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New Year’s Eve: He's Back!
Clark to Host ABC's New Year's Eve
By John Consoli MediaWeek.com NOVEMBER 28, 2005 -
Dick Clark will return to host Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve special on Saturday night, Dec. 31, on ABC, after missing last year's show as he recovered from a stroke.
He will be joined by Ryan Seacrest co-hosting the New York City segment, while singer/actress Hilary Duff will preside over the Hollywood party segments. Duff will also perform three songs.
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve is in its 34th year. The show will air in three segments beginning at 10 p.m. and running until 2:05 p.m.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/networktv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001571424
Critic’s Notebook
Brave Spirit Under the Unsheltering Sky
By Alessandra Stanley The New York Times November 28, 2005
Trailers for the HBO film "Yesterday" (Tuesday night 9 PM ET/PT, HBO HD ) are both true and totally misleading. Blurbs describing "the transcendent power" of one woman's "courage and compassion" conjure "Oprah Winfrey Presents" or worse, the movie "Beaches." And while "Yesterday" is, in fact, a tribute to the transcendent power of one rural South African woman who confronts H.I.V. with courage and compassion, it is more than that.
"Yesterday" is proof that even the saddest stories can be told simply, with intelligence and grace and without falling into mawkish bathos. It also happens to be beautifully made. The story rolls out like the endless dirt road that awaits its heroine on her circular trek between village and clinic. The vast African sky fills the screen, ending in the sculptured mountainscape of a remote horizon across the veld. The numinous beauty of that timeless, empty Eden is marred by only one thing: a string of rusty, sharp-toothed barbed wire that constricts the people within.
Leleti Khumalo, a South African actress who was the star of the play and movie "Sarafina!," portrays Yesterday. The heroine's name is also the film's mournful leitmotif. When a doctor expresses surprise, saying she has known people named Today and Tomorrow, but not Yesterday, her patient shyly explains that her father named her that because he felt that "things were better yesterday than they are today." Yesterday chose to call her own daughter Beauty (Lihle Mvelase), but she herself is all too well named: a woman who, under a death sentence of H.I.V., is vanishing into memory.
"Yesterday" delivers a powerful message about AIDS in Africa, but it also serves as a signpost in the ascendance of television over movies. Hollywood keeps hedging its big-budget bets on movies aimed at the young and incurious, so serious films are increasingly rare and ever more simplistic. It takes a George Clooney to make a political movie like "Good Night, and Good Luck" or "Syriana," and even those films are smugly patronizing, tugging at easy sentiment rather than at complicated thought. There is so little box-office appeal for most foreign films that it takes a subject as immediate and terrifying as suicide bombers, the Palestinian protaganists of Hany Abu-Assad's Arabic-language thriller "Paradise Now," to find an audience.
Meanwhile, cable networks like the Sundance Channel, Showtime and HBO are much less beholden to ratings or box-office returns, and have a growing appetite for the small, unusual movie that otherwise might never be seen by American audiences.
"Yesterday" provides a small, unusual look at the global tragedy of H.I.V. and other diseases ravaging Africa and other parts of the third world. The seemingly inexorable spread of malaria, tuberculosis and H.I.V. ebbs and flows as a remote, unimaginable calamity in newspaper headlines, benefit concerts and United Nations conferences. More than a million South Africans have died of AIDS, while experts say that as many as five million of them are infected with H.I.V., and women are now about three times more likely than men to become infected. Only a tiny fraction of those receive antiretroviral medication.
The film, which was partly sponsored by Nelson Mandela and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, focuses not on the statistics of millions but on the tragedy of one death.
Race and postcolonialism are not in the picture. There is only one white character in the film, a kind and empathetic female doctor (Camilla Walker) who speaks to her patients in fluent Zulu. Yesterday's story is played out on a continent that is darkened by the cloud of AIDS, not apartheid.
Yesterday and Beauty live in a small farming village populated almost entirely by women. Her husband, John Khumalo (Kenneth Kambule), like the other men, works far away in a mine near Johannesburg, and visits his family less than once a month. Yesterday and the other women eke out a stone-age subsistence while upholding a high civility of ritual greetings and hospitality. "Would you like tea?" Yesterday asks the teacher (Harriet Lehabe), a newcomer whom she befriended on one of her long walks to the clinic. "If it is no trouble," the teacher says gravely. "No trouble at all," Yesterday replies as she ushers her into her hut, which has no running water or electricity.
Courtesy dies in the brushfire of fear and rage that engulfs the village when Yesterday's infected husband returns home too sick to work. Yesterday is shunned, and the villagers force her to take her wasting husband away. Already ill herself and unable to find a bed for him in the local hospital, she builds a makeshift, one-man hospice by hand out of metal scraps and corrugated tin in a far-off field. She gives John a dignified death, while clinging to life long enough to see her daughter begin her first day of school.
"Yesterday" is not easy to watch, but it is almost impossible to turn off.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/28/arts/television/28stan.html?pagewanted=print
Three cancellations
In its Tuesday editions, Variety is reporting what you have read here in past days: “…In a busy day of small-screen comings and goings, industry insiders confirmed that "Reunion," "Threshold" and "Hot Properties" will all cease production after 13 episodes.”
Only late owls could catch debut of new “Nightline”
By Gail Shister Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005
Anybody see the debut of the new ”Nightline” last night?
Correction. This morning.
In what some say is an unusual move for late night, ABC scheduled the launch of the all-live, revamped weeknight broadcast - with the anchor troika of Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran and Martin Bashir - on a Monday. During football season.
ABC deserves a penalty flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, some observers say.
Tuesdays through Fridays, Nightline airs at 11:35 p.m. On the remaining weekday, it follows 9 p.m. Monday Night Football and local newscasts.
Thus far this season, that means Nightline could start as late as 1 a.m. on the East Coast. The longest MNF game this season, Pittsburgh vs. San Diego on Oct. 10, ground on until 12:29 a.m., according to a MNF spokesman. Games have been averaging 171 minutes.
Regardless, Nightline was to have been live last night.
ABC rep Emily Lenzner labels the Monday debut "a nonissue. Nightline airs five nights a week, Monday through Friday. It only makes sense to keep it that way." (Technically, it would be Tuesday if Nightline begins after midnight.)
Over 12 broadcasts - not including last night's Pittsburgh-Indianapolis showdown - MNF has averaged 11.9 million viewers. Nightline averages 3.5 million viewers. Do the math.
Still, football hasn't given Nightline much help. From the start of the NFL season on Sept. 12 to Nov. 20, Nightline had 3.32 million viewers on Mondays, compared with 3.37 million Tuesday through Friday, ABC says.
Unlike prime time, when TV viewership increases as the night goes on, the late-night audience declines steadily.
So why did ABC really introduce in the wee hours the first Nightline without Ted Koppel since 1980? There are several schools of thought.
One says that giving Nightline a "soft launch" lets the new team get a show under its belt on a night when fewer people - and fewer Nightline regulars - are watching.
Also, it makes for a kind of symmetry. Koppel's finale, last week, was on a Tuesday.
Conversely, ABC owner Disney would love to give Nightline's time slot to a more lucrative entertainment show. A weak debut from the news division would strengthen its argument.
"It's better to premiere a show in its regular time slot, particularly in late night," Mediaweek analyst Marc Berman says. "You want to create an immediate pattern with viewers. They may not find it the next night."
And even if Nightline gets a decent post-football audience, it mostly comprises testosterone-driven men. Women are an important demographic for the show.
Raiding the store. Speaking of Nightline, Ted Koppel will hire seven Nightline staffers if his HBO deal happens, according to an ABC source speaking on condition of anonymity.
Koppel and his former executive producer, Tom Bettag, who left the network with him last week, are expected to produce documentaries for the cable network. The announcement could come as early as next week.
None of the seven is an on-air type. All are based in Washington. Nightline has a staff of about 50 - 35 in Washington and 15 in New York, an ABC rep says.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//13279548.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
Critic’s Notebook
“Chief”' welcomes new face tonight
By Gary Levin USA TODAY
There's a new commander in chief at ABC's drama about the first female president, and he's making his presence felt.
In a highly unusual move, ABC handed Steven Bochco (NYPD Blue) the reins as executive producer of Commander in Chief and removed creator Rod Lurie last month after repeated production delays, network executives say.
His first change is evident tonight (9 ET/PT): the addition of regular Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Richard "Dickie" McDonald, a cunning media strategist for President Mackenzie Allen (Geena Davis).
Gosselaar, who starred in the last four seasons of NYPD Blue, says it didn't take much convincing to sign on with Bochco again. "I have immense trust in him; when the opportunity came up, I didn't need a lot of information, knowing his record and experience."
McDonald quickly makes his mark as a hired gun and foil for the president's mostly fawning handlers. "I don't adhere to the same rules as people in her staff do," Gosselaar says. "Right off the bat I stir things up on her staff, trying to prepare them for things to come," including a re-election campaign Allen herself won't commit to. "He's very calculated, very precise."
The only bad guy in the show is House Speaker Nathan Templeton (Donald Sutherland), Allen's arch-nemesis, "and he's not that bad," Gosselaar says. "On her side there's other people you can show who are shifty or a little shady."
Bochco declined an interview request, but executive producer Dee Johnson, one of three writer/producers who remain from Lurie's regime, says change will be gradual. For the first time in the 25 years since he created the groundbreaking Hill Street Blues, Bochco is inheriting someone else's characters.
"There will definitely be a perceivable change as time goes on, but it has to be relatively incremental," Johnson says. Viewers won't notice for a while: Production was stopped for nearly three weeks to regroup, and the show's next new episode will air Jan. 10.
But change might be welcomed. Commander - which began the season with more than 16 million viewers and remains the most-watched new series — has steadily declined in recent weeks, averaging a series-low 12.6 million viewers for Bochco's first episode Nov. 15.
It airs in network TV's most competitive time slot, against House, My Name Is Earl and The Amazing Race.
Meanwhile, Lurie is busy with another potential electoral series. ABC last week ordered a pilot of Triumph, about an 18-year-old who is elected mayor of a town.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2005-11-28-commander-in-chief_x.htm
Marcus Carr
11-29-05, 10:12 AM
FCC expected to back "a la carte" cable pricing-WSJ
Tue Nov 29, 2005 1:42 AM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to suggest that cable companies could best serve their customers by allowing them to subscribe to individual channels instead of packages of several stations, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
The newspaper said that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is expected to announce on Tuesday that the commission will soon revise the conclusion it reached in the report it issued last year on "a la carte" pricing in the cable industry.
Citing an FCC official familiar with the revised report, the Journal said the report will conclude that buying individual channels could be cheaper for consumers than bundles and that themed tiers of channels could be economically feasible.
Last year's FCC report on the subject found that most U.S. households would face higher television bills if they only paid for the channels they wanted to watch.
The commission said then that increased costs for marketing and equipment would force up monthly bills by 14 percent to 30 percent for most cable or satellite TV customers even if they only paid for a handful of stations.
Customer advocates have said a pay-per-channel approach would keep cost increases in check by making programmers and providers more accountable to viewers.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=televisionNews&storyID=2005-11-29T064217Z_01_FOR924104_RTRIDST_0_TELEVISION-MEDIA-FCC-CABLE-DC.XML
Marcus Carr
11-29-05, 10:15 AM
'Idol' signs for six more seasons
Tue Nov 29, 2005 9:06 AM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The producers of "American Idol" said on Tuesday they reached a deal with the Fox television network for up to six more seasons of the broadcaster's ratings mainstay.
CKX Inc. owns 19 Entertainment, the British creator of the wannabe-celebrity series "Idol." The company said it reached a joint agreement with producer FremantleMedia, Fox, "Idol" celebrity judge Simon Cowell and record label Sony BMG to continue the series for four more seasons with an option to renew for an additional two seasons.
Cowell has agreed to stay on for at least five more seasons beginning with the next installment of the series in January.
CKX said its subsidiary as well as FremantleMedia will receive a "significantly increased" license fee from Fox in line with the higher advertising rates set for the coming season.
News Corp-owned Fox will build a dedicated Web site for the show, fed by content from 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia. The production companies have also granted Fox wireless rights to "Idol" material including show-related ringtones and video footage, CKX said.
Fox will also pick up at least two original shows created jointly by 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia in the next five years. Sony BMG remains the official record label for American Idol winners.
19 Entertainment said it also settled a lawsuit with Cowell over the acerbic judge's other program "The X Factor." 19 Entertainment CEO and British pop mogul Simon Fuller has said Cowell's show was a rip-off of his "Idol" concept.
Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=televisionNews&storyID=2005-11-29T140610Z_01_SIB950681_RTRIDST_0_TELEVISION-MEDIA-FOX-IDOL-DC.XML&archived=False
George Thompson
11-29-05, 11:16 AM
Steve Capus Named President, NBC News
28 November 2005
Steve Capus has been named president of NBC News, effective immediately, making him responsible for all aspects of America's highest-rated and most-watched network News division, as well as MSNBC and NBC News Channel. The announcement was made today by Jeff Zucker, President, NBC Universal Television Group, to whom Capus will report.
Under his leadership the News division continues to excel. Some highlights are:
Nightly News is first network evening newscast to be offered online, in its entirety at www.nightly.msnbc.com.
Today has won every day in November and expanded its lead over GMA.
Nightly News has been No. 1 in total viewers for 71 of last 72 weeks.
Nightly News will celebrate Brian Williams’ first anniversary as anchor and managing editor of the program later this week
Meet the Press has been No. 1 in total viewers for 240 straight weeks.
MSNBC is up 12 percent in total viewers this month versus October 2005.
MSNBC.com continues to dominate on the Internet, consistently drawing more than 23 million monthly unique visitors, more than the combined unique visitors of CBSNews.com, ABCNews.com and FOXNews.com.
"It gives me great pleasure to formally give Steve the full reins of this critically important division at this crucial time," Zucker said. "In his long and distinguished career at NBC, Steve has touched virtually every aspect of this News division. And over the course of the past two months, he has already taken NBC News to new heights. Steve has great journalistic judgment, the confidence of his colleagues, and a keen understanding of the importance of extending the NBC News brand across new platforms in this ever-evolving digital era. This is a well-deserved promotion, and one that will serve us exceptionally well into the future."
Bob Wright said: "I'm very pleased Steve has been officially appointed the News division's top executive. Our news operations always have been and will continue to be of immense importance to this company, and I am confident Steve will distinguish himself in this role as he has in every assignment we've given him since he joined us more than a decade ago."
"It's an honor to be asked to lead one of the world's great news organizations," said Capus. "The women and men of NBC News are remarkably talented journalists who help us to understand our world through experienced reporting over the airwaves, online, and in new digital arenas. NBC News is built on a proud past, a successful present and an even stronger and more innovative future, and I'm thrilled to be able to be a part of all of it."
http://nbcumv.com/release_detail.nbc/news-20051129000000-nbcnewsannouncemen.html
Shorter Wait for “Prison Break”
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable
Fox will bring freshman breakout hit Prison Break back earlier than originally planned. The original schedule called for airing the show’s back nine episodes beginning in May, after the first 13 ended with last night’s airing.
However, the network will now bring the show back in March, according to promos during Monday’s fall finale. Executive producer Paul Scheuring told B&C last week he was prepared for the schedule change, as they're well into the next slate of episodes: No. 16 will wrap by Christmas.
He says the writing is nearly completed for the entire season, with the season finale scheduled to shoot the first week of March. Last week, the show ranked third among adults 18-49 in its 9-10 p.m. ET time slot but first in adults 18-34.
"We'd obviously prefer not to have the break because this is a sequential narrative,” Scheuring said. “What happens between the end of episode 13 and the beginning of 14 is essentially real time, so coming back from a five-month break like one minute later in story time would be a little strange.”
Critic’s Notebook
Aiding and abetting
By Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel Television Critic November 28, 2005
Before the television season began, critics and industry analysts bemoaned a crime-saturated schedule. Ten weeks later, viewers are sending a far different message: We like it.
NCIS, a Tuesday drama with Mark Harmon, is pulling in 18 percent more viewers this season than last. Criminal Minds, an intense Wednesday drama about FBI profilers, has emerged as a surprise hit. The Nov. 10 episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation drew more than 29.5 million viewers, the most for any telecast this season.
Eleven of the nation's Top 25 series traffic in mystery, forensics or law. The trend's chief beneficiary is CBS, the most-watched network, which airs NCIS, Criminal Minds and CSI. Each week, CBS devotes half of its 22 prime-time hours to such series -- and draws a few brickbats for that reliance.
"It's unfair to lump everything into one pile," says Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment. "The big bone I have to pick: There are crime elements in a lot of shows, but each show has a distinctive style. That emanates from producers and writers."
Sometimes the series do share titles. CSI is affixed to three CBS series. NBC tried to expand Law & Order brand to four series last season, then retreated to three this fall. That was one indication that TV's crime wave could have peaked. Is there too much?
"From a ratings point, perhaps not," says John Rash, who analyzes television as a senior vice president at Campbell Mithun advertising agency in Minneapolis. "From an artistic perspective, absolutely. Viewers vexed by all of these police procedurals have fewer entry points into a network."
Nevertheless, these procedurals continue to flourish for several reasons. They play better in network repeats than serialized stories such as Desperate Housewives and Lost. The crime programs sell well in syndication. The procedurals fit comfortably with late local newscasts, which are often heavy on crime.
Several producers have excelled in the genre. Dick Wolf bolsters NBC with Law & Order and its spinoffs. Jerry Bruckheimer supplies six crime series to CBS, including CSI, Without a Trace and Cold Case. The storytelling comforts viewers.
"They have the right tonality for the times: certitude in an uncertain world," Rash says.
The changing television business also accommodates crime drama.
"With the audience so fragmented, there will be plenty of audience to go around, and it doesn't take that much to make a hit anymore," says Horace Newcomb, director of the University of Georgia's Peabody Awards, one of the highest honors for electronic media.
"I describe television as different when I started 30 years ago,'' Newcomb says. "It's no longer a site where people go to share experiences. It's like a newsstand or a bookstore. Dick Wolf and the CSI people have tapped into it. It's like having a new book come out every week."
Viewers keep putting these televised novels on the Nielsens, TV's best-seller list. CBS crime dominates the national rankings: No. 1 CSI, No. 3 Without a Trace, No. 6 CSI: Miami, No. 8 NCIS, No. 11 Cold Case and No. 13 CSI: NY.
NBC, which is struggling this season, places its most-watched series at No. 14: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
A few CBS series are showing weakness against stronger competition: CSI: Miami is off 13 percent and CSI: NY is down 7 percent in viewers from a year ago. But both still place first in their time periods.
And CBS' overall audience has grown slightly, reflecting the network's strength in comedy, reality and newsmagazines. Despite the naysayers, CBS continues to find success in crime.
Criminal Minds earned terrible reviews and few predictions of success opposite ABC's Lost. Yet this drama starring Mandy Patinkin is the No. 2 new series, behind only ABC's Commander in Chief.
"It's distinguishing itself in a number of ways: It's a suspense thriller," CBS executive Tassler says. "It's more character-driven than the others. Patinkin is one of the finest actors out there."
Close to Home, about a prosecutor (Jennifer Finnigan) balancing motherhood and work, struggled on Tuesdays after its October premiere. Yet ratings for this Bruckheimer-produced drama improved when CBS shifted it to Fridays for a two-week tryout. Last week, the network announced it had picked up Close to Home for the full season and will keep it on Fridays.
Before the season, TV critics lambasted Criminal Minds, Close to Home and Fox's Killer Instinct for premieres featuring graphic mistreatment of women. Viewers have mostly ignored Killer Instinct on Fridays, yet complaints against the other two series have subsided as they have told a wider range of stories.
Tassler plays down concerns of a crime overload, saying her programs reach different viewers.
"It would be nice if our audience watched every show," she says. "They pick and choose their favorites."
The competition evidently has studied the CBS model. Fox's new Bones and Prison Break will have full seasons. Bones seems like a younger-skewing CSI that plays up the chemistry of actors Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz. Prison Break will offer its fall finale at 9 tonight and return later in the season with nine new episodes.
Prison Break tells an epic story over a season, an approach skillfully used by 24, which starts its fifth season in January. Although Fox doesn't repeat 24, the adventures of Agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) have won new fans on DVD. The fourth-season DVD arrives Dec. 6.
For midseason, ABC is shooting for its own hit procedural. The Disney-owned network will offer The Evidence about two San Francisco detectives and In Justice about a nonprofit group that helps free those wrongly convicted.
Also for midseason, NBC has ordered Wolf's Conviction about young assistant district attorneys in New York. NBC will try 24-style storytelling with Heist, about jewel thieves, and Kidnapped, about a family's reaction to its 15-year-old son's abduction.
CBS has no new crime series planned for midseason, but the network remains committed to the genre. Tassler says viewers will let CBS know when they've had enough crime.
"The audience is saying they're continuing to respond to the programming we're putting on," Tassler says. "They're telling us they enjoy this form of storytelling."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv/orl-crime05nov28,0,3740566,print.story?coll=orl-caltvtop
Monday’s prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s analysis of what they mean -- have been posted at the top of Ratings News the second post in this thread.
The November Sweeps
(From Marc Berman’s Tuesday, November 29, 2005 Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com )
November 2005: Three-Week Sweep Rating Results
Three weeks into the Nov. 2005 sweep, solid CBS ranks first in households, total viewers, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54, while growing ABC is No. 1 among adults 18-34. Although CBS' lead in adults 18-49 is only 2 percent in the demo, an advantage over ABC of 26 percent in households, 2.94 million viewers and 12 percent among adults 25-54 is a guarantee of final sweeps leadership. Year-to-year, CBS is close to Nov. 2004 levels, while ABC is up by margins of 10 to 13 percent. Both networks are, no doubt, worthy of accolades.
Although Fox is also on the minor plus side, building by 2 to 7 percent, the news is bleak at NBC, with losses of 13 to 26 percent. NBC ranks fourth among adults 18-34 (down 26 percent in the demo), and a distant third elsewhere. In the battle for the No. 5 spot, UPN is fifth in households, total viewers and adults 18-34; the WB is fifth among adults 25-54; and both are tied among adults 18-49. The two networks are close to year-ago levels.
What follows are the ratings for the first three weeks of Nov. 2005 (Nov. 3 - Nov. 23, 2005), with percent change in parentheses over the year-ago period:
Households:
CBS: 9.3/15 (+ 1)
ABC: 7.4/12 (+10)
NBC: 6.3/10 (-13)
Fox: 4.5/ 7 (+ 2)
UPN: 2.5/ 4 (- 4)
WB: 2.4/ 4 (- 8)
Total Viewers:
CBS: 14.44 million (+ 1)
ABC: 11.50 (+11)
NBC: 9.52 (-13)
Fox: 7.24 (+ 5)
UPN: 3.75 (- 2)
WB: 3.69 (- 7)
Adults 18-49:
CBS: 4.4/12 (- 2)
ABC: 4.3/12 (+10)
NBC: 3.3/ 9 (-20)
Fox: 3.1/ 8 (+ 7)
UPN and WB: 1.5/ 4 (- 6 each)
Adults 18-34:
ABC: 3.6/11 (+13)
Fox: 3.2/10 (+ 3)
CBS: 3.1/ 9 (- 3)
NBC: 2.6/ 8 (-26)
UPN: 1.7/ 5 (+ 6)
WB: 1.6/ 5 (- 6)
Adults 25-54:
CBS: 5.6/13 (no change)
ABC: 5.0/12 (+11)
NBC: 4.0/10 (-15)
Fox: 3.1/ 7 (+ 7)
WB: 1.5/ 3 (- 6)
UPN: 1.4/ 3 (-13)
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
The small suburban New York community of Nyack has just approved a contract with Verizon to offer is FiOS digital TV system. It becomes the second New York municipality to sign on with Verizon. The local cable company, Cablevision, isn’t accepting the competition quietly. Here’s a story:
A Digital Dodge City
The high-stakes battle between Verizon and Cablevision over a town on Long Island
By Spencer E. Ante BusinessWeek.com
James Altadonna Jr. won a heated election in 2001 to unseat the incumbent mayor in Massapequa Park, a comfy middle-class suburb on the south shore of New York's Long Island, and he has since been reelected twice. But he has never had his reputation attacked as fiercely as this year, when he got caught in the middle of a fight between two of the country's most powerful communications companies.
The clash Altadonna has become embroiled in pits Cablevision Systems Corp. (), the sole provider of cable TV in Massapequa Park, against Verizon Communications Inc. (), which wants a license to offer a competing television service. Altadonna, who serves as mayor part-time and donates his $7,000 salary to the village, thinks Verizon should get its license so residents have more choice. Yet after he pushed through that approval, Cablevision on Oct. 17 slapped the village, its trustees, and Verizon with a lawsuit. Then a Cablevision-funded group distributed fliers and advertised in local papers, accusing the mayor of betraying his town.
Altadonna isn't backing down. The 45-year-old, who runs a local printing company and has lived with his wife and three children in Massapequa Park for 12 years, is sending residents a letter criticizing the fliers as "misleading and deceptive." He says Cablevision is simply trying to delay competition. "The scare tactics they use are ridiculous," he says. "You wouldn't think a billion-dollar company would pick on a mayor." Cablevision says it is not trying to prevent competition. Its goal is to stop Verizon from getting a special deal.
This is just one skirmish in perhaps the most contentious battle in the communications industry. A Digital Age equivalent of the Hatfields and the McCoys, Verizon and Cablevision are shooting it out in town after town across the New York region. Their battle reflects the changes sweeping the tech landscape, with cable companies trying to grab phone customers and phone companies jumping into the cable-TV business.
Yet the clash also shows the benefits of bare-knuckled competition. As they slug it out, Verizon and Cablevision are steadily coming out with better services and lower prices on everything from traditional telephone calling to speedy Net access. In August, Verizon introduced a low-end broadband service for $15 a month, half the price of its previous entry-level offering. In November, Cablevision unveiled broadband with speeds of as much as 50 megabits per second, trumping Verizon's 30 megabits. "Consumers end up getting more products with better prices and greater value," says analyst Anthony Noto of Goldman, Sachs & Co. ().
Their fight offers a study in contrasts. Cablevision is a combative, entrepreneurial outfit run by the eccentric father-and-son team Charles and James L. Dolan. James now runs the Bethpage (N.Y.) company, which also owns Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks. Verizon is the quintessential corporate icon, a descendant of Ma Bell. Based in Manhattan, Verizon is headed by Ivan G. Seidenberg, a diplomatic exec who shuns the spotlight.
The wrangling dates back to late 2003, when Dolan's Cablevision became the first cable company to offer phone service over its fiber lines. With its stronghold in the New York region, Cablevision added phone customers quickly and now has more than 600,000. About 13% of the people who can get its phone service have signed up, giving Cablevision the highest success rate of any major cable company. Cablevision has also aggressively offered broadband service, and now claims 1.6 million subscribers. "They are going to fight Verizon every step of the way," says analyst Craig E. Moffett of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.
THE SANDWICH INCIDENT
Seidenberg's response to such challenges has been a counterattack of head-spinning risk. Alone among the phone companies, he's spending billions to string fiber-optic lines into peoples' homes, so Verizon can offer them cable TV and blazing Net service that could one day reach 100 megabits. Verizon offers the Net service, dubbed FiOS, in hundreds of towns nationwide, but its TV service is being rolled out more slowly. Verizon needs to win government approval to offer TV, in most cases from each town or village.
As Massapequa Park demonstrates, the battles for those approvals can be bruising. Verizon began serious negotiations with the village over the summer and participated in a Sept. 12 public hearing on the issue. About the same time, Cablevision's director of franchise management, Jeffrey M. Clark, called the mayor and said the company was planning to run ads condemning the Verizon franchise in local papers. According to an affidavit from Altadonna, Clark offered to pull the ads if trustees postponed a vote on the agreement scheduled for later that month. Altadonna refused. Through a Cablevision spokesman, Clark denies the allegation.
The day trustees planned to vote on the new franchise, Sept. 26, they held another public meeting that hundreds of locals attended. During the hearing, Altadonna and the others took a 15-minute break to eat in a private room before they returned and approved Verizon's application. That 15-minute break is at the heart of Cablevision's lawsuit. The company alleges trustees violated the state's open meeting law by discussing the franchise behind closed doors. Altadonna says they simply ate sandwiches. "There's no question the village followed the law," he says.
Even after the vote, Cablevision has tried to persuade Massapequa Park residents to oppose Verizon. A few weeks later, a trade group, financed by Cablevision, sent flyers out accusing Altadonna of reneging on a promise to keep Verizon's cable equipment above street level. Still, most town residents seem to be on the mayor's side. "I wouldn't mind having some more competition," says Maria Walsh, a 42-year-old local.
Besides the lawsuit and the public relations campaign, Cablevision is appealing to New York regulators. (In New York, the state must confirm the franchises approved by local governments.) The cable company alleges Verizon got a sweetheart deal, with terms that are better than Cablevision's own. Among other things, Cablevision contends that Verizon isn't obligated to offer television service to every resident. "[The agreement] has loopholes that allow it to pick and choose neighborhoods," says a Cablevision spokesman. Altadonna and Verizon say that's not true.
The cable company is pushing hard to win over state regulators. It's sending letters to local mayors, urging them to lobby regulators to reject Verizon's Massapequa Park franchise, according to documents reviewed by BusinessWeek. Cablevision's argument is that Massapequa Park could serve as a template for new cable franchises in other towns -- and that it's one that will poorly serve local communities.
Massapequa Park's fate should be decided soon. State regulators are expected to rule on Verizon's franchise in the coming weeks. And the state Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision in the Cablevision lawsuit next month. If state regulators approve the deal, Verizon plans to start offering cable TV, even if the suit is still in litigation.
Meanwhile, Altadonna is busy addressing one of the issues Cablevision has raised. On a recent sunny morning, he pulls up to the street where two Verizon cable boxes are located. The company's technicians are installing similar boxes 15 feet in the air and removing those near the ground. Rolling down his car window, Altadonna says, "I'm the mayor."
"This box is going to be taken away," says Brad Helford, a technician. "That's what you wanted, right?" Altadonna smiles. "Yup. I always live by what I say."
After he drives back to his office in Town Hall, Altadonna puts the finishing touches on his letter to village residents. "My integrity is not negotiable," it reads. "No malicious fliers, mailed by cowardly, spiteful individuals, will deter me from doing the right thing."
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_49/b3962098.htm
TV Blog Notebook:
“Break”-ing news and a “House” shocker
By Maureen Ryan Chicago Tribune November 28, 2005
According to Fox promos at the end of Monday’s “Prison Break,” the show will return in March. That’s better than May, eh?
• Speaking of "American Idol," Fox has reached an agreement with Simon Cowell that will ensure his continued on-air participation through at least five more seasons of the show. He'd been making noises about leaving, but now, not so much, since I imagine they handed him several kajillion dollars.
• And after the ratings the Nov. 22 episode of “Threshold” [/B] got in its new Tuesday time slot, the show won’t return. It’s been canceled (more’s the pity). An episode of “Criminal Minds” will air in “Threshold’s” spot instead. Bummer.
• So how about ABC sending out the press release at 5 p.m. the day before Thanksgiving announcing that “Alias” will end next spring? That’s when you release news that you don’t want anyone to notice. Well, to be honest, good riddance, “Alias.” It hurts to say that, since the show’s first three years were great, but it’s long overdue for an exit. Honestly, ABC should just put us out of our “Alias” misery now.
• Two “Project Runway” tidbits: I’ll be posting an interview with Tim Gunn, the show’s fab host/coach, in the next day or two. And to get yourself revved up for the second season of the show, which debuts Dec. 7, Bravo is airing the last few episodes of the first season starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. Relive all that divine Wendy Pepper drama!
• “Rome” won’t return until March 2007. Let us all wail piteously together: “Waaaaaaah!”
• Reminder: Oprah Winfrey visits David Letterman’s show on Thursday.
• Whaaaat??! “Reunion” has been canceled. Okay, I must admit, I’ve been watching the show since it began. I’m not tremendously proud of this fact, since it launched itself into total cheeseball territory regularly, but I have to know who killed that girl with the long curly hair! Arrrrgh! Fox had better tell us who did it. Geez, it’s bad enough that they cut short Season 3 of “Arrested Development,” now Fox has to deny me the guiltiest of my guilty pleasures. Arrrrrgh again!
• When “Stargate SG-1” returns for its 10th season in the middle of next year, “Farscape’s” Claudia Black, who had a memorable guest run on “SG-1” as the “ethically challenged” Vala at the start of Season 9, will be a series regular. By the way, the second half of "SG-1's” Season 9 will kick off on Jan. 6, along with “Stargate Atlantis” and “Battlestar Galactica.”
• An alternate ending of Wednesday’s “Veronica Mars” will be available on AOL.com immediately after the episode airs. Both endings will be available for viewing on AOL.com for one week. And you’ll be able to find a review of the episode here on Wednesday morning.
• Finally, spoiler alert! Don’t read the following sentence if you don’t want to know anything about Tuesday’s typically terrific episode of “House” (which last week, by the way, beat its biggest direct competitor, the much-hyped “Commander in Chief,” in the ratings -- go “House”!). Anyway, by the end of Tuesday’s episode, in which Dr. House and Dr. McBlondie (uh, I mean, Dr. Chase) are grilled about a botched case, House has a new boss. And you’ll never believe who it is.
• Just one more thing: How much do I love Jason Segel as the slightly dim but very funny Marshall on “How I Met Your Mother”? Even more than I love Ethan Suplee as Earl’s slightly dim but very funny brother on “My Name Is Earl.”
http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/
as Marcus Carr posted earlier, the a la carte proposal seems to be back on the table.
Maybe we could get an HD only tier?
FCC Reverses Course on Cable, Backing à la Carte Pricing
A WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE NEWS ROUNDUP November 29, 2005 1:19 p.m.
Federal regulators concluded that cable firms could better serve consumers by allowing them to subscribe to individual channels instead of offering only prepackaged bundles.
A la carte programming "could be economically feasible and in consumers' best interests," Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, a reversal of the agency's view under previous chairman Michael Powell.
The decision opens a new front in the government's efforts to impose indecency standards on cable and satellite providers. Until now, the cable industry has resisted suggestions from Mr. Martin and some lawmakers to voluntarily offer à la carte choices or set up tiers of channels such as a "family-friendly" group of channels suitable for children or a selection of sports channels.
News Briefs
From today’s Hollywood Reporter
E! TV acquires Season 4 of 'Simple Life'
E! Entertainment Television is giving "The Simple Life" a new lease on life, ordering another season of the former Fox hit reality series. Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie will both return for the fourth season of "Simple Life," with 10 new half-hour episodes set to kick off in the spring.
CBS News drops Murphy
CBS News president Sean McManus has tapped "60 Minutes" veteran Rome Hartman to become executive producer of the "CBS Evening News," taking over from longtime executive producer Jim Murphy.
NBC News taps Capus
NBC News veteran Steve Capus has been appointed president of the news division. He will report to Jeff Zucker.
Fox renews 'Idol'
News Corp.'s Fox network agreed to air at least four more seasons of the "American Idol" television show, sending shares of the show's owner, CKX Inc., surging before the markets opened.
'Break' hits high
Fox's "Prison Break" wrapped up its initial 13-episode run with conviction Monday, posting its highest ratings yet in all key demos, according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research.
TiVo ad search
TiVo will soon offer subscribers a way to customize some of the ads they receive -- and offering advertisers a way to make sure they're targeting consumers who want what they're pitching.
Rookie cancellations
It's the end of the road for three freshman series: ABC's "Hot Properties," CBS' "Threshold" and Fox's "Reunion."
Syndie 'House'
NBC Universal Television Distribution is finalizing a deal to steer "House" to fellow NBC Uni subsidiary USA Network; Bravo also is said to be getting a small piece of the hit drama.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/index.jsp
'Idol' Star and Producer Settle, Clearing Way for Future Shows
Fox to announce results show switch to Thursday?
By Bill Carter The New York Times November 29, 2005
Simon Cowell, the star of the Fox network's biggest hit, "American Idol," cleared the way for his continued participation in the show yesterday when he settled a lawsuit brought by Simon Fuller, the producer of the series.
Representatives for each man said the settlement, which was reached yesterday, ended a £100 million ($171 million) copyright infringement lawsuit Mr. Fuller had filed against Mr. Cowell in a British court. Mr. Fuller had accused Mr. Cowell of stealing the creative elements of the "Idol" franchise for his own television talent contest, "X-Factor."
Neither side was willing to discuss the terms of the settlement yesterday because it will not be official until the lawsuit is ended today in court in Britain.
But The Daily Mirror in Britain quoted Mr. Cowell as saying: "We're delighted with the outcome. People think we hate each other but we don't. We're good friends."
Details of a new contract that will tie Mr. Cowell to Fox and "American Idol" for future seasons are also expected to be revealed today. The lawsuit had held up the deal because Mr. Cowell had made it clear that the coming season of "American Idol" would be his last unless the dispute was resolved. Mr. Cowell's contract with Fox and "American Idol" is to end in May.
One element in dispute was the right Mr. Cowell had in previous "Idol" shows to sign the winner of the singing contest to the record label he operates for Sony BMG music. He did not have that right for the "Idol" edition that is to start in January.
News of the settlement came as the Fox Television Network was putting the finishing touches on its scheduling plans for "American Idol" this season.
While the two-night-a-week show has played on Tuesday and Wednesday, Fox has been considering shifting it to Wednesday and Thursday.
Thursday is the night in American television when advertisers pay the most for commercial time on the networks. Fox has long sought a dependable program to schedule on that night.
In order to establish a stronger presence on Thursday, Fox has been considering expanding what it calls the "results show" of "Idol," which reveals the contestant who has been eliminated, from a half-hour to an hour.
Fox executives said last night that the network would announce its plans for the scheduling of "American Idol" today and that the Thursday option was thought to be more likely than it was as recently as last week.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/29/business/media/29idol.html?pagewanted=print
This should make the folks at “Showtime” really nervous! (Just kidding, but didn't HBO used to provide many quality shows? Now it has sunk to Heidi and "Cathouse"?)
HBO Orders Fleiss Documentary
By James Hibberd TVWeek.com November 29, 2005
HBO is partnering with Heidi Fleiss for a documentary chronicling her efforts to open Heidi's Stud Farm-Nevada's first male brothel catering to women, the network announced Tuesday.
The as-yet-untitled documentary will begin filming in December. The project will be the network's second new program set in a Nevada brothel. The first is the reality series "Cathouse."
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=8970
This should make the folks at “Showtime” really nervous! (Just kidding, but didn't HBO used to provide many quality shows? Now it has sunk to Heidi and "Cathouse"?)
HBO Orders Fleiss Documentary
Pathetic, this is the sort of fare that I might expect from FOX, in fact, I not sure they would even do it. HBO needs to dump Albrecht or whoever is in charge of these programming decisions. Really, who but a few people in Hollywood even give a crap about Heidi Fleiss?
I agree, Jim.
I found the news shocking.
But more than that, very depressing.
David_Levin
11-29-05, 03:28 PM
as Marcus Carr posted earlier, the a la carte proposal seems to be back on the table.
Maybe we could get an HD only tier?
FCC Reverses Course on Cable, Backing à la Carte Pricing
A WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE NEWS ROUNDUP
Could this actually happen? We can talk about the cable/dbs companies, but isn't this also forced by the media companies bundling of channels. I can't see they would stop this unless the FCC activally banned the practice.
While I really don't watch all the channels (and could certainly find other places to spend the money), I like knowing that if it's on, I get it (not a sports fan so don't get pulled into that high $$$ area).
Gotta think that the price of the "Everything Pack" would go up if ala-cart pulled away many of its subscribers.
Even were the FCC to ban such practices, the media corporations which own the channels would go to court. Keeping the public in the dark about how much the channels charge is in their best interest -- as is the practice of forcing providers to take a whole lot of channels in order to get several of high interest -- and then forcing those channels to be carried on "basic", so that all customers have to pay for them.
Thus the cable nets have spent tens of millions of dollars lobbying against a la carte over the past decade.
The price of the "everything pack" surely would go up.
So would some specialty packages, like sports, where the ESPON channels alone now charge providers more than $6 a month per subsciber (and generally insist that all subscribers be provided with them--and thus have to pay).
But basic packs, say local channels and a handful of channels which kept their prices down, might drop an average family's monthly bill dramatically. That seems to be the case in Canada, where some basic service cost as little as $C20.
Last week’s network prime-time ratings, highlighted by yet another strong week by CBS, are now at the top of[FONT=Arial Black] Latest Prime Time Ratings (the second post in this thread).
The individual program rankings for last week will be posted later in the day.
Last week’s prime-time program ratings are now at the top of RATINGS NEWS -- the second post in this thread.
TV Notes
by Matt Webb Mitovich TVGuide.com Wednesday, November 30, 2005
SIMON SAYS...: Now that his legal battle with American Idol producer Simon Fuller (over the forthcoming series The X Factor) has been settled, Simon Cowell has inked a deal to continue on as an Idol judge for at least five — yes, I said five — more seasons. Says Cowell in a statement, "It's a personal thrill for me to play a role in giving the best young singers in America a shot at realizing their dreams," and/or crushing them.
STONES DEEMED SUPER: The Rolling Stones have been booked as the halftime entertainment at Super Bowl XL, to be held Feb. 5. ABC will air the rockers' live performance on a five- to 10-second delay, presumably to safeguard against any slipped dentures nipples. What's more, Mick & Co. have announced a European tour that will kick off May 27 in Barcelona and offer concertgoers the chance to occupy seats onstage — chairs usually kept handy in case Keith Richards gets winded.
REUNION OVER, HOT IS NOT: On the heels of reports that CBS' Threshold, pulled for the remainder of November sweeps, has halted production, comes word that Fox's Reunion and ABC's Hot Properties each have had the plug pulled after 13 episodes. Thus far, there is no word on whether Reunion will wrap up its central murder mystery before vanishing; Hot Properties will air through December.
http://www.tvguide.com/news/entertainment/
I agree, Jim.
I found the news shocking.
But more than that, very depressing.
Shocking? This is nothing new for HBO. Have you never seen Real Sex, Pornucopia or Taxi Cab Confessions?
Fox has officially announced its HD schedule for Sunday, so I have added the missing two games to the HD Football Schedule at the top of the first post of this thread.
Rakesh.S
11-29-05, 07:57 PM
Just wanted to add my $.02 about Reunion getting the axe -- This is pretty disappointing considering the format of the show..The show opens saying "This is the story of 6 friends told over 20 years(20 episodes).."
If Fox cannot make the committment to at least show the conclusion, why bother at all?
Please, for our sake and yours, do not greenlight anymore high concept projects.
Now they did shoot 13 episodes, but if the show concluded up in 13, the premise doesn't make any sense(20 years, 20 episodes). I guess we'll have to wait about 7-8 months..The DVD release is inevitable...Then again, the show did have a lot of older music, so who knows whether the DVD set is even feasible.
Of course since the final 7 episodes were never shot, the DVD will leave fans hanging, too.
SVonhof
11-29-05, 08:46 PM
About the A-la-carte pricing:
I would use this option, since I only watch about 20 channels on DirecTV that I can't get with my OTA antenna. That may be able to lower my $80 bill considerably and even allow me to get some of the channels I am not getting now, since I don't feel like paying more.
The problem with this is that when new channels come out, how do you find out about them and if you like them or not? The networks would have to have a preview area of channels where you can get the newest channels for a month and see if you like the programming enough to pay for it.
Scott, there are plenty of ways for viewers to sample new channels.
Fox News Channel pioneered the idea of actually paying for carriage: It paid $10 a sub to a number of systems back in 1996. Other channels have since followed that model -- though perhaps none with the incredible success Roger Ailes has had in the lpast nine years. FNC is now reported to be asking for $1 a sub a month in upcoming contract renewals -- up from about 22 cents a month it now gets. (CNN, by comparison, reportedly charges about 45 cents a month currently.)
There is no reason a start-up couldn't do something like that, perhaps starting just with Dish or DirecTV or Comcast, etc, to gauge the interest, and go on from there.
The congolmerates have gotten used to having people pay for channels they don't want. And they seem to have no idea how to live in a world where that coercion doesn't exist.
Perhaps they all went to management school and studied the airline business before deregrulation. Or perhaps they realize that most of the channels we pay for (even if we don't lknow it) we really don't want, don't watch, and would love not to pay for.
Trump heads west
L.A. is next stop for new “Apprentice”
By Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter
"The Apprentice" is coming back and heading West.
NBC has picked up the reality series from Mark Burnett Prods. for a sixth cycle to air next season. Donald Trump will be back in the boardroom, which will relocate to Southern California for the show's first season set outside of Manhattan.
" 'The Apprentice' continues to be a top performer for NBC, so we're pleased that the show and Donald Trump will continue to play a key role in this network's future through a fifth and now sixth cycle," NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly said. "We think viewers will agree that a California backdrop, with Donald's West Coast business interests and relationships, will provide an exciting new flavor for the series next season."
While ratings for "The Apprentice" have cooled off considerably following the show's red-hot first installment last year, the show still keeps NBC competitive against CBS' juggernaut "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and ranks as the top unscripted series among upscale viewers.
"I could never have imagined that firing 67 people on national television would actually make me more popular, especially with the younger generation," Trump said. "While I love shooting in New York City, I look forward to filming Season 6 in Los Angeles."
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001572588
The November Sweeps
ABC finds its 'sweeps' success
Once a ratings doormat, ABC is in the running to win its first "sweeps" period in nearly six years
By Scott Collins Los Angeles Times Staff Writer November 30, 2005
Once a ratings doormat, ABC is in the running to win its first "sweeps" period in nearly six years.
Which just goes to show the good a pregnant man can do.
ABC and CBS are battling to the wire for crucial young-adult viewers, and TV executives say the race is too close to call for the monthlong sweeps, which end tonight. But there's no doubt that, in addition to "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," ABC has been helped by "Grey's Anatomy," a quirky medical drama that has turned into one of network TV's biggest hits.
Viewers have clearly grown partial to the interns at Seattle Grace Hospital and their frequently wacky patients, including the man who turned up in an episode this month claiming to be expecting (his abdominal growth turned out to be a rare tumor).
"Creatively, it's getting stronger and stronger," ABC prime-time entertainment chief Steve McPherson said in an interview this week.
The same could be said of ABC's overall schedule, which over the last year has risen from the ashes to threaten CBS, which is still riding high from the success of such hits as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and the "Survivor" franchise, along with promising newcomers such as the profiler drama "Criminal Minds."
Through Monday night, CBS was leading ABC among the coveted 18- to 49-year-old viewer demographic by a sliver-thin one-tenth of a rating point, with many analysts and executives expecting ABC to eke out a tie by the time the dust settles Thursday morning.
Even if the Walt Disney Co.-owned network has to settle for a close second, that would count as an astonishing turnaround. ABC, which is up 8% among young adults compared with a year ago, while CBS is flat, has not won a sweep period since February 2000, when it tied CBS thanks to the game-show sensation "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
Since then, ABC has been in what a losing football coach would inevitably dub "a rebuilding phase."
NBC, meanwhile, the onetime king of the young adult "demo," has seen its ratings tumble 18% compared with last year and will likely tie with Fox for third place. Among total viewers in the prime-time sweeps, CBS has a commanding lead (14.6 million nightly primetime average), trailed by ABC (11.4 million), NBC (9.2 million) and Fox (7.6 million), according to figures from Nielsen Media Research.
The reversal of fortunes at ABC and NBC has taken even some analysts by surprise. Although NBC has mostly kept its focus on affluent young-adult viewers, its audience is aging (and getting smaller) as new series such as "E-Ring" and "Surface" have fizzled and older series like "ER" steadily lose momentum. The new comedy "My Name Is Earl" is a bright spot, although it's considered a modest success rather than a standout hit.
"Who could have said that NBC would be a noncontender for [ages] 18-49 in the November sweep?" said Shari Anne Brill, an analyst for the ad firm Carat USA in New York.
The results are particularly illuminating because, for the most part, networks relied on their regularly scheduled series rather than loading up on the stunts and specials that often dominate sweep periods — and that can obscure networks' real strengths and weaknesses. "It doesn't feel like everybody's bringing out their heavy artillery," Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman said.
The relative quiet prevails partly because some major TV markets, including Los Angeles, are now using local "people meters" from Nielsen, which can offer more detailed audience data and which many experts believe will eventually spell the extinction of sweeps, which local stations use to set ad rates. Also, as CBS scheduling chief Kelly Kahl noted, there have been relatively fewer new series than normal that failed right away this fall, leaving fewer open slots for specials.
For example, the drama "Prison Break" delivered better-than-expected numbers for Fox, and NBC ordered more episodes of "E-Ring" and "Surface," even though the series have not performed well. ABC's heavily publicized "Commander in Chief" has failed to catch on among younger viewers, although it's still hanging in on Tuesday nights. Fox's "Reunion," NBC's "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" and CBS' "Threshold," meanwhile, all count as major disappointments.
But another factor may be at play as well: The calm before the winter storm that is "American Idol."
Fox will bring back its gargantuan hit in January, although it has not announced exactly when or where it will reside on the schedule. Speculation about its ultimate whereabouts is dominating talk at the TV networks. In years past, "Idol" has dominated Tuesdays and much of Wednesdays, with some high-rated specials thrown in on Mondays as well. But there is speculation that Fox will shake things up by plopping the "Idol" "results show" on Thursdays, TV's most lucrative night, when Fox has never had much success building an audience.
The decision carries high stakes not just for Fox but for all its rivals as well.
If "Idol" moves to Thursdays, for example, NBC might well scotch a contemplated plan to move "Earl" to that night and try to begin rebuilding its "must-see" comedy block. And CBS would likely feel the heat on "Survivor" or "CSI," depending on exactly where "Idol" lands. But for now, Fox's rivals will have to squirm a bit longer, like the pregnant man in "Grey's Anatomy."
"We'll hopefully, sometime before 'Idol' comes on, announce our plans," Fox's Beckman said with a laugh.
http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-sweeps30nov30,0,1610779,print.story?coll=cl-tv-top-right
The November Sweeps
ABC Wins Week in Demo, CBS Wins Total Viewers
By Christopher Lisotta TVWeek.com November 29, 2005
CBS won the third full week of November sweeps in total viewers while ABC took the title in the adults 18 to 49 demographic. ABC's Sunday hour "Desperate Housewives" took the top spot in both categories.
"Housewives" was the No. 1 program in adults 18 to 49 for the week ended Nov. 27, scoring an 11.1 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. Its lead-out, "Grey's Anatomy," was second with an 8.9, followed by the Thanksgiving episode of "CSI" (8.4).
"Housewives" averaged 25.9 million total viewers, compared with "CSI's" 25.7 million and "Grey's Anatomy's" 19.6 million.
ABC was tops for the week in the demo with a 4.3, followed by CBS (4.1), Fox (3.6), NBC (3.1) and The WB and UPN (both 1.3).
CBS was No.1 in total viewers with 13.5 million, followed by ABC (11.0 million), NBC (9.3 million), Fox (8.6 million) and The WB and UPN (both 3.6 million).
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=8972
Last week’s complete ratings numbers are now at the top of Latest Prime Time Ratings (the second post in this thread).
TV Notes:
"American Idol,'' "Threshold," "Prison Break'' and "Reunion''
By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News
There's an awful lot going on in TV world the week after Thanksgiving -- some good and some bad:
First off, there's the news that Fox has brokered an agreement for Simon Cowell to stick with "American Idol'' for another five years of brutalizing incompetent contestants. Cowell's return to the show for this coming season had been up in the air because of a nasty legal dispute involving the acerbic judge and "Idol'' producer Simon Fuller. Fuller agreed to drop the legal action (it had something to do with stealing an idea for a new reality show) in return for Cowell re-upping.
Now, all Fox has to do is figure out when "Idol'' is going to air come January. It's beginning to look more and more like the network may take the plunge and move the series' "results show'' into its Thursday night schedule, probably going up against "CSI.''
If you go looking for a new episode of "Threshold'' tonight at 10, you're out of luck. CBS has pulled the new episode that had been scheduled (a repeat of "Criminal Minds'' replaces it) and, according to several published reports, it has stopped production on the sci fi thriller. Too bad because -- while the show wasn't great -- it was a good, entertaining piece of TV with a first-rate cast.
Also getting the ax: Fox's "Reunion'' and ABC's wildly unfunny "Hot Properties.'' The latter won't be missed and its cancellation will free up some very funny actresses to find better work. But the former had some devotees who will probably be left hanging as to the outcome of the serialized murder mystery unless the producers hustle to tack on an ending before Fox pulls the plug.
And, finally, you may have notice that at the end of last night's "fall finale'' of "Prison Break,'' Fox promoted the fact the addictive series would return in March. That's actually good news because, originally, the show wasn't going to return until May with its final nine episodes of the season. Three months is a long time but at least, it's better than five.
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/charlie_mccollum/index.html
Bill O'Reilly, sex on TV…
…and why I'll probably regret this post
By Mike Antonucci at the San Jose Mercury News TV-Radio blog
I've thought for a long time that Bill O'Reilly has the best show on television.
His Monday-Friday program on Fox News Channel is a combination of public service and thoughtful entertainment, highlighted by three main attributes: exceptional common sense, free thinking and a keen understanding of how important pop culture is to American life.
Why am I -- one of the guys with the video-game blog -- writing about O'Reilly? Because I write about more than games, and some days after I wrote a front-page story about a study of sex on TV, O'Reilly did a segment prompted by the same research.
The O'Reilly segment was generally quite good and pushed into a discussion with his guests of sex-laden TV shows that could be considered especially provocative. That's something the study from the Kaiser Family Foundation didn't address, and the segment deserves applause merely for airing some criticism (not by O'Reilly) of the FX network's "Nip/Tuck." There's no more cynical, manipulative and sensationalistic show on the tube than that travesty.
But my admiration for that segment won't stand up as the focus of this post. The fact that I've declared my respect for O'Reilly's daily TV work is sure to become the flash point.
Express any appreciation for O'Reilly in the overwhelmingly liberal Bay Area and people tend to respond with horror or contempt. Doing it in this format means the likely result will be an avalanche of attacks. Most will be personal rather than issue oriented. That's the sad nature of public debate these days -- it degenerates far too often into smear sessions. I can only speculate that social tensions have made diverse opinions seem threatening, instead of just disagreeable. Hence the venom in people's reactions.
Still, I'm holding out hope that my comments will generate a thread of discussion about O'Reilly's work, rather than diatribes about me. For the record, I think of myself as a political centrist, and I like and watch a wide range of news programming. I'm also being very specific about the substance of O'Reilly's program:
(1) He emphasizes a "no-spin" approach. To me, that means keeping his guests from citing only convenient or half facts and calling them to account when they're playing word games to avoid being pinned down. That's admirable journalistically, but there's something he excels at that's even better: common-sense interviewing. For instance, he often asks guests
whether they're proud or conflicted about some position they hold, instead of arguing about their legal or philosophical reasoning. He drives the discussion to its core -- the impact of what people believe -- instead of filling air about theories.
2) He's not predictable. He's not an ideologue. I think he's a conservative more than anything else, but if you watch him regularly, he'll surprise you fairly often. That makes him a much more interesting commentator and influence than his detractors want to admit.
3) He spends a fair amount of time on topics ranging from TV programming to rap music and celebrity behavior. He realizes there are important connections between cultural activities, personal values and social trends. It's complex stuff; he and I probably would disagree much of the time about what's healthy or harmful, creative or exploitive. But he has tremendous
instincts for exploring the way a media and entertainment driven culture affects our daily lives, and that gives his show a special distinction.
To wrap up: I don't think O'Reilly is anywhere near infallible nor even always "fair and balanced.'' But I believe his sense of what's important and relevant is superb. The clarity of his thinking makes for great TV, and anyone who has pigeonholed him as a knee-jerk right-winger isn't really paying attention. Did I mention that it adds up to the best show on TV?
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2005/11/bill_oreilly_se.html#more
dturturro
11-30-05, 08:17 AM
Express any appreciation for O'Reilly in the overwhelmingly liberal Bay Area and people tend to respond with horror or contempt. Doing it in this format means the likely result will be an avalanche of attacks. Most will be personal rather than issue oriented. That's the sad nature of public debate these days -- it degenerates far too often into smear sessions.
Isn't that the whole premise of O'Reilly's show? As soon as the other side makes a VALID point he yells at the guest and turns the mic off. That's mature debate if I ever saw it.
Stop watching Fox (or CNN/MSNBC) if you desire intelligent news and/or debate and look for less partial outlets like the BBC. No flash or stunts for ratings, just news.
Sorry for not getting personal, just getting out facts that the Faux News Channel doesn't bother with ;)
humdinger70
11-30-05, 11:22 AM
The problem with sex and violence on TV...
There's too much violence and not enough sex! :D
Tuesday’s prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s analysis of what they mean -- have been posted at the top of Ratings News the second post in this thread.
The TV Column
The Week’s Winners and Losers
CBS Has a November to Be Thankful For
By Lisa de Moraes The Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, November 30, 2005; C07
CBS will win the November ratings sweep, which wraps tonight, by about 3 million viewers because the other broadcast networks barely put up a fight, though they did cancel a lot of shows last week.
Here's a look at last week's gravy and turkeys:
WINNERS
"Silver Bells." Treacly CBS holiday flick starring former Ellen DeGeneres partner Anne Heche as widow who takes in runaway teenager and then gets tangled with his Christmas-tree-dealer father -- ho, ick, ho -- copped more than 16 million viewers, which, although underwhelming, still makes it the most watched movie this season.
"A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." Yet another reason to cancel "Alias": One week after the chick actioner logged 6.6 million for ABC on Thursday at 8 p.m., this aged animated classic, competing against the strongest "Survivor" episode of the season, snared nearly 9 million viewers in the same slot -- about 1 million more than it bagged last year.
"Medium." Exhuming Rod Serling to introduce an episode that featured 3-D bits -- which looked really lousy if you didn't have the glasses -- helped the show to its biggest audience this season -- 13.4 million viewers, compared with the previous week's 12.5 million.
"Survivor: Guatemala." Thanks to "exciting" Dallas-Denver football game overrun, "Survivor" enjoyed its most watched episode of the season on Thanksgiving night. Bet CBS now wishes it had not "specialed out" the episode.
"Close to Home." In its second week on Friday following Jennifer Love Hewitt chatting with dead folks, Jerry Bruckheimer's crime-in-the-burbs drama posted its biggest audience so far -- just under 12 million viewers.
"Law & Order: SVU." Largest audience since May '04, with Annie Potts and Judith Light guest starring.
"Desperate Housewives." The most watched show of the week for the first time this season -- not because skanky pharmacist George met his maker, though that was fun -- but because Thanksgiving falls on "CSI's" Thursday instead of "DH's" Sunday.
LOSERS
"Three Wishes." NBC boosted its episode order, then reversed itself and cut back on this heartwarming reality series.
"Hot Properties." Stone cold and canceled by ABC.
"Killer Instinct." Killed by Fox after struggling Fridays at 9; in its last broadcast, it attracted only 3 million.
"Threshold." Yanked by CBS after being moved to Tuesday, where last week it suffered its smallest audience yet.
"Reunion." "St. Elmo's Fire" murder series scrubbed by WB.
"American Music Awards." Yes, it gave ABC its best non-sports Tuesday in two years among teens and young adults, but 11.7 million viewers is the trophy show's smallest audience ever. ABC bumped it off of Sunday night because there's no way ABC is going to take "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy" off its Sunday lineup for a trophy show. Except the Oscars.
Country Music Stars . On Wednesday, "Kenny Chesney: Somewhere in the Sun" clocked the same number of viewers as ABC does anyway in that hour with "George Lopez" and "Freddie." Immediately after that on NBC, Faith Hill logged fewer than 7 million viewers -- a far cry from the more than 11 million she amassed for NBC in November '03 when she was still a blonde.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/29/AR2005112901592_pf.html
New 'Nightline': More is less
By David Bianculli New York Daily News TV Editor Wednesday, November 30th, 2005
The first installment of the drastically revamped, post-Ted Koppel edition of ABC's "Nightline" was a wobbly affair.
Like a toddler, it's destined to find its stride and stand on its own two feet - but its first steps were both hesitant and jerky.
The major complaint with Monday's inaugural telecast, with its new set, new team of players and new theme song, regards the initially awkward use of its multistory magazine format.
The opener comprised three major stories - one each from the new "Nightline" troika of Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran and Martin Bashir.
Each left as many questions unanswered as answered, and suggested strongly that devoting a half-hour show to each would have been far more satisfying and impressive.
McFadden opened the show, commendably, by saluting her predecessor (something Jay Leno didn't do when he inherited NBC's "Tonight Show").
"Ted's four-decade career at ABC News, more than 25 of those years at 'Nightline,' is an inspiration," she said. "And we pledge to do our best to build on the proud journalistic tradition of this program."
So far, so good.
But as McFadden uttered those words in ABC's flashy Times Square studio, the camera never settled down. After slowly framing her in a proper closeup, it kept swaying from side to side, providing a wobbly picture that suggested the show's maiden voyage was being shot on an unsteady surface, as if at sea.
The trio of stories, while commendable in subject, were less so in scope. McFadden's piece, the one most typical of a classic "Nightline" report, had her questioning priests on opposite sides of the debate about gay clergy. The interview, handled live, could have gone somewhere, but never got the chance. After five minutes, with the gay priest from Albany champing to respond to his colleague's charge that homosexuality was "a disorder," McFadden shut down the discussion.
"I'm sorry," she said, "that's going to have to be the last word for tonight."
I'm sorry, too. I would have loved to hear his response.
Similarly, in Bashir's intriguing feature story on an all-deaf high school football team with an undefeated record, five minutes was far too little time to do justice to the topic. Even Moran's live lead story, on the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, seemed incomplete. Five minutes was all Moran got, too, with an additional minute for a postreport debriefing with McFadden.
Dividing the "Nightline" turf by half, rather than thirds, would be a better compromise, if the new regime is insistent on picking up the pace. The correspondents shouldn't mind waiting their turn, if the resulting rotation provides time for deeper, better reports.
Lock down the camera, and slow down the segments, and the new version of "Nightline" (at 11:35 p.m.) will deserve to retain its time slot - and stand a better chance of building on that proud journalistic tradition.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ent_radio/story/370193p-314908c.html
The 2005-2006 TV Season
Fox's big gamble: 'Idol' on Thursday
It will say today if it will shift the hit show
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Nov 30, 2005
Today is decision day at Fox.
After weeks of mulling over the idea, the network is expected to confirm today that it is moving mega-hit “American Idol” from Tuesdays and Wednesdays to Wednesdays and Thursdays, constituting one of the most significant primetime changes in recent years.
The competition show would air Wednesdays at 8 or 9 and the results show likely Thursday at 9 p.m., opposite CBS’s “CSI” and NBC’s increasingly vulnerable “The Apprentice.”
Yesterday several sources told Media Life they expected the announcement sometime today, just weeks after a Fox spokesperson dismissed the rumor as highly unlikely. Fox has been feeling out buyers for weeks about the change.
Fox is known for its bold programming moves, and this would be among the boldest. It would entirely restructure a night that has belonged to CBS the past two years after decades of NBC dominance. It would also effectively finish off NBC, whose Thursday ratings have slipped dramatically since “Friends” exited 18 months ago.
The other major development would be freeing up Tuesday nights, where other networks have been reluctant to program against 8 p.m.’s “Idol” steamroller.
That would be a huge boon for ABC, which faced the possibility of losing some of new show “Commander in Chief’s” audience at 9 p.m. to whatever led out of “Idol.” It also protects NBC’s new 9 p.m. hit “My Name is Earl,” though that could end up moving to Thursday in an attempt to blunt the “Idol” effect.
“It’s going to be interesting, to say the least. Fox is calling the shots right now,” says one media researcher.
“It’s not like they can’t go back and move it if it doesn’t work out,” says another. “This has been talked about for a while, so it’s not as surprising as it could have been, but it’s still a gutsy move. It has been so successful on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. And it was integral part of them winning 18-49 last year.”
Certainly no one would expect the same ratings from “Idol” on Thursdays. The results show averaged an 11.1 rating last season on Wednesdays, but some falloff was expected for the show’s fifth season, as happens with any aging program. Still, it will be potent enough to really hurt the other networks.
NBC stands to lose the most. The network is already shaky at 9, with “Apprentice” down nearly 40 percent from last season to a 4.8 average adults 18-49 rating.
Though CBS’s “CSI” has been steady, a ratings slide against “Idol” seems inevitable. Perhaps most hurt by the move, though, will be the WB and UPN, whose 9 p.m. lineups fall off after strong 8 p.m. shows.
“We were anticipating the moves as they announced them, but suddenly this makes the other networks nervous, especially NBC and the WB,” says one of the buyers. “If you move the results show, it kills ‘Everwood’ on Thursday.”
Fox will shore up a night where it has struggled to find a suitable companion to 8 p.m.’s “The O.C.,” which performs well among adults 18-34. Production of the 9 p.m. “Reunion” has stopped.
It also frees up a slot on Tuesday night, where “Bones” was scheduled to move from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Now hit drama “House” will likely stay at 9 instead of switching to Mondays at 8 p.m.
That then clears the way for Fox’s fall hit “Prison Break,” which hit a series high with Monday’s first-half finale, to return to the schedule paired with “24.”
Fox executives had been concerned that if they delayed “Prison’s” return until late spring, as originally planned, the series would lose its momentum. And indeed, reports surfaced yesterday that the show will be returning in March, all but confirming that Fox will switch “Idol” to Thursday.
http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_1525.asp
The November Sweep
For NBC, welcome winner in its “Loser”
Two-hour season finale earns series-best (18-49 demo) 6.7
By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Nov 30, 2005
NBC finally made some November sweeps noise of its own.
After weeks of domination by sweeps co-leaders CBS and ABC, NBC quieted both networks last night with a surprisingly strong 6.7 average overnight rating among viewers 18-49 for the two-hour finale of “The Biggest Loser.”
The show had been trending up over recent weeks, but few expected such an impressive showing for its finale. Last night’s 6.7 average was an 86 percent increase over the 3.6 overnight rating the show had averaged through its first 11 episodes this season.
Even compared to the 4.1 overnight rating “Loser” had averaged over its last three episodes, last night’s rating was up 63 percent.
The show bettered last January’s first-season finale by 12 percent and helped NBC to its highest Tuesday 18-49 rating from 8 to 10 p.m. in four years, not counting the Olympics.
NBC averaged a 6.6 rating and a 16 share among 18-49s last night, likely pushing it ahead of Fox for good for third place during November sweeps. Going into last night, both networks had averaged a 3.2 rating during the period. Fox was second last night at 4.3/11.
CBS and ABC entered last night tied for the sweeps lead, each averaging a 4.4 rating among 18-49s. Neither network was helped, however, as CBS came in third for the night at 3.5/9 and ABC right behind in fourth at 3.4/9, both of them off their season Tuesday night averages . UPN was fifth last night at 1.3/3 and the WB sixth at 1.2/3.
http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_1548.asp
Critic’s Notebook
”Veronica Mars”: Better than “Buffy”?
By Maureen Ryan Chicago Tribune
There’s no doubt that one obsessively dissected Wednesday night drama knows exactly where it’s going.
Though “Lost” has been enjoyable, if occasionally vexing and slow-moving this season, it’s “Veronica Mars” (9 PM ET/PT The WB) that has its fans and critics alike declaring -- with good reason -- that the show’s second season is better than its first. The ongoing mystery on “Mars” is even more enthralling, star Kristin Bell continues to effortlessly impress and even the guest stars are a treat. What’s not to love?
Wednesday’s outing of “Veronica Mars” is typically engrossing: Organizing a roomful of old files as a high -school detention assignment, part-time detective Veronica Mars comes across her mother’s own permanent record. The clues there point to some dark drama: Did her mother spread malicious gossip back in the day? And who has a vested interest in keeping those old rumors under wraps -- or in getting them out into the open?
Alyson Hannigan, Willow on the cult drama “Buffy” and a lead on CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother,” guests as the hilariously self-absorbed Trina Echolls, a D-list celebrity and the sister of Mars’ ex. Also appearing is another “Buffy” alum, Charisma Carpenter, who plays Kendall Casablancas, a formerly wealthy trophy wife looking to sustain her manicures-and-margaritas lifestyle.
Former “Buffy” fans will be looking forward to the scene that Hannigan and Carpenter share: Their throw-down does not disappoint. Think “All About Eve,” but with sharper claws. It’s delish.
Despite the ongoing “Buffy” love fest -- that show’s creator, Joss Whedon, has sung the praises of “Veronica Mars” and had a brief cameo on the show a few weeks back -- “Mars” inspires heretical thoughts from this devoted “Buffy” fan.
Let’s face it, despite the incredible richness of the stories Whedon told on “Buffy” and “Angel,” some folks were just never going to be down with TV shows involving demons, vampires and other assorted mutants. “Veronica Mars,” on the other hand, has all of the trademarks of Whedon’s shows: witty writing, great acting, strong plotting, a love of the unexpected and a ferocious devotion to emotional truth. And there are no monsters or demons to put off those who might find such fiends off-putting.
Still, it’s easy to see why “Mars” inspires such fervent, “Buffy”-esque devotion: It’s one of the best-written shows on TV. The show’s ongoing mystery this year -- about a bus crash that killed several of Mars’ classmates -- has been expertly handled, and the weekly mysteries are more whip-smart than ever. Plus, Jason Dohring has been on fire as Mars’ quippy, bitter ex-boyfriend Logan, and Enrico Colantoni just keeps getting better as Mars’ worried, watchful dad.
http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/
The TV Column
The Week’s Winners and Losers
"Killer Instinct." Killed by Fox after struggling Fridays at 9; in its last broadcast, it attracted only 3 million.
Is this the first news of this cancellation? I must have missed it earlier I suppose. Anyway, I'm actually going to miss this one a little, I thought it was getting better as it went along and will miss Kristin Lehman as she was very good on this show.
Critic’s Notebook
”Veronica Mars”: Better than “Buffy”?
It’s one of the best-written shows on TV. The show’s ongoing mystery this year -- about a bus crash that killed several of Mars’ classmates -- has been expertly handled, and the weekly mysteries are more whip-smart than ever. Plus, Jason Dohring has been on fire as Mars’ quippy, bitter ex-boyfriend Logan, and Enrico Colantoni just keeps getting better as Mars’ worried, watchful dad.
Absolutely, there are many top 20 shows that can only dream about being as well written and acted as Veronica Mars. It's incredible how smoothly and well done all the little mini-mysteries of this show meld with the overall seasonal plotline. IMO, no other drama on TV does this as well as Veronica Mars. I hope it's around for awhile to come. If at age 50, I'm any measure of how wide an audience this show can attract it should be.
Is this the first news of this cancellation? I must have missed it earlier I suppose. Anyway, I'm actually going to miss this one a little, I thought it was getting better as it went along and will miss Kristin Lehman as she was very good on this show.
It was the first I had heard of it, too. It must have been buried in the Thanksgiving weekend.
It was the first I had heard of it, too. It must have been buried in the Thanksgiving weekend.
Well, IMO, CBS literally owns Friday night now, all other nets may as well turn the time over to their local stations. A "Saturday" style Friday night. :D
One more note on Killer Instinct, Johnny Messner is simply not a very good actor and definitely not ready for prime time TV, IMO.
I agree. I had watched a couple of early episodes, but because of the rotten ratings had relegated the past 5-6 to my TiVo. (I hate to get engrossed in a show and then have it disappear -- though I nevert seem to learn ["Karen Sisco" and "Eyes" are two examples]). So, if things get really slow over the holidays, perhaps I will watch them. But I doubt it.
By the way, Jim, a sleeper I have found (after some really dreary early episodes) is "Related" on the WB.
Its started out like a cheap, bad (and PG-rated) ripoff of Sex In The City.
But recently the characters have been fleshed out, the writing is crisp, and the series is really getting much, much better. I am not sure if it will survive, but if you get a chance to watch the episode a few weeks back where Dana Delany appeared as the girls' mother, it is superb episodic TV -- one of the best episodes of any show I have seen in a couple of years.
Critic’s Notebook
How “Veronica Mars” found her groove
Move to post-Tyra timeslot boosts ratings
By Abigail Azote MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer
From the beginning, UPN’s “Veronica Mars” has been a critics’ favorite. It premiered last season to high praise, lauded as intelligent and well-written. But despite all that the show failed to take off.
Now "Mars''" ratings are finally catching up. What it took was a move to a new night and the resulting boost of a much stronger and more compatible lead-in.
So far this season, “Mars” has averaged 956,000 viewers 18-34 in its new Wednesday 9 p.m. timeslot. That’s up 29 percent from its 739,000 season average last year. And that’s despite facing one of the top-rated shows on broadcast, ABC’s “Lost.”
Among 18-49s, the show is up 24 percent from last season, to 1.6 million viewers in that demo.
The simple explanation for “Mars’” significant rise this year is Tyra Banks' “America’s Next Top Model,” its new lead-in. The show went from having virtually no lead-in last year, when it aired after “Eve” at 9 p.m. Tuesdays, to following the network’s highest-rated program.
“Now it’s in UPN’s best time period,” notes Jordan Breslow, director of broadcast research at MediaCom. He says buyers like the show, which follows a teenage girl detective, because it’s different from most of UPN’s standard one-note fare.
Also at work is the synergy between the two shows, which both skew young and female, suggests Bill Carroll, director of programming at Katz Television Group.
“This move made Wednesday on UPN a destination for young women,” he says. The network is up 3 percent for the night among female teens versus last year, with a 3.1 average rating. "Kevin Hill" occupied "Mars'" timeslot last year.
Another factor could just be that the show is finally coming into its own in its second season.
“It takes time sometimes for a drama to find its core audience,” says Breslow. “[The network] is giving this the time that it needs to flourish.”
Nonetheless, UPN is making sure it does what it can to ensure the continued upswing for the show, including a tie-in with AOL.com. An alternative ending to tonight’s episode will be available exclusively through the site, along with the original televised ending. Fans can then vote for their favorite. The winning ending will be revealed Dec. 7 on AOL and during the airing of that night’s episode.
http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_1524.asp
David Ortiz
11-30-05, 04:17 PM
Fox's big gamble: 'Idol' on Thursday
It will say today if it will shift the hit show
And it doesn't move.
Fox news (http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/pr.cgi?id=20051130fox01)
Edit: It also mentions the cancellation of Killer Instinct and the season/series finale of the already canceled Reunion on Feb. 2.
Great catch, David!
Here is the zap2it version.
The 2005-2006 Season: Round Two
'Idol' Stays Put, Lots More Moving for FOX Midseason
zap2it.com---FOX is indeed shaking up the Thursday-night landscape at midseason, although the announcement the network made about its schedule isn't quite the earth-shattering one many were expecting.
Deciding not to mess with success, FOX is keeping "American Idol" in its Tuesday-Wednesday home, with the fifth season of the show scheduled to premiere Tuesday, Jan. 17. There had been widespread speculation in recent days that the network would shift the "Idol" results show to Thursday in a bid to challenge CBS' dominance of the night.
"With all of the speculation and rumor, it's great to finally announce the premiere of the second half of our season," FOX Entertainment chief Peter Liguori says. "It takes discipline to hold back '24' and 'American Idol,' but doing so allows us to strengthen our schedule across the week and to give our viewers nonstop excitement from January through May."
FOX is making some changes to Thursday, moving comedies "That '70s Show" and "Stacked" into the 9 p.m. hour following "The O.C." as of March 2. The shows will face a tough road there opposite CBS' powerhouse "CSI" and NBC's "The Apprentice."
In a change from the plan it announced last spring, FOX will keep "House" at 9 p.m. Tuesdays. The show has proven to be a strong performer on its own this fall, and its ratings will likely get a further boost by airing after the Tuesday "Idol."
First-year drama "Bones," meanwhile, will move from Tuesday to 9 p.m. Wednesday -- opposite ABC's "Lost" -- starting Jan. 25. The Wednesday "Idol" will stay at 8 p.m. for the audition/field-narrowing phase, then move to 9 p.m. in the spring. The network hasn't finalized its Wednesday plans for when that occurs.
Finally, the network has also set a return date for "Prison Break": A repeat of Monday's (Nov. 28) "fall finale" will air Monday, March 13, and new episodes will be paired with "24" starting the following week.
Here's a rundown of changes in FOX's midseason schedule (Saturday and Sunday lineups remain intact):
Monday
8 p.m. "Skating with Celebrities" (premieres Wednesday, Jan. 18; moves to Mondays Jan. 23-March 6)
8 p.m. "Prison Break" (returns March 13)
9 p.m. "24" (premieres Sunday, Jan. 15; moves to Mondays the following night)
Tuesday
8 p.m. "American Idol" (premieres Jan. 17)
9 p.m. "House"
Wednesday
8 p.m. "American Idol" (premieres Jan. 18)
9 p.m. "Bones" (as of Jan. 25)
Thursday
8 p.m. "The O.C."
9 p.m. "That '70s Show" (as of March 2)
9:30 p.m. "Stacked" (as of March 2)
Friday
8 p.m. "The Bernie Mac Show"
8:30 p.m. "Malcolm in the Middle"
9 p.m. "Trading Spouses" (as of Jan. 6)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6629099#post6629099
These moves make a lot of sense.
Rather than trying the macho "Idol"-to-Thursday play, which probably would have cut the audience slightly, the Fox folks are looking to build "Bones" into a winner -- which shouldn't be too hard after the Wednesday "AI" showing.
And they are leaving "House" where it has become very strong.
Sometime the moves you don't make are better than the ones you do.
It seems obvious that Madison Avenue gave the network feedback that it was a little skeptical of moving the "AI" franchise. (You should recall that 30-second commercials on "AI" cost about $200,000 more than on any other network entertainment program.)
And, as the saying goes, "money talks". Especially in network TV.
The 2005-2006 Season: Round Two
Fox backs off Thursday “Idol” switch
Keeping show on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Nov 30, 2005
Today was decision day at Fox.
After weeks of mulling over the idea, the network decided against moving mega-hit “American Idol” from Tuesdays and Wednesdays to Wednesdays and Thursdays, which would have been one of the most significant primetime changes in recent years.
Yesterday several sources told Media Life they expected Fox to make such a move, just weeks after a Fox spokesperson dismissed the rumor as highly unlikely. Fox has been feeling out buyers for weeks about the change.
Fox is known for its bold programming moves, and this would have been among the boldest. Though switching “Idol” to Thursday surely would have provided the knockout blow for NBC’s fading schedule, it was a hugely risky move for Fox.
In the end, the network decided against it. Instead, it will make several other scheduling shifts that should still strengthen its midseason lineup. The most significant is expanding Wednesday’s results show from a half to a full hour, despite the fact that even 30 minutes often seems too long for the elimination episode.
Fox moved the Wednesday edition from 9 to 8 p.m., presumably to avoid going up against ABC’s “Lost,” which has become much stronger this season.
“House” will remain on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. after “Idol,” keeping its original slot instead of moving to Monday at 8 p.m., as Fox had promised last May. “Bones,” which now airs Tuesdays at 8 and was supposed to move to 9 at midseason, switches to Wednesday at 9 p.m.
That bumps Wednesday comedies “That ‘70s Show” and “Stacked” to 9 p.m. Thursday, taking the place of the canceled “Reunion.” “Killer Instinct,” the Friday 9 p.m. drama, will have its series finale Dec. 2, to be replaced by “Trading Spouses.”
“24,” which returns to its Monday 9 p.m. slot on Jan. 15, will follow the reality show “Skating with the Stars” at 8 p.m. until March 20, when fall hit “Prison Break” returns to the schedule.
Buyers had been buzzing the past two days about “Idol” moving to Thursdays, where it would have faced CBS’s “CSI” and NBC’s “Apprentice” at 9 p.m. Though the move would have been a gamble, shaking up the entire night, it may have proved a wise one, effectively killing NBC on the night.
One researcher told Media Life that it seemed like the right time to make such a move, even though “Idol’s” ratings would decline from last year against tougher competition. He says that the season is still Fox’s to take among adults 18-49, with CBS down from where it was last year and NBC not even in the mix.
ABC does have the Super Bowl in February and NBC has the Olympics, but a strong “Idol” combined with slight gains for Fox for most of its returning shows means that the competition for No. 1 among 18-49s is still wide open.
http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_1525.asp
The 2005-2006 Season: Round Two
UPN Schedules Two January Premieres
By Christopher Lisotta TVWeek.com
UPN has announced the January premiere dates for its new soap drama "South Beach" and new reality series "Get This Party Started."
"Beach," which stars Vanessa Williams and Giancarlo Esposito, will debut with a two-hour series premiere Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 8 p.m. (ET) and will air in its regularly scheduled time period Jan. 18 at 8 p.m., bridging the current cycle and the upcoming sixth cycle of the reality series "America's Next Top Model."
"Party," in which surprise parties are planned for show participants, is being hosted by former "Laguna Beach" cast member Kristin Cavallari. It will premiere Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 9 p.m. UPN will repeat the previous week's "Party" Tuesdays at 8 p.m. beginning Jan. 31.
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=8977
By the way, Jim, a sleeper I have found (after some really dreary early episodes) is "Related" on the WB.
I don't get WB in HD but will check it out on your recommendation. Delany has always been a favorite of mine all the way back to China Beach.
In the last couple of years I really steer away from anything I can't get in HD with a few exceptions like FX's outstanding dramas, SciFi's Battlestar Galactica and of course, UPN's Veronica Mars(which I can't get in HD anymore thanks to the movement of the planets, or something along those lines- :D ).
We don't get UPN in HD.
NewsCorp owns the local station.
Go figure.
The 2005-2006 Season: Round Two
Fox Looks at January
By Rich Heldenfels Akron Beacon Journal
As was the case with Simon Cowell's rumored departure from ''American Idol,'' talk about Fox moving around telecasts of ''Idol'' proved premature. Cowell is back, as is noted below, and ''Idol'' will remain a Tuesday/Wednesday fixture.
Fox planned changes in January because it is bringing back ''Idol'' and ''24,'' and they eat up time slots. So changes are being made: ''Bones'' moves to Wednesday, ''Killer Instinct'' is done, ''Prison Break'' will return in March and reality gets yet another watch-stars-fall-down show with the premiere of ''Skating With Celebrities.''
Sorry, I needed a moment. That title always makes me giggle.
Anyway, here's the Fox lowdown for early 2006, first on a nightly basis, then show by show.
Mondays -- ''Skating With Celebrities'' at 8 p.m. from Jan. 23 into March, when ''Prison Break'' returns. ''24'' will be at 9 p.m. as of Jan. 23 but will have a four-hour premiere before that.
Tuesdays -- ''American Idol'' at 8 p.m. starting Jan. 17 (two-hour telecast), ''House'' remains in the 9 p.m. slot (except for that Jan. 17 pre-emption, obviously).
Wednesdays -- ''American Idol'' audition episodes at 8 p.m. beginning Jan. 18. Special premiere of ''Skating With Celebrities'' follows on Jan. 18; ''Bones'' gets the 9 p.m. slot as of Jan. 25, for the weeks when ''Idol'' is still running hour-long audition shows on Wednesdays; when ''Idol'' goes to half-hour results shows, ''Bones'' will probably drop to 8 p.m., with ''Idol'' at 9 and something else at 9:30. (Fox still has some half-hour backup shows in the wings.)
Thursdays -- ''The O.C.'' at 8 p.m., with ''Reunion'' at 9 p.m. until its series finale on Feb. 2. (Fox is calling it a season finale, but it hasn't ordered more episodes of the show beyond its original 13.) The 9 p.m. hour will then probably go to specials during February sweeps, with ''That '70s Show'' and ''Stacked'' taking over 9 p.m. as of March 2.
Fridays -- ''Bernie Mac,'' ''Malcolm in the Middle'' and, as of Jan. 6, ''Trading Spouses.'' ''Killer Instinct'' has its last telecast on Friday.
Saturdays -- Still ''Cops'' and ''America's Most Wanted.''
Sundays -- Comedy reruns at 7, followed by ''King of the Hill,'' ''The Simpsons,'' ''The War at Home,'' ''Family Guy'' and ''American Dad.''
I know, a lot of that is confusing. I had to call a Fox rep to sort some of it out and fill in a few blanks. To make it clearer, here's a show-by-show breakdown of those making moves. (''House,'' ''The O.C.,'' the early-Friday comedies and the Saturday and Sunday lineups stand pat.)
-- ''24'' comes back with a four-hour premiere on Sunday, Jan. 15, and Monday, Jan.16, before settling into the 9 p.m. Monday slot on Jan. 23.
-- ''American Idol'' has a two-hour premiere at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, followed by a new hour at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18. It will then settle in at 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the audition shows. Once it goes to half-hour results shows on Wednesdays, those will probably move up to 9 p.m. Wednesday.
-- ''Bones'' will move to 9 p.m. Wednesdays as of Jan. 25, as long as ''American Idol'' is doing one-hour telecasts at 8 p.m. Wednesdays. When ''Idol'' goes to half-hours, ''Bones'' will probably move to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
-- ''Killer Instinct'' is done after this Friday's telecast.
-- ''Nanny 911'' does not have a time slot in the early '06 lineup but may pop up as filler on occasion, and will be available if another show falters.
-- ''Prison Break'' will be back at 8 p.m. Mondays with a replay of the ''fall finale'' on March 13, followed by new episodes beginning March 20.
-- ''Reunion'' will stay at 9 p.m. Thursdays until Feb. 2, when it will have its finale.