"Matt Lauer" The Unspoken Name at NBC

"Matt Lauer" The Unspoken Name at NBC

​The NBC Suits are scared to death that the goose that lays the golden eggs is in poor health. It it is hitting the NBC Managers right in the wallet. 

Brian Stelter of the NY Times writes that The Today Show pays a lot of the bills for the rest of the news division; it was responsible for roughly half a billion dollars in revenue in 2011. That total dipped by at least $50 million in 2012, according to industry estimates, as “Good Morning America” capitalized on the show’s stumbles. NBC declined to comment. But managers at NBC News were told this week that they would receive smaller bonus checks for 2012 because of the “Today” show ratings slump.​

More on Matt Lauer's role in all of this after the Jump  ​

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LA Weatherman Shows up Late to the Joke

LA Weatherman Shows up Late to the Joke

​KTLA Weatherman Henry DiCarlo was sending out Happy Birthday Wishes on the air (why do stations do that?) when he wished "Hugh Janus" a very happy birthday.

Only the news anchor caught the fact that "Hugh Janus" was a joke to sound like "Huge Anus"...which is exactly how DiCarlo must have felt after it was pointed out to him.​

But, they all laughed like 5th graders after they figured it out.​

The giggling video after the Jump   ​

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Tightening The Belt at Fox O&O's

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FTVLive has been telling you about the budget tightening at the Fox Owned and Operated stations.​

FTVLive has told you that O&O's are taking the usual steps with no unapproved overtime, no purchase of stringer videos, ect. 

We also have heard that at least two of the O&O's are telling job candidates that they can not fly in any job applicants. In other words if you want to pitch the job, you have to fly yourself in for the interview. 

Sources also tell FTVLive that some jobs that are opened, Corporate is telling the stations not to fill the jobs.​

Many working inside the O&O's are hoping that these cuts save enough money that layoffs wouldn't be needed.​

At this point... that might just be wishful thinking. ​

MSNBC Host Demoted to Weekends

MSNBC Host Demoted to Weekends

Ed Schultz, host of The Ed Show on MSNBC (It's OK...we never heard of it either), had a "Big" Exclusive  this week.​

Schultz sat down with Scott Prouty, the filmmaker behind the infamous 47 percent video of Mitt Romney. Not sure how this was really any big news? But Schultz and about 4 blogs on the entire Internet thought it was a huge "get".

What did the MSNBC suits think?​

Well, they went ahead and demoted Ed and his Ed Show to Weekends.​

But of course that's not the way they or Ed are spinning it. ​

​Enter the full spin cycle after the Jump

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Networks Scramble for Info on New Pope

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Once the TV Networks finally figured out what color the smoke was rising from the Sistine Chapel. The next problem was finding anything or anybody that know something about the new Pope?

The New York Daily News writes that almost all correspondents sooner or later noted that as a Cardinal, the new Pope lived in a small apartment and cooked his own food.

​And who says hard news investigative reporting is dead? 

Jake Tapper Ready to Get Started at CNN

Jake Tapper Ready to Get Started at CNN

​Jake Tapper is about to follow in the footsteps of Campbell Brown, Paula Zahn and a whole list of others at CNN.​

He's hoping he will fare better than those now canceled and gone from the network Anchors before him.​

The former ABC News White House correspondent is getting his own show on CNN -- "The Lead With Jake Tapper" -- starting Monday in the 4 p.m. Eastern time slot.

But will he stay at 4PM? More after the Bounce  ​

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Richmond Sports Anchor Lands on Palm Beach

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When Sports Anchor Pat Murphy finally had enough ​of reduced airtime and cutbacks, he retired from WPEC in West Palm Beach.

He may have left, but the newscasts continue to go on. So, WPEC needed to fill Murphy's job.... and they did so with Matt Lincoln.

Lincoln comes to the Palm Beaches from WWBT in Richmond, Virginia. He was that station’s sports director and weekday anchor.

We're betting the house that Lincoln will be making a lot less than Murphy did. ​

DC Station Makes up Fake White House Invitation

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WUSA in Washington, DC had a bit of fun on the station's computer.

They made up a fake invitation to the White House and did if for more than a quarter of a million dollars less than the White House.​

On their website they write: Can you tell the difference between White House invitations crafted by a quarter-million dollar calligraphy staff and the fake one we made using our station computer and printer for pocket change?

The computer printed invitation we made for our story would likely be spotted by Secret Service agents in a second, but when we asked you on Facebook and in person, most of you couldn't tell the difference.

"With the White House closing its doors to public tour groups in order to save money for the sequester, it's worth remembering some of the other costs the White House incurs annually," Harper wrote. "Despite sequestration, there's been no announcement of the White House scaling back on calligraphers."

By the way real one is on the right.

New Pope Sends out First Tweet

Argentine Jorge Bergoglio was elected pope Wednesday and chose the papal name Francis, becoming first pontiff from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium.

He also sent out his first Tweet using the old Pope's Twitter account.

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I thought using someone else's account was frowned upon ​by Twitter. I'm just saying those are the rules. Who does the guy think he is...Pope or something?