White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

Jeff Zucker To Leave NBC

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Jeff Zucker plans to step down from his position as CEO at NBC upon completion of the Comcast merger.

The New York Times’ Media Decoder reports Zucker informed employees via email this morning that he would leave once the takeover is finalized and that it was not exactly his choice.

“We had both gotten to the same place,” Mr. Zucker said. “He made it clear that they wanted to move on at the close of the deal and I was completely comfortable with that.”

Zucker has been a fixture at the company for literally his entire professional career. Regardless, this sure is an action-packed Friday if you’re an executive at a cable channel/news network.

From VHS to VLC: The Rise of Fred Davis' Ads on the Internet

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Fred Davis’ rise started with a giant rat named King Roy and continues today with Mourning in America. Not exactly the plot to a generic blockbuster but more about how ad-man Fred Davis, a GOP media consultant, grew his brand in grand part due to the Internet.

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Haus of Gaga Fails To Beat Senate

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In a tale as old as time, beauty can’t beat the beast with 100 backs–especially when it comes to legislation.

That’s exactly what the Internet learned upon today’s 56-43 vote to not pass $726 billion in defense spending, according to the AP, which also included language to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, or DADT as the official Twitter hashtag.

Lady Gaga gained a bit more steam last week after tweeting a Senate vote should be scheduled against “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” which picked up further press when Harry Reid re-tweeted her to explain there was an upcoming vote according to Politico; Gaga was referencing her recent appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards where her dates were all gay servicemen and women.

Since Gaga has adopted DADT as her rallying point–quite literally yesterday in Maine, as MTV reports. Her rallying speech (video above) called for an end to the practice. But today’s block doesn’t bode well for the repeal anytime soon, as the Times claims:

Congress has approved the annual Pentagon authorization bill for 48 consecutive years, and it seems likely that the measure will be brought up again after the election in the relatively calmer — if somewhat unpredictable — atmosphere of a lame-duck session.  The House has already approved legislation allowing the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” and the provision will likely be easier to pass in the Senate after Dec. 1 when a Pentagon study on the effects of ending the policy is due.

Still, the House has already passed legislation to repeal the act and December 1st is another day. Perhaps the Senate hasn’t heard the last from the Haus or Gaga.

Campaign 2010 Prep Storms D.C.

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It may feel like a balmy day in the District, but vacation is about to drop out for a storm the likes of which the Beltway has rarely seen–at least every two or so years.

The big news comes from the New York Times with Politico’s unveiling of two weekly opinion columns from Joe Scarborough and Michael Kinsley; the buried lede, however, is Kinsley will depart The Atlantic to do this. As Jeremy Peters notes, “[Kinsley’s] departure will be a blow to the Atlantic Media Company, which has been establishing a stable of journalistic talent in an effort to broaden its reach in Washington.”

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Ideas In Action Joins Your Sunday Wonk Fest

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Fishbowl DC brings word that Jim Glassman’s Ideas in Action will join the Sunday local viewing habits in September.

The half-hour show will “air weekly on two public television stations – Howard University Television (WHUT Channel 32) at 9:30 a.m. and Maryland Public Television (MPT) at 8:30 a.m.” The show will continue to be taped from the Newseum and on location in Dallas.

Glassman, a former host for Capital Gang Sunday and current executive director of the George W. Bush Institute, leads the discussion series that focuses on central topics such as cybersecurity or dissent on the Internet rather than rope-a-dope talking points about traffic jams in Los Angeles.

Ideas currently airs in select markets via PBS and streaming via its website. You can check for local availability here.

If you’re playing at home, that means your average Sunday can now include Ideas In Action among every other show you keep DVR’ed for Monday Morning Talking Points.

Los Angeles Plays Itself Against Obama

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[picappgallerysingle id=”9561808″]The people of Los Angeles found out there is a price for their idyllic weather and sprawling commute last night: $1 million.

That’s how much a private fundraiser held for President Obama garnered according to TheWrap.  Held at the home of producer John Wells, Hollywood came out to hear the president explain his upcoming legislative agenda and other remarks in the relaxed atmosphere of a walled garden.

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AP Can Haz FAIL

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Even AP's homepage fails at the "lol"

The Associated Press will not haz a cheeseburger after all.

It comes as a surprise to everyone that the wire service was in actual contractual talks for months–yes, “actual months” Fishbowl NY breathlessly assures us–with Pet Holdings Inc. (aka the owners of I Can Haz Cheeseburger.) The reason, according to an interview with Pet Holdings CEO Ben Huh in the Los Angeles Times,

“They felt that allowing the unwashed masses to [alter image captions] would be against their journalistic integrity.”

The main question (“How does an old media monolith like the AP remain hip and relevant in the age of cats with white text?”) is a frivolous statement. The AP has one of the better mobile apps through iTunes, but still suffered earlier this year when Google News revealed it would not host any new content from AP after contract negotiations failed.

Of course, you could always just use Skitch.

AP's Ben Feller Moves Up Front

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Mid-week announcements are the best when it concerns White House Press Pools.

So without further ado, as Fishbowl DC informs us, Ben Feller is the AP’s new White House Correspondent. Feller covered education for the news organization from 2003 to 2006, switching to the White House since then.

This comes after the AP was awarded Helen Thomas’ seat last week. The official memo is below:

The Memo from Fishbowl after the jump

Much Ado About Obama's Game

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President Obama’s charity basketball game brought out the best in the Beltway boys giving their all when it comes to sports reporting.

Basic round-ups from New York Post, Huffington Post’s The Hill and Time’s The Newsfeed flesh out the all-star pickup game at Fort McNair while USA Today pointed out the shrimp came straight from the Gulf.

Fishbowl DC replays the White House pool report for the top bill of the guest list:

Carmelo Anthony, Shane Battier, Chauncey Billups, Kobe Bryant (not playing), Derek Fisher, Grant Hill, LeBron James, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Maya Moore, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Bill Russell, Etan Thomas, Dwyane Wade, David West

Everyone notes Kobe didn’t play. But it was only Washington Post’s 44 that pointed out the above video of Obama’s insane three-point skill.