WASHINGTON DC TRAIN COLLISION COVERAGE - SEE VIDEO

Six die in the worst Metro accident in Washington DC history. Here is a WTOP report. PHOTO FROM WTOP.COM
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A Metro train smashed into the back of another at the height of the Monday evening rush hour, killing at least six people and injuring scores of others as cars from the trailing train jackknifed into the air and fell atop the first.
One of the fatalities was a female train operator, Metro officials say. The woman's name has not been released.
D.C. Fire Chief Dennis Rubin says more than 70 people were transported to hospitals. Of those, two people have life-threatening injuries and 50 are classified as "walking wounded" injuries.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier says people who believe their loved ones were on the train can dial 311.
"It looks to be the worst Metro accident in D.C. history," D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty says.
Metro General Manager John Catoe says it appears one of the trains was stopped on the tracks awaiting permission to clear the station when another train came up behind it and slammed into the back of the train.
"I give my deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives today," Catoe says. "This is an incredibly tragic event. We will get to the bottom and find out what happened."
Rubin says there are about 200-250 firefighters on the scene. The firefighters are working to clear each train car. Two D.C. firefighters were injured, but their injuries are minor, Rubin says.
Authorities have scheduled a news conference for 8 a.m. Tuesday


Here is my LIVE blog of WJLA, WTTG, WUSA and WRC coverage of the Metro train accident.

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A Twitter World - Protests In Iran

If you don't Twitter, there's a lot going on this weekend to spotlight Iran. Many people have added a green overlay to their Twitter avatar to show support for peace in Iran. Also, a retweet tonight from many users asks everyone to change their location and time zone to that of Tehran, Iran. The note says there is a crackdown on bloggers. By a world of Twitter users saying they are from Iran, the bloggers hope to add confusion to any crackdown.
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Also tonight.. FNC and CNN go wall to wall with Iran protest coverage. FROM TVNEWSER.COM
After last weekend's criticism over a lack of U.S. cable news coverage of the post-Iranian election protests, at least two of those networks - CNN and Fox News - have been going wall-to-wall with coverage today.
CNN's Fredricka Whitfield anchored much of the afternoon coverage getting reports from correspondents Christiane Amanpour in London, Susan Candiotti at a protest in New York at Ivan Watson at the "Iran Desk" in Atlanta. Why Atlanta? Watson explained: "It's because we received this fax - our team in Tehran - from the Iranian government, banning us from working in Iran. From sending any dispatches without prior approval of the Iranian authorities."

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NBC Nightly News "Off The Shoulder"

'NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams' tried an "off the shoulder approach for 20 minutes of their newscast Wednesday. It was widely panned. Chalk it up to trying. Take a look for yourself.

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Walter Cronkite Sick

FROM TV NEWSER
TVNewser has learned legendary CBS newsman Walter Cronkite, 92, who once held the title of "Most Trusted Man in America," is gravely ill, according to multiple CBS News sources. The network began updating his obituary more than a week ago, a source adds.
CBS News executive Linda Mason, designated to speak on Cronkite's behalf, had no comment.
The avuncular Cronkite anchored "CBS Evening News" for 19 years, until 1981, when he was forced to retire. Dan Rather was named his successor. Cronkite maintained an office at CBS, where he was a special correspondent.A native of St. Joseph, Mo., Cronkite made his mark as a World War II correspondent for United Press. He joined CBS in 1950 as a Washington correspondent. In 1962, he was named anchor of "CBS Evening News," then 15 minutes in length. The following year, it became network TV's first 30'minute weeknight newscast
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Nightline Beats Conan O'Brien

From MediaLifeMagazine CLICK TO READ MORE
After kicking off with huge numbers last week as host of NBC’s "Tonight Show," Conan O’Brien has seen his ratings slip each night.
More troubling, on Tuesday O’Brien fell to third place behind CBS’s "Late Show with David Letterman" and ABC’s "Nightline.""Letterman" had a 3.4 household rating, up from a 2.9 a year earlier, based on Nielsen metered-market overnight ratings, while "Nightline" pulled a 3.1. O’Brien earned a 2.9.Long the No. 2 competitor to "Tonight Show," "Letterman" almost never ranked No. 1 ahead of "Tonight" when Leno was at the helm.
Tuesday’s ratings partly reflect a decidedly unusual night on television.
NBC aired a thrilling NHL Stanley Cup game that upended the network’s primetime lineup in the western half of the country. Many affiliates aired a mishmash of local shows after the game instead of NBC’s regular programming, which presumably drove away a number of viewers who otherwise might have stayed around for O'Brien.And ABC had an exciting NBA finals game, which pushed back the start times of its late night shows. "Nightline" got the benefit of the ratings spillover from basketball, which probably added a half a point to its ratings. The prior night it drew a 2.6.
But even allowing for those factors, O’Brien and NBC have good reason to be worried based on "Tonight's" steady rating slide.On O'Brien's first night out, "Tonight" generated a lofty 7.1 household rating, well above the average rating Leno had been pulling most nights. Much of that was the result of the heavy promotion NBC put behind O’Brien taking over the show.
On the second night, the show slipped to a 5, then on the third to a 4.3. On the fourth it pulled a 3.8 and the fifth a 3.5. This Monday, it slipped further, to a 3.1, before hitting Tuesday's 2.9
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Sarah Palin on Tdoay Show Friday

From TVNewser
Sarag Palin will be interviewed live tomorrow by Today Show's Matt Lauer. The interview will no doubt start wtih the dust up between Palin and David Letterman regarding a joke that Palin's daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez!

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Erin Burnett on NBC Today Show

The first segment of the Today Show is now back in my routine. This week I have watched CNBC's Erin Burnet co-anchor with Matt Lauer. Here are some quick thoughts (as always these are simply my personal opinions and in no way meant to be taken personally by the reader).
--Burnett is "ok" on this show. She's young. She's growing.. and she's just "OK"
--She's trying too hard at times. Opening the show this AM with a reference to sun needed in NY when the first story was the shooting at the Holocaust Museum was awkward. Lauer knew it. He moved on without a reference. Given more hard news exposure, Lauer is the most under-utilized "hard news" guy at NBC. How long can he keep doing cooking segments.
--When all else fails, reference mom. She's done it this week. Just seems odd.
--I still like Natalie Morales and Ann Curry filling in. Both are strong and enjoyable for different reasons. NOTE: I don't like the silliness that happens on the show sometimes. Curry and Morales, like all the others, get caught up in themselves too often. Still, I watch.

In the end, Burnett is OK. She's easy on the eyes. She is a "TV expert" on the evonomy. She'll grow. SEARCH for more of my posts about Burnett by entering her name in the search box above.


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Barney Frank Gets All Hot Under The Collar On CNBC

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DC, Other Areas Media Jobs

I have many friends in the media business who are searching for jobs. Here are a few that I know are available -- some in DC, some in other areas.
UPDATED JUNE 17
- Bloomberg L.P. : Speed Desk Editor (Mexico City, Mexico-) - 06/10/09URL: http://www.journalismnext.com/jobdetails.cfm?jid=6001
- The Associated Press : Producers for Regional Desk (Philadelphia-PA) - 06/10/09URL: http://www.journalismnext.com/jobdetails.cfm?jid=6002
Television-----------------
- KSHB : Associate Producer (Kansas City-MO) - 06/05/09URL: http://www.journalismnext.com/jobdetails.cfm?jid=5997
Radio-----------------
- Bloomberg L.P. : Radio Sales Team Leader (New York-NY) - 06/04/09URL: http://www.journalismnext.com/jobdetails.cfm?jid=5995
New Media-----------------
- The Deal : Financial Blogger (New York-NY) - 06/09/09URL: http://www.journalismnext.com/jobdetails.cfm?jid=5999
- The New York Times : Web Newsroom Intern (New York-NY) - 06/10/09URL: http://www.journalismnext.com/jobdetails.cfm?jid=6003
Public Relations-----------------
- Total : Paid Internship/Fellowship at large corporation (Beaumont/Port Arthur-TX) - 06/05/09URL: http://www.journalismnext.com/jobdetails.cfm?jid=5998
Media Business Positions -----------------
- Bloomberg L.P. : Head of Product - Bloomberg.com (New York-NY) - 06/09/09URL: http://www.journalismnext.com/jobdetails.cfm?jid=6000
Other-----------------
- ClimateWorks : Senior Communications Officer - Technical Writer/Editor (San Francisco-CA) - 06/10/09URL: http://www.journalismnext.com/jobdetails.cfm?jid=6005
- ClimateWorks : Senior Communications Officer - Technical Writer/Editor (San Francisco-CA) - 06/10/09URL: http://www.journalismnext.com/jobdetails.cfm?jid=6004

You can see all the details at www.JournalismNext.com where you can apply for these jobs online and also see over a hundred other jobs and internships.

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JOBS
AP - PHILLY , CHICAGO, PHOENIX - PRODUCERS
https://careers.ap.org/viewjob.html?optlink-view=view-14023&ERFormID=newjoblist&ERFormCode=any
AP - ARIZONA - AST.SPORTS EDITOR
https://careers.ap.org/viewjob.html?optlink-view=view-5283&ERFormID=newjoblist&ERFormCode=any
REUTERTS - DC - REPORTER
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=1061629
PEW RESEARCH - DC - AST. WEB EDITOR
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=1061516
GANNETT - WUSA - DIGITAL CORRESPONDENTS (2), DIGITAL ASSISTANTS (DESK) - DC
http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?sc_extcmp=JS_JobAlert_Title&ipath=PSSKGT03U&psa=1&Job_DID=J8F07R79D1KZK81017B
DC - WEB CONTENT JOBS - VARIOUS
Content Developer http://www.net-temps.com/job/z87b/0906KDKI0401/web_content_developer_web.html?r=ind&utm_source=Indeed&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Indeed
Content Manager - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wl/jobs/JS_JobSearchDetail?jobid=28251411&jobSummaryIndex=0&agentID=&xfeed=1&wpmk=MK0000005&GCID=C17812x034
Web content management http://www12.georgetown.edu/hr/employment_services/joblist/job_category.cfm?CategoryID=1#20090131
Sr. web content manager http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?ipath=EXIND&siteid=cbindeed&Job_DID=J8G0TB64PZJ038208FG&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=2db0f047559743518afc43f55df0e3ca-297982541-RC-4
Web content manager http://www.sologig.com/Job/aggregator/Web-Content-Manager-01072242/Chantilly-VA/J3I5LS646MGTSNCRF74.aspx

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Man In Woman's One Piece Swimsuit Arrested

OK.. I never do blog work while I am on the job. But this is the funniest piece of video I've seen in weeks... although the criminal charges are sad.
Take a look. Man in women's one-piece swimsuit arrested in Ohio.
Pay close attention to the boots.
LOL
From WKEF TV
SUGARCREEK TOWNSHIP, Ohio-- For almost a week police in Sugarcreek Township had been searching for an unknown man reported to be approaching women and teenage girls along the Little Miami River while wearing a women's bathing suit. Monday evening, they arrested 41-year-old Kevin Lee Miller at a property not far from the river. At the time of his arrest Miller was wearing a green women's bathing suit. Police say over the past week they'd received about 15-20 legitimate reports about a man in a bathing suit. They say Miller never physically threatened anyone, but certainly scared some of the women and girls he came in contact with. Miller is facing five counts of public indecency and three counts of menacing, all misdemeanors. He's expected to appear in Xenia Municipal Court at eight o'clock Tuesday for arraignment.
http://video.ap.org/?f=1296344&pid=rOEgDKLLu4AATHqiUMyy0oCejyKnUWNk

Hey, we all need a laugh. More serious posts to come!

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Campbell Brown's New CNN 8pm Show

Thanks to the rain and crappy weather in DC tonight, I decided to stay in for the night. I decided to sample the new Campbell Brown 8pm show on CNN. Prime starts with a "the only place for news. CNN prime time begins now." I will say upfront.. I did not watch this show for a full hour. In fact, I was bored before the end of segment one. I'll come back in a month to sample again.

Brown's 'no bias, no bull' approach had some attitude. She's canned that now. It seems to indicate CNN's further focus on 'just the news please'. Here are my quick observations.

--There's no identity. It's not a "news" feel. It's an interview show. The interviews are like watching studio paint dry. It's also not an AC 360 (the early years). It's plain. It's simple. It's dry.

--The graphic background is just annoying. It a wild array of images. She looks like she's sitting in front of a collage. It just feels less than classy.

--Brown seems to want to push the attitude she wrapped around 'no bias no bull'.. but she can't. In fact a guest in her first segment tonight referenced the old show. What an awkward moment for insiders.

--About that first segment... it was odd. The "new whip" approach (I don't even recall what they brand it), was less than exciting. Most of the segment was a roundtable discussion with three guests on the set.

To be fair... and I really like CNN so I want to emphasize that... this is a new show. Give it time. I'll check back in about a month to see what has grown, changed, improved, etc. We all know new products need time to grow. I hope it does. CNN could use some good news lately.

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From Politico: Who Said This?

"U.S. senators believe that U.S. senators are very important people and going and paying your respects to people who think they are very important is very important."
FROM POLITICO
--Former Clinton White House spokesman turned Glover Park Group guy Joe Lockhart, being poetic about Sonia Sotomayor visiting the Senate, on MSNBC.
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Brian Williams, Barack Obama, Conan O'brien

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Brian Williams, Barack Obama, Conana O'brien

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FOX Wins May, CNN Plunges

From TV Week
Fox News Channel ended May as the top-rated cable news network during a month that included the unraveling of the U.S. auto industry and the announcement of Supreme Court Justice David Souter's retirement, Broadcasting & Cable reports.
Fox News saw a jump of 30% with viewers between 25-54 compared with May 2008, while CNN plunged 37% and MSNBC declined 9%. Some of the Fox News shows that were the biggest gainers were "Glen Beck" more than doubling its audience among the demographic and "On the Record With Greta Van Susteren" increasing 45%.
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NBC Nightly News Notes: Meet The Press, Pearl, Conan and Obama

A few special notes from NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams tonight. During one of the later commercial breaks, a promo for Meet the Press aired. It's a softer side of MTP. David Gregory is softly talking over lightly playing moving while promising. It just feels soft... way too soft for MTP. Notice a theme here: soft. It gets old. The music and tone do not match a hard news image.

Williams also announced that Nightly now airs on the Pearl network in Hong Kong. Williams pimped tonight's debut of Conan O'brian. And finally, he promoted his behind-the-scene at the White Hosue special for Tuesday and Wednesday night.
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My Twitter feed: @JeffParsonsDC

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Patti Blago Speaks on MSNBC

Patti Blagoievich... the wife of ousted Illinois governor Rob Blago, talked to MSNBC about her new reality show and her husband. Hasn't this Blago bunch had enough of their 15 minutes of fame already?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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Carrie Prejean on FOX News

Carrie Prejean co-hosted FOX and Friends Wednesday. How sad.... that she actually seemed to fit in just naturally -- hot blonde chick between two heavy breathing men. On some other FOX shows the men would be in the closet. I'm guessing that's not the case here LOL. Total joke people. Take it easy. Oh.. and poor thing... she had to get up early to get a big break on FOX News.

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'60 Minutes' Ratings Increase

Congrats to '60 Minutes' for increased ratings this season. As critics point out it may not be high brow journalism that is once did every segment in every show. But, times have changed. Check out TV Newser.
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