her biggest concern was getting enough good material for a stock holiday piece.

The no-holds-barred competition for television exclusives ratcheted up another level this week as Paris Hilton's representatives told networks bidding for the first post-jail interview with the heiress that NBC was considering paying as much as $1 million for the scoop. The massive payment -- purportedly a license fee for the use of personal video and images of the 26-year-old -- succeeded in boxing out NBC's competition, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

In another round of bad news for TV journalism, ABC News said Friday that it would eliminate about 35 jobs over the next two years despite recent gains in ratings and advertising. ABC's "World News" with Charles Gibson has overtaken rival "NBC Nightly News" for the top spot in evening network newscasts. Additionally, ABC sales executives this week concluded their advanced advertising sales by achieving double-digit rate increases for spots in ABC news programs.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo learned the hard way that decisions involving Paris Hilton brought sharp scrutiny. Her 23-day sentence -- and the subsequent controversy over her early release and reimprisonment -- unwittingly exposed the overcrowding of L.A. County jails.

After being spurned by the three broadcast networks, Paris Hilton is turning to CNN's Larry King to spill the details of her 23-day incarceration in Los Angeles County jails. The celebutante has agreed to do a one-hour live interview with King after she is released from a Lynwood facility this week, CNN said Saturday. The sit-down is set for Wednesday at 6 p.m. PDT. Both CNN and Michael Sitrick, a spokesman for Hilton, said she was not being compensated in any way for the interview.

When it comes to reach, few news organizations rival that of the BBC, the venerable British broadcasting service recognized around the world for its no-nonsense newscasts delivered in crisp, clipped tones. BBC World, the BBC's commercially funded, 24-hour television news channel, now attracts 76 million viewers a week from more than 200 countries, making it one of the biggest international news networks.