Cable news goes to war

Variety's soon-to-be published cover story, by Brian Steinberg and Cynthia Littleton: "Unprecedented audience interest post-election has ratcheted up the competition between the biggest stars in cable news, with CNN, MSNBC and Fox News pulling out all the stops to claim victory."

• "The ratings growth for news programming ... comes at a time when the largest broadcast and cable networks are struggling with ratings erosion for primetime entertainment programming. Media buyers ... recognize that it's hard to beat real-world politics for intrigue and suspense."
• "The notion of taking a summer vacation right now seems unrealistic for most newsies."
• CNN's Erin Burnett: "It's like you're running a marathon ... at a sprint's pace."