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LAS VEGAS -- Chris Matthews, anchor of MSNBC's Hardball, predicted television will play an influential part in the upcoming presidential election, during his opening address Sunday at the annual National Association of Television Program Executives convention. Matthews traced the history of U.S. politics and the sea change that occurred when the then-young medium of television began supplanting backroom power brokers in its ability to crown future presidents beginning in the 1950s. He has high hopes that the Republican and Democratic conventions will offer memorable TV moments this year, as well as presidential debates. "There'll be the sharp focus on (President) Bush's face during three nights of TV debates with his Democratic challenger and 100 million people watching," he said.

It's hard to keep Phil Donahue quiet, and the day after his MSNBC show was cancelled, he did not disappoint even as his backers complained that he never enjoyed the full support at the top of the General Electric food chain. On Wednesday, Donahue issued a statement accusing MSNBC of veering hard toward the right. "The hiring of Mike Savage, Dick Armey and Joe Scarborough suggest a strategy to out-Fox Fox (News)," Donahue wrote referring to the common belief about Fox's conservative leanings, a notion Fox always hotly denies. Donahue and his backers also felt frustrated that the network didn't give the show more of a chance to build, noting they retained Chris Matthews' Hardball show even though Donahue had the highest ratings on the network. NBC hoped to get a big bang from Donahue from the start because of his name recognition, which some show insiders felt led to outsized expectations and a sense of panic when he got off to a slow start. In his statement, Donahue said he hoped that his replacement would face "a more patient management team" as the only way for MSNBC to succeed.