TVNewsers Celebrate 10 Years of TVNewser

By Chris Ariens 

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In January 2004, a college student named Brian Stelter started CableNewser, a blog that covered the ins and outs of cable TV news. It quickly grabbed the attention of the people who work in all ranks of TV news: from top news executives, to ground floor production assistants; from anchors and  agents, to producers and directors. In May, 2004 Stelter’s CableNewser was featured in the New York Times. A couple months after that, Mediabistro acquired the site and renamed in TVNewser, to reflect expanded coverage of the broadcast networks. Some of the earliest supporters of the site are still reading today. We reached out to the networks and asked for their thoughts, 10 years on:

Greta Van Susteren, Fox News: “I think if TVNewser goes back in history, they will learn that I was the first one on the national scene to give the site a shout-out. At the time, Brian Stelter was a college student blogging in a dorm room at Towson University. He sent me a nice note thanking me. It was fun for me to help him out and give him the shout-out. Now fast forward and lots has changed and people have moved on in the news business and so has TVNewser. What was once just a college blog has now morphed into a great website. Congrats on 10 years!

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Chris Cuomo, CNN: “We need someone to watch the watchmen. Here is to 10 years and a job well done.”

Rebecca Jarvis, ABC News: “Happy Birthday. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years. Thanks for all the valuable information. The stuff we hate to love and love to hate.”

Chris Wallace, Fox News: “It is remarkable to think TVNewser didn’t exist a decade ago. Now, a day doesn’t go by that I miss checking the site to get my fix about the industry.”

Erin Burnett, CNN: “From the day then wiz-kid Brian Stelter founded TVNewser in his dorm room (was that 10 years ago!), the site has been a destination for industry news and ‘gossip’. It’s hard to hit it big and stay big for so long in this media world: major congratulations to TVNewser!”

Sean Hannity, Fox News: “Thanks for keeping me up to date on the latest in media news and following what’s going on so I don’t have to.”

Mara Schiavocampo, ABC News: “Happy Birthday to TVNewser, the place that confirms all that watercooler gossip we’ve been speculating about for days! You’re always my first stop in the morning. And at noon. And every two hours until bedtime.”

Thomas Roberts, MSNBC: “Congrats TVNewser! You have been part of my daily news diet for a decade! Keep up the great work!”

Jeff Zeleny, ABC News: “Forget Wall Street when you have The Ticker to check on TVNewser. If you want to find who’s up, who’s down or who’s out – you can’t miss a day of The Ticker.”

Don Lemon, CNN: “A decade of stalking news people. Happy birthday TVNewser. Too soon for a 10-year old? I kid because I love.”

Ryan Smith, ABC News: “Dear TVNewser: Happy 10th! What would we do without your news? How else was I going to find out ABC hired me? Your goal for the next 10 years – we need more news about correspondents! I pet a stuffed Bilby this weekend… how did you miss this??? Love, Ryan Smith”

Ashleigh Banfield, CNN: “TVNewser is 10? They grow up so fast!”

Matt Gutman, ABC News: “TVNewser is the fifth estate’s fifth estate. Read daily, keeping tabs on us (and each other). Read both in the hopes you’re mentioned for your work, but prepared to cringe in case you’re mentioned in association for some unfortunate flub.

Gio Benitez, ABC News: “I discovered TVNewser just after starting in the industry professionally, while I was still in college, instantly giving me an insider’s perspective. What I like is that they confirm stuff. What I dislike is that they confirm stuff. ;-).”

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