Talking Heads

(Newser) - Tony Snow, economic policy, veepstakes, and the Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae crisis sparked conversation on the Sunday talk show circuit today. Time sums them up: Fox News Sunday paid homage to late newscaster and press secretary Tony Snow; Dick Cheney called him "the best" he's known. Arnold Shwarzenegger applauded John McCain's bipartisanship and Iraq policy on This Week , but dismissed the idea of working at a McCain White House . More »

(Newser) - Howard Wolfson, a top strategist for HIllary Clinton's campaign and one of her most visible television surrogates, has found a new employer, and it's not Barack Obama. Wolfson will become a contributor to the Fox News Channel, appearing on multiple programs. His move to Fox echoes a general feeling among Clintonites that the network, once considered the scourge of Democrats, treated Hillary better than other news organizations during the primary. More »

(Newser) - Rush Limbaugh has signed an eight-year contract renewing his syndication with Clear Channel for more than $400 million. This makes for the second-most-lucrative deal in radio history, ranking only behind Howard Stern's $500 million deal with Sirius in 2004, the Washington Post reports. "I'm having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have," said Limbaugh. More »

(Newser) - NBC has anointed Tom Brokaw as Tim Russert's heir on "Meet the Press" through the 2008 election, the network announced today. "I feel right at home," said Brokaw, who has appeared on the public affairs show since the Watergate days. But Brian Williams—who took over NBC's Nightly News when Brokaw stepped down in 2004—was at the helm today, and he wasn't up to snuff, writes the Swamp's Jon Crewdson. More »

(Newser) - Early word on Tim Russert's Meet the Press successor focused on in-house candidates, like Chris Matthews, David Gregory, or Joe Scarborough. But one insider now tells Variety that there’s “no way” a cable personality will land the gig. NBC’s broadcast division would rather stay “pristine”—free from the punditry that hovers around MSNBC. More »

(Newser) - Keith Olbermann has always been mad as hell, and a parade of ex-colleagues tell the New Yorker they just couldn't take it anymore. The O'Reilly-pummeling, Murrow-channeling ex-sportscaster host of MSNBC's Countdown has consistently alienated both co-workers and higher-ups with the same brusque combativeness he applies nightly to the Bush administration. More »

(Newser) - Now that Hillary Clinton has suspended her presidential campaign, her most ardent supporters are hitting out at television news, proposing boycotts and setting up websites in response to allegedly sexist coverage. But as the New York Times reports, many in the media see little evidence of sexism. Rather, they accuse the ex-candidate of having used a few glaring examples to drum up support for a faltering campaign. More »

(Newser) - A Fox News analyst yesterday laughingly suggested on the air that Barack Obama be "knocked off." Commenting on Hillary Clinton's recent remarks about RFK's assassination, Liz Trotta referred to "what some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama, uh Obama—well, both, if we could." She apologized today for her "lam