PBS ruled today's announcement of nominations for the 30th annual News and Documentary Awards with a staggering 42 nods. CBS got 23 bids while ABC and HBO received 13 nominations each.

Two of the TV nets in the 24-hour news biz — CNN and MSNBC — scored fewer bids combined (eight and two, respectively) than the National Geographic Channel, which earned a dozen nods. Fox News Channel refuses to compete because it believes the Emmys are biased against it.

The Sept. 21 ceremony in Gotham will honor programming in 33 categories including breaking news, investigative reporting, interviews and documentaries. Barbara Walters will be feted with the lifetime achievement award while CNN Productions -- the documentary unit of CNN -- will receive the president’s prize.

CNN used to be a much stronger contender for these kudos but has scaled back its efforts in these frugal fiscal times. It costs a few hundred bucks to enter each program in competition, so CNN (and MSNBC) back only a few ponies in this derby. Compare that to the 1990s when CNN was flush with cash and budgeted nearly $100,000 annually for this Emmy competition. The news net boasted of strong showings in both nominations and wins in its heyday.