Gene Weingarten, writer for the Washington Post Magazine, got an idea: he would lock himself in a room for 24 hours straight with 5 TV's, 2 radios and a laptop all tuned to loud, opinionated pundits. After basically losing his mind, he tells us what he learned.

Some pundits are born not made. But not everybody is a natural bloviator. One Washington P.R. firm has trained journalists for their star turns. OTM's John Solomon, attended one class to see if he had what it takes.

For the past two years, David Marash has been the face of Al Jazeera English as their Washington anchor. Recently Marash decided to leave the network, however, citing anti-American bias. He joins us to talk about his time there and his decision to depart.

An update on the merger of satellite radio monoliths XM and Sirius. Plus, listeners weigh in about our program marking the fifth year of the Iraq war.

The series finale of "The Wire" aired last weekend. The media loved the show for its realistic depiction of an ailing American city but OTM's Mark Phillips takes a look at what happened when "The Wire" turned its attention back on the media.

After only 18 months as head of National Public Radio, CEO Ken Stern stepped down on Thursday by “mutual agreement” with the board. Current reporter Karen Everhart says Stern’s ideas about the direction of public radio, including an aggressive push into digital media, met with resistance from influential member stations.

If you still get your TV from over-the-air analog broadcast, you'll receive only static in less than a year - that is, unless you get a new TV or a converter box. The Washington Post's Rob Pegoraro says there's widespread confusion even though it's not that ...

The Smurfs turn 50 this year and this week the first season of the U.S. television series was released on DVD. Over the years, the little blue creatures have been criticized by feminists, embraced as Communists, and even used by UNICEF in a shocking ...

The one time Barack Obama appeared on "Saturday Night Live," he played himself (at a Halloween party hosted by the Clintons). This weekend, however, "SNL" will debut an Obama caricature that head writer Seth Myers says proved a challenge to create.

The Writers Guild of America voted this week to end a 100-day strike that left many television shows in limbo. So did they get what they bargained for? NPR’s Kim Masters says the Guild has successfully spun the deal as a victory.

MSNBC’s David Shuster, while not the only reporter in trouble for using a p-word this week, is the only one suspended for doing so. The Huffington Post’s Rachel Sklar says Shuster’s suspension and NBC’s apologies may have more to do with Chris Matthews than a single ...

Now in its third month, the Writers Guild strike pits studio honchos against those who pen their programs – with advertisers caught in the middle. Jack Myers, of the Media Business Report, believes this game of chicken may last well into the summer.

Since they were first broadcast some four decades ago, “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” have become as much a part of the season as tinsel and mistletoe. Reporters Alex Goldmark and Rachel McCarthy explore what ...

Isn’t it about time your nightly news was delivered by an avatar? No that's not already the case! But it could be in the future. Thanks to a new project called News At Seven. Chicago Public Radio’s Shawn Allee explains.

Faux presidential candidate Stephen Colbert is getting as much attention as the serious contenders and even outscoring many of them in the polls. Brooke takes a look at Colbert's White House bid.

The amount of supernatural-themed TV shows this season is a little ... supernatural. But New York Times TV critic Alessandra Stanley says we’ve always looked to the paranormal for entertainment and the current spike might be happening for a reason.

Barring a last minute resolution, Hollywood writers will strike November 1st over revenue sharing for online distribution of TV programs. Time arts reporter Rebecca Winters Keegan says this could mean more game shows, reruns and late-night Top Two lists.

How often can America lose its innocence? Again and again, as we feign shock over events that shouldn’t, if history is a guide, be all that surprising. Johns Hopkins professor Richard Halpern parses the “innocence industry” through the paintings of one of its major manufacturers, Norman ...

In January, President Bush granted an interview to NPR’s Juan Williams. Last week, the White House rang to offer Williams a second sit-down but NPR declined. Why? NPR’s Ellen Weiss explains.

The most recent tale of journalistic fraud features Washington D.C. insider and former ABC News consultant, Alexis Debat. Debat has claimed many affiliations and accomplishments (notably an interview with Barack Obama published in Politique Internationale) which have since been discredited. Mother Jones national security correspondent Laura ...