Hot Off The Press! The Latest Television News and Info [Text View] - Page 2

fredfa

10-14-04, 12:04 PM

Some TV Notes:

(from the New York Daily News)
http://www.nydailynews.com/business/story/241885p-207445c.html
Dobbs may get prime time slot

Thursday, October 14th, 2004

Veteran financial news anchor Lou Dobbs could be getting a more high profile perch at CNN as the Time Warner-owned cable network looks to boost its ratings, network insiders said.
CNN's top brass is considering moving the fast-rising "Lou Dobbs Tonight," from 6 p.m. to prime time.
"It's being discussed," a CNN exec told the Daily News.
Any move would be made after the November elections. A new slot for Dobbs has yet to be determined, CNN sources said.
"With the presidential election less than a month away, it's silly to speculate on programing changes," said CNN spokesman Matthew Furman. Dobbs declined comment.
Elevating the longtime CNN anchor would mark CNN's latest effort to shore-up in the face of a continuing assault from Fox News, which boasts nearly double CNN's audience.
Dobbs has struck a chord with his vocal crusade against U.S. companies moving jobs overseas. Since the beginning of the summer, ratings for "Lou Dobbs Tonight" have surged 25% to 472,000 households. Dobbs is outpacing CNN overall, which is up 13%.
Ad rates for Dobbs' show are among the net's highest.
"He's the most familiar financial news personality on television," said Horizon Media director of research Brad Adgate.
But shifting Dobbs from his current place at the end of the business day presents risks. "The prime-time audience has a different mind-set," said Tom Rosentiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism.
And it's unclear whether Dobbs would be interested in a new gig, CNN insiders said.
----------------------------------
Iger rising
Disney No. 2 Bob Iger's shot at nabbing the Disney CEO post is gaining momentum with the surprisingly strong turnaround at ABC, Disney investors said yesterday. Iger, who used to run ABC and was charged with turning it around has long been weighed down by its dismal performance.
But thanks to a stellar start for ABC shows "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," Iger's situation is suddenly looking the opposite of desperate.
"The biggest argument against Bob is now vastly improving," said Anthony Valencia, an analyst at TCW Group, a Disney shareholder.
Still, Disney execs have been telling investors they're cautious about ABC's prospects. "They're not proclaiming victory yet," said Angela Kohler, an analyst at Federated Investors.
Meanwhile, ABC's resurgence is boosting Disney stock. It's jumped 10% in two weeks, up 17 cents yesterday at $25.01.
The situation is the reverse for NBC. It's seen double digit ratings losses so far this season. The once dominant force on the TV screen is losing to CBS on the Thursday nights it once owned, and has had a bunch of disappointing shows , including the expensive animated show "Father of the Pride."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jeff Zucker on the hot seat at NBC
http://www.nypost.com/business/20160.htm
By TIM ARANGO , New York Post
October 14, 2004 -- Move over Bob Iger and make way for Jeff Zucker.
With ABC's ascendance in the network television ratings, Disney's Iger has for the moment sidestepped the scrutiny that dogged him for the last several years for overseeing ratings-challenged ABC.
Zucker, meanwhile, NBC's golden child and heir apparent to NBC chief Bob Wright, now finds himself on the hot seat with the once high-flying network's ratings decline.
"If you're the person who's been put in charge, the spotlight is going to fall on you for good or ill," said media buyer Bill Carroll, of Katz Television Group.
In the fall season to date, NBC has seen its ratings in the key 18-49 demographic fall 16 percent, while CBS has seen an 11 percent jump and ABC has seen a gain of 3 percent.
When NBC execs announced in May that they had closed their blockbuster merger with Vivendi's Universal, the company trotted out a lucrative extension to keep airing Dick Wolf's "Law & Order" series.
But even "Law & Order" no longer dominates its Wednesday night time slot, lagging behind CBS's new hit "CSI: NY."
"I think everyone believed that ["CSI: NY"] was going to be good competition but that "Law & Order" would continue to be the leading show on Wednesday night at 10 p.m.," Carroll said.
An NBC spokeswoman said the network is pleased with the performance of such primetime shows such as "The Apprentice," "ER," "SVU," "Medical Investigation," "Joey" and "Las Vegas."
"Of course, ABC has launched a couple of very impressive hits and CBS has turned "CSI" into a red-hot franchise, so we know it's going to be a tough three-way race all season long," the spokeswoman said.
Zucker, who had been president of NBC Entertainment, was given additional responsibilities in the merged company, and was given the title of group president for entertainment, news and cable. He added responsibility for NBC News and cable channels MSNBC and CNBC, and remains president of NBC Entertainment.
Among his missteps were paying roughly $2.5 million to DreamWorks to air the animated show "Father of the Pride," which has bombed.
He also reportedly turned down the show "Desperate Housewives," which has gone on to be a hit for ABC.
Still, there are those who say Zucker's exalted status remains secure, at least for the moment.
These people point out the remarkable run NBC has had over the years — with hits such as "Seinfeld," "Friends" and "Frasier" — and note that NBC remained on top far longer than most expected.
"I think he's still the heir apparent," said Peter Olsen, senior vice president for national broadcast at Mediacom.
"I don't think this takes anything away from his golden boy status."
An NBC insider said the company's top brass, including Wright and GE chief Jeff Immelt, have confidence in Zucker.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Who's really the star of 'Boston Legal'
(Yes, it's that old ham bone, William Shatner)
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2004/oct04/oct11/4_thurs/news2thursday.html
By Ed Robertson, MediaLife.com
David E. Kelley is one of those dark semi-geniuses of television whose mystery has as much to do with his failures as his successes. He fails brilliantly. Then there are those flashes, and one certainly is with “Boston Legal,” the new show morphed from his long-troubled "The Practice." It's a matter of brilliant casting.
But we are not talking about James Spader, who plays Alan Shore, the ethics-challenged lawyer Kelley introduced last season. We're talking about William Shatner, the ex "Star-Trekker" and odd-ball spokesman for Priceline who plays Denny Crane, the daffy defense attorney whom Kelley also introduced in “The Practice's” final season.
Call Shatner what you will: a ham, a lightweight, an ubiquitous shill for Priceline. You'd be right on each count. Shatner hasn’t really been challenged as an actor since the early days of “Star Trek.”
But Shatner knows how to entertain. He also has the kind of vast, built-in audience that producers, network executives and potential sponsors all love to see when it comes to developing a TV series.
Star vehicles rarely work in television, but character vehicles do. We’ve seen this time and again. Back in 1974, for example, Roy Huggins built “The Rockford Files” around James Garner—and specifically, the actor’s portrayal of the reluctant hero type he originated on “Maverick”—because he knew that Garner’s success with that character would resonate with viewers. It did, and “Rockford” ran for six seasons on NBC.
Thirty years later, we see Kelley doing the same thing with Shatner on “Boston Legal.”
As Denny Crane, Shatner is basically playing off the self-parodying image he has crafted for himself in recent years, both in the Priceline commercials as well as his live appearances on the sci-fi convention circuit. That image is that of a vainglorious actor who is nonetheless likeable because he doesn’t seem to take himself seriously.
Kelley has masterfully taken that characterization of Shatner and used it to drive the main storyline on “Boston Legal.”
The wily yet eccentric Crane is considered a joke among his own colleagues, to the point that senior partner Paul Lewiston (an image-conscious sniveler played by René Auberjonois) has been plotting to drive Crane out of his own firm.
In this past Sunday’s episode, Crane appears to play right into Lewiston’s hands when his questionable behavior toward a female plaintiff in a deposition leads to possible sanctions against the firm. Much to Lewiston’s dismay, Crane proves to the court that he’s not a man to be underestimated. Not only does he argue successfully against the sanctions, he wins the case outright.
Similarly, it’s easy to dismiss “Boston Legal” as lighthearted, ethereal fare. After all, we are talking about William Shatner. Yet that perception actually works in the show’s favor.
Viewers familiar with Shatner’s shtick won’t expect high art, only to be entertained, a much lesser burden of proof. That gives the show a tremendous potential upside that has already paid early dividends. The premiere of “Boston” finished in the top 20 among households.
Like Crane, Shatner is the ultimate survivor, having bounced back in his career more times than a Superball. When he hit a dry spell in the ‘70s, he went back to “Star Trek,” lending his voice to the animated series before signing on for the theatrical movies. When the “Star Trek” movies began to pigeonhole him in the ‘80s, he returned to television as the star of “T.J. Hooker.”
“T.J. Hooker” was certainly over the top, but Shatner’s intensity made it fun to watch, in much the same way as the actor’s personality makes his portrayal of Denny Crane fun to watch.
Then, after lampooning sci-fi fans in the infamous “Get a life” sketch on “Saturday Night Live,” Shatner turned around and embraced the convention circuit in the ‘90s. Along the way, he even poked fun at himself by writing a book called “Get a Life.”
Yet for all his comic skills, Shatner brings a depth to Crane that is surprisingly effective, as evidenced in the scene near the end of last Sunday’s episode in which he confides in young associate Brad Chase (Mark Valley of “Keen Eddie”). Though his outward bluster suggests otherwise, Crane admits to Chase that he is well aware that rivals such as Lewiston are eager to see him fall.
Shatner has no shortage of detractors in the TV industry, many of whom would probably like to see him fall in “Boston Legal.”
It's to Kelley's credit that he could create a role that captures Shatner's full range as an actor. And to pair him with a capable, if far prettier, actor like Spader. In his unending search for the quirky, Kelley may have found just the right mix of tics to match his own.

fredfa

10-14-04, 12:25 PM

Wednesday night's ratings (and Marc Berman analysis) posted

fredfa

10-14-04, 01:22 PM

Posted story on the new Acadaemy Awards host being named by producer Gil Cates.

GregF

10-14-04, 01:31 PM

I like Lou Dobbs. That's interesting news. Who does he replace in that slot, Paula Zahn? I could do without her and Aaron Brown for that matter.

OTHER CNN NEWS: Wolf Blitzer announced last night they'll apparently be using the entire Nasdaq building with it's banks of monitors inside and it's gi-normous display outside in an election night coverage event they're apparently very proud of. He was touting it like they are really going to wow viewers but of course I cannot say if the event will live up to the hype that is apparently starting.

tall1

10-14-04, 02:18 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
Coverage of the third Presidential Debate from 9-10:30 p.m. rated first in the overnights on NBC (9.9/14), followed by ABC (9.8/13) and CBS (6.3/ 9). At 10:30 p.m., analysis of the Debate was also No. 1 on NBC (8.6/12), followed by ABC (8.2/12) and CBS (5.3/ 8). CBS is king in primetime until Dan Rather gets on the air. Wow, he is really an albatross for CBS news.

f44

10-14-04, 02:48 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
[B]"I think we would have done better in a time slot that had us playing [at the same time] in every major market ... but we knew the challenge going in," Mr. Cuban said.

Or maybe because the show is awful. The 20/20 special that aired got nearly double The Benefactor's ratings in the same timeslot.

And I believe [i]PrimeTime Monday[i] last season had better ratings in the timeslot.

f44

10-14-04, 02:52 PM

Originally posted by Moorebid
Simple solution… dump Boston Legal to Monday's, let it wallow in The Practice's filth where it belongs, then put Alias on in its place, the 10pm slot would allow them to edge it up a bit, make it a little less cutesy. It could definately use that, IMO. (Though, to be fair, I entirely missed the 3rd season, so I've no idea what that whole 2-years-missing plot did for the show.)

It would be up against Crossing Jordan, which gets high ratings.

fredfa

10-14-04, 04:28 PM

DVR popularity rates a television sea of change

Diane Holloway, Austin American-Statesman
Cox News Service

AUSTIN, Texas--The numbers may be small now, but they're growing, and soon Nielsen ratings will be factored into the equation. And that makes them even more important.

Digital video recorders _ also called DVRs, PVRs (personal video recorders) and TiVos _ have found their way into about 4 percent of television households nationwide.

In Austin, the penetration is considerably greater _ 35,000 of Time Warner's 300,000 subscriber households have DVRs, almost 12 percent. Time Warner began offering the service last fall for an additional $9.95 a month to digital cable subscribers.

The boxes allow people to set their own viewing schedules, and depending on the service, you may be able to record one show while watching another and even record two shows at once.

If you want to watch "CSI" at midnight, when the kids aren't around to witness the oozing corpses, you can. Late-night TV can be moved to prime time so early risers can avoid sleep deprivation. Those great kiddie shows that come on PBS and Nickelodeon mid-morning? You can play them in the early evenings when you're cooking dinner and the kids are cranky.

DVRs are on the cusp of major significance. Forrester Research Inc., which monitors media technology, projects that 45 percent of the viewing public will have DVRs in five years, and that the current 4 percent will leap to 15 percent to 20 percent in a couple of years.

Starting in April, Nielsen Media Research will ease into measuring the number of people who watch recorded shows. "The penetration isn't high now, but it's going to grow quickly because cable companies are pushing them," said Karen Kratz Gyimesi, a spokeswoman for Nielsen. "That's why we want to get ahead of it as quickly as possible next year."

Nielsen will measure and report live viewing in one batch of ratings and then report live ratings plus recorded ratings a week later.

What will this mean? Maybe it will mean that cutthroat competition and viewer-unfriendly scheduling won't matter so much in the future. For instance, a terrific show like the WB's "Jack & Bobby" might be as popular as ABC's "Desperate Housewives" or NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" _ all of which air at 8 p.m. Sundays.

TiVo issues a weekly list of the Top 25 shows recorded by its subscribers, and the usual suspects are included. Most recently, "The Apprentice," "Survivor" and "Lost" were at the top. No surprises there. But the WB's "Smallville," No. 76 on the Nielsen chart, also was on TiVo's most-recorded list.

DVRs are freeing us from schedules far faster than VCRs, which were always too difficult for most people to program.

"The DVR has done complete violence to the idea of late-night, prime-time and weekend viewing," says Josh Bernoff, vice president of Forrester Research. "It hasn't caught up with overall viewing trends yet, but it's having a dramatic impact on TV executives' thinking. They're aware of the trend and are doing things to either thwart or take advantage of it."

For example, Bernoff cites NBC's offbeat scheduling, sometimes starting an 8 p.m. show at 7:55 or 8:06 p.m. If you don't have a clue when a show is really coming on, maybe you'll watch it live instead of taping it.

Network executives are also fretting over the fact that DVR users, who tend to be more affluent and media savvy, typically skip more than 90 percent of commercials, which is why product placement is becoming more common.

"TV is still the main game for a mass audience," Bernoff says. "But we're hearing rumblings that ad executives are saying TV advertising isn't worth what the networks are charging. They're shifting to print and online for a more balanced approach."

What are DVR users taping? Dramas, comedies and even reality shows, which was a surprise to Bernoff. Programs that DVR users still tend to watch live include news and sports.

"Reality shows are designed to be these pseudo-sports shows, and yet they're mostly watched recorded," Bernoff says. "People seem to be quite happy to watch them the next day."

Doesn't this mean the water-cooler conversations about hot TV shows will disappear? The electronic campfire will be snuffed out? When the new "American Idol" is crowned, we'll all see it at different times? And won't the folks who watch it later risk having the suspense ruined by those who watched it live?

"Eventually, all those things could happen," Bernoff says. "In our survey of DVR users, we found the relationship between people and their machines is borderline unhealthy _ 19 percent of them used the word 'love' to describe their DVRs. That's kind of scary."

Maybe the really scary prospect is DVR users turning into TV gluttons. Will we be glued to the tube to gobble up all the shows we record?

Sure, we can set our own gobbling schedules, but will our weekends (and former sleep time) disappear into the whir of the DVR? Will we be glowing from all this newfound freedom? Problems to ponder as we move from mass media to an age of personal programming.

fredfa

10-14-04, 04:49 PM

ESPN Yanks Cable Crown from Fox News
(Thursday, October 14 02:14 PM)

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)--Fox News Channel got a ratings boost from two major election season debates, but the cable network couldn't compete with ESPN's roster of playoff baseball and NFL action. In fact, FNC slipped from the top of the cable ratings to third for the week ending Sunday, Oct. 10.

ESPN averaged 4.03 million viewers per night for the week, beating the strong 3.01 million viewers who watched the Disney Channel. Fox News was close behind with 2.95 million viewers per night, with Lifetime's 2.13 million and the 2.03 million for TNT close behind.

The week's most watched cable program was the Sunday night gridiron battle between the Ravens and the Redskins, which tackled 8.43 million viewers. Two games of ESPN's coverage of the American League divisional series between the Yankees and Twins were No. 4 with 6.81 million and No. 10 with 5.06 million. A game between the Red Sox and Angels was No. 13 with 4.14 million.
Tuesday (Oct. 5) night's debate between Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. John Edwards brought 7.82 million viewers to FNC, the week's second most watched program and more than the 7.09 million who made Friday's presidential debate the week's No. 3 basic cable offering. Analysis after the Friday debate was No. 5 with 6.69 million viewers, compared to the 5.62 million who tuned in following the vice presidential tilt, enough for No. 7. The pre-debate coverage on Tuesday was No. 11 with 4.72 million viewers.

The Disney Channel's strong week was paced by the original "Halloweentown High," which scared up 6.14 million viewers in its first airing, making it No. 6 for the week. A second airing was No. 9 with 5.16 million.

The only other network with multiple shows in the Top 15 was Nickelodeon, which had episode of "Fairly Odd Parents" at No. 14 with 3.98 million viewers and No. 15 with 3.86 million.

The season finale of "Nip/Tuck," featuring twists, turns, Joan Rivers and Alec Baldwin drew record ratings for the show, doctoring 5.22 million viewers, while the Lifetime movie "Plain Truth" was No. 12 with 4.68 million.

On the premium cable side, HBO filled the charts, led by a screening of the movie "Bad Boys II," which blew up an audience of 2.34 million. The Trinidad-Mayorga boxing match was second with 2.02 million, as a new episode of "The Wire" pulled in only 1.45 million in third, just better than a screening of "American Wedding" with 1.27 million viewers. A new "Family Bonds" was fifth with 1.22 million.

fredfa

10-14-04, 06:38 PM

NFL Recruits Mischer for Tame Super Bowl Halftime
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) You may have heard that last year's Super Bowl halftime show didn't go exactly the way that the National Football League and CBS planned. You may have heard about Nipplegate, a wardrobe malfunction and a hefty fine from the FCC. As many headlines and articles were generated by Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake last year, the NFL and FOX would rather not get the same amount of publicity.

In an effort to provide a family-friendly show, the NFL has enlisted Don Mischer Productions to produce the cumbersomely named Ameriquest Mortgage Super Bowl XXXIX Halftime Show. Performers and further details will be announced later, but it's a safe bet that neither Jackson nor Timberlake will be asked to return.

Although Mischer has won 13 Emmy Awards, he seems like a surprisingly controversial choice for a league looking for tame and wholesome entertainment. Back in the late summer, Mischer produced the Democratic National Convention, which was going really well until a delay in the final balloon launch left Mischer swearing audibly on national television, earning embarrassment and unwanted publicity for the veteran.
On Sept. 19, Mischer produced his eighth Emmy telecast. He's also orchestrated opening and closing ceremonies for two Olympics and any number of other televised specials. Mischer produced the halftime show for the XXVII Super Bowl in 1993 and although a Jackson performed (Michael, in that case), outrage was kept to a bare minimum.

Super Bowl XXXIX will be held in Jacksonville, Fla. on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2005.

fredfa

10-14-04, 07:02 PM

Commercial free TV?
From the Wall Street Journal:

More Networks Are Pulling the Plugs
Commercial-Free TV Shows Gain Traction as Marketers See Benefits of Such Deals

By BRIAN STEINBERG, Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
October 15, 2004

NEW YORK -- Warning: Couch potatoes shouldn't rely on commercial breaks for those all-important trips to the kitchen or the bathroom. After growing complaints about the barrage of ads cluttering up television shows, major networks are beginning to embrace the notion of airing programs without those common interruptions.

Until recently, commercial-free sponsorships were a rarity. But in recent months advertisers including Ford Motor, XM Satellite Radio Holdings and SABMiller's Miller Brewing have paid for shows to run commercial-free, often as part of a larger package involving placement of their products in the program.

By sponsoring such episodes, marketers generate goodwill with viewers and put promotional stunts into play that are decidedly more creative than the usual 30-second spot.

TV producers appreciate the trend. "We as show runners have to learn how to integrate advertisers as well as appreciate the advertisers. Otherwise, we will end up off the air," says Jonathan Prince, executive producer of "American Dreams," a drama on General Electric's NBC. Ford will sponsor a commercial-free broadcast of an emotional episode of the show set to air before Thanksgiving.

As part of the sponsorship, Ford's famous Mustang will be shown in classic print and TV car ads featured in the episode. Ford will bracket the show with a preshow ad sporting a new 2005 Mustang morphing into a classic edition of the car as well as a postshow minimovie. "American Dreams" isn't Ford's first commercial-free sponsorship: it has sponsored commercial-free season premieres for "24," the spy serial on News Corp.'s Fox, for two seasons, and a 1997 airing of "Schindler's List" on NBC that was uninterrupted by commercials.

Miller sponsored the commercial-free season premiere of "Rescue Me," the randy drama about firefighters on News Corp.'s FX -- which has aggressively pursued such deals. In return Miller got comments from viewers thanking the brewer for the uninterrupted content. XM sponsored this season's premiere of FX's plastic-surgery drama "Nip/Tuck," ran commercials before and after the program and received product-placement guarantees. A recent episode featured XM prominently in one scene. Viacom's CBS has had conversations with advertisers about the commercial-free idea as well.

Some media buyers are doubtful that commercial-free sponsorships will become much more common. Sponsoring a show without ads on a broadcast network is likely to be costly. It typically requires buying out national time and local ad minutes from network affiliates, says Laura Caraccioli-Davis, an entertainment-marketing specialist at Publicis Groupe's Starcom Entertainment. A network must also weigh whether giving the show to one sponsor is worth the revenue it could miss from others. Some of the deals "take a lot of finesse," she says. "They are more complicated than they sound."

Buying out a cable program might be less expensive than broadcast, media buyers say. But it still wouldn't be cheap, cautions David Levy, who oversees selling ad time on Time Warner's TBS and TNT cable networks. Executives there have considered the commercial-free idea for certain limited series, he says, though no deals have been done.

"I just have a hard time seeing why a great amount of clients would find the need to do this," especially if there is no long-term association with the program, says Bill McOwen, of Havas's MPG media-buying firm. "On a one-shot basis, I question the real need to pursue it."

Should marketers hook into the idea en masse, advertisers will need to "blow their own horn about their connections to the show," says Frances Page of Interpublic Group's Magna Global Entertainment.

Such promotion would lead to commercials about commercials that help sponsor programs without commercials, a taxing idea probably best left alone.

AFH

10-14-04, 07:10 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
DVR popularity rates a television sea of change

Diane Holloway, Austin American-Statesman
Cox News Service

AUSTIN, Texas--The numbers may be small now, but they're growing, and soon Nielsen ratings will be factored into the equation. And that makes them even more important.

Digital video recorders _ also called DVRs, PVRs (personal video recorders) and TiVos _ have found their way into about 4 percent of television households nationwide.

In Austin, the penetration is considerably greater _ 35,000 of Time Warner's 300,000 subscriber households have DVRs, almost 12 percent. Time Warner began offering the service last fall for an additional $9.95 a month to digital cable subscribers.

The boxes allow people to set their own viewing schedules, and depending on the service, you may be able to record one show while watching another and even record two shows at once.

If you want to watch "CSI" at midnight, when the kids aren't around to witness the oozing corpses, you can. Late-night TV can be moved to prime time so early risers can avoid sleep deprivation. Those great kiddie shows that come on PBS and Nickelodeon mid-morning? You can play them in the early evenings when you're cooking dinner and the kids are cranky.

DVRs are on the cusp of major significance. Forrester Research Inc., which monitors media technology, projects that 45 percent of the viewing public will have DVRs in five years, and that the current 4 percent will leap to 15 percent to 20 percent in a couple of years.

Starting in April, Nielsen Media Research will ease into measuring the number of people who watch recorded shows. "The penetration isn't high now, but it's going to grow quickly because cable companies are pushing them," said Karen Kratz Gyimesi, a spokeswoman for Nielsen. "That's why we want to get ahead of it as quickly as possible next year."

Nielsen will measure and report live viewing in one batch of ratings and then report live ratings plus recorded ratings a week later.

What will this mean? Maybe it will mean that cutthroat competition and viewer-unfriendly scheduling won't matter so much in the future. For instance, a terrific show like the WB's "Jack & Bobby" might be as popular as ABC's "Desperate Housewives" or NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" _ all of which air at 8 p.m. Sundays.

TiVo issues a weekly list of the Top 25 shows recorded by its subscribers, and the usual suspects are included. Most recently, "The Apprentice," "Survivor" and "Lost" were at the top. No surprises there. But the WB's "Smallville," No. 76 on the Nielsen chart, also was on TiVo's most-recorded list.

DVRs are freeing us from schedules far faster than VCRs, which were always too difficult for most people to program.

"The DVR has done complete violence to the idea of late-night, prime-time and weekend viewing," says Josh Bernoff, vice president of Forrester Research. "It hasn't caught up with overall viewing trends yet, but it's having a dramatic impact on TV executives' thinking. They're aware of the trend and are doing things to either thwart or take advantage of it."

For example, Bernoff cites NBC's offbeat scheduling, sometimes starting an 8 p.m. show at 7:55 or 8:06 p.m. If you don't have a clue when a show is really coming on, maybe you'll watch it live instead of taping it.

Network executives are also fretting over the fact that DVR users, who tend to be more affluent and media savvy, typically skip more than 90 percent of commercials, which is why product placement is becoming more common.

"TV is still the main game for a mass audience," Bernoff says. "But we're hearing rumblings that ad executives are saying TV advertising isn't worth what the networks are charging. They're shifting to print and online for a more balanced approach."

What are DVR users taping? Dramas, comedies and even reality shows, which was a surprise to Bernoff. Programs that DVR users still tend to watch live include news and sports.

"Reality shows are designed to be these pseudo-sports shows, and yet they're mostly watched recorded," Bernoff says. "People seem to be quite happy to watch them the next day."

Doesn't this mean the water-cooler conversations about hot TV shows will disappear? The electronic campfire will be snuffed out? When the new "American Idol" is crowned, we'll all see it at different times? And won't the folks who watch it later risk having the suspense ruined by those who watched it live?

"Eventually, all those things could happen," Bernoff says. "In our survey of DVR users, we found the relationship between people and their machines is borderline unhealthy _ 19 percent of them used the word 'love' to describe their DVRs. That's kind of scary."

Maybe the really scary prospect is DVR users turning into TV gluttons. Will we be glued to the tube to gobble up all the shows we record?

Sure, we can set our own gobbling schedules, but will our weekends (and former sleep time) disappear into the whir of the DVR? Will we be glowing from all this newfound freedom? Problems to ponder as we move from mass media to an age of personal programming.

This is a good article but when the Bernoff says "They're aware of the trend and are doing things to either thwart or take advantage of it" I don't see how that affects a someone who sets up a "Season Pass" in your DVR.

The author sites NBC in this quote: "For example, Bernoff cites NBC's offbeat scheduling, sometimes starting an 8 p.m. show at 7:55 or 8:06 p.m. If you don't have a clue when a show is really coming on, maybe you'll watch it live instead of taping it." That hasn't stop any of my recording from recording everything.

Now when I had the DVR from Cox cable it would get screwed up on things like that, but it seems that the DVRs from the sat companies allow you to create "Season Passes". I have a Directivo so I don't worry about those things.

"Eventually, all those things could happen," Bernoff says. "In our survey of DVR users, we found the relationship between people and their machines is borderline unhealthy _ 19 percent of them used the word 'love' to describe their DVRs. That's kind of scary."

Yeah people "love" their DVRs b/c we are no longer beholden to the network scheduling. You can watch when you want. You can go have a life and come back and watch your favorite show at your own pace and your own time. What's not to love about that?

keenan

10-14-04, 09:54 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
Commercial free TV?

Buying out a cable program might be less expensive than broadcast, media buyers say. But it still wouldn't be cheap, cautions David Levy, who oversees selling ad time on Time Warner's TBS and TNT cable networks. Executives there have considered the commercial-free idea for certain limited series, he says, though no deals have been done.

"I just have a hard time seeing why a great amount of clients would find the need to do this," especially if there is no long-term association with the program, says Bill McOwen, of Havas's MPG media-buying firm. "On a one-shot basis, I question the real need to pursue it."

Sounds like this guy is worried about losing his job.

I say full steam ahead. Leave the commercials with sporting events have prime time programming use the above. Plus, it gets around DVR users and their proclivity to skip commercials.

Jim

fredfa

10-14-04, 10:21 PM

Cable ratings for Wednesday's debate coverage posted.

fredfa

10-14-04, 11:44 PM

What's Up With Fox's "Tru Calling"?

Producer Ponders 'Tru Calling' Fate
By Kate O'Hare, zap2it.com

It's been a little over a month since FOX announced that it had scaled back production on the second season of "Tru Calling" from 13 episodes to six, and handed over its Thursday, Nov. 4, premiere date to the summer soap opera "North Shore."

Series producer Jon Harmon Feldman has been working on the post-production for the six episodes of the fantasy series starring Eliza Dushku ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") as Tru, a med student and morgue attendant who can go back a day in time to prevent deaths.

After FOX had been quick on the trigger finger to cancel such series as "Harsh Realm," "Lone Gunmen," "Firefly" and "Wonderfalls," many were surprised when the low-rated "Tru" not only made it through its first season up against "Survivor" and "Friends," but looked to be coming back for a second.

"There have been rumors flying about ['Tru' going to] The WB," Feldman says, "although, at this point, I believe them to be only rumors, nothing more. They picked us up, as I was told, because they were excited about the direction of the show. They know what a tough time slot we were in, and they really believed that, based on the growth of the show, where we were heading, what we had planned for next season, that they wanted to see more of us.

"The only thing I've hard is that this decision was a business decision, to allocate money to shows that perhaps they thought had bigger futures or breakout potential. I'm not really sure how to characterize that. Obviously, when you work in network television, you always know these possibilities exist, but the way it went down was somewhat of a surprise."

The addition of Jason Priestley as Tru's opposite number and rival at the end of last season gave the show a creative boost.

"The irony is," Feldman says, "creatively, they've never been happier with the direction we were going. We had Jason as a full-time adversary, and Jason and Eliza's story had interesting twists. That's why I don't think this was a creative decision -- in fact, I know it wasn't a creative decision.

"If there's any slight silver lining -- although certainly it's a Pyrrhic victory -- is that it was not a creative decision. That is the hollowest of victories."

The first season of "Tru Calling" is set to be released by Fox Home Video on DVD on Nov. 30. Harmon hopes fans will get a chance to see the remaining episodes.

"There has been talk of releasing season two, the six episodes, to DVD as well. I hope that happens. It won't allow us to complete the arc that we were starting, but perhaps if we do release season two to DVD, at least it will give some of the creative people an opportunity to not only show those six episodes but also tell the fans what was going to happen. Those are stories worth hearing, worth telling."

FOX has yet to announce a season premiere date for "Tru."

"The network has not said they won't air these six," Harmon says, "but obviously you don't know what will happen. I am not planning a viewing party at this point."

fredfa

10-14-04, 11:54 PM

O'Reilly Vows to Fight Harassment Charges

By DAVID BAUDER, Associated Press Writer Oct 14, 11:09 PM (ET)

NEW YORK (AP) - Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly made a TV talk show appearance on what he said was "the worst day of my life" Thursday, vowing to fight sexual harassment charges by one of his producers.

Accuser Andrea Mackris spoke publicly for the first time, saying she felt threatened by her former boss, who filed a lawsuit charging the woman and her lawyer with extortion.

Mackris, 33, said O'Reilly made a series of sexually explicit phone calls to her. Mackris, an associate producer on Fox News Channel's top-rated "The O'Reilly Factor," said he advised her to use a vibrator, told her about sexual fantasies involving her and engaged in unwanted phone sex.

During an appearance to promote his children's book on "Live with Regis and Kelly," O'Reilly said he'd been repeatedly threatened with lawsuits and bodily harm over the past few years. He said he knew that by filing his lawsuit, he could perhaps ruin his career.

"If I have to go down, I'm willing to do it," he said. "I'm going to take a stand. I'm a big mouth on the air and I'm a big mouth off the air."

On his own show Wednesday, O'Reilly called the case "the single most evil thing I have ever experienced, and I've seen a lot. But these people picked the wrong guy."

Mackris, who worked for O'Reilly for four years, said on ABC's "Good Morning America" that she took his actions and statements as a personal threat.

"I think my actions have been borne out in their actions toward me since I came out with it," she said.

ABC's Bob Woodruff asked Mackris if she knew what she was up against. O'Reilly "is no shrinking violet," he said.

"Neither am I," she responded.

O'Reilly had come out with his lawsuit first on Wednesday, accusing Mackris and lawyer Benedict Morelli of seeking "hush money" during negotiations over the past few weeks. Mackris then immediately filed her harassment claim.

O'Reilly faces a tough legal hurdle with his own case, since the law generally protects employees from retaliation if they come forward with an abuse allegation, said Debra Katz, an attorney who specializes in sexual harassment cases for Bernabei & Katz in Washington.

"I think this is a crazy legal strategy," Katz said. "But I think they made the decision that the press strategy is more important here."

Another expert in employment law, Kenneth Taber of the New York firm Pillsbury, Winthrop, said O'Reilly would have to go a lot further to prove extortion than just saying Mackris made monetary demands.

But Taber also said Mackris' case could be undermined since she returned to work for O'Reilly after a brief stint at CNN - and after some of the alleged harassment took place.

fredfa

10-15-04, 12:00 AM

'West Wing' Eyes Successor for Bartlett

By LYNN ELBER, Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The prospect of a change in the White House tends to draw a strong reaction, pro or con.

Not from "The West Wing" executive producer John Wells, though. He seems unfazed by the coming end of Democratic President Josiah "Jeb" Bartlet's tenure - and maybe even a Republican successor.

"We were a year and a half into the administration when we started the show," Wells said of the NBC drama entering its sixth season. "We have term limits in this country and so, on our electoral schedule, Bartlet's second term would end a year from this coming January."

That fact foreshadows a hybrid season when "The West Wing" returns Wednesday (Oct. 20, 9 p.m. EDT). Bartlet (Martin Sheen) grapples with his legacy while others fight for the chance to replace him.

Among them are contenders played by two familiar actors: Jimmy Smits ("NYPD Blue"), who's a potential Democratic candidate, and Alan Alda ("M-A-S-H") vying for the GOP nomination.

Also in the running is Vice President Russell (Gary Cole), with talented staff member Will Bailey (Josh Malina) at his side.

Could Wells envision "The West Wing," if re-elected by NBC to a seventh season, with a Republican president?

"I really could," he told The Associated Press. "What we've tried to put forward in the Bartlet administration is a Democratic presidency that was a bit of wish-fulfillment of what you'd really want your Democratic president to be.

"I don't think there's any reason you wouldn't want to see that show with a Republican."

Is he concerned that the show, called "The Left Wing" by those who find Bartlet's politics grating, might be seen as making the move to pander to conservatives?

"I think it depends on who the Republican candidate is and how you feel about the candidate by the time he or she is elected," he said.

Series creator Aaron Sorkin cast Bartlet in the same liberal mold as the leader in his 1995 film "The American President." Sorkin, who left the series in 2003, could not be reached for comment, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Change could reinvigorate the series' ratings, which dropped from a season-high average of 17.2 million viewers in 2001-02 to 11.8 million viewers last season.

But Wells, whose relationship with NBC is bolstered by the other shows he provides, including longtime linchpin drama "ER," said "The West Wing" ensures an affluent viewership for sponsors and that he's confident of renewal.

A new commander-in-chief, from either party, would mean wholesale changes in the White House staff and the cast. But Wells told a phone news conference Wednesday that he hopes current stars would be able to remain - although that's less likely with a Republican administration.

He's also hoping that Sheen, whose contract is up this year, decides to come back for another season and maybe for post-presidency appearances.

Before the NBC show wades into the heat of primary contests and before Bartlet gives up power, there are lingering issues to resolve.

At the end of last season, growing violence in the Middle East led to the death of prominent U.S. officials and left an angry Bartlet weighing military action - and now trying to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

The Gaza Strip attack also critically injured White House staff member Donna Moss (Janel Moloney), who was part of the American contingent.

Whether Donna survives (and whether she and her boss, deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman, finally become an item) are obvious cliffhangers. Wells promises other immediate upheaval in "The West Wing."

"There are substantial changes in the White House at the beginning of the season, within the first two episodes," Wells said.

Involving the White House staff that viewers know and love? "In the staff that we know and love, things are happening," Wells says, with vague discretion that would make a bureaucrat proud.

After the dust settles, the latter part of the season will focus on the campaign trail with Smits' and Alda's characters and on how Bartlet delivers his swan - or lame-duck - song.

"How does the Bartlet administration deal with the remaining time they have in trying to be effective?" Wells said. "What does he really want to accomplish in his remaining year in office?"

Writers for the series, which makes a point of drawing on real-world Washington expertise, asked former Reagan and Clinton administration figures to reminisce about their second-term experiences.

Politicos returning as advisers for the season include former Clinton press secretary Dee Dee Myers and Laurence O'Donnell, who worked for the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Two newcomers are former Clinton economic adviser Gene Sperling and Reagan chief of staff Ken Duberstein.

They're all crucial to the series, Wells said.

"The most important thing about writing the show, as far as political issues go, is having arguments. We have to have people in the room to argue both points - and they do," he said. "It's a load of fun. It's actually my favorite part (of creating the show): You get to sit there and listen to these people harangue each other."

Will the series be affected by the outcome of November's President Bush-Sen. Kerry election?

"I would say a lot of that depends on how the election itself goes," Wells said. "If its as close or contested as the last election, that may have an impact."

For some viewers, he speculated, the desired goal is fantasy rather than reality.

"I think we have a number of viewers who showed up after (the 2000) election because they felt that who they wanted in office wasn't there, so they came to see what Bartlet did."

This is the first season "The West Wing" has returned without a best-drama Emmy in hand. After four consecutive wins, the award went to HBO's "The Sopranos."

Wells said he was pleased with the outcome. The mob drama was overdue for a win, he said, and "The West Wing" can proceed without the question of whether it or any show is worthy of so many laurels.

Some critics argue the political drama fell short of the dramatic heights reached when Sorkin was on board, through the end of the 2002-03 season.

Wells largely disagrees but acknowledges the challenge of shifting from a show written by the prolific Sorkin to one relying on a new staff of writers.

"We had the experience of changing drivers in a race car in the middle of the track doing 200 mph. ... It was as difficult a thing as I have ever been involved in creatively," he said, adding: "A lot of the shows we were very proud of."

fredfa

10-15-04, 12:18 AM

Reality TV still breathes:

Peacock will play a 'Hoax'
By JOSEF ADALIAN, Variety.com Thurs., Oct. 14, 2004, 10:00pm PT

NBC and Ben Silverman are about to attempt "The $25 Million Hoax."
The Peacock Network has quietly wrapped production on "Hoax," a top-secret three-episode reality skein in which one person has to convince her family and friends that she's won a $25 million lotto.
"Hoax," which is based on Maverick Television's Sky TV format "Million Pound Hoax," could air as soon as next month. An NBC rep declined comment on "Hoax."
As in the U.K. show, producers pick one person and give him or her the assignment of fooling loved ones into thinking they've become filthy rich via a lottery -- even though they haven't won a thing. Cameras then tag along to document the new lottery "winners" as they begin to make plans to spend the money they don't have.

rogo

10-15-04, 03:02 AM

Wow, that sounds like a great show!

NBC continuing on a brilliant trajectory.

Moorebid

10-15-04, 07:46 AM

Originally posted by f44
It would be up against Crossing Jordan, which gets high ratings. Ehyeah, that's a good point… I wasn't even thinking up against what it'd be… that's been my problem with Alias all along, there's always been something else on that I had to watch (X-Files, Malcolm in the Middle and Arrested Development, etc.). Fortunately, I'm not digging Desperate Housewives that much for it to create a conflict… yet… but I don't watch Crossing Jordan, so I could handle that slot… but that's me.

Moorebid

10-15-04, 08:17 AM

Originally posted by AFH
This is a good article but when the Bernoff says "They're aware of the trend and are doing things to either thwart or take advantage of it" I don't see how that affects a someone who sets up a "Season Pass" in your DVR.

The author sites NBC in this quote:
"For example, Bernoff cites NBC's offbeat scheduling, sometimes starting an 8 p.m. show at 7:55 or 8:06 p.m. If you don't have a clue when a show is really coming on, maybe you'll watch it live instead of taping it."That hasn't stop any of my recording from recording everything.

Now when I had the DVR from Cox cable it would get screwed up on things like that, but it seems that the DVRs from the sat companies allow you to create "Season Passes". I have a Directivo so I don't worry about those things.That's entirely dependant upon the guide data being accurate, and often times with these shifts like NBC has done, they've deliberately not informed those responsible for keeping the guide accurate, as the author states, "to…thwart [the use of DVR's]," nevermind the fact that it affects the "clue[less]" viewers who do watch live as much as - if not more than (if the guide actually is kept accurate) - the time-shifters. And even if it's not such large shifts at 5 minutes back or 6 minutes ahead, it's become all-too-commonplace to end a show a minute late, or start it a minute early, but just inconsistantly enough that one might balk at padding the showtime to prevent conflicts. These are desperate, dastardly moves by the networks, and by all rights they should be punished. This should be actionable by the FCC. And fairies should sprinkle me with angel dust…

Moorebid

10-15-04, 08:20 AM

Originally posted by rogo
Wow, that sounds like a great show!

NBC continuing on a brilliant trajectory.You forgot your <sarcasm> tags… ;)

fredfa

10-15-04, 10:21 AM

Thursday ratings posted

fredfa

10-15-04, 10:27 AM

From mediabistro.com/tvnewser:

From an anonymous e-mailer: "Lou Dobbs has called a staff meeting for noon today for his show's entire staff. Could this be an announcement of a timeslot move?" Can anyone confirm this?...
Stephen Battaglio of TV Guide.com cites the New York Daily News report that Dobbs may move to primetime, and says: "You've got to believe that the shift will happen sooner rather than later to capitalize on any possible viewer fallout O'Reilly may face from the story."

fredfa

10-15-04, 10:36 AM

The TVGuide.com:

The Scandal Factor: Can Bill O'Reilly Survive Sexgate?

Bill O'Reilly was on the offensive Thursday as the news of a sexual harassment suit filed against him was splashed across newspapers and TV shows.

He filed a countersuit calling the former employee's charges a shakedown attempt. He bravely went ahead with a scheduled appearance on Live with Regis & Kelly and said it was "the worst day of his life."

But will his sponsors play defense?

It's too soon to tell, but that's the big question that lies ahead. Even if things go his way in court, his image has been singed in the short run by a tawdry personal story. Not good for a guy who has scored big ratings by condemning the moral flaws of others.

Advertisers — many of them blue-chip companies — pay as much as $22 per thousand adult viewers for a 30-second spot on The O'Reilly Factor. When you're drawing as many as 3 million viewers each weeknight, that adds up.

Will those advertisers leave the show when O'Reilly becomes the subject of vibrator jokes in Jay Leno and David Letterman's monologues?

"It's a tricky situation," says Brad Adgate of Horizon Media. "Something like that is always possible. Certain advertisers have different thresholds for that kind of thing than others."

One thing O'Reilly has going for him is a loyal viewer following. "It doesn't hurt him," Adgate says, adding, "We'll see how loyal [his audience] is."

Competitors will be watching as well. Lou Dobbs told the New York Daily News on Thursday that CNN is considering moving his show from 6 pm/ET to 8 pm/ET, putting it head-to-head with The O'Reilly Factor. For the last couple of years, Dobbs has reinvented his business-news show into a Factor-like mix of interviews and commentary.

You've got to believe that the shift will happen sooner rather than later to capitalize on any possible viewer fallout O'Reilly may face from the story.

But O'Reilly has a pretty lofty perch to fall from. He has the highest-rated show on any cable news channel by a wide margin. It's the tent pole for the rest of Fox News Channel's high-rated lineup. Before O'Reilly emerged, viewers only tuned in to cable news to watch — well, the news.

"He invented appointment viewing for news personalities," says Adgate, a former CNN employee. "What he did was create news and high ratings when it was a slow news night. And most news nights are slower than others."

A Fox News spokeswoman did not return our call Thursday.

fredfa

10-15-04, 12:08 PM

TV AUDIENCES DECIDE REALITY BITES
By HOLLY M. SANDERS, New York Post

October 15, 2004 -- Tired of swapping wives, eating cockroaches and getting fired? So, apparently, is the rest of America.

A fall season with a glut of reality shows has led to several cancellations, weak entrants and — more disturbing for network executives — declines for established programs, according to Steve Sternberg, executive vice president and director of audience analysis at Magna Global USA.

NBC's "The Apprentice," the megahit featuring real-estate magnate Donald Trump, has witnessed a decline in ratings in its second season, along with returning shows "The Bachelor" and "Fear Factor."

"The danger in relying too much on reality shows, unlike scripted series, is you never know when it's going to suddenly decline," Sternberg wrote in a new report.

The fall prime-time season is packed with more reality shows than ever, with 10 more hours of un- scripted programming compared with last year, according to Sternberg's analysis.

And, for the first time, the major broadcast networks devoted fewer hours to comedies, dramas and other scripted programs.

At the same time, though, several new scripted shows are actually among the most-watched shows on TV for the first time in years.

Newcomers to the reality genre including the "The Benefactor," "The Complex: Malibu," and "Renovate My Family" have failed to catch on with audiences.

Meanwhile, ABC has two bona fide scripted hits on its hands with campy melodrama "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," about a group of airline travelers stranded on a desert island.

And CBS has continued to build on its successful CSI franchise with the debut of "CSI: NY."

Warp

10-15-04, 12:17 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
One possible fit for Alias is Wednesday at 9, the hour after ABC's other new hit, Lost. The network could package it as the J.J. Abrams Wednesday Showcase. The fading Bachelor can move to Monday after football season ends.

In other words, Jennifer Garner fans, hold off on setting your TiVos. [/B]

Ahh, but one of the great benefits of having a TiVo is not having to worry about when the show airs. As long as the guide data is correct, TiVo will record the show no matter what timeslot the network chooses to air it.

fredfa

10-15-04, 12:25 PM

From the New York Times:

SPORTS MEDIA AND BUSINESS
NBC Sports Considering a Return to the N.F.L.
By RICHARD SANDOMIR October 15, 2004

Does NBC have a yen to carry the National Football League again?

In 1998, it got out of televising N.F.L. games, having refused to outbid CBS for the American Football Conference package and ABC for "Monday Night Football." Ever since, NBC has carried the XFL and the Arena Football League.

Pat Bowlen, the Denver Broncos' owner and the chairman of the N.F.L.'s broadcasting committee, said NBC was considering a return.

Has he talked to NBC?

"Yes," said Bowlen, who said he had talked to Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Universal Sports.

Is NBC interested?

"Yes," Bowlen said.

But how would he and the league coax NBC to enter what could be the type of money-losing deal it had vowed never to revisit? The price of entry for each network - now $550 million annually - will not tumble in the next deal, which will start after next season.

"I don't have to convince them," Bowlen said Wednesday from Denver. "Either they get in the game or not."

Kevin Sullivan, a spokesman for NBC Universal Sports, said, "If there's a good deal to be made, we're always interested."

Bowlen said that the urgency to make a new deal in the coming months had lessened, which dovetailed with ABC and ESPN's desire not to negotiate until after this season (which may give them time to study whether ABC will keep money-losing "Monday Night" or let ESPN take it).

CBS and Fox would not mind renewing their deals sooner, at modest annual price increases. So far this season, only Fox's ratings are up, by 3 percent. The others have fallen: CBS's by 8 percent, ABC's by 3 percent and ESPN's by 5 percent.

Assuming that NBC carries Nascar past 2006, it would not chase Sunday afternoon games, but could pursue the Sunday or Monday night packages. But for its USA network corporate sibling, NBC could seek a package of eight prime-time Thursday and Saturday night games that would start on Thanksgiving. Other cable networks like TNT could also covet that deal.

"There's going to be money in that package," Bowlen said, "and there seems to be interest."

If the N.F.L. can sell a cable network on a Thursday-Saturday deal, it would be found money, perhaps $200 million or $300 million annually.

But Bowlen said the league would have to surmount a major obstacle to play on six Thursday nights, which would create a short week for players. "Thursday games are hard to play, especially if you're a visiting team," he said.

One option to carry the six Thursday games and two Saturday games would be the NFL Network. "Judging by how well it's done in 11 months, we have to look at it as a viable medium that we could put games on," Bowlen said.

But he did not say what would have to occur to put games on the N.F.L.'s in-house channel in the next contract.

"We don't have to be on a fast track to put games on our network," Bowlen said. "But that would make it more successful. We're patient. We're delighted with where it is."

fredfa

10-15-04, 12:39 PM

Is Jennings also 'Jeopardy's' curse?
When he goes, expect ratings to take a tumble
By Diego Vasquez. Medialife.com
Without a doubt, the good thing for “Jeopardy” over the recent months has been Ken Jennings and his remarkable winning streak. As of Wednesday, his tally was at 56 wins and more than $1.9 million in earnings.
But one not-so-good thing about Jennings is that some time in the coming weeks he's going to lose. That will end the syndicated game show's longest-ever winning streak by a contestant.
It will also almost assuredly end a ratings streak that has boosted "Jeopardy" to the No. 1 show in syndication, ahead of both "Wheel of Fortune" and "Oprah" from its traditional No. 3 post.
The near-certainty of that tumble became clear when the show's "Tournament of Champions" aired over recent weeks. Jennings, who had returned to the show with the new season, stepped aside for the annual matchup of the year's top contestants, and the show's ratings promptly tumbled, falling nearly two full rating points.
Jennings's winning streak gave the show almost no bounce. The first two weeks of the new season of “Jeopardy” averaged an 8.5 household rating and finished No. 1 in each of those two weeks.
The following two weeks, “Jeopardy” aired the Tournament of Champions, where the previous year’s top players are invited back to determine the best of the best. Since his streak is still alive, Jennings was not eligible (though he will be next year, assuming he really does lose by then).
In its first week, the week ended Sept. 26, “Jeopardy’s” Tournament of Champions averaged a 7.1 household rating, down 16 percent compared with the previous week.
The next week, ending Oct.3, and the last week for which national syndication ratings are currently available, the show slipped another 3 percent to a 6.9 average rating.
Not disastrous by any means, as the show still finished No. 3 in syndication during both of those weeks (behind “Wheel of Fortune” and “Oprah”), but a testament to the ratings draw Jennings truly is.
When will "Jeopardy's" ratings streak end? The best guess is sometime in November, when Jennings blows a key final question and ends his winning streak, or so it's been reported.
Should the show's ratings tumble, it will still be one of the most successful shows in syndication, at its old ranking of No. 3. But its chance of climbing to No. 1 again could be well off, until it finds its next Ken Jennings.
Syndication people expect “Jeopardy” to return to its normal level in terms of ratings once Jennings’ streak is done, but acknowledge the move to change the five-win rule as wildly successful. (Before last season, five-time winners were given a car and qualified for the Tournament of Champions, but weren’t allowed to continue their winning streaks.)
“They created the conditions under which a ‘Jeopardy’ star like Ken Jennings could have a run like that,” says one ratings analyst. “It was a masterstroke.”

fredfa

10-15-04, 12:58 PM

ESPN Shocker: Kiper Gone.

By ANDREW MARCHAND , New York Post.com
October 15, 2004 -- Mel Kiper Jr. is off ESPN's draft board, NYP TV Sports has learned. After a 22-year run as ESPN's NFL draft expert, Kiper is being let go by the network.
"ESPN will not be renewing Mel Kiper's contract," Mark Shapiro, the network's executive vice president, confirmed.
"He would not agree to extend the standard non-monetary contract provisions of his current deal.''
ESPN would not elaborate.
Reached yesterday, Kiper, 44, was unaware of ESPN's final decision.
"You are telling me something ESPN hasn't told me," said Kiper, whose last contract expired Oct. 1. "There was some language that we were not agreeable to. As far as I was concerned, negotiations were ongoing.''
Kiper agreed that money was not an issue. He acknowledged that the language of the contract was the problem, but wouldn't go into great detail. Pressed for an example, he did say he wanted to know a specific number of SportsCenters he would be required to do.

fredfa

10-15-04, 04:39 PM

From medialife.com

NBC's other hurts: 18-34s and 25-54s
Slips behind CBS and ABC in the new season

By Toni Fitzgerald, staff writer, Medialife.com
Through the first three weeks of the season, all the buzz has been about the power shift among adult 18-49 viewers: NBC’s falling fortunes, ABC’s rising star and CBS’s new leadership.
But just as startling has been NBC’s falloff among two other demographics: 18-34s and 25-54s.
Last year at this time, NBC was the easy leader among both. This year it has dipped more than 15 percent in each demo.
CBS and ABC, meanwhile, have both made gains, meaning there’s not just a new leader among 18-49s, there are new leaders among 18-34s and 25-54s, too.
The question now is whether NBC can come back.
Three weeks seems a little early to be making dire predictions for the rest of the year. After all, last season NBC seemed cooked until “The Apprentice” lifted its fortunes in January.
But there’s very little cheer on the horizon for NBC that would predict an upturn in numbers as the season rolls out. It bumped what it considered its big-hope reality show, “The Contender,” to next year after Fox’s disastrous and similarly themed boxing show “Next Great Champ” bombed.
Meanwhile, its new series, hammered by reviewers, are failing to improve ratings for their time slots against last season at this point. And its only returning show yet to debut is “The West Wing,” and that has been in a downward ratings spiral for two years.
At the same time, ABC and CBS have both improved their delivery in every demo on Wednesday nights, Thursday nights (CBS) and Sunday nights (ABC).
That will be a steep hole for NBC to crawl out of. Even a November sweeps victory in any of those demos looks doubtful at this point.
CBS taking the lead in 25-54s was perhaps predictable after strong February and May sweeps in that demo. But ABC’s surge among 18-34s was nowhere near as expected.
According to Nielsen data analyzed by Magna Global U.S.A., NBC and ABC are now tied for No. 1 through three weeks of the season with a 3.3 average among 18-34s. NBC is down 0.6 from this point last season, when it was competing with Fox (down 1.1 this season to a dismal 2.4) for the lead.
ABC is up 0.2, one of four major demographics (also including 12-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s) in which it has increased this season. CBS, too, has recorded a major uptick, going from a 2.5 last season to a 2.9 this year.
Among 25-54s CBS’s 0.3 increase to a 5.1 average rating has put it well ahead of NBC, down 0.8 to a 4.4. ABC has actually crept ahead of NBC there as well, averaging a 4.5 (up 0.2).
Fox has also lost the most ground here, going from a 4.0 last season to a 2.7, though once again the network has premiered very few of its shows in deference to postseason baseball.
The presidential and vice presidential debates, which preempted regular programming on all four of the networks at least twice (Fox showed baseball during two of them) and aren’t particularly popular among 18-34s, also knocked down averages somewhat for the season.
UPN and the WB are essentially static in the two demos, with the WB still leading UPN in both.

fredfa

10-15-04, 04:49 PM

From Variety.com:

'LAX' takes off, 'Hawaii' goes on vacation

By JOSEF ADALIAN, Variety.com
NBC is saying "aloha" to "Hawaii" for the November sweeps and putting "LAX" in a new Wednesday terminal.
As part of a pre-sweeps rejiggering, Peacock plans to air Heather Locklear starrer "LAX" Wednesdays at 8 p.m. during November, replacing the low-rated "Hawaii." Latter sudser will remain in production at least until its 13-episode order is complete; no word yet on a back nine (episodes), though that seems a longshot given its ratings so far.
After a fast start, "LAX" has also slipped in the ratings, losing a big chunk of its "Las Vegas" lead-in. But the NBC brass hope it might be able to find its audience in the 8 p.m. Wednesday slot, where expectations are a bit lower.
Replacing "LAX" Mondays at 10 p.m. will be "The $25 Million Hoax," a new reality skein in which a fake lotto winner has to convince her friends and family that she's won a huge cash prize.

fredfa

10-15-04, 05:13 PM

From this coming Sunday’s Washington Post:

Crime and Replenishment: Why Wednesdays Have Been Murder
By Lisa de Moraes washingtonpost.com
Sunday, October 17, 2004; Page N09
Wonder why, four weeks into the new TV season, there are almost as many reruns on Wednesday night as on Saturday -- a night on which all of the networks have formally given up on original scripted programming?
When NBC unveiled its new prime-time lineup to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall last May, it promised advertisers it would keep "The West Wing" in the Wednesday 9 p.m. time slot. A couple days later, when CBS trotted out its new prime-time slate at Carnegie Hall, it announced that its 9 p.m. Wednesday hour would consist of two comedies, "King of Queens" and the new "Center of the Universe," marking John Goodman's much-ballyhooed return to sitcoms.
Yet since the official start of the TV season on Sept. 20, NBC has been airing "Law & Order" reruns at 9 p.m. Wednesdays -- except the first Wednesday of the season, when it aired back-to-back original "Law & Orders" from 9 to 11 p.m. Meanwhile, CBS changed course, plugging the hole with a "Dr. Phil" special during premiere week, and more recently with reruns of some "CSI" or another. Both networks vow that starting this week, they'll bring us the Wednesday 9 o'clock shows they promised.
The two networks' 9 p.m. series are the victims of the two networks' 10 p.m. series. CBS is trying to take down NBC's venerable "Law & Order" with the latest clone of its procedural crime drama factory, "CSI."
Naturally, each network wants to give its 10 p.m. show the biggest possible lead-in audience. NBC felt that would be better accomplished at 9 p.m. with "Law & Order," even in repeats, than with original episodes of "The West Wing." This is reasonable, given that last season, while "The West Wing" was not as bad as some critics had anticipated without Aaron Sorkin at the helm, it was a ratings sinkhole. Meanwhile, CBS's new "Center of the Universe" is just plain bad, the network has had trouble launching a comedy block on Wednesday night, and we've seen that followers of "CSI" flock to reruns in large numbers.
Meanwhile, Fox has been airing "Bernie Mac" reruns on Wednesday nights at 9:30 since the start of the TV season. That's because the network debuted "Method & Red," which was supposed to air in that half-hour, back in the summer and had canceled it by the time the season officially started in September. Clearly, Fox has some work to do on its new, groundbreaking 52-week-a-year schedule.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A35167-2004Oct15?language=printer

fredfa

10-15-04, 07:39 PM

Michael Moore's Pre-Election TV Special Nixed
By DAVID BAUDER, Associated Press Writer Oct 15, 7:18 PM (ET)

NEW YORK (AP) - The cable pay-per-view company iN DEMAND has backed away from a plan to show a three-hour election eve special with filmmaker Michael Moore that included the first television showing of his documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11."

The company said Friday it would not air "The Michael Moore Pre-Election Special" due to "legitimate business and legal concerns." A spokesman would not elaborate.

Moore has just released his movie on DVD and was seeking a TV outlet for the film, which sharply criticizes President Bush, as close to the election as possible.

Earlier this week, trade publications said Moore was close to a deal with iN DEMAND for the special, which would also include interviews with politically-active celebrities and admonitions to vote. The Nov. 1 special was to be available for $9.95.

Moore was not immediately available for comment, a spokeswoman said.

The New York-based iN DEMAND, owned by the Time Warner, Cox and Comcast cable companies, makes pay-per-view programming available in 28 million homes, or about one-quarter of the nation's homes with television.

In a statement, iNDEMAND said "we regret that our decision has led Michael Moore to consider legal action against us," which it said would be "entirely baseless and groundless." The company did not say what legal action Moore was considering.

This spring, Moore did battle with the Walt Disney Co., which refused to release "Fahrenheit 9/11" through its Miramax Films because it was too politically partisan for the company's taste.

After that fight became public, Moore found other distributors. The movie, which attacks Bush's handling of the war on terrorists and war in Iraq and the Bush family's ties to Saudi royalty, earned more than $100 million at the box office.

In an interview with a Maine television station that aired this week, former President George H.W. Bush called Moore a "slimeball" and an expletive.

danielhart

10-15-04, 08:09 PM

Was the F-911 pay per view supposed to be in HD? If not, why post about it here?

f44

10-15-04, 08:23 PM

NEXT WEEK'S GUEST HOSTS ANNOUNCED FOR CBS' 'LATE LATE SHOW'
Released by CBS

FROM: WORLDWIDE PANTS INCORPORATED

NEXT WEEK'S GUEST HOSTS ANNOUNCED FOR CBS' "LATE LATE SHOW"

Worldwide Pants Incorporated, which produces THE LATE LATE SHOW, announced that "Everybody Loves Raymond" head writer Tom Caltabiano, KCBS-TV Los Angeles entertainment anchor Lisa Joyner, NBC sportscaster Ahmad Rashad and sports talk radio personality Jim Rome will guest host the CBS late night broadcast next week.

Caltabiano, co-executive producer and head writer of "Everybody Loves Raymond," will host the LATE LATE SHOW Monday, Oct. 18; Joyner, who provides the "Morning Dish" entertainment reports during KCBS-TV's morning newscasts, will host the program on Tuesday, Oct. 19; Rashad, a sportscaster for NBC Sports, and former all-pro wide receiver in the NFL, will host Thursday, Oct. 21; and Rome, also the host of the sports talk radio show "The Last Word with Jim Rome," will host Friday, Oct. 22.

THE LATE LATE SHOW broadcasts weeknights (12:37-1:37 AM, ET/PT) following the LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN. Both shows are productions of Worldwide Pants Incorporated and broadcast on the CBS Television Network.

f44

10-15-04, 08:25 PM

More about 'Hawaii':

NBC ANNOUNCES PREMIERE OF NEW UNSCRIPTED SERIES '$25 MILLION DOLLAR HOAX' ON NOVEMBER 8 AS 'LAX' LANDS ON WEDNESDAYS BEGINNING OCTOBER 27
Released by NBC

NBC ANNOUNCES PREMIERE OF NEW UNSCRIPTED SERIES ’$25 MILLION DOLLAR HOAX’ ON NOVEMBER 8 AS ‘LAX’ LANDS ON WEDNESDAYS BEGINNING OCTOBER 27

BURBANK, Calif. -– October 15, 2004 –- NBC will premiere the unscripted series "$25 Million Dollar Hoax" on Monday, Nov. 8 (10-11 p.m. ET). "LAX" moves to Wednesdays (8-9 p.m. ET) beginning October 27.

"$25 Million Dollar Hoax" (which will be broadcast on three consecutive Monday nights -- Nov. 8, Nov. 15 and Nov. 22) is NBC's newest one-hour unscripted series about a daughter who plays a "practical hoax" on her family by convincing them she has won the lottery and changed from a level-headed, sweet girl to a selfish spend-a-holic. Veteran prize-presenter Ed McMahon ("Star Search," "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson") and George Gray ("The Weakest Link") help set up the ruse.

Based on a British format from Maverick, the series is produced by Reveille and Hallock Healey Entertainment. The executive producers are Ben Silverman (NBC's "The Biggest Loser"), Scott Hallock and Kevin Healey ("Scare Tactics") and Stuart Krasnow ("Average Joe," "Manhunt").

"LAX" – starring Heather Locklear and Blair Underwood as rival airfield executives who run the chaotic Los Angeles International Airport – will move from Mondays (10-11 p.m. ET) to its new Wednesday night time period (8-9 p.m. ET).

Created by Nick Thiel, "LAX" is from NBC Universal Television Studio. Mark Gordon and Thiel are executive producers with Joe and Anthony Russo serving as co-executive producers and directors.

"Hawaii," previously broadcast on Wednesdays (8-9 p.m. ET), will continue in production in Hawaii and will return at a later date with new episodes.

Because NBC has always followed on their word to continue airing after production (See Miss Match and Good Morning, Miami).

LAX will get killed by Lost.

keenan

10-15-04, 08:35 PM

Boy, it didn't take long for those two shows..

Jim

fredfa

10-15-04, 09:20 PM

danielhart:
Because a) there was some discussion of it being presented in HD,
and b) although this is primarily interested in HD, it seems to me that HD does not exist in a vacuum, and is subject to all kinds of TV pressures, many of them not HD at all.
But your point is one KenH has been making to me, and perhaps we'll just end the thread because it does NOT, as you (and he before you) have noted, solely deal with HD matters.

f44: I am aware of thefutoncritic.com "releases" on "The Late Late Show" and the "Hawaii"/LAX/"$25 Million Hoax". I posted the info on Hawaii and Lost and Hoax yesterday.
(I have found, generally, that TFC is about the last place to get information online, whether it be ratings info or show information. It is not a bad website, just a very slow to post information web site.)
I didn't post Late Late Show guest host info because
a) it isn't in HD and
b) almost no one watches.

keenan

10-15-04, 09:50 PM

Originally posted by fredfa

But your point is one KenH has been making to me, and perhaps we'll just end the thread because it does NOT, as you (and he before you) have noted, solely deal with HD matters.

Why end it? Just move it if that is what is needed.

Jim

f44

10-15-04, 10:22 PM

Originally posted by fredfa

I didn't post Late Late Show guest host info because
b) almost no one watches.

Good point ;) .

I do think this thread should go back to not posting tons of news stories, ratings, and winners and losers of ratings (no offense), but just posts about schedule changes.

bgall

10-15-04, 10:28 PM

Originally posted by keenan
Why end it? Just move it if that is what is needed.

Jim

I see no problem with it. If you move it it'll be the same thing as killing it. The Non-hd thread has no life in it, so much more interesting to keep it here.

fredfa

10-16-04, 12:12 AM

Let's not get into an argument about moving it or not.
That is KenH's decision, and I'll live with whatever he decides.

GregF

10-16-04, 12:55 AM

Well this has been a great thread. It seems a shame to supress it.

keenan

10-16-04, 01:52 AM

Originally posted by GregF
Well this has been a great thread. It seems a shame to supress it.

I agree, it's a great one stop shop for a wealth of info.

Jim

fredfa

10-16-04, 10:13 AM

Basic cable passes a milestone in its decades old fight with the broadcast networks.
From Broadcasting & Cable:

Cable's Clean Sweep
As season opens, broadcast share slips behind ad-supported networks
By Anne Becker and John M. Higgins -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/18/2004
The fall season might be sizzling with surprise hits, but broadcast networks are still collectively losing share to cable.
For the first time, ad-supported cable networks beat broadcast in the initial week of a new season and are holding on to that advantage, according to analyses of Nielsen Media Research data by Turner Broadcasting and NBC.
Basic cable has secured 43% of prime time viewers for the first three weeks of the season, beating broadcast networks by two percentage points. During the same period last year, broadcasters comfortably led cable, 45% to 39%. (Other viewers are watching independent stations, pay cable and PBS.)
According to NBC's analysis, meanwhile, basic-cable viewership has zoomed 10%, to 45 million, while broadcast networks have dropped 9%, to 42 million.
"The trend is toward cable," says Jack Wakshlag, chief of research at Turner Broadcasting, although he cautions that the numbers are almost a dead heat in the 18-49 demo most critical to advertisers. Turner's analysis shows cable with a slight lead, 41.6% of the demo, compared with broadcasters' 40.4%. NBC counts a bit differently and has broadcasters with a 43% share, edging out cable's 42%. Still, even NBC's method shows broadcast's 18-49 viewership dropping 6% and cable's rising 9%.
Cable-industry executives attribute the gains to the fact that cable is airing more off-broadcast hits like CSIand Law and Order and has been scoring with stronger original series. Also, cable news networks such as Fox News and CNN are seeing gains from election coverage and the presidential debates.
Broadcasters insist that the discussion is misguided. They point out that, while they're locked into the same seven network outlets, the number of basic-cable channels grows every year. Nielsen now includes 54 cable networks in its core Galaxy system ratings reports, up from 50 a year ago, and there are dozens more channels nipping away.
"It's like a pizza," says Tom Bierbaum, vice president of ratings and program information at NBC. "At one time, you had four or five very big pieces in the home. Now you have 100 slices in the pizza, and they're going to be a smaller size."
But the broadcast networks still perform better on an individual basis than the cable networks.
"It is somewhat significant that, in aggregate, cable is now ahead of broadcast in total viewers, because it gives you an idea of the landscape and there is some kind of shift going in," says Steve Sternberg, executive vice president of audience analysis at Magna Global USA. "But on an individual basis, the broadcast networks are still way ahead."
They're way ahead. But even in that area, the gap is closing.
Wakshlag points out that the divide between the top four broadcast networks and the top four ad-supported cable networks has shrunk by 50% over the past decade. Between the third quarter of 1993 and the third quarter of last year, the difference went from 5.4 to 2.7.
"The erosion on broadcast is driving their numbers lower, and the abundance of cable networks isn't hurting cable because they're getting stronger in terms of programming and marketing," he says.
Even when the networks enjoy a roaring success in the ratings, it's not quite the jackpot it once was. ABC has scored big with Desperate Housewives and Lost, but the network's Tuesday- and Friday-night comedies are performing so poorly that the network's overall share of 18-49 went only to 3.9 from 3.8 during the same period last year.
When a broadcaster loses its touch, viewers' having so many other options can be brutal. NBC is getting hammered in every demo, off 12% in total viewers and down what must be a terrifying 16% in adults 18-49. The network's troubles owe to more than just the stumble of adult cartoon Father of the Pride and nobody's pal Joey. Ad buyers are also startled at the slide of the usually reliable warhorse Law & Order. The original edition of the franchise, which is under attack from CBS' hit CSI: New York,has dropped 15% in total viewers and 11% in 18-49s.
That's huge, because the three shows of the L&O franchise are critical to NBC's schedule. Spinoff L&O: Criminal Intent isn't faring much better, off 7% in total viewers and 8% in 18-49s. L&O: Special Victims Unit, however, has risen about 7%.
Fox is walking the ratings tightrope as well. The network decided to debut some shows in the summer and delay the rest until after its coverage of Major League Baseball playoffs and the World Series is over. The network's total viewership has plunged 37% so far this season.
One ad-agency researcher says that a useful way to analyze Fox is to filter out special events (like the Emmys) and sports events. Seen that way, Fox's total viewership is down only 8%.
Even so, Fox is undoubtedly looking forward to the January return of American Idol.

fredfa

10-16-04, 11:53 AM

Friday's ratings posted

f44

10-16-04, 06:06 PM

For "The Wonderful World of Disney Oct 16 HD Movie: Growing Pains, the Return of the Seavers 7PM ET" it is actually 8pm ET, and although most TWWOD movies are in HD, Growing Pains will not be in HD.

fredfa

10-16-04, 06:21 PM

thanks f44

fredfa

10-17-04, 11:55 AM

Saturday's ratings added

leesweet

10-17-04, 03:50 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
Let's not get into an argument about moving it or not.
That is KenH's decision, and I'll live with whatever he decides.
Two things, one about the thread, one about Hawaii:

1. Does it really matter that much where the thread is? Don't you all *subscribe* to threads that interest you? Ones that I've posted in I'm auto-sub'd to. and I subscribe (see link at top of every page of every thread) to others that I want to see in my Control Panel when new posts are there.

Why should it matter where it is? I agree this is more of a reference thread than a discussion one, and/but it's very useful, as for example:

2. Hawaii: I'd read either Thursday or Friday in the Washington Post TV Column what sounded like the show was toast immediately. Nothing about more eps being made and held. (So, now I won't delete the Season Pass! :) ) Great info here, thanks!

I don't see why we can't stay in HD Prog, since most of the shows discussed are HD, but moving shouldn't be a death blow!

fredfa

10-17-04, 08:34 PM

Fox puts Bernie Mac on hiatus.
More details under Latest News.

AFH

10-17-04, 09:28 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
Fox puts Bernie Mac on hiatus.
More details under Latest News.

What. Why? Ok, I'll look under Latest News.

fredfa

10-18-04, 01:20 AM

The always-provocative Tom Shales view of the TV scene as of the Oct 18 issue of TV Week:

Lately, Viewers Know Best
By Tom Shales, TVWeek.com
Perhaps it's morally wrong to go all gleeful when a show is canceled, even when it's a bad show and you hoped it would be canceled. After all, people will be thrown out of work and a network executive might even be demoted and the executive producer who sold the show may have a harder time selling his next one and-oh who cares if it's morally wrong? This is television, a world of moral relativity if there ever was one.

It is encouraging when the public and the critics agree on a show because it helps disprove that old network whine that the critics are "out of touch" with the mainstream and don't know what people want and blah blah blah. Critics are a lot closer to the audience than those executives are, one famous network snob having referred once to the population between Los Angeles and New York as "the people we fly over."

That ugly utterance was made before cable became such a force to reckon with-and before reality TV put a lot of those people previously flown-over on TV themselves.

So far this season, from a critic's point of view, the audience has generally shown sense and taste, rewarding the exceptionally good and punishing the gruelingly bad. One of the most satisfying hits is ABC's "Desperate Housewives," a drama series just offbeat, daring and quirky enough to stand out proudly from the pack, and the pack of dramas on network prime time these days is pretty darn good. "Desperate Housewives" has shown little erosion since its smash-hit premiere, luring 20 million happy viewers a week-although audiences are more fickle than ever and might get testy if its mystery subplot doesn't start paying off.

Saints preserve us, this looks like the year that NBC's "ER" may finally slide out of the Top 10-shoved aside by a CBS "CSI"-though it hasn't so far, and can claim a remarkable decade at the top of the Nielsen heap. It's just that NBC's once-solid Thursday has, heh heh, crumbled under it, with "Joey" the lead-off man a fairly pale shadow of "Friends," suggesting perhaps that NBC should have been brave enough to try something original and bold in the time slot rather than go with this strange breed of old and new show.

Imagine if the same network had tried to continue "Cosby" with the kids all having been, oh, kidnapped or banished to boarding school because the actors' contracts ran out or got too expensive. No offense to Mr. Cosby, but people tuned in to see the whole family. It would have been less fun somehow to watch Dr. Huxtable stalk around his empty house bellowing at shadows on the wall or pausing to trim his toenails. Remember how CBS fell on its eye when it tried to bleed a bit more plasma out of "M*A*S*H" with its "AfterMASH" series? It might as well have been called, "Don't Bother to Watch."

"Archie Bunker's Place" was a sad old dive with Mike and Gloria and eventually even Edith gone. The only thing worse would have been "The Ed Sullivan Show" with just Ed and no acts. "And now, right here on our stage-me. Did I ever tell you about the time Sylvia and I were at the Stork Club and in walked Cesar Romero? ... "

I confess taking pleasure in seeing shows I raved about succeed and shows I hated take a terminal dip in the Jacuzzi. ABC's "Benefactor," with Mark Cuban as a poor man's Donald Trump (OK, a less wealthy man's Donald Trump), is such a calamity that the network will edit the last several episodes into two or three and wrap the thing up so it can be given a hasty burial in Forest Lawn. NBC has decided to say, yes, aloha to "Hawaii," the lamely formulaic cop show that, unlike Jack Lord's immortal "Hawaii 5-0," featured a cast with as few true Hawaiians as possible. Come on, that was just plain shameful, or else stupefyingly arrogant.

Oh do I hate life as we know it-I mean, "life as we know it," the monomaniacal ABC drama about boys and sex and girls and sex and boys and sex. Thus I can't summon any tears over the fact that it's barely luring 4 million viewers into the tent, though the competition includes as another of CBS's "CSI's." Meanwhile, NBC can't be scoffing too loudly at the failure ABC had imitating "The Apprentice," since NBC's own imitation, the sequel "Apprentice II," is-while hardly a flop-not performing as well as the first one did. Donald Trump's decision to barge around New York making an obnoxious rich ass of himself probably didn't help the show.

It's a disappointment that the rowdy, funny sitcom "Complete Savages" is taking something of a beating as part of the exhumed ABC "TGIF" concept, but oh what sweet justice in the news that CBS's "dr. vegas" (lower-case titles are in this year; maybe it's figured they stand out in TV Guide listings) is already on life support, declining from 9 million viewers upon its premiere to under 8 million now. This is a show where everybody seems to be phoning it in-cell-phoning it in, in fact. The critics loathed it and the public, bless its heart, appears to concur. Prognosis: rigor mortis.

Meanwhile, there is apparently no truth to the rumor that, in desperation, a certain network is changing the title of one of its longest-running series to "The CSI Evening News with Dan Rather."

rogo

10-18-04, 02:10 AM

I guess it's "provocative" when you have selective memory, too, huh?

Otherwise, how could you rip on shows that didn't even exist, and only point out failure spinoffs....

I mean, if you had to remember: Maude and The Jeffersons spinning out of All in the Family; Rhoda coming out of The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Frasier spinning out of Cheers... I mean, if you had to remember those, you couldn't just dismiss Joey out of hand merely because it came out of Friends.

And while I'm not at all convinced that Joey is the next great comedy, I do know that most of its predecessors didn't debut as the next great comedy but took time to find their audiences... Indeed, Fox deserves an iota of credit for sticking with Arrested Development -- if at least to give it a chance to turn all that critical accalim into viewers.

Mark

Moorebid

10-18-04, 07:06 AM

Originally posted by rogo
Fox deserves an iota of credit for sticking with Arrested Development -- if at least to give it a chance to turn all that critical accalim into viewers.They're making amends for cancelling Andy Richter Controls the Universe after 2 not-even-half-seasons… let us all raise our glasses… to Andy…

Xesdeeni

10-18-04, 09:26 AM

Originally posted by fredfa

It's a disappointment that the rowdy, funny sitcom "Complete Savages" is taking something of a beating as part of the exhumed ABC "TGIF" concept...He liked that garbage? HD made me watch, but it was unbearable. I tried "Listen Up" and "Rodney," and I'll be trying "Center of the Universe" this week (finally!), but "Complete Savages" was the worst of the lot. It and "Listen Up" have been deleted from my HD-HTPC record list (even though I love the rest of CBS's Monday night lineup), and "Rodney" is only hanging on by a thread.

Several years ago I was walking down the strip in Las Vegas and a guy with a CBS cap on asked me if I wanted to preview a new sitcom. Ever the paranoid in Vegas, I was suspicious, but it turned out to be legitimate. Along with a dozen or so other passers-by, I was ushered into a small hotel conference room and plopped in front of a 25" TV on one of those metal AV roller thingys (seemed a bit High School-ish to me for a company like Viacom). Then we were "treated" to a pilot starring none other than Dolly Parton! It was formula. It had a canned laugh track. We rated it as we left. And it never saw the light of day. But that unaired show was better than "Complete Savages" or "Listen Up."

I suspect Mel Gibson's involvement with "Complete Savages" is all that is holding it above water. And while Malcom Jamal Warner is very good (and would have made the show worthwhile as the actual lead), it's probably Jason Alexander that is buoying "Listen Up."

Xesdeeni

fredfa

10-18-04, 11:14 AM

Sunday's ratings posted

fredfa

10-18-04, 11:15 AM

Marc Berman's take on the new prime time network TV season:

Mr. Television: Nip And Tuck
(Marc Berman’s Mr. Television column from the 18, 2004 issue of MediaWeek.)

It's an established fact in network television that most new series don't make it past season one. But maybe it doesn't always have to be that way. Sometimes just the right tweak—in scheduling, casting or promotion—can save a show teetering on the brink of cancellation.

Now, some shows simply have no chance of survival, and this season has its share: ABC's The Benefactor, CBS' dr. vegas, NBC's Father of the Pride, Fox's North Shore and the WB's The Mountain. But here are some things the networks can, and should, do to jump-start some struggling shows worth saving.

Although the folks at ABC are ecstatic over the early success of Lost, Desperate Housewives and Wife Swap, they've got some potholes to fill. ABC wisely announced last week that it will bring The Benefactor to an early end, opening the Monday 8 p.m. hour. I think it should use that time slot for life as we know it to save the Thursday teen drama, which is being buried by CSI and The Apprentice. Although life as we know it seems an awkward lead-in to Monday Night Football, the latter is over by January anyway. And young viewers tiring of the WB's feel-good 7th Heaven would have another option. Two other nits: The producers of life as we know it should stop having the characters talk directly to the camera, and ABC should start capping the title of the series.

As it stands, ABC has a golden opportunity to build on its resurging line of dramas if it finds a compatible lead-out for Wednesday anchor Lost. What about the retooled Alias, which is supposed to come back in midseason? It would be better than wasting this key real estate on The Bachelor, which is losing steam. ABC should trim its T.G.I.F. comedy block to one hour and move The Bachelor to Friday at 9 p.m. To strengthen the evening, I would send 8 Simple Rules (which never found itself after losing John Ritter) and Complete Savages (which is just a complete mess) into hiatus while moving the strongest of the Friday comedies, Hope & Faith, to 8 p.m. followed by the underrated Less Than Perfect. As for The Bachelor on Friday, something this light and fluffy could work for women not interested in putting their thinking caps on at the end of the week.

Although NBC wants people to believe Joey is a hit, it's not. Here's why, in my mind: It made no sense taking a supporting character, promoting him to the lead and surrounding him with only three other regular characters. My suggestion to NBC is give Joey more regulars to interact with. Bring in sassy Brenda Vaccaro as Joey's mom for an occasional visit and beg one—or more—of the old Friends gang to stop by for a guest appearance. In a perfect sitcom world, Chandler would divorce Monica and head to L.A. for the improved Joey and Chandler Show. Joey alone reminds me of Archie without Edith on Archie Bunker's Place—it's not funny.

NBC would also benefit if it yanked LAX on Monday and brought back Average Joe, which was a respectable alternative at 10 p.m. last spring. Heather Locklear is obviously better at saving a struggling series than she is launching a new one.

Considering the WB has already green-lit Sunday drama Jack & Bobby, starring Christine Lahti, for a full season, here's what it should do: Flip it with The Mountain on Wednesday. While Smallville on Wednesday may not seem like a fitting lead-in, Jack & Bobby is a better show than The Mountain. Plus, Smallville would provide a bigger lead-in than Charmed does on Sunday, and those viewers who aren't hooked on UPN's Kevin Hill might be more apt to give Jack & Bobby a chance. The WB has never had any luck programming the Sunday 9 p.m. hour, and though I credit the network for trying with Jack & Bobby, it's too good a show to waste there. The Mountain isn't.

Over at UPN, it's time to ship Scott Bakula off to a Quantum Leap reunion and do away with Star Trek: Enterprise. Granted, even a diluted Enterprise on Friday does better than UPN's cop-out Friday Movie, but a mere 2.89 million viewers in its first telecast this season is nothing to boast about. If UPN wants to really stand on its own, it's time to stop relying on a franchise that needs a breather.

As for Fox, baseball has once again interrupted the fall (which may be a blessing for now) and helped the network stall for time until American Idol returns. By moving shows around right and left—just where is Bernie Mac these days?—the network has not planned well for the future. Word of warning: When viewers start losing interest in American Idol—and eventually they will—Fox will crumble.

fredfa

10-18-04, 11:25 AM

This, and I am not kidding, is a new reality effort from Fox.
Details are from thefutoncritic.com:

NANNY 911 (11/3; SERIES PREMIERE)
Air Date: 11/3/04 (WEDNESDAY) Time Slot: 9:00 PM-10:00 PM EST on FOX

THEY'RE OUT TO TAME THE TERRIBLE TWOS … AND THREES, FOURS, FIVES AND SIXES ... “NANNY 911” LAYS DOWN THE LAW WEDNESDAY, NOV. 3, ON FOX

This new, family-oriented, unscripted series follows an experienced Head Nanny and her team of “specialist” nannies, armed with the dos and don'ts of child-rearing. These diverse and knowledgeable English nannies have specific areas of expertise ranging from proper etiquette to controlling temper tantrums. Each one is ready to help exhausted parents tackle the issues creating chaos in their home and whip their families into tip-top shape. The nannies at NANNY 911 will observe the chosen families and study the parent/child dynamics. Head Nanny Lillian will review each case and assign the nanny best suited for the challenge at hand. The nannies will then come into the families' homes, counsel the parents and work their incredible “Mary Poppins”-like magic to transform the terrible tykes into perfect angels, starting on the series preview of NANNY 911 Wednesday, Nov. 3 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (NAN-101) (TV-TBA)

Cast: Head Nanny Lillian, Nanny Deb, Nanny Stella, Nanny Yvonne and Butler Fraser.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: NANNY 911 replaces the previously announced episodes of THE BERNIE MAC SHOW, which is being preempted while Bernie Mac recuperates from illness.)

fredfa

10-18-04, 11:33 AM

Why football matters more now to ABC

It needs 'Monday Night Football' to stay in the play

By Toni Fitzgerald, Medalife.com

A rumor has been floating around since mid-summer that ABC’s “Monday Night Football” may be gone after next season.
The NFL and all the networks are heading into negotiations for the 2006 season, and many have speculated that the price for “MNF” is too high to justify continued support when household ratings have dipped some 14 percent in the past five years.
But now that ABC finally has become competitive this season, on the strength of new dramas “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives,” it seems that the case for keeping “MNF” has been strengthened.
Why? Because ABC still hasn’t figured out a way to fill the night when the NFL is gone come first quarter. And in order to stay competitive for the entire season, it must perform well on Mondays during the first half of the season.
“MNF” has averaged an 11.8 household rating through five weeks this year, its best average since 2000’s 12.7 and up 3 percent over last season. The average would have been even higher except that last week’s blowout win by the Tennessee Titans over the Green Bay Packers averaged a mere 10.1.
ABC’s current deal, which runs through next season, averages $550 million per year to show one game per week, the same amount Fox pays for weekly rights to NFC games.
Negotiations between the NFL and the four networks that carry it – ABC, CBS, Fox and ESPN – are expected to begin this month. Earlier this summer, rumors had “MNF” moving perhaps to ESPN for less money or even to another cable outlet should ABC and ESPN decide to abandon football entirely.
The NFL’s own NFL Network, currently without live games, will surely make a run at some package, and TNT and USA have also been rumored to be interested.
But although the new deal is expected to be just as expensive for ABC, the network can’t really afford not to renew.
Last week, “Monday Night Football” was the seventh-highest-rated show in primetime among adults 18-49, giving ABC four of the top 10 shows.
That boosted ABC to a 4.0 18-49 rating for the week, 0.2 behind CBS and 0.2 ahead of NBC. But the network had only four more shows that ranked among the top 30, meaning that its frontrunners were making up for an awful lot of disappointments (namely the Thursday and Friday schedules).
Before the season, ABC seemed so far behind in the network race that it didn’t matter if it lost one night of strong programming. But now, with its new programs doing so well, ABC can actually compete right along with the other three big networks.
That’s a change that ABC will weigh mightily when negotiations start. The lesson may be that when you are competitive, you have to pay for it. But ABC would rather be in this position than the one it was in just a few months ago, foundering and wondering whether even one winning night was worth the money.
In other sports ratings, the opening American League Championship Series game between the Red Sox and Yankees on Fox last Tuesday scored the best nine-inning ALCS game one ratings since 1993, averaging a 10.0 household rating and 16 share.
It marked Fox’s highest-rated show since the “American Idol” finale last spring.

fredfa

10-18-04, 11:40 AM

This White House drama is a squeaker
This is 'West Wing's' sixth season. Is it its last?
By Toni Fitzgerald, Staff Writer, Media Life
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2004/oct04/oct18/1_mon/news2monday.html
Will President Bartlet be voted out of office this year?
That’s been the rumor for the past month over at fading NBC, where “The West Wing” finally debuts its sixth and possibly last season this Wednesday at 9 p.m. amid a woeful start to the season for the long-time dominant network.
“Wing,” with its pedigreed past of four Best Drama Emmys and critical adoration, seems like a microcosm of NBC’s problems as a whole. Where it once drew viewers to its taut plotlines, the show now seems flabby and unaware of how to win people back, just like its parent network.
The show began to struggle in fall 2002 when ABC’s time slot competitor “The Bachelor” began to thrive. That season “West Wing” went from a 6.7 adults 18-49 average to a 4.5, a one-third dip.
Its fortunes fell even further last season, when Fox’s rookie “The O.C.” stole more younger viewers. The show finished No. 27 for the season among households with a 7.8 average rating, down more than 10 percent from the previous season, when it finished No. 20.
NBC has insisted that rumors of “Wing’s” demise are greatly exaggerated, but the network is running original episodes straight through the season after its late return.
When the last original has run, NBC will introduce the limited-run series “Revelations” in the “Wing” time slot, which will run through the rest of the season.
It’s never a good sign when a show gets bumped. But it’s not particularly surprising, given that “Wing” has been abandoned by critics almost as quickly as audiences.
After the fourth season, creator and main writer Aaron Sorkin left the show, having battled a drug problem and difficulty meeting script deadlines despite often brilliant writing.
Original cast member Rob Lowe and executive producer Thomas Schlamme also exited, leaving John Wells to run the show’s fifth season. Critics, who had already begun turning on the faux president the year before, savaged the new setup.
And viewers may have listened. Though “Wing” remains popular among upscale viewers, especially those making $100,000 per household or more, and adults over age 50, where it ranked No. 19 last season, adults 18-49 seemed to grow tired of it.
Several times last spring “West Wing” hit all-time lows in the 18-49 demo. By the time its season finale aired, “Wing” was consistently down almost 30 percent from its year-ago average.
Much like NBC itself, the show seemed to have lost sight of what made it a big draw the years before: sharp writing, believable characters and crisp plotting.
Now, again like NBC, it’s faced with making a turnaround this season. If numbers don’t improve, NBC will not want to pay the large licensing fee to Warner Bros. that it did two years ago to renew the show.
In January 2003, NBC agreed to pay between $5 million and $7 million for two guaranteed years and an option for a third, which would be next season. If ratings don’t improve, especially in a year when NBC is already down more than 15 percent in most demos, Bartlet won’t be back.
One bright spot for the show, however, is the arrival of two guest stars with the potential to pull in viewers. Jimmy Smits (“NYPD Blue”) and Alan Alda (“M*A*S*H”) both begin guest arcs on the season debut as potential successors to Martin Sheen’s soon-to-retire president.
And who knows? Perhaps the real-life presidential race and the big crowds for the presidential debates will fuel interest in the show. With ratings for “The Bachelor” off big time already, and CBS and Fox’s sitcoms somewhat vulnerable Wednesday night, it would be an ideal time for “West Wing” to rebound.
The problem may be that it’s slipped too far creatively to do so.

GregF

10-18-04, 11:45 AM

Originally posted by rogo

I mean, if you had to remember: Maude and The Jeffersons spinning out of All in the Family; Rhoda coming out of The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Frasier spinning out of Cheers... I mean, if you had to remember those, you couldn't just dismiss Joey out of hand merely because it came out of Friends.

That's a good point but I'm quick to point out that "Friends" was no "All in the Family" and "Joey" is no "Maude".

fredfa

10-18-04, 11:47 AM

More on this season of "The West Wing".
This time from Joanne Ostrow of the Denver Post:

(Article Published: Monday, October 18, 2004)

The "West Wing" aims to soar again via twists
By Joanne Ostrow Denver Post TV Critic

After running on fumes last season, "The West Wing" returns this week with political and romantic jump-starts.

Warning: Spoilers ahead. Those wishing to be surprised should jump to the real-world politics item below.

"West Wing's" sixth season, debuting at 8 p.m. Wednesday on KUSA- Channel 9, posits President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) as a lame duck. He is pondering his legacy - another Nobel Prize? - as possible contenders eye the next election.

"We were a year and a half into the administration when we started the show," executive producer John Wells said in a telephone news conference. "We have term limits in this country, and so, on our electoral schedule, Bartlet's second term would end a year from this coming January."

Expect a season of split priorities, looking forward and back.

Jimmy Smits ("NYPD Blue") will play a former mayor and congressman from Houston who will vie for the Democratic nomination. Alan Alda ("M*A*S*H") plays a senator from California hoping for a Republican candidacy. Bartlet's vice president, Robert Russell (Gary Cole), is another potential challenger, with brilliant young staffer Will Bailey (John Malina) crafting his speeches.

The series is expected to extend beyond this season, Wells confirmed. Sheen's contract expires this year, but he may show up for explorations of Bartlet's life post-presidency.

On the romantic front, the will- they, won't-they tease between Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) and Donna Moss (Janel Maloney) will be resolved. The cliffhanger ending from last season will find Donna recovering from wounds suffered in a Mideast bombing. She and Josh, who flew to her bedside, will return to Washington. Expect significant changes within the staff as Lyman and Moss depart to pursue their relationship, each working for a potential candidate.

The president's chief of staff, Leo McGarry (John Spencer), will suffer a heart attack. Although he'll still show up as a close adviser, press secretary C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) will be offered the position of chief of staff.

New dynamics, new cast members. Clearly the network hopes this all translates into renewed ratings.

AFH

10-18-04, 05:15 PM

Originally posted by GregF
That's a good point but I'm quick to point out that "Friends" was no "All in the Family" and "Joey" is no "Maude".

You're right there.

AFH

10-18-04, 05:16 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
This, and I am not kidding, is a new reality effort from Fox.
Details are from thefutoncritic.com:

NANNY 911 (11/3; SERIES PREMIERE)
Air Date: 11/3/04 (WEDNESDAY) Time Slot: 9:00 PM-10:00 PM EST on FOX

THEY'RE OUT TO TAME THE TERRIBLE TWOS … AND THREES, FOURS, FIVES AND SIXES ... “NANNY 911” LAYS DOWN THE LAW WEDNESDAY, NOV. 3, ON FOX

This new, family-oriented, unscripted series follows an experienced Head Nanny and her team of “specialist” nannies, armed with the dos and don'ts of child-rearing. These diverse and knowledgeable English nannies have specific areas of expertise ranging from proper etiquette to controlling temper tantrums. Each one is ready to help exhausted parents tackle the issues creating chaos in their home and whip their families into tip-top shape. The nannies at NANNY 911 will observe the chosen families and study the parent/child dynamics. Head Nanny Lillian will review each case and assign the nanny best suited for the challenge at hand. The nannies will then come into the families' homes, counsel the parents and work their incredible “Mary Poppins”-like magic to transform the terrible tykes into perfect angels, starting on the series preview of NANNY 911 Wednesday, Nov. 3 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (NAN-101) (TV-TBA)

Cast: Head Nanny Lillian, Nanny Deb, Nanny Stella, Nanny Yvonne and Butler Fraser.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: NANNY 911 replaces the previously announced episodes of THE BERNIE MAC SHOW, which is being preempted while Bernie Mac recuperates from illness.)

All that I have to say is, noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! ;)

fredfa

10-18-04, 06:06 PM

This is definitely not about HD programming, but I found it interesting nonetheless. It's from Long Island New York's Newsday, and is a pretty balanced look at the Bill O'Reilly affair.

OFF CAMERA

Accusing times: Bill O'Reilly takes the first round in what may be a long legal battle

By VERNE GAY October 18, 2004

The peril in writing an intensely personal self-help book based on your own life is that your own words may come back to haunt you. Like right about now:

"My mistakes," a best-selling author once observed, "usually were caused by a congenital impatience, insecurity, and an inability to control myself when confronted with the actions of bad people. Very often, I gave my enemies all they needed to defeat me, [but] at the same time, I made very few mistakes in my personal life." He goes on: "I have both the ability to recognize toxic people almost immediately and also the discipline to avoid them in most cases.

"I had no need for Dr. Phil, and thank God for that."

The writer: Bill O'Reilly. The book: "Who's Looking Out for You?" The irony: Supply your own adjective.

As last week's dueling lawsuits between accuser and accused moved into the courts, the question before TV news' biggest gun (and gunslinger) now stands painfully obvious.

How much damage has Bill O'Reilly done to both image and career by apparently ignoring his own sound advice, assuming she turns out to be "toxic," as the full-barreled force of the News Corp. public relations and legal apparatus now charge?

Before getting to that question, first the facts: At deadline, the accusations leveled at O'Reilly by Andrea Mackris, a 33-year-old "O'Reilly Factor" producer, who claimed in a lawsuit that he initiated sexually explicit phone conversations, have been neither denied nor confirmed by Fox.

O'Reilly's lawyer, Ron Green, has sought a court order to get Mackris and her lawyer, Benedict Morelli, to turn over audio tapes that would prove the allegations, but so far no tapes have surfaced.

Without addressing the merits of either suit, there were indications that Fox News handled this as well as it possibly could have, and maybe even minimized the damage to its single most valuable property - a guy named Bill.

Foremost, sources point out that by firing the first salvo on Wednesday last week, Fox and its particularly hard-knuckled and savvy CEO, Roger Ailes, played directly to the news cycle. That night's final presidential debate essentially drowned out the O'Reilly story the following day.

CNN and MSNBC, which might have joyously played up the story on a slow day, were forced to relegate it by Thursday. Even the shock troops of the news cycle - the influential political bloggers - barely took notice by week's end.

The brazen legal strategy also may have been a base hit for Fox and O'Reilly, observers say. It instantly forced the media to judge the merits of two lawsuits, instead of just one. That tends to fill up column inches, while forcing the fair-and-balanced media to report the details of two complicated legal proceedings.

O'Reilly and Fox knew the charges "were going to come out one way or another and decided to pre-empt it," says Dennis Fleischmann, a New York-based attorney who specializes in labor and employment. And "by tying it into the debates, that was going to be the big story and not necessarily [this]."

Fleischmann also said that Fox's pre-emptive strategy, which was designed to turn the accuser into the accused, is an increasingly common legal ploy, "which a lot of people might find distasteful, but you can't dismiss it as a litigation strategy. People also complain about negative political campaigning, but they keep doing it because it works."

O'Reilly has another big advantage - his devoted fan base. Many are older viewers who are unlikely to drift to Web sites like Smoking Gun where they can read transcripts of what O'Reilly reportedly said to the woman. If and when the tapes are released, the sound bites are unlikely to get little, if any, mainstream media play because of their content. You'll have to go to "The Howard Stern Show" for those outtakes.

Dan Cooper, the former managing editor of the Fox News Channel, who left in 1997, adds, "Bill O'Reilly is a Teflon guy, the way Clinton is a Teflon guy." His fans, he says, "are behind him and they are going to remain behind him."

But observers agree that O'Reilly's most indispensable ally is Ailes - Richard Nixon's former communications adviser and a brawler who relishes total war. In an interview last week, O'Reilly called Ailes "the greatest guy in the world. He's got a blood brother forever." (Ailes declined comment.)

Meanwhile, 3.3 million viewers saw "The O'Reilly Factor" Thursday night, up nearly a million over the average.

Yes, this is just the beginning of what could be a long, devastating and unimaginably messy process. The worst days may lie ahead for O'Reilly. But so far, first round goes to Bill.

f44

10-18-04, 07:44 PM

Two things:

1) Nanny 911 is what Fox did with Trading Spouses. ABC bought the rights from the original British version, which was Wife Swap. Fox lost out to the rights and makes a cheaper, lesser-quality version called Trading Spouses, which it also rushes to premiere earlier than ABC's original version. ABC bought the rights to some popular UK nanny reality show, Fox made Nanny 911.

2) The Rebel Billionaire will be in HD. I noticed all scenes from the show have been letterboxed in the ads for it, did a quick Google search and found:

http://www.cbc-raleigh.com/capcom/news/2004/fox50_04/hd_launch/hd_launch.htm:

"In addition to sports, FOX 50 will broadcast many of the new seasons primetime shows in HD as well. These include 24, Malcolm in the Middle, Bernie Mac, Quintuplets, House, North Shore, The Rebel Billionaire, Emmy Award winning Arrested Development and others."

I have not seen this news mentioned on any TV news site...fredfa, you should put an HD logo next to it on the premiere list.

Unlike The Benefactor's empty promises, we'll have our first HD network reality show.

fredfa

10-18-04, 09:36 PM

It'll get an HD bug, f44, (and thanks for the heads up) but I have to tell you -- it still looks awful.

f44

10-18-04, 11:35 PM

I agree it doesn't look great, it's produced by The Real World and Road Rules people though instead of someone who produces any of the dating shows. However, they did make The Simple Life.

fredfa

10-19-04, 12:36 AM

Having seen some promos, I amend my comment: I think it looks even worse than awful.
There may not be a single show on Fox which gets a double digit share this season -- until American Idol returns.

danielhart

10-19-04, 12:45 AM

Originally posted by fredfa
danielhart:
Because a) there was some discussion of it being presented in HD,
and b) although this is primarily interested in HD, it seems to me that HD does not exist in a vacuum, and is subject to all kinds of TV pressures, many of them not HD at all.
But your point is one KenH has been making to me, and perhaps we'll just end the thread because it does NOT, as you (and he before you) have noted, solely deal with HD matters.

Perhaps I worded my post badly. It does't bother me that it was posted here; I meant to make the point that the valuable information in the post about F-911 might be better disseminated elsewhere (i.e., more people may have seen it). I think the thread itself is great.

daniel

fredfa

10-19-04, 02:21 AM

Thanks daniel.
I apologize for sometimes getting a bit protective of this thread!

fredfa

10-19-04, 11:53 AM

Sorry for the delay.
Monday's ratings posted.

fredfa

10-19-04, 01:30 PM

Week Four prime time ratings are posted

AFH

10-19-04, 02:20 PM

Fredfa, CSI NY isn't in the top 20 rated shows? I'm surprised.

tall1

10-19-04, 02:28 PM

Originally posted by AFH
Fredfa, CSI NY isn't in the top 20 rated shows? I'm surprised. I think the debate pre-empted CSI: NY last week.

AFH

10-19-04, 02:30 PM

Originally posted by tall1
I think the debate pre-empted CSI: NY last week.

Ok, thanks.

f44

10-19-04, 03:22 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
# PROGRAM NET RATING/SHARE VIEWERS
5 SURVIVOR: VANUATU HD CBS 11.6/18.0 19,157,000
20 WILL & GRACE HD NBC 8.5/13.0 13,002,000

Both of these shows aren't HD.

f44

10-19-04, 03:26 PM

How do The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and 3rd Rock From the Sun perform in syndication?

fredfa

10-19-04, 03:32 PM

Medialife.com polled ad buyers and media people about their feelings on the new TV season:

Readers: ABC's tops in the wow factor
Network voted the new season's biggest surprise

Two months ago, no one had anything good to say about ABC. Now the network is the darling of the new season. It's also the new-f0und darling of media planners and buyers.

We asked Media Life readers to evaluate the first month of the new season in a poll last week, and judging by those results media folks are most impressed by what they’ve seen from the Disney network.

ABC gets the nod for the biggest surprise of the season, the strongest start to the season, and for the two top new shows of the season.

Readers used words like “fresh,” “sexy” and “innovative” to describe the long-struggling network. They were relieved to see that new hit shows can prosper without a) crime scenes and b) any resemblance to reality (unless you consider big hairy monsters real).

Perhaps most of all, they were surprised by ABC’s sharp rise in contrast to NBC’s sudden fall.

We asked, “What’s the biggest surprise of the young season?” Two-thirds responded, “ABC’s strong performance among adults 18-49, especially on Sunday nights” while 12.9 percent chose, “NBC’s weak performance among 18-49s, especially on Thursday nights.”

Far fewer were impressed by CBS's gains this season, as impressive as they have also been, with 6.3 percent checking off “CBS’s overall strength in every demo.” The same number chose the “Overall weakness of broadcast and the continued drain to cable.”
Just 4.9 percent picked, “Fox’s overall weakness in every demo.” Nearly 4 percent chose “other,” with responses including “no surprises” and “Reality shows finally going down the tubes (thank you).”

We asked readers to explain their choice, and most of the responses centered on ABC.

“Their track record indicates they'd have a better chance of finding ants in a tar pit than a program that could generate good buzz and real ratings,” said one.

“Who knew people would actually tune in to watch shows like ‘Lost’ and ‘Desperate Housewives?’ What critics like and what middle America seems to like never seems to meet. Great for ABC,” answered another.

“ ‘Desperate Housewives’ had lots of buzz, but it's the first show in the last few years to live up to the buzz,” pointed out one respondent.

Some people were surprised at NBC’s fall combined with ABC’s rise.

“The leader goes down,” observed one respondent.

“I had expected ABC to grow, ‘cause I had seen most of the pilots before their official launch, but that NBC would be the one that suffered the most was unexpected,” observed another.
“My surprise is with how quickly ABC took advantage of NBC's fall ... however, after seeing their fall previews I knew they had a few shows that could do damage,” said one.

“Although NBC has been trending downward, I never expected them to fall off so quickly this year,” answered another.

“‘Joey’ needs some friends,” suggested yet another.

We asked, “Which network is off to the best start of the season?” and no surprise, ABC also dominated with 62.7 percent of the vote.
CBS came second at 34.5 percent, followed by the WB (1.6 percent), UPN (0.8 percent), NBC (0.4 percent) and Fox (0 percent).

As for who’s off to the worst start, NBC was far ahead at 55.1 percent with baseball-laden Fox just behind at 33.1 percent. UPN was third at 7.5 percent, the WB fourth at 2.4 percent, CBS fifth at 1.2 percent and ABC sixth at 0.8 percent.

We asked, “What’s the best new show of the season?” and two ABC shows dominated. “Desperate Housewives” edged “Lost” with 42.4 percent of the vote to 35.3 percent. Far behind came CBS’s “CSI: New York” at 7.5 percent, followed by the WB’s “Jack & Bobby” at 5.5 percent, UPN’s “Kevin Hill” at 2.7 percent and NBC’s “Joey” at 1.2 percent.

More than 5 percent chose “other,” with ABC’s “Boston Legal” leading the write-ins.

We also asked, “What’s the worst new show of the season?” and NBC’s high-priced adult cartoon “Father of the Pride” got the nod with 35.1 percent of the vote.

Another NBC clunker, “Hawaii,” which is now on hiatus, placed second with 23.9 percent, followed by CBS’s “dr. vegas” (13.1 percent), CBS’s “Listen Up” (8.8 percent), the WB’s “The Mountain” (8 percent) and ABC’s “Rodney” (4 percent).

“Other” received 7.2 percent, with “Joey” and all of the above getting the most mentions.

We asked which show will be canceled first, and you tabbed CBS’s “vegas” with 39.7 percent of the vote. Thirty-one percent picked “Pride,” followed by ABC’s “Complete Savages” (11.5 percent), the WB’s “The Mountain” (7.9 percent) and UPN’s “Veronica Mars” (3.6 percent).

Just over 6 percent chose “other,” with several suggesting “Hawaii.”

We wanted to know what deserving show should get a second chance with a new time slot. Forty-two percent chose Sunday's struggling “Jack & Bobby” with ABC’s “life as we know it” just edging “Veronica” for second, 26.9-23.5 percent. “Other” received 7.6 percent, with several saying NBC’s Tuesday 9:30 p.m. “Scrubs,” in its fourth year, deserved a new slot.

We asked, “Which returning show have you been most impressed by?” and 25.3 percent chose “Without a Trace,” which has pulled ahead of time slot competitor “ER” in households. Twenty percent tabbed ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” followed by WB’s “Gilmore Girls” (16.3 percent), CBS’s “CSI” (15.5 percent) and NBC’s “ER” (10.2 percent), which tied with “other.”

NBC’s “Apprentice” took least impressive returning show by a wide margin, getting 38.4 percent. Tied for second were Fox’s “That ‘70s Show” and NBC’s “Law & Order” at 16.8 percent, fourth was ABC’s “8 Simple Rules” at 15.2 percent, and fifth was UPN’s “Star Trek: Enterprise” at 4.4 percent. “Other” received 8.8 percent.

Finally, we figured as long as we had your attention, we’d get an opinion on the Dan Rather situation.
We asked, “Right now, gut feeling, should Dan Rather stay or go?”
An overwhelming majority, 73.8 percent, said, “Stay – He got fed bad information by a source. C’mon, after 30-plus years isn’t a guy entitled to a break?”
Only 26.2 percent answered, “Go – That pinko. He was trying to smear Bush. Goodbye and good riddance.”

fredfa

10-19-04, 03:37 PM

I need to hire you as a proof reader, f44. Good job.

fredfa

10-19-04, 03:44 PM

re f44:
"How do The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and 3rd Rock From the Sun perform in syndication?"

Apparently not well.
I know Third Rock is pretty "tired" by syndication standards. Anyhow, none of those shows appears in the top syndicated numbers for this season.

(Syndication numbers are posted at the bottom of the Monday, Oct. 18th ratings from Marc Berman's column.)
Here they are:

Syndication Scorecard:
Season to-Date Update

OFF-NETWORK SITCOMS
Everybody Loves Raymond: 7.6 (+23)
Seinfeld: 6.5 (- 4)
Friends: 5.9 (-14)
Will & Grace and That '70s Show: 3.5 (-17 each)
Malcolm in the Middle: 3.4
King Of Queens: 3.0 (+ 7)
Home Improvement: 2.8 (-20)
Frasier: 2.3 (-15)
Becker: 2.0 (+ 5)
Girlfriends: 1.8
Drew Carey: 1.8 (no change)
The Parkers: 1.4 (+40)
Dharma & Greg: 1.4 (-39)
Just Shoot Me: 0.9 (-40)
Spin City: 0.6
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: 0.6 (-33)

fredfa

10-19-04, 03:47 PM

November sweep notes from thefutoncritic.com

ABC Issues Early November Sweeps Plans
By The Futon Critic Staff

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- ABC has quietly outlined its November sweeps plans, which as usual include a mix of specials, movies and the like. Here's a breakdown of some of the highlights:

-- Once "The Benefactor" wraps next week look for ABC to initially fill the Monday, 8:00/7:00c hour with the special "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - How'd They Do That?" on November 1. Said program will provide some additional details on the previous night's episode ("Ali Family"). A second "How'd They Do That?" special is also slated for November 29 ("Burns Family"). In between the two, look for the launch of the series version of "Life of Luxury," a follow-up to last year's George Hamilton-hosted "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"-esque special, on November 8.

-- Season six of "The Bachelor" is set to wrap with a two-hour installment on Wednesday, November 24 at 8:00/7:00c. As has been the case in previous seasons, "The Women Tell All" special will air the week prior to the finale (Wednesday, November 17 at 9:00/8:00c) with the "After the Final Rose" special following the finale (Wednesday, November 24 at 10:00/9:00c).

-- On the movie front look for the theatricals "The Rookie" (Saturday, November 6 at 8:00/7:00c), "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (Saturday, November 13 at 8:00/7:00c) and "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (Thursday, November 25 at 8:30/7:30c) during the period.

-- "Nick & Jessica's Family Christmas," the pair's second special for the network, is set to air on Wednesday, December 1 at 9:00/8:00c while ABC's "32nd Annual American Music Awards" will run on Sunday, November 14 at 8:00/7:00c.

-- Following the sweeps period, ABC has scheduled two original movies: the three-hour "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" (Sunday, December 5 at 8:00/7:00c), which stars Ellen Burstyn, Jeff Daniels, Dagmara Dominczyk, Steve Grayhem and Jon Voight, and its "Wonderful World of Disney" presentation of "Naughty or Nice" (Saturday, December 18 at 9:00/8:00c), featuring George Lopez, Lisa Vidale, Bianca Collins, Christopher Collins, James Kirk, Roger Lodge, Dan McLean and John Salley. Also in December, look for "Barbara Walters Presents the 10 Most Fascinating People of 2004" on Wednesday, December 15 at 9:00/8:00c.

fredfa

10-19-04, 05:33 PM

Bye Bye, "Hawaii".
From the Honlulu Advertiser newspaper:

'Hawaii,' faced with poor ratings, gets ax

By Michael Tsai Advertiser Staff Writer
Posted on: Tuesday, October 19, 2004

It's time to bid aloha to "Hawaii."

Members of the "Hawaii" cast arrived on O'ahu last summer with much aloha, appearing at such events as a sneak preview at Sunset on the Beach. Now, the cast is saying aloha again — but this time it means goodbye — after NBC's decision to cancel the police drama.

NBC publicist Jamie French confirmed yesterday that the show "has stopped production."

The cancellation is a blow to the local film and television industry, which has been enjoying a boom year with the arrival of three network television shows filmed on O'ahu: "Hawaii," ABC's surprise smash "Lost," and Fox's "North Shore."

"This is obviously the worst news you can get," said Hawai'i film commissioner Donne Dawson, whose office had worked closely with the production since filming for the pilot episode last spring. "We all had high hopes for this show."

The seventh and, as it turned out, final episode of the show aired Oct. 6 and drew a series-low 5.3/8 overnight rating, barely edging the WB's "Smallville" for third place in its time slot.

The network had pulled the show from its Wednesday lineup for the sweeps ratings period this month, but cast and crew were told last week that the show would return later in the year.

However, a decision was apparently made over the weekend to simply pull the plug on the struggling show.

The network had made an initial order of 12 shows in May, at an estimated cost of about $2 million per episode. An eighth episode has been shot but will not air.

"Hawaii," which starred Michael Biehn, Sharif Atkins, Eric Balfour, Ivan Sergei, Aya Sumika, Peter Navy Tuiasosopo, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, had promised to expose "the other side of paradise" as detectives from the fictional Honolulu Metro Police Department took on a wide and wild array of criminal cases.

The network had big expectations for the show, running high-profile advertisements during the Olympics and scheduling three airings in its debut week.

But the show opened to harsh reviews from national television critics who found it poorly scripted and derivative. And after some encouraging numbers in the first few weeks, the show's ratings fell off.

"Hawaii" did earn praise for attempting, however awkwardly, to represent the breadth of local lifestyles and traditions in its stories, and for hiring a large number of local actors, extras, and crew.

Ultimately, it may have been the debut of another series shot on O'ahu that spelled the end for "Hawaii."

"Hawaii" and "Lost" aired in the same Wednesday night time slot, a position "Lost" has dominated since it debuted a month ago.

"'Hawaii' had relatively strong numbers at the beginning, but unfortunately it had to go up against one of the No. 1 shows of the season," said Honolulu film commissioner Walea Constantinau. "It's unfortunate for us that two Hawai'i shows had to go head to head."

There are many issues yet to be resolved regarding the show's exit from the Islands, but Dawson said her office will work with other productions — including the WB's "Rocky Point," which filmed a pilot here last month — to see if they can make use of some of the resources now available.

"It's disappointing because NBC, both the studio and the local production here on the ground, has been stellar to work with," Dawson said. "They're some of the best people in the business, and we're just deeply saddened."

Constantinau said the cancellation, in some respects, underscores just how fortunate Hawai'i has been to get three (and potentially four, including "Rocky Point") network television series filmed here in one year.

"(The cancellation) is certainly a disappointment, because it really is a challenge to get shows to come here," she said. "But there is a law of attrition with television shows, and it's not a complete surprise that one of the three would not survive.

"It's the nature of the business, and that's why we need a robust industry," she said. "It's fortunate that we have an embarrassment of riches to fall back on this year. The fact that all three got the green light in the first place put us way ahead of the game."

With "Hawaii" getting the early hook, attention now turns to Fox's "North Shore," which has also struggled in the ratings.

The show is on hiatus until Nov. 4, when it moves from Mondays to Thursdays. Fox is hoping to jump-start the show by slotting it after last season's surprise hit, "The O.C.," to which it is often compared.

Fox gave "North Shore" a significant vote of confidence when it picked up the show for the rest of the season (and nine additional episodes). Still, there is a good chance the show might not return next year if it continues to flounder.

The late addition of Shannen Doherty to the cast (a la Heather Locklear on "Melrose Place") was supposed to draw in more of the show's target audience, but it hasn't happened yet. The last episode to air (on Sept. 27) drew a dismal 3.5/5 overnight rating. "North Shore" placed fifth in its time slot, behind ABC's "The Benefactor."

fredfa

10-19-04, 05:43 PM

and one more "Hawaii" story:

‘Hawaii’ gets canceled
after 8 episodes
The NBC police drama suffered from low ratings since its premiere last month

By Tim Ryan, Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

NBC bid aloha to the TV police drama "Hawaii" yesterday.

Last week, NBC executives told the TV show's producers that they could complete four more episodes even though the show was being taken off the air through November. But during the weekend, the network executives decided that the show was being canceled altogether.

The production was filming at its Mapunapuna sound stage yesterday morning when producers Jay Benson, Jeff Reiner and Francis Conway got the word from the network. The trio interrupted filming a few minutes later to tell cast and crew.

"The network said it's over, you're done, stop rolling the cameras," a production source said.

Cast members, production executives and crew stood together yesterday on set sharing tears, hugs, handshakes and alohas.

"This is a very sad day for us," a "Hawaii" staff member said. "We did our homework. We had cultural and technical advisers; we showed Hawaii beautifully; we became ohana."

Producer Conway said he was deeply saddened by the cancellation.

"I care about these people personally and professionally in a very special way," he said, adding that the show was fun.

"Hawaii" had struggled with poor ratings since its premiere last month.

NBC considered moving "Hawaii" to either Monday or Friday nights and away from its Wednesday-night slot against ABC's hit "Lost."

Co-star Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who played Capt. Harada, was pragmatic in his assessment of "Hawaii's" early departure.

"That's show biz," he said. "It may be traumatic ... but the bottom line is that these things happen every day in this business."

Tagawa had been critical of the show's writing.

The cancellation is also a disappointment to the Hawaii Film Office, which worked with NBC to get the show here and played a major role in getting the Mapunapuna sound stage.

"This production has been exemplary in every way as good neighbors," HFO manager Donne Dawson said. "They represent some of the best people in the industry."

"We obviously will talk with other productions to see what may be down the pike, but we don't know if the timing is right," Dawson said.

It will take about five weeks to break down the sets at the Mapunapuna sound stage, which NBC leased for a year beginning last May. The network spent about $1 million to retrofit the space and another $3 million to build sets for the show.

NBC will continue to pay the $57,000-a-month rent until the lease expires in May.

The cancellation also means loss of projected spending here. Each episode cost about $2.1 million, or more than $17 million for the already completed eight shows, about $10 million less than if all 13 episodes were filmed as scheduled.

fredfa

10-19-04, 05:48 PM

Sinclair changes it's plans for the anti-Kerry programming.
From Mediaweek.com

Sinclair Pulls Back From Airing Anti-Kerry Doc
By Katy Bachman and Jim Cooper

Sinclair Broadcast Group on Tuesday released the details of a special one-hour news program that will air on Sinclair stations in 39 markets, report Katy Bachman and Jim Cooper of mediaweek.com.

The announcement contradicts previous reports that Sinclair stations would be airing in its entirety a controversial documentary called Stolen Honor: Wounds that Never Heal, which negatively portrays Sen. John Kerry’s anti-war actions during the Vietnam war.

According to a statement from the company, Sinclair announced that a certain number of its stations on Friday, Oct. 22, 2004 at 8 p.m. will air a special one-hour news program, entitled A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media. In order to minimize the interruption of normally scheduled programming in those markets where Sinclair owns and/or programs more than one television station, the news special will be broadcast on only one of the stations.

The news special, according to the Sinclair statement, will focus in part on the use of documentaries and other media to influence voting, which emerged during the 2004 political campaigns, as well as on the content of certain of these documentaries. The program will also examine the role of the media in filtering the information contained in these documentaries, allegations of media bias by media organizations that ignore or filter legitimate news, and the attempts by candidates and other organizations to influence media coverage, the statement said.

Sinclair stations will not be airing the documentary “Stolen Honor” in its entirety. The company statement said it never publicly announced that it intended to do so.

While the news special will discuss the allegations surrounding Sen. John Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activities in the early 1970s raised by a number of former POWs in “Stolen Honor,” it will do so in the context of the broader discussion outlined above.

The program will be hosted by Jeff Barnd, the Emmy award–winning co-anchor of Fox 45's 10 News, which airs on WBFF-TV, Sinclair's flagship station in Baltimore.

The Sinclair announcement follows a week of acrimonious back-and-forth between the broadcaster, the Kerry Campaign, and Democratic and public-interest groups over whether Sinclair would be crossing the line of fairness if it aired "Stolen Honor."

Several advertisers expressed concern about running ads near the documentary and asked that spots be pulled or moved in order to avoid any fallout from the controversial film. Sinclair's stock price also dipped in the midst of the dispute and major shareholders complained to the company's board of directors.

Also, this week, Sinclair fired its Washington, D.C., bureau chief Jon Leiberman for publically challenging the journalistic integrity of the company if it aired the anti-Kerry documentary.

"The experience of preparing to air this news special has been trying for many of those involved," said David Smith, Sinclair president/CEO. "The company and many of its executives have endured personal attacks of the vilest nature, as well as calls on our advertisers and our viewers to boycott our stations and on our shareholders to sell their stock."

keenan

10-19-04, 05:52 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
and one more "Hawaii" story:

‘Hawaii’ gets canceled
after 8 episodes

Not really a surprise, I would like to see Aya Sumika in something though..:D

Or maybe nothing..:p

And I think Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is a good actor although his role on this show was pretty minor...

Jim

fredfa

10-19-04, 05:57 PM

I tend to agree keenan.
I thought some of the characters had possibilities, but the writing was second-rate at best.
And it seemed to me that the vast majority of the major characters could have been just as home in a police department in Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, or Dubuque as they were in Hawaii.
The HD scenery was really stunning, though.
But then I love Hawaii.

fredfa

10-19-04, 05:58 PM

A different take on the latest Sinclaior story from TV Week.com:

Sinclair Fires Back at Critics; Special to Air Oct. 22

By Michele Greppi, TV Week.com

Sinclair Broadcast Group took on its critics Tuesday as it announced the title, content and broadcast schedule for its controversial one-hour news program that has spurred protests and calls for boycotts of Sinclair stations and advertisers.

"A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media" will air at 8 p.m. (ET) Friday, Oct. 22 on some 40 of the 62 stations owned and/or programmed by Sinclair. In markets in which the station owns and/or programs more than one station, the program will air only on one station.

The announcement said the program will focus on attempts to influence voting via "documentaries and other media" and on the "content of certain of these documentaries."

According to the announcement, "The program will also examine the role of the media in filtering the information contained in these documentaries, allegations of media bias by media organizations that ignore or filter legitimate news and the attempts by candidates and other organizations to influence media coverage."

The announcement also took issue with the characterizations of its plans in "numerous inaccurate political and press accounts." It claimed that Sinclair, which is well-known for its conservative politics and contributions, had never said it planned to air in its entirety the documentary "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," in which Vietnam-era prisoners of war argue that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's antiwar activities exacerbated their situations in captivity.

"A POW Story," which Sinclair describes as a news special, will discuss the "Stolen Honor" allegations in the context of the broader discussion suggested by the title. The program will be hosted by Jeff Barnd, news anchor of Sinclair flagship station WBFF-TV in Baltimore.

Sinclair News VP Joe DeFeo said, "We have not ceded, and will not in the future cede, control of our news reporting to any outside organization or political group. We are endeavoring, as we do with all of our news coverage, to present both sides of the issues covered in an equal and impartial manner."

According to the announcement, Sinclair "has been in private communication with Sen. Kerry's campaign, including a recent face-to-face meeting with senior campaign officials, for approximately two weeks in order to negotiate participation in the special by either Senator Kerry or his designee. Although the Kerry campaign declined to participate, Sinclair has left the invitation open and will make every effort to accommodate the Senator up to the air date for the program should he become willing to present his viewpoint for Sinclair's audience."

Sinclair CEO David Smith said in the announcement that "The experience of preparing to air this news special has been trying for many of those involved. The company and many of its executives have endured personal attacks of the vilest nature, as well as calls on our advertisers and our viewers to boycott our stations and on our shareholders to sell their stock."

Mr. Smith claimed, "We have received threats of retribution from a member of Sen. John Kerry's campaign and have seen attempts by leading members of Congress to influence the Federal Communications Commission to stop Sinclair from broadcasting this news special. Moreover, these coordinated attacks have occurred without regard to the facts since they predated the broadcast of our news special."

A complete list of stations carrying "A POW Story" can be found on Sinclair's Web site, www.sbgi.net.

fredfa

10-19-04, 06:06 PM

We have to remember this about network TV and its programs: pressure groups are always watching -- and more.
(From Cnn/Money.com)

ABC hit 'Housewives' losing sponsors
Under pressure from 'pro-family' groups upset over ABC's naughty new hit, some companies halt ads
(But others seem happy to get all those viewers).
By Krysten Crawford, CNN/Money staff writer

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Walt Disney Co.'s best shot at reviving its sickly ABC network may have plenty of skin and sin, but "Desperate Housewives" also has fewer original advertisers than it did just a few weeks ago.

Tyson Foods, Lowe's Cos., and Kellogg have all aired spots on the weekly prime time soap that debuted late last month. And none plan to air any more.

Officials at two of the advertisers -- Arkansas-based Tyson Foods (up $0.16 to $15.15, Research) and North Carolina-based Lowe's Companies (down $0.11 to $56.40, Research) -- confirmed that the decision against buying more commercial time on "Desperate Housewives" was based on the hit show's cheeky script, which centers on a tony suburban neighborhood where four middle-aged women live in misery and a fifth who committed suicide narrates from the grave.

In all, five companies -- Tyson, Lowe's, Kellogg and frozen meal makers ConAgra Foods and Pinnacle Foods Group -- have come under attack in the last week by the American Family Association, a self-described "traditional family values" group that has over the years been a relentless critic of the entertainment industry.

Through two of its member Web sites, the American Family Association has rallied thousands of followers, who last week began inundating the e-mail servers and phone lines at Tyson, Lowe's and ConAgra.

Within hours, Lowe's and Tyson notified the association that they were pulling out of any future advertising on the show, said Randy Sharp, the special projects editor for the American Family Association and the editor of its OneMillionMoms.com and OneMillionDads.com

Gary Michaelson, a Tyson spokesman, said the company bought air time on one episode before deciding against purchasing more. "The show is not consistent with our core values, which focus on operating with integrity and trust in all we do," he said.

At Lowe's, the company did not know that Whirlpool, the largest U.S. home appliance maker whose ads feature the Lowe's logo, was a sponsor until an ad appeared on "Desperate Housewives."

Lowe's officials were not pleased.

"Our advertising guidelines are such that Lowe's chooses not to advertise in controversial programming, including programming with gratuitous sex and violence," said Chris Ahearn, Lowe's director of public relations. She said steps have since been taken to avoid a similar breach of company policy in the future.

Calls to ConAgra were not returned. Sharp claimed victory, however, noting that the Omaha, Neb.-maker of Chef Boyardee, Healthy Choice and other packaged foods did not advertise on a recent episode of "Desperate Housewives." Sharp said ConAgra (Research) got about 36,000 e-mails last week from American Family Association members.

This week the association's membership set its sights on breakfast cereal maker Kellogg and Pinnacle Foods, the producer of Swanson frozen foods and Vlasic pickles. A Kellogg spokeswoman confirmed that the company, which aired one ad on "Desperate Housewives," is not planning to buy more commercial time on the show.

A call to Pinnacle Foods was not returned.

More bluff than bluster?

But there's reason to think the campaign against advertisers is much ado about nothing.

Headline-grabbing matchups like this can be a boon to networks because of the additional viewers who tune in just to see what all the fuss is about, said Steve Craig, a professor at the University of North Texas and an expert on controversial programming.

One oft-cited example is "Married...With Children," the parody of family life that ran on Fox from 1987 until 1997. When a Michigan housewife mounted a heavily-publicized boycott of the show, some companies that initially backed off from advertising later returned, lured by a ratings bump that coincided with the dustup.

"I don't think (Fox executives) were all that upset about the publicity," said Craig. And neither, he opined, are ABC officials today.

"Desperate Housewives" is already an overnight smash, ranked among the top prime time shows since its Sept. 26 premiere. The strong ratings are a key reason why television pundits say that ABC, bleeding money and stuck at No. 4 in prime time ratings, may finally be turning itself around.

One key measure: rates for a 30-second spot on the show have doubled, to roughly $300,000, since the initial round of ads were sold in May, two television advertising trade journals reported this week.

ABC officials sounded sanguine in a statement released to CNN/Money that proclaimed "Desperate Housewives" to be the TV season's No. 1 new show. "We are seeing tremendous demand from advertisers for the show," they said.

Sharp, the American Family Association official, acknowledged that the anti-"Desperate Housewives" campaign has so far targeted advertisers that seem susceptible to outside pressure.

"We usually look at the list of advertisers and we go (after) those that are considered family-friendly companies," said Sharp. "These folks know that moms buy their frozen products."

Sharp said he plans to keep the heat on ABC and not just because of "Desperate Housewives." Another ABC program that he says parents are complaining about: "Life As We Know It," a drama about three teenage boys described by ABC as "hormone-charged."

"The show is nothing but sex, sex, sex," said Sharp. "We're really looking hard at it."

The goods news for Sharp is, "Life As We Know It" has struggled in its Thursday night time slot opposite CBS and NBC's strong lineup. The bad news is, a little controversy might be exactly what the show -- and ABC -- is looking for. Top of page

keenan

10-19-04, 06:12 PM

Originally posted by fredfa

I thought some of the characters had possibilities, but the writing was second-rate at best.
The HD scenery was really stunning, though.

Yeah, I think part of the problem was too many characters.

Hawaii is a great place for a location though, although Lost takes place in a small area, it sure looks stunning.

Jim

GregF

10-19-04, 06:15 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
Bye Bye, "Hawaii".
From the Honlulu Advertiser newspaper:

"Hawaii" did earn praise for attempting, however awkwardly, to represent the breadth of local lifestyles and traditions in its stories, and for hiring a large number of local actors, extras, and crew.

So which reporter was being lazy? Reports by Shales and others have bashed "Hawaii" for not hiring locals. That report added to my disinterest in the show, when comparing it with the great Five-O, for making an ethical move decades ago.

fredfa

10-19-04, 06:24 PM

I think "Hawaii" did hire a large number of actors and crew: but the actors weren't seen in major roles.

keenan

10-19-04, 06:27 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
I think "Hawaii" did hire a large number of actors and crew: but the actors weren't seen in major roles.

No, in fact, the 2 times I watched it they always seemed to be the "bad guys"...

Jim

f44

10-19-04, 07:30 PM

I bet The Simpsons and KOTH aren't considered "sitcoms" by syndication standards.

fredfa

10-19-04, 08:10 PM

The overview of the Sinclair situation from the media newspaper "Variety", followed by the official statement from the Sinclair Broadcast Group:

Painting itself into a corner:
Sinclair facing lawsuits

By MICHAEL LEARMONTH, Variety.com Posted: Tue., Oct. 19, 2004, 5:30pm PT

The financial fallout from Sinclair's decision to air parts of the anti-Kerry doc "Stolen Honor" is growing.

Company announced Tuesday that it will air parts of the pic despite increasing fire from advertisers and shareholders.

Also Tuesday, a wealthy Democratic donor offered to buy an hour of Sinclair's primetime, plus $1 million and any network cancellation fees, in order to air George Butler's "Going Upriver: The Long War of Senator John Kerry" as a balance to "Stolen Honor."

Sinclair is being threatened with several shareholder suits after news reports last week that it planned to air the anti-Kerry doc commercial-free in primetime. San Diego shareholder attorney William Lerach accused Sinclair management of putting political beliefs before shareholder profits. "As a result of this controversy, this company is going to suffer," Lerach said.

Lerach demanded in a letter to company execs that they return more than $18.5 million from stock sales this year. The sales were made near the company's 52-week high of $15.01 in January. Stock has fallen more than 50% to $6.25 since then.

New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, a Democrat, also questioned the impact that running the controversial doc will have on the value of the state's 256,600 shares.

"Sinclair management is more interested in advancing its partisan political views than in protecting shareholder value," Hevesi wrote in a letter to company execs.

Sinclair said it would air excerpts from the doc as part of a special called "A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media," which it said will examine the allegations against Kerry raised in "Stolen Honor," as well as "the use of documentaries and other media to influence voting." Contrary to published reports, Sinclair said it did not plan to air "Stolen Honor" in its entirely.

The program will air in primetime commercial-free on 40 of Sinclair's 62 stations across the country. Where Sinclair owns or controls two stations in a single market, the show will air on one of the two. Sinclair stations reach 24% of the American public.

Shares in Sinclair have fallen more than 10% this week in trading of more than three times normal volume as a protest targeted Sinclair advertisers across the country.

The four brothers who control 90% of Sinclair stock -- topper David Smith, vice presidents Frederick Smith and J. Duncan Smith and director Robert E. Smith -- have hunkered down since the controversy began, refusing to take press calls.

Venturing forth

As for the million-dollar offer, Deborah Rappaport, wife of Silicon Valley venture capitalist Andy Rappaport, made the offer to Sinclair on Tuesday; the only condition is that the doc air in a comparable timeslot before the Nov. 2 election.

"Our offer treats Sinclair as a responsible broadcaster serving the public interest and as a corporation serving shareholders," Rappaport said. "Their response to us will determine if they are either of those things."

The Rappaports also paid Palisades Pictures for the TV rights to "Going Upriver" and the cost to edit the pic down to 42 minutes, the length of the Sinclair program.

Rappaport said the offer gave Sinclair 24 hours to respond. Calls to Sinclair spokesman Mark Hyman and other Sinclair execs were not returned.

Sinclair's "POW Story" will be hosted by Jeff Barnd, co-anchor of the local evening news on Fox 45, Sinclair's flagship station in Baltimore.

Another Sinclair employee, Washington, D.C., bureau chief Jon Lieberman, was fired Tuesday for voicing opposition to Sinclair's plan and refusing to participate in the documentary.

Speaking in a statement for the first time since the controversy began, Sinclair topper David Smith said the company has been subject to personal attacks "of the vilest nature," including a threat of retribution from a Kerry campaign staffer.

"We cannot in a free America yield to the misguided attempts by a small but vocal minority to influence behavior and trample on the First Amendment rights of those with whom they may not agree," Smith said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(For those interested, here is the full press release from the Sinclair Broadcast Group regarding its news program "A POW Story".)

Sinclair to Air "A POW Story"

BALTIMORE (October 19, 2004) - Sinclair Broadcast Group (Nasdaq: SBGI)
announced today that on Friday, October 22, 2004 at 8:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m.
central time) certain television stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast
Group, Inc. will air a special one-hour news program, entitled A POW Story:
Politics, Pressure and the Media. In order to minimize the interruption of
normally scheduled programming in those markets where Sinclair owns and/or programs more than one television station, the news special will be broadcast on only one of those stations. A complete list of stations which
will be airing the program and the times of such broadcasts is attached.

The news special will focus in part on the use of documentaries and
other media to influence voting, which emerged during the 2004 political
campaigns, as well as on the content of certain of these documentaries.
The program will also examine the role of the media in filtering the
information contained in these documentaries, allegations of media bias by
media organizations that ignore or filter legitimate news and the attempts
by candidates and other organizations to influence media coverage.

Contrary to numerous inaccurate political and press accounts, the
Sinclair stations will not be airing the documentary "Stolen Honor" in its
entirety. At no time did Sinclair ever publicly announce that it intended
to do so. In fact, since the controversy began, Sinclair's website has
prominently displayed the following statement: "The program has not been
videotaped and the exact format of this unscripted event has not been
finalized. Characterizations regarding the content are premature and are
based on ill-informed sources."

While the news special will discuss the allegations surrounding Senator
John Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activities in the early 1970s raised by a
number of former POWs in "Stolen Honor," it will do so in the context of
the broader discussion outlined above. The program will be hosted by Jeff
Barnd, the Emmy award winning co-anchor of Fox 45's 10:00 News which airs on WBFF-TV, Sinclair's flagship station in Baltimore, Maryland.

Joe DeFeo, Sinclair's Vice President of News commented that, "As with
all news programming produced by Sinclair's News Central, A POW Story is
being produced with the highest journalistic standards and integrity. We
have not ceded, and will not in the future cede, control of our news reporting to any outside organization or political group. We are endeavoring, as we do with all of our news coverage, to present both sides
of the issues covered in an equal and impartial manner."

In fact, Sinclair has been in private communication with Senator
Kerry's campaign, including a recent face-to-face meeting with senior
campaign officials, for approximately two weeks in order to negotiate
participation in the special by either Senator Kerry or his designee.
Although the Kerry campaign declined to participate, Sinclair has left the invitation open and will make every effort to accommodate the Senator up to
the air date for the program should he become willing to present his
viewpoint for Sinclair's audience.

David Smith noted that, "The experience of preparing to air this news
special has been trying for many of those involved. The company and many
of its executives have endured personal attacks of the vilest nature, as
well as calls on our advertisers and our viewers to boycott our stations
and on our shareholders to sell their stock. In addition, and more
shockingly, we have received threats of retribution from a member of
Senator John Kerry's campaign and have seen attempts by leading members of Congress to influence the Federal Communications Commission to stop Sinclair from broadcasting this news special. Moreover, these coordinated
attacks have occurred without regard to the facts since they predated the
broadcast of our news special."

Mr. Smith further stated, "We cannot in a free America yield to the
misguided attempts by a small but vocal minority to influence behavior and
trample on the First Amendment rights of those with whom they might not
agree. I have been encouraged, however, by the thousands of e-mails and other messages I, and others, received supporting Sinclair's efforts to
hold firm to its ideals in the face of a firestorm of controversy which,
ironically, was actually based on misinformation. We also took comfort in
the positions of other media organizations which supported our right to
present this story notwithstanding any disagreement they may have with the content, as well as in the words of Michael Powell, Chairman of the FCC who refused to block the program, noting that to do so would be
'unconstitutional' and 'an absolute disservice to the First Amendment.'"

Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., one of the largest and most diversified
television broadcasting companies, owns and operates, programs, or provides sales services to 62 television stations in 39 markets. Sinclair's
television group includes FOX, WB, ABC, CBS, NBC, and UPN affiliates and
reaches approximately 24% of all U.S. television households.

Market & Stations To Air "A POW Story"
Baltimore WBFF Friday 10/22 8PM
Birmingham WTTO Friday 10/22 7PM
Buffalo WUTV Friday- 10/22 8PM
Cedar Rapids KGAN Friday 10/22 7PM
Champaign, IL WICD Friday 10/22 7PM
Charleston, SC WMMP Friday 10/22 8PM
Charleston, WV WCHS Friday 10/22 8PM
Cincinnati WSTR Friday 10/22 8PM
Columbus WSYX Friday 10/22 8PM
Dayton WKEF Friday 10/22 8PM
Des Moines KDSM Friday 10/22 7PM
Flint WSMH Friday 10/22 8PM
Greensboro WXLV Friday 10/22 8PM
Greenville/Asheville WLOS Friday 10/22 8PM
Kansas City KSMO Friday 10/22 7PM
Las Vegas KVWB Friday 10/22 8PM
Lexington WDKY Friday-10/22 8PM
Madison WMSN Friday-10/22 7PM
Milwaukee WVTV Friday-10/22 7PM
Minneapolis KMWB Friday-10/22 7PM
Nashville WZTV Friday 10/22 7PM
Norfolk WTVZ Friday 10/22 8PM
Oklahoma City KOKH Friday 10/22 7PM
Paducah KBSI Friday 10/22 7PM
Pensacola/Mobile WEAR Friday 10/22 7PM
Peoria WYZZ Friday 10/22 7PM
Pittsburgh WPGH Friday-10/22 8PM
Portland WGME Friday 10/22 8PM
Raleigh WLFL Friday 10/22 8PM
Richmond WRLH Friday-10/22 8PM
Rochester WUHF Friday 10/22 8PM
Sacramento KOVR Friday 10/22 7PM
St. Louis KDNL Friday 10/22 7PM
San Antonio KABB Friday 10/22 7PM
Springfield, MA WGGB Friday 10/22 8PM
Springfield, IL WICS Friday 10/22 7PM
Syracuse WSYT Friday 10/22 8PM
Tallahassee WTWC Friday 10/22 8PM
Tampa WTTA Friday 10/22 8PM
Tri Cities WEMT Friday 10/22 8PM

fredfa

10-20-04, 01:22 AM

Latest News updated with schedule changes for CBS, ABC and the WB.

Paul Bigelow

10-20-04, 10:24 AM

Now that "Hawaii" is kaput for NBC, maybe CBS will create "CSI:Honolulu".

fredfa

10-20-04, 12:02 PM

Tuesday's fast national ratings posted in Latest News

mallu2u

10-20-04, 12:09 PM

Originally posted by Paul Bigelow
Now that "Hawaii" is kaput for NBC, maybe CBS will create "CSI:Honolulu".

LOL. I think they should kill CSI Miami...the main lead...irritates me...dont know why he does not like to lok up while talking...acts way too kewl..then he is!

GregF

10-20-04, 12:09 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
(Updated 11:20 PM PT Tuesday, Oct. 19)
10 p.m. went to NBC with the 8.7/14 for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

I had really had it with this show after seeing two ridiculous episodes this season, then a friend told me it was really good last night so I watched it, and it really was one of the best episodes they've done, I thought.

fredfa

10-20-04, 12:11 PM

I agree, GregF, it was fun to see at least one of the L&Os back at a high level.

f44

10-20-04, 03:22 PM

Renovate My Family returns (I think it is still part of Season 1):

"Enjoy all-new servings of FOX's hit family life-improvement series RENOVATE MY FAMILY on its new night this November Sweeps (Fridays, Nov. 5, 12 and 19, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). Host Jay McGraw and the RENOVATE MY FAMILY crew of makeover professionals get families in need back on track, restoring and redecorating their lives to help them forge ahead toward achieving their goals. From fine-tuning each family member's personal appearance, to architectural face-lifts of the home, to completely loaded cars and even something special for the pets, nothing is left undone on this life-altering makeover series. "

Posting because of "premiere dates" list, it shouldn't really be listed on the list because it isn't a season premiere, just a return.

f44

10-20-04, 03:27 PM

What is NAN on the top cable channels' ratings list? And Last Comic Standing isn't cancelled, a fourth edition could still happen in the summer.

Scott Gammans

10-20-04, 05:10 PM

Originally posted by GregF
I had really had it with this show after seeing two ridiculous episodes this season, then a friend told me it was really good last night so I watched it, and it really was one of the best episodes they've done, I thought. Wasn't it great?! A very different L&O:SVU than the usual shows. And I have to say, I disagree with you about L&O:SVU... this is one of the most underrated and consistently excellent shows on television.

GregF

10-20-04, 05:36 PM

Originally posted by Scott Gammans
Wasn't it great?! A very different L&O:SVU than the usual shows. And I have to say, I disagree with you about L&O:SVU... this is one of the most underrated and consistently excellent shows on television.

Hi

Well I've always been a fan, but this season, I'd swear a couple of episodes were written by O. Henry. Like last week-- 1) Shock Jock DJ gets famous discussing rape fantasies. 2) An actress gets raped by (shocker!) the son of the woman who leads protests against the DJ. 3) The protester/mother (shocker!) shoots the DJ! Why not just end it with a Bengal Tiger bursting into the courtroom and mauling the DJ? And that's just the plot, don't get me started on the dialogue or the characters' reactions in that episode hehe.

I thought the episode with "Caroline in the City" was just as convoluted and implausible.

fredfa

10-20-04, 09:22 PM

ABC Drops Miss America

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)--ABC has decided not to renew its deal to air the Miss America pageant, leaving the competition without a TV home for the first time in half a century.
The network's decision comes after the 2004 pageant, broadcast Sept. 18, drew only 9.8 million viewers, its smallest audience ever. Ratings for Miss America have fallen in each of the past three years.
Arthur McMaster, acting president and CEO of the Miss America Organization, is couching ABC's withdrawal in optimistic terms. "We are now free to pursue other parties who have expressed interest in our organization, and we are excited at the limitless opportunities that are now available for us to grow our brand," he tells the AP.
The lack of a TV partner also deprives Miss America of a major source of funding. ABC paid more than $5 million this year to air the pageant, which reconfigured the talent competition in an effort to make the pageant's final night more TV-friendly.
McMaster admits being "worried" about finding a new broadcast partner, but he likes Miss America's chances. "There's already been companies that have contacted us and expressed an interest," he says.
ABC has aired the Miss America pageant since 1997. NBC, which had the rights to the competition for 29 of the 30 years prior to that, bowed out after 1996.

fredfa

10-20-04, 09:24 PM

Mouse Picks Up Lost, Housewives

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/20/2004
No big surprise here, but ABC has picked up full-season orders of its new-season hit dramas Desperate Housewives and Lost.
Desperate Housewives, about a sort of "Peyton Place meets Picket Fences" soap, has been Sunday's number one show in both total viewers and the key 18-49 demo, as well as the top new show in both. It's debut drew the net's biggest numbers for a premier in over a decade, according to the happy crew at ABC.
Lost, which combines scripted drama with a Survivor-like setting and psychological interplay, has proved a powerful lead-in to Monday Night Football.
If the Survivor similarity is lost on anyone, ABC describes the show this way: "Stripped of everything, the 48 survivors of a horrific plane crash scavenge what they can from the plane for their survival." (Editor's note: We argue this is the first show to take a scripted look at a reality show situation.)
Lost, however, is doing a lot more than surviving. The show has won its 8-9 time period in total households and 18-49s in each of its four outings. In its most recent airing at press time (Oct. 13), the show was the highest rated program of the night.
Making the decision even easier was the fact that both shows are in-house produced (co-owned Touchstone Television), which means they could become bankable product in syndication for Disney if they collect enough episodes on the front end.
The two ABC shows join NBC's "Joey" and The WB's "Jack & Bobby" in earning full-season orders.
The "Desperate Housewives" pickup also creates a dilemma -- albeit one ABC executives are probably happy to have: what to do with "Alias" when it returns in January.
The network said at its May upfront presentation that "Alias" would return to its old 9 p.m. Sunday spot at midseason. But while the show has an intensely loyal fan base, its ratings have never approached those that "Housewives" is now drawing in the time period.
The network may have to do some schedule juggling to find it a home.

fredfa

10-20-04, 09:27 PM

The rating game: We break down the fall season's triumphs and turkeys
By Sarah Rodman, Boston Herald writer
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Here are the first two lessons of the TV season: Desperation is the mother of inspiration for ABC and CBS should change its initials to ``CSI.''

CBS may be leading the war for viewers, but the alphabet network is winning the battle of the buzz.

A month into the new season, ratings are beginning to reveal this year's prime-time winners and losers.

Winners:

ABC

The executives at ABC are probably too busy heaving sighs of relief to recognize the irony of the network's salvation coming from two shows in which the characters are struggling to survive, emotionally and literally.

But the repressed, overwhelmed and philandering women of ``Desperate Housewives'' and the castaways of ``Lost'' are giving ABC its biggest numbers in years.

``Housewives'' is the No. 1 hit of the new season. In its third outing Sunday, the drama earned its highest numbers, with 20.6 million viewers.

``Lost'' is faring almost as well, winning its time slot four weeks straight with an average of 18 million folks.

Along with the continued dominance of ``Monday Night Football,'' these successes have allowed ABC to leap over NBC and Fox from fourth to second place in the network rankings.

CBS

CBS has the highest overall ratings - and the largest number of the demographically desirable 18- to 49-year-old viewers - driven largely by the ninth edition of ``Survivor,'' returning procedurals ``Without a Trace,'' ``Cold Case'' and the ``CSI'' franchise, returning comedies ``Everybody Loves Raymond'' and ``Two and a Half Men.''
But its new shows, including ``Listen Up,'' ``Clubhouse'' and ``dr. vegas,'' are struggling for footing. The only exception is ``CSI: NY,'' which is the second-biggest hit of the new season with about 19.5 million viewers.

Losers: [/B[

[B]NBC

The peacock isn't strutting quite as proudly.

It's not so much that the third-ranked NBC's numbers are bad, it's that the numbers for the other networks are so good.

Thursday night must-see stalwarts ``ER'' and ``The Apprentice'' are drawing about 16 million viewers each, not shabby at all. Unfortunately, CBS competitors ``Without a Trace'' and ``CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' attract about 4 million more viewers. On Wednesdays, ``CSI: NY'' trounces ``Law & Order'' by almost 6 million viewers. NBC is down in overall viewership by 20 percent.

The outlook for new shows ``Hawaii'' and ``LAX'' is not sunny. ``Hawaii'' has been put on hiatus for November sweeps - to make way for ``The $25 Million Dollar Hoax'' reality show - and ``LAX'' is winging its way over to Wednesdays in an attempt to get more lift.

``Friends'' spinoff ``Joey'' is holding its own but is down in overall viewers and young adults in that time slot.

Fox

Baseball playoffs are working, thanks to the Sox and Yanks, but not much else is. The fourth-place network is down 30 percent in overall viewers. The much-ballyhooed boxing reality show ``The Next Great Champ'' was shuffled off to Fox Sports Network. Summer sitcom ``Method and Red'' tanked, and the skies aren't so clear over ``North Shore.'' Returnees ``The Bernie Mac Show'' and ``That '70s Show'' aren't pulling 'em in like they used to. ``American Idol'' can't come soon enough for Fox.

fredfa

10-20-04, 09:28 PM

FCC's Powell picking his fights: People, not pols, should regulate decency, he says
By Greg Gatlin, Boston Herald writer
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Federal Communications Commission boss Michael Powell says he’s not interested in expanding FCC powers to hold cable and satellite operators to the same decency standards that broadcasters face.

And even if he were, Powell says, the Supreme Court would most likely intervene.

The confessed TV junkie, who TiVos his favorite shows, including Fox’s ``24,’’ says laws governing decency on the airwaves are out of step with the times, and need to be changed. Old laws and court decisions have created ``two First Amendments,’’ one for broadcasters and one for the rest of the media, Powell told Herald editors and reporters yesterday.

``Why can `The Sopranos’ (on HBO) at 9 o’clock do 50 times what we rail about on broadcast TV at the same time . . . when that’s available to virtually every American family?’’ Powell asked. ``The irony is the First Amendment changes when you change channels, which doesn’t make sense.’’

So is Powell’s solution aligning pay radio and TV standards with the strict decency requirements of broadcasters that use the public airwaves?

``No, I go quite the opposite,’’ Powell said.

Powell said it’s better for people to be allowed to make their own viewing choices, than for government to intervene.

``It doesn’t mean I won’t see things that offend me. It doesn’t mean I won’t see things I’m appalled by,’’ he said. ``But I also have way more power than I’ve ever had in the history of television to make my choices to see or not to see that.How about we just don’t watch those channels?’’

Powell concedes broadcasters face a competitive disadvantage, because cable and satellite operators don’t have the same public interest obligation as broadcasters, thus they can air more racy fare. Yet even with that competitive disadvantage, Powell said he still supports Congress’ attempt earlier this year to impose much higher fines on broadcasters who put indecent material on the airwaves.

``I called for it,’’ he said. ``The reason I support that is I don’t decide what job it is you want me to do, but if you decide I’ve got a job, I expect to do the job right.’’

Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl XXXVIII breast baring and shock jock vulgarities unleashed a deluge of consumer complaints about broadcast indecency earlier this year. Congress tried to raise the maximum fine for broadcast indecency to $500,000 from $32,500, but House and Senate negotiators couldn’t hash out a final plan.

Powell says the current maximum fines are too small to deter airwave indecency.

Radio giant Howard Stern’s plan to jump to satellite radio, unveiled earlier this month, has increased the political pressure to hold cable and satellite operators to the same indecency restrictions as over-the-air broadcasters. But Powell says that would ``run right into the buzz saw of the Supreme Court, which would likely say no.’’

fredfa

10-20-04, 09:28 PM

Beta Releases Digital-Sub Study
-- Multichannel News, 10/20/2004 4:04:00 PM
Beta Research Corp. released results from its “2004 Beta Research Digital Cable Subscriber Study” Wednesday.
Among Beta’s findings:
• Digital-cable subscribers were asked, based on their knowledge, which is better for offering video-on-demand: digital cable or direct-broadcast satellite, and 54% didn’t know, 21% went with digital cable, 5% said satellite and 20% said they were both the same.
• After being given a description of VOD, a majority of respondents were unaware that the service is available on digital cable and not on DBS.
• When asked which was better for offering digital-video recorders, 64% said they didn’t know, 19% said both digital cable and DBS were the same, 13% said digital cable and 4% said satellite.
• When asked their favorite digital-basic-cable networks, with mentioning unaided, the results for systems that carried the respective networks: Lifetime Movie Network 24%,Biography Channel 19%, National Geographic Channel 17%, Fox Movie Channel 16%, ESPNews 14%, Fox Sports Digital Nets 13%, ESPN Classic 12%, BBC America 11% and History Channel International 10%.
• As far as which networks respondents had viewed in the past seven days, the numbers were: LMN 38%, NGC 34%, Biography 33%, ESPNews 31%, Fox Movie 30%, Music Choice digital-audio music channels 29%, Fox Sports Digital Nets 27%, ESPN Classic 23% and Weatherscan 21%.
• When asked the perceived value of digital-basic-cable networks per month, the tallies came in as follows: SOAPnet $2.18, Fox Sports Digital Nets $2.16, MTV Jams $1.97, Nicktoons TV $1.93, Noggin/The N $1.91, GAS Nick Games & Sports $1.90, Toon Disney $1.88, Discovery Kids Channel $1.85, LMN $1.84 and MTV Hits $1.83.
• In terms of viewer satisfaction, the “very satisfied” winners were: Fox Sports Digital Nets 74%, Toon Disney 72%, SOAPnet 70%, Nicktoons TV 69%, NGC 67%, Weatherscan 67%, Noggin 66%, ESPNews 65% and Music Choice 65%.
Beta conducted a total of 801 telephone interviews in July and August with a national sample of digital-cable subscribers from 32 cable systems.

fredfa

10-20-04, 09:29 PM

A win for the Red Sox, a big win for Fox
Go, Boston. The network needs you in the Series.
For more, and complete ratings charts, go to:
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2004/oct04/oct18/3_wed/news3wednesday.html
By Diego Vasquez, Medialife.com
When the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees last night, among the celebrants rushing to the dugout with arms outstretched were the top executives of Fox, if in their dreams.
With a dismal start so far this new season and no new shows to debut until after baseball, Fox has much riding on how the Red Sox do. Last night's win, ensuring a seventh game to determine whether Boston goes to the World Series for the first time since 1986, certainly helped Fox's cause.
It could use a lot more help. Boston going to the Series would just about do it, even if the odds of winning a fourth straight playoff game against New York might seem slim.
Fox can largely thank Boston for its first-place finish last week among adult viewers 18-49 as it battled the Yankees in the early games of the network's coverage of Major League Baseball’s American League Championship Series.
The network averaged a 4.2 rating in the 18-49 demo, good enough to hold off NBC (4.0), CBS (3.9) and ABC (3.8). It placed four programs in the top 25 among viewers 18-49, all of them playoff baseball games.
But even with the solid performance last week, Fox has only managed to average a dismal 3.0 rating in the demo so far this season, down 36.2 percent versus its 4.7 average at this point in the season last year.
It needs baseball to prevent any further slide until the bulk of its fall schedule premieres in November. The season premiere of “The O.C.” is on Thursday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m., followed by the return of “North Shore” at 9 p.m.; on Sunday, Nov. 7 “The Simpsons” makes its return at 8 p.m. followed by the season premiere of “Arrested Development” at 8:30 p.m. and the series premiere of “My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss” at 9 p.m.; and “The Rebel Billionaire,” featuring the mogul Richard Branson, kicks off Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m.
As in years past, Fox will heavily hawk these shows during the World Series, hoping to drive viewers for their premieres. A Boston win against New York, putting the Red Sox in the Series, would ensure a much higher turn-in than last years.
Another trip to the Series by the Yankees would get flat ratings at best, and quite likely we'd see a decline. The Yankees against whoever wins the National League championship, Houston Astros or St. Louis Cardinals, would be a yawner compared with the Red Sox against either team. Neither Houston nor St. Louis would bring anywhere near the national audience on its own, as much as they may be loved in their home markets. NLCS ratings have been far behind the ALCS this year.
Boston is both a team with a national following, and it's baseball's beloved underdog, having not won the Series since 1918 and having lost to New York season after season after season.
Boston in the Series would also help reverse another disturbing trend: low Series viewership over recent years. The six lowest-rated World Series’ since 1971 have come in each of the last six years. Last year’s Series between the Yankees and the Florida Marlins earned the third-lowest household rating during that period.
Elsewhere on broadcast for the week ended Oct. 17, ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” solidified its position as the No. 1 new show of the season. On Sunday night the show average a 9.5 18-49 rating, the fifth-highest in the demo all season behind three episodes of CBS’s “CSI” and the season premiere of NBC’s “E.R.”
The show also finished the week ranked No. 3 in total viewers, with almost 20.9 million tuning in. Only CBS’s “CSI” (28.9 million) and “CSI: Miami” (21.9 million) attracted more viewers last week.

GregF

10-20-04, 09:40 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
...says laws governing decency on the airwaves are out of step with the times, and need to be changed...

Wow, a sane person in government! I imagine by now he's had a call from Dick Cheney for being "off message".

The FCC directly defies what the founders tried to prevent, a big bloated government dictating the very words people are allowed to use. The original purpose of the FCC was to regulate this bizarre new medium called radio, to keep broadcasters from interfering with other signals, and to prevent a sole radio station from broadcasting completely offensive content in a community, without other choices. That's why the FCC never regulated newspapers, there were already tons of newspapers available in every community, no prevaling voice to offend. When is the last time you heard of anyone in this country only having one radio or TV station to choose from? Down with the FCC!

fredfa

10-20-04, 11:39 PM

Sally Field Eyes ABC Sitcom

By Nellie Andreeva Thu Oct 21, 2004 12:01 AM ET
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter via Reuters) - Sally Field may be poised to return to her sitcom roots.
The Oscar-winning actress, who starred in the 1960s ABC comedies "Gidget" and "The Flying Nun," is eyeing a half-hour project for the network.
The story centers on a middle-aged woman who suddenly decides to make a change in her picture-perfect family life, gets divorced and gets a job. Sources said Field has expressed interest in the project, which is being written for her, but will not commit to it until she reads the script.
In addition to winning Academy Awards for "Norma Rae" and "Places in the Heart," Field won an Emmy in 2001 for her guest turn as a bipolar woman in NBC's "ER.

keenan

10-21-04, 01:30 AM

Originally posted by fredfa
[B]Mouse Picks Up Lost, Housewives

Lost, which combines scripted drama with a Survivor-like setting and psychological interplay, has proved a powerful lead-in to Monday Night Football.

Huh? The writer has something screwed up here. Lost is on Wed 8:00 PM.

Good to see it's been picked up though, great TV.

Jim

fredfa

10-21-04, 01:32 AM

More TV Notes:

NBC Picks Up 'Medical Investigation'
By Christopher Lisotta, TV Week.com October 20, 2004
Kevin Reilly, president of NBC Entertainment, announced Wednesday that the network has picked up nine additional episodes of the first-year drama series "Medical Investigation" for a full-season order.
"Medical Investigation" has averaged a 3.4 rating/11 share among adults 18 to 49 and 9.2 million viewers overall, improving the time period for the network by 21 percent in the demo and 18 percent in total viewers year to year, according to Nielsen Media Research.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The WB Pulls Plug on 'Commando Nanny'
By Christopher Lisotta, TVWeek.com October 20, 2004
The WB and Warner Bros. Television announced Wednesday they would not move forward with the comedy series "Commando Nanny," citing "a number of unfortunate setbacks."
"In spite of an extraordinary effort by the producers, cast and crew, we will not be proceeding with production on 'Commando Nanny,'" The WB and Warner Bros. said in a joint statement. "The project suffered a number of unfortunate and untimely setbacks, which factored into this very difficult decision. On behalf of both companies, we would like to thank everyone for their enormous effort and great work."
The show initially was scheduled for a Sept. 17 premiere, but on Aug. 30 a publicist for series regular Gerald McRaney announced the actor was undergoing surgery that day to remove a cancerous growth from his lung. The network and the studio immediately halted production and postponed the premiere pending Mr. McRaney's recovery.
The announcement about Mr. McRaney came just weeks after the studio replaced lead Philip Winchester with Owain Yeoman.
"Commando Nanny" profiled the life of a young British ex-commando who accepts a job as a nanny to three Beverly Hills kids. The series was based on the real-life experiences of reality series producer Mark Burnett, who was executive producing the project.

fredfa

10-21-04, 03:04 AM

Nervous newsies:
Nets vow to avoid election night slip-ups

By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK, Variety.com

Let the voting begin.
Network news divisions and cable news nets are vowing to play it cool on election night, so as to avoid the chaos and embarrassing miscalls that emerged during the 2000 presidential contest.
NBC News went so far as to say Wednesday it won't let its numbers analysts watch other nets, minimizing the urge to chase a competitor that has projected the winner of a particular state.
"Obviously, we will be aware of what's going on. We won't be in a Dick Cheney-like bunker," anchor Tom Brokaw told reporters as the Peacock's news empire unveiled Democracy Plaza at 30 Rock, an elaborate series of outside election studios and electoral exhibits open to the public. "But I won't jeopardize the integrity of NBC News."
Like others, Brokaw says the race between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry could be uncomfortably close.
Viewers watching national news coverage Nov. 2 should brace themselves for an abundance of caution and elaborate explanations as to why certain calls are being made.
The broadcast nets will preempt regular programming and air election coverage from 7 p.m.-2 a.m. ET, and beyond as warranted. Cable news nets will provide their usual wall-to-wall coverage.
"The main instruction is basically to be right," said CBS News VP for news coverage Marcy McGinnis, who will oversee the net's election broadcast Nov. 2. "It's far more important -- it sounds so trite, especially in light of what happened in 2000 -- to be right rather than be first. The scrutiny is on. We can't afford another mistake."
On election night 2000, networks tripped over each other rushing to report that Al Gore had won Florida; soon after, they had to retract the call. Hours later, they said Bush had won the state, only to have to retract that as well.
In the wake of that election, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC and NBC News disbanded Voters News Service, a pool news consortium used to produce exit polling and election data. Now, they and the Associated Press are using the National Election Pool for data and vote counting. NEP was first used by CNN as a backup system during the midterm elections in 2002.
"We wound up sharing it with other nets," CNN spokesman Matt Furman said. "It is our view that the more information you have the better."
All the nets have implemented internal reforms, such as beefing up their decision desks and making sure that a declaration of a winner is entirely vetted before it is announced on air.
At the Eye, CBS News VP Linda Mason will serve as a liaison between the decision desk and CBS News prexy Andrew Heyward and anchor Dan Rather. The desk, which will be manned by a staff of 10, wasn't a formal entity in 2000. At CBS, Mason wrote the report critiquing what went wrong four years ago.
Fox News political director Marty Ryan said there is a four-person decision team at the cable net that must unanimously agree before any call is made on air.
"A general election is a big deal, and we all want to get this right," Ryan said.
Dan Merkle, director of ABC News' decision desk, said the Alphabet has added an oversight team between the decision desk and the control room.
"This team will serve to double- check all projections," Merkle said. "We won't project anything until we know it's right."
There also will be an ABC News exec stationed at the decision desk to make sure no one is feeling pressure to rush to air.
CNN also has beefed up its decision desk.
As for the trappings of election night coverage, some nets are sticking with the traditional -- i.e., their regular studios.
That's not the case with NBC News. On Election Day, all the various Peacock news properties will use the specially constructed studios outside at Democracy Plaza.
Likewise, CNN has partnered with Nasdaq and will use one of the market's broadcast studios at Times Square election night.
"I think that the story is who is going to be elected president. I don't think we need bells and whistles to tell that story," CBS News' McGinnis said. "Our anchors and correspondents are our bells and whistles."

fredfa

10-21-04, 04:45 AM

From the New York Times (also posted in the Hardware forum)

Coming Soon to Your Pocket: High-Definition TV Phones
By MATT RICHTEL October 21, 2004

Miniature mobile phones, which already double as cameras, Internet devices and music players, are poised to merge with the largest of home appliances, the television.

The cellphone industry is working to build phones able to receive high-definition television signals over the air, even though HDTV has yet to make its way into most American living rooms.

Texas Instruments, the largest maker of computer chips for mobile phones, plans to announce today that it is developing technology that will allow wireless handsets to receive hundreds of high-definition channels. The phones would not be marketed until 2007.

Although Sprint and AT&T Wireless currently offer a service that allows cellphone users to watch live streaming from more than a dozen television channels over the cellular networks, the picture delivery is very slow and not much like a real TV viewing experience.

The push into high-definition television reception by Texas Instruments and a handful of other chip makers could change all that. Qualcomm, the world's second largest maker of chips for mobile phones, is also working on a chip to enable phones to receive digital television signals, the company said Tuesday.

Both companies said the HDTV phones would be in widespread tests by 2006. Already, a telecommunications company in South Korea is testing a television phone in Seoul.

The new chips would receive digital signals that would display uninterrupted images while a user is moving. Texas Instruments and other chip makers envision consumers receiving television signals, not over the existing cellular network, but from a separate network, like a satellite television network.

"There's no reason why, in three to four years, you won't have 200 channels on your cellphone," said Marc Cetto, a general manager in the handset division of Texas Instruments. He said he expected that the technology's appeal would be "event-driven," attracting consumers who want to watch programming like sports and news.

Analysts and phone company executives said future programming might be similar to existing television content, but might also emphasize shows of shorter length.

But before consumers can carry true HDTV sets in their pockets, substantial technological challenges need to be overcome. The companies have to create phones with enough battery life that users will not have to choose between making calls and tuning into shows.

On the other hand, mobile phone makers and cellular carriers have successfully added new functions and features like color screens to the ever-smaller gadgets - making the move into television less of a leap. From a business standpoint, finding popular new uses is crucial to the growth of the cellphone business.

In the case of television technology, there are a number of unanswered questions, like whether consumers would want to pay for programming as they do now for standard satellite TV or how much they would be asked to pay. Mr. Cetto said he did not expect the actual handsets to cost much more than the current generation of phones.

Another question is whether consumers who have become accustomed to watching television on huge sets at home would be interested in watching shows on tiny screens. Allen Leibovitch, a semiconductor analyst with IDC, a market research company, said the technology might actually be a dangerous distraction to people who use their mobile phones while driving.

The concept of miniature televisions is not new. Sony, with its Watchman, and other consumer electronics makers have for years sold portable televisions with small screens, but those devices have had very limited markets.

Rich Templeton, the chief executive of Texas Instruments, conceded the appeal of the tiny appliances has not been vast. But he said the phone-based television would be more widely used because most users would be carrying them anyway.

In Seoul, SK Telecom, a major telecommunications provider, is testing phones that receive a television signal, said James E. Katz, director of mobile computing studies at Rutgers University. Mr. Katz, who saw the tests in Korea this week, said the screens were small, but the picture and sound were quite sharp.

"You can sit in a cafe and watch your show by yourself," he said, "or you can gather around it with a couple of small-headed friends." But he added that he was not sure whether American consumers would take to the technology. SK Telecom is delivering TV programming over its existing cellular network, Mr. Katz said.

Phone makers have not offered analog TV service, Mr. Cetto said, because analog signals can be easily interrupted. By contrast, he said, the digital signal can be processed in such a way as to compensate for interruptions in the frequency. But while digital technology makes it easier to display a constant stream of images while the phone user is moving, digital programming has been slow to develop.

Mr. Cetto said Texas Instruments was already participating in tests in Berlin, Helsinki, Finland and Pittsburgh, that have shown that disruption can be overcome. "A month ago, I was in Europe going 60 miles an hour in a car, watching television on a cellphone," said Mr. Cetto, who added that he was in Berlin and that he was not driving at the time.

Sanjay Jha, president of Qualcomm's chip set and system software division, said digital TV technology on phones was the next logical step.

fredfa

10-21-04, 10:19 AM

Wednesday, Oct 20th ratings added

fredfa

10-21-04, 10:33 AM

Reality television is on the wane. (Not.)
The genre is healthier than ever, to the contrary
By Ed Robertson, Media Life Writer
The phenomenal success of “Desperate Housewives” is evidence of a significant trend in television: The reality bubble has finally burst. So concludes a study released last week by Magna Global USA.
Citing the strong starts of new dramas “Housewives,” “Lost” and “CSI: New York”—coupled with the failure of “The Benefactor” and “The Next Great Champ” and declining audience numbers for “The Apprentice,” “The Bachelor” and “Fear Factor”—the Magna Global study suggests that viewers are tired of reality fare and that the end of the genre is near. Further, viewers can expect to see more scripted shows come midseason if the latest crop of new reality shows flop.
The Magna study presents an interesting argument, but it's wrong. The success of scripted shows and the failure of reality shows have more to do with those shows individually and less to do with any major trend. There is no major trend afoot.
True, if “Housewives” continues to captivate viewers, we probably will see more scripted dramas. But that speaks more to the networks’ proclivity to copycat successful shows on rival networks.
Nor does the failure of “The Benefactor” or the slow start of “The Apprentice” speak to the future of reality shows. It speaks loads about the weaknesses of those two shows.
Reality as a genre is not dying. If anything, considering the growing number of reality shows on broadcast and cable, the opposite is true. Reality as a genre is actually stronger than ever, and could get even stronger.
Here's what we can say about this new season. It's totally consistent with past seasons. The pattern is this: Of all the new scripted shows introduced in a season, one or two will catch with viewers.
This season we have three hits: “Housewives,” “Lost” and “CSI: New York.” The only real surprise is that two of these shows happen to be on ABC, a network with a long and sad track record when it comes to introducing successful new dramas.
But equally true is that the majority of new shows in a given new season will flop. Fact: More than 70 percent of all television series never live to see a second season. This holds true across all genres: drama, sitcoms, reality.
But the big flaw in the Magna study is in extracting a trend regarding reality TV based on the performances of "Apprentice" and "Benefactor."
Reality is no longer the hot new thing on television, but just what makes a successful reality show is still a big unknown, even among the top reality producers.
“Survivor” is the standard by which most successful reality shows are judged, and it has been up and down since its debut in 2000.
At most, we now know better why a reality show doesn’t work, and the perfect case in point is “The Benefactor.” Here's a show that had flop written all over it. It prided itself on having no rules, which could only confuse viewers who have been trained to believe that rules are at the heart of reality TV.
It was voyeuristic when we learned early on that voyeurism was not something that worked on reality. Sports mogul/series host Mark Cuban made up the game as he went along, eliminating contestants for no apparent reason, and in the process spying on them, which seemed like borderline cruelty. It was a no-brainer for critics like Media Life’s Toni Fitzgerald to predict that the show would bomb.
The only thing the failure of "Benefactor" establishes is that television doesn't always learn from its past, and in a way that's good. If it learned too well, primetime would lack all variety.
As for “The Apprentice,” its decline, while certainly a shock to NBC, was not hard to anticipate. Many did anticipate it, and it had to do with having Donald Trump return for a second year. The first season was so successful that it would have been hard to imagine that season two would have seen a rise in ratings.
And with Trump again in the host seat, it was not hard to imagine that some share of viewers would skip the second season, having gotten their fill of the Donald in season one.
But the concept of “The Apprentice” is still a good one. Might the show revive hosted by a George Steinbrenner or a Sumner Redstone or a Larry Ellison or (once she gets out of prison) Martha Stewart? Perhaps.
The point is this: The flaw is within the show, and the flaw is comparable to a flaw in any scripted drama or sitcom. It calls for fixing, and if it can't be fixed the show continues its slide.
But the big reason reality isn't going to decline is that it makes such good economic sense for the networks. Reality shows are cheaper to make, and while networks will never openly opt for a particular show on cost alone--delivering an audience will always win out--cost will always play a role.

Carl Jones

10-21-04, 11:16 AM

So when do you sleep?? Your posts are all over the place (timewise)!!

cdp1276

10-21-04, 05:06 PM

Fredfa on your first news page you still show Hawaii as in heading to hiatus, but it was cancelled.

fredfa

10-21-04, 06:56 PM

cdp1276:
That was in today's Marc Berman's column.
Thanks for noticing; I have edited it.
(Even the Programming Insider misses some news now and then!)

fredfa

10-21-04, 07:28 PM

Fox swings for the fences

The New York Daily News, Thursday, October 21st, 2004

Fox is cleaning up on last minute baseball sales. Backed by soaring ratings for its American League Championship Series, the Fox TV network has hiked prices for its commercials by as much as 40%, TV sources told the Daily News.
That means advertisers who tried to wedge themselves into games six and seven of the Red Sox and Yankees match-up were forced to fork over $245,000 for a 30-second spot.
That's up from $175,000 Fox was charging when it pre-sold the games in its "upfront" selling period.
"They're reaping a windfall," said Jamie Korsen, chief marketing officer for ad agency Avrett Free Ginsberg.
Even with the hiked prices, ad buyers said ecstatic ratings made the games a must-buy. Game Six drew an 18.3 rating, up more than 50% from the comparable game last year.
"The ratings are far higher than they expected," said Andy Donchin, head of national broadcast buying for ad firm Carat USA.
Fox also reaped more ad dollars as the games went into extra innings. But overall, the network limited its baseball upside, because it sold about 85% of its spots during the upfront at the lower rate of $175,000 per spot.
And it's unclear whether the red hot demand from advertisers will continue through the World Series.

fredfa

10-21-04, 08:08 PM

Returning viewers to Rather's 'News'
Ratings up after dip following Guard story bungle

By Diego Vasquez
There was good reason to believe that “CBS Evening News with Dan Rather" would take a hit in ratings following the longtime anchor's admission that documents in a"60 Minutes" report on President Bush's Air National Guard service during Vietnam were of suspicious origin.
"CBS Evening News" did in fact take a hit.
But in this election year the public's memory is especially short-lived. Viewers who may have been turned off by Rather's admitted reporting blunder are returning. After a dip following Rather's Sept. 20 admission that a key source lied to a CBS producer about the documents' origin, rating are trending back up.
While CBS continues to investigate how the reporting flub occurred, it would appear that early concerns that Rather would be booted over the story have subsided.
For the week ended Oct. 17, “CBS Evening News” averaged 6.93 million total viewers. That's the most since the full week before Rather went on the air to admit that the Guard story had been poorly reported. That week, which ended Sept. 19, Rather’s newscast averaged 7.44 million viewers. Viewership bottomed out for the week ended Oct. 10, when it dipped to 6.23 million.
During third-quarter 2004, “Evening News” averaged a 4.8 rating and 6.72 million viewers versus 6.95 million in the second.
Even with its improved numbers, that still leaves CBS a distant third in network evening news, well behind NBC at No. 1 and ABC at No. 2 and gaining. For the week ended Oct. 17, NBC’s “Nightly News” with Tom Brokaw averaged a 6.9 rating and 10 million viewers and ABC’s “World News Tonight” with Peter Jennings averaged a 6.3 rating and 8.92 million viewers against CBS’s 4.9 average rating and 6.93 million viewers.
In the Rather flap, two questions remain, and the first is whether the viewer declines necessarily related to the Guard story. There's no clear answer, though it would be hard to finger another reason for the decline. If anything, with the presidential race so close, the show's rating over those weeks should have been rising.
The other question is whether viewers have forgiven Rather or simply forgotten. Or maybe they just didn't care all that much in the first place.
“It’s possible that the coverage of the story by some of the media may have been disproportionate to the impact it was having or the general interest level of the average viewer,” a CBS spokesperson tells Media Life.
But it would appear that a large number have forgiven Rather. In a recent Media Life poll, we asked readers, “Right now, gut feeling, should Dan Rather stay or go?”
An overwhelming majority, 73.8 percent, chose, “Stay – He got fed bad information by a source. C’mon, after 30-plus years isn’t a guy entitled to a break?”
As with so many stories that flash into the headlines for a day or a week before disappearing, the key players and elements of the Guard story seem frozen in place from when the story began to fade from public attention.
The source of the questionable Guard documents, retired Texas National Guard Lt. Col. Bill Burkett, was last reported threatening to sue CBS for breaking a confidentiality agreement by revealing his identity to other media. But Burkett was having trouble finding a lawyer to take the case, and as yet no suit has been filed.
The Burkett documents purported to confirm reports that Bush had been given favorable treatment because of his family's connections. Burkett first told CBS that he'd gotten them from a former Guard officer but when later challenged admitted that he had lied to protect the real source. In his September mea culpa, delivered on his evening news show, Rather conceded that CBS should have independently confirmed the documents' authenticity.
As last reported, CBS has appointed an independent review panel to determine how the Guard story was botched, headed by Dick Thornburgh, former governor of Pennsylvania and U.S. attorney general under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and Louis D. Boccardi, retired president and CEO of the Associated Press.
The two are still at work and at some point will release their findings to CBS, and those findings will be made public. No date has been set, but the report is not expected before the elections.
And Rather's future? The CBS anchor is hoping to last out his contract, which runs until 2006, but there are some reports that even before the Guard story network executives were looking to ease him out either next spring or summer after falling ratings for more than a year.

This story and charts on Sunday, Morning Show, Network News, Daytime and Syndication ratings at
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2004/oct04/oct18/4_thurs/news5thursday.html

fredfa

10-21-04, 08:09 PM

Battle of the Remotes Widens With Device That Zaps Off Any TV
By Joseph Menn Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 21, 2004

For someone who just wanted a little peace and quiet, Mitch Altman is causing quite a ruckus.

The San Francisco entrepreneur, perennially irritated by televisions blaring in restaurants and other gathering spots, revealed this week that he had come up with a solution: a cheap remote that shuts down almost every model of TV.

After the story of Altman's invention zapped around the Internet, so many people visited TVBGone.com that the website crashed. Even so, Altman had taken 2,000 orders by early Wednesday, accounting for the entire first production run.

Through mobile phones, pocket TVs and other devices, gadget makers have spent two decades devising ways to keep people constantly "on." The buzz over Altman's device shows that some people are eager to turn off.

"I can see it turning into a sort of punky instrument of disruption," Columbia University sociologist Todd Gitlin said of the $15 devices, "a sort of new-style culture jam that's within a lot of people's means."

Gitlin warned that with TV such a big part of daily life — Americans watch an average of more than four hours a day — incautious use of TV-B-Gone could be unwise. Picture, for example, a sports bar during Wednesday night's decisive match-up between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

Altman started mulling over what became TV-B-Gone after he and some friends found themselves watching a soundless TV in a restaurant, abandoning what had been an entertaining conversation.

Altman, an engineer, tinkered in his studio apartment and then ordered as many of the keychain devices as his one-employee company could afford: 20,000.

The gadget works by emitting every known set manufacturer's signal to shut down.

In his daily experiments in stores and elsewhere, Altman said, few people have objected.

"TVs are so ubiquitous that they don't even think about it," Altman said. They see TV-B-Gone as giving them "some way of controlling their lives."

Amherst College sociologist Ron Lembo described Americans as ambivalent about TV. They want to turn it off, he said, but can't stop watching.

TV-B-Gone "plays into deeper resentment," Lembo said. But even if Altman's gadget catches on, "you can't turn off where television is and how important it is in the culture."

Along with customer orders, Altman said, he has been deluged with suggestions for follow-up products, including Car-Alarm-B-Gone, Booming-Bass-Speakers-B-Gone, and the clear favorite, Cellphone-B-Gone.

Altman has put some thought into that last one. "There are many possible ways to do it," he said, "but I don't think any of them are legal."
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tvbgone21oct21,1,7953107,print.story?coll=la-headlines-business

fredfa

10-21-04, 08:10 PM

FCC: Nick, ABC Family Violate Kids' Ad Rules

By Todd Shields, Mediaweek.com
Viacom-owned cable network Nickelodeon ran excessive commercials during its children's programming and agreed to both pay a $1 million settlement and cut the equivalent of 1,021 30-second spots from future shows, federal regulators said Thursday.

Additionally, ABC Family Channel improperly aired commercials for products linked to children’s programming during 31 half-hour episodes, and the ABC subsidiary responsible agreed to pay $500,000, the Federal Communications Commission said in announcing a pair of consent decrees.

FCC Chairman Michael Powell said the announcement marked the end of “major investigations regarding our children’s programming rules.”

“All cable operators, DBS providers, commercial television broadcasters, and companies that provide children’s programming should know that we will vigorously enforce our children’s advertising limits,” Powell said in a statement.

The payments are the result of an investigation that began with routine audits by the FCC’s enforcement bureau, the agency said. Viacom and the ABC unit International Family Entertainment agreed to commence employee training on complying with regulations, the FCC said.

ABC Family said it had revised a computer system to prevent “future errors.”

A Nickelodeon representative said the network did not intentionally violate FCC rules. “We were extremely upset to discover that we exceeded our allotted commercial time due to human errors and computer system problems,” the company said.

fredfa

10-21-04, 08:11 PM

Sinclair just sez no: Station group refuses to carry pro-Kerry doc

By MICHAEL LEARMONTH Variety.com
Posted: Thurs., Oct. 21, 2004, 3:52pm PT

NEW YORK -- Sinclair Broadcasting rejected an offer to broadcast "Going Upriver," a documentary favorable to John Kerry, as a counter-balance to its planned broadcast of parts of "Stolen Honor," a docu alleging that Sen. Kerry's anti-war activities prolonged the suffering of POWs.
Separately, a Consumers Union survey concluded that 78% of people polled who were aware of the documentary "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" said Sinclair should air opposing points of view.
Sinclair plans to air parts of "Stolen Honor" today during primetime as part of a program called "POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media."
The broadcaster was offered the use of "Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry" as a counterbalance to the film for free by California philanthropist and Kerry supporter Deborah Rappaport.
Rappaport's initial offer to Sinclair was to buy an hour of primetime, pay for TV rights to the film, the cost of editing it down to 42 minutes and any network cancellation fees in addition to kicking in an extra $1 million.
Sinclair rejected that offer Wednesday but attorneys for both sides discussed other ways to include "Going Upriver," which paints a heroic picture of Kerry's Vietnam service and antiwar activities, into the program.
However, those talks broke down Wednesday night.
"They told us they do not sell blocks of primetime and were not willing to make an exception," Rappaport said. "They also said their broadcast was going to be fair and they want to take an objective look at all sides of the issue and we are standing by to see if that's what they do."
Rappaport and her husband, venture capitalist Andy Rappaport, have helped finance anti-war media messages including a billboard in Times Square that says, "Democracy is best taught by example, not by war" and a ticker atop a hotel on Broadway that shows the running cost of the Iraq war.
It adds $122,000 each minute.
The Consumers Union survey, conducted Oct. 19 and 20, found support for Sinclair's airing of "Stolen Honor" was split; 51% of those who had heard of the doc supported Sinclair's decision, 40% opposed and 9% had no opinion.
Of those who approve of Sinclair's airing of the doc, 68% said the broadcaster should air the opposing point of view.
"It's abundantly clear the public wants and expects balance, fairness and equal time from its local broadcasters when it comes to political issues," said Gene Kimmelman, senior director of public policy for Consumers Union.
Shares in publicly held Sinclair have staged a bit of a comeback this week after it announced it would not air "Stolen Honor" in its entirety. Shares closed slightly higher again Thursday, up 1% to $7.13 a share after gaining more than 8% Wednesday.
Sinclair's decision to air what critics expect to be a partisan anti-Kerry program on 40 stations two weeks before the election has caused the withdrawal of advertisers for the show, including Burger King, as well as numerous protests and the threat of at least two shareholder suits.

fredfa

10-21-04, 08:17 PM

Bush agrees to chatfest with 'GMA,' Telemundo

Gibson gets Prez for 2-part chat
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK, Variety.com
Posted: Thurs., Oct. 21, 2004, 3:48pm PT

President Bush will sit down with ABC News ayem anchor Charlie Gibson for a two-part interview to air in the final days of the race for the White House.
Bush also has granted an interview with Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo that was skedded to air Thursday.
Otherwise, Bush has been loath to grant many national TV interviews, even as the Nov. 2 election draws near. Recently, he's appeared only on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor."
Earlier this week, Black Entertainment Television said Bush had turned down a formal invitation to appear on "BET Nightly News." Bush's opponent, Sen. John Kerry, appeared on the BET newscast Oct. 7.
Gibson, who recently moderated the second presidential debate between Bush and Kerry, will tape the session Sunday at Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Interview will air Oct. 25 and 26 on "Good Morning America," which Gibson co-anchors with Diane Sawyer.
Gibson will first speak with both the president and first lady Laura Bush and then with Bush alone.
"GMA" exec producer Ben Sherwood said Bush agreed to the interview earlier this week.
The ABC morning show will be careful to allot roughly the same amount of airtime to the Bush interview as was given to Sawyer's recent two-part interview with Kerry.
Gibson earned kudos for his job moderating the town hall presidential debate, particularly considering that his earpiece microphone went dead roughly 30 minutes into the 90-minute exchange, meaning he had to rely on his wristwatch for timing purposes.

fredfa

10-21-04, 08:29 PM

I didn't post this yesterday, but keenan reminded me of it.
(Actually, I tend not to keep close tabs on cable shows, but since "The Shield" is one of his favorites.....)

Close call for FX's 'Shield': Thesp to play new captain of precinct

By DENISE MARTIN Variety.com
Marking her first series regular role on primetime television, Glenn Close has joined the cast of FX cop drama "The Shield."

Close, who landed an Emmy nomination this year for her portrayal of Eleanor of Aquitaine in Showtime movie "The Lion in Winter," will appear in every episode of the 13-seg fourth season.

Production begins in January.

She will play Monica Rawling, the new captain of the Farmington precinct, who empowers Det. Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) to enforce her controversial community policies.

Creator-exec producer Shawn Ryan said Close's character "shakes our 'Shield' world upside down over the course of the entire season."

"We wouldn't have been comfortable pursuing this storyline if we hadn't gotten an actress of Glenn's undeniable abilities," he said.

Returning for the upcoming season are CCH Pounder, Benito Martinez, Jay Karnes, Walton Goggins, Catherine Dent, Michael Jace, Kenneth Johnson and Cathy Cahlin Ryan.

Close, a multiple Emmy and Oscar nominee, won the Emmy in 1997 for the NBC telepic "Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story."

She next appears in the Merchant Ivory film "Heights." Recent film credits include "The Stepford Wives," "Le Divorce" and "The Safety of Objects."

keenan

10-21-04, 09:17 PM

Gosh...thanks Fred..:D

Jim

f44

10-21-04, 10:45 PM

The Amazing Race returns 11/16 and please read my earlier note on Renovate My Family.

fredfa

10-22-04, 12:20 AM

f44:
Thanks for the notes.
And regarding The Last Comic Standing:
indeed it MAY return in the summer, but I guess you and I will have to disagree.
In my mind, for this season it was summarily and rather ingloriously cancelled this season.

fredfa

10-22-04, 12:50 AM

Return of the 'Law' man:
Noth makes his way back to the Peacock

By JOSEF ADALIAN, Variety.com
Posted: Thurs., Oct. 21, 2004, 10:00pm PT
Chris Noth is ready to return to a familiar beat.
Noth is in final talks to star in up to three "Law & Order"-branded telepics, reprising his role as Detective Mike Logan in a series of two-hour movies. Pics are being developed internally by NBC Universal Television Studio-based Wolf Films.
Last "L&O" pic with Noth, 1998's "Exiled," scored strong ratings, attracting roughly 28 million viewers to give NBC numbers that, at the time, repped the net's best overnight Sunday numbers in three years.
While NUTS would produce any "L&O" pics via Wolf Films, it's not necessarily a given the pics would air on NBC.
Cabler TNT, which broadcasts "L&O" repeats, has expressed an interest in the pics if the Peacock doesn't pounce. Noth starred in the recent TNT crime telepic "Bad Apple."
USA Network, which airs "L&O: SVU" and is part of the NBC U empire, might also be a logical home for the pics.
The strong performance of "Exiled" sparked talk of more "L&O" pics at the time, but for various reasons, nothing ever came of the talk. In addition, Noth became busy working on "Sex and the City," playing the infamous Mr. Big.
Wolf also was set to begin shooting a "L&O" miniseries for NBC, with the focus on an act of terror. Those plans were scuttled in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Wolf declined comment on the prospect of new "L&O" pics with Noth, but back in 1998, the producer left open the possibility for more pics with either Noth or other cast members.
"What 'Exiled' showed is that there's an appetite for this franchise -- and Chris was a huge part of that," Wolf told the New York Post. Noth played Logan from 1990-1995.
Wolf and NBC Universal Television Studios declined comment.

fredfa

10-22-04, 01:09 AM

Richard Sandomir, The New York Times' respected TV Sports columnist, looks at the Fox coverage of the the World Series and the ALCS in Friday's editions:

So-Called Enhancements Are Really Distractions

By RICHARD SANDOMIR Published: October 22, 2004

Looking ahead to tomorrow night's start of the World Series, Fox's Tim McCarver said he remained stunned that the Boston Red Sox beat the Yankees in four straight games to get there.

"I find myself asking how they can win without Manny Ramirez driving in a run in the series or Pedro Martínez winning a game," he said yesterday during a conference call. "I'm still shaking my head."

He predicted that the Red Sox will not let down in Game 1 of the Series as the Yankees did last year against Florida after they beat Boston in the dramatic seventh game of the American League Championship Series.

"It will be the antithesis," he said. "It will be the gathering storm."

But the start of the World Series requires looking back at how Fox handled the A.L.C.S., particularly Boston's 10-3 victory in Game 7.

This must be said emphatically: Mr. AOL Must Go. Replays that are introduced by the yellow animated AOL character swinging from a player's head or neck is a needless distraction, especially to those who hate their AOL service. Networks these days accede to advertiser demands that they get more "added value," and such so-called enhancements are added. But it's time for Fox to resurrect the toon-killing Judge Doom of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" for a final job.

Fox's use of numerous tight close-ups of players, managers and fans will not change in the World Series. To some, they help heighten excitement; to others, they present network toys gone mad. Fox's director, Bill Webb, is a skilled orchestrator of them, and his bosses, Ed Goren and David Hill, praised him and the other baseball producers and directors yesterday for the way they paint postseason visual pictures.

Fine. But problems arise with the combined use of close-ups and replays. On many occasions, Fox missed part of the pitcher's delivery while offering a lingering look inside the Red Sox dugout or taking a zoom-lens tour of Joe Torre's nose.

And if Mike Timlin is shown in a tight close-up looking to the right of the TV screen, it is more valuable to viewers for Fox's cameras to pull back to let them see that the reliever was peering in at Jason Varitek's signs. Besides, in the cool autumn weather, no one was dripping any dramatic close-up sweat.

Close-ups create a cumulative effect that, as Goren said, can make fans feel as if they are in the ballpark. But unless close-ups advance a story, especially when they are of fans, are they valuable? If a fan is praying or weeping, fine. If he's just someone in a Yankees cap, should we care? After all, they're looking at what viewers want to see when the camera is focused on those fans. Fox can reward viewers with restraint.

Taken singly, close-ups of the primary players in a dramatic moment are necessary, unless they obscure what they are actually doing. And sometimes, they are not always worth a zoom lens. Watching Red Sox Manager Terry Francona save his unsightly chaw of tobacco from dribbling down his chest is not crucial, nor is seeing how many freckles are on the left side of Hideki Matsui's face. (Fifteen, by my count.)

Although not inconsequential, the use of close-ups or replays is a tangential concern compared with game analysis. On that score, McCarver's full view of the field remains highly attuned; think of how he saw, without a replay, how Johnny Damon's hesitation in the first inning led to his being thrown out at home. And Al Leiter showed why he will one day be a full-time analyst, although he was more effective last year when he was teamed with a weaker commentator, Steve Lyons.

But viewers need McCarver to do more first guessing, his forte. He, Joe Buck and Leiter nibbled too much around the edges of Yankees starter Kevin Brown's problems in the first and second innings of Game 7, without McCarver calling for a quicker hook.

But McCarver and Leiter offered prescient insight when discussing the perils of bringing a starter in as a reliever during an inning. That served the broadcast well when Javier Vazquez, in relief of Brown, gave up Damon's grand slam, and when Martínez gave up two runs in relief of Derek Lowe.

fredfa

10-22-04, 01:21 AM

And a different take from John Maffei of the (San Diego) North County Times, also in his paper's Friday edition.
(A note -- John is a particular favorite of mine. His thoughtful weekly TV sports column is always a good read, even if you are not interested in his local San Diego items. I recommend him highly.)
Check him out each Friday at:
http://www.nctimes.com/news/columnists

Fox's baseball coverage still needs some work

By: JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer

The good news for baseball fans is that the World Series starts Saturday. The bad news is that Fox has the World Series telecasts.

Nothing seems to change with Fox.

The camera work is generally excellent. All the angles, all the replays are there. And the shots of the fans at the ALCS and NLCS ---- although a little overdone ---- were outstanding. It's a technique Chet Forte perfected when he was the director of ABC's "Monday Night Football." It still works if done right, and Fox did it right.

But Fox's annoying whooshes and shooshes when replays are shown have to go. And the telephone-ringing sound when the score changes is insulting.

Then again, so is Tim McCarver's commentary.

He's the absolute master of the obvious. He's great at second guessing ---- which is part of an announcer's job ---- but he adds nothing to a telecast. There is nothing fresh in his commentary and everything, it seems, is a pun.

Al Leiter, a newcomer to the ALCS telecasts, was great. He added insight and depth to the games. His comments, especially concerning pitching, were timely. And he had some opinions.

However, why does Fox think it's necessary to throw game telecasts to the studio when there is nothing to say? Studio host Jeanne Zelasko earned her money and did a great job on Monday when the ALCS and NLCS were being played simultaneously.

But going to Zelasko just to go to her, when there is nothing fresh or breaking, is stupid. It's downright distracting.

With huge audiences for the exciting finishes in both the NLCS and ALCS, Fox officials probably think they're doing things well. But the games have dictated the audience, not the coverage.

The network really needs to rethink how it does baseball.

fredfa

10-22-04, 01:30 AM

Another look at reality TV -- is it losing its hold on network schedulers? This take is from Jonathan Storm of the Philadelphia Inquirer

Grim reality for reality TV: The script returns

BY JONATHAN STORM The Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted on Thu, Oct. 21, 2004
Lost in a thicket of redundant ''reality'' shows and desperate for something fresh, viewers this season may be turning a page in TV history, going back to a time when writers wrote the stories and audiences settled in for the long haul.

ABC has accomplished the unheard-of, launching two continuing-saga dramas into the ratings Top 10. At the same time, TV fans are rejecting reality competition shows that have grown into a schedule staple in the past five years.

It's far too soon to declare a renaissance for prime-time serials, but Desperate Housewives, a darkly comic soap featuring a bright cast of swanky TV veterans, won the ratings race the week it premiered, and is tied for third in average viewership so far this season among 112 network series. Also on ABC, Lost, about the exploits of plane-crash victims stranded on a strange isle, is 10th.

A far more certain trend is the wholesale viewer tune-out from reality series that assemble a cast of supposedly regular folks and leave viewers, the cast itself or an omnipotent mogul to direct the plot.

Riddled with reality, the entire Fox network is in serious ratings trouble. Its Next Great Champ lost in the prelims and got dumped to cable, and The Complex: Malibu can't even beat UPN. ABC's Benefactor is bankrupt, and will be canceled Monday after only six episodes. Ratings were so abominable for NBC's Last Comic Standing that the show was heckled off before the winner was revealed.

More dire (or joyful, if you're a TV writer or drama lover) is the erosion in established reality hits: ABC's Bachelor is down 4.3 million viewers (35 percent) from its average last season, UPN's America's Next Top Model is off nearly 2 million (31 percent), and NBC's Apprentice has dropped 5.2 million (25 percent). Even the granddaddy of them all, CBS's Survivor, is down 1.2 million viewers (6 percent).

Except for Survivor, the shortfalls are so large as to overrule seasonal fluctuations and scheduling quirks.

''One billionaire, five billionaires, too many people voted off -- the embrace of Lost and Desperate Housewives could be the reaction against the surfeit of reality,'' said TV historian Tim Brooks, coauthor of The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows and executive vice president for research at cable's Lifetime Network.

If history is a guide, reality's days are numbered, Brooks says: ``These big trends that take over television last anywhere from five to a maximum of 10 years -- the westerns of the late '50s and early '60s, sitcoms of the '70s, soaps of the '80s.

``If the reality craze began, basically, in 2000, with all the competition these days it's looking like it only has a couple more years.''

And what better to fill the void than serialized drama, which, outside of HBO, has been scarce?

The people at NBC are doing the same thing.

The network is missing nearly a million viewers, on average, compared with last year, and it's down 15 percent in the youthful demographics it covets.

NBC has been loudly promoting its latest reality competition, a show about fatties on a diet. The irony of the title, The Biggest Loser, is not being lost on people in the Hollywood TV community.

Behind the scenes, however, NBC was scurrying to buy the rights to a seven-year-old TV project, The Hollywood Reporter said. It's about five families living on a suburban cul-de-sac.

keenan

10-22-04, 01:32 AM

Yep, way too gimicky, and that GD banner at the top has got to go..

Jim

rogo

10-22-04, 02:05 AM

One of the few things I like is that banner, actually. McCarver's act was tired years ago. Perhaps a show with him and Trump where they box one another? :)

Mark

GregF

10-22-04, 03:13 AM

Originally posted by fredfa
Behind the scenes, however, NBC was scurrying to buy the rights to a seven-year-old TV project, The Hollywood Reporter said. It's about five families living on a suburban cul-de-sac.

Send in the clones. Gonna be a lot of sexy homicidal homemakers and island misadventures in '05.

fredfa

10-22-04, 04:25 AM

More on NBC's ratings problemns. This is from The Associated Press:

Ratings losses mount for NBC

By David Bauder, Associated Press October 21, 2004
NEW YORK -- Minus "Friends" or any big breakout hits, NBC has stumbled out of the starting gate this season. The once proud peacock lost again last week in the only ratings battle it cares about, among the 18-to-49-year-old demographic that advertisers seek, Nielsen Media Research said Tuesday.

That makes four losses in four weeks of the new TV season. It's an unaccustomed spot for NBC, which dominated this demo for the last four seasons, and eight out of the last nine, and has taken in the most advertising revenue.

It's still early, but NBC ranks third this fall behind CBS and a resurgent ABC among all viewers and among the youthful demographic. "They've lost some of their core properties and now they have to struggle the way everyone has to struggle when they lose their core properties," said Stacey Lynn Koerner, a television analyst for Initiative Media. The last episodes of "Friends" and "Frasier" aired in May.

Matt LeBlanc's new "Joey" is the classic good news-bad news case for NBC. With its 13.4 million viewers last week, it was television's third-most-popular sitcom, behind "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Two and a Half Men." It's the top-rated new sitcom.

Yet the "Joey" ratings are 34 percent off what "Friends" was doing at the same point last year. Combine that with a 14 percent drop for "The Apprentice" and longtime hit "ER" now losing its time slot to CBS's "Without a Trace," and you've got some problems on Thursday, traditionally television's most profitable night.

Other networks' hits have also taken their toll on NBC. The network shelved its new drama "Hawaii" after it tanked in the same time slot as ABC's hit "Lost." NBC is moving another new show, "LAX," into that slot.

Meanwhile, "Law & Order" is down 21 percent in the ratings now that it is competing against CBS's "CSI: NY." ABC's "Desperate Housewives," the season's biggest freshman hit with 20.9 million viewers Sunday, has caused the ratings to fade for NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

NBC is down 8 percent from last year among all viewers, and 10 percent among viewers aged 18 to 49, while ABC and CBS are up in both categories, Nielsen Media Research said.

"I can't tell you we're clicking our heels up," said NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly. "This is tough, and it has gotten tougher with ABC's performance."

On the bright side, NBC has high hopes for "The Office," expected in midseason, and some of its reality programming, like "The $25 Million Hoax," which has a woman lying to her family about winning a lottery.

NBC is also high on two drama series in the works: "Medium," which stars Patricia Arquette, and "Revelations," in which the biblical warning about the end of the world comes true.

fredfa

10-22-04, 10:29 AM

Thursday ratings have been posted

fredfa

10-22-04, 11:48 AM

Now expect a
sockeroo World Series
Last really hot matchup: Red Sox vs. Mets in '86

By Toni Fitzgerald Melia Life.com
The improbable turnaround by the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series didn’t just secure the team’s first trip to the World Series since 1986. It also salvaged what looked to be a disappointing series ratings-wise for Fox when the New York Yankees went up three games to none early on.

Now history tells us that Fox could enjoy its most-watched World Series ever, thanks to the popular underdogs’ exciting comeback.

Boston’s seven-game matchup with the New York Mets 18 years ago on NBC was the most-watched series since Nielsen began supplying complete series viewership in 1981. The games averaged a 28.6 household rating and 46 share, more than double last year’s 12.8/22 for Yankees-Florida Marlins.

That impressive average included a 38.9 for game seven of the series, the highest-rated single game since 1981 (and one of the highest-rated programs on any network in that span).

No one expects a 20-something average for this series. Sports and primetime in general have changed too much in the years since then. The highest-rated series in the past 10 years came in 1995, ABC’s 19.5/33 average for Atlanta Braves-Cleveland Indians.

But the past four years have produced three of the lowest-rated series ever, including the third-lowest-rated last year despite record audiences for the LCS games.

Yet the storied curse of the Bambino, and Boston’s winless-in-the-series streak since 1918, will bring in non-Red Sox fans and even non-baseball fans to the games. An average in the high teens doesn’t seem out of the question so long as the series with the St. Louis Cardinals remains competitive. The Cards, too, have proven popular in their last two appearances, averaging a 24.0 rating in '87 and a 25.3 in '85.

At the least, if the matchup doesn't end up in a sweep, a Boston World Series should average a 15 household rating. If the series is especially exciting, Fox could match or surpass 1996’s 17.4 average, its best ever.

The best news of all for Fox, which has broadcast six of the past eight World Series, is that the Yankees aren’t in it. New York made the series six out of the past 11 seasons (1994 had no series because of the strike).

In those years, the World Series averaged a 14.7 household rating. In non-Yankee years, it averaged a 16.4, 12 percent better.

But Yankees-Red Sox certainly made for a good ALCS, especially the last three games. The series badly trailed last year’s ALCS between the same two teams after the first three games, but rebounded to an 11.7/20, up 9 percent over last year’s 10.7/20.

Wednesday’s game seven averaged 31.5 million total viewers, the best ever for an LCS game on Fox. It did even better than last year’s game seven of the ALCS pitting the Yankees and Red Sox, which averaged a 17.1/28.

Its 19.4/30 was the best rating for any LCS game since 1991’s Pittsburgh-Atlanta game seven on CBS and the highest-rated ALCS game since ABC’s 21.2/33 for Anaheim-Boston game seven.
The game was the second-most-watched baseball game ever on Fox, trailing only the 39.1 million who tuned in for game seven of the 2001 World Series between the Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks.

f44

10-22-04, 04:10 PM

Under UPN remaining premiere dates, add The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliot for midseason. That was announced back when the fall lineup was announced. Will air Wednesdays at 8pm ET (I assume when America's Next Top Model ends its current run).

fredfa

10-23-04, 10:06 AM

I apologize.
I am out of town and away from the computer today, so Friday's ratings will be delayed.
Look for more news and ratings late Saturday or early Sunday.
Have a great weekend!

fredfa

10-23-04, 08:18 PM

Friday's ratings posted.
Sorry for the delay.

fredfa

10-24-04, 12:57 PM

Saturday's ratings are posted

f44

10-24-04, 01:55 PM

fredfa,

Add The King of Queens and Center of The Universe back. They premiere October 27th, and were pulled from premiering on Oct. 20th at the last minute to avoid getting killed by Game 7 of the ALCS. Both are in HD.

(also, spelling error with stardom for road to stardom show).

fredfa

10-24-04, 03:16 PM

I am waiting on those, f44, because (just a hunch) CBS might pull them again to miss game four of the World Series

fredfa

10-25-04, 02:45 AM

Baseball's Out of the Park
Expecting High Viewer Interest, Fox Bullish on World Series Ads
By Jon Lafayette, TVWeek.com October 25, 2004
Fox rode last week's miraculous comeback by the Boston Red Sox to ratings heaven and is looking at a World Series that could be even more lucrative.

"If it goes to at least six games, I think we'll be looking at the highest-rated World Series in the last five years," said Sam Sussman, who handles sports negotiations as VP, media director, for media buying giant Starcom USA. But even if the Red Sox, a supposedly cursed franchise that hasn't won a world championship since 1918, fall behind early to the St. Louis Cardinals, he predicts the 2004 Series will top last year's, which averaged a 12.8 Nielsen Media Research household rating as the Florida Marlins beat the New York Yankees.
With two seven-game series, which included three extra-inning games, Fox was able to maximize its revenues during the two league championships last week.
"We like baseball. We like extra-inning games and we like seven-game series," said Jon Nesvig, president of ad sales for Fox Broadcasting.
With anything other than a sweep in the World Series, Fox will have a successful baseball postseason. One industry observer said that with 14 league championship games played, a fifth World Series game will push Fox above its revenue plan for the postseason.
Of course, profit and loss in sports is a complicated equation. Fox paid $2.5 billion for a six-year deal for baseball rights beginning in 2001. Then News Corp. took a write-down for its sports rights in 2002, including $225 million for baseball.
"Profitability? You talk to the accountants," Mr. Nesvig said. "But versus our business plan, we are smiling. The fact that we got seven games in both championship series means that baseball is going to be very successful."
News Corp. has been making money from the stations it owns in Boston, St. Louis, New York and Atlanta, the home cities of four of the teams that made the baseball playoffs.
For the league championship series, Fox was selling 30-second ads for $175,000 to $200,000. As the series heated up, prices rose to about $250,000 for the last few games, Mr. Nesvig said. The extra games were a bonanza, as were the extra innings. Fox gets 90 seconds of ads between innings.
Those extra games and extra innings were particularly big in the New York-Boston series. Overall, the LCS on Fox averaged an 11.1 rating in prime time through Wednesday night, little changed from last year, when the playoff run by the surprising Chicago Cubs (another team that hasn't won a championship since before the Great Depression) boosted the ratings for the National League games.
But Game 7, in which the Red Sox whipped the Yankees, was the highest-rated baseball game since 1991, drawing a 19.4 rating, a 30 share and 31.5 million viewers. The game was the highest-rated show so far this season among households, adults 18 to 49 and adults 18 to 34 and the second-highest-rated show of the year, behind only the Super Bowl, including beating NBC's coverage of the Olympics.
Those numbers were a boon for Fox, which has had little else working for it so far this season.
Since the games exceeded their ratings guarantees, "It really helps us out with any prime issues that we have," Mr. Nesvig said. "The baseball [advertisers] were taken care of, so anything you were holding there for underdelivery becomes available elsewhere. We've been maximizing our baseball inventory for the good of the company."
Mr. Nesvig said Fox is effectively sold out for the first five games of the World Series, with spots selling for $350,000, up from $300,000 to $325,000 last season.
"Based on what I've heard, Fox was well sold before the matchup," said Mr. Sussman of Starcom. "Sometimes there's opportunistic money" that comes into the World Series at the last minute, he added.
Mr. Nesvig said he's got about 15 percent, or about 10 to 12 units per game, of Games 6 and 7 of the Series still available.
He expects some advertisers to wait and see how the Series goes-and to see whether Fox will lower its prices-before buying in. "We hold the price up and you usually have [spots in] Game 6 or 7 available until fairly late in the process."
Mr. Nesvig expected viewers to be very interested in the Series and rooted for the Red Sox to beat the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. "I think Boston is such a compelling story that you're going to bring along more viewers," he said.
"I don't think Fox loses anything with the Yankees not being there," Mr. Sussman said. "If you've seen any of the ratings in Boston, Hartford and Providence, combine that with the curse, I think that will more than offset losing the top market in New York. Plus, the Yankees have been there six of the past eight years."
Curse of the Bambino
According to baseball lore, the Red Sox have been cursed for selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920. Mr. Ruth went on to be a star, while Red Sox fans suffered. In the past few years the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry has heated up, with the Yankees knocking the Red Sox out of the playoffs in dramatic fashion several times, including last year.
Mr. Sussman thought that the Houston Astros might have drawn more viewers than the Cardinals because some of their players have interesting stories. That would have included former Red Sox hurler Roger Clemens, who would have had an opportunity to keep the curse alive by beating his old team in one of the later games in the Series in historic Fenway Park.
But the Cardinals had the best record in baseball and are a storied franchise in a city that many experts consider the best baseball market in the country. The team also has a strong following in much of the Midwest.

fredfa

10-25-04, 02:46 AM

Better Outlook Seen for Cable
Analysts Optimistic About MSOs' Upcoming Quarterly Reports
By Jay Sherman, TV Week.com October 25, 2004

Is the sun once again shining on the cable sector?

With multiple system operators set to release third-quarter results, beginning with Comcast and Cox Communications on Wednesday, Wall Street analysts are predicting that the cable sector, after a difficult second quarter, could again attract the affections of investors.
For the better part of 2004 cable stocks have foundered as investors steered away from the sector, worried that competition from satellite operators and telephone companies was eroding the long-term growth prospects of cable operators. More recently, the cable sector has been battered by headlines about the Regional Bell Operating Companies rolling out fiber-optic wiring to homes to deliver video, and by the threat utility companies pose with their planned introduction of broadband services delivered over power lines.
Comcast shares are down around 14 percent since the start of the year, while Cablevision shares have fallen more than 15 percent. Shares in Cox are about even with where they started the year, but that can be attributed to a plan by Cox's majority shareholder to take the cable company private later this year. Before the July announcement that Cox would go private, its shares were down 20 percent from where they were at the beginning of the year.
Things were particularly rough in the second quarter, after several cable operators reported steeper-than-expected subscriber losses in the face of sharp subscriber gains at satellite operators DirecTV Group and EchoStar Communications. To be sure, the second quarter, when college students and snowbirds disconnect their service for the summer, has long been a weak period for most cable companies. However, the 2004 second quarter was further hurt by satellite's luring away of cable customers.
The third quarter could be a different story. Thanks to a combination of seasonal effects and a real push by cable operators to more effectively compete with satellite, many analysts believe cable will post strong cash flow and revenue growth and could report robust subscriber numbers in the high-speed data and cable-based telephony businesses.
The third quarter is typically a stronger one for the cable companies because the snowbirds and college students who disconnected in the second quarter reconnect their service.
However, with satellite operators continuing to focus on subscriber growth, new customer growth in the basic video arena could remain weak, some analysts said.
Comcast Looks Solid
Comcast could have a particularly strong quarter, driven by strong growth in its high-speed data business, said Bernstein Research cable analyst Craig Moffett. He estimates the No. 1 cable company could report as many as 475,000 new high-speed data customers, fueled by an expanded number of markets that now have the service since the company upgraded most of its cable plant.
Another wild card could be telephony. Time Warner is particularly well positioned to reap the benefits of its rollout of voice-over-Internet protocol telephone service. The company said it plans to have virtually every market ready for VoIP by the end of October. Time Warner could add as many as 150,000 VoIP customers by the end of the year, according to an estimate by Merrill Lynch media analyst Jessica Reif Cohen.
But the growth could have a cost for Time Warner. Ms. Cohen noted that Time Warner is likely to spend $25 million a quarter in costs associated with the VoIP launch, which could in turn eat into the cable unit's cash flow.

fredfa

10-25-04, 02:47 AM

Webs face New Year's resolutions
With unusually close race, January may be turning point

By JOSEF ADALIAN, Variety.com
Forget the fall: This TV season, January could be the new September.
The first month of the calendar year always brings a rush of new programs as webs replace failed frosh with fresh fare. But this season, January figures to be even more important than usual.
That's because the network horse race is closer than it has been in years, at least in the all-important adults 18-49 demo.
CBS has shaken its old-fogey image to become the early leader in the demo derby, capitalizing on NBC's stumble out of the gate and Fox's perennial fall fumble. And ABC is an also-ran no more: The Alphabet's early success means it's unlikely the winner of the demo battle will be determined until the second half of the season.
"You have four networks in play now, and how they all position themselves in January is going to be very important," says Fox scheduling guru Preston Beckman.
Indeed, one or two midseason moves in January could mean the difference between first or worst when the season ends in May.
That's particularly true in the age of reality TV, when a show such as "The Apprentice" can come out of nowhere and change the dynamics of the game.
Here's an early look at how each of the Big Four is faring, and how each net will likely approach midseason madness:
• NBC, the longtime demo leader, is off to a rough start, with ratings down a sharp 9% vs. last fall. As a result, Peacock brass will be hungry to get the network back on track.
Expect a slew of changes to NBC's sked come January -- not to mention a ton of stunts -- as the net looks to hold on to its crown.
"They're going to do everything but sacrifice virgins on live TV in order to win," one industry observer theorizes.
Peacock has already shaken up its Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday lineups, dumping drama "Hawaii" and putting new reality shows on Monday and Tuesday nights.
January will see the arrival of boxing reality skein "The Contender" and quite possibly the spooky mystery "Medium."
The biggest wild card: "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," the latest installment in the venerable franchise. But with two of the current three "L&O" skeins taking a ratings hit this fall, will viewers really want another hour?
• Fox had hoped its year-round programming strategy would cure its annual fall funk. Instead, the net finds itself in a bigger-than-usual hole at the start of the season, making it even more crucial that "American Idol" returns in January to its usual boffo numbers.
The good news: Last week's Red Sox-Yankees playoff games scored monster ratings, boosting Fox's overall average and providing a great platform for the net to hype its new shows. Fox also has saved drama gun "24" for January, while a new toon from "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane could be key to luring young men back.
"We might be in fourth place going into January and still have the ability to get right up there by the end of the season," Beckman says. "We haven't even shot off any of our guns yet."
It's vital that "Idol" remains big, but some of the pressure will be taken off the reality hit if Fox has any sort of success with next week's move of "The OC" to Thursday nights.
Net stepped into the big leagues more than a decade ago when it skedded "The Simpsons" on Thursday. If Fox can manage any sort of revival on Thursdays with "The OC," it will go into the new year with a hefty dose of momentum.
• ABC's awesome autumn doesn't make January any less important to the Alphabet web. The net's midseason mission will be different this go-round, however.
Net has spent the past few Januarys trying to climb out of a Nielsen hole. This year, thanks to red-hot "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," Alphabet execs can actually use the new year to build on the success of the fall.
"We need to keep our momentum going," says ABC scheduling czar Jeff Bader, who knows that even two big drama hits aren't enough to put the net back in first.
"Our fortunes aren't going to turn around that fast," he says.
Indeed, ABC still has to deal with the perennial headache of replacing two hours of primetime when "Monday Night Football" wraps. "NYPD Blue" also will call it quits, and while the skein does only so-so ratings, there's no guarantee its replacement will do better.
Also worrisome: ABC's comedies, once a source of pride, are fading this fall, particularly on Friday.
But Bader thinks ABC has the goods to fill the January gaps, pointing to dramas "Eyes," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Blind Justice" as solid contenders. Then there's "Alias," which returns in January with a hotter-than-ever Jennifer Garner and a broadcast sked that ensures 20 consecutive episodes with no repeats.
• The one exception to the midseason rule this season may be CBS.
Eye is off to such a strong start -- thanks to returning shows and "CSI: NY" and despite its other so-so frosh skeins -- that the net is unlikely to need any radical surgery come January.
A nip and a tuck on Wednesday and Friday nights -- most likely from one of the half-dozen reality shows CBS has waiting in the wings -- should be enough to ensure the net romps in total viewers and stays a contender for first in demos.
The Eye's strong position may be one reason CBS senior exec VP Kelly Kahl scoffs at the notion that this January will be particularly important.
"There's churn every year in January," he says. "I don't think this year is different than any other year. Stuff that didn't make it in the fall will be replaced by new stuff."

fredfa

10-25-04, 02:47 AM

Film celebrates Reeve's fighting spirit

BY FRAZIER MOORE , The Associated Press
NEW YORK -- What Christopher Reeve created as a mission statement now commemorates him.
In "The Brooke Ellison Story," Reeve set out to dramatize the real-life triumph over adversity of its subject who, at age 11, was struck by a car and paralyzed from the neck down, yet a few years later graduated with honors from Harvard University.
Meanwhile, Reeve, himself a quadriplegic, clearly amplified the film's message -- that anything is possible -- just by making it. In the film, Brooke is portrayed as a girl by Vanessa Marano, then as a young woman by Lacey Chabert. But always evident just off-screen are two extraordinary heroes: the real Brooke Ellison and Reeve, the film's director.
"After my injury and when I made the switch from acting into directing," said Reeve in an interview included with the film's production notes, "I thought it would be a good thing for me to tell one really good story about a family -- an ordinary American family dealing with a devastating event, such as the spinal cord injury of a young child."
Then, laughing, he added, "The next thing I should do should be a comedy."
That was his plan. But with cruel suddenness, Reeve died Oct. 10 at 52.
Now "The Brooke Ellison Story" -- which premieres at 8 p.m. ET Monday on A&E -- becomes a fitting final declaration of what Reeve represented.
"He possessed more strength than any man I've ever met," Chabert says. "I've never seen someone with such passion for what he was doing, and as driven as he was -- but who at the same time had a sense of humor about everything, which is priceless."
Chabert spent a month on the film, shot last summer around New Orleans (which doubles for both the Ellison family's Long Island neighborhood and the Harvard campus).
Her co-stars include John Slattery ("Jack & Bobby") as Brooke's devoted father and Elizabeth Mastrantonio, who as Brooke's mother and constant companion puts the film's moral in a nutshell: "You belong in this world," she tells her daughter in a moment of despair, "but you have to decide whether you're going to contribute to it, or be paralyzed."
Chabert says Ellison, who's now working on her Ph.D. in political psychology, visited the set and deeply impressed her.
"I noticed this about both Brooke and Chris: Their presence as people and their personalities are so whole that their [wheel]chair just disappeared for me. I just didn't see it anymore. They're defined by their minds and personalities."
The 22-year-old actress, who was in the recent screen hit "Mean Girls" and as a youngster starred in the Fox series "Party of Five," cops to initial nervousness at playing a paralyzed character in a film being made by a paralyzed director.
But although Reeve couldn't be on-set, the actors were linked with him a room away by a sound-and-video hookup.
"We could see each other and he would give us directions in the mike," says Chabert, "and if it was a little more intense and private I would hop out of the chair and speak with him, face to face. It felt like he was there. And he really oversaw every little detail."
He also kept things light.
"In the chair, every now and then I would get kind of anxious," Chabert confides. "But before every take, Chris would say, 'OK, Lacey, be paralyzed!' "
The role, she adds, "was a little daunting for me at first. As an actress, you use body language as a form of expression. When that was taken away, I felt very exposed. But it was a great exercise for me, to get down to the basics and realize that, when you do something, the audience should read it your eyes. That's what my performance became about."
Without meaning to, Chabert had echoed Reeve from years ago. In a 1998 interview with the Associated Press, he voiced concerns about starring in a TV remake of the Alfred Hitchcock thriller "Rear Window," whose protagonist is a man in a wheelchair.
"I was worried that only acting with my voice and my face, I might not be able to communicate effectively enough to tell the story," Reeve acknowledged then. "But I was surprised to find that if I really concentrated, and just let the thoughts happen, that they would read on my face."
After his horseback riding accident in 1995, Reeve also directed the HBO film "In the Gloaming," wrote two autobiographies and lobbied extensively for stem-cell research while establishing the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation.
"He created this incredible life for himself with all his accomplishments," says Chabert, sharing one key bit of direction he gave her: "Either you give up, or you make the most of what you have. You have the choice to go on, and with more strength than you had before."
A couple of weeks ago, Reeve left a phone message saying he had just screened a finished version of the film.
"He was so excited about it," she recalls. "I called him back and he called me back, but I was never able to speak to him."
She found out he had died while she was watching TV: an item on a news crawl. "I just fell to my knees. I was heartbroken."
For her and for its audience, then, "The Brooke Ellison Story" comes with an unbidden postscript.
"But Chris wanted the film to end with hope," Chabert says. "I hope the film can be a part of paying tribute to his life and to his memory."

fredfa

10-25-04, 10:34 AM

(Given its much ballyhooed "switch" to an HD lineup, the following story from Mediaweek.com about Fox's upcoming prime time plans is a bit sobering.
Reality shows generally aren't shown in HD, and there has been no announcement that Fox will be making major efforts to change that.)

Reality Sets In For Flagging Fox

By John Consoli, Mediaweek.com October 25, 2004
During the critical November sweeps ratings period, Fox will air 10 reality series and nine scripted shows in prime time, marking the first time in modern television history that a broadcast network has scheduled more reality than scripted programs during the regular season.

Several media buyers panned the strategy, saying that Fox is taking “a big risk.”

But Fox executives insisted last week that it is only a two-month plan and that January will herald the return of a wealth of new and returning scripted programming in time for the February sweeps. That includes three new dramas, two returning dramas, and both new and returning sitcoms.

Kris Magel, vp, associate network director, at Optimedia, also reacted negatively to Fox’s programming plans. “It seems like a lot of reality to have on the schedule. I would have hoped that Fox would put more scripted programming on. I’m a little worried about the long-term prospects of the network because successful scripted programming is what assures its long-term success.”

Jon Mandel, co-chief executive officer at MediaCom, noted that “it does seem to show a certain level of creative bankruptcy at the network,” adding that his concern also is about the quality of many of the Fox reality shows. “It’s not so much that it’s reality, but that it’s schlocky reality,” Mandel said. “But as Phil Donahue once said, ‘You slow down to look at a car wreck, don’t you?’”

Lyle Schwartz, senior vp and director of media research at Mediaedge:cia, said, “It’s a significantly heavy reality-based schedule that is going to test viewers’ appetites for reality shows.”

The November sweeps will usher in Fox’s reality-crazed schedule. Beginning Friday Nov. 5, Fox will air Totally Outrageous Behavior at 8 p.m., World’s Craziest Videos at 8:30 p.m. and Renovate My Family at 9. Saturdays, Fox will air its usual two half-hours of Cops, plus the hour-long America’s Most Wanted.

On Sundays, Fox will follow its four returning sitcoms with My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss at 9 p.m. On Mondays, the plan is to run Trading Spouses, which is already on the air, at 8 p.m. and bring back the next installment of The Swan at 9. Tuesdays will be home to new reality show The Rebel Billionaire at 8 p.m. And last but not least, the new Nanny 911 reality show will run Wednesdays at 9 p.m.

Preston Beckman, Fox senior vp for strategic program planning, said the heavy reliance on reality in fourth quarter is simply a short-term strategy to avoid last year’s unsuccessful rollout of several new scripted series in November following a month of Major League Baseball postseason telecasts.

“We’re just trying to be realistic and learn from the past few years,” Beckman said. “Not to point fingers at other networks, but NBC thought it had a tremendous promotional platform for its new shows with the Olympics this summer, but most of its new shows are not working. We believe we will be better served in holding most of our scripted shows until the first quarter.”

Taking exception to Mandel’s criticism, Beckman said most of the reality entrants are “advertiser friendly.” He said Trading Spouses and Renovate My Family are similar to ABC shows Wife Swap and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and that The Swan was popular with advertisers last season. Beckman likened Obnoxious Boss to a sitcom.

“These shows cover the full spectrum of reality and scripted programs,” he continued. “Our goal is to get through the fourth quarter with growth over last year and get ready for the return of American Idol in January. I don’t think you’ll see 10 reality shows still on in January.”

Among the scripted programs Fox plans to put on in January or later in first quarter are the return of dramas 24 and Tru Calling and new dramas Johnny Zero, Point Pleasant, The Insider and, possibly, Athens. On the comedy side, new sitcom Related by Family will debut, and Bernie Mac will make its return, following the star’s recent bout with pneumonia.

Beckman added, “If we put some of these new dramas on in November and they failed to get an audience, they would be pulled and replaced with reality anyway. So we are trying to give them the best chance to succeed. We have a lot of episodes already shot, and we can fine-tune them and decide in what order we run them.”

Steve Sternberg, executive vp, director of audience analysis at Magna Global USA, said he believes Fox’s strategy could work, considering its decent history with reality shows.

“If either My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss or Rebel Billionaire does well, Fox should be OK until January,” said Sternberg. “The Swan did well on Monday last season, and Trading Spouses has done OK. But if none of the new reality shows work and The Swan declines, Fox will have major problems. Considering Fox has been successful with past one-shot reality shows, who knows?”

fredfa

10-25-04, 10:59 AM

(Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Ratings:
Weekend Highlights

Friday 10/22/04

Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings:

[/B][/U]Household Rating/Share [/B][/U]
NBC: 6.2/11
CBS: 5.2/ 9
ABC: 4.7/ 8
Fox: 2.9/ 5
WB: 2.3/ 4
UPN: 1.6/ 3

Total Viewers:
NBC: 8.75 million
CBS: 7.75
ABC: 6.69
Fox: 4.36
WB: 3.50
UPN: 2.43

Adults 18-49:
NBC: 2.8/ 9
ABC: 2.2/ 7
CBS: 1.9/ 6
Fox: 1.6/ 5
WB: 1.4/ 5
UPN: 1.1/ 4

Friday's Winners:
Nothing

Friday's Losers:
8 Simple Rules (ABC)
Complete Savages (ABC)
Star Trek: Enterprise (UPN)
What I Like About You (WB)
Grounded For Life (WB)
Genius: A Night For Ray Charles (CBS)
dr. vegas (CBS)

Friday Ratings Breakdown:
NBC posted a clean, albeit modest, Friday sweep, beating the No. 2 network (CBS in households and viewers; ABC among adults 18-49) by an average 19 percent in households, 1.0 million viewers and 32 percent among adults 18-49. NBC's Dateline opened the evening on a winning note with a 6.6/12 in households and a 2.3/ 8 among adults 18-49. Second was CBS' fading Joan Of Arcadia with a 5.0/10 in households and a 2.0/ 7 among adults 18-49, followed by low-rated ABC comedies 8 Simple Rules (HH: 4.6/ 9; A18-49: 1.8/ 7) and Complete Savages (4.2/ 8; A18-49: 1.9/ 6). All of the above shows remain down year-to-year by considerable percentages.

Fourth in the 8 p.m. hour were repeats of Fox's Totally Outrageous Behavior (HH: 2.9/ 5; A18-49: 1.7/ 6) and World's Craziest Videos (HH: 2.9/ 5; A18-49: 1.7/ 6), followed by UPN's Star Trek: Enterprise (HH: 1.9/ 4; A18-49: 1.3/ 5), and WB comedies What I Like About You (HH: 1.8/ 3; A18-49: 1.1/ 4) and Grounded For Life (HH: 1.8/ 3; A18-49: 1.2/ 4). Start packing Enterprise - there is now every reason to believe this will be the final season.

At 9 p.m., NBC remained in the winner's circle with Third Watch at a 6.4/11 in households and a 3.2/10 among adults 18-49, building from lead-in Dateline by 39 percent in the demo. Although ABC's Hope & Faith was promising last year at this time, the inane sitcom remains down by double-digits, with a third-place finish in households (4.5/ 8) and viewers (6.54), and a distant second-place finish among adults 18-49 (2.3/ 7). Lead-out Less Than Perfect was no better at a 4.1/ 7 in households, 5.87 million viewers and a 2.2/ 7 among adults 18-49.

Over at CBS, 9 p.m. special, Genius: A Night For Ray Charles, disappointed with a 5.5/ 9 in households (#2 in the time period), 8.08 million viewers (#2) and a 1.9/ 6 among adults 18-49 (#3). On Fox, a Friday edition of America's Most Wanted, which has been pre-empted in recent weeks because of baseball, was below-average with a fourth-place finish in households (3.0/ 5), viewers (4.78 million) and adults 18-49 (1.6/ 5). Two episodes of the WB's Reba (original and repeat, HH: avg. 2.9/ 5; A18-49: avg. 1.8/ 5) outdelivered a repeat of America's Next Top Model on UPN (HH: #6, 1.4/ 3; A18-49: #6, 0.9/ 3) by an average of 107 percent in households and 100 percent among adults 18-49.

At 10 p.m., a repeat of NBC's Medical Investigation (HH: 5.7/10; Viewers: 8.11 million; A18-49: 2.9/ 9) moved into the No. 1 spot, with ABC's 20/20 and CBS' dr. vegas sharing the No. 2 spot. Take a look:

20/20 (ABC)
HH: 5.5/10 (#2), Viewers: 7.49 million (#2), A18-49: 2.4/ 7 (#2)

dr. vegas (CBS)
HH: 5.2/ 9 (#2), Viewers: 8.06 (#2), A18-49: 2.0/ 6 (#3)

----------

Saturday 10/23/04

Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings:

Household Rating/Share
Fox: 12.6/22
CBS: 4.7/ 8
ABC: 4.0/ 7
NBC: 3.2/ 6

Total Viewers:
Fox: 21.62 million
CBS: 6.95
ABC: 6.18
NBC: 4.64

Adults 18-49:
Fox: 7.2/22
ABC: 2.2/ 7
CBS: 1.9/ 6
NBC: 1.6/ 5

Saturday's Winners:
World Series, Game 1 (Fox)

Saturday's Losers:
ABC, CBS and NBC for continuing to play dead on Saturday.

Ratings Breakdown:
The next time someone tells you there is a limited audience on Saturday, remind that person of a 12.6/22 in households, 21.62 million viewers and a 7.2/22 among adults 18-49 for game 1 of The World Series (Red Sox 11, Cardinals 9) on Fox in primetime. The overall 23.2 million viewers that tuned in makes this the most-watched game 1 of The World Series since 1996 (Yankees vs. Braves), and Fox's highest rated game 1 ever. Comparatively, Saturday's game was up by 31 percent in total viewers and 33 percent among adults 18-49 over last year's game 1 match-up (Yankees vs. Marlins on Oct. 19, 2003). If ABC, CBS and NBC were more aggressive programming the night, maybe more viewers would watch network television on Saturday.

In search of the leftovers, repeats of CBS' Cold Case (HH: #2, 4.7/ 9; Viewers: #2, 6.65 million; A18-49: #3: 1.6/ 6) and NCIS (HH: #2, 5.3/10; Viewers: #2, 8.08 million; A18-49: #2, 2.3/ 7) followed by 48 Hours (HH: #4, 4.2/ 7; Viewers: #4, 6.11 million; A18-49: #4, 1.8/ 5) ranked second overall in households and total viewers, but No. 3 among adults 18-49.

On ABC, a two-hour repeat of the first two episode of Lost scored a 3.6/ 7 in households (#4), 5.71 million viewers (#4), and a 2.0/ 6 (#3) among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. At 10 p.m., a repeat of Desperate Housewives was second in households (4.8/ 9), viewers (7.12 million) and adults 18-49 (2.8/ 8).

Over at also repeat driven NBC were encore telecasts of The Biggest Loser (HH: #4, 2.5/ 4; Viewers: #4, 3.72 million; A18-49: #4, 1.4/ 4), The Apprentice 2 (HH: #4, 2.3/ 4; Viewers: #4, 3.18 million; A18-49: #4, 1.1/ 3) and Law & Order: SVU (HH: #2t, 4.8/ 8; Viewers: #3, 7.00 million; A18-49: #3, 2.3/ 7).

----------

Sunday 10/24/04

Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings:

Household Rating/Share
Fox: 13.7/21
ABC: 8.4/13
CBS: 8.1/12
NBC: 6.2/ 9
WB: 1.4/ 2

Fast Affiliate Ratings

Total Viewers:
Fox: 21.78 million
ABC: 13.77
CBS: 12.19
NBC: 9.30
WB: 2.31

Adults 18-49:
Fox: 7.8/19
ABC: 5.8/14
CBS: 3.2/ 8
NBC: 3.0/ 7
WB: 1.0/ 3

Yesterday's Winners:
World Series Game 2 (Fox)
Desperate Housewives (ABC)

Honorable Mention:
60 Minutes (CBS)
Cold Case (CBS)
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)

Yesterday's Losers:
Dateline (NBC)
Steve Harvey's Big Time (WB)
American Dreams (NBC)
Made-for: The Dead Will Tell (CBS)
Jack & Bobby (WB)

Ratings Breakdown:
In addition to game 2 of The World Series on Fox winning the evening, there were a number of positives worth noting last night. Leading out of a combination of an NFL Football overrun and The World Series pre-game from 7-8 p.m. (HH: 11.4/19; Viewers: 17.96 million; A18-49: 6.8/19), game 2 averaged a hefty (and approximate) 14.5/21 in households, 23.06 million viewers and an 8.1/19 among adults 18-49 from 8-11 p.m.

Despite airing opposite baseball, ABC blockbuster Desperate Housewives remained just that with a 13.3/19 in households (#2), 21.87 million viewers (#2) and a first-place (and series-high) 9.7/22 among adults 18-49 at 9 p.m. Comparably, that was an increase of 55 percent in households, 7.24 million viewers and 54 percent over still potent lead-in, Extreme Makeover Home Edition (HH: #3, 8.6/13; Viewers: #3, 14.63 million; A18-49: #2, 6.3/15 at 8 p.m.). Although no one expects lead-out Boston Public to completely hold the Desperate Housewives audience, erosion of 44 percent in households, 10.59 million viewers and 51 percent among adults 18-49 for the new David E. Kelley drama (HH: #3, 7.4/12; Viewers: #3, 11.28 million; A18-49: #2, 4.8/11 at 10 p.m.) is concerning.

Earlier in the evening on ABC, America's Funniest Home Videos remains tired with a distant third-place finish in total viewers (7.83 million) and adults 18-49 (2.5/ 7).

On CBS, although ratings for 60 Minutes (HH: #2, 9.8/16; Viewers: #2, 14.53 million; A18-49: #2, 3.5/10) and Cold Case (HH: #2, 9.9/15; Viewers: #2, 14.85 million; A18-49: #3, 3.2/ 8) were stable despite airing against baseball, made-for The Dead Will Tell sunk to a fourth-place finish in households (6.4/ 9), viewers (9.70 million) and adults 18-49 (2.9/ 6) from 9-11 p.m.

Over at NBC, the combination of Dateline (HH: 3, 4.7/ 8; A18-49: #4, 2.0/ 5), American Dreams (HH: #4, 4.2/ 6; A18-49: #4, 2.2/ 5), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (HH: #3, 8.0/12; A18-49: #3, 3.8/ 9) and Crossing Jordan (HH: #2, 8.0/13; A18-49: #3, 4.1/ 9) were all below average because of baseball. Evidence of how the tide has turned at 9 p.m. was highly visible last night. Take a look:

Sunday/9 p.m.
Desperate Housewives (ABC)
HH: 13.3/19, Viewers: 21.87 million, A18-49: 9.7/22

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC)
HH: 8.0/12, Viewers: 12.01 million, A18-49: 3.8/ 9

On the WB, Steve Harvey's Big Time opened with a typically lackluster 1.4/ 2 in households with a 0.9/ 3 among adults 18-49, followed by a repeat of Charmed (HH: 1.9/ 3; A18-49: 1.5/ 4) and the soon-to-relocate Jack & Bobby (HH: 1.1/ 2; A18-49: 0.7/ 2). Obviously, the frog net was last in every half-hour.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Reader Feedback Forum:

LAW & ORDER

"I think it is odd that the industry has attributed the entire loss of ratings for Law & Order to the overwhelming success of CBS' CSI: NY. It seems to have escaped the minds of viewers that Jerry Orbach as the much-loved Lennie Briscoe exited last season, leaving a hole in the program. Dennis Farina as his dry-humored arrogant replacement is less appealing to the seasoned viewer. Previous detectives such as Chris Noth's Logan, George Dzundza's Greevey and Paul Sorvino's Cerreta, were edgy and interesting but possessed an underlying moral fabric, and less sinister look than Farina's unlikable Fontana.
-R.T., New York, N.Y.

The P.I.:
Although your theory could be correct, the revolving cast door at Law & Order has, amazingly, never negatively impacted the series...until now. After 14 years on the air, I guess it was finally time to spring a leak. But before we start patting CSI: NY on the back for beating Law & Order, let's see what happens now that inane sitcom lead-in Center of the Universe is finally stepping in this week. Up until now, CSI: NY has benefited by airing out of repeats of either CSI or CSI: Miami.

As for Jerry Orbach's beloved Lennie Briscoe, don't forget that he returns in upcoming spin-off, Law & Order: Trial By Justice in midseason.

f44

10-25-04, 02:16 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
I am waiting on those, f44, because (just a hunch) CBS might pull them again to miss game four of the World Series

I think they are going to air it this time, they have a lot of promos and Game 4 is nothing like Game 7 of the ALCS NY/Bos matchup. Can't hurt to put it on the list and if you want, put a ? next to the dates. ;)

leesweet

10-25-04, 02:57 PM

Er, typo in a great ratings summary up there: "Boston Public". Had me going for a sec... :)

Although no one expects lead-out Boston Public to completely hold the Desperate Housewives audience, erosion of 44 percent in households, 10.59 million viewers and 51 percent among adults 18-49 for the new David E. Kelley drama...

fredfa

10-25-04, 09:04 PM

You are right, leesweet.
Marc Berman is really, really good in analyzing ratings, but he has to turn out his thoughts so quickly (usually within less than an hour of getting the raw info from Nielsen) that sometimes small errors like that creep in.

fredfa

10-25-04, 10:29 PM

Perhaps the following is one reason FOX HD is not yet on DirecTV?

DirecTV’s Disney, Fox Deals Expired

By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 10/25/2004 6:25:00 PM
DirecTV Inc. is out of contract with cable networks owned by The Walt Disney Co. and Fox Entertainment Group, a sister company to the direct-broadcast satellite provider, which is continuing to offer the services.
Sources said the parties are continuing to negotiate, as DirecTV's deals with both programming entities expired Sept. 30.
An ESPN spokeswoman declined to comment. A Fox spokeswoman said, "We're continuing to negotiate in good faith with DirecTV."
A DirecTV spokesman would only say, "We have strong relationships with both Disney and Fox. We don't comment on terms and conditions of contracts. We look forward to continuing to offer their programming.”
News of the contract expiration was reported in the Oct. 25 edition of Sports Business Journal, which indicated that ESPN is proposing that DirecTV accept the same distribution pact that Cox Communications Inc. reached earlier this year -- a deal with 13% annual licensing-fee increases, versus the 20% yearly hikes under the old contract.
The report noted that DirecTV wanted a "most-favored-nation" provision ensuring that the DBS company would get the same pricing deal as any cable operator, including the nation's largest MSO, Comcast Corp.
On the Fox side of the ledger, SBJ said deal terms hinge on the company receiving compensation for retransmission rights to the Fox broadcast network. Historically, cable and satellite providers haven't paid money for retransmission consent.

fredfa

10-25-04, 10:33 PM

After all that hoopla....

'A POW Story' Draws Modest Audience

By Michele Greppi TVWeek.com October 25, 2004
After two weeks in the white-hot political and media spotlight, "A POW Story: Power, Politics and Media," appears to have attracted a modest audience during its Oct. 22 broadcast on stations owned and/or programmed by Sinclair Broadcasting Group in metered markets. Data from Nielsen Media Research estimated the hour-long program was seen in an average 25,000 homes in 15 metered markets.

The highest household rating, a 5.5, was registered in the 35th-largest market in the country, the Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville area, population 813,210. The lowest rating, a 1.9, was in the 61st-largest market, Richmond, Va., population 509,860.

The program was scheduled to air on some 40 of the 62 stations in the Sinclair group. Twenty-one stations that were scheduled to carry it are in metered markets, but by late Monday, Nielsen still had not been able to confirm that the program indeed aired as expected in six other metered markets.

fredfa

10-25-04, 10:36 PM

The Wall Street Journal looks at a common practice that networks are starting to rethink: selling competitors airtime to promote shows on other channels:

NBC Drops Promo From Rival TNT
Network Stops Running Ads That May Have Given Viewers the Idea to Switch

By BRIAN STEINBERG Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL October 26, 2004
NBC's TV stations have stopped running ads for cable network TNT that may have given some viewers the idea they should change channels to the Peacock's perennial rival, Viacom's CBS.
The incident highlights one of the complexities of promoting TV shows nowadays, when different episodes of the same show often air at multiple times on different networks through the week.
TNT, a Time Warner-owned cable network, had bought ad time on NBC stations during the network's Thursday-night broadcast of "E.R." to hawk its Monday-night reruns of "Without A Trace," a popular crime drama.
Sounds simple. The problem for NBC was that original episodes of "Without A Trace" air Thursday nights on CBS against "E.R." And TNT's ads deliberately reminded viewers of that. "If you've been watching 'E.R.' on Thursday nights," says a narrator. "You've missed the drama critics say is...Gripping. Stylish. Addictive."
TNT wasn't intending to get people to switch to CBS. Instead the cable channel wanted "Without a Trace" fans to know they could catch other episodes of the show on TNT if they missed it while watching "E.R." "The brilliance of the cable-business model is we buy the hits off of broadcast, and then run them at times that are convenient for people," says Steve Koonin, executive vice president and chief operating officer of TNT and its cable sister, TBS.
But the implications of TNT's message were obvious to all. Even media buyers were surprised by TNT's aggressive ad, which ran during the local ad time allotted by the NBC network to the stations it owns as well as to affiliates. "I just can't imagine NBC allowing a whole raft of CBS promotion going on to lure their viewers away," says Peter Gardiner, chief media officer at Interpublic Group's Deutsch. "I know they need advertising revenues, but I don't think they need them that badly," he adds.
In fact, networks typically shun promotions for shows on rival channels that cite day, time or date, says Rino Scanzoni, director of broadcast investment at WPP Group's Mediaedge:cia.
NBC won't let the ads air again. The TNT ads have run for about four weeks, and were scheduled to be repeated this Thursday -- but not now. "We will not be running these paid promotions on Thursday night or any other night," says Randy Falco, president of NBC Universal Television Networks Group. "I don't think it's the best use of our time." NBC says it made a decision about the ads on its own, and not because of a call about them Monday from The Wall Street Journal. NBC is a unit of General Electric Co.
These sorts of promotions could become more common. After all, consumers are increasingly interested in using TiVo-like devices to save their programs or are watching several episodes from a single season via DVD. All of this erodes the notion of head-to-head competition between the major networks.
One media buyer thinks cable and broadcast networks may have to resign themselves to accepting ads that create possible conflicts because they may want to advertise their programs on competing networks, too.
"I believe that the policy of networks not taking ads for other programming is completely antiquated, and based on a three-network universe that does not exist anymore," says Elizabeth Herbst-Brady, director of national broadcast at Publicis Groupe's Starcom USA.
As a result, decisions like one made by ABC in the early 1990s to reject an ad from American Express featuring then-NBC star Jerry Seinfeld or a Butterfinger ad with Fox show "The Simpsons" could be a thing of the past.

fredfa

10-25-04, 10:39 PM

If you are still thinking about ordering internet service from DirecTV, perhaps you should be changing plans, as the Wall Street Journal reports:

DirecTV to Write Down Value Of Internet-Via-Satellite Effort

By ANDY PASZTOR Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL October 25, 2004; Page B5
DirecTV Group Inc., formally abandoning its Internet-via-satellite efforts, said it will take a third-quarter charge to write down the value of its long-pending Spaceway project by as much as $1.6 billion.
In a filing last week with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the nation's No. 1 satellite broadcaster said it plans to take a noncash pretax charge of between $1.4 billion and $1.6 billion for three Spaceway spacecraft that haven't yet been launched. The size of the impairment charge -- which could amount to as much as 84% of the project's previous $1.9 billion book value -- appears to kill any lingering hopes by the El Segundo, Calif., company of eventually using the satellites for their intended purpose.
Earlier this year DirecTV decided that the Spaceway satellites would be shifted to expand the company's high-definition video-broadcasting capacity. But the company still held open the possibility of eventually using part of them for broadband services and Internet connections.
Last week's filing, however, seems to slam that door shut. The decision to use the Spaceway satellites to beam video programming to DirecTV customers "triggered a requirement" to determine the extent of impairment of those assets, according to the filing.
Manufactured by Boeing Co. and viewed by industry officials as the most complex commercial-communications satellites ever assembled, two of the spacecraft are expected to be launched next year. The third satellite is a spare intended to stay on the ground. While Boeing has maintained that the satellites mark the future of the space industry, so far it has found few commercial customers and early versions of it have suffered serious defects.
Since News Corp. gained a controlling interest in DirecTV late last year, the satellite-to-home broadcaster has stepped up subscriber growth and put in place various plans to enhance video services. But from the beginning, News Corp. and its chairman, Rupert Murdoch, have been cool to the concept of using satellites to provide Internet access. Instead, DirecTV is looking to team up with telephone companies to offer an array of bundled services, including fast Internet connections.
A DirecTV spokesman couldn't reached to comment.

fredfa

10-25-04, 10:51 PM

(Moved from Latest News)

Marc Berman's Season Freshman Series Update
The Good, the Bad and the Questionable in 2004-05

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)

On the heels of the announced full season pick-ups for ABC's Desperate Housewives and Lost, and NBC's Medical Investigation, what follows is the current status of all new primetime network series (including Fox and the WB's summer roll-outs):

ABC
-The Benefactor: Canceled
-Boston Legal: Likely to be renewed for the remainder of the season.
-Complete Savages: The cancellation clock is ticking.
-Desperate Housewives: Full season order.
-life as we know it: Unlikely to survive past midseason.
-Lost: Full season order.
-Rodney: 50/50 chance at a full season order.
-Wife Swap: Good shot for full season order.

CBS:
-Center of the Universe: Has not premiered yet.
-Clubhouse: Moving from Tues. 8 p.m. to Sat. 8 p.m. in November.
-CSI: NY: Bona fide hit, shoo-in for renewal.
-dr. vegas: The axe is expected to swing by midseason.
-Listen Up: Likely to be replaced by Yes, Dear in midseason.

NBC
-Father of the Pride: The cancellation clock is ticking.
-Hawaii: Cancelled.
-Joey: Full season order.
-LAX: Moving from Mon. 10 p.m. to Wed. 8 p.m. next week.
-Medical Investigation: Full season order.

Fox:
-The Casino: Canceled.
-The Jury: Canceled.
-Method & Red: On hiatus.
-North Shore: Heading to Thursday 9 p.m. out of The O.C. on Nov. 4.
-Quintuplets: Returning Wed. Nov. 10 at 8:30 p.m.

UPN
-Kevin Hill: Shoo-in for a full season order.
-Second Time Around: 50/50 on more episodes.
-Veronica Mars: More episodes expected to be ordered.

WB
-Blue Collar TV: Full season order.
-Commando Nanny: Canceled prior to ever getting on the air.
-Drew Carey's Green Screen: 50/50 shot at more episodes.
-Jack & Bobby: Full season order, flipping time periods with The Mountain.
-The Mountain: Four more scripts ordered, flipping time periods with Jack & Bobby.
-Studio 7: Canceled.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

fredfa

10-26-04, 10:21 AM

Monday's ratings have been posted.

fredfa

10-26-04, 10:36 AM

(Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)

Primetime Ratings for Monday Oct. 25th

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 11.7/17
ABC: 10.3/15
NBC: 5.7/ 8
WB: 5.7/ 8
Fox: 4.4/ 6
UPN: 2.9/ 4

Percent Change From Comparable Year-Ago Night (Mon., Oct. 27, 2003):
WB: +24
CBS: + 3
ABC -4
Fox: - 4
UPN: - 6
NBC: -20
Fast Affiliate Ratings

Total Viewers:
CBS: 16.22 million
ABC: 13.97
NBC: 8.77
WB: 6.05
Fox: 5.42
UPN: 3.53

Adults 18-49:
CBS: 5.5/14
ABC: 5.4/14
NBC: 3.8/10
Fox: 2.5/ 6
WB: 2.3/ 6
UPN: 1.6/ 4

Yesterday's Winners:
7th Heaven (WB)
Monday Night Football (ABC)
Everybody Loves Raymond R (CBS)
Two and a Half Men (CBS)
CSI: Miami (CBS)

Yesterday's Losers:
The Benefactor (ABC)
One On One (UPN)
Half and Half (UPN)
The Swan (Fox)
2004 Radio Music Awards (NBC)

Ratings Breakdown:
Even with a repeat of Everybody Loves Raymond in the mix, CBS won Monday, beating No. 2 ABC by an average of 14 percent in the overnights, 2.25 million viewers and 2 percent among adults 18-49. More proof that reality is fading was the season-premiere of Fox's The Swan (two episodes: a Where Are They Now? update followed by the first episode of the second season) finishing fifth overall in the overnights (4.4/ 6) and total viewers (5.42 million), and fourth among adults 18-49 (2.5/ 6) from 8-10 p.m. The official season opener at 9 p.m. averaged a modest 5.0/ 7 in the overnights, with 6.30 million viewers and a 2.9/ 6 among adults 18-49. Compared to The Swan's first telecast in the Monday 9 p.m. hour last season (Overnights: #3, 6.8/10; Viewers: #4, 8.31 million; A18-49: #2t, 3.9/10 on April 12, 2004), this was a decline of 26 percent in the overnights, 2.01 million viewers and 26 percent among adults 18-49.

Note: Total viewers and adults 18-49 are based on the fast affiliate ratings.

In series-finale news, ABC's The Benefactor faded to oblivion with a distant fourth-place finish in the overnights (4.3/ 6) at 8 p.m. First in the hour based on the overnights were CBS comedies Still Standing (7.4/11) and Listen Up (7.2/10), followed by NBC's sinking Fear Factor (6.8/10), the WB's rock-solid 7th Heaven (6.4/ 9), The Benefactor, The Swan special (3.8/ 5), and UPN's deteriorating One On One (2.8/ 4: down 18 percent from a repeat of The Parkers on the year-ago night - 3.4/ 5 on Oct. 27, 2003) and Half and Half (2.8/ 4: down 16 percent from a repeat of Eve on the year-ago night - 3.3/ 5 on Oct. 27, 2003). Based on adults 18-49, Fear Factor (4.6/12) won the hour, followed by Still Standing (3.0/ 9) and Listen Up (3.0/ 8), 7th Heaven (2.5/ 7), The Swan (2.1/ 6), and One On One (1.5/ 4) and Half and Half (1.6/ 4). The Benefactor's adult 18-49 rating is excluded from the mix because football in the central and western time zones is included in the 8-9 p.m. fast affiliate averages.

At 9 p.m., even a repeat of CBS' departing Everybody Loves Raymond remains an option with a first-place finish in the overnights (11.3/16), and a competitive No. 2 behind ABC's Monday Night Football among adults 18-49 (5.3/13). Lead-out Two and a Half Men (#2, 11.8/16; A18-49: #2, 6.0/14 at 9:30 p.m.) is a compatible fit, while CSI: Miami at 10 p.m. (16.1/24; Viewers: 21.22 million; A18-49: 8.0/20) remains the top-rated show of the evening. For more on Everybody Loves Raymond, don't miss Mr. Television's conversation with series creator Phil Rosenthal in Mediaweek next Monday, Nov. 1.

On ABC, Monday Night Football remains a force to reckon with at an 11.4/18 in the overnights from 9 p.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 15.95 million viewers and a 6.4/15 among adults 18-49 in primetime.

Over at NBC, The 2004 Radio Music Awards was a dud, with a 5.1/ 7 in the overnights, 7.57 million viewers and a 3.5/ 8 among adults 18-49 from 9-11 p.m. In the 9-10 p.m. battle of UPN versus the WB, the frog net's Everwood (#4: 5.2/ 7; A18-49: #5, 2.1/ 5) held a considerable advantage, besting UPN comedies Girlfriends (#6: 3.1/ 4; A18-49: #6, 1.7/ 4) and Second Time Around (#6, 2.7/ 4; A18-49: #6, 1.4/ 3) by an average of 79 percent in the overnights and 35 percent among adults 18-49.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Coming Up On NBC:
November Sweep Highlights

With the start of the November sweeps just two days away, what follows are programming highlights for NBC:

Series Premiere
-$25 Million-Dollar Hoax: Mon., Nov. 8, 10 p.m. ET

New Cast Additions
-Jimmy Smits joins The West Wing: Wed., Nov. 10, 9 p.m. ET

Specials:
-The Most Outrageous Game Show Moments 3: Sat., Nov. 6, 8 p.m. ET

Guest Stars:
-The voice of David Spade on Father of the Pride: Tues., Nov. 9, 9 p.m. ET
-Alanis Morissette on American Dreams: Sunday, Nov. 7, 8 p.m. ET
-James Caan, Josh Duhamel and Vanessa Marcil of Las Vegas on Crossing Jordan: Sun,, Nov. 7, 10 p.m. ET
-Jill Hennessy and Jerry O'Connell of Crossing Jordan on Las Vegas: Mon., Nov. 8, 9 p.m. ET
-Kelly Preston on Joey: Thurs., Nov. 11, 8 p.m. ET
-Ray Liotta on ER: Thurs., Nov. 11, 10 p.m. ET

Of Note:
-Fear Factor: Mon., Nov. 8, 8 p.m. ET: 100th episode

Ratings Box:
What's Hot/What's Not

NBC Wins Friday, Oct. 22:
Although an average 6.1/11 in households, 8.71 million viewers and a 2.8/ 9 among adults 18-49 is nothing to boast about, it was still enough for NBC's combination of Dateline, Third Watch and Medical Investigation to win Friday, with an advantage over the No. 2 network (CBS in households and total viewers; ABC among adults 18-49) of 17 percent in households, 930,000 viewers and 27 percent among adults 18-49.
Note: Ratings for the WB are currently being reprocessed.

Reader Feedback Forum:

LAW & ORDER

"I do not normally write to columnists, but I do agree with R.T.'s comments yesterday about Dennis Farina on Law & Order. While I do like him as an actor and was looking forward to him appearing in the series, the attitude and comments of his character are totally different from any detective that has appeared on Law & Order. While I am not yet ready to throw in the towel, it certainly is no longer one of the few television series that I make a point of either watching or recording. I am not a fan of CSI so switching to CSI: NY is unlikely to happen.

Do you have any further information about the debut of Trial By Justice?
-D.W., Alexandria, VA

The P.I.:

At press time, the only information I have about Law & Order: Trial By Justice is that it will be premiering in midseason. Based on the holes on NBC's line-up, Monday at 10 p.m. in place of LAX (and ultimately $25 Million Hoax), or Tuesday at 9 p.m. leading into Law & Order: SVU are certainly options. Had NBC known, however, that the franchise would begin to lose steam, it probably would not have gone forward with Trial By Justice.

f44

10-26-04, 03:08 PM

Isn't it Law & Order: Trial By Jury?

pappy97

10-26-04, 05:29 PM

"The voice of David Spade on Father of the Pride: Tues., Nov. 9, 9 p.m. ET"

Unless, of course, FOTP is finally put out of its misery after tonight's episode. It was bad enough that this god awful show (besides the visuals, in HD!) was getting worse ratings than "Clubhouse", but if FOTP can beat out a repeat of Navy NCIS tonight, I bet NBC will dump it considering Nov. 9 is in the heart of sweeps.

fredfa

10-27-04, 02:11 AM

Nielsen Media Research Top 20
Week Five of 2004-05 Season, Oct. 18-24, 2004.

[B]Rank Program Name Net Day Time Rating/Share Households
1 FOX MLB ALCS GAME 7(S) FOX 8:26 PM Wed [B]HD 19.4/30 21,277,000
2 CSI CBS 9 PM Thu HD 16.8/25 18,421,000
3 FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 2(S) FOX 8:12 PM Sun HD 15.9/24 17,390,000
4 FOX MLB ALCS GAME 6(S) FOX 8:17 PM Tue HD 15.6/25 17,150,000
5 FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 1(S) FOX 8:04 PM Sat HD 13.7/25 15,029,000
6 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES ABC 9 PM Sun HD 13.4/19 14,684,000
7 FOX MLB NLCS GAME 7(S) FOX 8:16PM Thu HD 13.0/20 14,285,000
8 WITHOUT A TRACE CBS 10:01 PM Thu HD 12.6/20 13,790,000
9 CSI: MIAMI CBS 10 PM Mon HD 12.6/19 13,833,000
10 FOX WORLD SERIES GM2-PRE(S) FOX 7:50 PM Sun HD 11.5/19 12,635,000
11 SURVIVOR: VANUATU CBS 8 PM Thu 11.3/18 12,336,000
12 FOX MLB ALCS GAME 5(S) FOX 5:07PM Mon HD 11.3/19 12,353,000
13 E.R. NBC 9:59 PM Thu HD 10.9/17 11,950,000
14 EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND CBS 9 PM Mon HD 10.7/15 11,732,000
15 LOST ABC 8 PM Wed HD 10.5/16 11,458,000
16 TWO AND A HALF MEN CBS 9:31 PM Mon HD 10.4/15 11,355,000
17 COLD CASE CBS 8 PM Sun HD 10.1/15 11,031,000
18 60 MINUTES CBS 7 PM Sun HD 9.9/16 10,848,000
19 FOX NFL SUNDAY-POST FOX 7:36 PM Sun HD 9.8/17 10,780,000
20 APPRENTICE 2 NBC 9 PM Thu 9.6/14 10,479,000

fredfa

10-27-04, 02:46 AM

Weekly ratings analysis from Lisa de Moraes of the Washington Post:

Baseball Helps Fox Hit One Out of the Park

By Lisa de Moraes, Washington Post TV Writer Wednesday, October 27, 2004; Page C07
Fox, which since the start of the television season has churned out so many wonderful Losers for the Wednesday TV Column, dried up as a Loser source last week when it scrubbed virtually all of what it ironically refers to as its "regular schedule" in favor of all baseball all the time.
Here's a look at the week's most and least:
WINNERS
ALCS Game 7. More than 31 million folks watched the Red Sox improbably come back to snag the American League championship -- the most watched program of the week. That made it Fox's second most watched baseball game ever, behind Game 7 of the post-Sept. 11, 2001, World Series in which the Arizona Diamondbacks staged a miraculous comeback in the bottom of the ninth, scoring twice to beat the defending champion New York Yankees, 3-2.
World Series. Fox's Saturday and Sunday lineups, otherwise known as Games 1 and 2 of the World Series, delivered the highest-rated Games 1-2 average since 1996. Game 1 (23.2 million viewers) copped 31 percent more viewers and Game 2 (25.5 million) enjoyed 24 percent more viewers than last year's comparable games.
"Desperate Housewives." . . . and, it's World Series-proof! Opposite Game 2 of the Series, ABC's too-hot-for-the-religious-right dramedy was the week's most watched non-sports program among the 18-to-49-year-olds whom advertisers pay top dollar to reach. It beat CBS's "CSI" for the first time in the demographic group.
"Biggest Loser." How humiliating for Jay Mohr: His NBC reality series "Last Comic Standing" gets wiped out by a fat-farm competition. The debut of "Biggest Loser" clocked nearly 10 million viewers -- 32 percent more than the network's average this fall in the Tuesday time period with, mostly, "Last Comic Standing" and "Father of the Pride."
LOSERS
"Monday Night Football." Opposite Game 5 of Red Sox-Yankees ALCS play, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and St. Louis Rams wilted like hothouse flowers, resulting in "Monday Night Football's" smallest audience in people-meter history -- nearly two decades.
Mel Gibson. Poor Mel did not have such a great week. First, his Tuesday baseball drama, "Clubhouse," hit a series low and CBS announced it would be moved to Saturdays, i.e. put-out-to-pasture night. Then his highly touted appearance on his Friday comedy "Complete Savages" (which turned out to be a lousy cameo in a motor-safety instructional video that ran during the sitcom) did not move the needle on that new ABC series at all.
"LAX." Last week, the drama with Heather Locklear as co-chief of LAX hit a record low 6 million viewers. NBC has announced it's moving the series to Wednesdays at 8 p.m., replacing yanked "Hawaii," to provide a stronger lead-in to "The West Wing." Did we mention "LAX" stars Heather Locklear as the co-chief of Los Angeles International Airport?
"The West Wing." Because we have no Good News/Bad News category: NBC's White House drama opened its sixth season to an audience of 12.3 million -- its smallest debut audience ever. On the other hand, it was stuck opposite that so-incredible-even-I-watched-it ALCS Game 7, and it doubled its lead-in audience.

Moorebid

10-27-04, 03:31 AM

Originally posted by fredfa
Nielsen Media Research Top 20
Week Five of 2004-05 Season, Oct. 18-24, 2004.

Rank Program Name Net Day Time Rating/Share Households
*snip*
6 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES ABC 9 PM Sun HD 13.4/19 14,684,000
15 LOST ABC 8 PM Wed HD 10.5/16 11,458,000These numbers are significantly lower than the overnights, with Desperate Housewives being listed in a post above at 21.87 million households, and Lost I recall being over 17 million. That's a pretty major difference; where'd the rest go?

jim tressler

10-27-04, 10:05 AM

how is nbc's las vegas doing? never really see mention of them either good or bad

fredfa

10-27-04, 11:37 AM

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
National Ratings in Primetime - Week of Oct. 18:
Baseball Ignited Fox Wins

Led by four games of The Major League Baseball Championship Series and the first two games of The World Series, Fox hit a grand slam for the week of Oct. 18, beating the No. 2 network (CBS in households, total viewers and adults 25-54; CBS and NBC in adults 18-49; NBC in adults 18-34) by 74 percent in households, 10.04 million viewers, and as much as 111 percent in the below three surveyed demos. Comparably, Fox delivered its highest rated week in adults 18-49 and total viewers since the week of Jan. 28, 2002, with growth over the comparable week of as much as 57 percent.

Although the growing success of America's Next Top Model kept UPN on the year-to-year plus side despite facing baseball, the remaining four networks could not stop the bleeding. NBC continues to lose the biggest chuck of the audience, with the fading Joey (which now does not rank in the top 20 among total viewers) becoming more reminiscent of AfterMASH every week. Also failing to make the grade of the freshman mix this week: Clubhouse (CBS), Complete Savages (ABC), Drew Carey's Green Screen (WB), dr. vegas (CBS), Jack & Bobby (WB), LAX (NBC), life as we know it (ABC), and The Mountain (WB),

What follows are the final national ratings for the week of Oct. 18 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago period in parentheses) followed by the top-rated programs of the week:

Households:
Fox: 13.6/22 (+48)
CBS: 7.8/12 (- 6)
NBC: 6.5/10 (-11)
ABC: 5.8/ 9 (- 6)
UPN: 2.5/ 4 (no change)
WB: 2.4/ 4 (-14)

Total Viewers:
Fox: 21.98 million (+54)
CBS: 11.94 (- 5)
NBC: 9.60 (-11)
ABC: 8.86 (- 5)
UPN: 3.76 (+ 7)
WB: 3.61 (-13)

Adults 18-49:
Fox: 7.8/21 (+56)
CBS: 3.7/10 (- 3)
NBC: 3.7/ 9 (-10)
ABC: 3.4/ 9 (- 3)
UPN: 1.6/ 4 (+14)
WB: 1.6/ 4 (- 6)

Adults 18-34:
Fox: 6.2/19 (+44)
NBC: 3.2/ 9 (- 9)
ABC: 2.9/ 9 (+ 4)
CBS: 2.6/ 8 (+ 4)
WB: 1.7/ 5 (-11)
UPN: 1.6/ 5 (+ 7)

Adults 25-54:
Fox: 8.8/21 (+57)
CBS: 4.6/11 (- 6)
NBC: 4.2/10 (-13)
ABC: 3.9/ 9 (- 5)
UPN: 1.6/ 4 (+ 7)
WB: 1.5/ 3 (- 6)

Top Rated Programs of the Week

Total Viewers:
MLB ALCS, Game 7 (Fox: 31.46 million)
CSI (CBS: 26.54), World Series, Game 2 (Fox: 25.46)
MLB ALCS, Game 6 (Fox: 25.09), World Series, Game 1 (Fox: 23.17)
Desperate Housewives (ABC: 21.49)
CSI: Miami (CBS 19.81)
MLB NLCS, Game 7 (Fox: 19.81)
Survivor: Vanuatu (CBS: 19.22)
Without A Trace (CBS: 18.49)
Lost (ABC: 16.82)
Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS: 16.71)
Two and a Half Men (CBS: 16.28)
ER (NBC: 16.11)
Cold Case (CBS: 15.38)
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC: 15.00)
60 Minutes (CBS: 14.70)
The Apprentice 2 (NBC: 14.59)
NCIS (CBS: 14.05)
Law & Order (NBC: 13.07)

Adults 18-49:
MLB ALCS, Game 7 (Fox: 11.8/29)
Desperate Housewives (ABC: 9.7/21)
CSI (CBS: 9.6/22)
MLB ALCS, Game 6 (Fox: 9.5/25)
World Series, Game 2 (Fox, 9.0/22)
World Series, Game 1 (Fox: 8.0/25)
ER (NBC: 7.8/20)
CSI: Miami (CBS: 7.6/18)
Survivor: Vanuatu (CBS: 7.3/20)
The Apprentice 2 (NBC: 7.2/17)
MLB NLCS, Game 7 (Fox: 6.7/18)
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC: 6.4/15)
Lost (ABC: 6.3/16), Without A Trace (CBS: 5.9/15)
Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS: 5.7/13)
Two and a Half Men (CBS: 5.7/13)
Law & Order: SVU (NBC: 5.5/13)
Will & Grace (NBC: 5.0/13)
Joey (NBC: 4.9/14)
Monday Night Football (ABC: 4.5/12)

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Coming Up On the WB
November Programming Highlights

With the start of the November sweeps just 8 days away, what follows are programming highlights for the WB:

Movies:
-The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Part I (Sun. Nov. 7, 8 p.m. ET)
-The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Part II (Mon., Nov. 8, 8 p.m. ET)
-Samantha: An American Girl Holiday (Tues., Nov. 23, 8 p.m. ET): made-for premiere
-A Walk To Remember (Wed., Nov. 24, 8 p.m. ET)

Guest Stars:
-James Earl Jones on Everwood (Mon., Nov. 15, 9 p.m. ET)
-Jane Seymour on Smallville (Wed., Nov. 17, 8 p.m. ET)
-Leann Rimes on Blue Collar TV (Thurs., Nov. 18, 8 p.m. ET)
-Carmen Electra on The Mountain (Sun., Nov. 21, 9 p.m. ET)
-Wayne Newton on 7th Heaven (Mon., Nov. 29, 8 p.m. ET)

TV Tidbits:
Notes of Interest

So Long, Grounded For Life:
The WB has officially axed sitcom Grounded For Life, which debuted on Fox in Jan. 2001 and moved to the WB two years later. Only 13 new telecasts will air this season.

fredfa

10-27-04, 11:38 AM

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Ratings for Tuesday Oct. 26th

Note: The following ratings exclude the West Palm Beach market.

Household Rating/Share
Fox: 16.2/23
CBS: 9.2/13
NBC: 7.5/11
ABC: 6.7/10
WB: 4.6/ 6
UPN: 2.6/ 4

Percent Change From Comparable Year-Ago Night (Tues., Oct. 28, 2003):
Fox: +131
WB: + 7
CBS and UPN: no change
NBC: -10
ABC: -12

Fast Affiliate Ratings

Total Viewers:
Fox: 21.46 million
CBS: 12.15
ABC: 10.08
NBC: 9.48
WB: 4.94
UPN: 3.16

Adults 18-49:
Fox: 7.2/18
NBC: 3.9/10
ABC: 3.8/10
CBS: 3.3/ 8
WB: 2.2/ 6
UPN: 1.4/ 3

Yesterday's Winner:
World Series, Game 3 (Fox)

Honorable Mention:
NCIS (CBS)
Gilmore Girls (WB)
According To Jim (ABC)
Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

Yesterday's Losers:
All Of Us (UPN)
Eve (UPN)
Father of the Pride (NBC)
Scrubs (NBC)
Veronica Mars (UPN)

Ratings Breakdown:
The Baseball World Series kept Fox in the Tuesday winner's circle, with game three of the Boston/St. Louis match-up at a hefty 17.3/25 in the overnights from 8:30-11:30 p.m., with 21.46 million viewers and a 7.2/18 among adults 18-49 in primetime according to the fast affiliate ratings. The network's noticeable increase of 131 percent in the overnights is a reflection of The Next Joe Millionaire and the season premiere of 24 airing on the year-ago evening.

On CBS, two episodes (original and repeat) of NCIS (8 p.m. #2: 10.1/14; Viewers: #2, 13.22 million; A18-49: #4, 3.3/ 9 -- 9 p.m. #2, 9.1/13; Viewers: #2, 12.44 million; A18-49: #3, 3.4/ 8) followed by Judging Amy (#3: 8.5/13; Viewers: #3, 10.79 million; A18-49: #4, 3.2/ 8) was enough for the Eye net to place second for the evening in the overnights and total viewers (but fourth among adults 18-49).

Although episode two of NBC's The Biggest Loser at 8 p.m. perked up to a 6.9/10 in the overnights (#3, +5 percent from last week's debut) with a respectable 3.6/10 among adults 18-49, lead-out Father of the Pride sunk to a fourth-place (and series-low) 5.1/ 7 in the overnights, 6.91 million viewers and a 2.9/ 7 among adults 18-49 at 9 p.m. Obviously, the cancellation clock is ticking. Without the benefit of any lead-in support, Scrubs remains buried at 9:30 p.m. with a 5.5/ 8 in the overnights (#4), 7.14 million viewers (#4) and a 3.1/ 7 among adults 18-49 (#4).

NBC had better news at 10 p.m. with the reliable Law & Order: SVU a comfortable second behind The World Series in the overnights (10.4/15), viewers (12.46 million) and adults 18-49 (5.1/13)

Over at ABC, repeat holiday special, It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, opened with a typical 6.9/10 in the overnights (#3) and a 3.7/10 among adults 18-49 (#2), followed by the modest George Lopez (5.6/ 8; A18-49: 3.4/ 9) at a fourth place finish in both categories. The network had better results with According To Jim (#3, 7.7/11; A18-49: #2, 5.0/12) and Rodney (#3, 6.1/ 9; A18-49: #2, 4.1/10) from 9-10 p.m. As for NYPD Blue at 10 p.m. (#4, 7.0/10; A18-49: #3, 3.4/ 9), it's time to officially say goodbye this season.

The WB, meanwhile, continues to squash competitor UPN, with Gilmore Girls (#5, 5.2/ 7; A18-49: #5, 2.5/ 7) and One Tree Hill (#5: 4.0/ 6; A18-49: #5, 2.0/ 5) outdelivering UPN's low-rated combination of All of Us (#6: 2.8/ 4; A18-49: #6, 1.5/ 4), Eve (#6: 2.7/ 4; A18-49: #6, 1.6/ 4) and Veronica Mars (#6, 2.4/ 3; A18-49: #6, 1.2/ 3) by an average 77 percent in the overnights and 57 percent among adults 18-49. Note: Veronica Mars landing in the loser's column is a reflection of lackluster ratings, not the show itself. Hopefully, patience for this quality drama is the plan at UPN.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

f44

10-27-04, 03:20 PM

For your listing of Grounded for Life as cancelled, you might want to mention they will air the remaining produced episodes and it will end in 2005.

f44

10-27-04, 03:22 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
Next Great Champ (announced Oct. 4; remaining shows to play on FSN cable outlets).

Should say "playing on FSN" because they are already airing.

fredfa

10-27-04, 06:46 PM

Hilton, Richie Get on the Bus for 'Simple Life 3'

(From Zap2it.com)--Citizens of the Northeast, be forewarned: Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie may be on their way to a town near you.

News reports say that Hilton and Richie are hitting the road again to film a third season of "The Simple Life" for FOX, beginning this week. Their mode of transport this time will be a Greyhound bus, which, thankfully, someone else will be driving.

And rather than making half-hearted attempts at performing manual labor or working in the service sector, "The Simple Life 3" will feature Richie and Hilton taking short internships in major cities along the Eastern seaboard, including at a Wall Street firm and at a school.

"I'm just over doing manual labor," Richie tells Reuters. "We don't want to get dirty anymore."

Among the jobs the show's producers sought was one on Capitol Hill. They were unable to find a member of Congress willing to take on that scandal-in-waiting, however.

Richie also hopes the coming edition of the show will dispel any notions among viewers that she and Hilton either couldn't do the jobs they were assigned or didn't really try.

"A lot of people have misconceptions that we wouldn't know how to do things," she says. "This is to show everybody that we can do it."

An airdate for the newest "Simple Life" hasn't been set. FOX has scheduled a episode of "The Simple Life 2," featuring outtakes from last summer's road-trip adventure, for Wednesday, Nov. 17.

AFH

10-27-04, 07:33 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
Hilton, Richie Get on the Bus for 'Simple Life 3'

(From Zap2it.com)--Citizens of the Northeast, be forewarned: Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie may be on their way to a town near you.

News reports say that Hilton and Richie are hitting the road again to film a third season of "The Simple Life" for FOX, beginning this week. Their mode of transport this time will be a Greyhound bus, which, thankfully, someone else will be driving.

And rather than making half-hearted attempts at performing manual labor or working in the service sector, "The Simple Life 3" will feature Richie and Hilton taking short internships in major cities along the Eastern seaboard, including at a Wall Street firm and at a school.

"I'm just over doing manual labor," Richie tells Reuters. "We don't want to get dirty anymore."

Among the jobs the show's producers sought was one on Capitol Hill. They were unable to find a member of Congress willing to take on that scandal-in-waiting, however.

Richie also hopes the coming edition of the show will dispel any notions among viewers that she and Hilton either couldn't do the jobs they were assigned or didn't really try.

"A lot of people have misconceptions that we wouldn't know how to do things," she says. "This is to show everybody that we can do it."

An airdate for the newest "Simple Life" hasn't been set. FOX has scheduled a episode of "The Simple Life 2," featuring outtakes from last summer's road-trip adventure, for Wednesday, Nov. 17.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

bgall

10-27-04, 07:39 PM

Wee!!! That's hot :)

Ms. Hilton you must be worth a trillion bucks, get the feeling that you don't really give a f...

bgall

10-27-04, 10:44 PM

And tomorrow fox will go back to it's normal rating spot...

fredfa

10-28-04, 01:05 AM

ABC MOVIE: SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
Air Date: 11/11/04 (THURSDAY) Time Slot: 8:00 PM-11:20 PM EST on ABC
"SAVING PRIVATE RYAN," THE GROUND-BREAKING WORLD WAR II DRAMA, AIRS UNEDITED FROM ITS THEATRICAL VERSION, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11 ON ABC
Winner of Five Oscars, the film will air in HDTV Format With 5.1 Surround Sound
"Saving Private Ryan," the winner of five Academy Awards(r) and 11 nominations, will air in its complete, unedited theatrical version THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11 (8:00 -- 11:20 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network (rebroadcast. OAD: 11/11/01). The telecast will be presented in HDTV with 5.1-channel surround sound.
This film replaces the episodes of "Extreme Makeover," "life as we know it" and "Primetime Live" which had been scheduled for this evening.
"SAVING PRIVATE RYAN" IN HDTV:
The ABC Television Network's HDTV broadcast of "Saving Private Ryan" will air in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound.

fredfa

10-28-04, 01:11 AM

World Series Game Three Best Ever For Fox
October 27, 2004
By John Consoli Mediaweek.com
Game 3 of the World Series on Fox between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals delivered a 15.7/24 household rating/share on Tuesday night (Oct. 26}, the best World Series Game 3 rating since 1999 when the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees delivered a 16.8/27 on NBC.

For Fox, this year's Game 3 was its best Game 3 rating ever. An average 24.4 million viewers watched, the highest level since 1995 (Cleveland Indians vs. Atlanta Braves) on NBC.

The three-game average for the World Series on Fox is a 15.0/24, up 26 percent over last year's 11.9/21. Fox boasted that the 15.0 rating matches the average household rating for prime-time coverage of the Olympic Games on NBC this summer.

fredfa

10-28-04, 01:13 AM

The WB Says Goodbye to 'Grounded'
By Brian Ford Sullivan
LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- Two networks, five seasons and 91 episodes later, "Grounded for Life" is getting permanently "grounded."
The WB confirmed today that it doesn't plan to pick up the show's back nine order this season, effectively ending the series. Just seven episodes remain from its 13-episode fifth season, which resumes its run on November 5. (Two episodes from FOX's production run also have yet to air however it's not clear if the WB will broadcast them.)
Overall this season, "Grounded" has averaged a mediocre 2.66 million viewers, ahead of fellow Frog series "What I Like About You" (2.62 million), "Jack & Bobby" (2.42 million) and "Steve Harvey's Big Time" (2.37 million). Nevertheless with producer Carsey-Werner already having sold the show's off-network run to ABC Family earlier this year for $175,000 per episode (read the story), the network and studio may have had little financial incentive to continue producing the series.
The news marks the second blow to the WB's Friday comedy lineup this season, the first being the decision last week to scrap newcomer "Commando Nanny" before it even got to air (read the story). It's expected that the Fran Drescher-led sitcom "Shacking Up" will take over the Friday, 8:30/7:30c half-hour once "Grounded" completes its run early next year.

fredfa

10-28-04, 01:13 AM

9/11 Panel Report: The Miniseries

By Lisa de Moraes washingtonpost.com Thursday, October 28, 2004; Page C01
NBC has planted its flag in "The 9/11 Commission Report," announcing with almost no additional details that it plans to produce a "limited series" to dramatize the events leading up to and including the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon "as delineated in the best-selling" document.
Bestseller (public-domain document, no expensive rights payment), big special effects, major disaster story line. The Perfect Miniseries.
Graham Yost will write and executive-produce the project, the network said. The details stop there.
Yost created and executive-produced "Boomtown," NBC's critically acclaimed but low-rated drama series, which averaged about 7 million viewers.
He also penned several episodes of "Band of Brothers," HBO's much-praised, low-rated (averaging 7 million viewers in its premiere telecasts), 10-part miniseries. And he was a supervising producer and wrote some episodes of "From the Earth to the Moon," a 12-part HBO miniseries -- lots of buzz, small audience (averaged 4 million in its premiere telecasts). (Both HBO projects had Tom Hanks attached.)
The network said it was "in discussion" with a "major producer" and "other top talent" to join the project, which is being produced at NBC's Universal Television Studios. That means it will be overseen by Henry Kissinger's son, David.
"With this most important subject matter, we're setting our sights on nothing short of a seminal event for television," NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly said in the announcement.
"We're going to bring together the highest caliber production elements beginning with the very talented Graham Yost and try to bring a cultural event to television that harkens back to the days of 'Roots' and 'The Day After.' "
He's referring to two ABC projects, the first of which aired over eight consecutive nights and remains the most watched miniseries in television history, opening with nearly 30 million households and wrapping with nearly 40 million. (Viewer numbers were not available in those days but would, obviously, have been higher than household numbers.) "The Day After," which aired in 1983 and also packed a ratings punch, was about the days leading up to and the day following a nuclear strike on the United States, killing millions.
"The fact that the 9/11 report is a bestseller is indicative of not only its importance but also the way in which the story of the events is laid out in a clean narrative fashion," Reilly continued. "And that is what we expect to do with this miniseries."
Added NBC Universal Television Studio co-presidents Kissinger and Angela Bromstad, simultaneously, in the announcement, "The only way we'd ever attempt a project like this is under the extremely capable auspices of Graham Yost, who can execute a project of this weight with the integrity it demands."
NBC said the series will "chronicle the swirl of secret activity that took place over the months and years preceding the planned attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and on the Pentagon," which NBC misplaces in Washington; it's in Virginia, but you knew that.
"The project will showcase the many heroes -- living and dead, recognized and unrecognized -- who thwarted early efforts and saved untold lives despite the chaos and horror that ensued," NBC continued, only then adding that "it will also examine the shortcomings in the system that helped set the stage for the actual attack."
Interestingly, NBC can do a whole miniseries about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but The TV Column cannot use a photograph illustrating what happened on Sept. 11 because of this newspaper's sensitivity about the use of the photos. And yet, Americans love, love, love to look at disasters. In the past May ratings sweeps, NBC clocked 20 million viewers with its two-part miniseries "10.5," about the mother of all earthquakes, in which the entire West Coast breaks off, killing millions. It was NBC's most watched long-form project in five years.
Sensing it was on to something, the network has announced a sequel.
Jumping on that bandwagon, CBS in the upcoming November sweeps will pull out all the stops with its two-part miniseries "Category 6: Day of Destruction," about three cataclysmic weather systems that collide over Chicago, creating the worst superstorm in U.S. history, but only after they first cause the national power grid to collapse, making it impossible to warn anyone about the impending disaster, killing millions.
And let's not forget the summer blockbuster flick "The Day After Tomorrow" in which thousands of hurricanes, tornadoes, tidal waves, floods and the next Ice Age all come home on the very same day, killing millions.
"The Day After Tomorrow" ranks as the year's fifth biggest box-office draw with a domestic take of nearly $190 million.

fredfa

10-28-04, 01:41 AM

jim tressler:
Sorry, I've been out of town, and haven't has much time online.
But I'll get those Las Vegas ratings for you tomorrow (Thursday).

gaderson

10-28-04, 02:43 AM

Originally posted by fredfa
[B] ABC MOVIE: SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
Air Date: 11/11/04 (THURSDAY) Time Slot: 8:00 PM-11:20 PM EST on ABC
"SAVING PRIVATE RYAN," THE GROUND-BREAKING WORLD WAR II DRAMA, AIRS UNEDITED FROM ITS THEATRICAL VERSION, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11 ON ABC

Is this the same edit that aired a couple years ago on Veteran's Day? (Still got my DVHS recording, wondering if I should record over?) Still with commercials?

fredfa

10-28-04, 10:48 AM

Wednesday ratings posted

fredfa

10-28-04, 11:07 AM

jim tressler:
The ratings for Las Vegas this year have been, if not impressive, very solid.
Fear Factor has been falling as its lead-in, and it has battled the MLB playoffs so the numbers might be a bit depressed.
Generally it ranks third in the 9 p.m. Monday time slot behind the NFL and the CBS comedy block.
Week One (Third Place):
7.8/12 (3.9 18-49)
Week Two (Third Place):
7.4/11 (4.6)
Week Three (Third Place):
7.2/11 (4.4)
Week Four (Third Place):
7.9/12 (4.8)
Week Five:
Pre empted.

fredfa

10-28-04, 11:14 AM

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Ratings for Wednesday Oct. 27th

Note: The following ratings exclude the Portland, Ore., market.

Household Rating/Share
Fox: 17.1/24
NBC: 8.9/13
ABC: 8.7/12
CBS: 7.4/10
UPN: 3.9/ 5
WB: 3.7/ 5

Percent Change From Comparable Year-Ago Night (Weds., Oct. 29, 2003):
Fox: +163
UPN: +22
ABC: +16
CBS: - 6
NBC: -16
WB: -26

Fast Affiliate Ratings

Total Viewers:
Fox: 25.15 million
ABC: 11.48
NBC: 10.38
CBS: 10.36
UPN: 4.42
WB: 4.19

Adults 18-49:
Fox: 8.6/22
ABC: 4.7/12
CBS: 3.5/ 9
NBC: 3.2/ 8
UPN: 2.0/ 5
WB: 1.9/ 5

Yesterday's Winners:
World Series, Game 4 (Fox)
Lost (ABC)

Honorable Mention:
King Of Queens (CBS)
Center of the Universe (CBS)
Law & Order (NBC)
CSI: NY (CBS)
Wife Swap (ABC)

Yesterday's Losers:
LAX (NBC)
The Bachelor (ABC)
Jack & Bobby (WB)

Ratings Breakdown:
Although Fox clearly dominated Wednesday courtesy of the fourth, and final, game of The World Series at a 20.5/30 in the overnights from 8:30-11:45 p.m. ET (with 25.15 million viewers and an 8.6/22 among adults 18-49 in primetime), the network was obviously hoping for more than a four game series. Growth of 163 percent in the overnights was a result of Fox airing the season/series premieres of That '70s Show, A Minute With Stan Hooper and The O.C. on the year-ago Wednesday. Does anyone even remember A Minute With Stan Hooper?

Despite The World Series, there was still plenty of good news to go around, further proving the strength of network television when a diversified array of programming options are offered. ABC's addictive Lost opened with a healthy 12.5/18 in the overnights from 8-9 p.m., with 16.16 million viewers and a 6.2/17 among adults 18-49 according to the fast affiliate ratings. Although the WB's Smallville (#5, 4.9/ 7; A18-49: 2.5/ 7) and America's Next Top Model on UPN (#6: 4.1/ 6; A18-49: 2.3/ 6) were close to typical levels, the Wednesday 8 p.m. debut of NBC's LAX was left out in the cold with a 5.2/ 7 in the overnights, 6.60 million viewers and a 2.0/ 5 among adults 18-49. Last year at this time, the network's lackluster Ed was considerably stronger with a 6.5/10 in the overnights. So, long Heather!

On CBS, the older skewing 60 Minutes was a distant third in the overnights at 8 p.m. (5.5/ 8), with a fifth-place finish among adults 18-49 (1.6/ 4).

As The World Series on Fox perked up to a 19.7/27 in the overnights from 9-10 p.m., the season/series premieres of CBS comedies King Of Queens and Center of the Universe still were sampled. King Of Queens opened season seven (yes - time flies!) third in the overnights (7.7/11) but second among adults 18-49 (3.9/10), following by the debut of Center of the Universe also third in the overnights (6.8/ 9) and second among adults 18-49 (4.0/ 9) at 9:30 p.m. Will full retention among adults 18-49, maybe Center of the Universe is not such a bad fit out of King Of Queens after all.

Although NBC's The West Wing ranked a respectable, albeit distant, second behind baseball in the overnights (9.8/14), it dipped to fourth among adults 18-49 (3.4/ 8). The Wednesday debut of the WB's Jack & Bobby, meanwhile, disappointed at a distant last-place finish in the overnights (2.6/ 4), total viewers (3.08 million) and adults 18-49 (1.3/ 3). Comparably, Jack & Bobby trailed UPN's Kevin Hill (3.8/ 5; Viewers: 4.06 million; A18-49: 1.8/ 4) by 32 percent in the overnights, 980,000 viewers, and 28 percent among adults 18-49.

Also at 9 p.m., ABC's diluted The Bachelor (#4, 6.4/ 9; A18-49: #3, 3.6/ 9) is clearly not benefiting from its potent Lost lead-in.

In positive news for NBC at 10 p.m., old faithful Law & Order beat CBS' CSI: NY for the first time this season in the overnights and total viewers. Opposite The World Series, Law & Order averaged an 11.6/17 in the overnights, with 12.96 million viewers, while CSI: NY was second with a 9.5/14 in the overnights and 12.55 million viewers. Among adults 18-49, however, CSI: NY continues to have an advantage, beating Law & Order by 16 percent in the demo last night (5.0/12 vs. 4.3/11).

On ABC, Wife Swap at 10 p.m. remains a considerable improvement over former time period drama Karen Sisco with a 7.3/11 in the overnights, 9.43 million viewers and a 4.2/11 among adults 18-49.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Notes of Interest

Conan O'Brien Heads to CNBC:
Effective Monday, Nov. 15, repeats of NBC's The Late Show With Conan O'Brien from one day earlier will begin airing on CNBC weeknights at 7 p.m. ET.

fredfa

10-28-04, 12:29 PM

ABC's sweeps plan:
Please the crowds
Pushing its big shows and a few hit movies
By Toni Fitzgerald Medialife.com
ABC has the biggest new hit of the season, “Desperate Housewives,” and perhaps the most critically acclaimed show, “Lost.” But although it is the only network posting gains in every major demographic this season, it’s probably not going to win the November sweeps and may not even finish second among adults 18-49.
That’s because, despite suddenly boasting two very strong nights in Wednesday and Sunday, the rest of the network’s schedule is flagging.
ABC’s best hope for sweeps is to continue to post gains over last year while not worrying what the other Big Four networks are up to. For now, simply being tied with NBC entering sweeps is enough.
“On the down side for ABC, ‘The Benefactor,’ its Tuesday comedies are down (except maybe ‘According to Jim’), ‘The Bachelor’ (Wednesday) may be on its last legs, its entire Thursday lineup is weak, and its 8 to 10 p.m. Friday comedies are down,” observes Steve Sternberg, Magna Global USA executive vice president and director of audience analysis, in his weekly primetime report.
Building on the success of two nights should be challenge enough as the season progresses. ABC has already worked two miracles this season by programming shows that are both a ratings and critical success; for now, that trumps any bad news, such as ratings declines for “The Bachelor” and disappointing TGIF shows.
With sweeps starting next Thursday, Media Life will examine where each network stands entering sweeps, what their strategies are, and what they have to gain.
ABC
Season-to-date averages:
Households: 6.5 (+2 percent)
Persons 2+: 3.6 (+3 percent)
Adults 18-49: 3.8 (+6 percent).

What's at stake
A whole lot more than last year. Suddenly, with NBC down and Fox in its usual fall flatline (outside of baseball, which is over by the time sweeps starts), ABC seems as likely a contender as any for an 18-49 win.
But even with “Housewives” and “Lost” finishing consistently in the top 10, much of ABC’s schedule remains in disrepair.
The network must figure out how to become more successful on nights other than Sunday and Wednesday. This once seemed an impossibility. No longer. ABC has finally shown it can again pick successful shows, and not just "Housewives" and "Lost" but also “Wife Swap” and to a lesser degree “Boston Legal.”
Its biggest hurdle is to remain competitive once “Monday Night Football” ends in January. To do that, it will have to do some major schedule juggling and perhaps some slicing – freshman comedy “Complete Savages” and perhaps Friday night mate “8 Simple Rules” look to be in danger. If they are pulled for sweeps, they may not come back.
Sweeps strategy
ABC is not big on stunting. It will not be super-sizing “Lost” or “Housewives” every week to gain an edge, which is smart. As the network has learned the past few years, rebuilding takes time.
Expect lots of advertising for its hits, which also include Sunday’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and Tuesday’s “According to Jim,” and only a few specials to help pull in viewers. Special guest stars and “must-see” episodes of regular shows will fill the bulk of the schedule.
One major concern for the network is the quickly fading “Bachelor.” Though last year’s editions, as well as winter’s “Bachelorette,” showed signs of age, this year’s show has fallen more quickly than anyone would have guessed.
Still, however minor a boost the network can get from its November finale is a plus. During its down years ABC realized (based on the “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire” crash and burn) that building a consistent schedule is more important than flash-in-the-pan wins.
It has the added bonus of getting the best buzz for its new shows and increased ratings heading into sweeps, which no one else can boast about.
Must-wins
Wednesdays and Sundays are its most important nights. Even with the baseball playoffs going on, ABC has remained strong those nights, an impressive feat.
Mondays depend a lot on the “Monday Night Football” matchups. As demonstrated last year, viewers won’t stick around for blowouts or 1-9 teams duking it out. Getting a better lead-in to “MNF” than the recently concluded “Benefactor” would make a huge difference for ABC in competing for first on the night with CBS, but replacement “Life of Luxury” doesn’t look promising.
Big ratings from sweeps special movies “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” would also be a bonus. The network needs Tuesday comedy “My Wife and Kids” to do better; lead-out “George Lopez” is consistently finishing ahead, and with increased competition from NBC’s new “Loser,” ABC is no longer challenging for first on the night.
ABC sweeps specials/launches
Monday, Nov. 8 – “Life of Luxury” (8 p.m.) (series launch)
Saturday, Nov. 13 – "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone" (8 p.m.)
Sunday, Nov. 14 – American Music Awards (8 p.m.)
Thursday, Nov. 25 – “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” (8 p.m.)
Thursday, Nov. 25 – “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (8:30 p.m.)

fredfa

10-28-04, 12:36 PM

Not HD News, but…..
CNN Plans to Shut Down Financial-News Network
Associated Press October 28, 2004 12:27 p.m. ET
NEW YORK -- CNN said it will shut down its struggling CNNfn financial news network in mid-December, giving up its attempt to compete with CNBC after nine years.
A handful of programs will be shifted to the main network. CNN also said it is planning changes for its Headline News offshoot, offering prime-time programming instead of a constantly repeating 30-minute newscast.
CNNfn is only available in about 30 million of the 110 million U.S. television homes. With the coming expiration of its deal with the DirecTV satellite system, it faced the prospect of losing more distribution.
It launched in December 1995 when business, and business news, was hot. CNBC's ratings plunged when the Internet bubble burst on Wall Street, and CNNfn failed to gain footing, too.
Management turmoil didn't help: CNNfn's biggest star, Lou Dobbs, left in 1999 and then returned in 2001. He will continue his program on the main network. CNNfn also announced in 2001 that it was changing the network's name to CNN Money, but the idea was dropped after a management change.
The network has recently shifted focus away from Wall Street toward personal finance. Two of its programs -- the real estate series "Open House" and "Dolans Unscripted," a talk show with personal finance experts Ken and Daria Dolan -- will move to the main network.
Sixty jobs will be eliminated, but CNN said it will add about 100 new jobs with the Headline News plans.

fredfa

10-28-04, 05:08 PM

This program had been announced previously (and has been in the premiere section of this thread) but now UPN has announced a date and time for the premiere.

Missy Elliot Reality Music Series to Premiere Jan. 5 on UPN

By Christopher Lisotta, TVWeek.com October 28, 2004
UPN announced Thursday its new 10-episode reality series "The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott" will premiere Wednesday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. (ET).

The show takes a group of young recording artist wannabes and eliminates one each episode until there is a sole performer standing who then claims a $100,000 prize. Ms. Elliott will help launch the winner's career by signing him or her to her record label and releasing his or her first single.

The panel that will select the final winner includes Ms. Elliot, performer Teena Marie, Grammy Award-winning producer Dallas Austin and Mona Scott, president of Violator Management.

fredfa

10-28-04, 05:44 PM

Red Sox' World Series Win Most-Watched Since 1995

By Paul J. Gough

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Boston's four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals to win its first World Series since 1918 was the most-watched series since 1995.

Game 4, from Busch Stadium in St. Louis, delivered an 18.2 household rating/28 share and an average audience of 28.8 million, according to fast-national data released Thursday by Nielsen Media Research.

While Fox might have wanted the series to stretch another couple games, the history-defying Red Sox had other ideas. But Fox still had a lot to celebrate. Average viewership for the four-game World Series was 25.4 million, the best since 1995. Wednesday night's game was the highest-rated game 4 since 1995 and was up 34% from last year's Marlins-Yankees game. It was the most-watched Game 4 since at least 1992.

It is also the highest-rated World Series since 1999, beating the Sept.11-tinged 2001 World Series by one-tenth of a rating point. Boston delivered a 59 rating/77 share in homes, peaking from 11:30 to 11:45 p.m. at 62.8/88. St. Louis posted a 42.6/57.

fredfa

10-28-04, 09:36 PM

Just so you can start deciding how to fill out your ballots…

Nominations for the 31st Annual People’s Choice Awards
To Be Broadcast on CBS January 9

The winners will be revealed Sunday, Jan. 9 (9:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. (If you have already done your homework, votes can be placed at www.pcavote.com starting today.)
And the nominees are:
MOVIES
FAVORITE FEMALE MOVIE STAR
Nicole Kidman
Julianne Moore
Julia Roberts
Charlize Theron
Reese Witherspoon
FAVORITE MALE MOVIE STAR
George Clooney
Tom Cruise
Johnny Depp
Tom Hanks
Denzel Washington
FAVORITE FEMALE ACTION MOVIE STAR
Kate Beckinsale
Halle Berry
Angelina Jolie
Keira Knightley
Uma Thurman
FAVORITE MALE ACTION MOVIE STAR
Matt Damon
Hugh Jackman
Tobey Maguire
Viggo Mortensen
Will Smith
FAVORITE LEADING MAN
Zach Braff
Jim Carrey
Colin Farrell
Jude Law
Brad Pitt
FAVORITE LEADING LADY
Drew Barrymore
Jennifer Garner
Natalie Portman
Kate Winslet
Renee Zellweger
MUSIC
FAVORITE GROUP
Evanescence
Maroon 5
No Doubt
OutKast
U2
FAVORITE MALE SINGER
Eminem
Josh Groban
John Mayer
Prince
Usher
FAVORITE FEMALE SINGER
Sheryl Crow
Norah Jones
Alicia Keys
Avril Lavigne
Sarah McLachlan
FAVORITE REMAKE
“Carwash” Christina Aguilera/Missy Elliot/Lil’ Kim
“The First Cut is the Deepest” Sheryl Crow
“It’s My Life” No Doubt
“Livin’ La Vida Loca” Antonio Banderas & Eddie Murphy
“Take My Breath Away” Jessica Simpson
FAVORITE COMBINED FORCES
Christina Aguilera / Missy Elliot / Lil’ Kim “Carwash”
Black Eyed Peas / Justin Timberlake “Where is the Love”
Norah Jones / Dolly Parton “The Grass is Blue”
Lil’ John / Usher “Yeah!”
Britney Spears / Madonna “Me Against the Music”
TELEVISION
FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY
“Complete Savages”
“Entourage”
“Father of the Pride”
“Joey”
“Quintuplets”
FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA
“Boston Legal”
“CSI: NY”
“Desperate Housewives”
“Jack and Bobby”
“Lost”
FAVORITE TV COMEDY
“Arrested Development”
“Everybody Loves Raymond”
“Scrubs”
“That '70s Show”
“Will & Grace”
FAVORITE TV DRAMA
“Alias”
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”
“Gilmore Girls”
“The O.C.”
“Sopranos”
FAVORITE FEMALE TV STAR
Jennifer Garner (“Alias”)
Lauren Graham (“Gilmore Girls”)
Marg Helgenberger (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”)
Debra Messing (“Will & Grace”)
Megan Mullally (“Will & Grace”)
FAVORITE MALE TV STAR
Jason Bateman (“Arrested Development”)
Zach Braff (“Scrubs”)
Matthew Fox (“Lost”)
Matt Le Blanc (“Joey”)
James Spader (“Boston Legal”)
FAVORITE LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST
Jimmy Kimmel
Jay Leno
David Letterman
Conan O’Brien
Jon Stewart
FAVORITE FUNNY MALE STAR
Jack Black
Jim Carrey
Will Ferrell
Jon Stewart
Ben Stiller
FAVORITE FUNNY FEMALE STAR
Ellen DeGeneres
Tina Fey
Debra Messing
Megan Mullally
Wanda Sykes
FAVORITE DAYTIME TALK SHOW HOST
Tony Danza
Ellen DeGeneres
Dr. Phil McGraw
Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa
Oprah Winfrey
FAVORITE REALITY SHOW/COMPETITION
“The Amazing Race”
“American Idol”
“The Apprentice”
“Survivor”
“Last Comic Standing”
FAVORITE REALITY SHOW/MAKEOVER
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
“Pimp My Ride”
“Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”
“Trading Spaces”
“What Not to Wear”
FAVORITE REALITY SHOW/OTHER
“Airline”
“Newlyweds”
“The Real World”
“The Surreal Life”
“Wife Swap”
*Additional feature film categories will be announced at a later date

fredfa

10-28-04, 09:46 PM

O'Reilly, Producer Settle Legal Dispute

By SAMUEL MAULL Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - Fox News Channel television host Bill O'Reilly and a former producer of his talk show have agreed to settle their legal dispute over her allegations of sexual harassment, O'Reilly's lawyer announced Thursday.

Andrea Mackris had claimed O'Reilly made a series of explicit phone calls to her, advised her to use a vibrator and telling her about sexual fantasies involving her.

O'Reilly actually sued Mackris hours before her case was filed Oct. 13. The talk show host said he was fighting an extortion attempt, that Mackris and her lawyer demanded $60 million in "hush money" to make the case quietly go away.

O'Reilly, who's married, is host of the top-rated prime-time cable news program - and he's seen his ratings go up by 30 percent since the case was filed.

O'Reilly's lawyer, Ronald Green, issued a statement Thursday saying both sides "regret that this matter has caused tremendous pain, and they have agreed to settle. All cases and claims have been withdrawn, and all parties have agreed that there was no wrongdoing whatsoever by Mr. O'Reilly, Ms. Mackris, or Ms. Mackris' counsel, Benedict P. Morelli & Associates."

Mackris' lawyer did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

Green's statement also said he and O'Reilly "withdraw any assertion that any extortion by Ms. Mackris, Mr. Morelli" or his law firm occurred.

"Out of respect for their families and privacy, all parties and their representatives have agreed that all information relating to the cases shall remain confidential," Green's statement said.

fredfa

10-29-04, 12:28 AM

We are indeed lucky that the watchdogs at 60 Minutes stand ready to defend our democracy against all enemies!

The Sync That Sank Ashlee: '60 Minutes' Has It Covered

By Lisa de Moraes washingtonpost.com Friday, October 29, 2004; Page C07
About 36 hours before the polls open on Election Day, CBS News's "60 Minutes" will release a report that blows the lid off the Ashlee Simpson lip-syncing scandal.

When Simpson ran off the "Saturday Night Live" stage last week after her lip-sync flap, "60 Minutes" cameras were there to record her embarrassing exit and the reactions of show creator Lorne Michaels and other shocked staff members, the newsmag announced yesterday afternoon.

"The exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the incident will be part of a Lesley Stahl report about the making of the venerable comedy program" set for Halloween night, CBS News said.

It reports that Stahl and her cameras also caught the dress rehearsal of Simpson's performance when she also ran offstage "because her voice failed her."

"SNL" had allowed "60 Minutes" at Saturday's show to tape one of those pieces about how the show is conceived, written and produced each week, because we've never seen that before.

Simpson has claimed that acute acid reflux disease left her without a voice the night she was the musical guest on the live late-night show, leading to the decision to use a recording of her voice while performing. (In her letter to fans posted on her Web site, she called it "acid refux," but you can't expect a faux pop star to also be a medical expert.)

That leaves unexplained why she was able, at the end of that program, to shout boisterously to the studio audience, and to viewers at home, that her band was to blame for the snafu, in which her voice could be heard singing "Pieces of Me" while her microphone was at her side and her mouth was closed, causing her to panic and walk offstage.

"I feel so bad!" she said loud and clear and with no sign of hoarseness as the show was wrapping. "My band started playing the wrong song! I didn't know what to do!"

fredfa

10-29-04, 12:37 AM

NBC Has Fix-Up Plans

Jim Finkle -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/28/2004
NBC, which this season has fallen behind CBS among viewers 18-49, is looking to 10 new shows to bolster ratings when it rejiggers its line-up in January and March.

The network’s Entertainment President Kevin Reilly says he’s placed as much emphasis on programs slated for rollout in early 2005 as the ones introduced in September. His pipeline includes five reality shows and five scripted programs. “These shows in any other year would have been on the fall schedule,” he said. He made the comments while appearing with his counterparts from the other five broadcast networks at a Hollywood Radio and Television Society lunch on Thursday.

Otherwise, the most talked-about show was Desperate Housewives, which along with Lost is helping to revive ABC’s prime time ratings. “We look upon ourselves as the underdogs,” said ABC Primetime Entertainment President Stephen McPherson, in what might be the understatement of the season so far.

One topic of agreement was the sad state of sit-coms. Too many derivative shows, such as the slew of Friends copycats, have turned viewers off to the genre. Fox Entertainment President Gail Berman said she’s betting that her networks critically-praised Arrested Development will start to garner better ratings. But that’s not a slam-dunk. “It’s a sophisticated comedy,” she told the crowd. “It requires a certain change in the viewing habits of the audience.”

fredfa

10-29-04, 10:36 AM

Thursday's fast ratings are posted.

fredfa

10-29-04, 03:48 PM

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Ratings for Thursday Oct. 28th

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 15.8/24
NBC: 9.3/15
ABC: 4.5/ 7
UPN: 3.8/ 6
Fox: 2.8/ 4
WB: 2.2/ 3

Percent Change From Comparable Year-Ago Night (Thurs., Oct. 30, 2003):
CBS: + 5
WB: no change
UPN: - 7
Fox: -12
ABC: -25
NBC: -28

Fast Affiliate Ratings

Total Viewers:
CBS: 23.33 million
NBC: 12.80
ABC: 5.70
UPN: 4.78
Fox: 3.49
WB: 2.33

Adults 18-49:
CBS: 8.3/22
NBC: 5.9/16
ABC: 1.9/ 5
UPN: 1.7/ 4
Fox: 1.5/ 4
WB: 1.1/ 3

Yesterday's Winners:
Survivor: Vanuatu (CBS)
CSI (CBS)
The Apprentice 2 (NBC)
Without A Trace (CBS)

Yesterday's Losers:
Drew Carey's Green Screen (WB)
life as we know it (ABC)
Primetime Live (ABC)

Ratings Breakdown:
Opposite two-thirds of NBC's schedule in repeats, CBS extended its Thursday lead, beating the Peacock net by an average of 58 percent in the overnights, 10.53 million viewers and 41 percent among adults 18-49. CBS ranked first in every half-hour with its combination of Survivor: Vanuatu (12.1/19; Viewers: 18.82 million; A18-49: 7.2/21), CSI (20.0/29; Viewers: 28.88 million; A18-49: 10.1/25), and Without A Trace (15.3/23; Viewers: 22.18 million; A18-49: 7.7/21). NBC was second, meanwhile, in every half-hour with repeats of Joey (8.0/12; Viewers: 9.81 million; A18-49: 3.8/11), and Will & Grace (8.3/12; Viewers: 10.23 million; A18-49: 4.4/12), an original installment of The Apprentice 2 (11.9/17; Viewers: 15.48 million; A18-49: 7.7/19), and a repeat of ER (10.0/15; Viewers: 12.90 million; A18-49: 6.0/16). Growth for The Apprentice 2 out of the Will & Grace repeat of 43 percent in the overnights, 5.25 million viewers and 75 percent among adults 18-49 is worth noting.

As a reminder, total viewers and adults 18-49 are based on the fast affiliate ratings.

Although ABC has found two key building blocks -- Desperate Housewives and Lost -- to work with this season, the network remains buried on Thursday with Extreme Makeover (#3: 5.3/ 8; Viewers: 6.56 million; A18-49: 2.2/ 6), life as we know it (#4: 3.1/ 4; Viewers: 4.03 million; A18-49: 1.5/ 3) and Primetime Thursday (#3: 5.0/ 8; Viewers: 6.51 million; A18-49: 1.9/ 5. Extreme Makeover spin-off, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, delivers almost twice as many viewers than its parent series on Sunday.

UPN's WWE Smackdown! (#4: 3.8/ 6; Viewers: #4, 4.78 million; A18-49: #4, 1.7/ 4) remains a respectable player on Thursday with an average advantage over the WB last night of 73 percent in the overnights, 2.45 million viewers and 55 percent among adults 18-49. Despite an improved 3.3/ 5 in the overnights with a 1.7/ 5 among adults 18-49 for the WB's Blue Collar TV at 8 p.m. (up 37 percent in the overnights from Steve Harvey's Big Time on the year-ago night), it was downhill from 8:30 p.m. and beyond with Drew Carey's Green Screen (#6, 2.3/ 3; A18-49: #6, 1.1/ 3) and a repeat of Charmed (#6: 1.7/ 2; A18-49: #6, 0.8/ 2). The WB would be better off airing a repeat of Blue Collar TV at 8:30 p.m.

Over at Fox, a repeat of theatrical Bedazzled was barely visible at a 2.8/ 4 in the overnights, 3.49 million viewers and a 1.5/ 4 among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. Next Thursday on Fox (night 1 of the Nov. 2004 sweeps), look for the season premiere of The O.C. followed by the return of summer drama North Shore.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Network News Update:
Based on season to-date ratings though Oct. 24, although NBC's dominant Nightly News holds a considerable advantage over second-place World News Tonight on ABC in households (6.7/14 vs. 5.9/12) and total viewers (9.49 vs. 8.42 million), NBC's lead among key adults 25-54 (2.5/10 vs. 2.4/ 9) is only one-tenth of a rating point. Third-place Evening News on CBS is averaging a 4.8/10 in households (-8 percent year-to-year), 6.72 million viewers (- 7) and a 1.8/ 7 among adults 25-54 (-10). World News Tonight is also down over the comparable year-ago period by 4 to 8 percent, while Nightly News is up 2 percent in households and 4 percent in viewers.

fredfa

10-29-04, 06:14 PM

'Desperate Housewives' Towers Over Other New Fall Shows in TiVo Weekly Season Pass Ratings

ABC's Hit Tops Weekly Ratings, But Also Leads Other New Fall Shows in Indicator That Shows Ratings Strength for the Long Haul
(Released by TiVo Friday, October 29, 2004)
(from thefutoncritic.com ALVISO, Calif., Oct. 29 -- ABC's hit sitcom "Desperate Housewives" HD shot to the number one spot in TiVo's weekly ratings this week, becoming the first new fall show to top the weekly ratings report. The sitcom also occupies a top slot on the TiVo(R) Season Pass(TM) Hot 100, an indicator of the show's ability to win viewers over the entire season.

The TiVo Season Pass Hot 100 ranks programs according to how many TiVo subscribers have requested a recording of the entire season of a show. "Desperate Housewives" comes in at number 3 on that list. About 18 percent of all 2 million TiVo boxes are programmed to record every episode in the inaugural season of the show. The number of Season Pass requests for "Desperate Housewives" has tripled since the show's debut earlier this month.

Other new fall shows that appear to have generated viewer passion that has driven the programs to the top of the TiVo Season Pass Hot 100 include ABC's "Lost"HD and NBC's "Joey." "Lost" comes in at the number four spot on the Hot 100, with about 17 percent of TiVo boxes requesting a Season Pass. "Joey" HD comes in at number six on the Hot 100, indicating about 14 percent of TiVo boxes will record every episode this season of the Friends spin-off.

"Ratings indicate which shows are winning the weekly horse race, but the TiVo Season Pass Hot 100 may indicate which shows are really going to be around for the long haul because they show how many viewers so enjoyed the program, they don't want to miss a single episode," said John Ghashghai, director of audience measurement for TiVo. "The TiVo Season Pass Hot 100 also is a window into the world of television viewing in the future, when viewers can more easily choose what they want to watch and when."

With an audience that exceeds 2 million subscriptions, the TiVo Season Pass Hot 100 carries more significance than ever for networks because the ratings can indicate which new programs are building a strong base of viewers for an entire season. Almost 20 percent of the TiVo subscription base, about 350,000 households, will now see every episode of "Desperate Housewives" that airs this season.

Other new shows have seen some ratings success, but aren't showing the same long term potential. For example, ABC's "Boston Legal," HD the new legal drama that replaces "The Practice," ranks number 17 on the TiVo Top 25 ratings report. But, "Boston Legal" ranks 40th on the TiVo Season Pass Hot 100, indicating fewer than 6 percent of all TiVo boxes have been scheduled to record the entire season of the show.

WB's "Jack and Bobby," HD a drama about the early lives of two siblings and one's eventual path to the White House, has not yet attracted a passionate TiVo viewing base. The show comes in at 83 on the TiVo Season Pass Hot 100, narrowly surpassing reruns of "Seinfeld." About 3.3 percent of TiVo boxes have a Season Pass scheduled for the show.

fredfa

10-29-04, 07:15 PM

Smits Makes Mysterious 'NYPD Blue' Return

LOS ANGELES ([B]Zap2it.com[/B)--Jimmy Smits is returning to ABC's "NYPD Blue" for one last appearance, targeted for the November sweeps period.

But wait, many fans are screaming, Smits' Bobby Simone died early in the show's second season, in the episode titled "Hearts and Souls." Dennis Franz cried. Fans cried. Emmy voters cried and nominated nominated Smits for an Emmy. How can he possibly be coming back?

Well, we'd tell you, but then ABC would kill us and probably you as well. The network is promoting that on Nov. 9, Smits will appear in the "NYPD Blue" episode titled "The Vision Thing." Screeners have even been sent out to reviewers, who can appear smug for the next coupe weeks, since everybody has been sworn to secrecy.

According to an ABC source, the show's team initially hoped that Smits' appearance could be a surprise. However, ABC has decided to promote the mystery of the Smits return in an effort to goose the rating for the Emmy-winning drama, which has struggled in its final season against NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and CBS' "Judging Amy."

Smits joined "NYPD Blue" in its second season as a de facto replacement for David Caruso's Det. John Kelly and earned five Emmy nominations during his tenure. The actor, who won his only Emmy in 1990 for "LA Law," is keeping busy, joining the cast of NBC's "The West Wing" as a potential presidential candidate. He has also signed a deal with ABC and Touchstone TV to star in a new drama after the completion of his "West Wing" run.

fredfa

10-30-04, 11:56 AM

NOVEMBER ABC SWEEP RELEASE
Released by ABC Friday, October 29, 2004
NOTE: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SEVERAL SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!
The ABC Television Network announced highlights of its upcoming movies, specials and regular series programming scheduled to air during the November sweep.
Editors please note: What follows is a chronological listing of programming highlights (all times Eastern); this is not a complete list of all programs airing during November sweep.

EXTREME MAKEOVER - "EPISODE 306" - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) - A full family makeover with the first-ever husband and wife extreme makeover gives Clovis, CA parents Ethan and Geri a chance to literally redesign each other while their three teens undergo non-surgical mini-makeovers.
LIFE AS WE KNOW IT - "SECRETS AND LIES" - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) - When Ms. Young decides to call things off with Ben and then reconsiders, their affectionate reunion is witnessed by Jonathan. Meanwhile, Dino confesses to Michael that he wants to move out of his mom's house, and Jackie goes to an Al-Anon meeting to help herself deal with her father's alcohol problem.
8 SIMPLE RULES - "COACH" - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) - Bridget is psyched to join the high school tennis team when she develops a crush on Coach Scott (Dan Cortese, "Veronica's Closet," "MTV Sports"). But her infatuation soon turns to disgust when she learns that Scott has a crush on Cate. Meanwhile, Kerry and Rory begin to question the authenticity of Jim's war stories while rummaging through his war chest.
COMPLETE SAVAGES - "FOR WHOM THE CELL TOLLS" - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5 (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET) - Sam's love, Angela, has a new boyfriend, and so Jack, noticing how depressed he is, encourages Sam to go to the mall with him to meet someone else. Sam reluctantly agrees, and when Jack introduces him to a very good looking girl, Erin (played by Kaley Cuoco), Sam can hardly believe it when she agrees to go out with him. It becomes apparent very quickly, however, that Erin's main priority is talking on her cell phone instead of actually talking to him. Meanwhile, Chris has taken a job selling glider planes from a cart in the mall.
HOPE & FAITH -- "NATAL ATTRACTION" -- FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5 (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET) - Hope and Faith play matchmakers between their dad (Robert Wagner) and their gynecologist, Anne (Jaclyn Smith). But the budding relationship is in jeopardy when they discover Mandi (Jenny McCarthy), Faith's former friend, Anne's patient and Jack's one-time fling, is pregnant with Jack's child.
LESS THAN PERFECT - "FROM THE CHAIR TO THE COUCH" - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5 (9:30-10:00 p.m., ET) - Will, upset about an on-air blunder during his news broadcast, blames his mistake on his faulty anchor chair. Claude has the chair checked out, learns there's nothing wrong with it, and tells him so. When Will continues to insist the chair was the problem, Claude calls him a diva. Hurt by the comment, Will sends Claude to see his therapist. Meanwhile Lydia sees Will's on-air slip as an opportunity for Jeb to step into the anchor position, and Kipp breaks up with his girlfriend, Annie, but is scared into reuniting with her after he finds a gun in her purse.
EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION - "VARDON FAMILY, PARTS 1 & 2" -- SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7 (7:00-8:00 p.m., 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) - When Stefan Vardon, 14, wrote a heartwarming school essay about his deaf parents and his blind and autistic 12-year-old brother, he had no idea that it would lead to the team from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" showing up at his family's Oak Park, Michigan home. In two back-to-back episodes. In the first hour, "Vardon Family, Part 1," viewers meet Judy and Larry Vardon, who can't hear their son Lance, and he can't see his parents using sign language. This is not just a matter of inconvenience; Lance's safety is also a concern, for sometimes Lance has fnd the house keys and let himself out in the middle of the night without his parents' hearing him leave. The EM:HE team knew they had to find a way to make the family safe, as well as find the best way for them to communicate with each other -- a real necessity for when Stefan leaves for college in a few years. In an essay that Stefan had written - and which Judy included in the application for the show -- he said: "I always have to sign to my parents in order to communicate, and always talk nicely to my brother for him to understand. I am so used to this life, it's just that sometimes I wish I had a normal family and didn't live this way. But the next day I am so happy that I have a loving family that treats me nice and loves me." Judy volunteers with blind and deaf children teaching Braille and sign language, while Larry is a welder for a car manufacturer who, in his free time, fixes his neighbors' cars too, for free and without a garage to work in. Stefan, a nature lover, plays football in high school and is a car fanatic. Larry is a musical prodigy who likes Elvis, Beethoven and Mozart, as well as horseback riding. In the second hour, "Vardon Family, Part 2," the Vardons come home after a week-long vacation on Mackinack Island. They returned to a completely remodeled home equipped with the latest in assisted living technology. At the "reveal," actress Marlee Matlin presented Stefan with a $50,000 college scholarship check from the Starkey Hearing Foundation. She also sat with Judy while she got her hearing tested for the first time in 20 years. Amazingly, Judy found she had residual hearing and was a candidate for a hearing aid.
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - "RUNNING TO STAND STILL" - SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7 (9:00-10:01 p.m., ET) - Lynette locks horns with an officious mom (guest star Sharon Lawrence) at the twins' school who is trying to produce a "politically correct" play about Little Red Riding Hood. Meanwhile, Susan continues to investigate the mystery of Zach's sudden disappearance, Mama Solis (guest star Lupe Ontiveros) comes closer to discovering Gabrielle's dirty little secret, and Bree comes undone when Rex suggests they hire a sex surrogate.
BOSTON LEGAL - "TRUTH BE TOLD" - SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) - When mayoral candidate Jack Fleming (Brian Kerwin) has his bid for Boston's highest office threatened by dirty politics just days before the election, his wife Samantha (Dana Delany) seeks the help of longtime friend Alan Shore...whose tactics put him on a collision course with the city's new power elite. Meanwhile, Lori takes the case of a man, Richard Kirkland, whose ex-wife will not release their son's umbilical cord blood that was stored at the time of his birth, which may be the only hope Kirkland has to fight his cancer, and Lori is forced to tell him some very difficult news.
LIFE OF LUXURY - "EPISODE 202" - SERIES PREMIERE -- MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) - "Life of Luxury" returns with an all-access look at the lives of the |ber-rich and the super fabulous, George Hamilton, a man whose name is synonymous with the good life, will take viewers behind some of the most expensive closed doors in the world. In the season premiere episode, Hamilton strolls the grounds of the ultimate bachelor pad, the Playboy Mansion, with one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends as his guide; tours Michael Flatley's multi-million dollar collection of homes, including an Irish castle where the "Lord of the Dance" truly lives like a king; talks one-on-one with hip-hop mogul Damon Dash about his half-billion dollar empire; and answers the burning question - just who's the queen of shopping - Britney or Christina?
MY WIFE AND KIDS - "THE PROPOSAL" - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) -[/B][/U] Jr. is finally ready to propose to Vanessa, but every time he tries to do so something interrupts him, including Michael and Jay -- who are preparing to compete against each other in a kaake competition.
GEORGE LOPEZ - "SK8R BOYZ" - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9 (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET) - Max gets in trouble with the law when he starts hanging out with a gang of skateboarders in order to make a few friends.
ACCORDING TO JIM - "FATHER DAUGHTER DANCE" TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9 (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET) - Jim feels hurt when Ruby invites Andy to the father-daughter dance instead of him.
RODNEY - "RODNEY'S MOM" - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9 (9:30-10:00 p.m., ET) - When Rodney's young-at-heart mother arrives in town, he suspects it has something to do with her selfishly ending yet another marriage - her sixth -- until he finds out her real reason for being there.
NYPD BLUE - "THE VISION THING" - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) - A man is stabbed while riding the bus with his family, a video store clerk is stabbed by a robber, a wealthy antiques dealer reports a suspicious burglary, and Medavoy takes a part-time job as security guard in a bar. Jimmy Smits guest stars as Bobby Simone.
LOST - "CONFIDENCE MAN" - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 (8:00-9:01 p.m., ET) - When Shannon suffers an asthma attack, Jack and Sayid realize brutality might be the only way to convince Sawyer to relinquish the life-saving medicine he's hoarding. Meanwhile, Sun struggles to decide if she'll obey husband Jin's orders to stay out of others' affairs, and Kate uncovers some shocking secrets about Sawyer.
THE BACHELOR - "EPISODE 607" - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 (9:01-10:02 p.m., ET) - Byron has narrowed the field to the final three women, and they each take him home to give him a look at their varied single lifestyles and to meet their friends. And for the first time ever, the Bachelor will meet an ex-boyfriend of one of the women. But this is high stakes time, and the women really put the pressure on Byron to be "the one."
WIFE SWAP - "BITTNER/REIMERS" - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET) -[/B][/U] This week, in "Bittner/Reimers," a strict, vegetarian, ex-Navy wife who disciplines her children swaps lives with a junk food-eating, living-large mother who allows her two headstrong teens free rein.
"SAVING PRIVATE RYAN" - ABC THURSDAY MOVIE OF THE WEEK - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11 (8:00-11:20 p.m., ET) - The World War II drama tells the story of Capt. Miller (Tom Hanks, "Road to Perdition," "Cast Away," "Forrest Gump"), who leads an eight-man mission to rescue Private Ryan (Matt Damon, "The Bourne Identity," "The Talented Mr. Ripley," "Good Will Hunting"), the sole surviving brother of four fighting in the war. The film starts as Capt. Miller and his men make the landing on Omaha Beach on D-day. After surviving that crucible of fire, they are assigned to scour the front lines to find Private Ryan and return him to safety -- first, in order to save his mother any further grief, and second, to serve as a heroic symbol of the Normandy invasion.
8 SIMPLE RULES - "SECRETS" - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) - Everyone in the Hennessy family fears the ringing of the phone when they all find themselves keeping secrets from one-another. Rory refuses to divulge the identity of the student responsible for bullying and beating him up at school, which leads Principal Gibb (Adam Arkin) on a mission to find the culprit and tell Cate; Bridget and Kerry use fake IDs to get into a club, where Bridget meets a cute guy and gives him her phone number -- before discovering that he's a cop (Colby Donaldson, "Survivor"); Cate doesn't want the family to know that Bridget's tennis coach, Scott (Dan Cortese), is in hot pursuit to get her to go out on a date with him; and C.J. is distracted and forgets to pick up Rory's pain medication, which leads the pharmacist to call the house to find out if Rory's OK.
COMPLETE SAVAGES - "CARNIVAL KNOWLEDGE" - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12 (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET) - When the boys find out a church carnival is in town, they're all excited to go - each for his own reasons.Jak and Chris devise a plan to pick up on girls who have already entered the fair so they won't have to pay for their admission, and although trying to woo Angela, Sam reluctantly accepts her idea that they can go to the carnival as "friends." Meanwhile, as the boys are causing chaos at the fair, TJ has to finish his school report before he can go, but when he's done, the dog eats the memory stick containing his report... and TJ has a very hard time convincing Nick that the dog really did eat his homework.
HOPE & FAITH - "STAND BY YOUR MANDI" - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12 (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET) - Hope and Faith upset their dad, Jack (Robert Wagner), when they try to prevent him from marrying Mandi (Jenny McCarthy) when he truly loves Anne (Jaclyn Smith). But Jack insists on wedding the mother of his expected baby, unaware that Mandi has a little problem telling truth from fiction.
LESS THAN PERFECT - "SHOO-IN" -- FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12 (9:30-10:00 p.m., ET) - Claude applies for the GNB Management Training Program, assured by Ramona that she is a "shoo-in" to be selected. But when Kipp also applies for the program, it remains to be seen what will be Claude's greater obstacle to acceptance, Kipp or her own blossoming confidence. Meanwhile, Jeb learns Lydia plans to stop working once they're married, so he enlists Kipp to convince her otherwise -- but Jeb should be careful what he wishes for; and Owen and Carl conspire to make big money supplying fish to the GNB cafeteria, but their plan is endangered when Ramona becomes suspicious.
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY - "HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE" - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET) - Based on the first of J.K. Rowling's popular children's novels about Harry Potter, this live action family adventure film tells the story of a boy who learns on his 11th birthday that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses unique magical powers of his own. Invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry embarks on the adventure of a lifetime and finds the home and the family he has never had.
THE 32nd ANNUAL AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS - SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET) - Jimmy Kimmel hosts. Some of the hottest artists in the music business are among the list of performers. Favorite Pop/Rock Male nominee Lenny Kravitz, pop & blues guitar sensation John Mayer, neo-soul rock outfit Maroon 5 and "motor-mouth MC" Twista will all be seen performing live from the stage of the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Also performing will be hip-hop renaissance man Snoop Dogg and award-winning production wizard Pharrell, who will get together to offer a song from Snoop's forthcoming album. Additionally, previously announced performer Kenny Chesney will bring along singer/songwriter Uncle Kracker to duet on their chart-topping country hit, "When the Sun Goes Down." They join previously announced performers Josh Groban, Toby Keith, Jessica Simpson, Gwen Stefani, Usher, Kanye West and Gretchen Wilson on the special, which is a presentation of dick clark productions, inc. Also scheduled to appear on the show as presenters are "life as we know it's" Kelly Osbourne, Clay Aiken, Pamela Anderson, "According to Jim's" Jim Belushi, Brooks & Dunn, Chingy, Ciara, Kelly Clarkson, Sheryl Crow, Carmen Electra, Macy Gray, Kathy Griffin, Billy Idol, "Boston Legal's" William Shatner, Lil' Flip, Teena Marie, MercyMe, Nelly, "The Simple Life's" Nicole Richie, "Desperate Housewives'" Nicolette Sheridan, KISS' Gene Simmons, John Stamos, Switchfoot, tennis superstars Serena & Venus Williams, and Ying Yang Twins, plus additional talent to be announced at a later date. The "American Music Awards" honor the past year's elite in contemporary music as voted by record-buyers. Awards will be presented to top artists in Pop/Rock, Country, Soul/Rhythm & Blues, Rap/Hip-Hop, Latin Music, Contemporary Inspirational, Adult Contemporary and Alternative Music. Additionally, the T-Mobile Text-In Award, as voted by the fans, will be presented on the show. T-Mobile subscribers can cast their votes via text messaging using their T-Mobile SMS Capable cellular phones. Other members of the public wishing to cast their votes can do so at www.abc.com, Keyword: AMA, and viewers of the "American Music Awards" can also vote during the show via Enhanced TV by logging on to ABC.com and clicking on the Enhanced TV logo. Voting is now open and will conclude during the show on November 14.
LIFE OF LUXURY - "EPISODE 203" - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) - "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis, millionaire songwriter Denise Rich, "Sandals" vacation resort founder Gordon "Butch" Stewart," the ultimate wedding planner Sharon Sachs, plus the most luxurious billionaire beauty secrets are all highlighted.
MY WIFE AND KIDS - "RESTAURANT WARS" -- TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) - This installment marks the popular family comedy's 100th episode. At first, Michael is skeptical that Jay can be successful at opening her own soul food restaurant. But his competitive and supportive sides emerge when the Hoos, the owners of the Chinese restaurant across the street, use sneaky tactics to put "Jay's Soooooouuuul Kitchen" out of business.
GEORGE LOPEZ - "THE SIMPLE LIFE" - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET) - When George gets a job opportunity in a small Colorado town, he and Angie consider moving there to provide a better life for the kids, in the first of a two-part Thanksgiving-themed story arc (the second part, "Trouble in Paradise," airs November 23). Thanksgiving-themed episode.
ACCORDING TO JIM - "PLOT TWIST" - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET) - Cheryl's mother, Maggie (Kathleen Noone), wants Jim, Cheryl and the family to rest someday in a family plot she reserved years ago, but Jim insists on his own family plot -- then secretly reserves a plot for himself next to a star football player.
RODNEY - "KEEP ON TRUCKIN'" - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 (9:30-10:00 p.m., ET) - Upset that Charlie almost destroyed s truck, Rodney explains to Bo and Jack why the old truck has such sentimental value to him. Through flashbacks, he reminisces how he bought the truck with his last money from Carl, and how it ultimately played a key role when he and Trina fell in love.
NYPD BLUE - "MY DINNER WITH ANDY" - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) - Sipowicz and Clark vow to get their partnership back on track; Clark finds redemption in selflessly protecting an assaulted murder witness; Medavoy's job is at risk when he's caught moonlighting as a bar bouncer, and Jones wants custody of Michael - but so does the boy's felonious father.
LOST - "SOLITARY" - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 (8:00-9:01 p.m., ET) - Sayid's life is placed in grave danger after he stumbles upon the source of the mysterious French transmission. Meanwhile, Hurley has a ridiculous plan to make life on the island a little more civilized - and it just might work.
THE BACHELOR: "THE WOMEN TELL ALL" - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 (9:01-10:02 p.m., ET) - Byron is in the hot seat when he faces 25 women he rejected on the show. See what they have to say to the man who dumped them on national television. And Chris Harrison has a surprise for all the still-single bachelorettes.
WIFE SWAP - "HARRIS/VAN NOY" - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET) - This week in "Harris/Van Noy," an Oklahoma mother of three who agrees with her husband's edict that an obedient wife belongs in the kitchen, swaps lives with an unorthodox, working mother from Texas who believes her stay-at-home husband should rule the kitchen.
EXTREME MAKEOVER - "EPISODE 307" - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) - Witness an all-new makeover of Jason aka "Bubba," a 27-year-old bartender and bull rider from Hillsborough, North Carolina and the wedding vows of couple Ethan and his wife Geri from Clovis, California whose family was the show's first-ever full family makeover. Also see what life has been life after the knife with three of last season's favorite candidates: Patrick, a 38-year-old music DJ, Internet technician and cook from Kissee Mills, Missouri, Kim, a 31-year-old network coordinator from Jersey City, New Jersey and Candace, a 29-year-old family support worker and mother of two from Lincoln, Nebraska.
LIFE AS WE KNOW IT - "NATURAL DISASTERS" - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18 (9:00:10:00 p.m., ET) - Jonathan and Dino discover Ben's big secret. But as Ben grows tired of living a lie and develops a newfound chemistry with Sue, Ms. Young's jealousy gets way out of hand. Meanwhile, Jackie makes a new friend at an Al-Anon meeting.
8 SIMPLE RULES - "VANITY UNFAIR" - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) - After Bridget is turned down for a role in a sports car commercial, Jim discovers that the head of the modeling agency who rejected her is his old flame Jackie (Raquel Welch). When he tries to persuade her to reconsider his granddaughter, Jim soon finds himself reminiscing over old times -- and possibly rekindling their romance. Meanwhile, Kerry and Rory discover a secret about C.J.'s past modeling experiences.
HOPE & FAITH - "JUSTIN TIME" - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19 (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET) - Faith (Kelly Ripa), in her wacky efforts to impress an attractive single dad (Nick Lachey, "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica"), tries to make him think that she's also a single parent by claiming her young nephew, Justin (Paulie Litt), is really her son.
LESS THAN PERFECT - "WE'RE BAD PEOPLE" - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19 (9:30-10:00 p.m., ET) - Claude and Ramona blackmail Kipp when they believe he's used money received from Ramona's GNB accounting mistake; Lydia is forced to keep a secret when she learns Jeb was once a chamber maid at a high-class hotel; Owen and Carl help Will get in shape for the NYC Marathon.
AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS - "EPISODE 1509" - SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21 (7:00-8:00 p.m., ET) - Thanksgiving-themed episode.
EXTRM MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION -- "ELCANO FAMILY" -- SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) - Glen and Jennifer Elcano were living their dream. They used to spend practically 24 hours together running and operating their small family farm in Bakersfield, California.He would harvest feed and hay while she drove the bale truck behind him. Then one fateful day, Glen was driving home from making a delivery to another local farm when a car pulled out in front and killed him instantly. Now Jennifer and her two young children, Michael, 11, and six-year-old Ashley, are barely managing the farm on their own. She and the kids have hardly had time to mourn Glen's death, much less keep the farm running and make repairs to their small 100-year-old dilapidated farmhouse. Country superstar Randy Travis performs songs from his latest CD at a fundraiser for the family and helps welcome the Elcanos to their brand new home.
BOSTON LEGAL - "QUESTIONABLE CHARACTERS" - SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) - Lori takes the case of Michael Shea, her former informant when she was an A.D.A., who was shot while robbing a convenience store. She faces a legal and moral dilemma when she argues that the bullet not be removed - despite the fact that this could endanger his life - on the grounds that it could incriminate him. Meanwhile, Shore takes the case of Walter Mack, a man accused of being a slum lord, and is irate when the judge decides to get creative in his sentencing. Guest stars include Henry Gibson as Judge Clark Brown and Bruno Campos as A.D.A. Mark Wills.
LIFE OF LUXURY - "EPISODE 201" - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) - The ultimate bachelors, the billionaire Maloof brothers, legendary diva Patti LaBelle, the most expensive island rental in the world and the generous ways of superstar George Clooney are all highlighted. George Hamilton hosts.
MY WIFE AND KIDS - "THE RETURN OF BOBBY SHAW" - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) - When Jr. decides to be a rapper, he enrolls at the "Rapacademy," run by Michael's arch-enemy, Bobby Shaw, and signs a shady contract. To get Jr. out of the contract, Michael challenges Bobby to a "rap-off." Meanwhile, Jay convinces Claire to take a yoga class with her but becomes jealous when the instructor pays more attention to Claire. Guest-starring M.C. Lyte (as herself), Kool Moe Dee (as himself), Special Ed (as himself) and Katt Williams (Bobby Shaw).
GEORGE LOPEZ - "TROUBLE IN PARADISE" - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET) - When Carmen and Max manage to get in to more trouble visiting a small Colorado town than in L.A., George and Angie realize that there's no place like home, in the second of a two-part Thanksgiving-themed story arc.
ACCORDING TO JIM - "THE HUNTERS" - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET) - To prove his worth as a man, Jim -- along with Andy -- hunt a turkey for Thanksgiving, but on the hunt Jim is pursued -- and shot -- by a legendary 40-lb. psychotic bird christened "Angry Pete." Thanksgiving-themed episode.
NYPD BLUE - "I LIKE IKE" - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) - Clark continues to protect a court witness whose life is in danger; Jones shows up in family court, but Michael is missing, and Michael's father accuses Jones of hiding him; Medavoy faces possible charges for moonlighting, and Sipowicz studies for the sergeant's exam.
THE BACHELOR - "EPISODE 608" -- 2-HOUR SEASON FINALE - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24 (8:00-10:02 p.m., ET) - Byron introduces the final two women to his parents. However, when he goes to meet the ladies' folks, one woman's parents might not show up. Then Byron takes each of the women to his home on Lake Mead for one final date. Whom will he chose, and will he propose?
THE BACHELOR: "AFTER THE FINAL ROSE" -- LIVE-- WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET) - Byron appears for the first time in public with the woman who captured his heart. He'll also ac the woman whom he left heartbroken.
A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) (Rebroadcast. ABC OAD: 11/16/01) - ABC Television Network will celebrate the start of the holiday season with the classic half-hour animatd Thanksgiving-themed PEANUTS special created by late cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. In the 1973 special, "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," Charlie Brown wants to do something special for the gang. However the dinner he arranges is a disaster when the caterers, Snoopy and Woodstock, prepare toast and popcorn as the main dish. Humiliated, it will take all of Marcie's persuasive powers to salvage the holiday for Charlie Brown.
"DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS" - NETWORK TELEVISION PREMIERE -- ABC THURSDAY MOVIE OF THE WEEK - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25 (8:30-11:00 p.m., ET) - Jim Carrey stars as the Grinch in this 2000 live-action film based on the classic Dr. Seuss book. Also starring are Christine Baranski, Jeffrey Tambor, Molly Shannon and Taylor Momsen.
HOPE & FAITH - "9021-UH-OH" - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26 (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET) - The family flashes back to Thanksgiving Day a decade ago, with Faith hosting a frenetic and hilarious holiday dinner in her fabulous Hollywood pad. She goes to great lengths to impress her parents (Cheryl Ladd and Robert Wagner), including posing as the girlfriend of "Beverly Hills: 90210" hunk Brian Austin Green, who has left Charley star struck. All hell breaks loose when family secrets are exposed. Thanksgiving-themed episode.
LESS THAN PERFECT - "MOMS THE WORD" - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26 (9:30-10:00 p.m., ET) - It's the day after Thanksgiving and Owen's two moms visit GNB to meet his coworkers. Judy (Joanna Kerns) helps Will with his girlfriend problems and Judith (Valerie Harper) lives vicariously through Carl and Ramona, encouraging them to indulge in her passions for gambling and drinking. Meanwhile, Claude fears losing her job when Owen reveals that she's secretly interviewing for another job, and Lydia's first Thanksgiving with Jeb's family does not go well when his grandmother kicks the bucket under mysterious circumstances. Thanksgiving-themed episode.
EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION -- "BURNS FAMILY"-- SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) - The design team adapts the Burns Family home in Garden Grove, California to accommodate a six-year-old with "glass bones." When Benjamin Burns was born in 1997, he was an apparently healthy baby boy. Six months later, Benjamin's sister was playing with her baby brother and, when he started to fall, she reached out to help him. But when she grabbed his arm, she unknowingly fractured it. In the weeks that followed, routine tasks performed by Benjamin's parents resulted in more visits to the hospital and lead to the discovery of his arm being re-injured and a fractured skull. Eventually, Child Protective Services was called and Benjamin was separated for three months from his parents, who were accused of child abuse. Nothing could have been further from the truth, and Gerald and Ellen Burns spent every resource they had trying to get their son back and proving their innocence. When it was finally diagnosed that Benjamin suffers from Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a genetic disorder characterized by bones that break easily, the Burns were cleared of the abuse charges and allowed to bring their son home.
EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION - "HOW'D THEY DO THAT? (BURNS FAMILY)" - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) - In the second in a series of one-hour specials, the producers from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" literally open every door to show how Ty Pennington and his team of designers, workers and contractors are able to change the lives of deserving families as they rebuild the entire interior and exterior of a run-down house in just seven days. On Sunday, November 27, viewers will witness how the EMHE team make the Burns Family home in Garden Grove, California more accessible for six-year-old Benjamin Burns, who suffers from a genetic disorder characterized by bones that break easily. The process of their particular home makeover is the subject of this episode.
MY WIFE AND KIDS - "THE WEDDING" - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) - After announcing their engagement, Jr. and Vanessa try to navigate the pitfalls that occur between the two families in planning the wedding and getting married.
GEORGE LOPEZ -"E.I.? E.I. OH."-- TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30 (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET) - George pulls out all the stops when a young upstart, guest starring Kimberly Williams-Paisley, is brought in to co-manage and shake things up after Powers Aviation undergoes a merger.
ACCORDING TO JIM - "POKING THE BEAR" TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30 (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET) - Cheryl's gynecologist (played by Mitch Rouse) forbids her from having sex with Jim until the time is right to get pregnant, and Jim eats crow in order to win a huge account from a blowhard potential client (Tom Arnold).
NYPD BLUE - "THE 3-H CLUB" -- TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) - When Michael's father, Craig Woodruff, is shot dead - with Jones' gun -- Sipowicz and Clark are forced to suspect Jones. Meanwhile, Medavoy is tried and found guilty of moonlighting in a bar, and a boy is molested by someone driving a church van.
LOST -- "RAISED BY ANOTHER" -- WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1 (8:00-9:01 p.m., ET) - Jack, Kate and Charlie wonder if Claire's disturbing nightmares might be coming true to threaten her life and the life of her unborn child, and a missing castaway returns with frightening news about what lies just beyond the mountains.
NICK & JESSICA'S FAMILY CHRISTMAS - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1 (9:01-10:02 p.m., ET) - A fun-filled Christmas variety hour of comedy and music celebrating the holidays with America's favorite young couple, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey -- including famous siblings Ashlee Simpson and a reunion of 98 Degrees that includes Nick's brother, Drew Lachey.

fredfa

10-30-04, 12:09 PM

Friday's ratings have been posted in Latest News

fredfa

10-30-04, 06:45 PM

HDTV In November
(By Multichannel News (Multichannel.com) 11/1/2004
The following chart lists prominent national HDTV programming for this month from cable’s major HD programmers, including primetime and premiere fare, plus live events, and is meant to provide a sampling of what these networks offer.
Bravo
India.Arie Nov. 1, 16, 24
Angie Stone Nov. 2, 10, 21
Ryan Adams Nov. 3, 18
The Calling Nov. 4, 12, 15
Branford Marsalis Nov. 5
2004 Olympics Nov. 6, 13, 25
The Firebird Nov. 7
Unwritten Law Nov. 8, 23, 28
Craig David Nov. 9, 17
Goo Goo Dolls Nov. 11, 19, 22
Bobbie McFerrin Nov. 14
Prince of the City Nov. 20
Everybody’s All American Nov. 26
Orchestra Aragon Nov. 27
Discovery HD Theater
Xtreme Engineering Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Golf Escapes Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Dream RV Nov. 3
Jeff Corwin Nov. 4, 11, 18
Front Row Seat Nov. 5, 12
Great Rivers Nov. 6, 13, 20, 27
What’s Coming Nov. 7
Making of Dream RV Nov. 10
People of the Lake Nov. 14
Xtreme Machines Nov. 17
Trading Spaces Nov. 19
Cruising Antarctica Nov. 21
Armored Cars Nov. 24
Walt Disney World Nov. 25
World’s Biggest Baddest Bug Nov. 26
Destroyer Nov. 28
ESPN
Sports Illustrated Stories Nov. 1
College Football: Louisville vs. Memphis Nov. 4
NFL: Cleveland vs. Baltimore Nov. 7
College Football: Florida State vs. N.C. State Nov. 11
NFL: Buffalo vs. New England Nov. 14
College Football: Maryland vs. Virginia Tech Nov. 18
NFL: Green Bay vs. Houston Nov. 21
College Football: West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh Nov. 25
Studio programming in HDTV includes SportsCenter, Monday Night Countdown, Sunday NFL Countdown and Primetime.
HDNet
Series:
Bikini Destinations Nov. 1
HDNet World Report Nov. 2, 7, 14
Hack Nov. 3
Smallville Nov. 4, 11
Higher Definition Nov. 5, 12
Hotlines Nov. 6, 13
Andy Richter Controls the Universe Nov. 8
Across America Nov. 9
The Agency Nov. 10
Get Out Nov. 15
Hollywood HD Nov. 16, 19, 26
The Handler Nov. 17, 24
Odyssey 5 Nov. 18, 25
True Music Nov. 21, 28
Eye for an Eye Nov. 22
InFocus: Easter Island Nov. 23
Face 2 Face With Roy Firestone Nov. 29
Designing America Nov. 30
Events/Specials:
Miss Hawaiian Tropic International 2004 Nov. 1
MLS Cup Playoffs: Western Conference Championship Nov. 5
MLS Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference Championship Nov. 6
Jammys at Madison Square Garden concert Nov. 7
What’s Kewl at CEDIA 2004 Nov. 8
Cagefighting: Halloween Fury #2 Nov. 13
HDNet Boxing Nov. 13, 20
Amy Mann concert Nov. 14
College Football: Yale at Harvard Nov. 20
MLS Behind the Net: 2004 Season in Review Nov. 20
Incubus concert Nov. 21
College Basketball: Wooden Tradition tournament Nov. 27
The Show Nov. 28
HD Movies
The Manchurian Candidate Nov. 1, 28
Empire Records Nov. 2
Cookie Nov. 3
Dad Nov. 4
Last Dragon Nov. 5
The Russia House Nov. 6
Big Town Nov. 7
Nostradamus Nov 9
Fat Man and Little Boy Nov 11
Darkman Nov 13
The Frisco Kid Nov 15
Diner Nov 17
The Fourth Protocol Nov 19
The Wind and the Lion Nov 21
The River Nov 23
Brigadoon Nov 25
Get Carter Nov. 29
Wildcats Nov 8
The Philadelphia Experiment Nov 10
Dragnet Nov 12
Cheyenne Autumn Nov 14
Get Real Nov. 16
The Professional Nov 18
The Terminator Nov 20, 26
F/X Nov 22
Beethoven’s 2nd Nov 24
Life as a House Nov 27
Bride of the Wind Nov 30
INHD
Raising Arizona Nov. 1, 6
Gravity Games Nov. 2, 4
Fields of Glory Nov. 3, 8, 10, 17, 24
Racing’s Greatest Night of Champions Nov. 5
Crashed Ice Nov. 7
NBA: Indiana vs. Minnesota Nov. 9
Flugtag Nov. 11, 18
College hockey: Yale vs. Harvard Nov. 12, 16
Grand Canyon Nov. 13
Blade Raid Nov. 14
Love Potion #9 Nov. 15
College basketball: N.C. vs. Santa Clara Nov. 19
Hellraiser Nov. 20
NBA: Cleveland vs. N.Y. Nov. 21
NBA: Minnesota vs. Dallas Nov. 22
NBA: Toronto vs. Washington Nov. 23
College football: Rutgers vs. Navy Nov. 24
College basketball: Stanford vs. S.F. Nov. 26
NBA: Detroit vs. Milwaukee Nov. 27
NBA: Charlotte vs. L.A. Lakers Nov. 28
NBA: Boston vs. Orlando Nov. 29
In Theaters Nov. 30
INHD2
Ring of Fire Nov. 1, 14
Chronos Nov. 2, 9, 16, 26
Eurasian Empires Nov. 3, 4, 13, 24, 25, 30
Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Nov. 5, 17
Alaska Nov. 6, 18
Stormchasers Nov. 7
Super Speedway Nov. 8
Magic of Flight Nov. 10
Discoveries America: Michigan Nov. 11
INHD to the Max Nov. 12, 23
Antarctica Nov. 15, 19, 20
Bon Jovi Nov. 21
Laurie McKenzie Nov. 22, 29
Starsailor Nov. 27
Reel Look Nov. 28
NBA TV
Golden State vs. Dallas Nov. 8
Indiana vs. Minnesota Nov. 9
Cleveland vs. New York Nov. 21
Minnesota vs. Dallas Nov. 22
Toronto vs. Washington Nov. 23
Detroit vs. Milwaukee Nov. 27
New Orleans vs. L.A. Lakers Nov. 28
Boston vs. Orlando Nov. 29
NFL Network
Game of the Week: TBD (Week 8) Nov. 3
Game of the Week: TBD (Week 8) Nov. 4
Game of the Week: TBD (Week 9) Nov. 10
Game of the Week: TBD (Week 9) Nov. 11
Game of the Week: TBD (Week 10) Nov. 17
Game of the Week: TBD (Week 10) Nov. 18
Game of the Week: TBD (Week 11) Nov. 24
Game of the Week: TBD (Week 11) Nov. 25
Cinemax
The Medallion Nov. 1
48 Hours Nov. 2
Wrong Turn Nov. 3
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Nov. 4
Underworld Nov. 5
Terminator 3 Nov. 6
The Transporter Nov. 7
Love Don’t Cost a Thing Nov. 8, 18
Half Past Dead Nov. 9
Identity Nov. 10
Single White Female Nov. 11
X2 Nov. 12
Matrix Reloaded Nov. 13, 17
Eraser Nov. 14
Matrix Revolutions Nov. 15, 26
The Rundown Nov. 16
Phone Booth Nov. 19
Ring Nov. 20
Seabiscuit Nov. 21
Stuck on You Nov. 22
My Architect Nov. 23
Married to the Mob Nov. 24
Pretty Woman Nov. 25
S.W.A.T. Nov. 27
Matrix Nov. 28
Win a Date With Tad Hamilton Nov. 29
League of Extraordinary Gentleman Nov. 30
HBO
Something’s Got to Give Nov. 1
Catch Me if You Can Nov. 2
Cat in the Hat Nov. 3
Inside the NFL Nov. 4, 11, 18, 25
Old School Nov. 5
Cheaper by the Dozen Nov. 6
Sex and the City Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28
Bruce Almighty Nov. 8
Just Married Nov. 9
Ghost Nov. 10
Bad Boys II Nov. 12
Master and Commander Nov. 13, 24
Gothika Nov. 15
Dreamcatcher Nov. 16, 19
Last Letters Home Nov. 17
Once Upon a Time in Mexico Nov. 20, 23
The Abyss Nov. 22
Malibu’s Most Wanted Nov. 26
Love Actually Nov. 27, 30
Real Sports Nov. 29
The Movie Channel
Igby Goes Down Nov. 1
Muriel’s Wedding Nov. 2, 27
Pumpkin Nov. 3, 19
Usual Suspects Nov. 4, 9
Sand Nov. 5
Evelyn Nov. 6
Xtreme Ops Nov. 7, 20
Love in the Time of Money Nov. 8, 14, 23
Beyond Hypothermia Nov. 10
Ruthless People Nov. 11
Dirty Deeds Nov. 12
Distinguished Gentleman Nov. 13
A Guy Thing Nov. 15
K-19 Nov. 16
Barbershop Nov. 17, 28
Wild at Heart Nov. 18
Just a Kiss Nov. 21
The Crying Game Nov. 22
They Nov. 24
Dangerous Minds Nov. 25
Footloose Nov. 26
Roger Dodger Nov. 29
I Love Trouble Nov. 30
Showtime
UCLA Shorts Nov. 1
Golden Child Nov. 2
Dark Blue Nov. 3
Color of Money Nov. 4, 22
No Good Deed Nov. 5
Italian Job Nov. 6
School of Rock Nov. 7, 16, 20, 26
World Traveler Nov. 8
Double Whammy Nov. 9, 27
Legally Blonde 2 Nov. 10, 25
Windtalkers Nov. 11
Abandon Nov. 12
Phoenix Nov. 13
The Reagans Nov. 14
What’s Love Got To Do With It Nov. 15
Scarlet Letter Nov. 17
Dark Blue Nov. 18
Rocky V Nov. 19
Paradise Nov. 21, 30
The Job Nov. 23
Another Stakeout Nov. 24, 29
Chris Titus’ Norman Rockwell is Bleeding Nov. 28
Starz!
What’s Cooking Nov. 2
Freddy vs. Jason Nov. 4
October Sky Nov. 4
Dangerous Minds Nov. 5, 29
Stealing Harvard Nov. 5, 23
Peter Pan Nov. 6, 10, 15, 19, 25
Sixth Man Nov. 6
Tears of the Sun Nov. 7
Willard Nov. 8
2 Fast 2 Furious Nov. 9, 24, 28
Houseguest Nov. 9, 19
Daddy Day Care Nov. 12, 15
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Nov. 14
Red Dragon Nov. 17
The Rock Nov. 18
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Nov. 27, 30
[B] [U]Encore
3 Ninjas Knuckle Up Nov. 2
Groundhog Day Nov. 2, 15
Best of the Best 3 Nov. 3
Boyz N The Hood Nov. 5, 20
Nightmare on Elm Street 5 Nov. 5, 15
Final Destination 2 Nov. 6, 17, 21
Highlander Nov. 6, 11
Knockaround Guys Nov. 8, 21
My Girl Nov. 9, 22
What’s Love Got To Do With It? Nov. 10, 20
Honey I Shrunk The Kids Nov. 13, 23
Happy Gilmore Nov. 14, 27, 30
Rumble in the Bronx Nov. 17, 28
Simone Nov. 18, 22
Now and Then Nov. 23
Life of David Gale Nov. 24
Suspect Nov. 24, 29