First they introduced that "Doc-Bloc" at 10pm every night (oh boy, more shows about prisons and teachers who rape kids!), then they changed their on-screen graphics, and now they've made it very easy for me to watch CNN in the afternoon.

Rita Cosby is anchoring at 1pm.

Now, nothing against Cosby personally. I'm sure she's a nice woman and newsperson. But...her voice. I'm sorry, but there's no possible way that I can listen to her Brenda Vacarro-meets-Grover-from-Sesame-Street voice for two, three, four hours a day. I don't know if this is a permanent move or if she's filling in for someone, but if she's on, I'm watching CNN.

It's getting more and more clear that the only reason to watch MSNBC at all is for Countdown With Keith Olbermann, which has quickly become Must-See television.

Yup, the host of MSNBC's The Abrams Report is the new head of the cable news outlet, replacing Rich Kaplan, who recently resigned.

Abrams official title is "general manager," whereas Kaplan's title was "president," but it's basically the same gig. Abrams won't host his show anymore, but he'll still be MSNBC's chief legal correspondent.

Does this mean that everyone who works there moves up a notch, and Rita Cosby is now Chief Financial Officer?

[via Romenseko]

Comedy Central's partially-improvised spoof of local news, Dog Bites Man, debuts on June 7 at 10:30 p.m. Right now you can click over to Comedy Central's Web site for the show and watch a preview clip, plus "interviews" with different members of the tenacious but somewhat inept KHBX newsteam. It's hard to gauge by the brief clip alone, but the show looks pretty funny, and I love the talent they've assembled for it. It definitely has a Reno 911 vibe to it, so I'm sure I'll be checking out at least the first episode, which will see the newsteam cover a bodybuilding competition and take part in sexual harassment training.

Deadwood creator David Milch is not a big fan of the way the media now covers the news. During a luncheon at the Museum of TV & Radio in Beverly Hills, Milch compared the way TV news covers major events to TV "shows":

"Disaster works. Disaster sells ...but the media is putting us in a position where we're not permitted to have normal reactions ...[the war in Iraq was like] a three-week miniseries with a beginning, a middle, and end ...When the series was over, the President's approval ratings was 98% -- that was a good show. What's left is 'reruns' with people dying."

Another interesting revelation in the article: Deadwood was originally set in ancient Rome.

Hey, I like Anderson Cooper, but even I have to admit this Slate piece is pretty damn funny. Writer Tom Peyer gets Cooper's (and the show's) tone and phrasing and M.O. just right:

ANNOUNCER: Shock. Grief. Outrage. Glee.

One year after a devastating tsunami, four months after the fury of Katrina, mere days after a tragedy underground, which emotions will overtake Anderson Cooper next? Tonight, a special investigation on ANDERSON COOPER 360°.

ANDERSON COOPER: And good evening from CNN studios in New York, where we begin with a picture. Take a look. The man you see is 38 years old. A Manhattanite. A citizen, an employee, a friend, a son. His name: Anderson Cooper.

Most nights, he appears live on CNN to show you the devastation, destruction, disaster, sadness, and pain his countrymen endure.

But not tonight.

Tonight, he will explore Anderson Cooper. How one reporter copes while waiting for news, any news at all. A story of hope, and of prayers, ahead on 360.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. Our topic is Anderson Cooper, so we have a lot to cover in these two hours. We begin at his workplace.

 

 

CBS Evening News anchor Bob Schieffer knows that his job at the desk is just a temporary gig (though a lot of people would love to see him stay in the position permanently), and Schieffer says that he's enjoying himself but that the length of his stay "depends on Katie," adding, "I hope we get her here."

What do you think? Do you think Katie Couric should come over to CBS when her contract expires to be the new anchor for the show, or do you think she should stay at The Today Show? Or do you have a third option for Ms. Couric?