the buzz log

While some have argued that Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton faced a sexist press, this election season has also seen the rise of some major female media stars, who are rising in Buzz.

Talking Liberally
The latest addition to MSNBC's lineup, Rachel Maddow cut her partisan punditry teeth on Air America radio. The left-wing host now follows Keith Olberman's "Countdown."  While her program kicked off in August, she has managed to double the cable network's audience for the 9 p.m. time slot. According to Politico, the program beats out "Larry King Live" on CNN for the all-important 25-54 demographic. Searches on "The Rachel Maddow Show" have spiked over 150% in the last 30 days. As Gawker gushed, "She is seemingly the most normal and charming and totally well-adjusted cable news host in America." The rising star seems to be taking success in stride: She reportedly does not own a TV.

What Can Brown Do for You?
While Campbell Brown was having a hard time being heard over the shout-fest of Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olberman, she made a move and found her voice. She called out the McCain campaign as sexist, and called attention to her show. As the Washington Post reported, "From the moment she urged John McCain's campaign to 'free Sarah Palin' to talk to journalists, Brown has seemed like more of a player." As Brown has discovered, opinion often breaks through the quiet of straight news.

On Being Katie
There's no question that Katie Couric, anchor of CBS Evening News, has hit her stride. As David Carr noted, "The election season has been very good to a woman who seems to be benefiting from her status as an outsider in terms of gender and history." Her news-making series of interviews skewering Sarah Palin (and the "SNL" spoof thereafter), her disarming apology from Michael Dukakis at the Democratic convention for letting George Bush win, and her daily webcasts have given the third-place network newscast new life. She's certainly captured Buzz, with an almost 800% surge in look-ups over the last 30 days.

Maybe we are seeing what the New York Observer termed a "femocracy." But will the buzz last longer than an election cycle? We'll see if anyone wants news from anyone after that.