Go to Gretawire.com and congratulate Greta Van Susteren on ten years of “On The Record” on Fox News Channel.  Greta is still the newest talent on the powerhouse Fox prime time schedule, winning her time slot, batting away competitor after competitor. Typical Greta, no big party celebrating the big day.  Instead she is blogging on Greta Wire…

“Today is the exact day we launched…..February 4, 2002.  Incidentally, right before Feb. 4, 2002, I had just had the bags under my eyes fixed and because I was still swollen, I did still look a bit like the Pillsbury Doughboy, didn’t I?     I got so much media attention for being open about plastic surgery that ON THE RECORD at 10pm got a huge media launch.  Everyone one was talking about it.  It was incredible – even the cover of People Magazine!  Although it was certainly not planned to be a marketing ploy, it ended up being a phenomenal to launch a show.  Even when the critics had something to say about me they mentioned our new show…and mentioning the new show – regardless of what was said – was big for our launch!  It is buzz!  It didn’t matter what they were saying – it mattered that they were saying it and paying attention and telling everyone else about the new show.  Buzz gets everyone paying attention.   No other cable news show has ever gotten a media launch like that and the funny thing?  It did not cost Fox a dime.  It was total luck.  At the time I thought – if only I were smart enough to have planned it to work out this way…but it was just plain luck.

Besides working with great people, and having great friends, I have had lots of luck.  I was extraordinarily lucky to have been chosen by Roger Ailes to anchor the new Fox cable show at 10p.   Frankly, he could have picked a lot of people – there are a lot of good people out there – but he picked me.

I also know and have told ALL OF YOU many times here on GretaWire, you are a GIANT part of the success of ON THE RECORD at 10pm for 10 years straight.  Without you, we would not be successful – and we sure would not be #1 for 10 straight years without you.

And, of course, with GretaWire, I feel like I know many of you and that you are my friends – even on those occasions when you are clobbering me for something I said or did  (and yes, many times I may deserve it.)  But, what is fun is that even when we get into the occasional dust up with each other we all get over it and move on.  I love good strong debate.”

thaddad Uncategorized

thaddad Protocol, The First Family, Uncategorized, White House History, White House Staff

While WHCI favorite Steve Clemons is gathering a reporting string in China, The Washington Diplomat give him aces in a profile. Writer Michael Coleman describes him as, “employing a mixture of non-ideological intellectual curiosity, a clear, easily digestible writing style and a tireless, roll-up-the-sleeves work ethic, Clemons has gradually emerged as one of Washington’s premier foreign policy opinion leaders.”

Read the full profile here.

Steve Clemons with writer Dustin Lance Black and Andrew Oros

WHC Insider Uncategorized Steve Clemons

The Huffington Post‘s Jon Ward reports that Texas Governor, Rick Perry’s likelihood of showing up at Ames is 50/50, according to Craig Schoenfeld who quit the Gingrich campaign earlier in the year to join Americans for Rick Perry.  On August 13th, Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, will host a straw poll which may determine a frontrunner in the 2012 GOP Presidential race.

Read the whole article here.

WHC Insider Uncategorized 2012 Election, Gingrich, Iowa, Rick Perry

Do you have your tickets for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit (APEC) in Hawaii yet? The State of Hawaii economic development and tourism teams are over the moon about this amazing opportunity and have been aggressively courting all the attending countries.  Look for lots of care and hometown pride from both the President and First Lady.  APEC United States 2011 will be a series of meetings of the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member economies held around the United States in 2011. It will culminate in the 19th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting held at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu Hawaii from November 12–13, 2011. The United States last hosted an APEC summit at the 1993 summit. President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will host the other leaders and spouses.

One of the opportunities is to showcase the products of Hawaii with an incredible “Gift Bag”. Here is the RFP.

The APEC 2011 Hawaii Host Committee is seeking qualified vendors to supply and showcase their products or services for distribution in the form of hospitality gifts to 11,000 government officials, business leaders and global media during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Week events. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued by the Host Committee on July 12, 2011.

“In addition to showcasing Hawaii as a premier global meetings destination, APEC 2011 will present an opportunity for us to introduce Hawaii products and services to an international audience,” said Peter Ho, Hawaii Host Committee Chair.  “Through this RFQ, the individual products and services supplied will further highlight Hawaii businesses and industries, as well as represent the aloha spirit and hospitality of our islands.”

The scope of work desired for this procurement is as follows:

Qualified and reliable suppliers must be able to supply goods or services in tangible product form in the following categories, including, but not limited to:

• Coffee;
• Chocolates/macadamia nut products;
• Hawaii snacks;
• Beverages;
• Soaps, lotions, oils and other bath products;
• Arts and crafts;
• Sports and/or beach items;
• Music;
• City guides (containing no third party advertising); and
• Gift certificates for goods or services ($50 minimum retail value amount, with no purchase required).

Product Specifications:

• Packaged goods must bear no loose-leaf collateral;
• No promotional trial size items; and
• Items are to be no larger than 22”L x 18”H x 3”D (Size of Hospitality Gift Bag).
• The selection of suppliers will be based on overall bids received and how each item contributes to the aggregate of products to be inserted into hospitality gift bags. Suppliers must be able to supply a minimum quantity of 500 items to be considered.

Interested suppliers can obtain a copy of the RFQ by emailing the APEC 2011 Hawaii Host Committee at rfq@apec2011hawaii.com. Please indicate the company name, contact name, contact phone, facsimile, address and email address. The deadline for RFQ submissions is July 29, 2011 at 4:00 p.m., with supplier selections being announced on August 15, 2011.

Read more…

David Adler Uncategorized

With New York Rep. Anthony Weiner’s political future unknown, perhaps the most interesting development is the possibility of actor Alec Baldwin trading in “30 Rock” for the Gracie Mansion. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is not running in 2013 and now that Weiner, the leading candidate, is in texting turmoil that leaves the field wide open. Read The Daily exclusive here to see what the actor’s friend said about Baldwin stepping in as a high profile Democratic candidate.

WHC Insider Uncategorized 30 Rock, Alec Baldwin, Anthony Weiner, Gracie Mansion, Michael Bloomberg, The Daily

In a recent interview, Fox News President Roger Ailes seemed to shift from his traditionally conservative stance and may have developed a bit of a soft spot for some top Democrats. In an interview with Howard Kurtz, Ailes – the man who put Sarah Palin back on television – even said he’d hire Hillary Clinton: “She looks unhappy at the State Department. She’d get ratings.” See the full story on The Daily Beast here.

WHC Insider Uncategorized Fox News, Hillary Clinton, Howard Kurtz, Roger Ailes, Sarah Palin

At approximately 4 o’clock eastern time on Monday, June 6th Rep. Anthony Weiner admitted to sending the many lewd photos that have by now made him infamous in the media.  He has also said that he does not plan to resign and apologized to his family and constituents for his mistake.  Below is the full coverage of the conference from Politico.

WHC Insider Uncategorized Anthony Weiner, Politico, Rep. Weiner

ncarlotto Uncategorized CBS News, Chris Licht, Jefferson Hotel, Jon Meacham, Morning Joe

Former presidential candidate and NBC star Fred Thompson commented on former presidential hopeful and NBC star Donald Trump’s aborted bid for the GOP nomination saying it may have been a brilliant business decision.  Trump got tons of publicity because of the move, he says, and stands to  potentially receive an even bigger contract from NBC for the next season of his hit show The Apprentice.  He also says that the financial disclosure that comes along with being a public figure may have been a significant deterrent for Trump.  Read Ted Johnson’s full story from Variety.

WHC Insider Uncategorized Donald Trump, Fred Thompson, Law and Order, The Apprentice

When President Obama announced the death of Osama Bin-Laden, it was not only a historic moment in the fight against terror, it also was the last presidential address ever to be reenacted for the press.  This practice has been commonplace for elected officials since the advent of public media and dates back to Harry Truman, who would repeat his radio addresses to the press.  Check out the Associated Press’s full story here.

WHC Insider Uncategorized Harry Truman, Obama, Osama Bin-Laden, White House

WHC Insider News, Uncategorized Jim Leher, NewsHour, PBS

Seth Meyers is on the comedic roll of a lifetime.  He played the White House Correspondents dinner like a veteran, poking fun at Washington biggies including President Obama himself.

Hours after this performance, the news about Bin-Laden’s death was released, which gave Meyers great material for his Saturday Night Live skit Weekend Update. Check out the clip below:

WHC Insider Uncategorized, WHCD 2011 Obama, Osama Bin-Laden, Seth Meyers, White House Correspondents Dinner

The American Bar Association has been sponsoring the Homeland Security Law Institute for the past five years. John Pistole, TSA Administrator and former asst FBI Counterterrorism Director, will give the final keynote address of the conference.

After tenure as the first General Counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, Joe Whitley, now of Greenberg Trauig, was approached by the American Bar Association (ABA) about developing a conference for homeland security law practitioners. The first Institute was held in 2005 and has been an annual event for the past six years. Each year the Institute has grown in attendance. Last year there were over 350 attendees. Of the attendees, approximately 40% were government lawyers (i.e., Federal, State and Local), 30% were from private corporations and 30% were in private practice. Previous speakers at the Institute have included Secretary Tom Ridge, Secretary Michael Chertoff, Attorney General John Ashcroft, Governor Frank Keating, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, Deputy Secretary David Martin, and other senior officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and the Department of Defense.

This year’s Institute will mark the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. The program will consist of a number of interesting and timely panels and breakout sessions that will focus on areas of concern, to include: Cybersecurity, Homeland Security Law Compliance, SAFETY Act issues, Transportation Security, Regulatory Developments, Immigration Issues, State & Local Government Preparedness and Responsibilities, Homeland Defense, Critical Infrastructure, International Issues spotlighting FCPA & Arms Export Control, Energy Security spotlighting on Utilities and the Smart Grid, Homeland Security Funding Opportunities, Law Enforcement for 2011, Natural Disasters, Communications regarding the Public Safety Spectrum, Financial Security, Private Sector and Security, Developments in Chemical and Hazardous Materials Security (CFATS) and the Role of Courts in Terrorism. Alejandro Mayorkas will be giving the opening keynote address with Admiral Thad Allen as the closing keynote speaker on the first day and Stewart Baker will be giving the opening keynote address on the second.

Whitley promises that this year will be the “best ever” and for additional information and to register online, please visit the website HERE.

WHC Insider Uncategorized American Bar Association, Homeland Security Institute, Joe Whitley

Piers Morgan with Sarah Brown (wife of former UK PM Gordon Brown) and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of the World Bank

WHC Insider’s Tammy Haddad for the Huffington Post:

Dear Piers,

Don’t listen to the critics. If Larry King had given a thought to the naysayers back in 1985, he would have returned to radio after the first week. When we launched the show 25 years ago, no one liked the idea of an hour-long interview program.

Ted Turner figured out the advantage of television for long-form interviews. I remember the night Ted was our guest on the Larry King Radio Show, broadcast from the bowels of Mutual Radio headquarters in Crystal City, Virginia.

It was such a thrill to finally score the bigger-than-life media mogul and winner of America’s Cup. At the time, Larry King was an established radio host, but Turner saw the primetime potential.

The producers’ biggest fear switching to TV? How to go from three-hour interviews (one hour interview, two hours questions from listeners) to just one. Imagine that concept now? Good interviews don’t happen by accident, but are a complicated dance between interviewer and subject. The best interviews are ones where the audience doesn’t see the individual dance steps, but a sweeping verbal theater. You are the lead, the director and choreographer. You get people talking from their head and their heart.

People don’t just want to hear what their favorite stars have to say; they want to watch them squirm, fidget, freeze… and yes, sometimes cry. In your first week, you have shown your star guests to be real and relatable, abrupt and self satisfied, and sometimes fragile. I learned something about each one.

Ignore the critics who are stuck on the fact that you’re taping the interviews. The additional research, the ability to pluck out the most interesting bits, to weave together the complete package, is invaluable. You’re right to put your viewer’s interests first.

And for those that think the interviews should be shorter: Ross Perot didn’t announce he was running for president on Larry King Live until about 35 minutes into the show — and he changed an election.

Piers, thanks for crossing “the pond” to get some really big stars and headline newsmakers back on TV with all their foibles and follies. We are watching, tweeting and laughing along with you and the critics.

Tammy Haddad is President of Haddad Media and was one of the creators and executive producer of Larry King Live, and MSNBC’s former Washington VP.

WHC Insider Uncategorized CNN, Larry King, Piers Morgan, Tammy Haddad