NATIONAL NOTES: NBC leading the network sweeps!?

We're two weeks into the February sweeps, and it seems almost unbelievable, but NBC (!) is on top in the network race.

Media Life reports that, on the strength of Super Bowl XLVI, NBC holds a comfortable ratings lead over second-place CBS (which jumped into that spot thanks to the Grammy Awards), FOX, ABC, Univision and The CW.

NBC finds itself in an unusual spot here; so much of its other programming barely registers with viewers that a lead on anything but Sunday nights during football season is very, very rare. And it'll likely be the last time it happens for a while.

Here's a little bit of what's happening elsewhere in the country:

KING DETHRONED:  Larry King and CNN have officially parted ways. A little more than a year after ending his long-running chat show, King (who later hosted four specials for CNN) is leaving permanently.  King, who is 78, says "I'm looking forward to all the wonderful business opportunities that I will now dedicate my full time to." [The Hollywood Reporter]

Whitney Houston, 1963-2012

HOUSTON'S FUNERAL TO AIR ON BOUNCE:  Bounce TV, the new broadcast TV network for African Americans, will carry the funeral of Whitney Houston live, uninterrupted and commercial-free this Saturday, Feb. 18, at 11 a.m. CT.  Bounce TV said its airing of the service is expected to be the only broadcast television network coverage of the funeral live, in its entirety and without interruption. [Press Release]

Stephen Colbert

COLBERT SUSPENDS SHOW:  Taping of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report was unexpectedly put on hiatus on Wednesday.  No reason was initially given, leading to rampant speculation about the show's future, but on Thursday, it was reported that host Stephen Colbert took time off to deal with a family emergency. [Mediaite]

NATIONAL NOTES: News Corp. revenue up; Mull and Willard together again?

On the national scene, there's quite a bit going on in TV and radio today. Last night, of course, I told you that Fox's House is ending its eight-season run, but there's more. Read on for what's making news elsewhere across the country:

NEWS CORP. REPORTS UPTICK IN REVENUE:  Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which owns the Fox broadcast network, Fox News, Fox Sports and so on, reported its second-quarter financial results on Wednesday, which included revenue of $1.5 billion for the company's television operations, up 11% from $1.4 billion versus the same quarter last year. The TV part of the business brought in $189 million, up $38 million or 25% compared to the same period a year ago. [TVNewsCheck]

MARTIN MULL & FRED WILLARD WORKING ON TV PILOT:  Comedians Martin Mull and Fred Willard - best known for Fernwood 2 Night - want to get back on TV, and they're working on a pilot for a new show set in their hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. [Cleveland Plain Dealer]

CNN SUSPENDS ROLAND MARTIN:  Just days after sending tweets that were deemed anti-gay, CNN political analyst Roland Martin is off the cable network, suspended indefinitely. Martin later apologized, but it wasn't enough to keep him on TV ... for now. [AP via TVNewsCheck]

HUCK TO TAKE ON RUSH:  Former Arkansas Governor, Fox News Channel host and one-time presidential candidate Mike Huckabee will be the latest to take on the undisputed leader of conservative talk radio, Rush Limbaugh. Cumulus Media, which owns more than 500 radio stations nationwide, will debut Huckabee's new radio show on April 2, and it will air opposite Limbaugh's long-running program. No word yet on if the show will air anywhere in the Tri-State. [Radio Ink Magazine]

State of the Union speech is tonight

President Obama

President Obama will deliver his annual State of the Union speech tonight before a joint session of Congress, and it won't be hard to find on TV (or anywhere else, for that matter), should you wish to watch.

ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and PBS stations will all carry it live beginning at 8 p.m. Central time (as usual), as will Fox News, CNN and MSNBC on cable (also as usual). It'll even be on the radio in places if you'd rather listen than watch.

The networks will have online coverage, too, with additional features and analysis you might not see on air.

Even the White House is in on the online thing; the official whitehouse.gov stream can be had two ways tonight - the standard feed or an "enhanced" version that will have multimedia doodads to help you understand what the President is talking about.

Hoosiers will have an extra reason to tune in tonight: Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels will give the Republican response to President Obama's speech, and that too will be carried live by the networks.