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fredfa

02-07-06, 05:10 PM

OK, here is the first Shonda Rhimes blog note about that post-SB XL "Grey's Anatomy" mentioned in the preceding Maureen Ryan post:

TV Notebook
from Shonda Rhimes on "The End Of The World..."

Episode Airdate: 2/5/06

Please tell me you watched the show.

PLEASE.

I say that because I’m gonna lie awake all night worrying that maybe you DIDN’T watch, that maybe you decided to go to bed or go out with friends or do something crazy like – I don’t know – NOT WATCH. So please, please, please…

I’m betting many of you got to the last moment of the episode, heard Meredith whispering “what did I do, what did I do, what did I do…” and shrieked at the TV when you saw the credits. That’s what my Mom did when I showed her the episode a week ago. She was all, “THAT’S ALL YOU ARE GONNA SHOW ME?! WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?!” And when I wouldn’t tell her, she got kind of mad and guilted me with the fact that I came out of her body.

To be fair to you, I get that you hate me right now. I mean…I left you hanging. But, to be fair to me, I did not know until a day into production that this was gonna be a two hour thing. See, I made this innocent call to Channing (the coolest executive at Touchstone TV – if you meet her, buy her a free drink because she was instrumental in our show ever getting on the air) and I asked if maybe we could have an hour and a half for this episode instead of just an hour. She said she’d make a few calls. A few hours later, the president of the network, Steve McPherson (another extremely cool person) had me on the phone and was like, “I think two hours would be amazing.” Now, a tip should you ever have your own TV show -- you don’t say no to the president of the network. Frankly, I didn’t even THINK about saying no. I mean, a chance to make the episode bigger? A chance to do all the things I’d wanted to do with the episode but could never have done in 42 minutes (which is how long an episode is without commercials)? That kind of chance, that kind of vote of confidence from the network for our show, our proverbial little show that could?

I said, “No problem.” Then I hung up and hyperventilated.

Because while I knew I could do this first hour, this hour that you watched tonight, I had NO IDEA what I was going to do to fill the entire second hour. So while director Peter Horton started shooting, I sat on the floor of my office and tried to figure out how to expand the episode without a) ruining the episode and b) expanding the episode so much that it didn’t flow. And I did figure it out. I think. You’ll have to watch next week to see if you agree.

About this episode: what I’m really proud of if that even though this episode is Grey’s Anatomy on speed, even though there’s a bomb in a body cavity, even though we had guest stars like Christina Ricci (how good was she?!) and Kyle Chandler (how cute is he?!), even though, even though, even though…it is still very much our show. It is still more about the relationships that it is about the medicine.

What this episode is about is birth, sex and death. Bailey’s pregnant, Meredith’s afraid she might die and Izzie and Alex…well, they do. Don’t knock Izzie for going for it – when life hangs in the balance, we all do what we can for comfort. And her speech in the linen closet was one of my favorite performances of the episode. That, and Meredith’s long speech in bed to Cristina about Addison taking her McDreamy, her McDog, her McLife. But my favorite, favorite moment in the whole thing is the “Pink Mist” scene. It’s one of the first times we’ve ever had a scene on GA that didn’t involve a single one of our 10 main characters. And, as expected, Christina Ricci’s amazing but Dr. Milton…my God, we didn’t even have anyone to play the part until the very day we shot the scene and originally, he only had two lines…Dr. Milton is perfection. My favorite line? “Even beats.”

About the shower scene: I knew it was the Superbowl, people. I knew a little girl-on-girl would be good with the Superbowl boys and maybe keep them watching. I’m not stupid. But I also wanted to do something a) that was not gratuitous and b) that is turned on its ear in the second part that airs next week. And Katie, Sandra and Ellen (that’s Izzie, Cristina and Meredith) were total troupers for pulling it off with such humor. They wore sweatpants and little tube top thingies and soaped each other up for hours without a single word of complaint. And it was cold that day. Really cold. It’s why I love our cast. I write stuff and they leap. They’re leapers. So watch for next week’s shower scene and remember this one and know that I am shouting, “HA! You think girl-on-girl threesomes are real? NO WAY. THIS is how women take care of each other.”

The Music: a lot of you know that I pick the songs myself. But this episode was different. First of all, my editor Ed Ornelas and I used a lot of drums – which we’ve never done before. The drums are the sound of Meredith’s fear. Did you notice that the first Mer/Der scene starts with that drumbeat that sends us into a dream-like silence so you’d end up with the feeling that the moment between the two of them may or may not have happened? Did you notice that the drums signal death? I hope so. Second, we had this AMAZING song by Chris Martin and Michael Stipe in our hands that we could debut on our show if we had a place for it. And all the proceeds that came from people buying the song on iTunes would go to charity. So that ending, that song placement was like a gift.

But there are some greater moments coming. Please tell me you watched. And that you’ll watch again next week. Because honestly, aside from my daughter, I’ve never enjoyed anything more than working on this show. It is a pleasure entertaining you.

http://www.greyswriters.com/

fredfa

02-07-06, 05:12 PM

And Shonda's update:

TV Notebook
EVEN more from Shonda... Thank you!

Okay….how much do I love you guys?

You really did watch. YOU WATCHED. Thank you. Even to those of you who wrote to say that I’m a horrid skank and that you hated the shower scene and you hated me and the show and puppies and candy and whiskers on kittens and raindrops on roses….well, you watched too and you have a total right to your opinion so….thank you too.

I am honestly so grateful that I am posting one more time. At first, I told myself I was posting because over 600 of you wrote back in the comments -- which is unprecendented and exciting for our little blog. Or that I was posting again because you had so many questions. But, truth is, I literally can not wait for you to see next week’s episode so I had to post. And because I really am grateful.

That and the fact that I’m all worried about my fellow Tivo users who had the show cut off early because, while Tivo can do a lot, it can’t know ahead of time that the Super Bowl is gonna run long.

I heard your screams of rage and pain all the way over at my house. Dudes, my Tivo didn’t catch the whole thing either. And I know that I have access to a recorded version of the show that I can watch unlike everyone else in America, but what I do not have is a full Tivo-ed version of the show with all the commercials and everything. Because I had this big old party going on with my friends and the cast and the crew and we were all so busy yelling and freaking out that we were actually on TV, that I missed all the commercials.

Truth is, I had to go hide in a corner while it aired because I was kinda overwhelmed by the whole thing. There was a Super Bowl. And then we aired right after it. That is CRAZY.

Anyway, I want all you Tivo-ers and people who missed the episode to know that I am personally begging the network to re-run the episode sometime before next Sunday so that we can have it for our Tivos. And maybe they will. I’ll keep you posted. Or you can make a call or send an email to the good folks at the network and suggest to them that they maybe want to run it again. Use your nicest voices and ask really, really politely. And don’t tell them you got the idea from me.

Also, I want you all who wrote to say “what happens next” to know that since you did not push me out your body the way my Mom did, I can’t tell you anything. I mean, I told her. I had to. She made me show her the episode. And I told my daughter who is usually in the next room whenever I’m watching the rough cuts of the show. But she is only three years old and frankly could care less about the show except when George comes on screen. When George comes on screen, my daughter puts down her Playdoh and yells, “That’s my friend!” She just likes the way he looks and the sound of his voice and the fact that whenever she sees him in real life, he speaks to her in a very serious tone as if she were Diane Sawyer and not a three year old with her finger up her nose. Which is a long way to say, I can’t tell you what happens next.

I can tell you there will be good music. And that you should probably be prepared for some pretty big stuff to happen. And that many people like this second part even better than the first part.

After next Sunday’s episode, I’ll try to write in more depth about the stories and the characters and why I did what I did in both episodes. Right now, my hands are tied because until you see “(As We Know It)” – which is the title of next Sunday’s episode – I really can’t say much without giving things away. And you know how I feel about that.

I read every last one of your posts. I always do. So do the other writers. We can’t tell you how much that feedback means to us. We don’t really check message boards and we try not to pay attention to the press. But we feel like you who post here are our core group, our friends and truth-tellers, so your words keep us going or make us think in new directions or inspire us when we are feeling as if no one is watching despite what the ratings say.

You guys kinda rock.

Kinda?

You just plain rock.

http://www.greyswriters.com/

fredfa

02-07-06, 08:19 PM

ABC apparently listens when Shonda Rhimes speaks…..
TV Notebook
'Grey's Anatomy' Post-Super Bowl Episode Gets Thursday Encore

By Christopher Lisotta TVWeek.com February 7, 2006

The post-Super Bowl episode of medical drama "Grey's Anatomy" will be repeated Thursday, Feb. 9, at 9:30 p.m. (ET), pre-empting an episode of the midseason comedy "Crumbs" and shortening ABC News' 10 p.m. newsmagazine "Primetime" by a half-hour.

On its Feb. 5 airing, "Grey's" posted the series' highest-ever numbers in total viewers (37.9 million) and in the adults 18 to 49 demographic (16.5), according to Nielsen Media Research. It was the highest-rated non-sports event so far of the current TV season.

The pre-empted episode of "Crumbs" is scheduled to air Feb. 16.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9353

fredfa

02-07-06, 09:16 PM

TV Notebook
News flash: 'SNL' is funny

By Maureen Ryan on the Chicago Tribune TV blog

Something alarming happened on Saturday: “Saturday Night Live” was funny. Yeah, pretty darn funny almost all the way through (but let’s face it, the last half hour of the show has rarely been very entertaining, in any decade). But, amazingly, the show worked for some guffaws and actually got them, from me anyway.

In his opening monologue, host Steve Martin talked about how much he loved the current cast (“what’s-his-name, and the other guy, and the black guy"). Martin also had a running bit in which he kept referring the fact that he was only hosting so that Alec Baldwin would not have the “SNL” hosting record (that sort of self-parody made Martin’s multiple “Pink Panther” plugs almost bearable). Baldwin himself popped up in a few cameos, and Jimmy Fallon even turned up briefly in one scene, in which Baldwin offered his services to executive producer Lorne Michaels, should Martin be unable to continue.

Maya Rudolph, back from maternity leave, was very good as a stern Oprah Winfrey in a skit in which Steve Martin, as a James Frey look-alike, was roasted alive by the talk show queen. “I have invited the author to come on and attempt to speak while I tear him a new one,” Rudolph intoned imperiously.

There was also a good skit in which Martin was slightly freaked out to learn that the corporate comedy gig he agreed to do was actually a victory party for Hamas. Later, there was even a funny miscue when cast member Kenan Thompson walked into a scene and completely missed the spot where he was supposed to stand -- for a few seconds, the camera was focused on a blank wall, and everyone in the scene could barely stop themselves from giggling.

Of course, I found the music of Prince, the episodes’s musical guest, to be unlistenable, but then, as Roseanne Roseannadanna said, “It’s always something.”

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

fredfa

02-07-06, 11:26 PM

Ratings Notes
Mac's show in ratings doldrums

By Greg Braxton Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 7, 2006

Fox's struggling "The Bernie Mac Show" marked its 100th episode Friday, but viewers did not join in the celebration. Despite increased promotion for the telecast, the comedy matched its lowest ratings of the season, drawing just over 3.2 million viewers.

The sitcom, in its fifth season, scored the same level of viewers in its Dec. 2 episode.

Once one of the highlights of the Fox schedule, the series was the lowest-ranked live-action prime-time network series from last season to be renewed. Insiders say it most likely will not return for a sixth season.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/ratings/cl-et-quick7.3feb07,0,4058763,print.story?coll=cl-tvratings

fredfa

02-07-06, 11:32 PM

TV Notebook
'The Office' gets a temp writer; NBC's 'mistake'

By Maureen Ryan on the Chicago Tribune TV blog

• Thank goodness for the Internet: It can’t prevent cancellation, but lately it’s been giving dead shows new life online. NBC's Web site is streaming episodes of “The Book of Daniel” online, and now ABC has made unaired episodes of the canceled “Night Stalker” available via iTunes for the usual price of $1.99 each. Or you can wait a bit and see them all for free: Every episode of “Night Stalker” will air on Sci Fi Channel this summer.

• Ricky Gervais, the original creator of the “The Office” and the star of the British version of the show, is writing an episode of the American “Office,” according to England’s Mirror newspaper (via TVTattle.com). The bad news: Gervais’ episode won’t air until next season.

• Speaking of the Super Bowl, I found the majority of the ads underwhelming, which seems to be the general reaction. If you’re looking for one place to find all the post-Super Bowl advertising post-mortems, Ad Freak has lots of critiques of its own and dozens of links to other pieces.

• The CBS special last Saturday on the best-ever Super Bowl commercials was notable in two respects: The degree to which it imitated VH1 shows such as “Best Week Ever” was uncanny; and also, nobody, not even random commercial commentator Neil Patrick Harris, could remember what the 2001 “Herding Cats” ad was advertising. Can you?

OK, here’s the answer: It was EDS.

• The Star-Ledger site has an excellent piece by critic Alan Sepinwall on the reinvention of New Jersey scribe Diane Ruggiero, who wrote the Feb. 8 episode of “Veronica Mars.” Even if you’re not a “Mars” fan, the piece is a good read and an eye-opening look at what it takes to make it as a TV writer/producer.

• Lucy Lawless will join the cast of “Battlestar Galactica” in the Sci Fi drama’s third season; she’ll appear in 10 episodes as journalist D’Anna Biers. In the second season of the show, which is still in progress, she’ll return for one more outing, in “Downloaded,” which airs Feb. 24. That episode sounds mighty intriguing; It will show viewers the Cylon world from the inside -- something Biers no doubt knows well.

• It’s official: “Rock Star” will return in the summer, but so far, there’s no band associated with the sequel to last year’s “Rock Star: INXS.” I sincerely hope that, as has been rumored, the producers don’t attempt to create a Frankenstein’s monster of a band, i.e., throw together a bunch of aging rockers to create a “supergroup” in search of a singer. Ugh. If the results are anything like the actual “supergroup” Velvet Revolver, count me out.

• According to the Orlando Sentinel’s Hal Boedeker, on Friday NBC sent its affiliates a statement saying that a press release the network sent out last week, about Britney Spears’ upcoming appearance on “Will and Grace,” was “erroneous” and “mistakenly included” incorrect information about the episode. The note to affiliates goes on to say that the episode has “yet to be written” and that the story line “will not contain a Christian characterization at all.”

That’s curious. The episode sounded pretty much written when the press release went out. Here’s first two paragraphs of NBC’s original release:

"Superstar Britney Spears will make her first primetime television episodic appearance on NBC’s ‘Will & Grace’ when she guest stars as a Christian conservative sidekick to Jack (Emmy-winner Sean Hayes) on the episode ‘Jack Talk’ on Thursday, April 13.

"In the episode, when ‘Out TV’ is bought by a Christian Television Network, Spears is brought on to be Jack's new religious co-host -- until Will (Emmy winner Eric McCormack) and Jack loosen her up. Spears brings her own additions to the talk show when she decides to do a cooking segment called ‘Cruci-fixin’s.’”

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

Kracko

02-07-06, 11:37 PM

fredfa

02-08-06, 12:36 AM

Ratings Notes
Blowout week Super-sizes ABC's ratings

The Hollywood Reporter- ABC could have run test patterns Monday through Saturday and still won the week thanks to Sunday's Super Bowl telecast.

Football's championship game lived up to its reputation as the most-watched TV event of the year -- and then some -- by packing in an average of 90.8 million viewers and a mammoth 34.6 rating/69 share in the key adults 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks ranks as both the most-watched Super Bowl in 10 years and the most-watched program on any network since that same night, Jan. 28, 1996, in which the Dallas Cowboys triumphed over the Steelers in a 27-17 victory. ABC also scored big-time with its choice of postgame programming, a special episode of "Grey's Anatomy" (37.9 million, 16.5/38) that posted the highest ratings for any entertainment program since the May 2004 finale of NBC's "Friends" and also ranked as the most-watched post-Super Bowl program since CBS used 2001's duel as a platform to kick off the second edition of "Survivor."

All of that added up to a football field-sized lead for ABC in the weekly rankings. ABC averaged 23.1 million viewers for the week ended Feb. 5, and a 8.6/21 in adults 18-49. CBS was its closest competitor in total viewers (12.1 million), while an "American Idol"-powered Fox was an equally distant No. 2 in adults 18-49 (4.3/11). Fox was No. 3 in viewers (10.3 million), followed by NBC (7.6 million), WB Network (3.5 million) and UPN (2.7 million). CBS placed third in adults 18-49 (3.7/9) with NBC bringing up the rear with a 2.6/6. In the adults 18-34 demo targeted by UPN and WB, WB had a slight edge with a 1.6/4 average compared with UPN's 1.2/4.

While the Super Bowl hogged the spotlight last week, CBS got back into full swing Thursday with the 8 p.m. premiere of "Survivor: Panama" (19.2 million, 7.0/18). While it couldn't match the opening-night numbers for "Survivor: Palau" (23.7 million, 9.1/23) this time last year, the reality show did give a leg up to 9 p.m.'s "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (28.4 million, 9.6/23) and 10 p.m.'s "Without a Trace" (20.8 million, 6.7/17).

NBC also delivered its highest marks of what was a rerun-laden week for the network Thursday with its 9-10 p.m. comedy combo of "My Name Is Earl" (10.6 million, 5.0/12) and "The Office" (9.2 million, 4.8/11) and 10 p.m.'s "ER" (13.8 million, 5.9/15).

Fox's high points came midweek with the Tuesday edition of "American Idol" (30.2 million, 12.4/31) and Wednesday's "Idol" results show (30.4 million, 12.5/32). On Monday, "24" (13.8 million, 5.7/13) also continues to look sharp for the network.

WB had some traction Tuesday with the 9 p.m. rookie drama "Supernatural" (5.8 million, 2.6/6), which is looking good at just the right moment as leaders of the nascent CW network evaluate existing shows on UPN and WB in preparation for the two networks merging into one in the fall. UPN's most-watched scripted series continues to be Thursday 8 p.m.'s "Everybody Hates Chris" (4.2 million, 1.6/4), which seems a shoo-in to land a sophomore-season berth on the inaugural CW primetime slate next season.

http://channels.netscape.com/news/story.jsp?id=2006020720320002583732&dt=20060207203200&w=RTR&coview=

fredfa

02-08-06, 09:35 AM

The Winter Olympics
NBC prefers delayed action for prime-time coverage

By Bob Wolfley Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sports Columnist

Every time NBC-TV presents an Olympics from somewhere other than the U.S., there is a hue and cry from some critics that not enough of the competition is telecast live.

Gird yourselves for more hue and perhaps some cry.

NBC will present the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, which begin Friday in the same manner it always has.

The majority of the viewers of the event will get it in prime time, and much of it will be on tape. Because there is a seven-hour time difference between Turin and Milwaukee, viewers can know the results of some events before they can see them in prime time.

That's the way NBC has always done it. That's the way it will continue to do it.

"We have almost a billion dollars worth of revenue at stake here," said Randy Falco, president and chief operating officer, NBC Universal television group. "So that means we're not public television, for better or worse."

In 1995, NBC paid $2.3 billion for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

The network says advertisers and affiliates need the Games to be delivered in a way that ensures the most viewers. NBC also argues that the audience prefers the Games be delivered in prime time, even if it's not live.

"We do extensive audience research before and after each Olympics," said David Neal, executive vice president of NBC Olympics. "Resoundingly, what keeps coming back, from the widest cross-section of viewers, is that they want to see the premiere events of the Olympics each night at the time that is most convenient for them to see it. That time is prime time. So when we are off-shore, we are not doing it out of hard-headedness or stubbornness."

What has blunted the live vs. taped issue in recent years is NBC's saturation coverage of events on other channels apart from NBC.

Viewers are not shackled only to NBC's prime time show.

There will be 416 hours of coverage of the Turin Games, including more live coverage of any Winter Olympics in history. MSNBC, CNBC and USA Network, divisions of NBC Universal, will offer hundreds of hours of coverage of the 2,500 athletes from 85 countries competing in 15 disciplines.

NBC is using its Web site, NBCOlympics.com, to take advantage of an audience that is interested in real time results.

"Gary Zenkel, who is the president of NBC Olympics, has really has been the one to lead us more and more into embracing the Internet in particular," Neal said. "He has really proven to us that not only do we not have to fear the Internet, and not fear that results are out there, but in fact we should embrace them.

"We don't think it's a liability," Neal said, referring to information being instantly available on the Web. "We think people can go get those results if they want them, but we also know that if they want to see the events, they have to join us on NBC in prime time."

Being the exclusive U.S. rights-holder to the Games, NBCOlympics.com is able to boast that it is the only Web site in the country that has official real-time results of competitions.

"That means, for example, that as an alpine skier goes down the mountain, we have split times of that skier," said Evan Silverman, site producer for NBCOlympics.com. "We post the final times and we do it in real time."

Besides results-seekers, the two other main groups who come to the Web site are those looking for TV listings and those want to see video packages of events. NBCOlympics.com streams video only after television has shown an event.

"I think the biggest difference with the site in 2002 compared to 2006 is our video content, the depth of the video content," Silverman said. "For example, we will be showing complete runs and routines of all those sports. Let's say it's figure skating. We will show the top five routines, all the medal winners and the fourth- and fifth-place finishers. We will show all Americans routines. Then we will show any notable figure skater."

The NBC Web site also attracts those visitors who want to learn more about the Olympics in general.

"People come for news, stories, features and background information," Silverman said.

Silverman said traffic to the site for the Turin Games is 70% more now than it was at this time for the Athens Games in 2004.

He laughed when asked where Web coverage of Olympics is going in 2008 and beyond.

"Anyone who tells you that they know is not telling the truth," Silverman said. "We've made so many advances with the site and just the Internet in general. It's changed so much in the last four, even two years, that it's really hard to predict."

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/gen/feb06/390559.asp?format=print

fredfa

02-08-06, 09:40 AM

Weekly Nielsen Notes
Viewers bowled over

By Gary Levin, USA Today

• Pigskin Grey's Sunday's crisis-filled episode of Grey's Anatomy (37.9 million) doubled the series's typical audience and was the third-most-watched program to follow a Super Bowl, behind Friends (52.9 million in 1996) and the premiere of Survivor: Australian Outback (45.4 million in 2001). The game averaged 90.7 million viewers, its best showing since 1996's record 94.1 million. And a special Jimmy Kimmel Live hit a series-high 7.4 million late-night viewers.

• State of the Union. President Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday averaged a combined 41.7 million viewers on seven English-language networks and Telemundo. That's more than last year's 39.4 million but otherwise is Bush's lowest turnout since his first such address in 2001.

• Idol builds strong Bones. American Idol's lead-in goosed Bones to a series-high 12.6 million viewers Wednesday, its second week behind Idol's results show. The pattern repeated last season's lift for House.

• Surviving. The premiere of Survivor: Panama — Exile Island (19.2 million) improved over last fall's Guatemala opener (18.4 million) but was down 19% from last February's Palau premiere (23.7 million). One culprit: Dancing with the Stars (18.8 million), which dropped only slightly from its pre-Survivor average.

• Mac daddy. The hyped 100th episode of Fox's Bernie Mac Show averaged only 3.2 million viewers Friday, tying a series low set in December. And ABC's Crumbs hit a series-low 9.1 million Thursday.

• Flight plan. A&E's Flight 93, a dramatization of the Sept. 11 flight that crashed into a Pennsylvania field after a passenger revolt, averaged a strong 5.9 million viewers Monday.

• Bear necessities. Discovery Channel's Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog's feature film about bear expert — and, ultimately, victim — Timothy Treadwell, drew 1.7 million for its TV premiere Saturday. Bravo's Project Runway scored a series-high 2.3 million viewers Wednesday and plans to milk the viewer surge with a two-part finale in March.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-02-07-nielsens-analysis_x.htm

chrisirmo

02-08-06, 10:35 AM

I assume this signals that Al Michaels will be following the rest of the MNF team to NBC.

ESPN names new MNF team; Breen to call NBA games
ESPN.com (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2323121)

Monday Night Football will have a new broadcast team when it debuts on ESPN in 2006.

Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser will be part of a three-man booth calling the games on Monday nights next season and Suzy Kolber and Michelle Tafoya will be sideline reporters. Kolber and Tafoya both reported from the sidelines for ABC during Super Bowl XL.

"I'm just thrilled to be the next person to take the greatest franchise in television sports history forward," Tirico said on ESPN Radio Wednesday morning.

Also, ESPN announced that Mike Breen will be its new lead NBA play-by-play announcer, teaming with analyst Hubie Brown for ABC telecasts beginning Feb. 12 and including the NBA Finals.

"This Monday Night Football team enthusiastically embraces our vision for sports television's signature series. We will propel MNF into a 21st century, all-day, exclusive, multi-media event that will engage fans in entirely new ways. This team will develop great chemistry," ESPN Executive Vice President John Skipper said.

"Mike Breen is widely respected for his depth of NBA knowledge and his consummate play-by-play skill. We are very excited to provide such a spectacular forum as the NBA Finals to showcase his talents."

In addition, Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon will take Pardon The Interruption on the road on Mondays during the football season. The shows will air from the site of ESPN's Monday Night Football games.

"We look to the future with great enthusiasm and a strong commitment to enhance the presentation of the NFL and the NBA, two of our most important sports properties," ESPN and ABC Sports President George Bodenheimer said.

Al Michaels, the play-by-play voice of Monday Night Football on ABC from 1986 through Sunday's Super Bowl in Detroit, will not return to either broadcast.

fredfa

02-08-06, 10:55 AM

Yes, there have been stories to that effect posted in this thread for about two weeks.

Michaels and Madden are (apparently) going to NBC's Monday Night Football together.

chrisirmo

02-08-06, 11:02 AM

Sorry Fredfa, I didn't recall seeing anything that confirmed it.

fredfa

02-08-06, 11:50 AM

fredfa

02-08-06, 11:51 AM

And by the way, chrisirmo, great post! :)

fredfa

02-08-06, 12:06 PM

The MultiCasting Scene
(Baltimore’s) WBFF-TV Launches Digital Nostalgia Channel

By Katy Bachman MediaWeek.com

In a marked departure from the digital weather and news channels that have launched as a result of TV's digital transition, Sinclair Broadcast Group's Fox affiliate in Baltimore, WBFF-TV, will launch a digital channel that will carry syndicated entertainment programming.

The channel, to launch May 1, will carry a lineup of nostalgic programming that was popular among Baltimore TV viewers such as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, In the Heat of the Night and Good Times.

"Even though it's syndicated product, it's local to Baltimore," said Bill Fanshawe, general manager of WBFF.

In addition to syndicated fare, the digital channel has also set aside airtime on Sunday mornings for local churches.

"As time goes on, we'll add in news content and news updates and put on some local programming," Fanshawe said.

The channel will be available to viewers over the air on channel 45-2, on Comcast and Millennium cable systems and on Verizon's FiOS-TV service when it launches in Baltimore.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/tvstations/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001958669

fredfa

02-08-06, 12:11 PM

The Business of TV
DIRECTV 2005 Results

(DirecTV Press Release)

• DIRECTV U.S. Reports Strong Financial Results:

• Generated Over $3.4 Billion in Revenues in the Fourth Quarter, Bringing Full Year Revenues to $12.2 Billion, or 25% Greater than the Prior Year

• Operating Profit before Depreciation and Amortization Increased to $442 Million, Leading to Full Year Results of over $1.5 Billion, or Nearly 3 Times 2004 Results

• Generated Free Cash Flow of $155 Million in the Fourth Quarter, Driving a Record $536 Million for the Full Year of 2005

• Board of Directors Authorizes Share Repurchase Program of up to $3 Billion

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 2006--The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (NYSE:DTV): The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (NYSE:DTV) today reported full year 2005 net income of $336 million, compared with a net loss of $1.95 billion in 2004, and operating profit of $633 million, improved from an operating loss of $2.12 billion. Full year revenues increased nearly 16% to $13.16 billion, and operating profit before depreciation and amortization(1) improved to $1.49 billion from an operating loss before depreciation and amortization of $1.28 billion last year. In addition, DIRECTV's Board of Directors has authorized up to a $3 billion share repurchase program. DIRECTV expects these repurchases to occur from time to time, in the open market or in private transactions, subject to market conditions.

In the fourth quarter of 2005, net income was $121 million, compared with a net loss of $289 million in the fourth quarter of 2004, and operating profit of $219 million improved from an operating loss of $445 million. In addition, revenues increased 7% to $3.60 billion, and operating profit before depreciation and amortization improved to $441 million from an operating loss before depreciation and amortization of $164 million in the fourth quarter of last year.

"Fourth quarter results for DIRECTV U.S. reflect our strategy to improve the quality of our subscriber base and reduce customer churn, while at the same time drive significant revenue and earnings growth. Quarterly revenues increased 15% to $3.4 billion due to our larger subscriber base and a solid 5% ARPU increase in the quarter to $75.53," said Chase Carey, president and CEO. "Operating profit before depreciation and amortization of $442 million was up nearly 4 times over last year's fourth quarter primarily due to the revenue growth and higher operating margin related to improved scale and operating efficiencies. Importantly, these improvements drove free cash flow to $155 million in the quarter and $536 million for the full year -- a nearly $1 billion increase in DIRECTV U.S. free cash flow compared to 2004."

Carey continued, "Subscriber growth in the quarter -- although below expectations -- was consistent with our initiatives to improve the quality of new subscribers and drive lower churn. In fact, even though gross subscriber additions of 965,000 were 13% below last year's fourth quarter additions, the number of high-quality subscriber additions actually increased about 14% over the prior year. These significant improvements were due to a stricter credit policy and changes made to our distribution network -- including dealer terminations and new incentive plans -- designed to better align dealers with our objective to improve the overall credit quality of DIRECTV customers. With these changes, our average monthly churn rate is starting to decline -- monthly churn was 1.70% in the fourth quarter compared to 1.89% in the third quarter, resulting in net subscriber additions of 200,000. A key priority in 2006 is to continue improving the quality of new subscribers while driving further reductions in churn."

Carey continued, "Just as 2004 was an important year for DIRECTV in terms of restructuring the business and selling non-core assets, 2005 was important because we built out critical infrastructure that will provide us with the foundation for future growth. For example, we launched three new satellites, including two that will broadcast high-definition local channels, and we also introduced the industry's first MPEG-4 high-definition receiver and one of the most advanced digital video recorders. With these assets, we believe we are in an excellent position to extend our video leadership in 2006 through the introduction of more high-definition programming, original and compelling content, a video-on-demand service, new interactive services and an enhanced NFL Sunday Ticket(TM) package."

http://phoenix.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=814160&h

humdinger70

02-08-06, 12:34 PM

I wasn't saying there were stories that confirmed anything.
One of the reasons I continue to post so many versions of many stories is to allow people to see the often subtle nuances and observations different writers bring to the table.
For example, to my mind at least, when Richard Sandomir writes in The NY Times that Al Michaels could well be leaving, that is about as close as you can get to official confirmation.
Also listening carefully to the guarded comments coming from Al Michaels all last week made it pretty evident he was out of the ABC/Disney booth the moment the lights went out.
To be honest, Michaels and Madden aren't my personal cup of tea. But it seems apparent that NBC's Dick Ebersol has taken a page from the David Hill Fox Sports playbook: he got the rights to the NFL, then he went out and got the most celebrated annoucning team. Back in the day it was Pat Summerall and John Madden. Now it is Michaels/Madden.

This is a far different change from the one that occurred back in '94 when Fox took over CBS coverage of the NFL. Fox was an unknown, rather new and regular NFL viewers were nervous and unsure of the kind of coverage that Fox would provide (I believe the slogan was something on the order of "same game, new attitude").

Hill's signing of the Summerall/Madden team (the #1 CBS crew) brought about a big sigh of relief...a new network, yes, but the new network was going to be dead serious about what they had just gotten. There were some innovations (the Fox Box was a major hit - a far better thing than NBC's lame "Ten Minute Ticker") but the product would be something recognizable and voices and faces calling the game were familiar friends. :cool:

The move from ABC to NBC is a far less radical move. They're simply going from one established network to another, again with a recognizable crew (Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth - both former NBC'ers - on pregame) to give viewers a sense of continuity and comfort. :D

fredfa

02-08-06, 01:26 PM

Tuesday’s network prime-time ratings have been posted at the top of Latest Prime Time Ratings news which is the first post in this thread.

fredfa

02-08-06, 02:51 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Huge bump for Fox's 'House' after 'Idol'

From hit to super hit, pulling an 8.8 in 18-49s
By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 8, 2006

Last year “American Idol” turned Fox’s “House” into a hit. This year it could very well turn the medical drama into a phenomenon.

“House” posted an 8.8 overnight rating among viewers 18-49 last night, a series high and up 54 percent versus the 5.7 overnight rating it earned for its season premiere back in September, before “Idol” returned to the schedule.

Last night’s rating is also a 73 percent boost over the 5.1 overnight rating it earned last year in its first post-“Idol” episode.

“House” also averaged 22.2 million total viewers, according to Nielsen overnights. To compare, that’s more viewers than either of the CBS hits “CSI: Miami” and “Survivor” averaged last week. Those shows finished No. 7 and No. 8 for the week among total viewers.

Last night’s success once again shows the power “American Idol” gives Fox. With the singing competition accounting for TV’s top two shows among 18-49s and “House” likely nesting among the top seven or eight, Fox has a very good chance of winning the February sweeps among adults 18-49 despite NBC’s Olympics and ABC’s Super Bowl.

Fox easily took the night among 18-49s, averaging a 10.8 rating and a 26 share. NBC was second at 3.5/9, CBS third at 3.2/8, ABC fourth at 2.8/7, WB fifth at 2.1/5, Univision sixth at 1.9/5 and UPN seventh at 0.7/2.

At 8 p.m. Fox led with a 12.8 average among 18-49s for “Idol,” easily the night’s highest-rated show. CBS was second with a 3.6 for “NCIS,” WB third with a 2.3 for “Gilmore Girls” and ABC fourth with a 2.2 average for “According to Jim” (2.3) and “Rodney” (2.2). That left Univision fifth with a 2.1 for “Contra Viento y Marea,” NBC sixth with a 1.6 for “Fear Factor” and UPN seventh with a 0.7 for repeats of “Eve” and “Girlfriends.”

Fox led again at 9 p.m. with its 8.8 average for “House,” followed by a 3.5 each for both CBS and NBC, CBS for “Criminal Minds” and NBC for an hour of “Scrubs.” ABC was fourth that hour with a 2.9 average for another episode of “Jim” (3.3) and a special episode of “Crumbs” (2.6), Univision fifth with a 2.2 for “Alborada,” WB sixth with a 1.8 for “Supernatural” and UPN seventh with a 0.7 for the premiere of “Get This Party Started.”

With Fox done for the night at 10 p.m., NBC led with a 5.4 for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” ABC was second that hour with a 3.4 for “Boston Legal,” CBS third with a 2.5 for “Love Monkey” and Univision fourth with a 1.4 for “Vecinos.”

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_2734.asp

fredfa

02-08-06, 02:56 PM

The Winter Olympics
Hard sledding for new co-host of the Olympics

By Phil Rosenthal Chicago Tribune Media Columnist Published February 8, 2006

Brian Williams is in for what may be his toughest challenge since replacing Tom Brokaw as anchor on "The NBC Nightly News."

Will he manage to co-host what is essentially a four-hour parade without sounding silly, undermining his standing as a serious newscaster?

NBC has announced that Williams--not "Today" star Katie Couric--will be Bob Costas' co-host for Friday night's Winter Olympics opening ceremony from Turin, Italy, kicking off 418 hours of coverage through Feb. 26 on NBC and its cable sisters that it hopes will reap $900 million in ad sales.

Having spent $613 million in rights fees for this year's Olympics and committed $2.9 billion for the next three, as well as having spent many millions more in production costs to bring its coverage home, no detail is dealt with casually.

That extends all the way down to the decision to adopt the local pronunciation of "Torino" because NBC Universal Olympics Chairman Dick Ebersol said he "was just swept away with how that sounded ... [as] it just rolls off your mouth."

So it is noteworthy that Williams is replacing Couric, who has co-hosted the biennial five-ring pageantry with Costas for the last three Games. The network says she is getting the night off this time around because "live anchoring of the `Today' show from Rome, Florence and Milan" this week kept her from attending rehearsals.

One could take this at face value.

Another possibility is that NBC would rather give Williams this prime-time exposure because Couric might well leave the network for "The CBS Evening News" in a few months.

(Never mind that her departure might be welcomed in some NBC circles, as it would enable "Today" to make a far more graceful transition to a younger co-host than the disastrous Jane Pauley-to-Deborah Norville handoff of 1989, back when Ebersol was running "Today.")

But it's also possible the network is throwing a bone to Couric, who didn't sound all that keen on doing any more parades after the "Today" crew's much-criticized failure to acknowledge breaking news of injured spectators at the annual Macy's pageant in November.

"We might have second thoughts about doing it again," she said at the time. "It just puts us in an awkward situation."

Costas has joked that the ideal hosts for the opening ceremonies, a bizarre blend of United Nations Security Council meeting and holiday parade, would be Kofi Annan and Mary Hart.

The trivial tidbits and weak jokes fly fast and frivolous.

While you never know how big egos are, and what it takes to bruise one, Couric should be delighted Williams is filling in for her.

Let Mr. Nightly News read the scripted, awards-show-quality banter or strain for an ad lib or whatever it was that led Couric to utter at the opening of the Athens Games in 2004, "Iraqi athletes have a tortured past--literally."

Ugh.

What will Williams do with the kind of material prepared for Couric four years ago at the Salt Lake City Games, when she noted New Zealand was where "Lord of the Rings" was filmed, but there would be "no Hobbits marching tonight."

Will he balk at lines like Couric's 2002 crack that Brazil and its bobsledders, outfitted with a yellow sled, called themselves "the Frozen Banana, [but] it seems unlikely their pursuit here will be a fruitful one"?

Williams actually might flourish in this situation. In interviews and on the talk-show circuit, he exhibits a sharply honed wit that might play well off Costas, who was testing his material at a press event to hype the Games last month.

Of the NBC's stubborn decision to go with the local pronunciation for the host city of these Games, Costas said, "I'm very much looking forward to our feature on the `Shroud of Torino.'"

If Ebersol chuckles at that, it's because the network's last two Olympics have made about $70 million in profit each, so he tends to get what he wants.

Apparently, he wants Williams.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/olympics/chi-0602080039feb08,1,1216352.column

fredfa

02-08-06, 03:00 PM

TV Notebook
The WB Announces Additional March Premieres

By Christopher Lisotta TVWeek.com February 8, 2006

The WB has announced two series premieres for March, with the comedy "Modern Men" debuting Friday, March 17, and the reality show "Survival of the Richest" launching Friday, March 31.

"Men" will run for seven consecutive weeks at 9:30 p.m. (ET), while "Richest" will run at 8 p.m. for six consecutive weeks.

"Men" is a half-hour comedy about three male childhood friends who seek advice on women from a beautiful life coach.

"Richest," hosted by Hal Sparks, pairs seven wealthy young people who have a combined worth of over $3 billion with seven working-class people who have a collective debt of $150,000. One pair will be eliminated each week until the final team walks away with a cash prize.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9363

fredfa

02-08-06, 03:06 PM

The Winter Olympics
Olympic duel: `American Idol' vs. Turin Games

By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News Wed, Feb. 08, 2006

When the 2006 Winter Games begin Friday in Turin, Italy, the biggest competition won't be on the ice rinks and slopes, but rather in America's living rooms.

For the first time since the 1994 Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, turned the Winter Games into one of television's premier events, there will be a real fight for the American TV audience. NBC's coverage will still be a powerhouse in the ratings, attracting millions of viewers nightly. But the other networks are in position to take a bite out of the Olympic viewership.

Over the 17 days of the Turin Games, ABC will air new episodes of its highly rated serialized dramas -- ``Desperate Housewives'' and ``Lost'' -- and has scheduled the season finale of the popular ``Dancing With the Stars'' against the closing ceremonies on Feb. 26. CBS has already started the latest installment of ``Survivor,'' which it postponed until after the Games four years ago.

And then there's Fox's ``American Idol,'' the ratings juggernaut that will go head-to-head with Olympic coverage five nights during the Games. On Feb. 23, a two-hour edition of the singing competition -- which has attracted at least 30 million viewers for every episode since it started its new season last month -- will air opposite the crown jewel of the Winter Games: the long program in women's figure skating.

``This is probably the most competition the Olympics have faced, considering the heavy hitters like `Survivor' and `American Idol,' '' said CBS executive vice-president Kelly Kahl, who oversees the network's scheduling.

So far, NBC is putting on a happy face even though executives acknowledge viewership is likely to be down from ratings for the 2002 Salt Lake Games, when 187 million Americans tuned in to at least some of the coverage.

NBC has scheduled 418 hours of coverage on the network -- KNTV (Channel 11) and KSBW (Channel 8) locally -- and three NBC-owned cable channels: USA, MSNBC and CNBC. That's the most ever for a Winter Games and 42 hours more than it carried from Salt Lake City. More than 300 hours of the coverage -- including such major events as figure skating, speed skating and ski jumping -- will, for the first time, be simulcast in high-definition television with 5.1 surround sound.

``For the first time, we'll have some coverage from every session, from every sport,'' said David Neal, executive vice-president of NBC Olympics.

The network has already sold out its commercial time, pulling in $900 million at an Olympic-record $700,000 for a 30-second spot. That's an increase of 22 percent from Salt Lake City.

``The most encouraging thing for us at NBC, as we look forward to the Games and their success, is that, according to our research, the `intent to view' among Americans right now is within one percentage point of what it was going into Salt Lake City,'' said Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Sports and Olympics.

But whether that intent turns into actual viewership depends on a number of factors, including the success of the American team, whether certain athletes emerge as stars and whether there are storylines that grab the attention of the audience at home.

In 2000, none of that happened during the Sydney Olympics, and the result was the lowest-rated Games in history. In 2002, NBC hit the mother lode of breakout stars, figure-skating scandals, an American team that took home 34 medals and the unexpected popularity of such obscure sports as curling. The average rating -- a percentage of TVs in use that were tuned to the Games -- hit 19.2 nationally; in the Bay Area, the rating was even higher, 22.1.

KNTV sports anchor Raj Matthai will be covering the Games in Turin starting today. The pre-Olympics buzz, he says, ``is not as great as it was in Salt Lake City.''

``But the moment the Olympics start -- and I really mean this -- I think it will pick up,'' Matthai added. ``The Bay Area has been the highest-rated major market for the Olympics, and I don't think that will change this time around.''

Ebersol is also confident that viewers will warm to a U.S. team. He notes that it is not only charismatic -- think skier Bode Miller, speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno and the women's snowboard team -- but also could win at least 25 medals.

``Our country is going through some pretty tough times, some pretty negative times,'' Ebersol said. ``And I think America is just going to embrace these kids, their positive attitude, their winning performances.''

Bob Costas, who is anchoring NBC's primetime coverage for the sixth consecutive Olympiad, makes the point that most Olympic athletes labor in obscurity ``and then all of a sudden they step out of the shadows and into the brightest spotlight in all of sports, on a grand international stage with all the history and pageantry and trappings that surround it.''

``And I think that is what gives the Olympics unique drama within sports,'' Costas said.

All of which leaves media analysts hedging their bets on who wins the ratings battle.

``I think `American Idol' wins -- except during the finals of the figure skating, or if the U.S. is doing well, or if there's some major scandal,'' said Steve Sternberg, an analyst for the New York ad-buying firm of Magna Global.

And some believe there is enough flexibility in the TV audience for both the Olympics and its competition to be ratings successes. They point out, for example, that when the season finales of ``Idol'' and ``Lost'' were shown opposite each other last May, both hit season highs in viewership.

But Ebersol remains certain that the Games will come out on top.

``The Winter Games happen only once every four years,'' he said. ``There's a uniqueness to them. They're only going to be there for 17 days. `American Idol' is going to be there for hours and hours and hours, well into May.''

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/special_packages/olympics/13818965.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

02-08-06, 03:09 PM

The Digital Revolution
Verizon: Bills, Franchise, Launch

By Linda Haugsted, Karen Brown & David Cohen Multichannel.com

Verizon Communications Inc. received good news in three states.

Virginia’s Senate and House of Delegates Monday approved bills to speed market entry into the multichannel-video business by telephone companies there.

The small community of Hulmerville, Pa., became the first in the state to grant the regional Bell operating company a franchise to offer TV service using its FiOS fiber-to-the-home network.

And Verizon FiOS TV debuted in Beaumont, Calif., Tuesday, with the telco saying it will begin taking orders immediately in the city with a population of 21,000.

Finally, Verizon said Tuesday that it applied for video franchises in seven Rhode Island communities: Coventry, East Greenwich, Exeter, North Kingstown, Warwick, West Greenwich and West Warwick.

In Virginia, telephone companies supported a regulatory framework that will compel cities to act on a local franchising request in a timely manner. Unlike in other states, Verizon did not seek statewide operating authority because Virginia’s constitution guarantees franchising rights to local governments.

The bills would force local governments to issue a franchise in 120 days. Franchises would last for 15 years and a telco would pay a fee of 5% of revenue or the lowest franchise fee paid by an incumbent within the area the telco also serves.

Terms under which the telco operates are to be "commensurate" with the terms applied to the incumbent operator.

The bills would also let communities require buildout commitments: They could require new entrants to serve 65% of eligible residents in a franchise area within seven years and 80% in 10 years.

The bills were both approved by resounding majorities: 37-1 in the Senate and 85-12 in the House. The chambers now swap bills for reconciliation before they would head to Gov. Tim Kaine’s desk.

"Instead of the typical six months to two years required to negotiate franchises under current law, this legislation will accelerate to a matter of weeks the period from upgrading the network to offering competitive cable products," Verizon Virginia president Robert Woltz Jr. said in a prepared statement:

As far as Hulmerville, the town’s Borough Council voted unanimously Monday to approve a 15-year TV franchise allowing Verizon to offer its Verizon FiOS TV service to its 885 residents. Hulmerville is located just north of Philadelphia in Comcast Corp.’s cable territory.

Verizon plans to roll out FiOS TV service there later this year.

Initially launched in Keller, Texas, in September, Verizon FiOS TV offers more than 330 channels. Since September, Verizon has expanded the service rollout to areas surrounding Keller, as well as parts of northern Virginia, Florida, Massachusetts, New York and California.

Hulmerville is the first entry point for FiOS TV in Pennsylvania, and Verizon officials said they are negotiating other franchise agreements to expand its rollout in the Keystone State.

Verizon will also sell its FiOS high-speed-Internet service in Hulmerville, offering connection speeds ranging from 5 megabits per second to 30 mbps downstream and as much as 5 mbps upstream. The Internet service is already being offered elsewhere in Buck County, as well as parts of Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

fredfa

02-08-06, 03:13 PM

The Digital Revolution
DirecTV, Dish looking to double speed of FiOS, cable

Out of Space, Onto the Ground

By Karen Brown & Steve Donohue Multichannel.com

DirecTV Inc. is developing technology that would allow it to combine a wireless network on Earth with communications via satellite to offer customers high-speed Internet and telephone services.

The company, owned primarily by global media magnate Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., could even bring rival EchoStar Communications Corp. along for the ride, in a joint venture.

One of the biggest challenges in combining broadcasting from a satellite with the over-the-air transmission of wireless signals near the ground is the interference that can result.

PATENTED APPROACH

A WiMax antenna attached to a satellite dish, for instance, must separate out which bits of information to pluck out of the air. On Dec. 13, DirecTV won a U.S. patent for technology that would reduce interference in a combined satellite-terrestrial network.

“The present invention discloses a system and method for reducing interference between terrestrially based and space-based communications systems,” DirecTV wrote in the patent.

The patent was issued a few weeks before News Corp. chairman Murdoch told analysts that DirecTV may soon announce plans to spend about $1 billion for a new broadband network. News Corp. controls DirecTV.

Murdoch said that WiMax, a wireless communications technology that can transmit data at the rate of 40 Megabits per second, is one alternative for creating that network. That speed is 10 times faster than that found in the fastest Internet services marketed by cable and telephone companies — and about twice the throughput of AT&T’s much-touted Project Lightspeed.

“We have a lot of people on this full-time at the moment. And you’ll be hearing from us, I would think, within probably two months with [a] very clear plan [on] what will happen. And it’s not as expensive as you might think,” Murdoch said at a Citigroup conference on Jan. 9.

London-based WiNetworks told Multichannel News in September that it was working closely with the two satellite services to develop WiMax products. “We have a solution that has been designed over a period of three years, in very close collaboration with EchoStar and DirecTV,’’ Benjamin Finzi, president of Wi’s Americas operations, said. DirecTV and EchoStar could team up on a joint venture to use WiMax or other technology to market high-speed Internet and phone service.

Financial Web site TheStreet.com reported Jan. 30 that the two satellite services were working together to create a wireless communications network on the ground, which would allow them to better compete with cable operators’ successful “triple-play” bundle of television programming, Internet access and telephone service. An EchoStar executive told Multichannel News Thursday that his company would be willing to work with its satellite rival, DirecTV, if it would help it compete with cable and telephone providers.

“The new leadership of DirecTV is more willing to consider [joint] initiatives,” the EchoStar executive said.

EchoStar CEO Charlie Ergen in November also said he would be willing to team up with DirecTV or other competitors to improve efficiencies.

“If there’s any of our competitors out there in some form that we can work with that benefit us and also benefit them, without changing the dynamics, then obviously we’re interested in that,” Ergen said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call.

DirecTV declined to comment last week on any of its broadband plans.

“We’re exploring a number of opportunities in that area,” communications director Robert Mercer said.

TheStreet.com reported that DirecTV has set aside $1 billion to create a broadband wireless project. But money alone won’t make the land-based network happen. That’s because the use of America’s wireless spectrum has become highly competitive, as new text, video, photo and voice services gain adherents, according to Adlane Fellah, principal analyst for Maravedis Inc., a Toronto-based analyst firm that specializes in WiMax market research.

If WiMax is the chosen technology, DirecTV, EchoStar or both will have to apply for or acquire licenses in one of three bands of spectrum that adhere to the 802.16 technical standard established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers: Radio waves that oscillate at a frequency of 2.5 billion, 3.5 billion or 5.8 billion cycles per second. Outside of the standard’s three bands, there is a stew of different slices of spectrum —ranging from the old multichannel multipoint distribution service band, starting at 2.1 Gigahertz, to the wireless-communications service spectrum at 2.3 GHz, already earmarked for wireless data services — that could be used.

But that would require EchoStar and DirecTV to find vendors offering one-off, proprietary gear that doesn’t conform to the 802.16 standard, Fellah said.

Even sticking with the standard, finding spectrum to span the nation will be tough. For example, there are about 380 licensees claiming spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band, Fellah said. With few exceptions, these owners have licenses only in certain cities. “So you have a lot of license holders, and yet only a few have a national footprint,” Fellah said.

One exception is Sprint Nextel Corp., which has locked up 2.5 GHz footprint in 80% of the United States — the result of the merger of Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc., both of which owned licenses in that band.

But Sprint Nextel is developing its own WiMax network, so it would be unlikely share its frequency with a potential competitor, Fellah noted.

Given that most spectrum is already claimed, it would be difficult for a new player to get going, Fellah noted. “The only way for the satellite providers to do this is to lease spectrum, because there are no auctions at this point — it has already been auctioned,” Fellah said.

MVDDS DISCOUNTED

EchoStar does have a partial ownership stake in another license band called multichannel video distribution and data service (MVDDS), but it is doubtful it could be used for a two-way data service. This service uses the same spectrum as transmission to and from satellites, but bounces the signals between Earth-bound points, such as towers or receivers mounted on buildings.

But while the FCC allows MVDDs licensees to develop high-speed Internet services, they are restricted to offering only downstream connections from the network to the user. If EchoStar and DirecTV chose the MVDDS route, they would have to find a separate link from the user back to the network, such as a phone line.

The DBS players also would have to locate sites for the WiMax base stations, either through existing tower owners or co-location agreements with utilities or other wireless-network providers. On top of that, WiMax technology is young. Finding reliable equipment may take some time.

“We’re still a year and a half away from commercial-equipment development, let alone the mobile version, which I would say is two years,” Fellah said.

fredfa

02-08-06, 03:22 PM

TV Sports
Daytona NASCAR TV Schedule

(NBC Press Release) Published: February 8, 2006
NASCAR on NBC & TNT Begins Sixth Season This Weekend

NEW YORK -– February 8, 2006 -– As the green flag drops on the NASCAR Nextel Cup season, NBC and TNT have the next two weeks of racing covered from Daytona International Speedway, including exclusive live coverage of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500 on NBC. Live coverage begins this Saturday with TNT's broadcast of the Budweiser Shootout preceded by the "Bank of America Countdown to Green" pre-race show at 8 p.m. ET. NBC presents Daytona Bud Pole Qualifying at noon ET Sunday. NBC will broadcast the 48th annual Daytona 500 live on Sunday, Feb. 19, with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET, preceded and followed by coverage of the Torino Winter Olympics.

The Daytona 500, NASCAR's richest and most prestigious race, is one of the most-watched sporting events of the year. The 2004 Daytona 500 was watched by 33.5 million viewers and posted a 10.6/24 national rating. In 2002, NBC's inaugural Daytona 500 set a record with 35 million viewers and a 10.9/26 national rating during the middle Sunday of NBC's coverage of the Salt Lake Olympics.

The NBC & TNT broadcast crew, including play-by-play announcer and pre-race host Bill Weber and analysts Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach, will call the action from the booth, with Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Matt Yocum reporting from the pits.

Here is the complete NBC & TNT Daytona schedule:

SATURDAY, FEB. 11 AT 8:00 P.M. ET, BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT – TNT:
The Budweiser Shootout is a race between NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers who won a Bud Pole Award (fastest qualifier at a race) in 2005. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET with the "Bank America Countdown to Green" pre-race show followed by green flag racing at 8:30 p.m. ET.

SUNDAY, FEB. 12 AT NOON ET, BUD POLE QUALIFYING – NBC:
Bud Pole Qualifying for the Daytona 500 front row (first and second fastest qualifiers start side by side in the Daytona 500) will be on NBC at Noon ET.

THURSDAY, FEB. 16 AT 2 P.M. ET, DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING RACES – TNT:
The Daytona 500 Qualifying Races are two 125-mile qualifying races to fill the rest of the Daytona 500 field (all cars behind the first and second-place qualifying cars on the front row). TNT begins coverage at 2 p.m. ET.

SATURDAY, FEB. 18 AT 1:00 P.M., ET, HERSHEY'S KISSABLES 300 – TNT:
The NASCAR Busch Series will kick off the 2006 season with its biggest event of the year in the Hershey's Kissables 300. Some of the best of the Nextel Cup series will warm up for the Daytona 500 by taking on the best of the Busch Series, Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.

SUNDAY, FEB. 19 AT 1:30 P.M., ET, DAYTONA 500 – NBC:
Live coverage of the Great American Race begins at 1:30 p.m. ET with a special 60-minute version of the "Bank of America Countdown to Green" pre-race show, followed by green flag racing at 2:30 p.m.

The Daytona 500 kicks off NASCAR's 36 race Nextel Cup season; NASCAR on NBC & TNT returns on July 19 with NASCAR Nextel Cup Racing from Chicago live on TNT.

MONDAY, FEB. 20 AT 2:00 A.M., ET, DAYTONA 500 ENCORE – TNT

fredfa

02-08-06, 03:29 PM

The Business of TV
Univision Execs Meet to Discuss Selling Company

MediaWeek.com FEBRUARY 08, 2006 -

Univision Communications Inc. has disclosed the possibility of putting itself up for sale, the New York Times reported Wednesday. Citing people familiar with the situation, the daily says Univision executives will meet today to consider the sale. The company is valued at $10 billion.

The long-rumored transaction could generate interest from U.S. media giants such as News Corp., Time Warner, CBS Corp. and General Electric Co., which owns NBC Universal, the parent company of Telemundo, the newspaper said.

Last week, the dispute between Univision and its main programming supplier, Grupo Televisa, grew worse. A Univision filing late last month with the Securities and Exchange Commission included the 48-page counterclaim Televisa filed earlier in a California court alleging a "material breach of contract."

This could potentially end a contract that is set to expire in 2017 and that provides the Spanish-language network with some of its highest-rated shows, including Televisa's successful telenovelas.

Univision stock, which trades at nearly 37 times expected earnings, was up 13.5 percent in early morning trading at $34.50. Univision executives were not immediately available to comment.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001993397

fredfa

02-08-06, 03:33 PM

The full New York Times story
The Business of TV
Univision Considers Going on the Block

By Andrew Ross Sorkin The New York Times February 8, 2006

Univision Communications, the Spanish-language media company, is considering a plan to put itself up for sale, people briefed on the proposal said last night.

An auction for Univision, which is worth nearly $10 billion, could set off a scramble among the country's media giants — the News Corporation, Time Warner and CBS — as they vie for a slice of the lucrative and growing Spanish-language market.

Univision's directors are expected to meet today to decide whether to put the company up for sale, these people said. The company has retained UBS, its investment bank, to run the auction if it approves the plan.

The attraction of such a media asset is obvious: the buyer would immediately gain the biggest gateway into a rapidly growing Latino market with some $480 billion in annual buying power. Univision owns the No. 1 Spanish-language television network, radio broadcaster, music company and online operations.

The nation's second-largest Spanish-language broadcaster, Telemundo, was acquired by the NBC unit of General Electric in 2001.

But Univision dwarfs Telemundo, eclipsing its audience by nearly four times. It is the fifth-largest television network in the country behind Fox and ahead of the WB network, reaching some 98 percent of Spanish-speaking households through its 62 television stations, more than 90 affiliate stations and more than 2,000 cable affiliates.

Known chiefly for its telenovelas, or soap operas, the network also offers news and soccer, as well as the longest-running show in prime time, "Sabado Gigante."

In addition to the flagship Univision network, the company has the TeleFutura network and the Galavisión cable channel. Since it bought Hispanic Broadcasting for $3 billion in 2002, it has been the leading Spanish-language radio broadcaster in the United States.

The company is run by A. Jerrold Perenchio, 75, a onetime Hollywood talent agent and a force in syndicated television who saw the potential for Spanish-language broadcasting. In 1992, he led a group that included Emilio Azcarraga, the late father of the current chairman of Grupo Televisa, to acquire Univision, and 13 Spanish-language stations from Hallmark for $500 million.

Mr. Perenchio, who does not speak Spanish, has also been a big contributor to President Bush and the Republican Party. He owns about 11 percent of Univision, while Grupo Televisa owns about 10 percent.

But there are hurdles for any suitor. The biggest may be a Federal Communications Commission regulation that limits ownership to stations that reach 39 percent of the nation's homes.

At a Goldman Sachs conference in September, Leslie Moonves, then co-chief operating officer of Viacom, now chief executive of CBS, the broadcast operations that split from Viacom, said: "I wish the F.C.C. didn't regulate us. We would love to own some of the stations. As a matter of fact, we would go after Univision if we could own more television stations. But with our 40 percent cap, we're sort of limited by that."

The News Corporation, run by Rupert Murdoch, could have the same problem. But analysts suggest that such companies would probably be willing to sell some stations to get under the 39 percent threshold and enable a deal to happen.

Time Warner, which is expected to express interest, could be hamstrung because it is in the midst of a fierce proxy contest for control of the company's board with Carl C. Icahn.

Another possible suitor is the Mexican media giant Grupo Televisa, which provides much of Univision's programming under an agreement that runs until 2017.

While Televisa could not buy Univision on its own because of a federal regulation that prevents foreigners from owning more than 25 percent of an American broadcaster, it could team with a private equity firm or other interested buyer.

Still, Univision and Televisa have had a tension-filled relationship: Televisa has sued Univision over royalty payments and last week said Univision was in material breach of the 1992 licensing agreement.

And of course, private equity firms, flush with cash, could make a play for Univision on their own.

But Univision would not come cheap. Its stock trades at nearly 37 times expected earnings. After falling to a 52-week low of $23.52 in late October, the stock is up 30 percent, at $30.54. Some analysts suggested the company could be sold for a 30 or even 40 percent premium or possibly higher because it is the last opportunity for a major American media company to get into the Spanish-language market.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/business/media/08network.html?pagewanted=print

fredfa

02-08-06, 03:46 PM

TV Notebook
Few Grammys get with the program

By Jim Farber New York Daily News Music Critic Wednesday, February 8th, 2006

Those who tune in to the Grammys tonight on CBS, starting at 8, will notice something missing from a good deal of the show: awards.

Don't worry. You will - eventually - get to see all the awkward speeches in all the big prize categories.

But, as always, only about 10% of the Grammys' whopping 108 categories will be announced during the 3 1/2 -hour televised hoedown. The rest will be forked over during a three-hour, untelevised ceremony this afternoon.

The Grammy folks do this not only because they know that large swaths of the American public would sooner watch tiddlywinks competitions than sit through, say, the Best Polka Album prize. (Jimmy Sturr wins every year, anyway.)

More importantly, they want to leave as much room as possible in the prime-time TV evening for actual musical performances. These they hope will inspire people to rush out to their record stores to pick up (or go online to download) product. That's especially necessary in a year that saw an 8% to 10% drop in musical purchases (even accounting for the stirring upsurge in downloaded sales).

Toward that end, this year's show will feature a winning array of performances, and some first-ever sonic hookups. Madonna will reportedly open the show in a duet with the cartoon dub-punk band the Gorillaz.

Paul McCartney will play, too, in his first musical appearance at the Grammys (despite having won 13 of 'em in the past, along with Lifetime Achievement and President's Merit honors).

Other performers tonight include the year's most-nominated artists, Mariah Carey, John Legend and Kanye West (each up for eight prizes). There are showcases, as well, for Kelly Clarkson, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Mary J. Blige, Coldplay, Keith Urban, Christina Aguilera and Jamie Foxx.

Presenters include country performers Big & Rich, Oscar nominees Matt Dillon and Terrence Howard, Queen Latifah and Ludacris.

Got all that?

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/v-pfriendly/story/389346p-330344c.html

fredfa

02-08-06, 04:05 PM

TV Notebook
Long arm of the 'Law' grabs Ludacris

By Marisa Guthrie The New York Daily News Staff Writer Wednesday, February 8th, 2006

Chris (Ludacris) Bridges is the latest familiar face set to pass through "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

The hip-hop artist will appear in an upcoming episode of Dick Wolf's popular NBC series playing Detective Fin's (Ice-T) nephew.

"I have been a fan of Dick Wolf's 'Law & Order' for a long time," said Bridges in a statement. "When I was approached to work on 'SVU' and read the script, there was no way that I could turn down this amazing opportunity. The character was so rich and the story line so complex that I knew it was something I had to do."

He joins a long list of guest stars, including Martin Short, Mark McGrath, Mary Steenburgen, Marcia Gay Harden, Teri Garr, Judith Light and Rebecca De Mornay, to be tapped for the top-rated installment in the "Law & Order" canon.

Susan Saint James, wife of NBS Sports president Dick Ebersol, has a small role in an upcoming episode. And Connie Nielsen ("Gladiator") will fill in for a pregnant Mariska Hargitay for six episodes this spring.

The "SVU" gig is the latest in a string of acting jobs for Bridges, who turned in buzzed about performances in "2 Fast, 2 Furious," "Hustle & Flow" and most recently the Oscar-nominated "Crash." He's also up for a Grammy tonight for best rap single.

In the episode, Detective Fin's son Ken (Ernest Wadell) is suspected in a double homicide, putting Fin in a difficult position with his colleagues not to mention his ex-wife (Lisa Gay Hamilton).

Things only get worse when Fin discovers a dark family secret involving his nephew. The episode, which films next week in New York, is scheduled to air March 28.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/v-pfriendly/story/389324p-330328c.html

SnakeEyes

02-08-06, 05:07 PM

• Ricky Gervais, the original creator of the “The Office” and the star of the British version of the show, is writing an episode of the American “Office,” according to England’s Mirror newspaper (via TVTattle.com). The bad news: Gervais’ episode won’t air until next season.

That is fantastic... here is the Mirror's article
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=16673958%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html

fredfa

02-08-06, 05:41 PM

Thanks, SnakeEyes!

(Too bad we have to wait until next season, though.)

SnakeEyes

02-08-06, 05:46 PM

zap2it added a news story a few hours ago on it with confirmation and unique quotes of their own:

http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271|99933|1|,00.html

Gervais Writing 'Office' Episode for NBC

By Rick Porter

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

09:14 AM PT
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the creators of "The Office," will hop across the pond to work on their show's American counterpart.

Gervais and Merchant will write an episode of NBC's version of "The Office" sometime next season, NBC tells Zap2it.com. Reports about their involvement surfaced in the British press earlier this week.

"I had extended an open invitation for them to write or direct at any time, but I think they were smart to wait until we had developed our own following and our own style," says Greg Daniels, executive producer of NBC's "Office."

Daniels adds that he's "very excited" to have Gervais and Merchant, who are credited as executive producers of the American show, collaborate on a script.

"That's one out of 22 I don't have to worry about for next year," Daniels says. "But I don't want to see any 'lifts' or 'lorries' in the script -- it's 'elevators' and 'trucks' in this version."

Gervais, who also wrote and lent his voice to an episode of "The Simpsons" scheduled for later this season, won a Golden Globe in 2004 for his portrayal of clueless paper-company manager David Brent in the BBC show; his American counterpart, Steve Carell, duplicated that win this year. Gervais and Merchant won three straight BAFTA TV awards for their show from 2002-04.

foxeng

02-08-06, 07:34 PM

February 8, 2006
Bush Signs DTV Conversion Bill
By Doug Halonen - TV Week
Making the digital TV conversion mandate official, President Bush on Wednesday signed legislation that would require broadcasters to pull the plug on analog TV broadcasts by Feb. 17, 2009.

The controversial measure includes a provision that would provide up to $1.5 billion to help consumers buy digital-to-analog converter boxes to ensure that analog-only TV sets will still be able to receive over-the-air signals after the transition.

fredfa

02-08-06, 08:59 PM

TV Sports
Michaels Leaving 'Monday Night Football'

By Richard Sandomir The New York Times February 8, 2006

ESPN has shed a discontented Al Michaels from his contract to call "Monday Night Football" for the next eight years and named Mike Tirico the play-by-play voice of the series for the foreseeable future.

The final break with Michaels came Tuesday, two days after he called the Super Bowl on ABC. The talks culminated with him cutting his ties to ESPN as well as his contract to call National Basketball Association games on ABC Sports.

ABC relinquished its rights to the Monday night games in favor of ESPN. Both networks are owned by the Walt Disney Company.

"Once it was clear he had reservations, we decided to move on," John Skipper, ESPN's executive vice president of content, said in an interview.

Michaels is expected to quickly announce his move to NBC to call Sunday night games with John Madden, his partner on "Monday Night" games at ABC.

A spokesman for NBC Universal Sports, Mike McCarley, had no comment on when Michaels will be hired. Michaels could not be reached for comment.

ESPN had previously announced that Joe Theismann will be the "Monday Night" analyst and the cable behemoth announced today that its newest hire for the series is Tony Kornheiser, co-host of ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" and a columnist at The Washington Post since 1984.

Kornheiser auditioned in 2000 for the "Monday Night" position that went to the comedian Dennis Miller, who lasted two seasons before the show was revamped and Madden was hired.

"It's cool that as a sportswriter they came back and asked me," Kornheiser said on a media conference call. "It's isn't generally in the career path of a sportswriter to do this. So you've got to take it."

Since his television and radio careers have taken off over the past few years, Kornheiser has written less for The Post. Despite the "Monday Night" job, he said, "I would do anything I can to remain with The Post." He also is the host of a daily, four-hour program on WTEM Radio in Washington.

Kornheiser and his "P.T.I." co-host, Michael Wilbon, another Post columnist, will do the radio show each Monday from the site of that night's game.

Kornheiser joked that he had not stayed up past midnight, a time that "Monday Night" has traditionally gone past, since "my bar mitzvah." He added: "I live like a barnyard animal. I'm asleep at 9 and up by five."

Skipper said the network was not bound by the conventional wisdom of having a commentator who once played or coached, any more than ABC was when it hired Howard Cosell for "Monday Night" in 1970.

Tirico said he was not sure until after Sunday night's Super Bowl that he had replaced Michaels. One of ESPN and ABC's most versatile voices, Tirico has moved easily between anchoring studio programs and calling college football and basketball and National Basketball Association games.

He called the new assignment "a humbling experience," putting him in a small group of "Monday Night's" previous play-by-play announcers: Keith Jackson, who called the first season, Frank Gifford and Michaels.

Michaels, who last July signed an eight-year contract worth $4 million annually, has refused to publicly discuss why he wanted to get out of the ESPN contract, or why he chose to follow "Monday Night" from ABC to ESPN, which will not have any post-season games. NBC, which had wooed him after it hired Madden, will carry playoff games and Super Bowls.

Michaels insisted that he did not go to ESPN for the money, which exceeded the $2.9 million annual salary NBC had offered, but said that after 20 years, the words "Monday Night Football" still made his spine tingle.

In agreeing to work for ESPN, he knew he was separating from Madden, but in the subsequent months, NBC hired Fred Gaudelli, ABC's "Monday Night" producer, and Drew Esocoff, the series' director.

Skipper said he became aware of Michaels's change of heart in the last few weeks.

"In November, he said it was the best job ever invented," he said on the conference call. "As long as Al was committed to us, we were committed to him." He declined to give any of the details of the terms of Michaels's leaving his contract, but said, "We reached a satisfactory resolution."

He said that he was certain that Tirico, Theismann and Kornheiser will "execute our vision" for "Monday Night," which includes a full day of programming on various networks and other ESPN businesses, leading up to each game. Each broadcast is intended to be a mini-Super Bowl.

In addition to being replaced by Tirico on "Monday Night," Michaels will be replaced, starting Sunday, by Mike Breen, as the No. 1 announcer for ABC's N.B.A. games, working with Hubie Brown. Breen, the TV voice of the Knicks on the MSG Network, has called the N.B.A. for ESPN and ABC since 2003.

In the months since Michaels spurned NBC's offer, the network has quietly groomed Cris Collinsworth for the play-by-play job. Collinsworth, one of football's toughest analysts, had been hired by NBC to be its top analyst on its Sunday night studio program. Collinsworth rehearsed his play-by-play calling during various games, and at least once at the Pleasanton, Calif., studio owned by Madden. With Michaels now expected to rejoin Madden, the Collinsworth experiment is presumably over.

Sterling Sharpe, a former ESPN studio analyst, who currently works for the NFL Network, is expected to join Bob Costas and Collinsworth.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/sports/football/08cnd-michaels.html?ei=5094&en=c0ecd231da3c010d&hp=&ex=1139461200&partner=homepage&pagewanted=pr

fredfa

02-08-06, 09:01 PM

TV Sports
Kornheiser to Join 'Monday Night Football'

The Washington Post Wednesday, February 8, 2006

Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser will be joining the ESPN broadcast booth for "Monday Night Football" next season, but Al Michaels will be leaving the show after 20 years, the sports network said today.

Kornheiser will be part of a three-man team including Mike Tirico and former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann, ESPN reported on its Web site. Suzy Kolber and Michelle Tafoya will be sideline reporters.

"I'm in denial that I actually have this job," Kornheiser said on a conference call with reporters today. "As a sportswriter, this usually isn't on the career path," Kornheiser told reporters in a conference call he and other ESPN officials arranged today.

He said the new job will mean he has to change his normal routine, however.

"I live like a barn animal. I go to sleep at 9:30 and wake up at about 5," he said.

Terms of the deal were unavailable.

The NFL staple show is moving from Disney-owned ABC to Disney-owned ESPN starting next fall.

"This Monday Night Football team enthusiastically embraces our vision for sports television's signature series," said ESPN Executive Vice President John Skipper in a written statement.

ESPN said that Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon will take their show "Pardon The Interruption" on the road on Mondays during the football season, broadcasting from the site of the football game.

Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, The Post's assistant managing editor for sports, expressed optimism last night that Kornheiser's career at the paper would continue.

"We're happy for Tony," Garcia-Ruiz said. "But we still want him to continue to work for the paper. That's what's best for us and for our readers."

"Al Michaels, the play-by-play voice of Monday Night Football from 1986 through Sunday's Super Bowl in Detroit, will not return to either broadcast," the ESPN statement said.

Pat Gibbons, a marketing representative for Michaels, told the Associated Press that he could not reach the broadcaster.

Michaels most recent partner on Monday Night Football, John Madden, has signed a contract with NBC to broadcast its Sunday night football games. Some sports and television analysts suggested that Michaels may want to join Madden on that show.

(The Associated Press contributed to this article.)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/08/AR2006020800590_pf.html

fredfa

02-08-06, 09:05 PM

The Business of TV
Murdoch Comments on Univision

By Jay Sherman TVWeek.com February 8, 2006

News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch said Wednesday that while his company might take a look at the assets of Univision Communications, Wall Street's speculation over the company's price likely means Mr. Murdoch won't go after the Spanish-language broadcaster.

Mr. Murdoch told investors during a discussion about the company's fiscal second-quarter earnings that News Corp. will be looking at Univision. But he said later in the call that News Corp. doesn't "have any specific intentions for it at all," adding that when it comes to some of the price tags circulating in the market, "We have no intentions."

News Corp. has been mentioned by several Wall Street analysts as one of a handful of big media companies likely to bid for Univision, which announced Wednesday that it was exploring strategic alternatives, including a possible sale. Others mentioned include CBS Corp. and Time Warner.

Separately, News Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer Peter Chernin said the company was in the process of "planning and investigating all of the options" available to fill the airtime of its nine television stations that are currently affiliates of UPN, which along with The WB Network go dark this summer to make way for a new network, The CW Television Network.

Mr. Chernin said it would likely be several weeks before News Corp. makes a decision about how to proceed, but among the options being considered includes using content from its own television production operation, as well as perhaps serving as a supplier to television stations that find themselves without a network affiliation."

"We actually believe this is a positive for the entire market," Mr. Chernin told analysts. "Ratings will be freed up for younger demos, which we believe Fox will be the main beneficiary. Ad dollars will be freed up, which we hope to exploit. It will be better for the syndication market and the talent market."

Also Wednesday, News Corp. reported a 178 percent surge in fiscal second-quarter profit to nearly $1.1 billion, compared with a year-earlier profit of $386 million, driven by gains from equity investments in companies such as DirecTV Group and its British counterpart, BSkyB. Revenue during the quarter was up 2 percent to $6.7 billion.

At the company's television operation, operating income surged 20 percent to $183 million, driven in part by higher contributions from Fox Broadcasting, which helped to offset a decline in operating income at Fox Television Stations. The stations group was impacted by higher costs associated with newscasts and promotion for the November sweeps period as well as by a decline in traditional and political advertising.

Cable, meanwhile, continued to serve as a growth engine for the company, posting a 15 percent increase in operating income to $262 million, fueled by advertising and affiliate fee growth at Fox News Channel, which is now available in 88 million homes. FX likewise posted strong gains, thanks to advertising and affiliate-fee and subscriber growth.

In other news, Mr. Murdoch confirmed what he told Newsweek recently about his plans to launch a business channel to take on NBC Universal's CNBC. He said News Corp. "continues to negotiate with major cable companies," and added that he was confident the channel would garner enough subscribers to be launched later this year."

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9367

fredfa

02-08-06, 09:11 PM

TV Notebook
CBS Slots “The Unit”, “Amazing Race”
(CBS Press Release) Wednesday, February 8, 2006
"THE UNIT," A NEW ACTION DRAMA, PREMIERES TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 9:00-10:00 PM ON CBS

"The Amazing Race" Moves to a New Time Period on March 7 -- Tuesday, 10 PM -- After Its Two-Hour Premiere on Feb. 28

THE UNIT, an action drama that follows a covert team of special forces operatives as they risk their lives on undercover missions around the globe while their wives maintain the homefront, protecting their husbands' secrets, premieres Tuesday, March 7 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

THE AMAZING RACE 9, which premieres with a two-hour broadcast on Tuesday, Feb. 28 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT), will move to a new time period on Tuesday (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT), effective March 7.

THE UNIT stars Dennis Haysbert, Scott Foley, Robert Patrick, Regina Taylor, Max Martini, Michael Irby, Demore Barnes, Abby Brammell and Audry Marie Anderson.

As head of the Unit, Jonas Blane (Haysbert) leads his team on missions out in the field and is responsible for taking elite new recruit Bob Brown (Foley) under his wing. The Unit includes Jonas, Colonel Tom Ryan (Patrick), Mack Gerhardt (Martini), Charles Grey (Irby), Hector Williams (Barnes) and Bob Brown, all highly skilled soldiers, whose ability to rely on each other in life-threatening situations creates their unique brotherhood. Jonas' wife, Molly (Taylor), is the base matriarch who comforts and counsels "the unit's" wives as they cope with the fear and uncertainty they experience when their husbands leave home. Molly and Tiffy Gerhardt (Brammell), a wife hiding her own dark secrets, help Bob's pregnant wife, Kim (Anderson), acclimate to the stress of her new secret life.

David Mamet ("The Verdict," "The Untouchables") and Shawn Ryan ("The Shield") are executive producers for Twentieth Century Fox Television.

CBS's New Tuesday Schedule

Tuesday, Feb. 28
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-11:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE 9 (Premiere)

Tuesday, March 7
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM THE UNIT (Series Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE 9 (New Time Period)

fredfa

02-08-06, 09:16 PM

TV Notebook
Michaels exits ABC, looks at NBC

By Paul J. Gough The Hollywood Reporter Feb. 09, 2006

NEW YORK -- Longtime ABC announcer Al Michaels has left the network in a dispute over the course of "Monday Night Football," on which he was set to have a starring role when it moves to ESPN in the fall.

The announcement Wednesday apparently clears the way for Michaels to join NBC as play-by-play announcer for its "Sunday Night Football" broadcast. But neither Michaels nor NBC were talking Wednesday.

Michaels had spurned NBC in the fall, choosing to remain with his employer of 30 years and signing a new contract that included "Monday Night Football" and his NBA play-by-play duties. "MNF" analyst John Madden as well as two key behind-the-scenes people -- producer Fred Gaudelli and director Drew Esocoff -- are going to NBC. Apparently between the summer and now, Michaels decided he wanted to join them.

That's all but assured after ESPN announced Wednesday a "MNF" broadcast team that didn't include Michaels. Instead, the team will be Mike Tirico, former quarterback Joe Theismann and analyst Tony Kornheiser, co-host of ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" and a Washington Post sports columnist.

"Al was not comfortable and let us know that he was not comfortable with the way that we were going," ESPN executive vp content John Skipper said. "We want to work with the people who want to work with us. We made a decision quickly to move on."

The ESPN crew will be joined by sideline reporters Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya as well as producer-director Jay Rothman and Chip Dean.

"This is the first team," said Skipper, who denied that anyone else was in the mix or had been considered. He said he had "very little hesitancy" to let Michaels out of his contract.

"Al Michaels worked hard, did a fantastic job for ABC for 30 years," Skipper said. "I respect that, and we appreciate that."

Michaels, who acts as his own agent, couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

In addition to "MNF," Michaels is the lead play-by-play announcer for ABC Sports' NBA basketball coverage. Those roles now will be filled by Mike Breen, who will be paired with former coach Hubie Brown beginning Feb. 12.

That leaves Michaels to perhaps join Madden at NBC. Michaels had been wooed rather heavily last year by NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol, but he decided to stick with ABC (HR 7/14).

NBC Sports, which is about to begin its Winter Olympics coverage from Turin, Italy, declined comment Wednesday.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001993846

fredfa

02-08-06, 09:39 PM

The Digital Revolution
President Bush Signs Bill Ending Analog TV

By Ted Hearn 2/8/2006 Multichannel.com

President Bush signed legislation Wednesday that cuts off over-the-air analog broadcasting Feb. 17, 2009, and includes up to $1.5 billion to help fund converter boxes to prolong the useful life of millions of analog TV sets.

After the cutoff, the nation’s 1,749 full-power TV stations will be required to transmit only digital signals. The termination of analog broadcasting will free up 60 megahertz of spectrum that will be auctioned to wireless-broadband providers. Congress is expecting auction revenue to reach $10 billion.

The analog-TV provisions were contained in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which includes about $40 billion in budget cuts over the next five years.

“With today's enactment of the budget-reconciliation bill and its digital-television provisions, we have crossed an important threshold,” National Association of Broadcasters CEO David K. Rehr said in a prepared statement.

“NAB is pleased that Congress adopted many pro-consumer DTV measures in the legislation, and we're encouraged that the bill thwarted cable-industry attempts to degrade the quality of HDTV pictures to consumers,” he added.

fredfa

02-08-06, 09:43 PM

The fight over a la carte
A La Carte Report May Be Released Thursday

By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 2/8/2006

Word around Washington Wednesday was that the FCC could release its much-anticipated a la carte cable report Thursday.

That is the report whose existence FCC Chairman telegraphed in an indecency forum on Capitol Hill last fall.

Martin said that unlike an earlier FCC report that found a la carte cable service was unworkable, this "further report" would show that it was, indeed, feasible.

A la carte has been pushed by cable indecency critics as one way of giving viewers more control over cable content, while the industry has begun to create family tiers as a way to address the concern short of offering its services a la carte, which it argues would wreak havoc with its business model.

"Based on a more complete analysis of the costs and benefits of bundling and the potential costs and benefits of a la carte pricing," Martin told the Senate Commerce Committee forum Nov. 29 in pretty thoroughly dissing the earlier study, "this further report determines that the First Report incorrectly found that offering of cable programming in a more a la carte manner would be economically infeasible. It also concludes that doing so in fact could be in consumers’ best interests. Finally, it explores several alternatives for increasing consumer choice that could provide substantial consumer benefits if their provision were mandated.

If the report does come out tomorrow, the commissioners won't be around to talk about it.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and the other commissioners will be in Texas, touring broadband over powerline facilities as well as an IPTV demonstration by AT&T and a fiber-to-the home showcase by Verizon. That is before parking in Keller, Tex., to hold its monthly meeting there, which will deal with the FCC's annual video competition report.

Why the Keller road show? That is where Verizon launched its FiOS multichannel video service in competition to cable.

fredfa

02-08-06, 10:41 PM

Critic’s Notebook
With work, 'How I Met Your Mother' could be the next 'Friends'

By Matthew Gilbert The Boston Globe staff

''How I Met Your Mother" has become this season's almost-great sitcom. And by ''almost," I mean ''definitely on its way there" as opposed to ''never will arrive." Despite the fact that it's a traditional laugh-track comedy, despite the fact that it's trapped in CBS's old-school Monday sitcom block, and despite the fact that it's stubbornly and sincerely romantic, ''How I Met Your Mother" is a TV winner in the making.

Why ''almost"?

I hate to nitpick, but -- OK, busted, I love to nitpick -- the show has a few kinks to work out before it gets a solid A. But the good news is that the obstacles to excellence are small and easily addressed. By the way, by ''excellence" I don't mean it will compare to ''Curb Your Enthusiasm" or any of the boldly original series that have been redefining TV comedy. I mean that it will be the next ''Friends" -- that is, the next four-camera charmer that's unashamedly mainstream, that's set in New York, and whose characters never seem to be at work. The ''Mother" gang of five -- neurotic Ted, commitment-phobic Robin, Barney the viper, and engaged couple Lily and Marshall -- form an ensemble that, as on ''Friends," is warm and lived-in no matter how punch-line driven it is.

The most buzzed-about element of the show, which airs Mondays at 8:30 p.m. on Channel 4, is Neil Patrick Harris, who has shape-shifted from a goody-goody character into a symbol of all things slickly unromantic. His Barney is a classic last-call bar hawk, representing every urban professional male who is metrosexual enough to wear fine suits but still views women as objects. The show's writers clearly love filling Barney's mouth with Seinfeldian catch phrases that reveal just how Barney Barney truly is. His ''Suit up!" has evolved into ''Snow-suit up!," ''Flight-suit up!," and ''Penguin-suit up!," and when he tries to seduce others into stupid activities, he promises it will be ''legendary." He also likes to do ''phone-fives," which are high-fives via cellphone.

The list of Barneyisms goes on, but the writers need to remember that he is a character, too, and not just a jukebox of quips. Right now, he serves as the perfect anti-Ted, the one whose sharp lines deflate Ted's dreamy fantasies about true love. ''You don't bring a date to a wedding," he scolds his friend. ''That's like taking a deer carcass on a hunting trip." But as time goes on, Barney's human limitations could easily wear thin. I hope the writers can add more dimension to him without betraying his delusions of grandeur.

It's not easy to expand a one-joke character late in the game, as the ''Friends" writers discovered when their efforts to evolve Joey were maudlin and unbelievable. ''Will & Grace" has also struggled and failed to give Jack heart and depth.

Lily turns out to be another potential problem character. Alyson Hannigan was so affably fickle and hypnotic as Willow on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer," but she seems less comfortable with the fast sitcom pace. She appears to be gasping for air inside her lines, and her sweetness borders on dullness.

Cobie Smulders is a revelation as the robust Robin, as she bends gender to suit her big personality. She calls everyone ''Dude" and recoils from the lovey-dovey, and yet she's all about the va-va-voom in her glamorous red dress. But Hannigan's Lily is a wan girlfriend in danger of becoming just one more TV gender cliché, a woman bent on taming her man and getting him to shop with her. While all the other characters have been given last names, Lily hasn't, as if she exists solely to be Marshall's fiancée. She needs a life.

A number of viewers have said that Josh Radnor's Ted is the flaw in ''How I Met Your Mother." Ted is the show's hero, the narrator who's telling his future son and daughter about his life as a single guy, and Radnor makes him into a lovable but hyper mensch. I think Radnor is a welcome softie in a genre that's often driven by horndog dudes who proudly ignore emotional realities. He's the Charlie Brown and the Linus, the guy who has a lot to learn as he tries to assert himself to find ''the one." He's the human center of the show, and it's his life that forms the compelling mystery -- who will become the mother of his children?

We can only pray the writers don't get all Ross and Rachel on us with Ted and Robin, pushing them back and forth until we don't care if they wind up together. The great surprise in the series premiere was that despite Ted's crush, Robin was not ''your mother," but ''Aunt Robin." And since then, Ted has embarked on an equally convincing crush on Victoria (''Buttercup"), played by Ashley Williams. If Ted and Victoria don't work out, let's hope we're not facing years of on-again off-again culminating in -- snore -- ''Did she get off the plane?"

''How I Met Your Mother" also has a few stylistic glitches. Calling it a conventional sitcom is not completely accurate. Most of it is, but then it employs some contemporary tricks, including freeze frames and split screens. The two approaches sometimes clash, for instance when we hear audience laughter during one of Ted's voice-overs. Also, the New York stages aren't entirely convincing. They're too bright, not gritty enough. They slightly undermine the urban atmosphere.

''How I Met Your Mother" does well what so many sitcoms do sloppily. The characters pick on one another, but the teasing is a sign of affection. The show isn't all about a superficial world of every man for himself; it's about the consolations and lessons of friendship. And that's why I feel the need to pick on ''How I Met Your Mother." It's too likable to ignore.

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2006/02/06/with_work_how_i_met_your_mother_could_be_the_next_friends?mo de=PF

fredfa

02-08-06, 11:11 PM

TV Sports
Monday Night Football on ESPN Shifts to 8:30 PM ET

By John Consoli MediaWeek.com FEBRUARY 08, 2006 -

NFL Monday Night Football on ESPN will come on the air at 8:30 p.m., half hour earlier than last year on ABC, with the kick-off at 8:40 p.m. (ET) instead of 9:10 p.m.

There will also be a trio in the broadcast booth, which is what ABC did in years past, but not more recently when Al Michaels and John Madden manned the booth. Mike Tirico, veteran ESPN broadcaster, will do the play-by-play, replacing Michaels, while Joe Theismann who move over from the ESPN Sunday Night telecast to be one of the analysts. The other will be Tony Kornheiser, who is currently the co-host of the the ESPN show Pardon the Interruption, and also a sports columnist for the Washington Post.

Michaels was under contract to continue as MNF play-by-play announcer, but asked out of the contract and ESPN complied. "As long as Al was committed to us, we were committed to him," said John Skipper, ESPN's executive vp of content. But Skipper said Michaels "was not comfortable with our vision and where we were going [with MNF]. We want to work with those who want to work with us, so we made a decision quickly to move on."

Skipper would not discuss the terms of letting Michaels out of his contract.

Some have likened one time ABC "third man" in the MNF booth, Dennis Miller, who did not work out well in that role, and Kornheiser. But Skipper said Kornheiser's background as a sportswriter makes him a better fit. "Tony knows the game," Skipper said. "Dennis Miller knew the game, but he was trying to do something different. I think Tony has proven on Pardon the Interruption, in his [newspaper sports] column, and on the radio, that he can bring a perspective to this that people like."

Suzy Kolber and Michelle Tafoya, who handled the sideline reports during the Super Bowl telecast on ABC, will perform those roles on the new ESPN MNF telecasts.

Skipper said the ESPN MNF telecast will be somewhat different than ABC's, because ESPN can do programming leading up to the telecast. "Monday Night Football has always been about innovation and we will innovate on this broadcast," Skipper said. "We do not think of it as a mere three-hour window. We think of this as an immersive cross-platform experience that will make use of all the assets of ESPN. We will start Sunday night after the [NBC] game telecast, with highlights. We will be [televising] from the host city [of the Monday night game] the night before. We will air Mike & Mike [sports talk show] both on the radio and television from that city [on MNF game day morning]. We'll have NFL PrimeTime, NFL Countdown and SportsCenter televised from that city."

Skipper said adding up all the viewers for the pre-game and in-game telecasts, "we believe we will aggregate double the fans that watched Monday Night Football in a measured audience across all our platforms."

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001994124

fredfa

02-09-06, 12:36 AM

The Business of TV
Univision Confirms It May Be for Sale

By Andrew Ross Sorkin The New York Times February 9, 2006

Univision Communications, the Spanish-language media company, confirmed yesterday that it would put itself up for sale, igniting speculation about which media giant would jump into the auction and how high a price the company would fetch.

In a statement released after the stock market closed, Univision said its board had "decided to begin a process to explore strategic alternatives." Univision also warned that "there can be no assurance that the exploration of strategic alternatives will result in a transaction." The company confirmed that it had hired UBS as an adviser.

Shares of Univision, which owns the nation's No. 1 Spanish-language television network, a radio broadcaster, a music company and online operations, jumped $3.66, to $34.20, after a report yesterday in The New York Times about the planned sale.

A parlor game immediately began about which companies would pursue Univision. The chairman of the News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch, said in a conference call that his company might be interested. "We only read about it today like everybody else," he said. "We will be looking at it."

Other media giants expected to take a look include Time Warner, CBS, Walt Disney, Grupo Televisa of Mexico and several private equity firms.

But an analyst for Merrill Lynch & Company, Jessica Reif Cohen, wrote in a note to investors that Disney or Time Warner "appear to be unlikely bidders in the context of Disney's move to emphasize content and the ongoing distraction of activist shareholders for TWX." She said she expected private equity firms to buy the company.

Other bidders like CBS and the News Corporation could face trouble because of federal regulations that limit ownership to stations that reach 39 percent of the nation's homes. But an analyst with Bank of America, Jonathan Jacoby, said, "We believe it's possible that UVN could spin off or sell the TV station business separately from the networks or the conglomerates."

Spencer Wang, an analyst with J. P. Morgan, said that Televisa, which provides much of Univision's content, might "be the most natural buyer for Univision, although foreign ownership restrictions could make a deal complex."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/09/business/media/09network.html?pagewanted=print

foxeng

02-09-06, 07:48 AM

Congress is expecting auction revenue to reach $10 billion.

What happened to the $80 billion/$60 billion/$40 billion they kept talking about? I guess "reality" set in. I am just glad it is "done." Now I can get on with life.

fredfa

02-09-06, 10:40 AM

The TV Column
Network Competitors Set to Skate All Over NBC's Olympics

By Lisa de Moraes The Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, February 9, 2006; C01

The Winter Olympics are so over.

Sure, the competition hasn't started yet -- NBC's event coverage kicks in Saturday, after tomorrow's opening ceremonies.

But whereas in the past the Games pretty much owned prime time and the other broadcast networks stayed out of the way, this year those networks intend to swamp the Games coverage with a tsunami of original programming.

So what's different?

No buzz.

"Everyone sensed a lack of buzz -- and they're feeling good about their shows," said one competitor. The Games "are not this insurmountable thing -- 'Idol' scares me a lot more than the Olympics does."

No buzz, because no "personalities" have emerged, the suit explained.

Figure skater Michelle Kwan "is in her eighth Olympics," the executive joked. (Technically, this will be Kwan's fourth Winter Olympics, although in her first she was a backup competitor.) Skier Bode Miller "is the best thing that's ever happened to NBC and I'm not sure anybody's that interested in him."

What else has changed?

NBC's ratings.

"NBC is the fourth-placed network now. Why should the first-, second- or third-placed networks back down because the fourth-placed network has the Olympics?" noted another competitor.

Even though the Games bring a lot of new viewers to the network, NBC, with its ratings substantially down from its heyday, has far less ability to promote the Olympics than four years ago. It's not an appointment network anymore.

"This is the first time NBC has had the Olympics where they haven't been the number one network," Fox scheduling guru Preston Beckman said.

So, for the first time, the Olympics will face original episodes of "Survivor." Four years ago, CBS waited until after the Winter Games to debut an edition of its tribal competition.

The Games also will tangle with "Dancing With the Stars."

Plus, original episodes of "Desperate Housewives."

And "Grey's Anatomy."

"Lost."

"24."

"House."

And, biggest of all, for the very first time, "American Idol."

"Idol" is averaging more than 34 million viewers on Tuesdays and nearly 32 million on Wednesdays this season -- up 11 and 19 percent compared with last season.

That's appointment television on almost every night of the week.

The most watched shows aren't on NBC. So it's not like any of the biggest shows in the prime-time firmament are being rested by NBC while it airs the Winter Games.

NBC's most watched prime-time program is "Law & Order: SVU," which ranks No. 21 for the season to date.

Fox's "American Idol" is No. 1.

And the Winter Olympics will face a mess of "Idol" over its 16 days.

Seven hours on five nights, to be exact, including the usual two hours next week, plus expanded two-hour editions Feb. 21 and Feb. 22.

(Staring at a two-hour "Idol" and the Olympics, ABC did blink on that night and is airing a rerun of the "Lost" pilot instead of a new episode because, as ABC scheduling chief Jeff Bader told the Associated Press, "there are certain programming combinations that you don't want to go up against -- we're better off saving an original.")

And, to commemorate the Games, Fox has added a one-hour "Idol" edition on Thursday, Feb. 23.

A perfect storm is brewing that night.

NBC's Olympics coverage, including the women's figure skating finals (aka the Winter Olympics Ratings Motherlode), must overcome not only that "Idol" show -- in which two women and two men will get whacked from the singing competition -- but also the final night of competition on the second edition of ABC's hit "Dancing With the Stars" and an original episode of CBS's reality staple "Survivor."

"It's one time period where we think all matter might be sucked into," joked another exec at a competing network.

Broadcasters also are being bullish because prime-time Olympicasts will not be live; four years ago, the Winter Olympics hailed from Salt Lake City, where the time difference was not such an issue.

Also, competition results are easily obtained by viewers, who are four years more Internet-savvy. So if Michelle Kwan gets to the finals and you find out in advance she does not win, "you're probably not going to watch it," one of the competitors speculated. (On the other hand, another noted, if you find out she did, you're probably going to tune in.)

And, speaking of figure skating, there's a whole lot of it in NBC's prime time for the next two weeks, even though that sport skews toward older women.

Which explains, only in part, why the country's most watched network, CBS, will run more repeats against the Games than its competitors. CBS's audience includes a larger percentage of those older viewers but its prime-time slate is also riddled with drama series that are not serialized. Dramas that are not serialized repeat well. Dramas that are serialized -- think "Lost," "24" -- don't.

Added to which, this February -- a ratings sweeps month -- is anomalous, what with ABC having the Super Bowl and NBC the Olympics.

"You look at the season and lay it out where you think you can best utilize your originals," CBS scheduling chief Kelly Kahl noted. "We made the determination this was not the most effective place to use them."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/08/AR2006020802549_pf.html

fredfa

02-09-06, 10:55 AM

The Winter Olympics
As Games open, NBC nearly sold out

Buyers report heavy demand for ad inventory

By Kevin Downey MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 9, 2006

Heading into its 17-day coverage of the Winter Games tomorrow, NBC is virtually sold out of ad inventory, and media buyers say the network will most likely reach a widely touted goal of $900 million in sales.

Contrary to some early reports, spot buyers confirm that advertising demand for the Olympics has been heavy for NBC, its cable networks like USA, and its local affiliates.

They say there is only a small percentage of inventory remaining, most of it in primetime, which NBC and some stations are holding onto in case they have to make up for ratings guaranteed to advertisers.

Most buyers say NBC’s cable networks are essentially sold out, due in part to what one network negotiator describes as favorable pricing. In fact, he says some advertisers may end up getting bumped because NBC’s cable networks are oversold.

Whatever inventory remains will likely be snapped up at premium pricing if the Olympics outperform modest ratings expectations for Friday’s opening ceremony and the Games, which will run through Feb. 26.

NBC will air 418 hours of the Olympics from Turin, Italy, on the flagship network and cable outlets including MSNBC and CNBC. That’s an increase of 42.5 hours from the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

“NBC has done a very thorough job of selling the Olympics,” says one buyer in the Midwest.

“There is always some inventory available at the end because the last 5 percent is the hardest to close," says the buyer. "And at this point they would be wise to withhold a significant amount for audience deficiency units because competing networks are going to go after them full throttle with fresh programming.”

The upbeat news for NBC is noteworthy considering a slew of press reports had the network and its stations struggling to unload Olympic inventory. Media buyers in past months have also said much the same to Media Life.

But one of the early concerns – that NBC’s deflated ratings mean its platform to promote the Olympic Games is diminished – has recently been subsiding. Media buyers say that even if NBC’s ratings don’t show it yet, the network has renewed momentum with hit shows like “My Name is Earl.”

NBC also was conservative in guaranteeing Olympic ratings, meaning if ratings are decent advertisers will get more than they paid for.

“I am sure that their hope is that the Olympics will start strong this weekend and next week they can sell [remaining] inventory because advertisers will see they are doing great,” says another network negotiator.

Charley Brough, vice president and group media director at Right Place Media in Lexington, Ky., says NBC’s affiliates are also mostly sold out.

“We did participate in several markets and I can say, based on discussions with sales reps, Olympic sales on a local level were going fairly well as far back as before the beginning of the year,” he says. “Stations were either at goal or close to sell-out levels.”

Marge Pistulka, a Florida-based media buyer with Empower MediaMarketing, says demand is heavy for the Olympics so competing stations are selling inventory at bargain-basement prices.

“There is plenty of inventory on non-NBC stations,” she says. “They are thinking the ratings might not be there because they are opposite the Olympics. Clients are staying away if they cannot afford the Olympics.”

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_2764.asp

fredfa

02-09-06, 10:58 AM

TV Sports
AL MICHAELS JOINS "NBC's SUNDAY NIGHT NFL FOOTBALL"

(NBC Sports Press Release) February 9, 2006

Michaels & Madden Make NBC Debut at Hall of Fame Game Aug. 6

TORINO, Italy – Feb. 9, 2006 - Emmy Award-winning sportscaster Al Michaels, one of the most renowned sports broadcasters of all time, and the commentator called "TV's best play-by-play announcer" by the Associated Press, will join "NBC's Sunday Night NFL Football" this fall, it was announced today by Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics. Michaels joins game analyst John Madden in the booth, reuniting the most honored NFL broadcast team on television, with Bob Costas and Cris Collinsworth serving as co-hosts of NBC's "Football Night in America" studio show.

"When we made the deal with the NFL this spring, there were four key stars I knew I wanted to build our football team around, but I wondered from the beginning, if I would be lucky enough to get them all," said Ebersol. "If you had asked me in mid-summer if I was really going to be able to pull this off, I would have said there's no way in hell, but that didn't stop me from trying. And, as it's come to pass over the last six months, I've learned more clearly than ever before, patience really does pay off."

Michaels and Madden's NBC debut will be the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, Sunday night, August 6. Madden will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame that same weekend. Teams and game time are expected to be announced in March.

One of television's most respected journalists, Michaels has covered more major sports events than any sportscaster, including 19 years as the play-by-play voice of "Monday Night Football." He is the only play-by-play commentator to cover the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Final. Among his many accolades, Michaels has captured four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Personality – Play-by-play (Host) (1986, 1989, 1995 and 2000) and has three times (1980, 1983 and 1986) received the NSSA Award from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association; he was inducted into the NSSA Hall of Fame in 1998. Michaels was named Sportscaster of the Year in 1996 by the American Sportscasters Association, and, in 1991, he was named Sportscaster of the Year by the Washington Journalism Review.

Michaels garnered his first Sportscaster of the Year award in 1980, the year he made his memorable call, "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" of the U.S. men's hockey team's dramatic upset victory over the USSR at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. His reputation for Olympic acumen grew with his coverage of figure skating and hockey at the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo, and all track and field, in addition to road cycling, at the Summer Games in Los Angeles. He also covered hockey during the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic Games.

Regarded as one of the best baseball announcers of all time, Michaels was ABC's lead baseball play-by-play announcer during the network's coverage of Major League Baseball. He has also earned praise as a journalist and became just the second sportscaster in history to receive a News Emmy nomination for his coverage of the San Francisco earthquake during the 1989 World Series.

Michaels currently resides in Los Angeles, Calif.

NBC'S "FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA"

NBC's "Football Night in America" will encompass more than four hours of NFL coverage, including a primetime pre-game show hosted by Bob Costas, the most honored sportscaster of his generation, and the premier primetime game of the week, "NBC's Sunday Night NFL Football." Both the game and the pre-game will be broadcast in high definition. Ebersol negotiated the unprecedented six-year NFL deal, which includes innovative flexible scheduling, and continues through the 2011 season with Super Bowls in 2009 and 2012.

For each of the six seasons of the deal, NBC kicks off the NFL regular season with a Thursday night primetime game. The first regular season game of the new agreement, NBC's "NFL Kickoff 2006," launches the 2006 NFL regular season on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2006 in primetime.

The agreement calls for 16 regular season Sunday night games, each season's "NFL Kickoff" Thursday night primetime game, two postseason Wild Card games and three preseason games in primetime, in addition to Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 and XLVI in 2012 and Pro Bowls in the same years.

Under the new agreement, the NFL provides flexible game scheduling over the final seven weeks of the regular season. The flexible game selection, offered for the first time by the NFL, ensures marquee match-ups over the final seven weeks of the season when many teams' playoff chances are at stake.

fredfa

02-09-06, 11:24 AM

The Digital Revolution
Digital Date of 2009 Signed Into Law

By Todd Shields MediaWeek.com FEBRUARY 09, 2006 -

The 2009 date for ending the digital TV transition is now enshrined in law, with a signature from President Bush capping years of wrangling on Capitol Hill.

The presidential approval came Wednesday afternoon, as Bush signed into law a large deficit reduction act that includes the digital TV provision.

The legislation links TV and the budget because the government expects to gain $10 billion or more from auctioning spectrum that broadcasters will relinquish once they stop sending analog signals.

After Feb. 17, 2009 all TV broadcasts are to be in digital, a format that promises higher picture definition, more programming streams and efficient use of scarce spectrum.

Challenges remain, since roughly one in five households relies on over-the-air reception and would need new digital equipment to keep watching TV. The cable and satellite customers who comprise the majority of TV viewers should experience little disruption as system operators translate signals for their traditional analog equipment.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001994429

fredfa

02-09-06, 11:30 AM

TV Notebook
Viewers, 'Chris' deserves your valentines

By Melanie McFarland Seattle Post-Intelligencer TV Critic Thursday, February 9, 2006

Remember the short, skinny kid in your homeroom in sixth grade? You know the one. To girls, he was the guy they took to the Valentine's Day dance and didn't feel badly for ditching him for another boy. Short and skinny would always understand. "No big deal! Keep the chocolates," he said. "Share 'em with the guy you have crush on!" And you did.

In television's ongoing mixer, that wall-hugger is "Everybody Hates Chris," the sitcom that you should be watching Thursdays at 8 on KSTW/11 , but probably aren't. "Chris" is the Charlie Brown of comedies, or he would be if Charlie Brown were a black kid being bused to an all-white school where the kids can't stand him. People profess to love him dearly, but turn the other way when Lucy (aka all the other shows in his time slot) yanks the football away and messes up his kick.

We know why you're doing it, too. It's because you've forgotten that "Chris" is there. Completely understandable. (Hey, when I recently wrote about Thursdays, I forgot it was there.) When a network has a long history of failing to put up a fight on Thursdays, it's nearly impossible for it to get into the fray once it has something to swing. You can say that about the entire crawl space-rated history of UPN, which is why it's merging with The WB become The (poorly named) CW.

But I've said it time and time again: If television finally gives you the thing you've been screaming for -- and for the past three or four seasons, the call has gone out for a decent comedy -- you'd better reward any worthy contender with your attention.

That brings us back to "Chris." With that Hallmark holiday coming around the corner, now may be the perfect time to send a little love to one of the funniest half-hours on television. Tonight at 8, you can catch the thematically appropriate episode, "Everybody Hates Valentine's Day," in which Chris fears he'll end up cardless and unloved. Here are a few reasons you should send him your valentine.

• Everybody loves an underdog. Especially one that grows up to be Chris Rock, whose narration is one of the few instances of this season's most overused device, the voiceover, truly working. Equally instrumental to the show's success is Tyler James Williams' portrayal of young Chris.

The kid has the perfect attitude and presence to pull it off. Williams is adorable without being particularly cloying, and he has terrific timing. In an earlier episode, the combination of seeing him bounce down the street and in love, as Rock's voice says, "I felt like Billy Dee Williams after a case of malt liquor!" was enough to make you spurt your after-work cocktail out of your nose.

Scenes like that set us up beautifully for Chris' inevitable letdown. Here, he caught his crush kissing his brother -- his younger brother, adding insult to the heart-stomping -- and the illustration of his heartbreak took the laughs to a more surreal place. Gangsters mug him, a man runs by him on fire, and he doesn't notice any of it for all of his misery. The parody may have been extreme, but lonely hearts everywhere know the feeling.

• Everybody's screaming for tolerable family comedy. Disney's "That's So Raven" and Nickelodeon's "Drake & Josh" may be terrific tween candy, but I know adults who mildly self-medicate themselves (glug, glug, glug) to get through them without screaming. "The Bernie Mac Show" is better, and fans should be amazed that it made it to 100 episodes, what with all the time shifts Fox put it through. "Malcolm in the Middle" ends in May. After that, what? Sitcoms that are genuinely appealing to mom, dad and their innocent little'uns are hard to come by. Guess what? "Chris" is among the best of them. The worst crime it has committed so far is to accidentally reveal Santa wasn't real. But, hey, your kid was going to find out eventually.

• Everybody writes off UPN"s comedies. When searching the memory for legendary sitcoms, who thinks of UPN beyond fans of "Girlfriends"? Not to mention that the last time UPN had anything going for it on Thursday nights besides "WWE Smackdown!" was ... never.

On top of that, every magazine and newspaper is shoving NBC's "My Name is Earl" down our throats, many calling it the season's only great new comedy. No wonder "Chris" got lost. Yes, "Earl's" terrific. It's also on Thursdays, but at 9 p.m. You can watch both.

• Are you really laughing at anything else at 8? Now, we get that the competition is fierce up top. CBS has "Survivor," ABC is tearing it up with "Dancing With the Stars," and even The WB's "Smallville" is in the midst of a creatively bulked up this season.

NBC's "Will & Grace," however, stopped being funny some time ago. It's ending, thank god ... although it missed the opportunity to go out in style two seasons back.

Ditto for Fox's "That '70s Show." These empty sacks are beating the tar out of reliably hysterical little "Chris" simply because you'd rather stick with the stink you know than venture into unfamiliar, hilarious meadows.

• Everybody loves nostalgia. In the right doses, that is. "Chris" gets that. It doesn't matter that the stories were derived from a stratospherically famous comedian's life; that's just the hook. The show's combination of familiar snippets from '80s pop music, Chris's universally recognizable childhood traumas and his hard-working, realistically flawed parents (tremendously played by Tichina Arnold and Terry Crews) are the true stars here. Inviting guest stars such as Jimmie Walker, who plays Chris' grandfather in an upcoming episode, sweetens the pitch.

True, the folks may talk about money a little too much for some people to take, but you don't have to have been a black kid who grew up poor in the big city to commiserate with Chris' woes. Childhood -- no matter the person's class, race, etc. -- is tough all around.

Since "Everybody Hates Chris" is pretty much a shoo-in for The CW, there's no fear that it won't be around for at least another season. But why not show it some love right now?

Go on, take him out for a night. We bet you call on him again next week.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/258795_tv09.html

fredfa

02-09-06, 11:33 AM

TV Notebook
Hot trend: medical drama

By Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel Television Critic in the Sentinel’s TV blog

Fox's "House" and ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" reached their biggest audiences this week. It looks as if America wants extended consultations with both medical dramas. Isn't it nice to know you have several alternatives to NBC's waning "ER"?

"House," with Hugh Laurie as a brilliant but difficult physician, pulled in 22.2 million viewers Tuesday. That's a good showing for a great show. After all, the "House" premiere drew only 7 million in November 2004.

Sure, it helps that "House" follows "American Idol." But a show has to hold the big audience to keep a choice slot. "House" is thriving because of superb writing and acting.

Look for its audience to keep building. By season's end, "House" should be in the same ratings league with "Lost," "Desperate Housewives" and perhaps "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." "House" is on the brink of becoming Fox's biggest drama ever.

"Grey's Anatomy," with Ellen Pompeo as a brilliant but confounding surgical intern, attracted nearly 37.9 million Sunday night. That was the best showing by any entertainment program this season -- bigger than any installment of "American Idol" or "CSI." ABC will repeat the "Grey's Anatomy" episode at 9:30 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 9).

OK, you can attribute Sunday's huge audience to a time slot after ABC's presentation of the Super Bowl. But "Grey's Anatomy" converted that prestigious berth into a stellar showcase for its cast. The drama should move up the Nielsen charts and draw increased attention from Emmy voters.

Don't be surprised to see more medical dramas next fall in TV's copycat world. CBS reportedly is considering a drama about a brain surgeon. "House" and "Grey's Anatomy" probably mean there will be more doctors in your house.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2006/02/hot_trend_medic.html

fredfa

02-09-06, 11:42 AM

A Remembrance
Farewell to a TV visionary

By Dusty Saunders (Denver) Rocky Mountain News February 9, 2006

As moviegoers have learned, Edward R. Murrow had a famed sign-off:

"Good night, and good luck."

When Reuven Frank died Monday at 85, the NBC Nightly News, in humorous yet reverential style, paid tribute to the network's former, long-time news executive, noting Frank was responsible for another noted TV news signature:

"Good night, Chet."

"Good night, David."

In 1956, Frank began producing the Huntley-Brinkley Report, the popular, award-winning half-hour newscast featuring Chet Huntley in New York and David Brinkley anchoring from Washington, D.C.

Frank suggested the two simply end each broadcast with a "good night."

Frank, who succumbed to pneumonia, was a visionary professional in network television's Stone Age - a behind-the-scenes guy mostly unknown by inhabitants of today's crowded electronic news stage.

And stress the word professional.

While Reuven Frank never reached the idol-type popularity of early TV news pioneers like Murrow, his CBS cohort Fred Friendly or Don Hewitt, creator of 60 Minutes, he had a major impact on the development of network news.

And although his NBC network connection ended 20 years ago, Frank remained a feisty journalist to the end, contributing regular maverick-style opinion columns to Television Week, a trade publication.

Frank was one of those guys who always cut through the baloney - a euphemism often used in a family newspaper.

Throughout his career he preached that NBC News and network news in general would never reach their full potential because of time limits and budget constrictions.

Equipped with a self-deprecating style, Frank once said: "Even I could make a network newscast invaluable if I had an extra half-hour and additional money."

NBC, while obviously respecting Frank, tried on several occasions to put him out to pasture. But he always was able to sneak back under the retirement fence and make his voice heard.

I spent time with Frank on two occasions in the mid-'70s and mid-'80s.

Each Denver visit dealt with his active participation in one of those "what's-wrong-with-TV-journalism" seminars.

Plenty, according to Frank, who never minced words in discussing TV news.

Our initial meeting followed Frank's first tour of duty as news president. He had remained with the network as executive news producer.

We spent one late night at the Denver Press Club, sipping bourbon and discussing all aspects of the broadcast news business.

Actually, "discussing" is not quite accurate.

As a rookie on the TV beat, I listened intently, soaking up Frank's knowledge while admiring his ability to criticize his world without cynically damning it. Frank had a rollicking sense of humor.

During his first term as news president, Frank created a TV slide for network newscasts designed to tone down the egos of anchors, reporters and producers.

It read: "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation: film at 11."

Frank was more than a philosopher. He was a doer.

During nearly 40 years at NBC, Frank, who started as a news writer in 1950 on Camel News Caravan with John Cameron Swayze, produced more than 50 hard-edged documentaries. Many were award winners under the prestigious NBC White Paper format.

Perhaps the most honored was The Tunnel, a 1962 report about East Germans tunneling their way to freedom under the Berlin Wall.

Frank was credited with streamlining network television's political convention and election coverage, putting together a team headed by Huntley, Brinkley and Frank McGee.

He also created several magazine series, including Weekend and First Tuesday.

Frank spelled out his beliefs in his lengthy 1991 autobiography, Out of Thin Air.

While admitting he didn't have all the answers, Frank never backed away from his premise that the network news business was handcuffed by financial constraints, boardroom egos and in-house political conflicts.

We last talked in January 2004, when CBS shoved Hewitt into a news pastureland.

"Hewitt was a visionary," Frank said. "He deserves all the respect he has received."

Frank reminded that many don't know or had forgotten that he tried to emulate the 60 minutes format, four months after the CBS series premiered, with First Tuesday, a monthly series.

"We produced some good stuff. But NBC didn't stick with it. "Something about not having the budget," Frank said.

Come to think of it, I first heard the term "network bean counters" during a late-night visit with Reuven Frank.

http://www.insidedenver.com/drmn/columnist/0,1299,DRMN_84_128,00.html

fredfa

02-09-06, 11:49 AM

TV Notebook
Bad News for ''Love Monkey'' Fans

By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

This morning I lent a tape of the ''Love Monkey'' pilot to a co-worker who has gotten hooked on the show. I also began trying to research a question from a reader who liked the show and had noticed an interesting detail. Alas, there are not enough of us watching the show. Note the asterisk at the end of this CBS announcement:

CBS's revised primetime schedule for Tuesday, Feb. 14
8:00-9:00 PM PRICE IS RIGHT MILLION DOLLAR SPECTACULAR
9:00-10:00 PM DR. PHIL PRIMETIME SPECIAL: LOVE SMART
10:00-11:00 PM NCIS (R)*

CBS's revised primetime schedule for Tuesday, Feb. 21
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS (R)
9:00-10:00 PM NCIS (R)
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (R)*
• Replaces "Love Monkey" which is on hiatus.

Regular readers know that I liked this show and I was getting to like it even more. I hope that, after the madness of February sweeps has ended, that we will at least get to see the episodes still in the can. For now, if you haven't seen it already, check out http://www.truevinylrecords.com/ -- and click on the ''artists'' section.

http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/

keenan

02-09-06, 01:14 PM

TV Notebook
Bad News for ''Love Monkey'' Fans

As noted, this show is probably not going to make it but I've watched must of them and it's not that bad. I think on another network that had some room it might make it.

It also seems to be a sort of experiment in the marketing of a new musical talent. Teddy Geiger(Wayne) is a Columbia Records(Sony) recording artist on a Sony Pictures Television show. His music is pretty good, incredible in fact when you consider he's only 16.

fredfa

02-09-06, 01:56 PM

Wednesday’s network prime-time ratings have been posted at the top of Latest Prime Time Ratings news which is the first post in this thread.

fredfa

02-09-06, 01:59 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
CBS takes a hit with Grammy Awards

Down 11 percent in 18-49s, whacked by 'Idol'

By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 9, 2006

Airing opposite ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” last year on Sunday, the Grammy Awards hit a record-low rating among households. CBS moved the telecast back to Wednesday this year but the results did not get any better. In fact, they got worse.

Last night the Grammys faced two other big hits, Fox’s “American Idol” and ABC’s “Lost,” and once more viewership declined.

CBS averaged 17.6 million total viewers from 8 to 11 p.m. last night, according to Nielsen overnights, for its Grammy telecast, down 9 percent from last year’s 19.3 million for the three-hour window. If that holds when final numbers are released later today, it would make it the second-least-watched Grammys telecast ever.
Final ratings will change, however, because the awards show aired live and because it ran past 11 p.m. Overnight numbers measured time slot and not program data.

The network also averaged a 7.3 overnight rating among 18-49s over the three-hour period, down 11 percent from an 8.2 last year. It averaged an 11.2 among households. Last year's Grammys had a final household rating of 11.6.

Competition was tough all night for CBS, especially during the first two primetime hours. At 8 p.m. Fox averaged 28.3 million total viewers for “Idol,” 87 percent more than the 15.1 million CBS had for the Grammys that hour.

CBS did lead the 9 p.m. hour with 19.3 million average total viewers, but that was barely more than 18.8 million ABC averaged that hour for “Lost.”

Meanwhile, Fox’s lineup led the night among 18-49s with an 8.1 average rating and a 19 share. CBS finished second at 7.3/18, ABC third at 4.5/11, NBC fourth at 3.0/7, Univision fifth at 1.7/4, WB sixth at 1.3/3 and UPN seventh at 0.6/1.

Fox began the night in the lead with an 11.3 rating among 18-49s during the 8 p.m. hour for “Idol,” well ahead of the 5.8 CBS averaged for the first hour of the Grammys. ABC was third during the hour with a 2.1 average for “George Lopez” (2.0) and “Freddie” (2.2), with Univision fourth with a 1.9 for “Contra Viento y Marea,” NBC fifth with a 1.7 for “The Biggest Loser,” WB sixth with a 1.3 for “One Tree Hill” and UPN seventh with a 0.5 for “South Beach.”

CBS took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 7.9 average for its second hour of the Grammys, followed closely by ABC’s 7.6 average for “Lost.” Fox slipped to third that hour with a 4.9 for “Bones,” with NBC fourth with a 2.9 for another hour of “Biggest Loser,” Univision fifth with a 1.8 for “Alborada,” WB sixth with a 1.4 for a repeat of “Beauty and the Geek” and UPN seventh with a 0.8 for “Veronica Mars.”

CBS finished the night on top with an 8.1 at 10 p.m. for its continued coverage of the Grammys. NBC was second with a 4.3 for “Law & Order,” ABC third with a 3.7 for “Invasion” and Univision fourth with a 1.3 for “Don Francesco Presenta.”

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_2766.asp

fredfa

02-09-06, 02:05 PM

The fight over a la carte
FCC Report Supports A La Carte

By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 2/9/2006

As expected, the FCC Thursday released a new report on a la carte cable service, saying that consumers might be "better off" under that regime. Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens responded that he would support a la carte if it is not more expensive, "subject to discussions with providers on the downsides."

The report also details what it says are numerous errors in an earlier Booz Allen study used by the FCC and submitted to Congress to support the conclusion that a la carte was uneconomical.

The report "finds that the 2004 report also relied upon unrealistic assumptions and presented biased analysis in concluding that a la carte “would not produce the desired result of lower MVPD rates for most pay-television households.”

"According to today's report," said FCC Chairman Kevin Martin in a statement, "a careful analysis reveals that a la carte and increased tiering could offer consumers greater choice and the opportunity to lower their bills. Indeed, in recent months more consumer choice has proven to be technically possible and many companies have begun offering the kinds of tiers the previous report found to be infeasible."

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association was ready with a list of more than 150 people and groups it says has sent letters to the FCC and Congress opposing mandatory pay-per-channel pricing, including everybody from the NAACP to the NCAA.

The cable industry argues that such a regime upsets the bundled business model that allows it to carry a range of services, and that the result of a la carte would actually be more expensive programming and make it harder for some of the diverse niche channels that are now part of bundled tiers to survive.

""Most studies conclude that a mandated a la carte regime would be more expensive for consumers and result in less diversity in programming," said NCTA President Kyle McSlarrow. "The marketplace in which cable, satellite, broadcasters and others vigorously compete for customers should decide video offerings, not mandates and price controls imposed by Washington. The notion that the government knows better how to improve on a competitive marketplace is not supported by the evidence."

The new report suggests it might actually be easier for some smaller networks to get carriage since systems "might find it easier to judge the value of smaller networks if consumers were able to express their interest through subscriptions." Of course, that may be what some smaller networks are afraid of.

Cable bill critic John McCain hailed the study, saying: "I am pleased that the Commission has concluded that ‘a la carte’ offering could reduce consumers’ cable bills by as much as 13 percent. The report confirms what I have believed for years – if consumers are allowed to choose the channels their families view then their monthly cable bill will be less. Choice is far preferable to being forced to buy a host of channels they don’t even watch.”

Not surprisingly, a la carte fans, the Parent's Television Council was pleased with the new report, saying: "Cable Choice will help, not hurt, consumers. Consumers – and especially families – must be afforded the ability to pick and choose and pay for only those networks they want in their homes,” said PTC President Brent Bozell.

PTC has been pushing for per-channel pricing as a way for parents to screen out channels with content they deem family unfriendly.

The following additional bullet points are straight from the FCC's summary:

• The Booz Allen Study failed to net out the cost of broadcast stations when calculating the average cost per cable channel under a la carte. As a result, the Booz Allen Study overstated the average price per cable channel by more than 50 percent, and erroneously concluded that, under a la carte, consumers that receive at least nine cable networks would likely face an increase in their monthly bills.

• The corrected calculations show that a subscriber could receive as many as 20 channels, including six broadcast signals, without seeing an increase in his or her monthly bill. This is more than the 17 channels that the average television household watches. The corrected calculations also show that, in three of the four scenarios considered in the Booz Allen Study, consumers’ bills decrease by anywhere from 3 to 13 percent.

• The Booz Allen Study assumes, without any support, that a shift to a la carte pricing would cause consumers to watch nearly 25 percent less television, or over two fewer hours of television per day. There is no reason to believe that viewers would watch less video programming than they do today if provided an a la carte option.

• The 2004 report fails to mention that the Booz Allen Study shows that, even with the math error noted above, if a la carte were only implemented on digital cable systems with appropriate set top boxes in place, then a la carte could result in a 1.97 percent decrease in consumers’ bills.

• Similarly, the examples presented in the Economic Appendix of the 2004 report focus on cases in which a la carte would be harmful to consumers and do not discuss equally plausible examples in which a la carte would be beneficial to consumers.

• The Booz Allen Study does not consistently recognize differences among networks and network segments. Booz Allen assumed that under a la carte, consumers would be three times as likely to purchase programming in segments such as “general entertainment and sports” than in segments such as “emerging niche” and “emerging mass.” However, when Booz Allen determined how many channels a consumer could purchase, it assumed that all channels cost the same amount.

• The current industry practice of bundling programming services may drive up retail prices, making video programming less affordable and keeping some consumers from subscribing to multichannel video programming distributor services.

• For many popular networks, advertising and subscription fees might rise as viewers shift to those programming options, even as consumers who opt to watch only those channels enjoy significant savings on their MVPD bills.

• Some type of a la carte option could prove better than today’s bundling practices in fostering diverse programming responsive to consumer demand.

• A la carte could make it easier for programming networks valued by a minority of viewers to enter the marketplace.

• If consumers were able to express their interests through subscriptions, advertisers and MVPDs might find it easier to judge the value of smaller networks.

fredfa

02-09-06, 02:07 PM

The fight over a la carte
FCC A La Carte Press Release

For Immediate Release February 9, 2006

FCC Media Bureau Report Finds Substantial Consumer Benefits
in A La Carte Model of Delivering Video Programming

Washington, DC – The Media Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today issued a Further Report on the Packaging and Sale of Video Programming Services to the Public (the “Further Report”) on the issue of an “a la carte” model for delivery of video services. The Further Report finds consumers could be better off under a la carte and explores several a la carte options that could provide substantial benefits to subscribers by increasing their choices in purchasing programming.

The Further Report reexamines the conclusions and underlying assumptions of the earlier Media Bureau report on a la carte submitted to Congress in November 2004 (“2004 Report”). In particular, the Further Report describes a number of errors in the Booz Allen Hamilton (“Booz Allen”) Study that the Media Bureau relied upon to support the conclusion of the earlier report that a la carte is not economical. The Further Report finds that the 2004 report also relied upon unrealistic assumptions and presented biased analysis in concluding that a la carte “would not produce the desired result of lower MVPD rates for most pay-television households.”

The Further Report identifies mistaken calculations in the Booz Allen Study, which was originally submitted by the cable industry for Commission consideration. Booz Allen itself acknowledges the errors, which other economists also have confirmed. The Further Report explains that the Booz Allen Study failed to net out the cost of broadcast stations when calculating the average cost per cable channel under a la carte. As a result, the Booz Allen Study overstated the average price per cable channel by more than 50 percent.

The Booz Allen Study significantly underestimated the number of programming channels that a subscriber could enjoy under a la carte while still achieving savings compared to the subscriber’s current multichannel video programming distributor (“MVPD”) fees. Indeed, correcting for this mathematical error, consumers’ bills decreased by anywhere from 3 to 13 percent in three out of the four scenarios considered in the Booz Allen Study.

In addition, the Further Report notes that, through the use of questionable assumptions, the Booz Allen Study may have further overestimated the costs of a la carte. The Booz Allen Study (accepted in the Media Bureau’s 2004 report) assumed that a shift to a la carte would cause consumers to watch nearly 25 percent less television, or over two fewer hours of television per day. The Further Report finds that there is no reason to believe that viewers would watch less video programming than they do today simply because they could choose the channels they find most interesting.

Finally, the 2004 report fails to mention that the Booz Allen Study shows that, even with the math error noted above, if a la carte were only implemented on digital cable systems with appropriate set top boxes in place, then a la carte could result in a 1.97 percent decrease in consumers’ bills.

fredfa

02-09-06, 02:12 PM

TV Notebook
CBS Puts Love Monkey on Hiatus

By John Consoli MediaWeek.com FEBRUARY 09, 2006 -

CBS has scrapped its mid-season hour comedy, Love Monkey, after just a few weeks, putting it on hiatus. The 10 p.m. Tuesday show will be replaced by the next edition of Amazing Race, which will premiere on Feb. 28 with a two-hour edition, and which will then air Tuesdays at 10, beginning March 7. New drama, The Unit, will premiere on March 7 at 9 p.m.

Love Monkey lost 1 million viewers from its premiere on Jan. 16 to its second episode the following week, and its 18-49 demo was averaging a 3.3, third in the time period behind NBC's Law & Order: SVU and ABC's Boston Legal. Most recently, a repeat of SVU scored higher ratings and drew a larger audience.

Love Monkey starred Tom Cavanagh as a single, record executive in New York.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001994478

fredfa

02-09-06, 02:12 PM

The fight over a la carte
FCC: A La Carte Could Help Cable, Satellite Customers

By Todd Shields MediaWeek.com FEBRUARY 09, 2006 -

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday reversed its previous conclusion and said channel-by-channel choice could benefit cable and satellite TV customers.

The FCC said its 2004 report, which concluded so-called á la carte service would increase bills for most customers, relied on mistaken assumptions and "presented biased analysis."

In contrast the agency on Thursday said the prevailing industry practice of bundling channels "may drive up retail prices."

Cable companies insist that á la carte pricing would leave consumers with increased fees and fewer choices. But the FCC on Thursday said that under á la carte, advertising and subscription fees could rise for some programming networks.

The report was ordered by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, who has urged cable and satellite operators to increase viewer choice, in part so customers can avoid paying for programming they consider indecent.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001994464

fredfa

02-09-06, 02:35 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Bye, bye, Bluths

'Arrested Development' was too witty and subtle to last
By Matthew Gilbert The Boston Globe staff February 9, 2006

There's no point in getting righteously ticked off about the end of ''Arrested Development." The show was born to be a martyr. It was built for TV fanatics and Hollywood insiders, and its three-year run has been an unexpected gift. I doubt Fox honchos truly believed the brilliantly insane sitcom would become a Nielsen hit when it premiered in 2003, despite a likeness to the network's successful animated comedies. ''Arrested Development" was too densely witty and too elliptically naughty to ever become a Next Big Thing. From the start, this series had ''legendary ratings flop" written all over it.

Indeed, we're lucky to have gotten 53 rich episodes. I still marvel at the frequency of jokes in each 22-minute block of ''Arrested Development." The four final episodes, which air back to back tomorrow night at 8 on Channel 25, are so layered, you'll want to re-watch them to catch the puns and self-references and sly allusions you overlooked. The writers of the show, led by creator Mitchell Hurwitz, loved to bury easy-to-miss comic Easter eggs in their dialogue. And with no laugh track to signal ''LAUGH NOW" and a cast that's expert at casually dropping lines, so many of the goofs on Tobias's sexuality and Lucille's alcoholism just snuck on by.

Thankfully, the series will always be re-watchable on the medium that has rescued TV from the electronic void: DVD.

But it wasn't just the sophistication and intricacy of ''Arrested Development" that doomed it. Yes, the show was so imaginatively out there it made viewers work to understand its unique comic language. But viewers are willing to disentangle tight plot knots on the likes of ''Lost." We're not always lazy.

The deeper problem for ''Arrested Development" was its identity as the antithesis of ''Everybody Loves Raymond" at a time when family sitcoms have retreated from the edge. To be a hit domestic comedy, you have to be as fangless and traditional as ''According to Jim," or else leave domestic humor behind for the dating realm. Arguably, as global threats become more harsh, viewers prefer to see home life as a safe haven and not as the hyperactive battlefield it is on ''Arrested Development."

Indeed, the writers were at their funniest and sickest when they zeroed in on the lies and indifference of the Bluth family. That material portrayed the kind of domestic perversity that can make mainstream viewers writhe uncomfortably. On a drama such as ''The Sopranos," a mother who doesn't love her children is a burden on her son that evokes sympathy; on ''Arrested Development," it was the kind of nasty punch line that wasn't for the sensitive. Jessica Walter's matriarch, Lucille Bluth, wasn't a clingy nurturer like Doris Roberts on ''Raymond"; she was a brittle lush who turned son Buster (Tony Hale) into a childlike mess. Just the presence of comedian David Cross in the cast -- as gay-not-gay son-in-law Tobias Funke -- was not for the squeamish. Known for his subversive humor as a comedian, Cross brought along the sort of ''Gen X" irony that isn't in full vogue. Tomorrow night, for instance, his Tobias is caught wearing one of his daughter's jackets.

Incest was also an ongoing source of cringe comedy on this family show. Teenager George-Michael (Michael Cera) has had a thing for his cousin Maeby (Alia Shawkat) for years, a crush that plays out in the finale. Lucille positively ruined Buster with her inappropriate treatment, memorably by taking him to an annual ''Motherboy" dance. Oh yes, and tomorrow night, Michael, played by Jason Bateman, has a possible liaison with a character who may be his sister -- and who is played by Bateman's older sister, Justine. The flirtation scenes are freaky-deaky indeed.

As domestically twisted as ''Arrested Development" could be, it wasn't all about Bluth navel gazing. Unfortunately, viewers who might have enjoyed the ''Daily Show"-like political target practice may have stayed away because of the family lunacy. The show repeatedly turned outward, on Hollywood's obsession with youth, on the Enron scandal, and on the war in Iraq (see tomorrow night's dorm of Saddam Hussein look-alikes). One of the finale's best lines comes while some of the Bluths are in the back of a taxi in Iraq: ''Sorry it took so long," says the driver, ''but the Cheney Expressway was backed up all the way to Halliburton Road."

The world of pop culture also took many hits throughout the series, from Henry Winkler's literally jumping over a dead shark to a spoof of James Bond movies. Even the Fox network received its share of jabs, notably in a bitter episode filmed shortly after the series was canceled. Tomorrow night, look for bits on ''Law & Order," ''My Name Is Earl," and William Hung.

It was probably not the right time for such a bent sitcom on a major network. It's tempting to point the finger at Fox, for its reckless time-slotting of the show, which won Emmys for best comedy, writing, directing, and casting. But I sense that the cancellation has more to do with us than them. There is certainly a taste for wicked and abrasive TV comedy today, but it's a cult phenomenon. Shows such as Ricky Gervais's ''The Office" (which is cooler than the American version) and Larry David's ''Curb Your Enthusiasm" probably wouldn't thrive on a major network, where the priorities are high ratings and advertiser comfort with the material. If the rumors that Showtime will take over the Fox sitcom come true, which is highly unlikely, the cable network will serve as a better home.

''Arrested Development" was both wonderfully ludicrous and subtle. Alas, it might have been too much of each to survive.

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2006/02/09/bye_bye_bluths?mode=PF

fredfa

02-09-06, 02:52 PM

Critic’s Notebook
As final episodes air, `Arrested' still in limbo

By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News Posted on Thu, Feb. 09, 2006

(Note: all times are ET/PT)

The one thing we know for certain about Fox's `”Arrested Development'' is that the final four episodes of the show's abbreviated third season will be shown Friday starting at 8 p.m.

That throws two hours of the Emmy-winning and critically acclaimed comedy up against not only the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics but also against the weekly results show of ABC's very popular ``Dancing with the Stars.'' Fox executives call it counter-programming. But everybody knows the episodes are just being burned off at a time when most viewers are going to be watching something else.

Beyond that, the future of ``Arrested'' remains more than a bit murky.

The series hasn't even officially been canceled by its network. Late last month, Fox Entertainment President Peter Liguori told reporters that while ``it is highly unlikely the show is coming back, no definitive answer has been made'' regarding its status.

Liguori went on to add that a final decision on ``Arrested'' may not be made until spring, after the network looks at proposed series it has in development.

In the meantime, rumors persist that ABC and Showtime are interested in the quirky, sometimes too-smart-for-the-room comedy.

ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson has been hesitant, at least publicly, to express real interest. He said recently that he likes ``Arrested'' and feels his network could ``market that show really well.''

But then he added, ``I think it's a long shot.''

Robert Greenblatt, entertainment boss at Showtime, was a little more forthcoming. He admitted his premium cable channel has had discussions with 20th Century Fox, which produces ``Arrested,'' saying he feels ``there's a lot of reasons why it's a fit for us.'' (For one thing, if just a fraction of the show's audience on Fox followed it to Showtime, it would be the channel's highest-rated show.)

But he went on to add that the discussions have been put on hold while ``Arrested'' creator Mitch Hurwitz decides whether he even wants to go ahead with new episodes. Reportedly, Hurwitz -- who must be really tired of the uncertainty surrounding his show's future -- wants a firm commitment of at least one full network season or two shorter cable seasons.

``The show is only worth continuing if Mitch Hurwitz is at the helm running it,'' Greenblatt said. ``And he hasn't yet come to that decision.''

Hurwitz seems to be hedging his bets with Friday's episodes: The finale concludes in much the same way that the series opened three seasons ago. For the last two hours, the dysfunctional Bluth family will be joined by a gaggle of kinda-weird guest stars (a hallmark of the show) including Judge Reinhold, Bud Cort, Justine Bateman and William Hung. (Yeah, that William Hung.)

If you're going to go out, you might as well go out in style.

Remote controls

• One of TV's great recurring characters returns to ``CSI'' tonight (9 p.m., CBS) when Melinda Clarke (``The O.C.'') reprises her role as Lady Heather, Las Vegas' slinky and smart dominatrix. She's the only woman ever to rattle the cage of the normally unflappable Gil Grissom (William Petersen). Clarke and Petersen have real chemistry, and the previous appearances by Lady Heather have been among the series' best moments.

• Speaking of returns, Noah Wyle is back tonight as John Carter on ``ER'' (10 p.m., NBC) for the first of three episodes. I doubt even Wyle can regenerate my interest in the show, although I have to admit that last week's episode with guest stars James Woods and the criminally underemployed Ally Walker was pretty good stuff.

Station breaks

• Good news for all of you who have e-mailed and called about Sunday's ``Grey's Anatomy'' starting later than expected after the Super Bowl, thereby fouling up the best-laid TiVo and VCR plans. ABC will repeat the episode (and its cliffhanger ending) at 9:30 tonight (ABC) after ``Dancing With the Stars.''

• Speaking of ABC, it has announced a batch of spring schedule changes, but one series was notably left out: ``Alias,'' which still has a half season of episodes left in the can. No one at the network is saying when the once buzz-heavy show will return for the end of its final season.

• Comcast has changed its channels on Universal HD, which is carrying the high-definition coverage of the Winter Olympics from USA, MSNBC and CNBC. Originally, Universal HD was to have been on Comcast Ch. 726 and would not have been available on some Comcast systems. Now, it's been moved to Ch. 720, which means all systems in the Bay Area will get it.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/columnists/charlie_mccollum/13828024.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

AFH

02-09-06, 05:13 PM

^^^Yeah, when is Alias coming back? I kept reading that it would be this month and.

Whitearrow

02-09-06, 05:20 PM

That extends all the way down to the decision to adopt the local pronunciation of "Torino" because NBC Universal Olympics Chairman Dick Ebersol said he "was just swept away with how that sounded ... [as] it just rolls off your mouth."

... or maybe they just figured out that "Turin" reminds most people of a shroud.

fredfa

02-09-06, 05:45 PM

^^^Yeah, when is Alias coming back? I kept reading that it would be this month and.

I have seen nothing from ABC more definitive than it is returning :"this spring".

harley1

02-09-06, 05:50 PM

fredfa

02-09-06, 05:51 PM

The fight over a la carte
Booz Allen Response to FCC Report on Cable Programming Delivery

February 9, 2006

Booz Allen issued a statement supporting its analysis of costs to consumers for a la carte cable pricing.
In November 2004, the FCC independently corroborated the methodology and conclusions of a report prepared for the FCC's a la carte inquiry. At that time, other independent economists also corroborated our conclusions.

In December 2005, in a letter to the FCC's Chief Economist we acknowledged — and corrected — a mistake in one of our calculations. We shared with the FCC our findings that, after making the appropriate adjustments, our conclusions remain unchanged.

We continue to stand by our conclusions and underlying assumptions, based on our experience and on the information we collected at the time our report was written, in July 2004:

• A la carte pricing would result in higher costs to consumers for comparable access to cable programming;

• Diversity would suffer. A significant number of cable networks, including those that offer innovative and untested formats, will be forced out of business before they have a chance to build the audience they need to become profitable. Others will have to make dramatic budget cuts, harming the quality of their programs.

http://www.boozallen.com/bahng/SilverDemo?PID=Home.html&contType=TABLE&dispType=HTML&Region=&Geography=&language=English&Taxonomy1=&Taxonomy2=&Taxonomy3=&SortBy=dateline+DESC&GroupBy=dateline+by+month&FORM_ACTION=BROWSE&style=item&sCacheID=&sNumHits=0&sNumJobHits=0&sNumVideoHits=0&ITID=719550

fredfa

02-09-06, 05:54 PM

The fight over a la carte
NCTA Response to FCC Report on Cable Programming Delivery

Comments of Kyle McSlarrow, NCTA President & CEO, Regarding the Updated FCC Media Bureau Report on A La Carte Programming

“A mandated a la carte regime would be more expensive for
consumers and result in less diversity in programming”

“Most studies conclude that a mandated a la carte regime would be more expensive for consumers and result in less diversity in programming. It is disappointing that the updated Media Bureau report relies on assumptions that are not in line with the reality of the marketplace. Over the last 25 years, the American free enterprise system created the most diverse video programming on Earth with the best value for the customer.

The marketplace in which cable, satellite, broadcasters and others vigorously compete for customers should decide video offerings, not mandates and price controls imposed by Washington, D.C. The notion that the government knows better how to improve on a competitive marketplace is not supported by the evidence.”

http://www.ncta.com/press/press.cfm?PRid=668&showArticles=ok#

fredfa

02-09-06, 05:58 PM

TV Sports
NBC Gets Al Michaels, Gives ESPN Compensation

By John Consoli MediaWeek.com FEBRUARY 09, 2006 -

NBC and ABC/ESPN Sports established a compensation deal to let Al Michaels out of his ESPN Monday Night Football play-by-play contract, revealed Dick Ebersol, chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics, on Thursday. Ebersol revealed the terms, made with ABC/ESPN Sports president George Bodenheimer, during an NBC conference call announcing Michaels' hiring today.

Ebersol said after Michaels made it known to ESPN that he wanted out of his contract, Bodenheimer called him and said he wanted something in return for freeing Michaels to join NBC's Sunday Night Football telecast next season.

ESPN asked for three things, Ebersol said: (1) The cable telecast rights NBC owns to air Ryder Cup golf matches on Fridays in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014; (2) The rights to air expanded Olympics highlights on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNEWS through the 2012 Games; and (3) The rights to the animated cartoons, Oswald The Lucky Rabbit, which were created by Disney animators in the 1920s, but distributed by Universal Studio, which got the rights to the cartoons. Losing those rights, Walt Disney then created Mickey Mouse. Universal is now part of NBC, and Ebersol got Universal Studio head Ron Meyer to turn the rights over to Disney.

In addition, NBC will run an on-air promotion through 2011 for ESPN's Monday Night Football telecasts each week during its SNF telecasts, ESPN later announced independently from Ebersol's conference call. Also through 2011, ESPN obtained expanded-highlights rights for NBC Sports telecasts of Notre Dame football, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.

Ebersol quipped that letting Al Michaels out of his contract brought ESPN more than the New York Jets got [a fourth round draft pick] by letting its head coach Herm Edwards out of his contract so he could sign with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Michaels said when he signed on to handle play-by-play duties for ESPN, he had every intention of fulfilling the contract. But after spending the current NFL season on Monday Night Football with analyst John Madden, director Drew Esokoff and producer Fred Guadelli and seeing those three move over to NBC, he felt the need to follow "his guys."

"For me, this past season at Monday Night Football couldn't have been more satisfying," Michaels said. "It was a great collaborative effort. After working this season, I realized how much I would miss [Madden, Esokoff and Gaudelli]. It had nothing to do with not wanting to be at ESPN."

So Michaels asked ESPN if he could get out of his contract. "My guys were now at NBC, so I told [ESPN] I would appreciate it if you would let me go there."

ESPN announced yesterday that Mike Tirico would replace Michaels as play-by-play announcer on the MNF telecasts. Joining him will be Joe Theisman, as an analyst in the booth, and Tony Kornheiser, who is co-host of the ESPN show Pardon the Interruption and longtime sportswriter and columnist at the Washington Post.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001994452

dline

02-09-06, 08:36 PM

Isn't the whole a la carte about two things.

1-Sports programming.Customers have told for years how much sports cost. And the people who don't watch sports,think a sportsless pak will be very very cheap.

2-A group, who instead of using the v-chip or just changing the channel,just want to pick certain channels they want to see.

The thing about "Group 2" is, while the current system lets them "change the channel" or even block certain channels from entering the house, they still have to pay for those channels.

As for Group 1, you could also argue the other way around -- I'm sure I have a lot of friends who'd love to get ONLY the sports channels.

For all we know, we could be moving toward the day when cable just sells the pipe.

fredfa

02-09-06, 10:19 PM

Isn't the whole a la carte about two things.

1-Sports programming.Customers have told for years how much sports cost. And the people who don't watch sports,think a sportsless pak will be very very cheap.

2-A group, who instead of using the v-chip or just changing the channel,just want to pick certain channels they want to see.

As to point 1, the majority of people (actually a large majority) don't watch sports.

I agree with dline about point2. Why should people have to pay for programming they consider objectionable (whether it be FX or CNN or FNC or MTV or ESPN or Pat Roberston on the ABC Family Channel?)

What is wrong with people being allowed to buy what they want and paying for what they want in their homes?

The fight is only about the ability of providers to allow a la carte.

It wouldn't force a lack of packages or bundles. It is just that current programming contracts mandate that many channels be placed on "basic" where everyone has to pay for them.

fredfa

02-09-06, 10:24 PM

The fight over a la carte
F.C.C. Sees Cable Savings in à la Carte

By Ken Belson The New York Times February 10, 2006

(Geraldine Fabrikant contributed reporting for this article.)

It has been a trend in American living rooms for decades: every year, the cable television bill goes up as consumers receive ever more channels they do not want or cannot find the time to watch.

But in a frontal assault on business as usual, the Federal Communications Commission, in a report issued yesterday, said consumers would save as much as 13 percent on their cable bills if they could buy only the channels they wanted instead of being forced to pay for hundreds of them. The average household, the F.C.C. said, watches only 17 channels.

For years, consumer groups who want lower prices and greater control over what networks come into homes have been calling for so-called à la carte programming. Lawmakers like Senator John McCain of Arizona have championed the cause from time to time.

With the new report, the F.C.C. chairman, Kevin J. Martin, has amplified those concerns and issued the strongest public statement yet by the commission on the issue. Though the commission cannot force cable providers to offer channels piecemeal, it can try to persuade companies to meet consumer demands.

"Increasingly, consumers are saying that they don't want to pay $10 more for 10 more channels," Mr. Martin said in an interview before the report was released.

He has taken issue with the cable companies because they have consistently raised their rates as costs for phone and Internet services have steadily declined. In the first quarter of 2005, American households spent an average of $57.12 a month for pay television, an increase of 35.7 percent from 2000, according to TNS Telecoms, a research firm.

The price of long distance and cellphone calls figured per minute plummeted during the same period.

Cable and satellite television providers blame programmers for the rate increases. They say that Disney, Viacom and others are charging more for their programs and forcing them to carry dozens of less popular channels like Sleuth TV, Nick 2 and Discovery Home. As a result, consumers would spend about the same if they bought a few channels or packages with hundreds of channels, the cable companies say.

The networks say that selling bundles of channels allows them to produce a greater variety of programming. If consumers were allowed to pick only the channels they wanted, many programs that have small but devoted followings would have to be shut down, the networks contend.

"Implementing pay-per-channel rules will mean the end of smaller networks that currently provide consumers with such a wealth of diversity in programming," Rod Tapp, the executive vice president for sales and marketing at Inspiration Networks, a producer of religious programming, said in a statement. À la carte plans could be "the death knell" for small independent channels, he added.

Several industry analysts said that among the larger media groups, Viacom, which owns MTV, Nickelodeon, the Comedy Channel and a host of other programming would most likely be hurt by à la carte plans because it generates about two-thirds of its revenues from its networks.

The Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN as well as the less-watched Family Channel and SoapNet, could also be hurt.

The debate over à la carte programming stretches back years, but in recent months it has gathered momentum, thanks to Mr. Martin's outspokenness.

Last year, his support for à la carte programming pushed Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Echostar into selling "family tiers" of programs, which typically include 35 to 40 channels and cost about $30 a month, or roughly 40 percent less than a digital cable programming package.

Despite Mr. Martin's use of his bully pulpit, industry analysts say that Congress is unlikely to pass any laws to force cable companies to sell channels piecemeal.

The F.C.C. report focused only on customers with digital cable services, or about 40 percent of the nearly 70 million cable subscribers nationwide, because à la carte sales are more difficult to put in place with analog cable services.

Mr. Martin's comments last November, and the report yesterday, represent an about-face for the F.C.C., which in 2004, under Mr. Martin's predecessor, Michael Powell, issued a report saying that à la carte programming would lead to higher costs for consumers.

That report relied heavily on a study paid for by the cable companies and written by Booz Allen Hamilton, an industry consultant. The study was roundly criticized in yesterday's findings.

The F.C.C., Booz Allen said, "overstated the average price per cable channel by more than 50 percent" and it incorrectly said consumers would see their rates rise if they chose nine cable channels à la carte.

In a statement, Booz Allen said it had corrected mistakes in its report and stood by its conclusion that "à la carte pricing would result in higher costs to consumers for comparable access to cable programming."

The dispute, though, has produced strange bedfellows among the industry rivals. For instance, the Bell phone companies have aligned themselves with consumer groups in criticizing the cable providers and programmers.

That is because Verizon, AT& T and other phone companies are introducing their own television services, which use technology that gives consumers more freedom to choose programming. Still, the Bells say they will be able to do this only with the networks' consent.

"We will be happy to offer à la carte programming, as long as we are able to obtain access to the programming in that manner," said Robert Quinn, senior vice president for regulatory issues at AT& T, which sells TV services in Texas over phone lines.

Charles Dolan, the founder and chairman of Cablevision, and Charles Ergen, the chairman of Echostar, which runs the Dish Network, have also come out in favor of à la carte programming. Unlike their rivals, Comcast and DirecTV, they own few or no networks.

Some industry analysts say that regardless of how this battle ends, consumers are starting to find more ways to get video, a shift that may force cable operators to alter their packages anyway.

"This is not the only television programming that people have," said James McQuivey, a professor at the College of Communications at Boston University. "They have the Internet. There is almost nothing on television to which people don't have an alternative."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/10/business/media/10cable.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

fredfa

02-10-06, 12:36 AM

Sports Media and Business
Michaels, Traded, Says, Th-Th-That's All, ESPN

By Richard Sandomir The New York Times February 10, 2006

When you have been swapped from ESPN to NBC for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, as Al Michaels has, it pays to maintain your sense of humor. A guy like Michaels has stature in sportscasting, and being exchanged for the cartoon star of "Empty Socks" and "Hungry Hoboes" might be humbling.

"This is great," Michaels said in an interview yesterday from Los Angeles. "It's hysterical. I love the little ironies of life."

The toon-for-human transaction was the topper to a multipart deal that wrapped the odyssey of Michaels, who had signed with ESPN last July to continue calling "Monday Night Football," as he had at ABC Sports.

But he eventually wanted out to rejoin John Madden, his ABC partner for the past four years, on NBC's new Sunday night N.F.L. broadcasts.

The trade, which was engineered Tuesday but announced yesterday, appears to be lopsided. Michaels is 61, active, productive, camera-ready, capable of flawless game calls.

Oswald, who was born in 1927 and has been dormant since the 1950's, belonged to NBC Universal. He lacks the currency of Bugs or Roger, and certainly would not know Shrek.

But Oswald directly preceded Mickey Mouse in Walt Disney's animation canon. Except for his elongated ears, and the absence of white gloves, Oswald is a ringer for Mickey Mouse, even if he is a different species.

Disney made 26 Oswald cartoons in 1927 and 1928 under contract to Universal Studios, but learned belatedly, and to his dismay, that Universal, not he, owned the rights to Oswald. That inspired Disney to create Mickey soon after and to never risk losing ownership of his creations again.

Coincidentally, it was Michaels's friend Robert A. Iger, the president of the Walt Disney Company, the parent of Mickey and ESPN, who vowed to Walt Disney's daughter Diane last year that he would bring Oswald back.

"I appreciate that he is a man of his word," Diane Disney Miller said in a statement. "Having Oswald around again is going to be a lot of fun."

Viewed through an anthropomorphic prism, Oswald might feel as if he had returned to his biological family. And Michaels, in moving to NBC, said his primary concern when he asked ESPN to release him from his contract was to reunite with his broadcast family: Madden and two other crucial members of ABC's "Monday Night" team who moved to NBC, the producer Fred Gaudelli and the director Drew Esocoff.

In making his request to leave ESPN in mid-January, Michaels recalled in a conference call, he said, "If I had the opportunity to be reunited with those guys, that's what I wanted to do.".

Michaels said that, looking back, he felt pressure from Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Universal Sports, to decide by the end of July between NBC's and ESPN's offers. Ebersol admitted on the conference call that he should have extended the deadline through September to allow Michaels several games to get a sense of how much he would miss working with Madden.

"Monday Night" then proceeded on its lame-duck season, and six weeks into it, Ebersol hired Esocoff. In December, after attending a "Monday Night" game in Baltimore, Ebersol offered Gaudelli the producer's job. "I saw Al and told him I was hiring Fred," Ebersol said on the conference call. "That's when it really hit him."

Meanwhile, Ebersol had a pre-Michaels-for-Oswald option at play: mold the analyst Cris Collinsworth into a play-by-play announcer. The plan culminated on the night of Jan. 14, when Collinsworth and Madden convened for a rehearsal at Madden's production facility in Pleasanton, Calif.

Outside sat a production truck with Gaudelli, Esocoff and Ebersol inside. The rehearsal combined the Collinsworth-Madden call, a video feed from that night's New England-Denver playoff game on CBS, one camera fixed on the announcers and another mounted in one end zone.

The rehearsal will never be seen publicly, and now that Michaels has joined NBC for an estimated $2.9 million annual salary, Collinsworth will return to the role for which he was originally hired: analyst for the Sunday night pregame program, working with Bob Costas and Sterling Sharpe.

The results of the Michaels trade will soon be visible at ESPN. The network received no money for setting Michaels free. But it will be able to show more highlights from the Olympics and other NBC events, and has acquired the Friday cable rights to the next four Ryder Cups for $12 million.

Yesterday, Michaels did not disavow remarks he made when he signed with ESPN that he was a "creature of 'Monday Night,' " or that the name of the series made his spine tingle. He said he would have given himself fully to ESPN had it not released him.

But then along came Oswald, Disney's lost child, whose role in the talks was unknown to Michaels until the end. Before that, he said, he joked that he could have been swapped for a "box of Krispy Kremes."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/10/sports/football/10sandomir.html?pagewanted=print

fredfa

02-10-06, 12:43 AM

Critic’s Notebook
Nine things to watch this weekend

By Maureen Ryan and Sid Smith Chicago Tribune

(All times are Central)

• Opening Ceremony of the “Winter Olympics,” 7 p.m. Friday, NBC: The lighting of the cauldron, a celebration by the games’ hosting country, Italy, and a lavish spectacle and brouhaha (including a performance by opera great Luciano Pavarotti) befitting this age-old contest are all part of the bill as things get under way in Torino. Even those who can’t find the time to watch the sporting events won’t want to miss what’s always a stirring, jaw-dropping extravaganza.

• “The ACLU Freedom Files,” 11 a.m. Saturday, CourtTV: This intriguing new series comes from Robert Greenwald, the filmmaker behind “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices,” and examines the concept of how civil rights issues play out in everyday life, sometimes in unexpected ways. In the first installment of this 10-part series, which examines religious freedoms, one young woman talks about how she was forbidden from quoting a Bible verse in her high school yearbook, and a Catholic man recalls how the halfway house he had to live in as part of a court-mandated sentence pressured him to practice a different faith (the ACLU assisted both the Christian teen and the Catholic man). The recent Intelligent Design controversy in Dover, Pa., is also examined, through interviews with local residents and others involved in the court case.

• “The Graduate,” 7 p.m. Saturday, and “Kramer vs. Kramer,” 9 p.m. Saturday, Turner Classic Movies: Here are two entries in TCM’s string of winners leading up to the Oscars; the former is always worth rewatching for its score, its memorable scenes and Dustin Hoffman’s career breakthrough of a performance. Meanwhile, the latter is a not-that-often viewed best picture winner, about modern divorce and changing gender roles, with an altogether different kind of portrayal from Hoffman and a relatively young Meryl Streep.

• “CMT Crossroads,” 8 p.m. Saturday, CMT: Here’s an inspired musical pairing: Lyle Lovett and Bonnie Raitt perform together on this Country Music Television program. Raitt’s blues-infused style and Lovett’s eclectic mix of country music, roadhouse rock and big-band swagger should make for an interesting blend.

• “Rising From the Rails,” 8 p.m. Saturday, WGN: A new documentary on the Pullman porters, the African-Americans who worked in service on the luxury cars racing along the U.S. rails during the heyday of passenger railroad travel. In addition to interviewing surviving porters, the documentary expands the story to link the porters to hallmark events in the struggle for civil rights, including the pioneering efforts of Thurgood Marshall, the son of a porter who worked for the railroads himself, and the saga of the late Rosa Parks and the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott.

• “Austin City Limits,” (Check local listings) Saturday, PBS: WTTW’s scheduling choices are often puzzling: A prime example of questionable timing involves this edition of “Austin City Limits,” which showcases two excellent bands, “O.C.” favorite Death Cab for Cute and tuneful rockers My Morning Jacket. It’d be great to see these two groups showcased in prime time, or a least before midnight, but here they are, stranded in the graveyard of late Saturday night. If you’re a night owl, it’s no problem, but if you’re not, here’s fair warning so that you can set your VCR or DVR to record the show.

• “Inside the Actors Studio,” 7 p.m. Sunday, Bravo: An hour of Dave Chappelle pouring his heart out to Oprah wasn’t enough for you? Well, here’s another two hours of the comic and actor baring his soul to ever-flattering host James Lipton, who calls Chappelle “one of the acknowledged leaders of a generation.” Chappelle acknowledges at the start of the broadcast what its main draw is: “Everybody’s waiting to see how crazy I am.” Well, he doesn’t appear even slightly crazy here, as he recalls his youth and his rise as a comic. Being booed off the stage of New York City’s legendary Apollo Theater was a liberating experience, he says: “After that, I was fearless.”

• “Grey’s Anatomy,” 9 p.m. Sunday, ABC: In what may well be the mother of all cliffhangers, last week’s episode after the Super Bowl ended with heroine Meredith in the surgery room, her hand inside a patient, wrapped around a device that could explode any moment. Nearby, martinet resident Dr. Bailey is about to give birth, while her husband is undergoing life-saving neuro-surgery a mere room away from Meredith and the bomb. It doesn’t take surgeon’s brain to guess that Meredith isn’t about to die. But a lot happened last Sunday, and we’re dying, at least, to learn what comes next.

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

fredfa

02-10-06, 03:59 AM

TV Sports
Ebersol Hops to It to Land Michaels

By Larry Stewart Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 10, 2006

The pieces are now all in place. Al Michaels will be reunited with John Madden when NBC begins televising Sunday night NFL games next season. Thursday's announcement comes one day after ESPN said that its team for "Monday Night Football" would be Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser.

Michaels signed a contract with ESPN in July to be the play-by-play announcer for "MNF" but was released from that contract so he could jump to NBC.

How all this came about is an intriguing story. A cartoon character by the name of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit even had a role.

NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol, on a conference call Thursday, admitted he made a mistake by giving Michaels a deadline of late July to make up his mind between offers from NBC and ESPN. Ebersol had signed Madden in June and didn't want to wait until the NFL season had started to complete negotiations with Michaels.

Under pressure, Michaels chose ESPN.

Then, in October, ABC "Monday Night Football" director Drew Esocoff was hired by NBC. And in late December, after Ebersol attended a Monday night game in Baltimore as a guest of ABC, "MNF" producer Fred Gaudelli was hired away as well.

It was at that point that Michaels began to think about exploring the possibility of getting out of his ESPN contract.

"My broadcast family was moving out of the house and I wanted to join them," Michaels said on the conference call.

In a later phone conversation, Michaels said, "I knew what I was asking was extraordinary, but I made it very clear if it didn't work out I would give 100% effort to ESPN."

George Bodenheimer, the president of ESPN and ABC Sports, agreed to accommodate Michaels, but not without compensation from NBC.

Ebersol said that it could be worked out, as long as it didn't involve money.

Bodenheimer sent of list of what he wanted.

The key item was cable rights to the Ryder Cup at a fair-market price. ESPN reportedly got that for $3 million per Ryder Cup. The list also included expanded Olympic highlight rights — six minutes per show rather than six minutes per day — and expanded highlights to other NBC sports properties.

Bodenheimer also requested a weekly "MNF" promo — and the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

"I had never heard of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, so I called George," Ebersol said.

He found out Oswald was a cartoon character drawn by a young animator named Walt Disney. Introduced in 1927 and released by Universal Studios, Oswald was the predecessor to Mickey Mouse. And Universal — whose parent is now NBC Universal — still owned the rights to Oswald.

When Ebersol called Ron Meyer, the president of Universal, Meyer told him he had already heard from Bob Iger, the head of Disney, and knew why he was calling.

Now the Walt Disney Co., which owns ESPN, has the rights to Oswald and can reunite him with Mickey.

"Just think," Michaels said, "someday I might be in a trivia question with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit."

Collinsworth Domino Falls

The hiring of Michaels means that Cris Collinsworth won't get to try his hand at play-by-play after all.

Ebersol said that he was all set to pair Collinsworth with Madden on Sunday night NFL games next season.

"We wanted to do something different and put two analysts in the booth," Ebersol said. "It would have been a whole new way of doing play-by-play."

Collinsworth might not have been a play-by-play announcer in the strictest sense, but he would have handled the nuts and bolts.

Collinsworth and Madden did four rehearsal games during the regular season in November and December, then a final rehearsal on Jan. 14, during the playoff game between Denver and New England.

It took place in Pleasanton, Calif., where Madden lives.

"It was one of the most interesting and fantastic telecasts I've ever watched," Ebersol said. "There was a total audience of 15 to 20 of us who were there. We were all blown away."

Mike McCarley, the head of NBC Sports publicity, was among those there, and he told Ebersol he was getting calls on his cellphone from writers asking about a report that Michaels was going to try to get out of the contract he had signed with ESPN so he could sign with NBC.

"That was the first I had heard anything like that," Ebersol said. "I had not had any conversations with Al."

However, Ebersol thought there might be something to it.

So on the private corporate jet taking most of the group back to New York that night, Ebersol told Collinsworth what he'd heard about Michaels possibly still coming to NBC. And Ebersol asked Collinsworth what he thought about working in the studio with Bob Costas.

"Cris told me that he coaches his kids' teams, and that he believes in the team concept," Ebersol said. "He said he'd do whatever is best for the team, and if we wanted him to go back to the studio, that was fine with him."

Collinsworth was originally hired by NBC to be a studio analyst.

"You won't find a finer, less egotistical person in the industry — not just sports television, but the entire television industry," Ebersol said.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-tvcol10feb10,1,1058852.column?coll=la-headlines-sports

harley1

02-10-06, 09:11 AM

dline and fredfa

Do you think there is any chance the FCC would allow someone to just purchase the channels they want and not have add other channels they don't want?

How many channels or how much to do have to pay for to get cable hooked up or sat service installed?

Will we have to do like BUD and purchase the sat equipment at full price?

Does the market decide the going rate for each channel?

Can you add a channel for just one day?( only watch tv on weekends,why pay for the whole week or only want HBO on Sunday night)

I think there is no way the FCC gets involved this mess,they are just doing a PR move right now.

Do they even have the authority over cable and sat service to do this?

CPanther95

02-10-06, 09:16 AM

In a statement, Booz Allen said it had corrected mistakes in its report and stood by its conclusion that "à la carte pricing would result in higher costs to consumers for comparable access to cable programming."

What BS, so the assumption is that we would select a "comparable" lineup to what we have now under a la carte?

fredfa

02-10-06, 10:51 AM

TV Notebook
Let's push that decision off a ski jump

By Tim Goodman San Francisco Chronicle Friday, February 10, 2006

You'd think the unseasonably warm weather would have us in a good mood. Or the start of the Winter Olympics, a TV hootenanny we tend to enjoy quite a bit, what with people jumping off ramps or hurtling down mountains and sometimes crumpling up into side nets or the stands. What's not to like about Apolo Anton Ohno or Lindsey Jacobellis or some scrawny kid from the Netherlands who will be featured in a teary story of his sad frozen life and then, beating the odds and electrifying the Italian atmosphere, win gold?

It's all glorious.

Here's a little story about that: Nay.

The mood, not the Olympics.

Can't get over the mood. It's just hard to feel motivated about the TV universe right now because, well, television is acting like television, meaning it is continuing like clockwork to let down people with slightly higher-than-average expectations.

For starters, here's to the Fox network for burning off the last four episodes we'll probably see of its best sitcom, "Arrested Development" -- tonight, right up against the Opening Ceremonies. Now there's a send-off. Let's see, how best to tell you what burning off four back-to-back episodes means against powerhouse competition, and on a night when the show has never aired? Hmmm. Try this: Fox is Joe Pesci in "GoodFellas" and "Arrested Development" is anyone in that movie that ever looked sideways at his character, Tommy DeVito. Translation: Four days shy of Valentine's Day, Fox stuffed its best sitcom in the trunk of car and shot and stabbed it repeatedly.

Just because we're feeling charitable about the business and all, here's a tip about Fox's next two sitcoms, "Free Ride" and "The Loop," which will air in March: The first one is less asinine and poorly conceived than the second one. By the third episode, everyone will be on ice skates, dancing with has-beens.

So, yes, our anger is a little baroque right about now.

Part of the problem also has to do with "Love Monkey" on CBS. Now, it wasn't the best pilot of the season when it premiered in mid-January, but the second episode was infinitely better. Then it was preempted for the State of the Union Address and it came back strong this week with another good episode. But CBS only ordered eight episodes and executives within the network would tell you candidly if they actually did that sort of thing that, well, they never really liked it. And now there's the faintest rumor that it will be canceled and, even if it's not, all the episodes won't air anyway because "The Amazing Race" is coming back in that slot.

The general feeling about that is not rage so much as disappointment. Tuesday night is tough all around and you'd think CBS would have more patience with something that was even slightly hip and didn't involve looking at corpses for hours on end. But no. If "Love Monkey" gets canceled, which looks likely, whatever delightful qualities it was giving off will be snuffed out mostly because -- pay attention here -- CBS seems to find success only with shows that revolve around people getting snuffed. Or, absent the delightful crime-and-punishment genre, the network gets ample viewers for comedies most intelligent people would easily mistake for potted plants, filmed in front of a fake audience that's laughing really hard.

Which is to say, we really need a hug from Lindsey Jacobellis.

Now, if we truly wanted to spiral down the rabbit hole grasping hopelessly at tablets of Xanax and bottles of Merry Edwards, we could furrow our brow and wonder how a network that programs police procedurals (and on Tuesday nights, a military drama, "NCIS," which will lead into another military drama, "The Unit," which would then lead pointlessly into "Love Monkey," if it weren't being dumped for "The Amazing Race") could ever hope to nurture a series where the lead character isn't fronting some covert government strike team or pulling splinters from under the thumbnails of dead hookers.

Maybe they should have called the series "Dead Monkey" or "M-16-Toting Monkey." Come to think of it, the new CBS Tuesday lineup has an interesting theme with "NCIS," "The Unit" and "The Amazing Race," which is -- hit the hell out of that snare drum: Travel the world and kill people, travel the world and kill people, travel the world and annoy people.

Bravo! Hooray for television. Wheeeeeeee.

Thankfully, there's help for us. And isn't it obvious we need help? First, there are good series sprouting up like daisies come March. Second, we can TiVo "Arrested Development" and/or the Opening Ceremonies. Third, the Winter Olympics makes us happy, even when people don't crash. Fourth, we're still getting mileage off plenty of other shows. Fifth, maybe Showtime will pick up "Arrested Development." Sixth, there's joy in knowing that "Free Ride" and "The Loop" are heinous. Seven, there's a very twisted, very British, very ridiculous comedy airing tonight at 8 on BBC America. It's called "Black Books," and it's about a drunk, rude, filthy and hopeless guy named Bernard Black (Dylan Moran, "Shaun of the Dead" and "Notting Hill" ) who owns a bookstore but would rather you not shop there. No time wasters!

He's joined by his assistant, Manny (Bill Bailey) and their friend Fran (Tamsin Greig) who used to own a silly gift shop next door called Nifty Gifty but now prefers to hang out with these two and drink incessantly. There's tons of smoking and rude behavior here. It's a show that would never be made in the States. Moran is wonderful as the disheveled misanthrope who pours wine non-stop, tells customers to get out and wears dark glasses to block the light that inflames his hangover. You couldn't even pitch that show in this country and yet, it's silly and hilarious and ingenious -- all the things that are essential to getting through the day.

Even if the networks here can't change their ways -- and even if that's as depressing as Tom Waits with a heart full of hurt -- there's always the Bluths, Jacobellis and Ohno, "Black Books," and a March filled with great possibility. Until then, enjoy the weather.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/02/10/DDG9DH5FIP14.DTL&type=printable

fredfa

02-10-06, 10:54 AM

The Winter Olympics
Long features get shorter for Turin Games

By Randy WilliamsThe Hollywood Reporter Feb. 10, 2006

As the recognized network of the Olympics for almost a quarter-century, ABC Sports under the direction of the late Roone Arledge made the "up close and personal" profiles standard fare for how we learned about the world's elite amateur athletes.

NBC Sports, the current Olympics standard-bearer, took the features to new levels under executive producer Michael Weisman and division chief Dick Ebersol to include cultural and historical vignettes as well.

The feature element peaked at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, when NBC produced nearly 100 pieces. Afterward, two things became readily apparent: Despite the features' long, glorious history of giving insight to athletes, they had become too formulaic. Also, the audience's viewing habits were changing.

"Over the years, the way feature pieces were used were not only extremely vital to the link the audience developed with the Olympics but were a building block for the whole sports television formula," says Jim Lampley, a veteran of 13 Olympic broadcasts and NBC's late-night host in Turin, Italy, for the 2006 Winter Games that open Friday night. "Athlete profiles evolved in such a way that it became increasingly familiar to viewers, and now there's enough of a kinetic understanding of what's coming that, in some instances, all you had to do is play the theme music and feel the poignant hook coming -- the dead relative, the lost childhood icon, etc. -- as the touchstone for that particular story.

"I think there was a sense that the impact was being lost because the audience was so familiar with the form," Lampley adds. "You combine that with people's attention spans, which are clearly conditioned to be shorter now, and there's a need to vary the paradigm."

Says figure skating analyst Scott Hamilton, a gold medal winner in 1984 and a cancer survivor: "A lot of what goes into an athlete's participation is what they've overcome. But once you realize the majority of them have conquered some hardship, as inspiring as it is, after a while you become numb to it, and it doesn't mean as much as it could."

NBC, which will be airing a total 416 hours from Turin across its family of networks, did some analyses and has had some changes in its Olympic programming philosophy.

"In making our plans for the Winter Games in Salt Lake City, we made a decision to reduce the reliance on traditional features for the storytelling and to begin shifting the onus for storytelling onto our commentators," says David Neal, executive vp at NBC Olympics and executive producer at NBC Sports. "We believe -- and we've been proven accurate -- that our audience really likes to see things based in the competitive venues. Whether it is an energy-filled figure skating arena or the downhill course on the Alps, wherever we're going to be taking them here in Torino, our viewers want to stay in that venue. We still do the storytelling, but we'd rather our commentators weave the stories into the event coverage rather than stopping the show and effectively taking our viewers away from the competition venue."

NBC will continue to produce features, but they'll be briefer and fewer. The plan for Turin continues the pattern begun in Salt Lake City in 2002. Gone are the traditional one or two competitions followed by a three- or four-minute feature. With more enhanced camera and audio equipment, the evolution of the Olympic broadcast is to keep the viewer in the middle of the action.

Weisman, a former executive producer at NBC Sports who oversaw the 1988 Seoul Olympics and is serving as an executive consultant for Turin just as he did in Salt Lake City, has witnessed these changes first-hand.

"Because of Dick (Ebersol) and David (Neal), we've gotten better in bringing the experience to the viewer feeling like they're actually at an event. That's one of the reasons why you want to take them away less often and for shorter periods," Weisman says. "When they turn on the Olympics, viewers want to feel like they are in the arena. By taking them away from the site, you lose the immediacy."

Does this downsizing trend portend the elimination of features altogether in the foreseeable future?

"The days of leaving the arena for features will never go away because there are times when that is the only way to show something dramatic or historical," Weisman says.

Poignant examples include footage of a bobsled team training in their snowless Jamaica or Sarah Hughes as a child skating at Rockefeller Center in New York telling "Today" host Katie Couric she is going to grow up and win a gold medal in figure skating -- and does.

Lampley says that this new "integrated storytelling" is evolving.

"There was a lot gained through all of (those features), and it's important to do what you can to replace that in other ways in the modern media environment," he says. "The Web site helps to do that, the constant reporting of information across the cable channels, the varied distribution pattern -- all of it creates an overall synthesis that still covers the same bases as before but in entirely different ways and usually quicker, briefer and more subliminal."

Weisman agrees but has been around long enough to know there are some truths that won't change in this visual medium.

"You can hear about their family or the log cabin they grew up in, but the old expression is still true that a picture is worth a thousand words," Weisman says. "I don't think that will ever change."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001995027

fredfa

02-10-06, 10:58 AM

TV Notebook
More ''World News Tonight'' News

By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

From ABC this morning:

"World News Tonight" co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas and her husband, singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, are expecting their second child in late summer they announced today. Vargas and Cohn have a son Zachary, 3, and Cohn has two children from a previous marriage Max, 14, and Emily 11.

Vargas shared the news with her "World News Tonight" colleagues today, saying: "This is joyous news for Marc and our family. At the same time, our immediate concern remains with Bob [Woodruff], [wife] Lee, and the entire Woodruff family as we hope and pray for continuing good news about his recovery."

ABC News President David Westin said: "I told Elizabeth that during such a difficult time for all of us, it's good to get such wonderful, life-affirming news."

Vargas, who also co-anchors the ABC newsmagazine "20/20," will continue to anchor both broadcasts through late summer.

Vargas, 43, and Woodruff, 44, debuted as co-anchors of ABC News' evening newscast in January 2006. Woodruff is currently being treated at Bethesda Medical Center for injuries he sustained during an IED attack in Iraq on Jan. 29.

Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson will continue to fill in for Woodruff until the end of February as he recovers. When the timetable for Woodruff's recovery becomes clearer in the coming weeks, ABC News will announce further interim plans for substitution on the broadcast.

http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/

fredfa

02-10-06, 11:00 AM

TV Notebook
Fox Readying 'Alternative Program Service' for Fall Launch

By Michele Greppi TVWeek.com

Fox Television Stations is weeks away from announcing the launch of "an alternative national program service" this fall, according to a memo, obtained Thursday by TelevisionWeek, from Fox Television Stations President Jack Abernethy to the general managers of nine Fox-owned stations that will lose their UPN affiliation with the launch of The CW this fall.

"This week we have had several meetings with the top television management and the best minds at News Corp. and we will have an announcement in the next few weeks," Mr. Abernethy said in the memo. He said the new program service "will be more flexible, offer better marketing and branding opportunities and be more station friendly" than The CW, which plans to charge stations to carry its prime-time lineup, in addition to requiring affiliates to carry a network-determined programming block 3-5 p.m. weekdays plus five hours of kids programming on Saturday mornings.

With 10-year affiliation agreements guaranteed to CBS-owned and Tribune Broadcasting-owned stations, Fox-owned UPN affiliates in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington will be on their own.

As for the handful of other Fox-owned, UPN-affiliated stations, CW affiliation "certainly makes no sense," Mr. Abernethy said in the memo. "Handing over 30 hours of valuable time, receiving little inventory to sell and being asked to pay comp makes no sense for our TV stations. This would ensure losses, less growth opportunities and continue station brand confusion in this competitive media landscape.

"We are talking to the best syndicators and production people from around the world who are excited about producing first-run strip shows and bringing fresh and new ideas to broadcast prime time. We are looking at production models and show concepts that are consistent with the digital challenges we face rather than the $2 million an episode model which hasn't worked after 10 years," Mr. Abernethy continued. "Asking more from stations will not fix the long-term problems with that concept."

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9374

humdinger70

02-10-06, 12:08 PM

fredfa

02-10-06, 12:14 PM

Personally, and I am not necessarily a fan of any of the announcers, but I think NBC came out far, far ahead in this one. Except that Mike Breen is a very, very good NBA person, at least IMO.

(Which doesn't mean all that much, since I tend to tune in to the NBA around the middle of the third quarter of game seven of the finals.)

fredfa

02-10-06, 12:27 PM

Thursday’s network prime-time ratings have been posted at the top of Latest Prime Time Ratings news which is the first post in this thread.

fredfa

02-10-06, 12:58 PM

dline and fredfa

Do you think there is any chance the FCC would allow someone to just purchase the channels they want and not have add other channels they don't want?

Within reason, yes I do, as a matter of fact.
FCC Commissioner Martin seem to be a strong proponent of a la carte, and the two Democratic members of the Commission have been fairly vocal, too. It seems to be a "perfect storm" in some ways of the left wanting a la carte to keep subs from having to pay for channels they don't want, and the right wanting a la carte to keep people from having to have channels they don't want in their home (as well as paying for them).

How many channels or how much to do have to pay for to get cable hooked up or sat service installed?
Under the current system it varies, but generally it is in the $30-$40 range and includes local channels (except in the case of some DBS cities) and a mass of "basic" networks.

Will we have to do like BUD and purchase the sat equipment at full price?
If a la carte actually were enabled, the market would probably decide that. But it has been years since most have paid "full price" for satellite equipment -- perhaps with the exception of the fgirst few months of the Hd TiVo

Does the market decide the going rate for each channel?
The market can't decide unless people are given choice. That is the crux of the argument. I am not allowed tro save $2.60 a month and not have ESPN, for example.

Can you add a channel for just one day?( only watch tv on weekends,why pay for the whole week or only want HBO on Sunday night)
I am sure there would be "safeguards" against that. But maybe they would give you a daily HBO rate (say $7.95) or the monthly rate.

I think there is no way the FCC gets involved this mess,they are just doing a PR move right now.
The FCC released the original report in 2004.
Despite the presitgeous Booz Allen name it has seemed pretty bogus to many including Consumers Union among many on one side of the political spectrum and some very conservative Christian groups on the other). The new Chairman seems to feel pretty strongly about a la carte. And interestingly, all the commotion over lobbying and influence in Washington recently may well play into Comissioner Martin's hands. The cable and broadcast interests, which don't want a la carte, are famously extravagant when it comes to lobbying. Perhaps that will be toned down a bit now.
And Chairman Martin has deftly, it seems to me, changed the entire a la carte argument.
That argument used to be simple: Some people want to censor what you can see. That played well for years.
But now Chairman Martin has reframed it rather deftly to: Some people want to force you to pay for channels you never watch.

Do they even have the authority over cable and sat service to do this?
Yes and no. The big conglomerates that own the most cable networks also own TV stations (CBS, GE/NBC, Disney/ABC, NewsCorp/Fox) so they have many reasons to fear an angry FCC.

These all are just my opinions, unspellchecked, and random. I try to post as many opposing stories as I can find to those which support my own beliefs.

But a year ago I would have said the chance for a la carte was almost non existent. Now I believe there is almost no way it will not happen, and happen soon.

fredfa

02-10-06, 01:04 PM

And here is more about the FCC’s power to regulate cable.
TV Notebook
FCC: Cable's Regulatory Threshold Unclear

By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 2/10/2006

The FCC has concluded that one of two benchmarks has been reached for potential new cable regulation, but not the other.

As part of its annual report on the state of video competition, the FCC has found that cable systems with at least 36 channels are available to at least 70% of U.S. households.

What isn't clear is whether at least 70% of that household figure subscribe. Once both those tests are passed, the FCC is directed by Congress to do whatever it needs to to promote video competition in the marketplace.

The FCC says it is has received data taht varies from a 60% subcriber rate to 77%. Given that disparity and commenters disagreement on the figure, the FCC said Friday it is seeking further comment on the best way to measure that 70% subscriber rate, as well as what regulatory steps it may need to take when it determined that benchmark has been met.

Democratic Commissioner Michael Copps, for one, urged the commission to hurry up and find the right measure so that it can advance the statutory goals of competition.

Tate said that the increasing video competition shown in the new report has not adeqately addressed the issue of indecency, though she noted the move toward cable tiers. She also talked of a la carte, but said that, too, would only be an initial step.

Tate said competition should not be just about more choices, but about better choices.

Xesdeeni

02-10-06, 02:24 PM

TV Notebook
Fox Readying 'Alternative Program Service' for Fall Launch It sure would be nice is KDFI (27) here in Dallas, which is an independent, but I believe owned by FOX, would also pick up this networked programming.

Xesdeeni

fredfa

02-10-06, 02:55 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
ABC's 'Stars' waltzes past 'Survivor'

By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 10, 2006

Move over, “Survivor,” there’s a new No. 1 reality show on Thursday nights: ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.”

After finishing behind the premiere of the 12th season of “Survivor” on CBS last week, “Stars” jumped ahead of the veteran show during the 8 p.m. hour last night among total viewers.

The first hour of a 90-minute “Stars” averaged 19.1 million total viewers, according to Nielsen overnights, just edging the 18.9 million “Survivor” attracted. That would appear to be the first time a regularly scheduled show beat “Survivor” in total viewers during the hour since NBC’s “Friends” went off the air in May 2004.

It marks a big milestone for ABC, whose Thursday has been a disaster for years, because “Dancing” continues to grow even against first-tier competition.

Viewers are showing more and more interest as the season winds down and couples are eliminated. Five couples remain on the show heading into tonight’s results show.

The show was up 7 percent over last week’s 17.8 million at 8 p.m., and it grew in the 9 p.m. half hour. “Survivor” lost only 2 percent of the 19.3 million who tuned in to last week’s season premiere.

“Stars” grew to 21.3 million total viewers during the 9-9:30 p.m. half hour, even as CBS shot up by 5 million viewers for the first half of a new “CSI.”

But “Survivor” did remain dominant in adults 18-49, averaging a 6.6 to “Dancing’s” 5.0 rating.

CBS finished first during each hour last night among viewers 18-49, leading it to a 7.3 average rating and an 18 share for the night. NBC was second at 4.6/11, ABC third at 4.4/11, Fox fourth at 2.5/6, WB fifth at 2.0/5, Univision sixth at 1.9/5 and UPN seventh at 1.1/3.

At 8 p.m. CBS led among 18-49s with a 6.6 average for “Survivor,” followed by a 5.0 for ABC for the first hour of “Stars.” NBC was third that hour with a 3.0 average for “Will & Grace” (3.1) and “Four Kings” (2.9), Fox fourth with a 2.4 for an hour of “That ‘70s Show,” WB fifth with a 2.2 for “Smallville,” Univision sixth with a 2.1 for “Contra Viento y Marea,” and UPN seventh with a 1.3 for “Everybody Hates Chris” (1.6) and “Love, Inc.” (0.9).

At 9 p.m. CBS extended its lead with a 9.2 for “CSI,” the night’s top-rated show in the demo. ABC was second that hour with a 4.9 average for the last 30 minutes of “Stars” (6.3) and the first half of a “Grey’s Anatomy” repeat (3.6), and NBC third with a 4.7 average for “My Name is Earl” (4.9) and “The Office” (4.6). That left Fox in fourth with a 2.5 for “The O.C.,” Univision fifth with a 2.1 for “Alborada,” WB sixth with a 1.8 for “Beauty & the Geek” and UPN seventh with a 0.9 for “Eve” (0.9) and “Cuts” (0.9).

At 10 p.m. CBS completed the sweep with a 6.3 for “Without a Trace.” NBC was second with a 6.1 for “ER,” ABC third with a 3.1 average for the last half of “Grey’s” (3.5) and a 30-minute “Primetime” (2.7), and Univision fourth with a 1.6 for “Aqui y Ahora.”

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_2794.asp

fredfa

02-10-06, 02:58 PM

The fight over a la carte
A la carte's back, and hard to swallow

By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 10, 2006

The idea of a la carte keeps coming back as an unwelcome apparition for the television industry, but on the face of things, as public policy, the idea makes great sense.

Under a la carte, as being advanced by Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin, consumers, the viewing public, would be able to choose and pay for only those cable channels they wanted.

Whether it would actually make sense is a different matter.

There's also some lingering questions about the true motives of supporters like Martin. Is this really about saving consumers money, or is it about finding a more effective way to pressure both broadcasters and the cable networks to rid their shows of sex and violence?

Martin is a strong proponent of cleaning up the airwaves, and the subject of a la carte most often arises during debates about sex and violence on TV.

Yesterday, the FCC issued a report on a la carte finding that consumers would actually save money, some 13 percent on their monthly cable bills when subscribing to 11 channels. The average cable household typically watches just 17 channels out of the many hundreds available.

Shortly after, Sen. John McCain, an on-and-off supporter of a la carte, came out in favor of the proposal. In turn, TV executives issued statement attacking it as a truly bad idea.

Geraldine Laybourne, chairman and CEO of Oxygen Media, issued this statement:

"Arguments over economic assumptions still don’t address one of the biggest problems I have with a la carte. And that is, TV viewers often don’t know what they want to watch until it’s there for them as an option."

"Who would have known to subscribe to Bravo to watch 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy' prior to it airing? Hits come from new channels all the time. Would consumers really want to switch networks every few weeks so they can watch the newest shows on cable?"

Paul FitzPatrick, executive vice president and COO of Hallmark Channel, had this to say:

“The FCC’s self-described Further Report on a la carte does little to further the well being of consumer choice and of those hundreds of networks that bring that choice, diversity and value into America’s television homes.

"Moreover, it appears that this vital discussion is morphing into a new television series, ‘The Battle of Economists,’ a point-counterpoint production built around the abstract rather than the beliefs and real life experiences of programmers, distributors and advertisers."

The Battle of the Economists FitzPatrick refers to is the ongoing debate over a la carte's presumed economic impact.

The new FCC study contradicts other studies, including an earlier FCC study, finding that a la carte would do nothing to lower cable bills while reducing the number of channels available to consumers.

A study last month from Kagan Research concluded that cable subscribers now pay an average $45.40 per month for about 64 networks. Under a la carte, they'd pay about the same but for a far smaller number of channels, somewhere between six and nine, which is the number of channels Kagan thinks subscribers would choose. Their per-channel costs would rise from an average of 71 cents to between $5 and $10.

Derek Baine, a senior analyst at Kagan, told Media Life at the time:

"We think that all a la carte would do is push up the price per channel because people will migrate toward the big, ESPN-type brands. The big misconception right now is that, when asked if they want a la carte, people say ‘yes,’ but no one is explaining that they are getting a big discount on a channel in a package versus a la carte."

The Kagan report echoes the conclusion of an FCC study in 2004 finding that cable bills would rise by as much as 30 percent.

Anxious to blunt a la carte, cable systems over recent months have been introducing so-called family-tier plans that would allow subscribers to permit into their homes only squeaky-clean channels. With such tiers in place, the burden of policing TV content, at least in theory, would fall to families.

But family tiers will not end the debate over sex and violence, nor will they reduce the rhetoric. The reality is that while the FCC has the power to enforce decency standards on broadcast TV and radio, it has no purview over cable. It also cannot force the cable companies to impose a la carte.

Only Congress could do that, and that is not likely to happen. As it is, it has yet to impose stiffer fines for decency violations two full years after Janet Jackson boobed America during the Super Bowl.

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_2793.asp

fredfa

02-10-06, 03:04 PM

The Winter Olympics
Winter Olympics Programming Highlights

Who else but NBC realizes how much we (especially on the West Coast) like our big-time sports delayed?
By Mike Penner [B]Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 10, 2006

(Note: all times are Pacific)

Cheer up, faithful West Coast viewer. All this tape-delayed Olympic television coverage about to drive you to the Internet for reasonably timely results is a gift to you from NBC, which is only acting in your best interest by delaying your Olympic viewing.

As NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol explains in the network's Olympic media guide, "In Salt Lake City, where the rest of the country was live and the West Coast was on a delay, the West Coast was higher rated by almost 10 percent….

"The West Coast has a love affair with the Olympics that's a little bit larger than the other regions of the United States. And our extensive research has clearly shown that they, more than any other region, want to see the Olympics when they're available to watch them, and that is in prime time."

While we're waiting, let us take a day-by-day look at highlights from the NBC family Olympic schedule, almost all of it tape-delayed just for you!

Today

Opening ceremony (NBC, 8 p.m.)

Bob Costas oversees the festivities from "Torino," which is the same place as "Turin," except NBC is calling it "Torino," 18 months after Costas was host for the opening ceremony for the 2004 Summer Olympics at "Athinai," although NBC referred to it as "Athens," along with the rest of the English-speaking world.

It has been said that NBC is using "Torino" because it sounds sexier than "Turin." Yet that didn't stop NBC from referring to the 2002 Winter Olympics host city as "Salt Lake City." What sounds sexier than "Salt Lake City?" What doesn't?

Saturday

Pairs figure skating short program (NBC, 8 p.m.)

Dick Button is making his NBC debut as he and Scott Hamilton share co-host roles with Mary Carillo for the nightly "Olympic Ice" program, which will be shown on NBC's USA network. This development excited NBC Olympics producer David Neal so much that he was quoted in the network's Olympic media guide: "Choose your superlative, our figure skating [announcing] team is the '27 Yankees or the '72 Dolphins, there's never been a stronger or deeper lineup." Just wondering: Did the '27 Yankees have a kiss-and-cry area?

Sunday

Men's downhill (NBC, 7 p.m.)

It's put-up or shut-up time for Bode Miller. And if you believe that, you haven't been paying attention. If Miller wins gold in this event, expect the post-race interview to go like this:

Reporter: "So how does it feel to win the gold, Bode?"

Miller: "I'm not in it for the personal glory. These Olympic Games sicken me. They have become too capitalistic and too obsessed with winning."

Reporter: "So you're not happy you won?"

Miller: "I didn't say that. You said that."

Reporter: "What do you plan to do with your gold medal?"

Miller: "Probably sell photos of it on my Nike website. Hey, did you notice these medals have holes in them? They look like doughnuts. (He winks at TV camera.) Krispy Kreme doughnuts."

Monday

Women's halfpipe final (NBC, 8 p.m.)

Which American snowboarder gets the trademark up-close-and-too-personal feature treatment by NBC? Gretchen Bleiler and the heartbreak of having missed the 2002 team on a tiebreaker? Or Hannah Teter and the lucky bottle of maple syrup she brings with her to all competitions? Answer: Both.

Tuesday

Men's Alpine combined (NBC, 8 p.m.)

Bode Part II. Miller earned one of his two 2002 silver medals in this event. If he fails to at least repeat here, will it be, to borrow a phrase, an opportunity "wasted?"

Wednesday

Men's hockey (USA, noon, live)

Team USA, made up of NHL stars who spent last Feb. 15 watching ice melt in their mid-lockout beer buckets, plays its tournament opener against Latvia. OLN executives are green with envy as millions of U.S. sports fans, who have actually heard of USA Network, tune in to watch the action.

Thursday

Men's figure skating final (NBC, 8 p.m.)

During which NBC's "Murderer's Row" commentator crew spends most of the program wondering how Michelle Kwan will fare in next Thursday's women's final.

Friday, Feb. 17

Men's skeleton final (NBC, 8 p.m.)

Carillo, who memorably described two-man luge in 2002 as a "bar bet gone bad," has this to say about skeleton: "Of all the sports kids are watching at these Winter Games, skeleton has got to be the most easily imitable. Things occur to children. So Mom, Dad and Granny, if you have any household items that are roughly the shape of a sled and have no steering mechanisms, put them away. Because if you have an hors d'oeuvres tray, they'll have a dream."

Saturday, Feb. 18

Short-track speedskating men's 1,000-meter final (NBC, 8 p.m.)

Or as South Korean Winter Olympic fans refer to it, "Apolo Anton? Ohno!!" Ohno, infamous winner of the 1,500-meter gold medal in 2002 when leader Kim Dong-Sung was disqualified for obstructing his American rival, bids for his first 2006 gold medal, with or without more officiating assistance.

Sunday, Feb. 19

Ice dancing (NBC, 7 p.m.)

If ice dancing is not a real sport, and ice dancing preliminary rounds mere exercises in foregone conclusions, why then is NBC spending so much of its air time focusing its cameras on American ice dancer Tanith Belbin?

Monday, Feb. 20

Women's hockey gold-medal game (NBC, 1 p.m.)

In all likelihood, a rematch of the 2002 final, in which Canada defeated the United States, 3-2.

Of particular interest: How NBC commentator Cammi Granato, former U.S. captain cut from the '06 squad by Coach Ben Smith, comments on Smith's strategic moves during and after another probable silver-medal finish.

Tuesday, Feb. 21

Women's figure skating short program (NBC, 8 p.m.)

Finally, after millions of typed words have been spent for the cause, the Michelle Kwan Winter Games officially open. Sasha Cohen recently groused to Sports Illustrated, "A couple of years ago I thought, 'Why doesn't [Kwan] retire? Look at how many nationals she has. Look how many worlds she's won. Give someone else a turn.' "

NBC to Cohen: "Um, did you say something?"

Wednesday, Feb. 22

Men's hockey quarterfinals (USA 5 a.m., MSNBC 7 a.m. live)

In the NBC media guide, Ebersol advises "die-hard fans [to] mark their calendars for Wednesday, Feb. 22. It will be the single greatest day in hockey — all of the game's biggest stars will compete in the men's quarterfinals as the world's eight best teams all face off."

Hockey's greatest day and biggest stars? With Wayne Gretzky serving as executive director, not first-line center, for Team Canada? With Mario Lemieux settling into his latest retirement? With Sidney Crosby nowhere to be found?

Thursday, Feb. 23

Women's figure skating final (NBC, 8 p.m.)

The stage is set for this ratings-bonanza melodrama: Kwan takes the ice for the last skate of her Olympic career. Overcome by emotion, she falls twice, eliciting groans of disappointment from NBC's unbiased and unmatched commentator crew. Cohen, Russia's Irina Slutskaya, Italy's Carolina Kostner and Japan's Shizuka Arakawa all clearly outskate Kwan.

Nevertheless, analyst Scott Hamilton starts jumping up and down and shouting, "This is no way for a great champion like Kwan to bow out!"

Which scares the judges, who, already confused by the new scoring system, frantically punch a bunch of buttons, and there it is: Michelle Kwan, 2006 Olympic bronze medalist.

At an overflow post-skate news conference, Kwan says she is pleased but not totally satisfied and notes that she still lacks an Olympic gold medal and will be only 29 in 2010….

Friday, Feb. 24

Figure skating champions gala (NBC, 8 p.m.)

Knowing where its ratings bread is buttered, NBC dumps one men's hockey semifinal on MSNBC, the other on USA, airs the men's curling final on both USA and CNBC and builds its prime-time show around a meaningless figure skating exhibition.

Saturday, Feb. 25

Men's slalom (NBC, 8 p.m.)

One last ski competition, this one centering on American Ted Ligety and Italian hero Giorgio Rocca, who is partially colorblind, but can certainly tell the difference in endorsement euros between gold and silver.

Sunday, Feb. 26

Men's hockey gold-medal game (NBC, 8 a.m.)

Probably a matchup between Canada and either Sweden or the Czech Republic. As for Team USA, it's a day for rest and reflection and how to explain what didn't happen to the hockey fans back home, unless you believe in miracles happening twice in a lifetime.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-sp-olypenner10feb10,0,4754330,print.htmlstory?coll=cl-tv-features

fredfa

02-10-06, 03:08 PM

TV Sports
NBA TV Tries Free Throw

By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 2/10/2006

To promote the February 19 National Basketball Association All-Star Game, the league is letting distributors offer its NBA TV cable channel free to all subscribers for the week of Feb. 14-22.

While the game will actually be carried on TNT, the league’s network will have more than 100 hours of related programming that week, beginning when the players arrive in Houston Feb. 15.

On Friday, Feb. 17, the network shifts to 24/7 coverage, including its signature news show, NBA Live TV, broadcasting live from Houston’s convention center, site of the NBA’s All-Star Jam Session interactive theme park. The league will also have a technology center on site where fans can see NBA TV programming in high definition.

The network plans on having 30 camera crews and 10 HD cameras for its coverage, which will include an HD airing of the teams practicing, press conferences, and red-carpet arrivals on game day.

fredfa

02-10-06, 03:12 PM

TV Review
“Arrested Development”: A Quick End to the Cult Series That Lived Up to Its Name

By Alessandra Stanley The New York Times February 10, 2006

There are things that should have been popular but were not: the Allende government, geothermal home heating and "Arrested Development."

The Fox sitcom won fervent praise from critics and an Emmy for best television comedy, but it really takes the prize for the funniest show that nobody watched.

After coddling "Arrested Development" through almost three seasons like a sickly family pet, Fox is finally putting it to rest tonight, showing the last four episodes in a row. The unhappy few who loved the series get a chance to pay their final respects. For the many more viewers who passed on it, the memorial session is more like an autopsy, an opportunity to examine what they missed, and what they didn't.

The satire revolves around the Bluths, a family of narcissists and lunatics (a misalliance between "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "The Simpsons") whose real estate company is forever under government investigation. The Bluths are deliciously self-centered and absurd, the dialogue is quick and corrosively funny, and yet "Arrested Development" is not addictive. It is possible to fully enjoy one episode and not feel compelled to see what happens next.

For one thing, too much happens. Each week, the script kept adding on — almost as if the writers had an inside bet to see how far and wide the parody could stretch. The family patriarch, George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), turned out to have a twin brother, Oscar, who was the lover of George's brittle, alcoholic wife, Lucille, who turned out to have a frenemy, also named Lucille (Liza Minnelli), who had an affair with the Bluths' battiest child, Buster. And on and on. Michael (Jason Bateman) is the show's center, the sanest in the bunch, always seeking to put some order in the family chaos. He gets no help from his sister Lindsay (Portia De Rossi) or her husband, Tobias (David Cross), a homely would-be actor who is sexually confusing.

This season, the estranged couple try to rekindle their marriage, but bedroom sparks don't fly. After yet another failed attempt, Tobias tells Lindsay that he just wants her to feel satisfied. "You are always thinking of others," she replies consolingly. "I tried that," Tobias says. "It doesn't work."

"Arrested Development" had the kind of cachet that attracts famous guest stars; the long list includes Martin Short and Charlize Theron. In the final episodes, Justine Bateman, Mr. Bateman's real-life sister, makes a cameo as a prostitute whom Michael believes to be a long-lost sister. All the characters are appealingly nutty in their own ways, but true to the show's title, they did not develop over time. The writers seemed so intent on adding arch subplots that the narrative never settled into an even flow. The humor is both deadpan and hyperactive, which wears thin.

The show's unorthodox format cannot be blamed. "Malcolm in the Middle" was a huge hit for Fox, and that sitcom was also taped with a single camera, without a laugh track. The style has not hurt "My Name Is Earl," which is winning critical acclaim and high ratings.

It's just as hard to argue that American viewers are not flinty enough for the show's black humor. HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is still going strong, and the NBC version of "The Office," which stars Steve Carell in the role created by Ricky Gervais, has found a broader audience.

Mostly, "Arrested Development" is a victim of its times. There are so many comedies, on so many stations, that it is harder than ever for even a highly eccentric sitcom to resonate. In the 1970's, Norman Lear's syndicated shows, "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," and its successor, "Fernwood 2-Night," never matched the popularity of "M*A*S*H" or "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," but there was so little shock-value satire on television back then that even small cult favorites received wide attention. Those shows made news by mocking Roman Catholic priests and the disabled. Nowadays, those kinds of jokes abound on even the most conventional network sitcoms.

In its final episodes, "Arrested Development" tries hard to push red-state buttons. Michael's other idiot brother, Gob (Will Arnett), a failed magician who insists on being called an illusionist, travels to Iraq to practice his craft. Recently converted to Christianity, Gob devises a magic act that includes re-enacting biblical miracles. In Baghdad, Gob delights a crowd by conjuring a burning bush. The Iraqis assume it is an effigy of President Bush and riot, and Gob is arrested by American forces as an insurgency sympathizer.

Michael and Buster go to Iraq to seek his release from the Iraqi prison. "It's U.S.-run," Michael exclaims. "God knows what they are doing to him." A C.I.A. agent drives the Bluth brothers around, and complains about the traffic. "Sorry it took so long," the agent says. "The Cheney Expressway was backed up all the way to Halliburton Drive."

"Arrested Development" has wonderfully funny moments, but they never added up to a hit. The consolation for fans is that the show will live on in DVD and rerun form. The writers can seek solace in the fact that "Arrested" joins other critically acclaimed and prematurely canceled shows in television's prestigious hall of failure.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/10/arts/television/10arre.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

fredfa

02-10-06, 03:16 PM

The Winter Olympics
NBC sets bar lower

By Phyllis Furman The New York Daily News Business Writer Friday, February 10th, 2006

Don't count on gold medal ratings from the Torino Olympics.

NBC has set conservative audience targets for the Winter Games that begin tonight, projecting a primetime rating in the 12 to 14 range, NBC Universal TV group president Randy Falco told the Daily News.

That's about 25% below the audience for the highly rated 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but more than double the eyeballs the network has averaged so far this season during prime time.

Though NBC expects its Olympics audience to shrink, it has still managed to jack up the prices for its commercials.

The Peacock network and it sister cable nets have sold nearly 97% of their inventory, raking in $930 million, about 20% above Salt Lake City's ad take.

"We're very comfortable with where we are. We're very comfortable with our projections," Falco told The News in a phone interview yesterday from Turin.

Blue-chip advertisers like Visa, McDonald's and General Motors have signed on - paying between $500,000 and $700,000 per 30-second spot. Falco said he expects the Torino Olympics to turn a profit for NBC Universal, which paid more than $600 million for the Games.

Advertisers are willing to fork over top dollar for big events like the Olympics, because they remain one of the few ways to reach massive audiences.

"We're delivering a great event that will last 17 days," Falco said. "Even with a 12 to 14 rating in prime time, that's the equivalent of having six Super Bowls."

The network and NBC's cable nets, like USA Network, will present an unprecedented 418 hours of programing. That's up from 375.5 hours of Olympics coverage at Salt Lake City.

Big crowd pleasing events like skiing, figure skating and speed skating will air in prime time on tape delay, meaning viewers can easily learn the outcome ahead of time. Live results will be posted on NBCOlympics.com.

NBC research chief Alan Wurtzel said it's "difficult and unfair" to compare Torino to Salt Lake City. The latter benefitted enormously from airing live from U.S. soil, with big U.S. wins.

The 2002 Games came after 9/11, when patriotism surged.

At the same time, the overall network prime-time audience has been steadily shrinking.

"Everything is down from four years ago. This still stands out as a big event," said Steve Sternberg, director of audience analysis for ad buying firm Magna Global.

But NBC faces another challenge. While rivals used to air reruns during the Olympics, figuring it wasn't worth competing, now they're prepping an assault with new episodes of "Desperate Housewives" and "American Idol."

NBC execs said the total number of TV viewers will likely grow over the next two weeks and they don't expect those hits to erode its audience.

The network could use all the eyeballs it can get. So far this season, its ratings among 18- to 49-year-olds have fallen 13%, putting it in fourth place.

NBC plans to use the Olympics to promote its shows, including its new Thursday night lineup of "The Office" and "My Name is Earl."

http://www.nydailynews.com/business/v-pfriendly/story/389989p-330860c.html

fredfa

02-10-06, 03:19 PM

The Winter Olympics
Let the Games begin! Talking points to spice up your Olympic viewing

By Sean L. McCarthy Boston Globe Friday, February 10, 2006
(Note: All times are Eastern)

We may not know who will take to the medal stand each day in the Winter Olympics, but we most certainly can tell you what the Olympics coverage will look and sound like.

It’s that predictable.

Will Michelle Kwan earn gold in her final go-around?

Will Bode Miller crash the party, or simply crash?

Will new American citizen Tanith Belbin and her native-born American partner, Ben Agosto, put the United States back on the medal stand in ice dancing?

Blah, blah, blah.

While NBC’s talking heads are feeding you the melodrama, get a jump on the conversation at home, at the bar and in the workplace with these talking points to get you through the Games.

WHERE’S KATIE?

NBC’s news anchor, Brian Williams, will lead coverage of tonight’s opening ceremonies from Torino, Italy. Where in the world is Katie Couric? Engage in a lively debate. Did NBC yank her from prime time because she might leap to CBS? Are they worried that if actual news happens, Couric will duck and cover as she did during Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade? Or were they spooked because an Italian bird pooped on Couric during live “Today Show” coverage earlier this week?

Alternate game: Have your friends predict who gets to carry the U.S. flag for the contingent. Tiebreaker goes to whomever guesses which Italian will light the official torch.

Opening ceremonies: 8 p.m., Ch. 7 (tape delay)

BODE MILLER TIME

New Hampshire skiing boy wonder/blunder Bode Miller remains the talk of Torino. The 28-year-old reigning World Cup winner is a contender in all five alpine events. He might win five golds, or he might fall five times. It could go either way. Have your friends play a drinking game: Drink every time NBC mentions the fact that Miller has copped to skiing drunk, or whenever they speculate that Miller is hungover.

Alternate game: Guess how many times NBC remembers to mention California skiing hopeful Daron Rahlves.

Downhill: 6 a.m. Sunday

Combined: Tuesday

Super-G: Feb. 18

Giant Slalom: Feb. 20

Slalom: Feb. 25

KID-TESTED, IOC-APPROVED

The sport that most resembles something your college buddies would dream up to kill time in the dorms? Short-track speed skating. Up to six skaters race around a rink, with falling and crashing a distinct probability every time. And you can get disqualified nine ways. Keep an eye on 23-year-old Apolo Anton Ohno of Seattle, who won a silver and a gold medal in Salt Lake City in 2002.

Your task: Design a similar indoor horsing-around activity that could turn into an Olympic sport.

1500 meters: Sunday

1000 meters: Feb. 18

500 meters; relay: Feb. 25

QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN?

We’ve already seen plenty of 20-year-old snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis. The Stratton, Vt., woman and multiple X-Games champ already has endorsement deals from Dunkin’ Donuts and Visa. But is Jacobellis the next Picabo Street? Or does NBC care more about how hot the snowboarders are? Witness the online links from NBC to halfpipe snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler’s photo gallery from laddie mag FHM.

Halfpipe (Bleiler): Monday

Snowboarding Cross (Jacobellis): Feb. 17

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

The two-man luge takes this metaphor literally and figuratively. We get luge - it’s extreme sledding. But we’re still not quite sure who to credit and/or blame for the idea of adding a second guy, who lies down on top of the first guy. It’s obviously silly. What would make it sillier? Make the top guy a celeb! If they can have pro athletes run the back of the bobsled, they certainly can toss a celeb on the luge, right? Back by popular demand - here are some possibilities to ponder while you come up with your own: Nathan Lane, Will Ferrell, Larry David, Mr. T., John Goodman.

Two-man luge: Wednesday

A HAIRY PREDICAMENT

If luge is crazy wacky nuts, then what to make of skeleton - essentially luge, only heading downhill headfirst instead of feetfirst. Pre-Games hype has centered around 25-year-old Zach Lund of Salt Lake City, who tested positive earlier this season for the steroid Finasteride. It’s also an ingredient in Propecia, the baldness-fighting drug Lund takes.

Time for “Would You Rather?”: Would you rather switch to Rogaine (minoxidil) to stay clean and risk going bald? Or would you rather have an aerodynamic advantage?

Alternate game: See how many bald star athletes you can name. We’ll go first: Michael Jordan.

Skeleton: Feb. 17

IDOL WORSHIP

It’s a demographic TV collision course alert! The lady figure skaters take the ice just as “American Idol” reaches its final 24 singers. Are you going to watch Kwan, Sasha Cohen and 16-year-old Kimmie Meissner and tape “Idol,” or the other way around?

Alternate game: Which judge is harsher, the Russian ice skating judge, or Simon Cowell?

Short program: Feb. 21

Free skate: Feb. 23

ANOTHER MIRACLE ON ICE

Face it. We might care a lot about hockey in New England, but in Red State America, not so much. Only the Olympics gets everyone talking about pucks, and for that, we still can thank the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team (which brings us back home again). The best preliminary matchups come on Feb. 21, when Wayne Gretzky’s Canada team faces off against goalie Dominik Hasek, NHL points leader Jaromir Jagr and their Czech Republic squad, while the Americans take on - who else - Russia. Do you still believe in miracles?

Final prelim hockey games: Feb. 21

Men’s semifinal hockey: Feb. 24

Bronze medal game: Feb. 25

Gold medal game: Feb. 26

See it now

Seems like it was just two years ago that NBC was trying to figure out how to keep audiences tuned in to its tape-delayed Summer Olympics coverage from Athens, Greece, when most everyone already knew the results.

This time around, the Peacock network wants to have it both ways.

In addition to the extensive coverage (416 hours), broadcast across NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, USA and Telemundo, the network is going to the Net - offering instant e-mail updates, a special computer desktop feed, or news alerts delivered via text message to your cellphone.

At www.nbcolympics.com, you can choose from the following options:

Breaking news alerts

Medal alerts - all medals, or USA-only

Athlete news - specifically, for Apolo Anton Ohno, Bode Miller, Chad Hedrick, Daron Rahlves, Gretchen Bleiler, Hannah Teter, Jeremy Bloom, Jeret “Speedy” Peterson, Lindsey Jacobellis, Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, Seth Wescott or Shani Davis

A daily update on TV listings

Specific event alerts

The online coverage also includes a link to a regional zone page, in this case, WHDH-TV (Ch. 7).

http://theedge.bostonherald.com/tvNews/view.bg?articleid=125325&format=text

fredfa

02-10-06, 03:27 PM

TV Notebook
An arresting finale

By Alan Sepinwall Newark Star-Ledger Staff Friday, February 10, 2006

WHILE THE NATIONS of the world will be celebrating the spirit of competition on NBC tonight, Fox is holding a two-hour wake for "Arrested Development" (8 PM ET/PT Fox) so pop a Forget-Me-Now, save some room in your stomach for a frozen banana and bring your best Cornballer story.

Whatever grudges "Arrested" fans may have over Fox's decision to pull the plug (and, frankly, I can't complain about a two-and-a-half season run for such a limited-appeal show), you've got to give the network credit for airing the last four episodes in one chunk instead of making us wait for the DVDs.

I've seen three of the four, and they're filled with everything I love about the show -- plus everything that doomed it.

The first half-hour is the strongest, with the Bluth family preparing for George's criminal trial on the set of a TV courtroom show presided over by actor Judge Reinhold. And, yes, Kevin Smith's "Clerks" cartoon did the Judge Judge Reinhold gag a few years ago, but "Arrested" does it one better by giving the show a house band, William Hung & the Hung Jury. (Hung still can't sing, but the Hung Jury performs a rockin' rendition of Gob and Franklin's racial harmony anthem "It Ain't Easy Being White.")

There's also a subplot involving kissing cousins George Michael and Maeby (Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat) participating in a mock wedding that turns into a mock Bar Mitzvah, mainly as an excuse for narrator Ron Howard to say lines like, "That's not in the Torah."

Episode two brings the long-awaited appearance of Justine Bateman as a woman who may or may not be the long-lost sister of Jason Bateman's Michael. And episode three brings three of the Bluths to Iraq for a confrontation with a houseful of Saddam Hussein impersonators and character actor Gary Cole.

This, no doubt, is all impenetrable to anyone who hasn't been watching since day one, but if you're part of that small but loyal group, don't miss it.

Ratings gold?

"Arrested Development" isn't much more than cannon fodder against NBC's coverage tonight of the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics, but the sledding could get pretty rough for the Peacock over the next two weeks.

For Winter Games past, other networks rolled over and played dead. But with no huge stars or stories leading into these Olympics, the rest of the Big Four are aiming some of their biggest guns square at those interlocking rings.

Fox has "American Idol," which is more popular than it's ever been, plus "House," "24" and a lineup full of original episodes. ABC has "Desperate Housewives," "Lost" and "Dancing with the Stars." CBS will mainly be showing repeats, but it has some originals like "Survivor."

"The Winter Games happen only once every four years," NBC Sports czar Dick Ebersol waxed philosophical last month. "... They're only going to be there for 17 days. 'Idol' is going to be there for hours and hours and hours, well into May."

"'American Idol' is a huge force," acknowledged NBC entertainment boss Kevin Reilly at the same time, but "there's a lot of Americans not watching it. The Olympics recruits a lot of audience. We know it's going to be a success."

Fox entertainment president Peter Liguori, trying not to look like he was licking his chops, suggested Reilly might be right: "When a network has great programming on, there's enough success to go around... Sometimes even more than 50 percent of the audience is going to cable. When broadcast is at its best, it winds up taking from cable."

NBC, struggling badly for the second season in a row, needs the Olympics to do big numbers just as a platform to promote its midseason shows. Then again, the last Summer Games featured plugs for the late, unlamented "Father of the Pride" and "Hawaii" and the all-but-flatlined "Joey."

"We just didn't have the shows" then, said Reilly. "Good shows will get watched. Bad shows, it doesn't matter what you do. I feel a lot better about these ones."

Being Dave Chappelle

Shocking but true: James Lipton is a better interviewer than Oprah.

When Oprah Winfrey had Dave Chappelle on her show last week, she got some answers about why the comedian bolted from his $50 million Comedy Central deal to hang out in Africa. But too often, she tried to make the interview (as she frequently does) All About Oprah: responding to a story about a blackface sketch that made Chappelle uncomfortable with a similar story about something that made her uncomfortable, reminding him of the perils of celebrity based on her own experiences, etc.

On Sunday's "Inside the Actors Studio" (8 p.m., Bravo), Lipton keeps his ego mostly in check and gets a more revealing look inside Chappelle's head.

Early on, Lipton pumps him for stories about his late father, which leaves the door open for Chappelle to detail his dad's advice about show business: "Name your price in the beginning. If it ever gets more expensive than the price you name, get out of there... Thus, Africa."

Chappelle also gives a more coherent picture of what made him so uncomfortable shooting season three of "Chappelle's Show," admitting the contract -- and the constant publicity about the $50 million figure -- was more than he could deal with.

"I don't want my life to be about enforcing boundaries," he says. "But that's what happens when you become successful. Your humanity diminishes and you become something else to people."

It's not all a love-in. When Lipton points out Chappelle is chain-smoking through the interview, Chappelle looks at the audience and cracks, "I don't know about y'all, but this (bleep) is stressing me out!"

All TV bit

When "The Amazing Race" comes back on Feb. 28, it'll be with the traditional, non-Family Edition trappings -- two-person teams, international travel, no small children -- but a new timeslot. The two-hour premiere will start at the usual 9 p.m., but the week after, "Race" will move to 10, so CBS can schedule "The Unit," a military drama created by David Mamet, immediately after the network's other (quasi) military show, "NCIS." "Love Monkey," which has been airing Tuesdays at 10, is off the schedule immediately, after disappointing ratings in all three outings. So much for the idea that CBS might be patient with a non-crime drama.

http://www.nj.com/columns/ledger/alltv/index.ssf?/base/columns-0/113955347791630.xml&coll=1

fredfa

02-10-06, 03:30 PM

TV Notebook
Conan in Finland and Dwight's words of love

By Maureen Ryan from the Chicago Tribune TV blog February 10, 2006

• Valentine’s Day will be a little sad this year, because “Love Monkey,” has been put on hiatus by CBS. Episodes of “NCIS” will replace “Monkey” Tuesday and Feb. 21. Let’s hope this is just a temporary thing. Then again, the fact that “Love Monkey” is a scripted drama on CBS that does not involve corpses does not bode well for the show.

• The inescapable CBS promos for the new season of “The Amazing Race” promise it will be “like nothing you’ve ever seen -- more exotic, more adventure, more amazing.” The subtext: It won’t be boring and annoying like the recent Family Edition of the show.

• TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello reports that a lead character won’t be around for the second half of “The Shield’s” fifth season. That is distressing. Then again, the FX drama has been so good this season I’d watch it if they started doing it with hand puppets.

• Conan O’Brien, whose late-night show has made much of the fact that he strongly resembles Finland’s female president, Tarja Halonen, will visit the Nordic nation this month and air footage from his trip starting Feb. 28. He’ll also accept a Finnish TV award that will honor him as “the most surprising and most entertaining TV personality in Finland.” “Once I conquer Finland, I’ll head south through the Baltics and on to Belarus,” O’Brien said in a statement. “Soon all the world will find me mildly amusing.”

• Look for a “Veronica Mars” reference in Friday’s “Arrested Development” season (not series) finale.

• RealityBlurrred.com drew attention to a report in RealScreen magazine, which said that product placements and appearances have increased 30 percent on network prime-time television. The show with the most product placement, according to RealScreen, was “The Contender.” Personally, I think Mood Fabrics on "Project Runway" is getting the most effective promotion on television right now. I don't even sew, but I want to go there.

• The two lines from Thursday's stellar, laugh-out-loud edition of "The Office" that are still reverberating in my head: Dwight's reply to Pam's query about what could be a romantic Valentine's Day gift: "You mean, like a ham?" And then, later, Dwight fixing the camera with a Dwight-esque stare and saying, in regard to his new girlfriend, "My animal deserves a lot of loving."

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

fredfa

02-10-06, 03:59 PM

TV Notebook
A soggy beach blanket for Fox's 'O.C.'

Sob! Teen soap down 27 percent this season
By Tom Watson in MediaLifeMagazine.com Feb 10, 2006

Only a year ago, "The O.C," was a top teen hit, and so quintessentially Fox in its edginess that the network used it to lead its assault on Thursday night just as NBC's longstanding hold was crumbling. It worked. Ratings for the show were up even more.

That was then. No longer. "The O.C" is taking a serious hit this season in its core 12-17 audience, and the cause is the far tougher competition it faces. It's also suffering from some teen-like identity issues. A recent move from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. seems only to have exacerbated the erosion.

The series is now averaging a 2.9 rating and 10 share among teens, down 27 percent from the 4.0/13 it averaged last year. Male teens, at a 2.0/7, are down even more at 39 percent. Female teens, at 3.8/22, are down 22 percent.

What's happened?

In some senses, "The O.C.," a steamy soap about the young and gorgeous of affluent Orange County, Calif., has lost its specialness. When Fox premiered the series two years ago, it nurtured it in the best of all possible timeslots, leading out of "American Idol" on Wednesday nights. It quickly caught with teens, its popularity soaring.

Then after a strong first season, Fox decided to move "O.C." to Thursday at 8, in a direct challenge to NBC. It was a shrewd move. With "Friends" gone, NBC had much of its hopes set on "Joey," the spinoff, but there was a growing feeling, especially among media buyers, that the show would sputter and drag down NBC's lineup with it. Fox, which had long been weak on Thursdays, saw it as an opening. The "O.C." could exploit its position as the only teen-skewing series.

The hunch was right on. Against "Joey," the teen angst show performed very well.

But when this season began, it was suddenly no longer just "Joey." Now everyone saw a chance on Thursday. There was the WB’s "Smallville," moved from Wednesday, and UPN’s new and much-talked-about "Everybody Hates Chris."

"The "O.C." also faced some creative issues, with fans particularly unhappy with a story arc featuring actress Jeri Ryan. Quite soon "The O.C.'s" edge with teens began to dissipate.

Then last month, Fox moved "The O.C." to 9 against ABC’s surprisingly potent "Dancing with the Stars," NBC’s quirky "My Name is Earl" and "The Office," and CBS’s "CSI." Against this competition, "The O.C." has fallen off even more, delivering a 2.7/8 among teens, off 16 percent from its 8 p.m. average, and down 32 percent from last season’s average.

The show may get a boost soon with another shot of "Idol" support. The network has scheduled the talent contest for three Thursday airings, with the first two leading into specials. But the third is scheduled for March 9 leading into "The O.C." Though Fox's intent seems to be to test how "Idol" would perform on the night, giving "The O.C." a bump would be a welcome side benefit.

The question after that becomes where will "The O.C." land next season? It may move back to 8 p.m., or perhaps, if its post-"Idol" spot goes well, back on Wednesdays next winter.

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_2791.asp

AFH

02-10-06, 04:20 PM

^^^Fox loves to move shows around. Seems that everytime they do it, it eventually kills a show. When will they learn?

Also, why did CBS move the Amazing Race to 10pm eastern? I know that they wanted to put The Unit afte NCIS b/c of similarities, but Race would be a good lead show for a new show. What happens when The Unit doesn't catch and the audience for Race is down b/c CBS positioned Race after a new show?

Put Race at 8, NCIS at 9 and The Unit at 10pm. If the Unit doesn't stick around, move NCIS back to 8 and bring Race in at 9.

fredfa

02-10-06, 05:40 PM

TV Notebook
Commander In Chief Takes Break

By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable

ABC has again tinkered with its Tuesday night lineup. ”Commander in Chief” will step aside beginning next week, to be replaced at 9 p.m. by additional airings of comedies ”According to Jim” and ”George Lopez” for the next three weeks (the February sweeps).

The network had previously announced that Commander was to go on hiatus beginning March 7.

Beginning Tuesday, Feb. 14, the network’s schedule will comprise Jim at 8 followed by new midseason sitcom Rodney at 8:30, and then another Jim at 9 followed by George Lopez at 9:30. On the 14th, however, ABC will run ”A Charlie Brown Valentine” at 8, as previously announced. ”Boston Legal”, which has been doing well in the ratings, remains in its10 p.m. slot.

On March 7, the 9 p.m. hour will be taken up by back-to-back episodes of midseason comedy ”Sons & Daughters”. ABC has picked up 12 episodes of the show. The network says Commander in Chief will return to the schedule on April 18 with seven straight new episodes.

And there is still no word from the network on the exact return of ”Alias”, which is slated to finish its run sometime in the spring.

fredfa

02-10-06, 05:44 PM

Obituary
Actor Franklin Cover, neighbor to 'The Jeffersons,' dies at 77

The Associated Press is reporting that Franklin Cover, who became a familiar face as George and Louise Jefferson's white neighbor in the long-running TV sitcom ”The Jefferson’s, has died. The AP attributes the news to Cover’s publicist, Dale Olson. Cover, who was 77, died Sunday.

fredfa

02-10-06, 05:47 PM

TV Notebook
Showtime or ABC could get 'Arrested'

By Gary Levin, USA Today

Can Showtime get Arrested?

That's the question on the minds of Arrested Development's small cadre of ardent fans, gearing up for tonight's finale on Fox (8 ET/PT) with four remaining episodes from its shortened third season. It's also of keen interest to the pay-cable network, which is eager to import a show whose 4-million-plus fans would amount to a sorely needed runaway hit.

Fox entertainment chief Peter Liguori last month uttered the inevitable: Two-time Emmy comedy winner Arrested is "extremely unlikely" to return for a fourth try because of low, then lower, ratings, from 6.2 million viewers in Season 1 to 4.2 million so far this year.

Though Fox hasn't officially canceled the series, producer 20th Century Fox Television already has found two potential takers in Showtime and ABC.

The studio dreams of a multiyear deal that would yield 35 new episodes, which — added to the 53 already completed — would mark enough to sell the comedy into syndication. While ABC views its bid as a long shot, the Showtime scenario is plausible.

"It's an established name. It's critically acclaimed. It's been deemed one of the best shows ever created for this medium," Showtime president Robert Greenblatt said last month. "And I think having that in with our other shows has a bit of a halo effect" that also could spark growth in paying subscribers.

Struggling series have switched networks before, but the migration is rare and problematic. Most notably, CBS picked up JAG from NBC after one season and turned it into a solid hit that lasted nine more years.

Yet, "there are few shows that have the ratings track record that Arrested does, where the passion burns so strong among loyal viewers," says 20th Century Fox co-president Gary Newman. "If we can find a way to do this show that economically makes sense, we will."

While the actors and creator/executive producer Mitch Hurwitz remain under contract, in practice no one's holding a gun to their heads.

"I'd be a moron to wish it away," says Jason Bateman, who plays Michael, the son who holds the family and its real estate business together. But he's also a realist, hardened by the "interesting ride" writers and actors have faced. Arrested has aired in three time slots and cheated death each season.

It's the "loud minority" of fans, critics and Emmy voters who have kept the show around, Bateman says. "This show has a very specific tone, humor and appeal, and we happen to be showing this in a medium that's geared for the masses," whereas Showtime would be content with even a fraction of that audience.

If a financial deal can be hammered out, the main sticking point is the will of Hurwitz, a veteran sitcom writer. "A lot comes down to how passionate Mitch is to keep it going," Newman says.

And Hurwitz? He says he's interested, but exhausted from the show's labor-intensive editing. He wants to pause before making a move. "I'm really torn. It's a really important show to me, but on the other hand, maybe it has lived the life it needs to live. What weighs against it is it's a soul-crushing amount of work."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-02-09-arrested-showtime_x.htm

fredfa

02-10-06, 05:54 PM

The Digital Revolution
High-Def Pioneer Cuban Sees Room For Every Technology '
Kevin Hunt The Hartford Courant Electronic Jungle Columns February 10 2006

Mark Cuban is spoiled rotten. That's what happens when you watch too much HDTV.

Cuban, best known as the tech-crazed owner (and uninhibited fan) of the Dallas Mavericks, has taken high-definition TV 'round-the-clock with the HDNet and HDNet Movies television networks.

With business partner Todd Wagner, Cuban's also outfitting their Landmark Theaters with ultra-high-resolution digital projectors - the showpiece of their 2929 Entertainment's controversial "day-and-date" plan to release movies like Steven Soderbergh's recent "Bubble" simultaneously in theaters, on DVD and on their TV networks.

Cuban, who made his fortune (estimated by Forbes at $1.8 billion) after he and Wagner sold Broadcast.com to Yahoo for $5 billion in 1999, remains immersed in tech culture. His Blog Maverick (www.blogmaverick.com) is a hot stop in blogsville, and he spends much of his day doing business - or responding to HDNet subscribers or Mavericks fans - via e-mail. It's also his preferred way to conduct interviews...

Q: If the transition to HDTV were an NBA official, how would you grade it?

A: A B-plus. The transition isn't about all the legal stuff. It's about HDTV pricing, which has fallen faster than I expected.

Q: What home-theater equipment do you own?

A: Sony SXRD projector, HDCAM playback, Buffalo H-DVD player [it plays high-def DVDs].

Q: HDNet and HDNet Movies, with all that HD programming, can't get picked up by the nation's largest cable system, Comcast. Why?

A: Every one of your readers should call Comcast and ask them why. We are talking to them, but it obviously hasn't happened.

The day-and-date release of our movies is being talked about across the country, but Comcast users are missing it.

Q: How fast will HDNet move into 1080p [HDTV's highest resolution]?

A: As soon as we can capture and edit in 1080p reliably.

Q: Are the networks taking HD seriously? More prime-time programming is now in HD, but the networks don't seem to be in any great hurry. Not even the ads are in HD.

A: They don't want to spend the money. They are public companies.

Q: Without getting too technical, let's talk about bandwidth. Hi-def programming takes up a lot of bandwidth. For cable companies [and networks], will it come down to deciding whether to devote a great deal of the available bandwidth to a few channels, or a few hours, of HD programming or offering multiple channels of lesser-quality video that will maximize advertising profits?

A: Its not that Draconian. When it's all said and done, probably the 25 percent of channels that are least watched will disappear and not go HD.

Q: On Blog Maverick, you've made an argument for loading massive hard drives with music, then allowing consumers to pay for whatever tunes they want to keep. It appears television recording is moving toward massive hard drives, too, with people storing their favorite shows on a digital video recorder. Could this be the beginning of DVD's twilight?

A: No doubt about it, but that's seven to 10 years away.

Q: Your "day-and-date" plan with 2929 Entertainment doesn't advocate a DVD-less society - with a movie released in theaters, on DVD and on HDNet Movies the same day - but a logical next step might be to skip the DVD and release the home version as an "on-demand" or download-to-hard-drive version. Wal-Mart, the nation's No. 1 seller of DVDs, won't like that. How will that play out?

A: It won't be that popular for a long, long time for a couple of reasons. At HD quality, even with 5 mbs [megabits per second] broadband, it could take hours to download a movie, and, second, few people have PCs connected to their HDTVs.

Q: Do you shop at Wal-Mart?

A: All the time - Target, Best Buy and Amazon, too.

Q: What will happen to movie theaters once everyone has an HDTV, discovers how much surround-sound adds to the movie-watching experience and can watch virtually any movie for a lot less than $10 a head?

A: Nothing. They will still do well. Kids and parents need to get away from each other, and home theaters don't cure cabin fever.

http://www.courant.com/technology/hc-hunt0210.artfeb10,0,4226523.column?coll=hc-headlines-technology

fredfa

02-10-06, 06:01 PM

TV Sports
Michaels' Move Takes Focus Away From Olympics

By Larry Stewart Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 10, 2006
(Note: All times are Pacific)

The Al Michaels announcement Thursday wasn't great timing for NBC. A lot of columns like this one are featuring that story today instead of the opening of the Winter Olympics.

But NBC is going into these Games with optimism, according to Randy Falco, president and chief operating officer of the NBC Universal Group.

"We expect to get ratings of 12 to 14 during prime time," Falco said Thursday from Turin, Italy. That would double the current prime-time average on network television.

Falco said the commercial time is just about sold out, and that advertising should gross in the $900-million range.

"These Olympics will be profitable for us," he said.

Competing networks won't be pulling back and running reruns during these Olympics, as they do during Summer Games. Fox's "American Idol" is currently the hottest show on television. On Wednesday night, it beat the Grammys, getting a 28.3 rating to a 15.1.

"That 'American Idol' and 'Desperate Housewives' and shows like that are doing so well indicates just how healthy network television is," Falco said. "We welcome the competition."

NBC's Brian Williams will join Bob Costas as a co-host for tonight's opening ceremony, which NBC will show delayed at 8 p.m.

DirecTV will be offering a special "Sports Mix" channel (104) that will show Olympic coverage from NBC, MSNBC, CNBC and USA simultaneously on one screen. There will also be up-to-the-minute medal counts and the TV schedule. Dish Network and Time Warner digital cable are offering similar interactive services.

Also Overshadowed

CBS' hiring of James Brown away from Fox kind of got lost among all the television news this week. He will become the new host of "The NFL Today," with Greg Gumbel going back to play-by-play.

Brown, beginning next season, will also do some college basketball play-by-play.

Brown, who will now have an easier commute, going from his home in Washington to CBS in New York instead of Fox in Los Angeles, said he had a great 12-year run at Fox.

"Chemistry is something that is pretty elusive," Brown said. "And you often heard the question asked of the four of us, 'Do you guys really get along as well off camera as you do on camera?' And, yeah, we did. It was a wonderful, fascinating chemistry."

Tennis Galore

The Davis Cup, often forgotten by television, will be getting blanket coverage when the U.S. plays Romania at La Jolla on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Under a new agreement with the U.S. Tennis Assn., the Tennis Channel (TTC) and OLN will provide more than 40 hours of live and repeat coverage.

"This is the most coverage for a Davis Cup event in modern memory," said Ken Soloman, TTC chairman.

TTC, which is producing the coverage for both networks, has added John McEnroe as a commentator and Bud Collins as a reporter.

TTC is available on Adelphia and Comcast on basic digital and on Time-Warner on a pay sports tier.

Short Waves

Former UCLA coach Steve Lavin, who has really come into his own as a basketball commentator, will be paired with Brent Musburger at the Bruins' game at Washington on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on ABC. It is Lavin's only UCLA assignment this season.

One of a number of programs CSTV is offering in honor of Black History Month is "Tackling Segregation: The 1970 USC-Alabama Game." The half-hour documentary will be shown Monday at 5 p.m.

On "NBA Access With Ahmad Rashad" on ABC on Saturday at 3 p.m., Shaquille O'Neal belches after his morning orange juice. But he also quotes Winston Churchill, saying, "Shine the light on those being led, not the leader."

ABC earned a 41.6 final Nielsen national rating and a 62 share for the Super Bowl, a slight increase from a 41.1/62 for last year's game on Fox.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-spw-tvcol10feb10,0,6722563,print.story?coll=cl-tv-features

Inundated

02-10-06, 06:11 PM

(Which doesn't mean all that much, since I tend to tune in to the NBA around the middle of the third quarter of game seven of the finals.)

You and most of America. Pretty much including me, frankly, though I once lived close enough to LeBron James to be able to drop in on him.

CPanther95

02-10-06, 06:18 PM

That's the first I've heard of J.B. leaving FOX....shame. :(

fredfa

02-10-06, 07:31 PM

I'm gonna have to force you to read this thread more often CP95!

fredfa

02-10-06, 08:19 PM

The Business of TV
When the plot pushes product

The 30-second ad's reign is clearly on the wane. Today, merchandise drives stories, finances shows upfront or simply slips into the scene
By Lynn Smith Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 12, 2006

The nation's future was at stake and Jack Bauer, as usual, was racing against the clock on last month's season premiere of "24." Stuck in an airport crawl space, he could only watch helplessly as the enemy terrorized hostages and made demands of the president.

Fortunately, the writers made sure the maverick agent had a fully charged camera phone. The sponsors made sure it was a Sprint Treo 650.

Bauer even offered a testimonial to his colleagues at headquarters: "I'm going to send you photos of the hostages. They should be clear enough for you to identify them."

Welcome to the world of product integration. More subtle than product placement — the time-honored practice of having "American Idol" judges drinking from Coca-Cola cups, say — the rising alternative to commercials actually weaves products into plots and dialogue of some of television's top prime-time scripted shows.

According to Nielsen Media Research, which has been tracking product placements the last three years, the number of placements, including the new integration, jumped 30% to 108,261 last year. NBC ranked highest with 7,470 instances of a product being shown on its reality show "The Contender" alone and an additional 3,009 placement shots on "The Apprentice."

Product integration efforts can be as obvious as Eva Longoria taking work as a spokesmodel for Buick on "Desperate Housewives," or as subversive as the cast of "Arrested Development" making fun of Burger King at a Burger King.

Television, of course, has historically served as a vehicle for advertising. But knowing that sponsors are paying for the boss of "The Office" (Steve Carell) to frequent Chili's and order his "awesome blossom" "extra awesome" might shock some viewers who have grown used to believing scripted programs are pure creative efforts separated by 30-second commercials.

On one episode of "The Office," Carell's character broke into the restaurant's catchy "baby back ribs" jingle while entertaining a potential client there. Stars of "Veronica Mars" and "The O.C." are frequently shown using their T-Mobile Sidekicks to solve mysteries or thicken the plot.

"We're living in a crazy new world," said Gary Newman, president of 20th Century Fox Television, which produces "24." "The old formulas don't necessarily work. We have to be smart and find new ways to monetize the value of our programs," he said.

Networks have joined companies and producers in the scramble to offset the anticipated decline of the 30-second commercial, threatened by the avalanche of technological novelties that allow consumers to control their entertainment on iPods, cellphones or the Internet.

There is no standard model for placements; in some cases, story lines involving a specific product are pitched to a relevant company that can then buy its product's way into the scene; in other cases, companies suggest their products for a show. One Los Angeles broker has set up a matchmaking website so potential partners can find one another. Another company has specialized in digitally inserting brands into films and shows, allowing entertainment companies to sell the same space several times: On one film, for instance, one advertiser appeared in theaters, another on network television, another on basic cable and still another on DVD.

Costs range "all over the map," depending on the number of episodes and what the production is asked to do with the product, said Tom Meyer, president of Davie-Brown Entertainment, whose clients have paid for more than 50 placements and integrations. "A car manufacturer might be willing to pay $100,000 to $150,000 to show the mirror turns upside down. Going in and completely crafting a whole segment from scratch where the brand is a key player could be a million bucks." As the level of control over the message goes down, so does the cost. "If it's subliminal, it's not worth quite as much," he said.

"It really feels like a win-win," Newman said. "What we have to be careful about is not overdoing it." He said Toyota financed new scenes shot for a two-season DVD of "24" in which Jack and colleague Chloe each drove a Toyota. The villains tended to drive another type of car.

Producer Ben Silverman said "The Restaurant" accelerated the trend in 2003 by using advertisers, including American Express, Coors and Mitsubishi, to fully finance the show in return for playing a visible role in the televised day-to-day work of entrepreneur Rocco DiSpirito. Producers then sold the show to NBC. "It enabled us to make a show we couldn't get financed in a traditional way. NBC and NBC Universal Television chief Jeff Zucker were open to trying an alternative way to get a new kind of programming on the air," Silverman said. He has since produced four more shows fully financed by brands.

No quantitative studies have yet proven the effect of product integration.

Complaints by consumer and writers' groups that the practice is turning prime-time shows into infomercials have been largely ignored in the rush to keep pace with the rapidly evolving technology and younger viewers' resistance to being a passive, captive audience for commercials.

Those viewers, the 8-to-28 group known to marketers as "millennials," tend to be cynical about traditional commercials, which they regard as lectures, said Jack MacKenzie, a senior vice president at Frank N. Magid Associates, a media and entertainment research and consulting firm. On the other hand, MacKenzie said that millennials actually give credit to companies that come up with new and creative forms of selling to them.

Not only are they adept with the record, fast forward and pause buttons, he said, they also understand their role as valuable targets for companies who want them to buy things. "They understand that better than any other generation that has preceded them," MacKenzie said. "They've been sold to by cable TV and custom magazines since they were 10 years old."

Rather than sending a subliminal message, the best integrations encourage their savvy young viewers to join them in the joke, he said.

One particularly creative approach appeared in an episode of "Arrested Development" in which a fictional product integration takes place within a real product integration. In the scene, set in a Burger King, actor Carl Weathers, playing a version of himself, told acting student Tobias (David Cross) that Burger King would underwrite his TV project if he set a scene in the restaurant. Catching on, Tobias replied, "As long as you don't draw attention to it." Weathers then pointedly mentioned that soft drink refills are free at Burger King, prompting Tobias to exclaim, "It's a wonderful restaurant!" The narrator chimed in: "It sure is."

"In terms of their image, Burger King is willing to have fun with themselves in a way they believe the consumer finds engaging. On the basis of sales, they've been proven right," said Peter Tortorici, who left his job as president of CBS Entertainment to head Group M, a media buying agency that represents Burger King among others.

He said the best integrations match "the sensibility of a program to brand sensibility. It has more to do with subtext than with seeing a product." As the sponsor of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," Sears Roebuck & Co. delivers its products to a makeover site in clearly labeled Sears trucks. The company can say its products are about "quality-of-life experiences, generosity, can-do attitude and community. The program in its narrative embodies those things," Tortorici said.

Similarly, the show "7th Heaven" worked Campbell's soup into a story line in which Ruthie Camden collects labels for a school benefit.

"24" fans are obviously more interested in seeing Jack Bauer save the world than transmit photographs. Accordingly, later in the premiere episode, his Treo camera phone played a key role in vanquishing the enemy: A specialist back at headquarters "reconfigured" the device so that Jack could use it to detonate a vest explosive worn by a terrorist.

"Not every tactic works equally," Tortorici said, "but the overall strategy is clearly successful."

Many marketers have predicted viewers would be seeing more product integration in scripted and reality shows, but that the technique will likely "self-regulate" before it compromises the creative process and turns off viewers with too many products, plugged too obviously.

In the end, some said, integration may be so time-consuming, and take so much effort and collaboration, it probably would not replace the 30-second spot. "The beauty of the 30-second spot is that it's portable, you can put it anywhere you want," said Davie-Brown's Meyers.

And perhaps significantly, the majority of millennials (54%) recently polled by Magid said they would be more likely to buy a video iPod and watch a 30-second advertisement in return for a free download of a favorite television program. The alternative, it was implied, would be to pay for downloads free of commercials.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-ca-stealth12feb12,0,2174154,print.story?coll=cl-tv-top-right

fredfa

02-10-06, 08:23 PM

CP95, from Monday, 652P PT:

Sports on TV
NFL Hot Stove League: The TV Edition

By Ben Grossman at bcbeat.com

Now that one of the most poorly-played Super Bowls in recent memory is behind us, we can turn to an off-season that should be thoroughly enjoyable.

And while just last week I was having a couple of adult beverages with some network flaks debating Reggie Bush vs. Vince Young, it is not on the on-field transactions that will have my attention, but rather the movement in the broadcast booth.

Will Al Michaels jump to NBC? If he goes, who takes over as lead play-by-play guy alongside Joe Theismann on a little cable show called Monday Night Football? While we’re at it, if Michaels goes, who replaces him as ABC’s lead NBA guy?

But back to MNF, what about the reports that ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser may end up in that booth as well? If you haven’t seen his Pardon The Interruption show with Michael Wilbon lately or at all, do yourself a favor and check it out.

I checked back in on it the other day and every time I watch it, I wonder why I don’t do so more often.

Next up is Fox’s pre-game show.

The talented James Brown just jumped to CBS as Greg Gumbel moves back to play-by-play. So who does Fox bring in to play traffic cop for Terry, Howie and Jimmy? Or does Terry move over to that role, leaving Fox to go and bring in another personality?

And if you’re really desperate for more, you can even talk sideline reporter movements. New CBS News President Sean McManus is reportedly taking CBS Sports’ Armen Keteyian to the news side, while CBS’s Bonnie Bernstein also is jumping ship.

And the best thing about all this action? The refs have no way of screwing it up.

http://www.bcbeat.com/

fredfa

02-10-06, 10:04 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Is ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ taking ‘ER’ supplements?

By Aaron Barnhart Kansas City Star Feb. 12, 2006

Alert the next-of-kin: The condition of “Grey’s Anatomy” has just been upgraded to excellent — but unstable.

Nearly 38 million Super Bowl viewers waited through ABC’s postgame show to watch the heavily promoted “Code Black” episode. That made “Grey’s,” not “Lost” or “Desperate Housewives” or even “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” the highest-rated entertainment program ABC has aired in nine years.

And most of those people were still tuned in at the end, when the writers served up a totally gratuitous cliffhanger to extend l’affaire noir to a second hour. That will air at 9 tonight on KMBC, Channel 9.

We’ll see Dr. Bailey (Chandra Wilson) give birth, either with or without her husband, who was seriously injured speeding to the hospital for the delivery. And we will find out whether Dr. Grey (Ellen Pompeo) can safely remove her hand from the live ordnance she was hanging onto inside a patient’s chest when Part 1 ended.

Of course she will. It’s unthinkable that anything worse than finger cramps will befall the star of “Grey’s Anatomy.” So that leaves only one small bit of suspense: whether the episode will draw a bigger audience than its 8 p.m. lead-in, “Desperate Housewives.” It could happen. Even if it doesn’t, ABC’s cheeky soap opera about doctors is poised to become an even bigger sensation than ABC’s cheeky soap opera about suburbia.

But at what cost? If “Code Black” is a sign of where “Grey’s Anatomy” is headed, I’d like the older, less popular version back. In fact, I think a lot of regular viewers woke up Monday morning feeling like Dr. Grey (Ellen Pompeo) did after realizing she’d spent the night with her future supervisor — a bit uneasy and a little cheated.

In the pursuit of Nielsen glory, the creator of “Grey’s Anatomy,” Shonda Rhimes, seems to have forgotten what made her show such an out-of-the-gate hit. As she recently noted, “We’re a relationship show with surgery in it.”

Indeed, “Grey’s” owes more to “Desperate Housewives” than any hospital drama. The show’s large ensemble of two-dimensional, sexually available co-workers allows for a nearly infinite number of love triangles … much as Wisteria Lane’s ever-changing cast of two-dimensional, sexually available characters allows for endless loving and triangulating.

The familiarities don’t stop there. “Grey’s” is oddly whimsical for a show about life and death, a tone that is set by its plucky background music, which sounds exactly like the score on “Housewives.” And as far as either show is concerned, the more bizarre the storyline, the better.

I’m not sure which creeped me out more: the “Grey’s Anatomy” with two patients impaled on a pole or the “Housewives” with Carlos falling for a nun. Airing back-to-back on Sunday nights, “Grey’s” and “Housewives” have formed a remarkable partnership, a cheerful antidote to the grim slog of crime shows that dominate prime time. At least that was the case until “Code Black.”

Part 1 of that show started on a characteristic enough note, with Grey talking dreamily in a voiceover … kind of like a certain dead housewife on another ABC show. In the next scene we watched Grey and her two female interns take a sexy, soapy shower. It was a pointless but enjoyable fantasy sequence that, I’m sure, had nothing to do with the fact that millions of guys were checking out their wives’ favorite show for the first time.

By the third act, after much foreshadowing — not to mention all those Super Bowl promos that said all hell would be breaking loose — all hell did finally break loose on “Grey’s Anatomy.” First, though, someone uttered those ominous words: “Code black.”

Of course, none of the residents knew what a code black was. That’s because, at most hospitals, it apparently doesn’t exist.

“I’ve got the code sheet right here,” said KU Med’s director of public relations, Dennis McCulloch, when I called to ask him about it. He’d never heard of code black, either. “We’ve got red, blue, gray, pink and yellow. No black.”

What alarmed me about “Code Black” was how much it revolved around the surgery, rather than the relationships. The bomb-in-the-body crisis didn’t just sweep through Seattle Grace Hospital — it took over the whole show. It became less like “Grey’s Anatomy” and more like “ER.”

And we get another hour of “Code Black” this week.

Of course, last Sunday may have been an anomaly. This weekend we may be spared such scenes as the one where Alex (Justin Chambers) breathlessly dashed up a flight of stairs and into the operating room, just in time to convey a key message to Dr. Burke (Isaiah Washington) … that he could’ve easily delivered over the phone.

That kind of melodramatic nonsense “Grey’s Anatomy” should leave to other shows. Otherwise “Code Black” will soon stand for “lame sweeps month episode — incoming!”

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/entertainment/columnists/aaron_barnhart/13834015.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

02-10-06, 11:32 PM

The 2005-2006 TV Season
Ask Matt

(from the Ask (TV Critic) Matt (Roush) column at TVGuide.com
By Matt Roush TVGuide.com TV Critic

Question: When The West Wing closes down for good on May 14, Bartlet & Co. will leave and a new president will be sworn in. What a simply perfect way for a show to end — when it's supposed to! It's no secret that the series lost a lot of fans and critical appreciation after Aaron Sorkin left three years ago. So here's my question: Years from now, when you think back to The West Wing, how will you remember it? Will you remember a top-notch Emmy-winning drama that influenced the face of dramatic TV, or will you remember a disappointing show that went downhill and never recovered? — Marcus

Matt Roush: What an interesting legacy question to welcome me back from some time off (so much to catch up with). This got me thinking about other shows that went off the air long after they peaked, and I think it's fair to say that most of us will remember The West Wing kindly, without even putting an asterisk after it. The show's impact, and its overall quality up to the reelection season (after which the show stagnated until recently), is so remarkable and unique that I believe its reputation will be OK. When we write about All in the Family, we don't dwell on Archie Bunker's Place, after all. And my respect for The X-Files has outlived the disaffection of the post-Mulder period (and even Scully's misbegotten "miracle baby"). I'll never forget how wonderful Murphy Brown was in its time (and talk about a show being of its time), even though by the time it went off the air, it was a mere shadow of its former self.

On the other hand, watching ER, nowadays mired in mediocrity, you'd never believe the intensity and chemistry the original cast and crew generated. That show reminds me of L.A. Law (which once occupied ER's time period), an instant colossal hit that went out with a whimper and rarely comes up in discussions of the best TV shows ever. The West Wing, on the other hand, should make those sorts of lists for decades to come.

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Question: I must say, after all of the hype for the post-Super Bowl episode of Grey's Anatomy, I was disappointed. The episode was enjoyable, but I fear that the show is going the ER route of big guest stars and big-disaster story lines. In my opinion, that kind of thing is what made ER jump the shark. I want the small story lines — the personal stuff, not big, unbelievable disasters every week. — Jen K.

Matt Roush: Theoretically, I agree. I don't want Grey's Anatomy, at least not this early in its wonderful young life, succumbing to the sweeps-stunt mentality (and, heaven help us, "the episode you can't afford to miss" sorts of promotions) that have pretty much ruined ER. But I'll disagree with you on the particulars of this episode, which you say you found "enjoyable" but which you couldn't seem to divorce from the hype (which was inevitable, given the Super Bowl and everything).

I don't want Grey's dealing with "code black" unexploded-bomb crises very often, but Grey's at least handled it with plenty of up-close-and-personal suspense. The situation was intimate, involving and (given the melodrama) even surprising. The scene with the anesthesiologist freaking out poor Christina Ricci with his monologue about "pink mist" was pretty chilling. And keeping the subplot of Bailey's going into labor a total secret while her husband's brain is under McDreamy's knife was just thrilling. (Isn't it nice to be spoiler-free once in a while?)

All in all, that was the most satisfying post-Super Bowl episode of anything since the Alias episode that ABC unforgivably kept off the air until after 11 pm/ET. I was thrilled that ABC started Grey's at the relatively decent time of 10:30 pm/ET, and even more thrilled by how much I enjoyed the show. I cannot wait till Sunday.

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Question: Three words: Where is Alias? Please tell me you have some insider information to give me that is more fulfilling than "the next episode has yet to be scheduled" comment on ABC's website. Perhaps I'm behind the times. Perhaps some more hard-core fans already know when the final episodes will be airing. But Matt, I just gotta know when we're going to be able to say hello to Sydney and the gang again — right before we have to say goodbye. — Sam

Matt Roush: Man, I wish I knew. I figured while I was away, ABC would announce its spring mid-season schedule, but I never dreamed (along with several dozen, at least, of my correspondents) that Alias would be MIA. In fact, I figured Alias would return as soon as the Olympics were over.

My most optimistic view of this perplexing situation is that mid-season schedules are notoriously unreliable and changeable, and should any of the elements of ABC's March-April lineup fall out — remember the instant exit of Emily's Reasons Why Not and Jake in Progress? — I'm betting Alias will be restored to the schedule pretty quickly.

Downside: Last-minute changes don't get much promotion, but then, Alias fans will find the show, no matter what. It's just frustrating to see a show with this much history treated so shabbily. Bottom line: There's no reason to think ABC won't air all of the rest of Alias' final season, but it's looking to me like there's a chance some of those last episodes may play out into the early summer, depending on when it actually comes back. What a mess.

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Question: I love your column. I just have a question regarding CBS' schedule for February sweeps. Looking at the current listings, it seems that the majority are reruns. I know that the Olympics are coming up and there will be extra competition. But is this just their way of saving face and not being beat in the ratings during the Olympics, or is this just a strategy to have first-run episodes go against NBC after the Olympics are over?

From a first glance at ABC's schedule, they seem to have no problem running new episodes (mind you, there are still a few repeats scattered around their schedule). I figured CBS of all networks, with their current position in the ratings, would want to see how well their shows stack up against the added competition. Also, how does this February sweeps period factor the Olympics into advertising rates? The upcoming ratings for NBC will not accurately portray their actual ratings. Would love to hear your thoughts/comments on CBS' tactics. Thanks. — Brent

Matt Roush: CBS knows it can't win this month's sweeps period against the Olympics, but the network can still set its advertising rates according to how well its hit shows deliver in more normal weeks (like the current one, when CBS will clean the competition's clocks most nights). NBC will get a ratings boost for the sweeps, but as you point out, that doesn't mask its myriad problems the rest of the year.

But on to programming: I have no problem with CBS airing repeats — mostly of its ubiquitous crime dramas — as Olympics counterprogramming. CBS probably figures that the audience that would rather watch CSI than the Olympics will do so whether it's a repeat or an original, and why waste an original when so many of the rest of us will be drawn to the Olympics? That's the upside of programming so many shows that lack serialized elements. (I'm sure some CSI/Without a Trace/Cold Case/NCIS, etc., fans will be unhappy about the repeats, but that's the biz.)

On the other hand, weekly doses of shows like 24, Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and some of the leading reality shows (American Idol, Survivor) will still have the lure of a must-see "event" to those shows' most ardent fans, so it also makes sense that these shows will stay up and running for the most part against the Olympics. It will be especially interesting to see how Idol fares during the peak period of the Olympics, when figure skating takes over.

This is the first time Idol has gone head-to-head with the Winter Olympics, and I imagine both will do very well, with Idol likely to edge the Olympics on at least a few occasions.

And now this gripe from Shamus N.: "Why is Fox being so stingy with its Sunday shows? They've barely had any new episodes since November, and they're showing reruns all this month — a sweeps month! I don't care that the Olympics are on — I don't want to see reruns in a sweeps month! Why can't the other networks realize that there are millions of us who hate sports?" The TV expert in me wants to point out that most of Fox's Sunday comedies skew heavily male, and while the Olympics are mass-appeal and have a traditionally heavy female viewership as well, I can't blame Fox for sitting out the first two Sundays with repeats. The grown-up in me wants to kindly suggest three simple words to get you through the month: Broaden your horizons.

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Question: I don't know if you listen to podcasts at all, but Ron Moore's latest podcast for Battlestar Galactica's "Black Market" episode had me scratching my head. He stated that this episode was not one of his favorites, and his rationale was that when you have to do 20 episodes a season instead of 13, not all of them can be good.

At first I was really insulted by this comment, because it seemed like a cop-out. But then I started thinking about other shows, particularly 24, which always starts off great and ends really well but gives us four or five episodes in the middle that are just not up to par (stalking cougars and loud cell-phone ringers while chasing the bad guy, for example). Or could it be that now that RDM is developing other projects, his time is just far too split to keep each show up to par (yes, I am talking to you, J.J. Abrams, and your big red dodge ball of death!).

So my question for you, the TV all-knowing god, is: Is it really difficult to produce 20 stellar episodes each year and, if so, does this happen to every show? (I am still a huge fan of the show, and even a bad Galactica episode is better than most other shows on TV, but I really did not like that excuse.) — Chris

Matt Roush: I don't have time for these sorts of podcasts — these days, I'm having trouble just keeping up with the shows themselves (I'm hoping to catch up with the last few episodes of Battlestar this weekend, Olympics permitting) — but to me, this sounds like a refreshing dose of honesty. Bravo to Ron for 'fessing up that now and again an episode isn't up to par. (Again, I haven't watched this episode yet, so I have no opinion.)

I'm hard-pressed to think of a series (well, maybe Lost) that doesn't have an off episode once in a while, even in 13-episode cable series. Even a masterpiece like The Sopranos has a flat hour every so often. It happens. That's the nature of episodic TV. But rare is the occasion when a producer has the guts to single out an episode as a misstep — it's not like he was bragging or anything. And yes, it is harder than it looks to produce quality shows on a weekly basis. I'm constantly amazed at how good so much of TV is, all things considered.

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Question: Why is Everwood not considered a shoo-in for CW when it's in the Top 10 of current UPN and WB shows and in the Top 7 of WB shows in ratings this season? Or when it gets consistent critical acclaim? Or when it succeeds on a night with so much competition and does much better than expected on that night? Everwood is doing everything right and yet there's a strong possibility this could be its last season. My question is: why? Why is Veronica Mars a shoo-in with its very poor ratings while Everwood might not even make it with much better ratings and somewhat similar critical acclaim? It just doesn't make any sense to me at all. Television decisions never do, but this one is just completely confusing. — Grant

Matt Roush: This has been a very popular question since the UPN/WB merger was announced. I wish I had an answer, but this situation is uncharted territory. My problem in trying to speculate about Everwood or any other show on either network's current lineup (besides the very few obvious hits like America's Next Top Model, Everybody Hates Chris, Gilmore Girls and Smallville) is that I can't quite get my mind around what the new network's brand identity will be.

To a certain extent, the first lineup will need to revolve around signature shows, and what kind of a signature will CW want to establish to attract the core young (largely female) demographic that both WB and UPN targeted for so many years? There are a number of long-running shows that will give CW a brand identity, but will the network want to launch with a full slate of shows that are one or two seasons away from retirement?

Relatively newer shows with media buzz, like Veronica Mars, are no-brainers, regardless of the current ratings situation. (That argument applies to Supernatural as well.) For CW to welcome Veronica Mars sends a message. I'm not sure the CW powers that be will realize what an equally treasurable asset Everwood is, but I will certainly do what I can to remind them when the show returns March 20.

Lots of questions have poured in about the CW, including whether the network would go to a three-hour-a-night schedule (doubtful, since even Fox hasn't gone there yet) and, of course, fans are freaking out regarding the future of other (mostly WB) shows, including One Tree Hill, Charmed, Reba, even Related (which would be doomed even if WB were sticking around). I just don't know, and we may not know for sure until the May upfront announcement. But this is a fascinating TV story, so indulge me over the next few questions as we tackle other aspects of the CW.

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Question: In regard to your Jan. 24 Dispatch and its suggestions on CW programming, I have a comment. I have oftentimes read you and your readers suggesting the pairing of similar shows on the same night. I feel the opposite way, and perhaps understand the networks' thought processes behind this type of programming. By programming shows of differing styles on the same night, it leads viewers to sample shows they may not have otherwise tuned in to otherwise. Also, by putting genre shows on different nights, genre viewers will tune in to the network two nights that week rather than one.

Using your example of pairing Smallville with Supernatural, by placing Supernatural after Gilmore Girls, WB asked the heavily female audience of Gilmore to watch a testosterone-fueled action show. (Having Gilmore regular Jared Padalecki on Supernatural was an added bonus to programmers.) I know I sampled Gilmore Girls because I was anticipating Supernatural afterward, and I loved it. Then I tuned in to WB again on Thursday to watch Smallville and stayed for Everwood, and now I love that show, too. I think this brilliant programming enabled me to discover two shows I wouldn't normally have tried, and I'm sure there are many more examples. Did I change your mind? — Dan G.

Matt Roush: You make an awfully good argument for spreading the wealth and mixing it up along a diverse schedule. Plus, the way we watch TV has changed so dramatically lately (with DVR/TiVo, iTunes, etc.) that the very notion of audience flow has become somewhat antiquated.

There's even a viable theory that it can do harm to pair two shows of too similar a type. Witness Lost and Invasion. It may be too much to expect audiences to sit still through two consecutive riveting hours of suspense. (Not to mention, as Nancy wrote in recently, that Lost fans are known to go online instantly to obsess on their fave show, often leaving Invasion in the dust.)

So while there is still logic in the strategy of pairing shows like Smallville and Supernatural (as WB will do starting March 16), or Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars (in the hypothetical CW schedule), and also come mid-March with Prison Break and 24 on Fox, it's possible that it works just as well the other way.

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Question: In response to the theory that Dawn Ostroff will favor UPN shows on the CW network, I feel this is an outrageous suggestion. It is more sensible to think how Ostroff will be anticipating getting control over more high-rated and critically acclaimed series that WB has. It is clear that she enjoys having critical buzz since she has shown much faith in series like Veronica Mars, Everybody Hates Chris and even last season's Kevin Hill. This certainly gives Everwood an advantage over something like Half & Half. — T. Paul

Matt Roush: Good point. But again, we really don't know yet what kind of a marketing/brand strategy CW is aiming for — we'll see it for real at the May upfront. I don't see CW turning away entirely from sitcoms skewed toward the African-American audience, but there also needs to be room for the traditional family-drama format that WB has excelled at for years.

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Question: It really irritates me that you and the rest of the mainstream media completely ignore the African-American comedies on UPN. Girlfriends/America's Next Top Model are not the only successful shows on that network. Just because you don't watch them does not mean they are not worth saving. Broad comedies are all over the rest of the networks, and they feature mostly white casts. I realize ratings play a big part, but these shows would not have lasted as long as they have if they had not been generating ratings and some kind of revenue. — Pam

Matt Roush: True enough. There is a market for these shows, and there's no question this audience is being woefully underserved by the major networks, which is why it's important that CW not ignore that part of UPN's (and once upon a time, WB's) legacy. But critically speaking, I'm just as happy to ignore network mediocrities like According to Jim, Still Standing, Yes, Dear, Four Kings and Courting Alex as I am the equally forgettable likes of Half & Half, One on One, All of Us, Eve and Cuts. I wish they'd all aim higher.

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Question: Don't you find the new trend to announce the character's death (à la Las Vegas and Smallville) a cheap ploy? To me, it screams ratings rather than plot development. I still remember how my jaw dropped when Doyle (Angel), Fred (Angel), Tara (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and, hell, even Buffy herself died. Part of the emotional impact of such events is having no idea that they're coming. Not only does it seem like the pimping of a death for ratings, it also cheapens all other suspenseful moments of the show.

Part of the thrill in watching a Joss Whedon show is that you are not sure that everyone will always make it out. If you know Smallville's going to make a big announcement months in advance, then you never have to worry when you're watching the show. I think that really takes away from the death of a beloved character. What are your thoughts? — Katelyn

Matt Roush: First off, thanks to Michael Ausiello for this question referral. (A little-known secret among us TVGuide.com columnists is how well we play together, sharing questions more appropriate to one's POV than another; for instance, many historical trivia and music questions go to our trusty Televisionary.) But I digress.

Yes, Katelyn, I agree that the hype surrounding these pivotal fatalities can be annoying, but in the case of Smallville, this was also an acknowledgment of the landmark 100th episode (typically an occasion for a major twist), and it allowed the producers to play with fans' expectations on who would die, when and how. If the episode had disappointed, which it didn't, that would be another matter. Always best to separate the hype from the actual episode. (Case in point: Las Vegas blowing Lara Flynn Boyle off the rooftop, one of the stupidest things I've seen all season.)

Also, if you're going to try to hold the rest of TV up to the level of Joss Whedon's creative integrity, you're setting yourself up for nonstop disappointment.

http://tvguide.com/tv/roush/askmatt/

fredfa

02-10-06, 11:41 PM

Critic’s Notebook
'Chief' out of office until April

By Maureen Ryan from the Chicago Tribune TV blog February 10, 2006

“Commander in Chief” has been off the air for a couple of weeks, and readers have written in to ask what’s going on with the Geena Davis drama.

Well, it won’t be back until April 18.

As late as Friday morning, ABC had three February outings of the show planned. But late Friday the network announced that it was pulling “Chief” from its Tuesday lineup.

“We believe in `Commander in Chief’ and want to do what we think is best for its long-term prospects. With this new schedule, the show will return with a healthy run of seven straight episodes in the spring,” Jeff Bader, ABC’s executive vice president of program planning & scheduling, said in a statement.

The likely explanation of the move: ABC wants to temporarily get “Chief” out of the path of two big adversaries: Fox’s hugely successful Tuesday lineup of “American Idol” and “House,” and the Olympics on NBC.

By the way, “Chief,” which has sunk in the ratings since its start, will only air 19 episodes this season, because of production delays last fall that slowed up the show and led to the firing of creator Rod Lurie.

On Tuesday, “Chief’s” place will be taken by “A Charlie Brown Valentine” and “George Lopez.” Going forward, “According to Jim” and “George Lopez” will fill “Chief’s” time period, until the ABC new comedy “Sons & Daughters” begins occupying that slot March 7.

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

fredfa

02-11-06, 10:23 AM

The Winter Olympics
'It Truly Takes a Village'

NBC's Olympics Point Person Thrives on Chaos
By Leonard Shapiro Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, February 12, 2006; Y05

It's not easy sweating so many details in the months and years of planning that lead up to televising the Olympic Games, summer or winter. There's also hardly any way to prepare for the practically endless days and nights in the control room of the broadcast center once the Games do begin. But Molly Solomon, the NBC Sports managing director and coordinating producer for Olympic network and cable coverage, knows all about dealing with controlled chaos.

"Try toilet-training 2-year-old triplets," she said. "I like chaos. My life is chaotic. Our life is chaotic. But there's something to having people say to you, 'How do you do it?' which kind of inspires me."

She does it with a lot of help, including her husband, Geoff, an editor with Golf Digest ("Geoff cooks; I can't"), as well as friends, neighbors and grandparents. "It truly takes a village," she said, "and a spectacular nanny."

Solomon recently left them all behind and flew to Turin, Italy, where she'll spend a total of 39 days. Virtually every waking hour, she'll be involved in some aspect of an unprecedented 400-plus televised hours of the 2006 Winter Games on NBC and several of its cable networks through Feb. 26. Despite a six-hour time difference between the East Coast and Turin, more live Winter Olympics coverage than ever will be shown, most of it on cable, over 17 days of the Games.

Solomon has made at least a half-dozen trips to Turin in the past few years and has already been to Beijing twice to prepare for the 2008 Summer Games in China. As coordinating producer, she's involved in a variety of projects, from hiring technical production crews, producers and directors to securing on-air announcers and analysts for every sport. During the Games, she'll also produce afternoon and late-night shows.

She's had a major role in planning "Olympic Zone," a 30-minute show airing at 7:30 p.m. each weeknight before NBC's sports coverage begins, which will include local broadcasters using at least three network-produced segments. She's also overseen a new concept, "Olympic Ice," an hour-long nightly cable segment on figure skating that goes above and beyond the actual competition. Solomon was particularly pleased that 1948 men's champion Dick Button, the longtime voice of Olympics figure skating for ABC, will be hosting "Olympic Ice" with Mary Carillo. It's his first Olympics broadcast since the 1988 Games in Calgary.

"Getting all these people together is my favorite part of the job," Solomon said. "And then to see it all come together is very special. You love it, and you live it."

Solomon, 37, has enjoyed a somewhat meteoric rise since she joined NBC in 1990, a month after graduating from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Her father was a career Army officer, and the family was often on the move. They lived in Oxon Hill for a few years when she was in grade school and then moved to Fairfax for two years of junior high before heading abroad. She returned to Fairfax for her senior year at Robinson High School.

At Georgetown, Solomon worked on the school newspaper and also had a part-time job in the sports department of The Washington Post. Before she graduated, she already had been hired by ESPN as a production assistant, in a six-month program that involves watching hours of mind-numbing sports events and pulling out highlights for use on "SportsCenter" and other shows.

But she also had applied at NBC and was asked to interview a week before graduation. As she was preparing for her Phi Beta Kappa induction, she got the call from NBC telling her she'd been hired as a production assistant for the princely sum of $8,000 a year. She chose NBC over ESPN, and not long after that, she was named as a researcher for the network's Olympics unit.

Some of NBC's top executives past and present began their television careers as Olympics researchers, including Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Sports and Olympics. Solomon knew the tradition that went along with being an Olympics researcher and said she was a bit intimidated at first.

"Then they told me I was expected to go around the world and find every good story I could. They told me if any of the stories I came up with were in the Sports Illustrated Olympic preview, then you didn't do a good job."

During the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona, Solomon spent most of her time less than six feet away from Bob Costas, then and now the network's main Olympics studio host. She was responsible for briefing him with background details, statistics and anecdotes. Costas has since said he couldn't have gotten through those Games without her.

Solomon was promoted to a production associate after those Games -- the better, she said, "to really learn my craft" -- then produced a number of prime-time features for the '96 Summer Games in Atlanta. With NBC solidly locked into the Olympics at least through 2012, Ebersol asked Solomon to take over producing the cable telecasts of the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games, and she added the network production to her responsibilities last year.

Still, the toughest task she'll deal with over the next three weeks is being away from her three 2-year-olds -- Madeleine, Jonathan and Alexandra.

In Athens she brought along a webcam, and with Ebersol and many of her colleagues watching in the background, she'd get on daily and sing to the children. She'll do more of the same in Turin each day when the kids wake up.

Hardly the same as being at home, but it definitely beats the toilet training.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/07/AR2006020701558_pf.html

fredfa

02-11-06, 10:29 AM

The Winter Olympics
Opening ceremony coverage mostly makes the grade

By Kay McFadden Seattle Times TV Critic Saturday, February 11, 2006

The late Hollywood director Busby Berkeley would have loved the Olympic opening festivities. They had everything he adored, except for semi-naked girls under water.

But Berkely also would have found a way to condense coverage of the two-and-a-half hour ceremony. NBC wanted the opposite, and so the evening went from 8 to midnight.

I was set for some disappointment. While Gliz and Neve, the Winter Games' ice cube and snowball mascots, had managed to stay together, the same wasn't true of American counterparts Bob Costas and Katie Couric.

Just days ago, NBC announced Couric wouldn't be a co-host. The official reason for breaking with tradition was "Today" obligations; unofficially, NBC may not have wanted to boost the bidding price for her while "The CBS Evening News" is a-courting.

So there went Curious and Caustic — she of the perky factoid and he of the dry rejoinder. How would pinch-hitting Brian Williams, merely the anchor of "NBC Nightly News," fare?

For that matter, you have to wonder how NBC staffers will deliver coverage without turning Turin into the "Rails of Meth" tour. The Peacock is providing 416 hours of television — 24 ½ hours a day — on its network plus USA, MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo.

NBC also is adding daily afternoon coverage for the first time, causing KING-TV a little angst at shifting "Oprah" from 4 to 3 p.m. Then again, given NBC's weak season, most affiliates are probably glad to trade prime-time for two weeks of Olympics.

The goal isn't just to sell ads and boost ratings. If Friday night was an indication, NBC will use the Olympics to pitch hard for younger viewers with an emphasis on athletes like Shaun White and Bode Miller and promos for television shows like "Conviction."

From time to time over the next two weeks, I'll tag along with the 20th Winter Olympiad in our NW Life section. Meanwhile, here's the point card on opening night:

The lighting of the Olympic torch was truly memorable — a display of white-lightning pyrotechnics and sheer aspirational triumph.

It was audacious, like so much of what Turin put on display: visions that ranged from acrobats forming flowers on a midnight-blue grid to ethereal balloons floating around the stadium to ice skaters with fire bursting from their heads.

And that Formula One Ferrari was as cool as silver-spangled supermodel Carla Bruni.

The music also was an interesting blend — possibly the only time you'll hear "Va' Pensieri" and "I Will Survive" on the same show, not to mention Peter Gabriel doing his William Shatner imitation as he sang "Imagine."

But it was all a little too much. Somewhere during Part II, between the birth of Venus and Futurism, I remembered why I fell asleep watching Cirque de Soleil in Las Vegas.

By the way, did IOC president Jacques Rogge really have to deliver the equivalent of "Don't take drugs" during his speech?

The most moving parts were the Olympic flag-bearing by eight women, including Susan Sarandon, Isabelle Allende and Sophia Loren, and the unadorned parade of teams. NBC made a pretty good effort to be inclusive, though ads inevitably ran over some nations.

[B The announcers: 7

When you get two male co-hosts, you get some antler-bumping. That happened Friday, even though Williams deferentially introduced himself to Costas: "Thanks for offering a front row seat to a news guy."

The problem is that Williams' natural emphasis on news bumped Costas into the Couric position. This can't have been easy for Costas, who usually takes the intellectual (and sometimes condescending) role in these proceedings.

During the parade of nations, Costas got stuck with the Children's Guide to Knowledge narration while Williams weighed in on heavier issues — the skating scandal, the Macedonian team's weird business attire, the Iranian president's call to eradicate Israel

Costas pointedly ignored the comments about Iran and moved quickly to discussing Ireland's lackluster record in past Winter Olympics.

When Iceland came out, Williams started to speak. "But you know about Reykjavik ... " he said.

"Of course I do," interrupted Costas, sounding nettled.

So that's why they have Couric do this. By the end of the night, Mary Carillo had been placed between Williams and Costas.

[B The reporting: 6[/B]

NBC made one smart move. It gave us an hour of interviews and actual news reports prior to the opening ceremony — a welcome alternative to goopy features.

Because of the time difference, the news wasn't breaking. (If you want that, go to the Internet or watch CBC and set the alarm for 3 a.m.) Still, it was fun to feel the swoosh of upcoming competition with a visit to the qualifying runs at Sestriere.

The absence of hearts-and-violins sentiment was refreshing, too, but NBC couldn't get out of mainstream media cliché mode: Michelle Kwan's bad luck, Bode's bad-boy image. We pretty much heard what we already know.

However, Jimmy Roberts' interview with Miller turned interesting because of the tension. At one point, Roberts asked Miller if he could put a finger on his situation.

"I don't have to put a finger on it. That's what's nice about being me instead of you," Miller told Roberts. "You're the one that has to put a finger on it."

Shaun White's mocking little thumbs-up for the NBC camera was fun, too.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2002798381&zsection_id=2002119662&slug=olykay11&date=20060211

fredfa

02-11-06, 10:51 AM

The Winter Olympics
In Turin, NBC Bursts Into the Games

By Tom Shales The Washington Post TV Critic Saturday, February 11, 2006; C01

If there's anything NBC knows how to do, in addition to airing prime-time sitcoms that die horrible deaths, it's produce Olympic Games and promote the network's coverage of them. NBC has been having such a miserable year in the ratings, however, that it hasn't had enough optimal, highly visible locations to display the promos and spread the word.

If TV were a meritocracy, NBC would already be taking bows and blowing kisses to cheering crowds for its coverage of this year's XX Winter Games from Turin, Italy. The first four (approximately) of 418 (approximately) scheduled hours occupied all of NBC's prime time last night as competitors gathered for the traditional, spectacular and pleasantly uneventful parade of the nations and other events associated with opening night.

Cunningly and cleverly, NBC made sure to give viewers a few early looks at athletes who are likely to be superstars after this year's Olympics end -- or who, if they are already superstars, will be yet more super still. Among them are ingratiatingly irreverent skier Bode Miller (generously promoted for NBC via a much-discussed piece on CBS's "60 Minutes"), hardy perennial and never-say-die figure skater Michelle Kwan (gamely participating, we were told, despite the agony of a "groin pull") and another colorful skater, red-haired Shaun White, alternately known as the Flying Tomato and the Killer Tomato.

Viewers got to see these favorites chat and laugh and go through the motions of competition -- actually just training or qualifying exercises.

NBC's telecast of the most recent Summer Games, from Athens, was ballyhooed as a showcase for the still-emerging technology of high-definition TV. In fact, HDTV sights were relatively rare, and the most satisfying may have been a mini-travelogue that doubled as a pitch for Greece tourism; it aired fairly frequently but grew repetitious.

High-definition video from Turin has been plentiful already, put to use on a travelogue that was even more gorgeous than the Grecian one and that kicked off the coverage just after 9 p.m.

Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly and unfortunately, anchors gotta talk, so too much of the ravishing footage was encumbered with babble from an unidentified announcer or newsman who spoke of the athletes being "united by an indomitable passion." Oh, really? Does that include athletes from Iran, Israel and the United States, who all marched in the parade of nations later in the night?

There was a surprisingly small amount of booing for Iran, or else an audio imbalance made it hard to hear, what with music playing and an announcer announcing. It's hardly injecting politics into the Olympics to complain about the presence of a terrorist nation whose leader has recently called for the obliteration of Israel from the map of the world. Not coincidentally, an anchor pointed out that $125 million has been allocated to security, in an effort to keep the games as apolitical as possible.

The Opening Ceremonies, most of which followed the parade of athletes, were picturesque and colorful, with elements of the nutty, artsy sort of thing that the Norwegians staged at Lillehammer in 1994. Late in the evening, acrobatic dancers in white cavorted on a large, screened wall behind the orchestra, eventually forming themselves into the shape of a giant, peaceful dove.

Yoko Ono was soon onstage, mangling "Imagine," the song written by her late husband, John Lennon. After she finished reciting the words, Peter Gabriel, mercifully enough, sort of corrected the record by singing them.

Also in the show were Luciano Pavarotti and, as a finale, so many fireworks that they could probably be seen from the moon. Considering that many opening-night entertainments over the years have ranged from goofy to ghastly, last night's was commendably tasteful, handsome and even moving in its message of harmony as an antidote to harm.

Though not exactly the epitome of high-flying funsters, veteran sportscaster Bob Costas and "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams made a satisfyingly capable and no-nonsensical commentator team during the parade. Conspicuous by her absence was NBC uber-anchor Katie Couric, who spent the week in Turin co-anchoring the "Today" show but didn't help with the parade coverage. Although she's bound to turn up as the Games continue, her absence last night lends still more credibility to the notion that she will be leaving NBC for anchorship of "The CBS Evening News," a job which has been offered her.

The parade was taped in advance, making it possible for NBC to stop the tape, and the parade, during commercial breaks, then resume it when the commercial break ended. And since statistics are always part of any sporting event on television, we have compiled some -- unofficial at this point -- for last night's Opening Ceremonies:

9:47 -- Commercial break begins.
9:50 -- Commercial break ends.

10:04 -- Commercial break begins.
10:06 -- Commercial break ends.

10:14 -- Commercial break begins.
10:17 -- Commercial break ends.

10:24 -- Commercial break begins.
10:27 -- Commercial break ends.

And so on, and on, and on through the night. At this point, NBC had only reached the M's and N's in the parade of nations. Even if we are doomed to see an all-but-uncountable number of commercials in the days and nights of coverage ahead, however, there almost certainly will also be plenty of stunning sights, enjoyably mushy melodrama and -- oh yes, we almost forgot -- splendid athletic competition.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/11/AR2006021100025_pf.html

fredfa

02-11-06, 10:58 AM

The Winter Olympics
Live from Turin—Sorry, Torino—It's NBC

By James Poniewozik TIME Magazine TV critic Saturday, Feb. 11, 2006

The broadcast of the 2006 Winter Olympics, NBC reminded us from the get-go of the Opening Ceremonies, was going to be a triumph of technology. Hundreds of hours of coverage, all broadcast in HDTV for the first time! (The wonders of which will not be relayed to you by your correspondent, who watches a 20-inch box purchased sometime around the Barcelona games.)

NBC began the night with plenty of bombast about how great its broadcast would be. Of course, the fourth-place network has a lot riding on these games, and it's not shy about trying to jazz them up, right down to the name. NBC sports chairman Dick Ebersol decided that the Italian "Torino" was sexier than the Anglicized "Turin" (hey, it was good enough for Jesus' shroud!), and much of the rest of the media has blindly followed the TV leader. (I'm waiting for a reference to the tragic 1972 hostage crisis at München.)

But then, the Olympics are all about bombast and pretense. The ceremony itself was designed, in keeping with tradition, to appear equally daffy to all cultures. It began with a red-suited man smacking a flaming anvil with a hammer, amid swarms of red-clad dancers, who I believe symbolized the excess hemoglobin that several Olympians have already been booted for having in their bloodstreams.

Other highlights included: ballroom dancers in cow prints, twirling to a soundtrack of bovine sounds (a tribute to the Alps); supermodel Eva Herzigova posing on a clamshell as Botticelli's Birth of Venus; and the Italian flag, raised with great pomp to the singing of a 9-year-old girl, who was apparently dressed as a tube of Aquafresh toothpaste. The good people of Torino, it seemed, were determined not to take this Olympics overly seriously. And the spirit extended to the Parade of Nations, which, bizarrely, was scored to a medley of '70s disco hits. Millions of Americans now believe that the national anthem of Bosnia-Herzegovina is "Le Freak."

The ceremonies were hosted by an odd couple of NBC stars. Bob Costas is a versatile anchor who can handle these biennial ceremonies with a sense of humor but without letting them make him ridiculous. Less well-suited to the gaudy festivities was Brian Williams, the starchy NBC anchor who as a child probably wore a blazer to the sandbox.

While Costas handled most of the narration, Williams occasionally interjected grim factoids: many of the Olympic venues in the Sarajevo games were later bomb-blasted in the civil war; the day after London was awarded the 2012 games, the London subways were bombed. Williams was co-hosting in place of Katie Couric, a move some have speculated was meant to deprive the possible next anchoress of the CBS Evening News the prime time exposure. So maybe NBC wanted to show off its evening anchor in full-on gravitas mode. But it was like the opposite of color commentary; Williams drained the event gray every time he opened his mouth.

I never thought I'd say this, but I missed Katie. Let the Games begin. Please.

http://time.blogs.com/tuned_in/

fredfa

02-11-06, 11:00 AM

The Winter Olympics
Let the TV Begin

By John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable at bcbeat.com

It was Circ Du Soleil meets Busby Berkeley, and I loved every minute of it.
I don't know how many people watched the opening of the Olympic Games in Torino, but whoever didn't missed a rootin', tootin' show.
One thing though. Jim Lampley, lose the Al Pacino "Made Man" suit. Yes, I know it's Italy, but the duds were too Mafia for my taste.

In contrast, Jimmy Roberts was making a Dinty Moore statement,sporting a plaid shirt during his interview with World Class skier and role model Bodie Miller.

The broadcast opened with sweeping fly-over after sweeping fly-over of mountain and monument, clearly an HDTV showcase opening if there ever were one, with those "barely miss the mountaintop" helicopter shots so familiar to NAB convention attendees. Theymust have looked stunning in HDTV, which Lampley plugged amply during the opening.

It almost made me want to head to my nearest Circuit City and make the digital switch right now.

I hope NBC got all the "Michele Kwan hasn't won a gold" references out of its system, since it made the point three times in the first 11 minutes of the broadcast.

The Circ Du Soleil elements would fill a Las Vegas book, but the best was probably the saran-wrapped climbers that moved like spiders, or like Galaga targets in the old video game, against a black background until they gathered into the shape of a dove.

Then there was the giant ski jumper made out of people, and the placard-holders whose skirts were styled like the alps, including fir trees dotting the slopes; and giant Marie Antoinettes with cotton candy hair and people performing beneath their voluminous skirts.

A Formula One Ferrari pulled donuts on the dance floorlike a high school lineman in a convenience store parking lot. I was looking for five of them in Olympic ring formation, but it was not to be.

http://www.bcbeat.com/

fredfa

02-11-06, 11:03 AM

TV Sports
NFL Could Go for Two

Source says the league and ESPN are seriously considering opening the Monday night schedule with a doubleheader
By Sam Farmer Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 11, 2006

With a change of networks coming, the NFL is poised to do something with "Monday Night Football" it has done only once before: stage a doubleheader.

An NFL source said the league and ESPN are giving "serious consideration" to opening the 2006 Monday schedule with two games, one beginning at 3 p.m. and the second at 6 p.m. Pacific time. The league staged a similar doubleheader in Week 2 last fall so the New Orleans Saints, displaced in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, could play their "home" opener at Giants Stadium.

This fall, "Monday Night Football" will move from ABC to ESPN, which paid $8.8 billion to buy the rights to the program for the next eight seasons. Because the NFL does not have a Monday game in Week 17, and because ESPN was promised 17 games a season, the network has the rights to an extra game. Additionally, that extra game cannot be played on a Thursday or Saturday because the NFL Network owns broadcast rights to those.

The NFL will announce its 2006 schedule in April. If the league keeps with recent tradition, the Pittsburgh Steelers, as Super Bowl champions, will play host to the season-opening Thursday night game.

In last season's doubleheader, the Saint-Giant game kicked off 1 1/2 hours before the previously scheduled Monday game between Washington and Dallas. When the Redskin-Cowboy game began, the Saint-Giant game was switched to ESPN in all markets except New York and New Orleans.

In the format being considered for the 2006 Monday opener, both games would be aired in their entirety. The source said ESPN's No. 1 broadcast team — Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser — would work the later game.

Al Michaels, originally expected to join Theismann in a two-man booth, was allowed out of his play-by-play contract by ESPN. A member of the "Monday Night Football" team since 1986, Michaels will join John Madden, his former ABC broadcast partner, for NBC's coverage of Sunday night games.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-nfl11feb11,1,2981723,print.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-sports

fredfa

02-11-06, 11:07 AM

TV Sports
NBC pulls rabbit out of hat to get Michaels

By Dan Caesar St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The Olympics kick into high gear today in Italy, but the big TV sports story in
the United States this week has revolved around the NFL.

First, studio host James Brown jumped from Fox to CBS. Brown has been at Fox
since the network began televising the NFL in 1994 and that network's show has
won the ratings battle of the pregame shows.

Brown tried to be the voice of reason among a wacky cast of characters that
changed over the years but has had the nucleus of Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson
and Howie Long in recent years.

"It was a wonderful, fascinating chemistry," Brown said in a conference call.
"There were some real strong personalities there, and my ego was in place. I
tried to do that as deftly as possible."

Brown acknowledged that Fox tried to retain him, but CBS allowing him to do
play-by-play of college basketball starting next season was a big selling
point. Meanwhile, Fox is looking for a successor to Brown, and it might end up
being Bradshaw.

Later in the week, ESPN let Al Michaels out of his deal to broadcast "Monday
Night Football," which will move there next season after 36 years on ABC. (Both
networks are owned by the Walt Disney Co.) The next day, Michaels moved to NBC,
which will air Sunday night NFL games next season.

Last summer, when it was announced that Michaels would remain with "MNF," he
talked about how he was "home and I'm staying home." But ultimately he decided
he wanted to continue working with analyst John Madden, producer Fred Gaudelli
and director Drew Esocoff - all of whom are moving from "MNF" to NBC.

"As the weeks went on, I began to realize more and more how much I was going to
miss being with those people," Michaels said in a conference call. "That's my
family, that's my broadcasting family, and they're moving out of the house and
I wanted to move back in with them."

Michaels' move to NBC actually came in a trade. And a key figure in the deal
was "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit." The cartoon figure created by Walt Disney in
1927 had been the property of Universal Studios since the 1940s.

Dick Ebersol, who heads the sports and Olympics divisions at NBC Universal
(those companies merged in 2004), said he had discussions about Michaels
recently with George Bodenheimer - who runs ESPN and ABC Sports. He said
Bodenheimer wanted compensation for Michaels. That's when ESPN hopped to it.

"... The odd thing was, on their list they wanted the rights to 'Oswald the
Lucky Rabbit,'" Ebersol said. "And I had no idea what that was. So I called
George ... and I said, 'George, come on, what's 'Oswald the Lucky Rabbit?' And
he told me this incredible story that Walt's (Disney) first really big
production as a cartoonist for the cinema had been 'Oswald the Lucky Rabbit,'
before Mickey (Mouse).

"Walt lost those rights, those rights fell into the hands of Universal Pictures
sometime in the late '40s, and in recent years Disney had made several efforts
to get those rights back from us. For family reasons they would like to very
much have all of Walt's stuff restored to Disney."

So the return of "Oswald" helped cement the deal. So did a few more tangible
elements - NBC sold ESPN its rights to Friday coverage of the next four Ryder
Cups and will permit ESPN to air more Olympic highlights through 2012 than
originally was allowed.

Michaels said his move, after having signed a contract, won't hurt his
reputation.

"When it comes to credibility, I can't be more up front than I'm being about
this," he said. "I went to ESPN and I said I would like the opportunity to stay
with the people I have worked with."

Had the deal with Michaels not been made, Ebersol was set to move Cris
Collinsworth into the play-by-play role. He did several practice games with
Madden. Instead, Collinsworth will work in the studio with Bob Costas.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/emaf.nsf/Popup?ReadForm&db=stltoday%5Csports%5Ccolumnists.nsf&docid=12D0F5960225B5F5862571120024F69F

keenan

02-11-06, 12:57 PM

The Winter Olympics
Live from Turin—Sorry, Torino—It's NBC

While Costas handled most of the narration, Williams occasionally interjected grim factoids: many of the Olympic venues in the Sarajevo games were later bomb-blasted in the civil war; the day after London was awarded the 2012 games, the London subways were bombed. Williams was co-hosting in place of Katie Couric, a move some have speculated was meant to deprive the possible next anchoress of the CBS Evening News the prime time exposure. So maybe NBC wanted to show off its evening anchor in full-on gravitas mode. But it was like the opposite of color commentary; Williams drained the event gray every time he opened his mouth.

I never thought I'd say this, but I missed Katie. Let the Games begin. Please.

http://time.blogs.com/tuned_in/
Williams was terrible, Costas is making the event light and upbeat, as it should be, and Williams was constantly coming out with all sorts of political crap, he's got to go.

fredfa

02-11-06, 02:29 PM

Agreed, Jim.

RussTC3

02-11-06, 03:11 PM

I thought the Opening Ceremonies were wonderful. The only thing I didn't like was the heavy focus on American 80's music during the "Parade of Nations". Though I'm used to that from Italians, as they often use American music in many of their programs on RAI International, I think it was a bit too much.

They have beautiful music, as evidenced by the final performance by Pavarotti. I wish they would have showcased more of it, including more modern pieces.

Other than that though, which is a tiny complaint really, everything else was just perfect.

I only wish I could have seen it in HD. I still haven't settled on an outdoor antenna, so I had to suffer through DISH's bad Locals picture.

fredfa

02-11-06, 03:26 PM

RussTC3, get the antenna - any antenna which will do the job at least for the next two weeks!
These images are stunning. Don't miss them.

fredfa

02-11-06, 03:31 PM

Friday’s network prime-time ratings have been posted at the top of Latest Prime Time Ratings news which is the first post in this thread.

SnakeEyes

02-11-06, 03:32 PM

n/m, I dont want to start a political debate.

fredfa

02-11-06, 05:10 PM

The Business of TV
Competitors Making Inroads Against Cable

But More Leveling of the Field Is Needed, FCC Chairman Says
By Steven Levingston Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, February 11, 2006; D01

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin said yesterday that the agency should make it easier for new companies to compete with cable providers in bringing video services to consumers.

Speaking at an FCC meeting held symbolically in Keller, Tex. -- the community where telephone giant Verizon Communications Inc. rolled out its first fiber-optic TV service last year -- Martin said in prepared remarks that the commission should "facilitate" such efforts and "seek to eliminate unreasonable barriers to entry."

Martin did not mention specifics, but phone companies have been seeking relief in recent months from having to win TV franchise awards one-by-one in thousands of localities around the country.

Martin's remarks came as the commission released a report finding that direct satellite TV providers nibbled away at the dominance of cable operators over the past year, but also that further steps are needed to improve competition. In addition, fostering the spread of new service providers "promotes the deployment of the broadband networks over which the video services are provided," Martin said.

The report found that the video industry has made advances in picture quality, technological innovation and consumer choice. But Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein echoed Martin's concerns about competition, noting that the top four video providers served 63 percent of the audience last year, up 5 percent between June 2004 and June 2005, the period covered by the report.

Adelstein said it is significant that some large telephone companies are upgrading their operations and entering the market. "This investment could bring the most substantial new competition into the video marketplace that this country has ever seen," he said.

The report found that cable's share of the market slipped to 69.4 percent in June 2005 from 71.6 percent in June 2004. Satellite providers boosted their share to 27.7 percent from 25.1 percent over the same period.

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association, a trade group for the cable industry, noted the report's reference to advances in technology, picture quality and consumer choice.

"The FCC report confirms that the home video marketplace has never been more competitive," Kyle McSlarrow, the association's president and chief executive, said in a written statement.

But consumers didn't get any price relief from cable operators as an enticement to continue service, the FCC report found. "Cable operators generally have responded to the growth of [satellite] and other competitors by expanding service offerings rather than lowering prices charged to consumers," the report said.

Consumer advocates said prices have continued to rise as cable operators have expanded their bundled packages of channels. Jeannine Kenney, senior policy analyst at Consumers Union, said that since cable deregulation in 1996, prices have climbed 64 percent, nearly 2 1/2 times the rate of inflation, in large part because of expanded basic offerings.

"Great, we've got 400 channels, but people are still only watching on average 17," Kenney said.

Consumers Union has pushed for so-called a la carte cable service that would allow consumers to choose the channels they receive. On Thursday, the FCC released a separate study saying that consumers could save money from a la carte programming, reversing an earlier commission finding on the topic.

Yesterday's report also found that 14 percent of all U.S. television households, or 15.36 million, rely on over-the-air broadcasts for their TV viewing.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/10/AR2006021001983_pf.html

fredfa

02-11-06, 05:17 PM

The Winter Olympics
Olympics: Constant Watching

By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

Slept in a little this morning, but I wasn't awake very long when I found myself watching Olympics biathlon coverage. We took two of the cats to the vet for a checkup, and I was a little irked that the TV set in the vet's office was tuned to CNN. Although I considered asking if I could switch to the Olympics, we didn't wait long enough for me to raise the point.

We've been in and out of the house most of the rest of the day, and when we have been in, I have had Olympics on -- hockey, skiing, whatever I can find. I have pondered Michelle Kwan's condition and almost become used to NBC's obsession with Bode Miller. (I said almost. That Robert Redford/Bode Miller profile was way too much.) I am not yet tired of the glorious shots of mountain scapes, and at commercials start flipping around in search of another channel with the Olympics. (NBC, if you must run yet another promo for ''Deal or No Deal,'' I'll be over at CNBC watching Canada-Italy women's hockey.)

This worries me. Watching the Olympics is a marathon activity. There are days to go, and in a week or so I may be burnt out.

Besides, I have other things to watch and other things to do. Then I think, well, if we go out tonight, I can put the DVR on for the Olympics -- or catch that 1 a.m. replay. And maybe I can record my regular shows at night and catch up on them during the day -- unless there's some more good Olympics on.

I know many of you are facing similar questions, and probably wondering how this has come to past. If, for the better part of three years, I don't care about how Austria's Michael Walchhofer does in Alpine skiing, why do I care now?

Because it's different. Because it's often unpredictable. Because it's a chance to watch people who are the best at what they do, even if I don't entirely understand what they do.

Hockey, I get. And you don't need to know much to recognize that Canada's current 12-0 lead on Italy is a whuppin'. But any event involving style points tends to be a mystery. And still I watch, and find myself muttering things like ''nice landing.''

As much as we may complain about coverage -- oh, there's Bode Miller in a graphic again -- we are getting to see beautiful pictures, in regular speed and slow-motion, of grace and grandeur, and people falling on their backsides. There's a chance of scandal, or at least NBC hopes so -- hyping tonight's coverage with a reminder of the skating drama of four years ago. And so far, in what I have watched, I have been spared those overdone personality profiles that slow everything down and turn athletes into wallpaper for a replay of ''Everybody Hurts.''

In other words, in case you have forgotten, sports coverage is one of the earliest forms of reality television. And even when we are watching tape-delayed, carefully edited competitions, there is a chance for surprise -- and an opportunity to see something that feels fresh, since I haven't watched it in years.

And, even though Canada's now up 14-0, I feel as if I'm missing something.

http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/

fredfa

02-11-06, 06:20 PM

The Winter Olympics
If a figure skater looks goofy, Dick Button will let you know

HE'S BACK CALLING THE GAMES, WITH STATURE AND BOMBAST
By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News Sat, Feb. 11, 2006

The last time Dick Button dished and dissed at an Olympic figure skating event, the Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding soap opera had yet to turn triple lutzes, toe loops and Salchows into must-see TV.

It was almost two decades ago, at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, when ABC, Button's long-time network, broadcast its last Olympics. Since then, Button, a gold-medal skater in 1948 and 1952, has had to watch as other commentators worked skating's most prestigious event.

But tonight, the 76-year-old returns to the Olympic stage as an analyst on NBC's coverage of the pairs competition. He will also co-host ``Olympic Ice,'' an all-skating show airing daily on the USA cable channel. ABC agreed to loan Button to NBC for what will probably be his last Olympics, much as it allowed the legendary Jim McKay to participate in the 2004 Summer Games in Athens.

``Just adding Dick Button is a major plus,'' said Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Sports & Olympics, who as a young ABC assistant worked with Button and McKay at the 1968 Winter Games.

``I've been at all the Olympics, in one form or another, since then, so I don't feel like I've been away from it,'' Button said. ``But this time, NBC has given me the opportunity to come to the Olympics and see everything and, also, to have the fun of talking about it.''

Born in Englewood, N.J., Button won his first skating title just after grammar school. He dominated the men's competition -- winning two Olympic golds, five consecutive world championships and seven national titles. He is still the only skater to win the U.S., North American, European, world and Olympic golds in the same year.

But Button is best known -- for better and for worse -- as the most distinctive voice in figure skating.

Since joining ABC's ``Wide World of Sports'' in 1962, Button has delivered opinions on skaters, performances, judges and officials with a florid flair, bombastic style and brutal honesty that mesmerizes even as it sometimes irritates. For more than four decades he has been a tuxedoed Simon Cowell of the ice.

Button has compared skaters' legs to links of sausage and suggested others needed sharper costumes, better coaches and more talent. He has no hesitation about praising favorites who are ``first rate,'' nor about being unkind to those who don't appeal to him.

Even though he was the first skater to land a triple jump at the Olympics, Button is candid about his preference for artistry over athleticism and his contempt for skaters who concentrate on jumping over choreography. His highest praise is that a skater is ``musical.''

``Remember, it's a subjective sport,'' Button said. ``Any time anything is subjective, you're going to have a difference of opinion. I like orange. You like blue.''

Age has done little to mellow Button, and he said there is ``no way'' he will tone down his comments for his last Olympics.

``There will be confrontations on the judging system, on the people involved, on what's right and what's wrong, on their coaches and their trainers and the people that are with them and how they have gotten to where they're going,'' he said.

While Button suggests he would have liked to work on the singles competitions in addition to the pairs, he is high on the opportunity presented by ``Olympic Ice,'' a behind-the-scenes look at all things figure skating. ``This program will allow us to get into a lot of these other elements that you just don't get a chance to in an actual performance.''

Certainly, Button sounds as if he's ready to unload the opinions on Olympic competition he has been saving up since 1988.

• On the complex scoring system that was put into place after the judging scandal in the 2002 pairs competition: ``All I know is when I start thinking about the judging system, I feel as though I'm swimming in a vat of spaghetti.''

• About the outrageous outfits some skaters favor: They ``make you feel like you have been trapped in a windmill in the Metropolitan Opera House costume department.''

• And on why men aren't drawn to figure skating on TV: ``So many times men think that if you want to do something to music, it's not masculine. . . . I would defy any of these guys, hockey players and others, to get themselves to try to jump into the air, 15 or 20 feet, turn all those reps and land on an eighth-of-an-inch blade and hold it, and not make themselves look like a slob doing it.''

Button already has anointed his favorite American skaters in these Games.

``We've got our first great chance of winning a medal in ice dancing since 1976 with Ben Agosto and Tanith Belbin,'' Button said. ``They're beautiful. And if they don't get right at the peak of the podium, I think I will be very unhappy about it.''

If that's the case, viewers can be certain that they'll hear about it.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/television/13847663.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

02-11-06, 06:26 PM

The Hi Def Experience
TV Columnist Turns Into HD Evangelist

The only game in town
With sharp images, vivid colors and an in-your-face picture, our critic says high-definition TV is the ultimate slam dunk
By Diane Werts Newsday Staff Writer February 12, 2006

Suddenly, I'm obsessed with the Little League World Series.

Delaware shore horseshoe crabs.

The glitzy grooming of "The Young and the Restless."

Conan O'Brien's hair.

And hundreds of other things that never mattered one whit to me before.

I could now ogle ESPN's "SportsCenter" studio set for hours on end!

HDTV has entered my life. And I've become an evangelist.

High-definition viewing on a regular basis is much more than a wider screen and a clearer picture, although standard-set watchers might be surprised how big a difference those two attributes alone can generate. They make the viewing experience not just better, but dramatically different in surprising ways.

Click and choose

And HD almost instantly starts to influence what you choose to watch. Who needs even the most lurid human behavior of some juicy reality show delivered in a dull, square frame, when you can instead immerse yourself in a nothing-happens nature show in vivid, you-are-there, see-every-animal-hair widescreen? Game highlights aren't even the main draw for "SportsCenter" anymore. The real appeal comes around the commercial breaks when the studio camera wanders that made-for-HD anchor space - luminously shimmering in pink, purple and blue - no, wait: magenta, periwinkle and violet!

That's the kind of intensity HD brings to viewing. The light seems sharper yet more subtle, more revealing. Things look richer and more profound somehow. The greater visual acuity and surround audio ambience of true HD (which not everything shown on HD channels is) adds vibrancy. And the wider 16-by-9 ratio (vs. the standard 4-by-3) lends a wider context even to plain old shows. Every minute you watch becomes a passionate experience.

The "wow" factor doesn't fade, either, not in the six months I've been doing high-def. I knew exactly what HDNet founder Mark Cuban meant when he told us at last month's TV critics' press tour that 50 percent of his viewers "will give the benefit of the doubt to an HD show over an equivalent non- HD show. High-definition channels, for more than half our viewership, has become their home page."

That online analogy is apt. Viewing at our house now starts at the HD menu in our cable system's on-screen programming guide. If the titles don't mean much, we'll surf the HD channels themselves, hoping something will transfix us.

It usually does. It's not like we go seeking tours of Delaware (that's Discovery HD), matches in K-1 kickboxing (on inHD) or edifying strolls through the Metropolitan Museum of Art (WNET's HD feed). No offense if you do. But we're finding that we now watch - and savor - shows we might never have considered before. The gorgeousness of the image sucks us in.

Take that Little League World Series. Who cares? We sure didn't. But when the store delivered our 45-inch LCD widescreen set in August, and then the cable guy installed our new HD converter/digital video recorder, live coverage of the Little Leaguers was airing on ESPN and ABC, two of the precious few HD feeds available. (Most cable/satellite customers have only about a dozen among up to 200 hundred channels.) We couldn't stop watching because the picture actually delivered what we'd heard promised - like we were looking through a window at something taking place in our own real-life presence. Every blade of grass in the Williamsport, Pa., diamond was sharp. Faces in the crowd were individually distinct. And that depth of field! Location words that were usually a blur - player names on uniforms, family T-shirts in the stands, stadium signs - could suddenly be read as if we were there at the event.

"If you have a concert experience with us, that's what it felt like to sit in the third row," says Voom general manager Greg Moyer. His suite of 15 HD-only channels, originated in 2003 as a standalone satellite service from Cablevision's founders, has since become a dominant component of Dish Network's basic HD package of 25 channels. "With HD and surround sound, we deliver you to an event," says Moyer, whose Voom suite includes the music performance service Rave and the WorldSport athletic showcase. "And you have a more visceral experience."

He's right, though that visceral thrill is tough to convey to the uninitiated. You have to be watching in your own living room nightly to get beyond the admiring "ooh" of an HD set in an electronics store to feel truly immersed in whatever you're watching.

Wide whirl of sports

That's why sports is such a huge selling point for HD. Even scoffers who yawn at first downs and home runs can feel the lure of the game when you're experiencing the next best thing to actually attending. An HD football game isn't just video coverage of a distant contest; it's a hyper-zoom that sucks you into the action till it's in-your-face. You're taking in more of the whole field, catching all those peripheral player movements. Feed the audio from a digital cable box to a Surroundsound receiver pumping out Dolby 5.1, and suddenly crowd zeal becomes contagious, reverberating all around.

Hockey is even cooler. The high-contrast white of the ice in HD makes everything in this bright-lit indoor sport radiate intensely. Those once-annoying ads on the side boards suddenly pop with a sharpness that alerts you to how detail-packed the action is. Now you're noticing those black puck marks marring the boards, sprays of ice flakes when skates stop, even the mesh weave in players' jerseys. Faces that formerly felt invisible under helmets appear inches away in their emotional expressions. And viewers who say they can't see the puck have nothing to complain about now.

The Olympics especially attract non-sports viewers, making the current Turin Winter Games a critical showcase for the way HD is so overwhelming in live/taped form. The video camera delivers an inherent real-life immediacy that movie film, despite its fine-grained texture, simply can't match. NBC this time has HD cameras at fully half the Olympic event venues. When skaters cry tears of joy or heartbreak this time around, high-def homes will see, and feel, them all.

Not that the HD movie experience isn't gorgeous. The wider screen delivers more of a film's original picture, providing more context to what's going on, whether it's exuberant action or full-face close-ups. The visual information added at the sides of the frame actually seems less significant than the breathing room of the widescreen image. When you're watching a filmed series like CBS' "CSI" or ABC's "Invasion," you get a strong sense of intimacy from that peripheral field, even if, or perhaps especially if, there seems nothing important to view there. Real life doesn't exist in close-ups. There's always extraneous information at the margins. And the HD screen imitates that.

"HD is heavily influenced by the way the world really is," says Voom's Moyer, who notes that his channels, as with such HD pioneers as ESPN and Discovery, "are primarily shooting out in the world. It's not a studio-bound format."

Wow and forever

That's the wow factor at work. What early adopter would buy an HD set for pore-by-pore scrutiny of Judge Judy? Spectacles like sports, nature landscapes and special-effects films were the ticket. Now that HD is becoming more mainstream - HDNet founder Cuban says capable sets will be in 26 percent of homes this year - viewers are demanding more than random amusement.

Who wants to downgrade the viewing experience just when you're watching the shows you care about most? Fantastic sagas such as ABC's "Lost" and the WB's "Smallville" were initial HD offerings, but the broadcast networks are now expanding to other series - sitcoms ("My Name Is Earl"), character studies ("Gilmore Girls"), late-night's Jay Leno and David Letterman, even this season's "American Idol." Conan O'Brien is in HD; Craig Ferguson isn't. Which would you watch? (Conan's hair in HD is some force of nature.)

Even daytime drama gets into the HD act with CBS' "The Young and the Restless." Some of those oh-so-made-up faces are not ready for HD, however, and neither is much of that cheesy-looking scenery. HD magnifies imperfections, and every on-screen detail demands inspection - those family photos in the background, the gaudy jewelry the actresses wear. You can see how HD product placement could be a big deal.

No turning back

It's a real shocker, though, when your sharp new set segues from "Y&R" in HD to "The Bold and the Beautiful" in plodding old standard-def. Despite the networks and local affiliates now beaming digital feeds (which are federally mandated; they'll be the only feeds by 2009, when broadcasters must return their old analog spectrum rights to the government for other uses), little of their digital-delivered programming is actually of high-definition quality. DTV and HDTV are not one in the same. Much of network prime time offers HD quality now, along with many sports and some other scattered programs; but full-time HD so far is beamed only by WNET. Rather than simulcasting its analog feed digitally, New York's public TV station programs a separate slate of HD shows around PBS' largely HD prime-time lineup.

That allowed space for HD-only showcase channels to spring up, to provide high-definition cable/satellite homes with a 24-hour fix. (Not all channels are carried by all providers; check with yours.) Some offer a general-interest hodgepodge of movies, sports, documentaries and off-network series. Those one-for-alls include Cuban's HDNet (with its HDMovies spinoff) and the cable industry's inHD and inHD2, run by the folks behind inDemand pay-per-view. Other channels play favorites. Discovery's HDTheater collects best-of HD screenings from Discovery's networks (TLC, Animal Planet), including "American Chopper," "Rides" and "Corwin's Quest." Universal HD does the same with corporate cousins NBC ("Law & Order"), USA ("Monk"), Sci Fi ("Battlestar Galactica") and the Universal studio ("The Equalizer"). HBO, Showtime and other premium channels have HD feeds, but these often "upconvert" source material of less than HD-quality. ESPN and TNT's HD channels simulcast their standard schedules, with only some of the content actually high-def. Same with MSG and FSN, where big-game action might be HD, but not much else is.

You learn as you slide deeper into your HD obsession - because who wants to go back to lesser quality unless you have to? - just where and when the high-def goodies are. They're like oases of precision in the fat-scan-line desert. You could get sucked into Duke basketball because those games look so great in ESPN HD. Or Showtime's "Sleeper Cell" terrorism nail-biter. Even those WNET cooking shows. The food looks yummy!

Then you yearn for the day your standard-def faves get to look as swank as they might. Those vintage films on Turner Classic Movies. The rest of the soaps. You want your MTV! Imagine HD bods on "Laguna Beach." Which reminds me: Despite HBO's HD feed, its "Real Sex" newsmagazine isn't in high-def. Sorry, guys.

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/ny-fftv4618352feb12,0,6211220,print.story?coll=ny-television-headlines

fredfa

02-11-06, 06:31 PM

The Winter Olympics
NBC’s Comments on Opening Night Ratings

(NBC Press Release) February 11, 2006

50 MILLION VIEWERS WATCH TORINO WINTER OLYMPIC OPENING CEREMONY ON NBC

Torino Opening Ceremony Draws More Total Viewers than This Week's Idol, CSI, Grammys or Dancing with the Stars

13.1 Primetime Rating Highest For Any Network on Friday Night Since Last Olympics, Aug. 2004

TORINO, Italy - Feb. 11, 2006 - NBC's coverage of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony in Torino attracted 50 million total viewers, attracting a greater total audience than either of this week's editions of American Idol (40M on Tuesday, 38.7M on Wednesday), the Grammys (44.3M), CSI (34.5M) or Dancing with the Stars (29.9M). It is the third most viewed non-domestic Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony in history, behind only the tabloid-fueled Lillehammer Games in 1994 (62 million) and Nagano in 1998 (52 million), according to Nielsen Media Research fast national data. The broadcast aired from 8-11:46 p.m. ET/PT. NBC's coverage of the Salt Lake Games in 2002 was the most-watched Opening Ceremony in history, with 72 million viewers. Last night's primetime 13.1/21 HH rating (8-11 p.m. ET) is the highest Friday primetime rating for any network since NBC's coverage of the last Olympics, the Athens Games (14.1/26 on Aug. 20, 2004).

"We are right where we thought we'd be for this Opening Ceremony," said Randy Falco, President and COO, NBC Universal Television Group. "As I said this week, our projections show us doubling the under-lying primetime ratings average – and we exceeded that."

NBC's Opening Ceremony broadcast garnered a 12.8 household rating/21 share, more than doubling the average 4-network primetime rating for Friday night (4.9, +167%). The Olympics doubled its closest competition, ABC (3.0/8 in 18-49, 10.3 million viewers, 6.9/11 in households from 8-11 p.m.) in 18-49 and total viewers. It is also the highest rating for any show on NBC since Jan. 27, 2005 (ER, 13.0).

"A television event's ability to rise above the current primetime average is a true measure of its success, based on the dramatic changes in the media landscape from Olympics to Olympics especially over the past decade," said Alan Wurtzel, President, Research and Media Development, NBC Universal.

The Opening Ceremony won every half-hour last night in HH and outrated Fox by 555% (2.0) and CBS by 126% (5.8). The Opening Ceremony also won every half hour in A18-49 (6.6) and outrated Fox by 267% (1.8) and CBS by 154% (2.6) for the night. The Olympics nearly tripled NBC's Friday average of a 2.3 rating in 18-49 for the season and topped NBC's Friday average in household rating (5.3) by 147%.

The Opening Ceremony of the Nagano Games, the last non-domestic Winter Games, in 1998 was a 17.1/29. The Salt Lake Opening Ceremony in 2002, the highest rated Opening Ceremony of all time, Summer or Winter, drew a 25.5/42. Other notes:

• Last night's average primetime audience for the Opening Ceremony in Torino was 22.8 million viewers, more than double CBS (10.3 million) and ABC (8.8 million) and almost seven times greater than Fox (3.3 million). It was the highest average viewership on any network for a Friday night since the last Olympics, the Athens Games, (23M on Aug. 20, 2004) and was 196% higher than NBC's average Friday delivery (7.7M).

• Friday's broadcast peaked between 9:30 and 10 p.m. ET with a 14.5/23 as the Parade of Nations began from Olympic Stadium.

Following are the top 25 metered markets for the Torino Opening Ceremony: (Ranked by rating and share of audience)

1. SALT LAKE CITY 21.9 36
2. MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL 20.6 35
3. MILWAUKEE 20.2 33
4. CLEVELAND 20.0 31
5. DENVER 19.4 33
6. ST. LOUIS 19.3 31
7. FT.MYERS 18.6 30
8. SACRAMENTO 18.4 30
T9. WEST PALM BEACH 18.1 29
T9. LAS VEGAS 18.1 30
11. PROVIDENCE 17.8 29
12. INDIANAPOLIS 17.7 27
13. HARTFORD 17.3 28
14. NORFOLK 16.7 26
15. COLUMBUS 16.6 27
T16. BALTIMORE 16.5 26
T16. PORTLAND, OR 16.5 29
18. SAN DIEGO 16.4 28
19. ATLANTA 16.2 25
20. TAMPA 15.5 23
21. PITTSBURGH 15.3 24
22. SEATTLE 15.2 26
23. BUFFALO 14.9 25
24. NEW YORK 14.7 23
25. KANSAS CITY 14.6 23

keenan

02-11-06, 06:38 PM

Huh...only 2 of the top 10 DMAs in the bunch...

fredfa

02-11-06, 09:26 PM

That's pretty normal, especially for the winter games, I believe.

GeorgeLV

02-11-06, 09:35 PM

The Las Vegas rating is the especially impressive considering that it has large Latino population that is supposedly disinterested in the games.*

*see http://www.marketingymedios.com/marketingymedios/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001883249

fredfa

02-11-06, 09:42 PM

There seem to be a good number of people in warm weather markets who apparently are tuning in.

fredfa

02-11-06, 09:44 PM

The Winter Olympics
Olympics, Day II

By John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable at bcbeat.com

The good news is that anchor Jim Lampley has changed out of the wide pinstripe suit that appeared to be straight out of the wardrobe room for Lena wertmuller's Seven Beauties.
The bad news is that he is now in a dark blue suit and dark tie, perfect for a funeral usher.

And speaking of sad occasions, according to fast-affiliate Nielsen ratings for Friday night's spectacular ceremonies, and despite opera, dance, song, poetry, pageantry, and a fiery red Ferrari, the audience was down from four years ago, or not, depending on whom you listened to.

According to a competitor, Friday's coverage at 8-11 p.m. averaged approximately 22.8 million viewers compared to 45.6 million for the opening ceremonies four years ago.

According to NBC, the audience was 50 million, though that number may be an aggregate audience rather than an average, which is what the above number was. "We are right where we thought we'd be for this Opening Ceremony," said Randy Falco, President and COO, NBC Universal Television Group."

"The numbers appear to be down sharply for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony," said the competition.

NBC will likely get a boost from this weekend's major snowstorm in the East, which should keep more people inside watching lugers and downhillers and skiers and skaters.

It's tough to generate that "USA, USA"chant in the early events, since you have to either appreciate the head games of cross country skiing or have some favorite Finn to root for since Americans, with the occasional exception (Koch, anyone?), are rarely ever more than specks in the distance as a bushel of apple-cheeked Norwegians, Finns, Germans, and Austrians sprint for the Finish.

I would have said sprint for the "Finnish," only top contender, Finn Hannu Manninen, tuckered out early in the race.

http://www.bcbeat.com/

GeorgeLV

02-11-06, 09:45 PM

There seem to be a good number of people in warm weather markets who apparently are tuning in.

Well, you can make a 30 minute trip and go play/ski/snowboard in the snow during winter at Mt. Charleston in Las Vegas. I don't think you can do that in Palm Beach or San Diego. :)

keenan

02-11-06, 09:49 PM

The Winter Olympics
Olympics, Day II

NBC will likely get a boost from this weekend's major snowstorm in the East, which should keep more people inside watching lugers and downhillers and skiers and skaters.

:D

Except that NBC seems to have some real issues getting the signal distributed without breakups when there is heavy weather in the New York area, maybe they will upgrade to C-band system sometime instead of the DirecTV-like system they use now.

fredfa

02-11-06, 09:54 PM

The Winter Olympics
THE GAMES ON TELEVISION

(Note: All times are Eastern)

The Washington Post • -It's Olympics time, which means virtually nonstop coverage on NBC and its cable networks. For each day, we've included the full TV schedule of sporting events, with a separate box spotlighting a marquee competition in prime time on NBC.
Two nightly features also will air: "Olympic Ice," a daily figure-skating show at 6 on USA, and "Olympic Zone," a 30-minute preview at 7:30 Monday through Saturday on NBC. The schedule is subject to change • for updates, visit www.nbcolympics.com.
DAY 2
Sunday, Feb. 12
10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
CNBC, Universal HD
• Women's hockey: Canada vs. Russia (L)
1 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
USA, Universal HD
• Women's hockey: U.S. vs. Germany (L)
3 p.m.-6 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Speed skating: Women's 3,000m final
• Cross country: Women's pursuit
• Cross country: Men's pursuit
• Luge: Men's singles
7 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Alpine skiing: Men's downhill final
• Short-track speed skating: Men's 1,500m final
• Ski jumping: K95 individual final
• Snowboarding: Men's halfpipe final
• Luge: Men's singles final
12:05 a.m.-1 a.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Short-track speed skating: Women's 3,000m relay, women's 500m
DAY 3
Monday, Feb. 13
3 a.m.-11 a.m.
USA
• Men's curling: U.S. vs. Norway (L)
• Biathlon: Women's 15km final (L)
• Women's curling: U.S. vs. Norway (L)
9 a.m.-2 p.m.
MSNBC, Universal HD
• Women's hockey: Sweden vs. Italy (L); Finland vs. Switzerland (L)
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Luge: Women's singles
5 p.m.-8 p.m.
CNBC
• Men's curling: U.S. vs. Finland
8 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Figure skating: Pairs free skate final
• Snowboarding: Women's halfpipe final
• Speed skating: Men's 500m final
12:05 a.m.-1:30 a.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Figure skating: Pairs free skate analysis
DAY 4
Tuesday, Feb. 14
3 a.m.-11 a.m.
USA
• Women's curling: U.S. vs. Canada (L)
• Biathlon: Men's 10km sprint final (L)
• Men's curling: U.S. vs. New Zealand (L)
• Luge: Doubles final training runs
• Alpine skiing: Women's downhill final timed training
7 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
MSNBC, Universal HD
• Women's hockey: Italy vs. Russia (L); Canada vs. Sweden (L); Switzerland vs. Germany (L)
2:30 p.m.-5 p.m.
USA, Universal HD
• Women's hockey: U.S. vs. Finland (L)
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Cross country: Women's team sprint final
• Luge: Women's singles
5 p.m.-8 p.m.
CNBC
• Women's curling: U.S. vs. Japan
8 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Figure skating: Men's short program
• Alpine skiing: Men's combined (downhill and slalom) final
• Speed skating: Women's 500m final
• Luge: Women's singles final
12:05 a.m.-1:30 a.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Cross country: Men's team sprint final
DAY 5
Wednesday, Feb. 15
5 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
MSNBC, Universal HD
• Men's hockey: Sweden vs. Kazakhstan (L); Canada vs. Italy (L); Finland vs. Switzerland (L); Germany vs. Czech Republic (L)
8 a.m.-11 a.m.
USA
• Women's curling: U.S. vs. Denmark (L)
1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
MSNBC
• Men's hockey: Russia vs. Slovakia (L)
3 p.m.-6 p.m.
USA, Universal HD
• Men's hockey: U.S. vs. Latvia (L)
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Speed skating: Women's team pursuit
• Short-track speed skating: Women's 500m semifinal
5 p.m.-8 p.m.
CNBC
• Men's curling: U.S. vs. Italy
8 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Alpine skiing: Women's downhill final
• Freestyle skiing: Men's moguls final
• Short-track speed skating: Women's 500m final; men's 5,000m relay semifinal; men's 1,000m
• Luge: Men's doubles final
• Nordic combined: Team final
• Ski jumping: Large hill team jumping
• Cross country: Women's team 4x5km relay
12:05 a.m.-1:30 a.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Speed skating: Men's team pursuit
DAY 6
Thursday, Feb. 16
6 a.m.-11 a.m.
USA
• Biathlon: Women's 7.5km sprint final (L)
• Snowboarding: Men's snowboard cross
• Men's curling: U.S. vs. Sweden (L)
6 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
MSNBC, Universal HD
• Men's hockey: Finland vs. Italy (L); Czech Republic vs. Switzerland (L); Sweden vs. Russia (L); Slovakia vs. Latvia (L)
1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
MSNBC
• Men's hockey: Canada vs. Germany (L)
3 p.m.-6 p.m.
USA, Universal HD
• Men's hockey: U.S. vs. Kazakhstan (L)
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Cross country: Women's 10km final
• Speed skating: Women's team pursuit semifinals
• Speed skating: Men's team pursuit semifinals
5 p.m.-8 p.m.
CNBC
• Women's curling: U.S. vs. Sweden
8 p.m.-midnight
NBC, NBC HD
• Figure skating: Men's free skate final
• Snowboarding: Men's snowboard cross final
• Speed skating: Women's team pursuit final
• Speed skating: Men's team pursuit final
• Skeleton: Women's final
12:35 a.m.-2 a.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Figure skating: Men's free skate analysis
DAY 7
Friday, Feb. 17
4 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
USA
• Snowboarding: Women's snowboard cross (L)
• Curling: Men's match; women, U.S. vs. Russia (L)
• Women's hockey: U.S. semifinal (L)
• Bobsled: Two-man final training runs
11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Universal HD
• Women's hockey: U.S. semifinal (L)
3 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
MSNBC, Universal HD
• Women's hockey: Semifinal (L)
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Cross country: Men's 15km final
5 p.m.-8 p.m.
CNBC
• Men's curling: U.S. vs. Switzerland
8 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Figure skating: Ice dancing
• Snowboarding: Women's snowboard cross final
• Alpine skiing: Women's combined (downhill and slalom) final
• Skeleton: Men's final
• Ski jumping: K125: Large hill individual
DAY 8
Saturday, Feb. 18
5 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
CNBC, Universal HD
• Men's hockey: Russia vs. Kazakhstan (L); Italy vs. Germany (L); Canada vs. Switzerland (L); Sweden vs. Latvia (L)
8 a.m.-11 a.m.
USA
• Men's curling: U.S. vs. Germany (L)
Noon-6 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Cross country: Women's relay final
• Biathlon: Men's pursuit final
• Men's hockey: U.S. vs. Slovakia (L)
• Short-track speed skating: Women's 1,500m semifinals
3 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
CNBC, Universal HD
• Men's hockey: Czech Republic vs. Finland (L)
5 p.m.-8 p.m.
MSNBC
• Women's curling: U.S. vs. Italy
8 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Alpine skiing: Men's Super-G final
• Short-track speed skating: Men's 1,000m final; women's 1,500m final
• Speed skating: Men's 1,000m final
• Ski jumping: K125: Large hill individual final
• Bobsled: Two-man
Midnight-1 a.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Biathlon: Women's pursuit final
DAY 9
Sunday, Feb. 19
6 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
CNBC, Universal HD
• Men's hockey: Germany vs. Switzerland (L); Russia vs. Latvia (L); Slovakia vs. Kazakhstan (L)
8 a.m.-11 a.m.
USA
• Women's curling: U.S. vs. Switzerland (L)
10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Men's hockey: U.S. vs. Sweden (L)
2 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
CNBC, Universal HD
• Men's hockey: Czech Republic vs. Italy (L); Finland vs. Canada (L)
4 p.m.-7 p.m.
MSNBC
• Men's curling: U.S. vs. Great Britain
7 p.m.-midnight
NBC, NBC HD
• Figure skating: Ice dancing
• Alpine skiing: Women's Super-G final
• Speed skating: Women's 1,000m final
• Cross country: Men's 4x10km relay final
• Bobsled: Two-man final
• Freestyle skiing: Women's aerials
DAY 10
Monday, Feb. 20
8 a.m.-11 a.m.
USA
• Men's curling: U.S. vs. Canada (L)
10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
MSNBC, Universal HD
• Hockey: Women's bronze medal game (L)
1 p.m.-6 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Hockey: Women's final (L)
• Bobsled: Women's competition
5 p.m.-8 p.m.
CNBC
• Women's curling: U.S. vs. Great Britain
8 p.m.-midnight
NBC, NBC HD
• Figure skating: Ice dancing final
• Alpine skiing: Men's giant slalom final
• Freestyle skiing: Men's aerials
• Ski jumping: K125: Large hill team final
12:35 a.m.-2 a.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Figure skating: Ice dancing analysis
DAY 11
Tuesday, Feb. 21
5:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
MSNBC, Universal HD
• Men's hockey: Latvia vs. Kazakhstan (L); Switzerland vs. Italy (L); Finland vs. Germany (L); Canada vs. Czech Republic (L)
6 a.m.-8 a.m.
USA
• Biathlon: Men's relay final
1 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
MSNBC
• Men's hockey: Sweden vs. Slovakia (L)
2 p.m.-5 p.m.
USA, Universal HD
• Men's hockey: U.S. vs. Russia (L)
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Nordic combined: Sprint final
• Ski jumping: K125: Large hill jump; cross country, 7.5km
5 p.m.-8 p.m.
CNBC
• Curling: Tiebreaker
8 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Figure skating: Women's short program
• Bobsled: Women's final
• Speed skating: Men's 1,500m final
12:05 a.m.-1:30 a.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Figure skating: Women's short program analysis
DAY 12
Wednesday, Feb. 22
8 a.m.-2 p.m.
USA
• Curling: Women's semifinal (L)
• Hockey: Men's quarterfinal (L)
10 a.m.-1 p.m.
MSNBC
• Hockey: Men's quarterfinal (L)
11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Universal HD
• Hockey: Men's quarterfinal (L)
2:30 p.m.-5 p.m.
MSNBC
• Hockey: Men's quarterfinal (L)
3 p.m.-6 p.m.
USA, Universal HD
• Hockey: U.S. men's quarterfinal (L)
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Snowboarding: Men's parallel giant slalom
• Cross country: Men's sprint final
5 p.m.-8 p.m.
CNBC
• Curling: Men's semifinal
8 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Alpine skiing: Women's slalom final
• Freestyle skiing: Women's aerials final
• Speed skating: Women's 1,500m final
• Snowboarding: Men's parallel giant slalom final
• Short track: Women's 3,000m relay final; women's 1,000m; men's 500m
• Figure skating: Women's preview
Midnight-5:30 a.m.
Universal HD
• Hockey: Men's quarterfinals
12:05 a.m.-1:30 a.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Cross country: Women's sprint final
DAY 13
Thursday, Feb. 23
6 a.m.-8 a.m.
USA
• Biathlon: Women's relay final (L)
7 a.m.-10 a.m.
MSNBC
• Curling: Women's bronze medal final (L)
11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
USA
• Curling: Women's final (L)
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Snowboarding: Women's parallel giant slalom
5 p.m.-8 p.m.
CNBC
• Curling: Women's final 8 p.m.-midnight
NBC, NBC HD
• Figure skating: Women's free skate final
• Freestyle skiing: Men's aerials final
• Snowboarding: Women's parallel giant slalom final
12:35 a.m.-2 a.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Figure skating: Women's free skate analysis
DAY 14
Friday, Feb. 24
7 a.m.-1 p.m.
MSNBC
• Curling: Men's bronze medal final (L)
• Hockey: Men's semifinal (L)
10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Universal HD
• Hockey: Men's semifinal (L)
11 a.m.-6 p.m.
USA
• Curling: Men's final (L)
• Hockey: Men's semifinal (L)
3 p.m.-6 p.m.
Universal HD
• Hockey: Men's semifinal (L)
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Cross country: Women's 30km final
5 p.m.-8 p.m.
CNBC
• Curling: Men's final
8 p.m.-midnight
NBC, NBC HD
• Figure skating: Champions gala
• Alpine skiing: Women's giant slalom final
• Bobsled: Four-man
• Speed skating: Men's 10,000m final
DAY 15
Saturday, Feb. 25
1 p.m.-6 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Hockey: Men's bronze medal game (L)
• Speed skating: Women's 5,000m final
• Biathlon: Women's 12.5km final
8 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Alpine skiing: Men's slalom final
• Short-track speed skating: Men's 500m final; women's 1,000m final; men's 5,000m relay final
• Bobsled: Four-man final
• Biathlon: Men's 15km final
DAY 16
Sunday, Feb. 26
8 a.m.-11 a.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Hockey: Men's final (L)
11 a.m.-1 p.m.
USA, Universal HD
• Figure skating: Overview wrap-up
4 p.m.-6 p.m.
NBC
• Cross country: Men's 50km final
7 p.m.-11 p.m.
NBC, NBC HD
• Closing ceremony

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/07/AR2006020701559_pf.html

Inundated

02-11-06, 11:55 PM

Cleveland was 4th in share? Wow. :D

RussTC3

02-12-06, 12:10 AM

Cleveland was 4th in share? Wow. :D
Yeah, pretty neat.

fredfa

02-12-06, 12:19 AM

Critic’s Notebook
Even Those 70's Kids Should Have Seen it Coming

By David Hochman The New York Times February 12, 2006

In the end, all the smiley-face buttons on earth couldn't prevent it: after eight seasons of blasting Cheap Trick and testing the limits of polyester leisurewear, the kids from "That 70's Show" will soon have their trippiest encounter yet — with 1980.

The New Year's party, the series finale, which will be broadcast in May, brings to a close 200 episodes of freaky good times among Wisconsin teenagers in the Jimmy Carter era. Although it rarely cracked the Nielsen Top 20, the series has been one of television's longest-running live-action comedies (second on Fox only to "Married With Children"). Along the way, it has introduced a corps of popular young actors, including Ashton Kutcher and Topher Grace.

But with both those stars now absent from the regular cast and the others looking a bit too mature still to be partying in dad's basement, the program has lately experienced its own sort of energy crisis. Mark Hudis, an executive producer, said, "One of our writers came in at the beginning of this season with pencils embossed 'That 70's Show — We already did that.' "

For a good stretch, though, the series took unexpected risks, at least by the standards of prime-time comedy. The premiere episode showed Eric (Topher Grace), a high school sophomore with Tom Snyder hair, and his buddies sitting in a circle philosophizing in a haze of pot smoke, a gag featured in nearly every show. "The trick was to stay one ahead of the pass so you wouldn't see the joint on TV," said Dean Batali, an executive producer. And frequent fantasy sequences had the kids doing twisted interpretations of "Star Wars," "Grease," "Charlie's Angels" and, inevitably, "Reefer Madness."

In capturing the absurdity of suburban adolescence, the closest parallels are probably "Wayne's World" and "The Brady Bunch Movie"; Terry and Bonnie Turner, the married team who created "That 70's Show" with Mark Brazill, were both writers on those films.

"I remember looking at 'Friends' and not relating," Ms. Turner said. "It was so clean and not what growing up was like for me. We said, 'Why not write something different?' "

The show has never had the high profile of "Friends," "Frasier" or "Seinfeld," but that may have prolonged its lifespan: the series never had mammoth pay demands from cast members, and its young fans embraced it as a shaggier alternative to middle-of-the-road network fare.

"The show was a secret pleasure for Fox's core audience, the 18-to-34-year-old concentration of viewers," said Jim Kraus, president of domestic distribution for Carsey-Werner Productions, which produced the series. "No matter what night it aired — and it moved constantly — viewers found it and followed it." And since that audience was young and had an almost-unheard-of balance of male and female viewers, the show sold quickly and continues to perform well in syndication, Mr. Kraus added.

It helped that "That 70's Show" was pretty amusing. In one classic episode, Eric's lab partner is continually flirting with him, which doesn't bother his tomboy girlfriend, Donna (Laura Prepon); that is, until Donna discovers another woman's underwear in Eric's Vista Cruiser. The offending garment turns out to belong to Donna's mom, who cops to engaging in some backseat disco there with dad.

"If you lived through the 1970's or even just survived being a teenager, one of these characters could be you," said Mr. Grace, who, like Mr. Kutcher, left the series last season for movies. (With Eric written out of the script, another love interest, Randy, played by Josh Meyers, had to be found for Donna.) Mr. Grace got good reviews in 2004 for "In Good Company" and is playing a platinum-haired villain in "Spider-Man 3." Mr. Kutcher is now shooting opposite Kevin Costner in "The Guardian," an action movie.

Like "Happy Days," "That 70's Show" blends smart comedy with light social commentary. The decade provided endless fodder, whether it was jokes about Luke Skywalker, crooked Republicans or buying an economy car during the oil crisis. In one episode, Eric's dad, Red, a grumpy World War II vet played with perfect pitch by Kurtwood Smith, says of his new Toyota, "The last time I was that close to a Japanese machine, it was shooting at me."

"The 70's was the last era where TV was the hearth," said David Trainer, who has directed every episode but the pilot. "Without personal computers or video games or VCR's, the kids lived according to the opening theme song," which goes,

Hanging out down the street
The same old thing we did last week.
Not a thing to do but talk to you
We're all alright!, We're all alright.

One well-known critic of the modern condition recently discovered "That 70's Show" in reruns and became a fan. Edward Albee said in an e-mail message, "The characters are outrageous stereotypes and yet sweet and believable at the same time, and, oddly, the expected always surprises us."

Among the surprises was the show's unusual take on love. "Unlike many sitcoms that play on love triangles or whether the main stars will or will not sleep together, we looked at the nuances of a relationship between two neighbors — Eric and Donna — who had been in love since childhood," Mr. Grace said. And the writing was unusually sharp. When Eric accidentally tears Donna's gown on the eve of their scheduled wedding, Donna deadpans, "Please tell me that sound was a rip in the space-time continuum."

As knowing as the writing could be, the series was sometimes criticized for its white-bread view of a decade of supposed racial harmony. "I like to say, 'That 70's Show' gave white America its 'Roots,' " said Tommy Chong, who played Leo, an aging hippie, before and after his real-life incarceration for selling marijuana pipes two years ago. "If you came out of white suburbia, you can probably trace your lineage to people like Red and Kitty" (she's Red's wife).

In one episode, Billy Dee Williams played a minister and was starting to preach in a revivalist mode when Mr. Trainer, the director, stepped in. "I said: 'Billy, look around this church. Look at these people. Do you think a revivalist minister would have a chance in hell here? He looked at me and said, 'Gotcha.' Whereupon he became a sedate Wisconsin Episcopalian."

Peter Roth, the executive who first put "That 70's Show" on the schedule at Fox, said he would never forget the lunch at which he heard the pitch. "Topher Grace had literally never worked in television or film before," said Mr. Roth, who is now president of Warner Brothers Television. "Bonnie Turner described him as a friend of their daughter's who acted in a school production." The show "was a risk," Mr. Roth said, "but we knew Fox viewers would respond to something daring and distinctive."

From an industry standpoint, the series finale is another landmark of sorts. "That 70's Show" is the last sitcom that is being produced by Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner, two former ABC executives who started their own production company in the early 1980's and whose hits included "The Cosby Show" and "Roseanne."

Of course, even though "That 70's Show" is ending, the gags about streaking and Farrah Fawcett-Majors will play on in syndication. "Thanks to Nickelodeon and the international market, these shows can live for 10 or 20 more years," Mr. Trainer said. "After that, who knows what anyone will think of the 70's?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/12/arts/television/12hoch.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

fredfa

02-12-06, 12:20 AM

Cleveland was 4th in share? Wow. :D

Looks to me like tied for fifth (in share), but still pretty neat!

fredfa

02-12-06, 10:23 AM

Critic’s Notebook
Chick flick feathers fly

Some film historians are not amused by the 50 best selected by E! for a Valentine's countdown.
By Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel Television Critic February 12, 2006

To celebrate Valentine's Day, E! Entertainment Television tonight will count down its list of 50 Best Chick Flicks. Ranked among the Top 10 are Pretty Woman, Thelma & Louise, Terms of Endearment and Beaches.

That's some way to honor women, saluting movies in which they work as hookers, choose suicide and die painful deaths. Isn't that romantic?

Betsy Rott, vice president of E! programming, lists three guidelines the channel set in drawing up the list:

"1. Did you have to drag a guy to see the movie?

"2. Have you seen the movie 22 times and still cry at the end every time you watch it?

"3. Does the leading man do something totally romantic that an average guy would never do, like take you to the opera or say 'you complete me'?"

She refers to Moonstruck and Jerry Maguire. But film experts are not amused.

The list is pathetic, says historian Jeanine Basinger, who wrote A Woman's View: How Hollywood Spoke to Women 1930-1960.

"This is not progress," she says. "The old films treated a story about women as if the issues were important. A woman could make a serious contribution to the world. Chick flick is the low-budget version of what we used to call the woman's film. The woman's film had dignity."

The woman's film entertained legions for decades, especially in the 1930s and '40s. The movies were often called weepies because of their sad nature, and they struggled to gain critics' respect.

Starting in the 1960s, revisionist critics brought new appreciation to dramas with Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck and Joan Crawford. The writers trumpeted stylish works by directors Douglas Sirk (All That Heaven Allows), George Cukor (1954's A Star Is Born) and King Vidor (1937's Stella Dallas).

Critic Molly Haskell studied pivotal actresses and films in her landmark 1973 book, From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies. She says the term chick flick sums up the debasement of the woman's film.

"It denotes a marginal genre," Haskell says. "You have male genres. Buddy pictures, gangster pictures, Westerns, sci-fi, special-effects movies are all guy movies."

A woman's film simply has a woman at the center, and it can range from comedy (The Philadelphia Story) to musical (Meet Me in St. Louis) to detective story (Laura) to biography (Madame Curie).

In superlative films from the 1940s, such as Now, Voyager and Mildred Pierce, strong women dealt with limited options, society's strict rules and a yearning for something more. How bad is it for females in film today?

"The biggest woman's film of the past 10 years is Brokeback Mountain," Haskell says, referring to the Oscar front-runner about star-crossed cowboys. "Brokeback Mountain has impossible love. They'd be shunned by society if it was exposed. It's intensely emotional. It thrives on taboo and repression. And that's true of old women's films."

Chick flick or woman's film?

Of course, with the old sense of taboo and repression gone, women's films have shifted in themes.

"It's not that romance is dead, but the rules have so changed," Haskell says. "What do women suffer over now?" She cites the insecure sisters of In Her Shoes, a box-office failure last year, and the heroine's weight problems in Bridget Jones's Diary.

"Sex and the City [on TV] hits closer to women today: being liberated, having serial boyfriends," Haskell adds. "It represents different attitudes to men and sex."

But Haskell still prefers the term woman's film to chick flick, which she finds more narcissistic.

"Chick flick is a cute Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts film," Haskell says. "They don't strike the deeper themes of sacrifice or living for somebody beyond yourself. There's so much self-pity and whining in women's films today."

Historian Basinger thinks chick flick reflects a bigger issue. "It's depressing to realize, in the year 2006, we're still labeling films that are aimed at women viewers by a diminished term," she says. "Why haven't we gotten past this?"

For all the changes in attitudes, this stands as a sorry era for women's films. Next month's Academy Awards will lavish attention on five best-picture nominees that, for the most part, reduce women to secondary figures. Male stars dominate the box office, with Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon being notable exceptions.

"Women don't have that much leverage," Haskell says. "In the studio system, studio bosses liked to look at women, and directors did too."

These days, actresses have to fend for themselves in scripts of widely varying quality. Best-actress nominees Judi Dench of Mrs. Henderson Presents and Felicity Huffman of Transamerica star in films that have received limited release.

But where's Audrey?

But even as you despair, a more exciting world for women's films awaits on DVD and cable.

Haskell was named co-host last week of Turner Classic Movies' "The Essentials," which spotlights classic films. That series starts its new season March 11.

The offerings will include many films with strong women: Gilda, Top Hat, Black Narcissus, Jezebel, Written on the Wind, Brief Encounter, My Fair Lady, 1933's Little Women and 1959's Imitation of Life.

Despite the complaints, there's always the 50 Best Chick Flicks, which E! will show from 8 to 10 tonight. The list includes such oddities as the Steve Martin version of Father of the Bride instead of the superior original with Spencer Tracy.

Sleepless in Seattle makes the E! list. It constantly refers to 1957's An Affair to Remember, which doesn't rate.

Wedding Crashers comes in at No. 33, but the list ignores every Audrey Hepburn effort.

"Wedding Crashers was funny, but it's not a woman's film," Basinger says. "It says that women are chicks who like a trivial kind of entertainment."

She wonders why the list left out Annie Hall, Baby Boom, Fatal Attraction and anything with Doris Day or Jane Fonda.

"For the most part, not entirely, the list is banal, and they're not great pieces of filmmaking," Basinger says. "A lot of these are already forgotten movies."

E! executive Rott counters: "We started with a very long list and whittled and argued and debated until we finally came up with a list that hit all the right notes."

Also included in 50 Best Chick Flicks are St. Elmo's Fire, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Bodyguard and Legally Blonde. The Way We Were, a 1973 romance with Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, is the oldest film on the list.

Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy, described by E! as "legendary lady Brat Packers," serve as co-hosts for 50 Best Chick Flicks.

"Our hope is that women and men enjoy the countdown," Rott says. "Any list show invites people to debate the subjects and the order. We hope people watch and react."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv/orl-chickflick06feb12,0,1100628.story?coll=orl-caltvtop

fredfa

02-12-06, 10:36 AM

Critic’s Notebook
Olympics on NBC, but ABC a strong alternative

By Mike Brantley Mobile Register Sunday, February 12, 2006
(Note: All time are Central)

NBC will turn its attention away from the Olympics for a time today, just long enough to make the enormous number of NASCAR racing fans happy. At 11 a.m. on affiliate WPMI-TV15, the offering is NBC Sports' coverage of Daytona qualifying.

But, it's the month of the Winter Games in Turino, Italy, and so hours and hours of airtime on NBC and its sibling networks in the cable realm will be devoted to those events.

The NBCOlympics.com Web site has an interactive program guide that features the complete Olympic broadcast schedule on the NBC Universal networks, which besides the NBC broadcast network also includes cable channels USA, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC HD and Universal HD. I have to tell you it took me a bit of head scratching and a number of mouseclicks to get at the data, but it's all there.

Maybe it was my computer. More likely, it was me!

Of course, the printed grids on this very newspaper page also will let you know what's coming on and when.

Today's tentative schedule, according to NBC, includes Alpine skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping and luge. That's among the Olympic events getting exposure in prime time, beginning at 6 p.m., on NBC.

Other sports are playing elsewhere, such as figure skating competition beginning at 5 p.m. on USA.

All first-run fare on the Alphabet Network

As I mentioned Friday, ABC is one television network that's not going to sit the 17 days of the Olympics out by offering weak programming as an alternative to all the coverage on the NBC networks. No, ABC has a full slate of its popular Sunday night shows tonight, with "Extreme Make Over: Home Edition" at 6 and 7 p.m., "Desperate Housewives" at 8 p.m. and "Grey's Anatomy" at 9 p.m., all on ABC.

First: Once a renowned dancer with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Carol Crawford-Smith had to abandon her passion for performing when she was stricken with multiple sclerosis. She can barely navigate her home and dance studio now, but that will all change when Ty and the gang revamp and create a new home that will help her continue to live a life of dance, on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Then: Tom (Doug Savant) tries hard to bond with his new boss, Karl (Richard Burgi) makes Susan (Teri Hatcher) an offer she cannot refuse, Bree (Marcia Cross) does some sneaky sleuthing at Betty's (Alfre Woodard) house, and Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) sets her house in order on "Desperate Housewives."

And finally: Despite the best efforts of the hospital staff, the code black situation escalates, on "Grey's Anatomy."

Huh? Well, you had to have watched the post-Super Bowl episode to know the suspenseful "24"-style turn this show has just taken. Soon enough, I'm certain, the show will get back to being about who is sleeping with whom at Seattle Grace.

http://www.al.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/entertainment/1139739761121570.xml&coll=3

keenan

02-12-06, 03:37 PM

Posting this for Fred as he is away from the computer today, hey, maybe he does have a life.. :D

I can't post it to the first post as he does.

Fast National ratings for Saturday, Feb. 11th

NBC Stays on Top with Saturday Olympics Coverage

(zap2it.com)--

LOS ANGELES (zap2it.com)-- Fast National ratings for Saturday, Feb. 11, 2006

The Olympic games were in full swing on Saturday and televison viewers responded, sending the peacock network to the head of the pack with a 13.2 rating/22 share among households, up slightly from Friday night's coverage of the opening ceremonies. ABC was a distant second with a 4.5/8, just ahead of FOX's 4.4/7. CBS trailed with a 3.9/7.

Among 18 to 49-year-old viewers, NBC was also the leader with a 6.5. FOX was second with a 2.8 to ABC's 2.7. Again, CBS came in last with a 1.5.
NBC began the night at 8 p.m. with an 11.8/20 for the hour. FOX was second with back-to-back episodes of "Cops" averaging a 4.3/8 for the hour. CBS came in third with "48 Hours," 4.3/7, and ABC gave over its night to the airing of the Tom Hanks movie "Green Mile."

At 9 p.m., NBC had the best hour of the night with a 14.0/23. ABC moved up to second with a 4.6/8, while FOX slipped to third with "America's Most Wanted," 4.5/7. CBS spent the rest of the night in last place with the James Bond movie "Die Another Day."

NBC finished out the night with a 13.8/24 at 10 p.m, while ABC and CBS both concluded their movies with a 5.5/9 and a 4.1/7 respectively.

# Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.

fredfa

02-12-06, 11:39 PM

Thanks, Jim!

keenan

02-13-06, 03:24 AM

My pleasure. :)

fredfa

02-13-06, 08:26 AM

Sports Media and Business
NBC Loses Its Star, but Help Is Coming

By Richard Sandomir The New York Times February 13, 2006

TURIN, Italy---The sight of a drained, tearful Michelle Kwan, dressed in mourning black yesterday, was not one to elate NBC, which would rather show her shimmering on the ice than sobbing in an auditorium.

She was the bedrock star among the 19 Olympians NBC had been promoting — bigger than the rest because of the status of her sport. But rather than act in the network's quadrennial ice drama, she was victimized by a groin injury and withdrew from the Winter Olympics at a news conference carried live, at 5:30 a.m., on NBC and MSNBC. She sat alone at a long table, having replaced four grim men who described her injury and extolled her career.

The NBC realm's reliance on the reliably dramatic Kwan odyssey was evident from the opening minutes of the USA Network's "Olympic Ice" program Saturday, with segments that parsed that morning's fateful practice, which she cut short after falling while trying to land a toe loop.

Before Kwan fell, Scott Hamilton said the practice was not critical; he said that she looked solid and that the "look in her eyes sends a message to the rest of the field." He didn't seem to sense the seriousness of her fall, not even after she left the facility unhappily. But, he said, "This is drama."

Dick Button, also on the program, said that her straight-down fall "makes you nervous," and that her subsequent remarks in a news conference, where she hinted at a withdrawal, revealed an "almost defeatist attitude."

Kwan might not have been as serious a gold medal hope as she was in the past, but that is irrelevant. Her presence has been a crucial element in the post-Nancy/Tonya TV skating dramas. When she won silver in 1998, CBS prospered with Tara Lipinski, registering a 22.8 Nielsen rating. And NBC didn't gripe over its 26.8 rating four years ago when Sarah Hughes won the gold and Kwan left Salt Lake City with the bronze.

Even in a losing duel, Kwan is more valuable on the ice than off. Still, NBC wanted to keep her in town, but she turned down an offer from Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Universal Sports, to stay on as a commentator. NBC mobilized to cover Kwan's withdrawal as if it were a news crisis. Ebersol was awakened at 8:15 a.m. in Turin, six hours after Kwan's new injury was diagnosed. Ebersol roused Bob Costas from his sleep 45 minutes later to return to the Turin studio to interview Kwan, with Hamilton, for the "Today" show.

Now what? Kwan can't be promoted by NBC as a medal contender, a sentimental favorite or the hard-luck nine-time United States champion and five-time world titlist who has never won Olympic gold. She can't be the familiar face of her sport as the short program approaches Feb. 21.

"We're losing an old friend," Button said yesterday at the Palavela. "But we have the opportunity to focus in on the quality of Sasha Cohen's skating and compare it to the quality of Irina Slutskaya's."

NBC will no doubt focus on Cohen and Kimmie Meissner, but it will have a wild card to promote: Emily Hughes, who finished third in the nationals but was replaced on the team by Kwan.

"It's a great break," Mike Weisman, the executive producer of the NBC Universal Television Group, said at the rink during the taping of "Olympic Ice." "Emily Hughes is a name. She's Sarah's sister. Everybody knows her. She's the sister of a skater who surprised everyone to win the gold. It's a nice story. Emily Hughes might be better known than Kimmie Meissner."

Get ready for: "Tonight on the Winter Olympics on NBC: See Sarah's Sister!"

The 17-year-old Hughes's arrival will be a story; an NBC camera is already posted outside the Hughes family's house in Great Neck, N.Y., waiting out the blizzard to watch her leave or shovel her driveway. Her family will be a story for the second Winter Olympiad in a row. Her practices will be a running Olympic ice story even if she is not considered a strong medal contender.

If Sarah accompanies her, she will be solicited for comment; there will certainly be replays of the emotional backstage moment when Sarah learned that she had won, and speculation that it could happen with Emily.

"Michelle leaving is disappointing," said Weisman, who, as the executive producer of NBC Sports, oversaw production of the 1988 Summer Games. "But Emily will create stories that NBC will capitalize on."

Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, the former pairs skaters for Canada, should know a little about Olympic soap operas. They were engulfed in the judging scandal in Salt Lake City and became honorary Americans to NBC's audience.

Now they are "Olympic Ice" analysts. Salé surely knows, as NBC must, that Kwan's absence is unfortunate but is no reason for panic in the International Broadcast Center.

"The Olympics," Salé said, sitting in the Palavela stands, "is a new story every day."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/13/sports/olympics/13sandomir.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

fredfa

02-13-06, 08:34 AM

About Television
A whiter shade of network TV?

The WB-UPN merger may mean a loss of shows with black characters
By Edward P. Smith Denver Post Staff Writer Feb. 13,2006

A favorite parlor game in Hollywood these days is guessing what the new CW network will look like when it premieres this fall, replacing the soon-to-be-defunct UPN and The WB.

Trade journals and TV critics are betting UPN shows such as "Veronica Mars," "America's Next Top Model" and "Everybody Hates Chris" will make the cut from UPN. From The WB, "Gilmore Girls," "Smallville" and "Reba," among others, are favorites for the 13 hours of primetime programming planned for the new network.

But one development few people are talking about is another likely change in the CW's complexion: It might be a whole lot whiter than the UPN network it is replacing.

"The demise of UPN ... will result in the loss of more than half of all African-American primetime characters who appear on the screen" for a significant amount of time, said Darnell Hunt, a professor of sociology at UCLA who is in the midst of a five-year study of blacks in broadcast network primetime television. "This is a major effect."

The new network, a 50-50 venture between CBS and Warner Bros, was announced Jan. 24 by Les Moonves, chief executive of CBS Corp., which owns UPN.

The WB and UPN have struggled since their launch 11 years ago, losing money steadily. Network insiders put the figure at about $1.8 billion - and analysts generally greeted the merger news as a smart move, since neither network had good prospects for profitability.

The WB and UPN set out initially to woo minority audiences. Over the years, the WB gravitated toward a young, suburban white audience with shows like "Dawson's Creek" and "Felicity." But the UPN has long been the most popular network with African-American audiences, with shows such as "Girlfriends."

For the week ending Jan. 29, for example, "American Idol" topped the Nielsen ratings for black and all audiences alike, but two UPN shows - "Girlfriends" and "All of Us" - also made the top 10 for blacks.

The reason is obvious, Hunt said. Audiences gravitate toward characters to whom they can relate, and UPN has by far the most black characters in central roles. The Big Four networks had an average of 16.2 percent black characters compared with 31 percent on UPN, based on Hunt's 2002 data, the most recent available.

"I've been somewhat ambivalent about the implications of a UPN when you have so many African-American portrayals concentrated there," he said, adding it would be preferable to have a variety of rich portrayals of black characters spread across the broadcast networks rather than segregated to a network that has been called a primetime ghetto.

Without that, he said, UPN has at least provided one place where there is a proliferation of black characters. Without the network those "portrayals will not exist at all. ... I think we're worse off without it."

Shows on UPN, the least- watched network, have lagged miserably in the ratings. Shows such as "Half & Half," "One on One" and "Love, Inc." all ranked 100 or worse in the Nielsen ratings for the week ending Jan. 29. Even "Everybody Hates Chris," UPN's top- rated show with an average 5 million viewers, would probably not make the cut at the Big Four networks.

Exactly which existing shows the CW will pick up from UPN and the WB, and what new shows will be ordered, remains up in the air. UPN president Dawn Ostroff is set to head entertainment at the CW and will be in charge of programming. Her office referred all questions to Chris Ender, a senior vice president for communications at CBS who is serving as CW spokesman.

"Successful programming that appeals to African-American audiences is one of the great achievements at UPN, and we intend for that to carry over to the new network," Ender said by e-mail. "In fact, executives involved with the CW clearly stated in the network's opening announcement that an ongoing commitment to serving a diverse audience is a priority."

He added that until the development process is completed the network will not know "exactly which shows will return and which will not. ... The concerns expressed about the minority programming are understandable, but at the end of the day, we believe those concerns will be assuaged."

Hunt is not so sure.

"Everything suggests that major African-American portrayals will no longer" be represented on the CW, he said. "It's not just about ratings, it's about the demographics. ... They are going for a mainstream - read 'white' - audience."

The Rev. Al Sharpton expressed a similar sentiment in a recent story in the Chicago Defender, saying that "usually when there's a merger, a haircut in the white corporate world, blacks are decapitated. I fear we will end up with a season that becomes as white as the Rocky Mountains."

Looking down the road, Hunt said the issue of getting African- Americans fully integrated into the broad swath of network television will not be easy.

"I think it's a situation where the market is not going to solve it. The reality is that those who have made the decisions on what's greenlighted, who is hired ... have remained almost uniformly white and male" despite the increasing diversification of the society. "I'm not very optimistic that things will naturally change."
________________________________________
Blacks on TV
The UPN network has almost twice the percentage of black characters as the other broadcast networks:
ABC: 15.7 percent
CBS: 17.8
NBC: 12.5
Fox: 18.9
UPN: 31
WB: 8.3
Source: "Prime Time in Black and White," 2002 study, Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA
________________________________________
The ranking of TV shows for the week of Jan. 23-29 for African-American audiences and all audiences:
African-American audiences
1. American Idol- Tuesday (Fox)
2. American Idol- Wednesday (Fox)
3. Jamie Foxx: Unpredictable (NBC)
4. Without a Trace (CBS)
5. CSI (CBS)
6. Wife Swap (ABC)
7. Girlfriends (UPN)
8. CSI: Miami (CBS)
9. Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
10. All of Us (UPN)

All audiences:
American Idol- Tuesday (Fox)
2. American Idol- Wednesday (Fox)
3. CSI (CBS)
4. Without a Trace (CBS)
5. CSI: Miami (CBS)
6. Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
7. Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
8. Lost (ABC)
9. NCIS (CBS)
10. Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Source: Nielsen Media Research

http://www.denverpost.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?article=3499709

fredfa

02-13-06, 08:42 AM

The 2005-2006 TV Season
Ask Matt

(from the Ask (TV Critic) Matt (Roush) column at TVGuide.com
By Matt Roush TVGuide.com TV Critic

Question: I've been a little surprised when reading your e-mail columns to see so little discussion of The Shield. I'm impressed with the season so far, especially with the cat-and-mouse between Kavanaugh and Vic (though which one is which, I'm not sure). I feel the Jan. 31 episode may have been the turning point, as Vic finding Kavanaugh's witness might have been a hint to Mr. Internal Affairs that he's been taking Mackey too lightly. Your thoughts? — Colin P.
Matt Roush: Given how riveting The Shield has been this season, I'm a little surprised there hasn't been a bigger response as well. The mail has by and large been positive — most recently this from John N., who writes: "I was disappointed with The Shield last season — I know everyone raved about Glenn Close. But this season, I am on the edge of my seat every episode — Forest Whitaker is awesome, and Vic has never been in truer form. What do you think — does this show still have life?" Yes, the show has plenty of life, although it's clearly closer to the end of its life than the beginning. (Still no definitive word on whether the story will wrap for good when the second half of this fifth season airs later this year.) Colin wrote this question before last week's episode, which was even more pivotal in depicting the tense standoff between Kavanaugh and the Strike Team. I don't know how many times I've watched frustrated characters trash rooms and offices over the years, but Forest Whitaker's explosive howls of anger after being trumped, decisively, by the sly Mackey was something to behold. Mackey won that round, but Kavanaugh is clearly not giving up yet. This conflict is fueling The Shield toward one of its finest seasons yet.
________________________________________
Question: I don't really have a question, and I can't even say I'm all that surprised. CBS has proven over and over again that if a show is not a police procedural, they have no patience for it, yet I am incredibly disappointed that Love Monkey has been shelved. Were ratings really that bad? I enjoyed the show and found myself watching it first or second among shows I TiVo on Tuesday. (I love Gilmore Girls as well). Do you think Love Monkey is gone for good? — Sandy
Matt Roush: I'm not that surprised, either, but I am also very irked that CBS didn't give this show a chance to develop and maybe even grow. What really bothers me is CBS' decision to put Love Monkey on the air without the benefit of The Amazing Race either as a lead-in or lead-out. That would have been the true test of whether this show had enough mass appeal to work on a network whose hourlong hits are all cut from the same bad cloth. (It made no sense to expect viewers to follow a random repeat of some procedural crime drama by watching this offbeat musical comedy-drama.) Love Monkey wasn't perfect, but it was promising, with a surplus of charm even when the stories felt underdeveloped. Some trade reports have suggested that CBS hasn't given up on this show yet and would like to relaunch it, and I would like to believe that. Maybe we'll see it reemerge in the summer, paired with the second season of the Rock Star reality show. Maybe we'll see it considerably earlier. Who knows? Either way, this is certainly another major setback for network shows trying to do something a little out of the norm: The Book of Daniel, Arrested Development, etc.
________________________________________
Question: Now that both Matthew Perry and Steven Weber (and D.L. Hughley) have signed on to Aaron Sorkin's Studio 7 on the Sunset Strip, do you think NBC will give the show ER's current "must-see" Thursday time slot? After all, Perry (Friends) and Weber (Wings) are both former Thursday residents and many have suggested that perhaps ER finally needs a new night for its old age. Or do you think Studio 7 will get one of the vacated West Wing time slots (Sundays at 8 pm/ET or Wednesdays at 9 pm/ET)? — D.J.
Matt Roush: I'm pretty awful at guessing network schedules, but I'm betting that, given what I imagine would be the comedy-drama tone of Sorkin's new show (more Sports Night than West Wing), it would be perfect for West Wing's old Wednesday-night slot — although Lost has become a juggernaut these last few seasons, so maybe it would be better off inheriting the fading Law & Order's time period. Sundays won't be an option, at least for the first half of the season, because of NBC's new football contract. Maybe Mondays would work, if Las Vegas proves to be a draw on Fridays and stays there. If Studio 7 lives up to its potential, it will obviously be NBC's next crown jewel and should be programmed accordingly. It would be cool for a show like this to cap what is now a comedy night for NBC on Thursdays, but don't count out ER just yet. Though creatively diminished, it's still a powerful draw, at least in first-run, so I'd be surprised (though hardly disappointed) if NBC decides to move it. This will certainly be a burning question as the next season begins to take shape.
________________________________________
Question: The Big 4 networks seem to always jump on a trend together — I hear that they are producing telenovelas. Is this something that will hit with audiences, in your opinion? I know that it's a staple of Spanish-language networks, but the networks always kill a genre by copycatting it. — Sandy
Matt Roush: I haven't a clue how these low-budget soaps will translate when the networks trot them out — at least a few expected by this summer. I'd say it probably depends on execution, although I have no idea how ambitious they'll be in terms of casting or writing. I like the idea of a summertime guilty pleasure, but if every network gets into the game at the same time, I'm not sure if any of them will be able to break out. (Look what happened with this season's sci-fi glut.) Not ever having watched a telenovela, but having a fairly generous attitude toward prime-time soaps, I'm curious (if skeptical) about how this will all play out.
________________________________________
Question: With only three episodes of Surface remaining, NBC advertised the countdown to the series finale. However, when it came down to the final two episodes, it had changed to the season finale? Why the sudden change in deciding to keep the program? — Kristi S.
Matt Roush: Not so fast. NBC hasn't made a decision about Surface yet, and it's probably a long shot for the show to return for a second year. Nothing in the promos or press releases I ever saw indicated that NBC was considering this, at least publicly, a series finale. If they did, it was likely a mistake. I'm just glad the last episode avoided the hokey who-will-live-and-who-will-die cliff-hanger trap, so I don't have to hear from disgruntled fans for months. I thought the tsunami/evacuation story line was on par with Surface's overall hokeyness and incoherence, but it did at least show you where the main characters were in relation to a drastically changed landscape of submerged cities overrun with digital sea creatures.
________________________________________
Question: Why is ABC shelving Invasion for six weeks? It's the best new drama of the year. Period. (Sorry, I'm just not onboard with Commander in Chief, despite what the Emmys and Globes say.) Invasion isn't a Lost clone. It's unique and mesmerizing, in a freaky kind of way. Please say it's coming back. If not, I think I'll borrow a phrase from Dave and blame this on a "government conspiracy." It seems that year after year, the quality shows I love get the boot (Jack & Bobby, Freaks and Geeks, Angel and Felicity.) Just once, I'd like a quality show to get the chance to stick around as long as some of those silly, never-ending sitcoms. — Jennifer B.
Matt Roush: This is a messy mid-season, no doubt. (And, for the record, ABC is shelving Commander in Chief in March for six weeks as well.) But it's common practice for networks to pull some shows (especially shows like Invasion, which tend to repeat poorly) to make room to try out others during the spring. I agree, though, that this will do more harm than good to an already fragile franchise like Invasion — I wish they would just play all 22 of its episodes, even if that means its season would end before May. As I noted last Friday in discussing the no-show of Alias, mid-season plans are not set in stone and are likely to adjust as soon as the early returns and reviews are in on certain series, so who can say when and where the last episodes of Invasion will air? All I know for sure is that the show is continuing to produce a full season's worth of episodes, and since we've come this far with these characters, I expect we'll actually see the entire season — eventually. But again, what a drag.
________________________________________
Question: With the strength and popularity of Grey's Anatomy being so high, do you think ABC should allow Grey's to anchor another night... perhaps Mondays? It's hard to believe that any of ABC's new shows on that night will stir up any ratings magic. In addition, freeing up Sunday at 10 pm/ET would allow one of ABC's mid-season shows (such as What About Brian) a real opportunity to attract an audience. — Dave
Matt Roush: This question was posted before ABC announced that Brian would get its tryout on Monday nights, but regardless, I wouldn't have expected ABC to move Grey's from Sundays during the current season. This is an excellent question where next season is concerned, however. ABC faces the first fall lineup in decades without Monday Night Football as a staple, and what better way to establish a powerful presence on the night than by moving Grey's as the night's anchor, either at 9 pm/ET or by moving it an hour later, opposite CSI: Miami — an even juicier prospect. (I know which show I'd pick if they went head to head. Buh-bye, Horatio.) Still, it's entirely possible that ABC will want to keep its powerhouse Sunday lineup intact. You don't mess with success on this level unless you're pretty sure you've found another perfect companion to Desperate Housewives.
________________________________________
Question: I've been reading some of the comments about the new CW, and one question came to mind: If you think about it, both Everwood and Reba could fit well on the CBS network. They appeal to broader audiences than the typical UPN/WB shows and have good "red state" (yes, I know you are sick of these "red state"/"blue state" analogies, but it fits here) feels to them, as do many CBS shows (NCIS, Ghost Whisperer, etc.). What do you think? — Scott
Matt Roush: When Reba first premiered, I thought the very same thing, that it would have been an even better fit on CBS. Still feel that way. I'd much rather watch Reba than the anemic Still Standing. But I can't imagine either WB show making the jump from a defunct weblet to the No. 1 network — certainly not Everwood (CBS' recent track record with traditional family dramas has been dismal). Still, good observation.
________________________________________
Question: I initially fell in love with House, but lately the show seems to have become routine. Someone gets sick, it takes 50 minutes for House and the team to figure it out, House berates everyone in his path, he's always right, they figure it out, and the patient goes home happy or dies happy. I'm a little tired of him being so much of a curmudgeon. Is there no other side to this man? Doesn't he ever soften? How about having a look at the other characters' situations? Why does his female boss tolerate him? And she's such a bitch. If this guy's so brilliant and infallible, then he should be in his own tower with the medical profession bowing to his expertise. If things don't change soon, I may just tune this one out. What are the chances they will? — Anonymous
Matt Roush: House, like nearly every other show on TV, has a formula. And it's a successful formula, a medical-mystery formula, rooted in this instance in a fascinating, complex, exasperating and wonderfully played character who is in no danger (I hope) of softening, at least not yet. If you haven't noticed new sides to House lately, especially in the wake of his rekindled (though ill-fated, naturally) romance with Sela Ward, you haven't been looking. And while the ensemble has other fine actors and intriguing characters who occasionally get a juicy subplot, House is (by its title and its premise) a character-driven show dominated by the title character. On the occasions in which House breaks formula, it is amazing. But even when it sticks to the usual format (or as you call it, "routine"), it's one of the best shows on TV. If you've grown weary of it, that's understandable. Feel free to move on. But don't expect it to change, except maybe incrementally. It's a hit, and those are hard to come by these days.
________________________________________
Question: I understand that this is a really hard question to answer, but if you had to pick, what would you say your favorite TV show is right now? — Lauren
Matt Roush: It is a really hard question, but I have to answer it every year when compiling a Top 10 list. Something has to be at the top, and for the last two years, I've put Lost there. Much as I love many other shows on TV, I still feel nothing touches Lost in terms of production values, the way the stories are told, and the strength of the ensemble cast. It's first among equals. (If you asked me what my current absolute favorite show is each night of the week, it would go like this: Sundays: Grey's Anatomy — at least until The Sopranos returns; Mondays: 24; Tuesdays: The Shield; Wednesdays: Lost; Thursdays: My Name Is Earl; Fridays: Battlestar Galactica; Saturdays: A day and night of rest.)

http://tvguide.com/tv/roush/askmatt/

fredfa

02-13-06, 08:47 AM

Sports Media and Business
MLB's Squeeze Play: League Struggles to Renew TV Rights Deals

By John Consoli MediaWeek.com FEBRUARY 13, 2006 -

By allowing the National Football League, Nascar and the FIFA World Cup to complete their new television rights deals before it had all of its deals renewed, Major League Baseball may have put itself in a position of being the league with which the broadcast networks draw a line in the sand. The league still has yet to close its biggest TV package that includes the World Series, and which expires after this coming season.

“It’s never good to be the last one to do business in any negotiation,” said one TV network executive, alluding to the fact that billions have already been committed on the reupping of TV rights contracts. One major media buyer added, “It’s a bit of a witching hour for Major League Baseball.”

Fox, which airs virtually all of pro baseball’s postseason games during the month of October, along with regular Saturday-afternoon games during the season, let its exclusive negotiating window lapse at the end of December. Since then, MLB has had discussion with NBC and ABC/ESPN, but neither programmer seems in a hurry to cut a deal. NBC Sports executives have been busy putting the final touches on coverage of the Winter Olympics, while ABC/ESPN has spent a ton of money on the NFL, Nascar and the World Cup (and even a lesser MLB package).

But the Fox package includes the All-Star game and the World Series, and is currently bringing in $417 million per year.
According to sources with knowledge of the discussions, MLB came to the table seeking a 20 percent hike and hasn’t really budged. Fox, which has previously said it no longer cares to air the MLB divisional playoff games, doesn’t want to pay any more if it renews.

What makes the situation a little tense for MLB is that the TV rights deal ends at the completion of the upcoming season, about seven months away. Rights deals are usually done well before the start of the season in which they expire, because otherwise it puts additional pressure on the league and gives the networks a negotiating advantage.

Fox insiders said if MLB won’t budge on its price, and if neither ABC nor NBC wants to foot the bill alone for the broadcast portion (currently about $317 million annually), then Fox would consider splitting the broadcast package with one of those networks. In that case, each network would get some postseason playoff and World Series games. That, of course, mirrors the rights before 2001 when Fox brought all of the rights under one roof.

Since NBC spent $650 million a year on a long-term NFL Sunday-night deal, it is not expected to spend another $350 million on MLB, although with the struggles it is having with its prime-time schedule, putting postseason baseball on instead of scripted programming each October could provide a ratings injection. Even lower-rated MLB postseason games fare better than most regularly scheduled programming. “Baseball didn’t hurt Fox prime time this past season,” said a Fox source. “It just didn’t help us as much as it did the year before.” Fox averaged a 3.1 rating among adults 18-49 entering last October—the MLB postseason bumped it up to a 3.4. And that was without the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox getting into the Championship Series and with only a four-game World Series.

ESPN last September reached an eight-year deal with MLB at close to $300 million per year to air games on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday nights. It could, along with sister network ABC, make a bid for the broadcast and cable package that Fox had the rights to, in effect securing most of the MLB postseason games for ESPN and ESPN2 and having only the World Series air on ABC.
Insiders at MLB said all scenarios are in play, including one that would sell some type of package to Comcast’s OLN.

Scott Haugenes, senior vp, group director, national broadcast at Initiative, said he would rather see all the postseason games on one network because it would reduce viewer confusion and improve potential ratings.

Putting all the postseason games on cable, except for the Championship Series, would mirror the agreement that the National Basketball Association did in its current TV rights deals with ESPN/ABC and Turner (that deal still has two years to go.) Many media buyers criticized that deal heavily when it was done several years back, and only some of that criticism has subsided since.

“I still don’t believe it is good for the NBA, regardless of what they say,” said Ray Warren, president of Carat USA. “Fewer people are seeing the games. But the NBA took less of a risk than MLB would. Baseball is more ingrained in the culture. It’ll do baseball more damage if it loses its postseason to cable.”

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001995776

fredfa

02-13-06, 09:27 AM

Saturday’s prime-time ratings (the first night of Olympic competition) – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted at the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

fredfa

02-13-06, 09:52 AM

About Television
Wry: Is it good plain?

If Katie Couric goes, 'Today' straight man Matt Lauer will have food for thought
By Matea Gold Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 13, 2006

NEW YORK -- It was Monday morning and "Today" was entering its third hour, when things tend to get a little silly. At this particular moment, Paula Abdul was hitting Matt Lauer.

Perched on a stool in Rockefeller Center's Studio 1A, the petite pop star playfully pummeled Lauer's arms and legs, demonstrating how she deals with fellow "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell.

The morning show anchor sat calmly through the assault. "This is enjoyable," he deadpanned.

Such wryness has become a trademark for Lauer, who applies his self-effacing humor to the varied mix that is morning TV. The "Today" co-host seems to be winking at the audience even while he's participating in outlandish stunts, whether it's dressing in drag for Halloween or suiting up for synchronized swimming.

For the last nine years, Lauer's brand of mild sarcasm has served as a counterpoint to co-host Katie Couric's gregariousness.

"We can complete each other's sentences," he said in an interview last week, seated in his snug dressing room overlooking Rockefeller Plaza. "I know what's going to poke her a little bit to become effusive about something, and she knows what's going to get my goat, and I think the audience really responds to it."

That dynamic will be on full display this month as "Today" broadcasts live from the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. After four Games together, the co-hosts bring a familiar repartee to the coverage. But this year's Olympics has a different cast: It's possibly the last they'll cover together.

After almost 15 years as co-host of "Today," Couric is contemplating leaving the program for CBS, where executives are hoping she'll become the next anchor of the network's evening news broadcast. She's expected to make a decision in the next few months.

"Clearly, she is someone with options, and she deserves every single one of them," Lauer said. "I don't know what her thinking is.... I would imagine challenge is very important to her right now, and clearly she's being offered some things that present huge challenges."

The Couric-Lauer team has arguably been the most successful pairing in the history of morning television, helping "Today" extend its winning streak for the last 10 years. Couric's departure would not only alter the show's chemistry, but it would also thrust Lauer — long the straight man of the duo — front and center.

"It would be a major adjustment," admitted Lauer, who said he hopes his co-host decides to stay. If not, "the best way to get through that would be to view it as an opportunity ... and say, OK, this gives us an opportunity to bring someone new into the mix and to bring that person's sensibilities into the show, which will naturally change the dynamic a bit and take us in a different direction. I would embrace it."

"Today" executive producer Jim Bell sounded a little more anxious when asked how Couric leaving would affect the show.

"It would be hard to just come up with an easy answer to that," he said. "Clearly, chemistry plays an important role on this show.... If she decides to stay — which I think we're all working toward — it's a question I won't even have to answer."

'Pinch-me moment'

"Today" has regained its wide margin over ABC's "Good Morning America," which had made significant gains on the top-ranked show last spring. NBC is now averaging 724,000 more viewers in the morning than ABC so far this season, according to Nielsen Media Research. However, with an average audience of 5.89 million people, "Today's" viewership is still down slightly, compared to this time last season.

Couric's exit would represent the biggest upheaval at the show since January 1997, when Lauer — then the program's news anchor — succeeded co-host Bryant Gumbel. At the time, the program had recently climbed back into first place from second, and Lauer was admittedly nervous about taking over. Although his genial personality was viewed as a better fit with Couric's than Gumbel's gruffer nature had been, Lauer faced some skepticism about whether he had the news chops for the role.

"I was scared to death that I was going to be the guy who single-handedly killed the 'Today' show," he recalled.

And now?

"I still worry that I'm going to be the guy who single-handedly kills the 'Today' show," he said dryly.

Producers at rival programs say there's not much chance of that.

"He is at the top of his game," said Michael Bass, senior executive producer of CBS' "The Early Show," who served as the senior broadcast producer at "Today" in the late 1990s. "His connection to the audience is so strong."

Lauer, 48, was not always so comfortable in front of the camera. After studying communications at Ohio University, he first sought a career as a television producer. But months into his first job — producing a noon newscast in Huntington, W.Va. — he grew bored and persuaded the news director to let him report a story.

Lauer quickly landed a succession of anchoring jobs on local newscasts and East Coast-based syndicated talk shows, human interest programs "that really forced you to think on your feet."

But his luck turned in the early 1990s, when he lost a job hosting a national midday talk show after refusing to do live commercials. He had just applied for a tree-trimming job to pay the bills when he got a call from New York affiliate WNBC to anchor the early-morning broadcast.

Before long, "Today" producers spotted him and made him the program's news anchor.

Lauer called it "just the biggest pinch-me moment I could ever imagine."

"I still feel that for my particular set of skills, whatever they may be, I don't think there's a more perfect match," he said.

He and Couric had instant chemistry, a dynamic Lauer noted has matured over the years. Once an almost "mock courtship," their exchanges have evolved into teasing rooted ina deep familiarity with each other's vulnerabilities, he said. Last Monday, when Couric —doing the show from Rome — cracked a joke about Lauer'sreceding hairline, he repliedsarcastically, "The whole stu-dio here broke up in laughter, Katie."

"It's a marriage, in some ways," Lauer said later. "And tell me a marriage that over the course of seven to 10 years hasn't had little moments where you look at each other in the morning and say, 'I'd rather not be sitting next to you this morning.' But overall on a scale of one to 10, if 10 is a great relationship and one is the Hatfields and the McCoys, I'd say we've been an eight or a nine throughout the course of these 10 years, and I think that's extraordinary."

For her part, Couric — who was traveling in Italy last week and unavailable for an interview — said in a statement that the two have great rapport, adding: "The key to our relationship is mutual respect."

As the new co-host, Lauer quickly proved himself an able interviewer, garnering attention for a live one-on-one in 1998 with then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in which she blamed the Monica Lewinsky scandal on a "vast right-wing conspiracy." More recently, he generated buzz in June when he challenged Tom Cruise over the actor's opposition to antidepressants, prompting the angry movie star to dismiss him as "glib."

Lauer said hard news is still what gets him "out of bed in the morning." He and Couric sometimes balk when "Today" veers too much into entertainment, a matter they regularly take up with producers, he said.

"There are some cross-promotional requirements of a job like this," he said. "I don't think you can do a job if you go into it being naive about something like that."

In fact, Lauer seems at ease with many of the program's light segments and has little compunction about looking foolish on camera.

"I have always been more comfortable with people who laughed at themselves," said the married father of two — 4 1/2- year-old Jack and 2 1/2-year-old Romy. "People who are supremely confident always freaked me out a little bit."

Jeff Zucker, who produced "Today" in the 1990s before eventually rising to chief executive of the NBC Universal Television Group, said Lauer is a natural for morning television because he doesn't "overdo the shtick."

"He has a very good barometer of what's appropriate," Zucker said.

Lauer said he tries to keep in mind how he watches television programs at home: by offering a running commentary about the most implausible moments.

"I look at a host sometimes who's in the middle of some lunatic segment, and I say, 'You must be dying on the inside,' " he said. To avoid that disconnect, Lauer said he tries to emulate the late "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson's approach to on-air missteps — pointing them out.

"I think it's really important to do that, just so that people don't think you're just the cheerleader," Lauer said. "You can't be."

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-lauer13feb13,0,3063637.story?coll=cl-tv-top-right

fredfa

02-13-06, 12:17 PM

Sunday’s network prime-time ratings have been posted at the top of Latest Prime Time Ratings news which is the first post in this thread.

fredfa

02-13-06, 01:19 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Grey's Anatomy' trashes the Olympics

By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 13, 2006

ABC used the Super Bowl last week to build momentum for “Grey’s Anatomy.” In the process, the show stole momentum from NBC’s Olympic coverage.

Last night’s episode of “Grey’s,” the second of a two-parter that premiered after last week’s big game, averaged 25.3 million total viewers and an 11.2 overnight rating among viewers 18-49, both series highs in its regular Sunday 10 p.m. timeslot.

“Grey’s” became the first program to better NBC’s competing Winter Olympics coverage among total viewers this year, something many media people predict Fox’s “American Idol” will do later this week.
In the same 10 p.m. timeslot, the Olympics averaged 21.2 million total viewers and a 7.2 rating. “Grey’s” held a 4.2 million advantage among total viewers and better NBC by 56 percent in 18-49s, leading ABC to victory for the night in the latter demo.
NBC’s averaged dipped from an 8.4 at 9 p.m. to a 7.2 at 10, a loss of 14 percent.

For the first time ever, “Grey’s” bettered an original “Desperate Housewives.” The doctor drama built on the 9.9 18-49 rating and 23.2 million viewers its lead-in at 9 p.m. “Housewives” also beat the Olympics among 18-49s, though by a much slighter margin, a 1.5.
“Grey’s” made smart use of the post-Super Bowl timeslot last week by beginning the show with dream sequence featuring three hot female interns showering together. ABC made sure viewers would come back last night by ending the Super Bowl episode with a cliffhanger about a bomb in the hospital, which exploded last night.
Meanwhile, ABC finished first for the night among 18-49s with a 7.7 average rating and an 18 share. NBC was second at 7.2/16, Fox third at 2.6/6, Univision fourth at 2.3/5, CBS fifth at 2.0/5 and WB sixth at 1.1/2.

NBC started the night in the lead with a 5.9 rating among 18-49s at 7 p.m. for its coverage of the Torino Olympics. ABC was second with a 3.8 for its first hour of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” CBS third with a 2.1 for “60 Minutes” and Fox fourth with a 1.9 average for “Malcolm in the Middle” (1.8) and a repeat of “King of the Hill” (2.0). Univision was fifth with a 1.4 for “Hora Pico” and WB sixth with a 0.9 for an hour of “Reba” reruns.

NBC led again during the 8 p.m. hour with a 7.4 for the Olympics, followed by a 6.1 for ABC for another hour of “Home Edition.” Fox was third with a 3.1 for repeats of “The Simpsons” and “The War at Home,” Univision fourth with a 2.4 for the first hour of “Bailando por un Sueño,” CBS fifth with a 2.3 for a repeat of “Cold Case” and WB sixth with a 1.4 for “Charmed.”

ABC took the lead among 18-4s during the 9 p.m. hour with a 9.9 rating for “Housewives.” NBC was second with an 8.4 for the Olympics, Fox third with a 2.9 for repeats of “Family Guy” and “American Dad,” and Univision fourth with a 2.8 for another hour of “Bailando.” CBS was fifth during the hour with a 1.8 for the first hour of the movie “The Sum of All Fears” and WB sixth with a 0.9 for a repeat of “Charmed.”

At 10 p.m. ABC led with its 11.2 for “Grey’s,” followed by a 7.2 for NBC for the Olympics. Univision was third with a 2.7 for the last hour of “Bailando” and CBS fourth with a 1.8 for the second hour of its movie.

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_2848.asp

fredfa

02-13-06, 01:22 PM

Critic’s Notebook
''Grey's Anatomy'': Tough on the Women?

By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog Feb. 13, 2006

I was completely involved in last night's ''Grey's Anatomy'' (which I watched this morning). Loved even some little things, like O'Malley's reaction to Bailey's hand-crushing during childbirth. The shower scene, bringing us full circle, was terrific. And in the moment I was willing to forgive the sometimes considerable dramatic license, such as how prettified Meredith for that meeting with McDreamy; for crying out loud, she had taken the concussion from a bomb blast and had been asleep, and looked almost perfect again when she saw him.

But, as I said, I forgave that. Another part of the episode, I'm not sure about.

Why was mostly women who wilted in a crisis, while the men got to be the heroes?

Meredith almost flipped out before the bomb was removed, and needed an imagined McDreamy to get her through. Yang hung in through the disaster, but you constantly had the sense that she was on the verge of collapse -- she committed a huge gaffe in telling McDreamy about Meredith's situation, and it was McDreamy who ended up saving Bailey's husband (although you could argue that his reaction to Meredith's crisis preciptated the big scene with Bailey's husband). Bailey needed O'Malley to get her through childbirth, something even O'Malley seemed surprised about. (I think he spoke for a lot of viewers when he said Bailey wasn't being Bailey.) Izzie went on a sex bender with Alex to get through. The guest-star paramedic panicked. Addison had a fit over O'Malley's questioning.

And the guys? OK, the Chief had an anxiety attack. But O'Malley saved the day with Bailey, and Burke and McDreamy got to walk off the elevator like a couple of Texas Rangers who've just cleaned up Dodge.

Now, one of the things I like about ''Grey's'' is that it lets the characters be flawed, make mistakes, admit they don't know things -- that they are not always splendid in a crisis. But this episode, while dramatic, seemed to tilt the balance too far toward nervous women and unflappable men.

http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/

fredfa

02-13-06, 01:26 PM

The fight over a la carte
Why a la carte cable TV is a nutty idea

Unbundling cable is about politics, not about driving down prices

By Marc Gunther, FORTUNE senior writer February 13, 2006

NEW YORK (FORTUNE) - Every Sunday morning, The New York Times lands on my driveway with a thud. I customarily discard the Styles section (no interest in weddings), the Travel section (no vacations being planned) and the Sports section (dull, dull, dull). But it never occurred to me -- until now -- to call up the people at The Times to tell them that I would like to buy only certain sections of the newspaper and not others. And if The Times were to tell me the paper is an all-or-nothing deal, well, maybe I should ask my Congressman to require The New York Times Co. to sell its newspapers a la carte.

This is, in effect, what some politicians in Washington -- led by Kevin Martin, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican -- are pushing the cable TV industry to do. They would like to require cable operators to "unbundle" their packages of channels, so that consumers can save money by buying only the channels they want and no more.

It's a nutty idea, even by Washington standards.

And it's not really about saving consumers money, as we'll explain.

Last week, in case you missed it, FCC chief Martin issued a 61-page report called "Further Report On the Packaging and Sale of Video Programming Services To the Public," which argued that unbundling channels could save customers money. The reason it was a "Further Report" is that the FCC, under its previous chairman, Michael Powell, had reported on this very same questions 15 months ago and come to the opposite conclusion -- that unbundling would cost consumers money. Ah, economists.

The report did what it was supposed to do -- it made headlines. "FCC Sees Cable Savings in a la Carte," said TheTimes. "Cable by Channel Could be Cheaper" said The Washington Post. Cable rates are newsy, largely because they are rising faster than most everything but home prices and gasoline. Rates have climbed by 35 percent to about $57 a month for the average home, analysts say. I pay $137 a month to Comcast (Research), the nation's biggest cable operator, although I get high-speed Internet access and more premium digital channels that I can count. (And I write for FORTUNE magazine and CNNMoney.com, both part of Time Warner, the nation's other big cable operator.)

The thing is, 72 million people subscribe to cable. If they don't think they are getting good value, they can switch to satellite TV providers like DirecTV (Research) and Echostar or wait for the phone companies like Verizon or SBC Communications to offer video, as they have begun to do. They could also watch over-the-air television or -- please make sure you are sitting before reading on -- they could watch no television at all.

If cable TV were a necessity, like phone service or electricity, there might be reason for regulators to decide how it should be sold. But it's not. We need food and oxygen. We don't need The Food Network and Oxygen.

What's more, the FCC report is filled with so many "mights" and "coulds" that it's impossible to know whether unbundling would drive down rates. The FCC admits that it lacks data "about what a la carte prices would be for individual networks."

We can be fairly sure, though, about one thing unbundling would do: It would drive a bunch of cable channels out of business. They'd lose subscriber fees and ad revenues. Most people would not miss G4 or Sprout or the Golf Channel or the Independent Film Channel or BET but the reason pay television has become so pervasive -- about 85 percent of American homes subscribe to either cable or satellite -- is that it serves a variety of niche audiences.

So what's going on here? Politics, as usual. Supporters of unbundling include Phyllis Schlafly, James Dobson of Focus on the Family and the Parents Television Council, as Kansas City TV writer Aaron Barnhart reports. These conservatives want consumers to be able to avoid so-called indecent channels. Of course, viewers already can avoid them by using existing "blocking" technology or monitoring what their kids watch on TV.

The FCC's Martin, a Republican, is scoring points with conservatives who could help him out if he decides to run for office in his home state of North Carolina, insiders say. The FCC can't even order cable to unbundle, which is why McCain, a 2008 presidential hopeful, wants Congress to step in.

To be sure, bundling is a complex economic and regulatory issue. The Microsoft antitrust case was about bundling, at least in part. But cable today faces more competition than Microsoft's Windows operating system in the 1990s.

The irony here is that that cable industry has begun to offer a more radical version of unbundling than the one sought by the politicians. The Walt Disney Co., Viacom, CBS and General Electric's NBC are selling individual cable shows -- on DVDs and, lately, on Apple's iTunes, where you can download episodes of Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants, Comedy Central's South Park, USA's Monk, The Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Showtime's Sleeper Cell for $1.99.

Maybe the politicians haven't noticed but the Internet is the ultimate disaggregator. TV networks, magazines, music CDs and newspapers, including the Sunday Times, are unbundled online -- efficiently, conveniently and without any help from Washington.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/13/magazines/fortune/pluggedin_fortune/

fredfa

02-13-06, 01:30 PM

The Business of TV
FCC Competition Report: Cable Losing Ground in Market

SkyReport---On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission released its annual report on pay-TV competition, which found that the market continues to grow despite customer losses for the biggest competitor.

The FCC's survey found that cable subscribership declined slightly in the past year. Cable's share of the pay-TV market was about 69.4 percent in 2005, down from 71.6 percent for the same period a year earlier, said the report.

Satellite TV companies served almost 27.7 percent of all pay-TV subscribers, compared to about 25.1 percent in 2004, the FCC report said. As for other competitors, those subscribers choosing alternative pay-TV delivery technologies decreased, representing 2.9 percent of all subscribers in 2005, compared to 3.3 percent in 2004.

The numbers are as of June 2005. At the end of the period, there were 109.6 million TV households, compared to 108.4 million in 2004. Of that number, about 94.2 million TV households subscribed to a pay-TV service, compared to 92.2 million in 2004, the FCC said.

zebras23

02-13-06, 04:15 PM

New York Times
2/13/06

How to Value Ratings With DVR Delay?
By STUART ELLIOTT
WOULD the opening greeting on "Saturday Night Live" sound as compelling if it began "Live plus 24 hours from New York" or "Live plus seven days from New York?"

That is the multibillion-dollar question being asked on Madison Avenue as agencies and advertisers consider the implications of new data from Nielsen Media Research on television viewing in households with TiVos and other types of digital video recorders.

Late in December, Nielsen, part of VNU, started distributing its ratings information in three versions: live, the traditional way television is watched; live plus 24 hours, counting how many people who own DVR's played back shows within a day of recording them; and live plus seven days, counting playback within a week of recording.

For some prime-time series, like the hit drama "Grey's Anatomy" on ABC, the so-called live-plus ratings show slight but noticeable gains compared with the live-only viewership. But it is estimated that 50 percent to 70 percent of viewers playing back shows zip through the commercials, casting doubt on their worth to advertisers.

Nielsen's adoption of the new methodology was spurred by the growing use of digital video recorders, which are already estimated to be in 7 percent of the nation's 110.2 million TV households. DVR's are among the technologies that are starting to remake the way people watch television, along with video iPods, video-on-demand and broadband connections for personal computers.

"This is all coming at us fairly quickly," said David F. Poltrack, chief research officer at the CBS Corporation in New York and president of its new research unit, CBS Vision, "so measurement of these new devices has to come fairly quickly."

CBS and the other big broadcasters have welcomed the ability to find out how many people are using digital video recorders to shift the time they view programs. By contrast, Nielsen has been unable to provide reliable ratings data to measure the playback of programs that were taped on videocassette recorders.

"For 20-something years, the metric has been live and VCR viewing, but the DVR allows for the measurement of playback that the VCR never did," said Michael Shaw, president for sales at the ABC Television Network in New York, part of the Walt Disney Company.

Mr. Shaw cited a statistic from Nielsen about the Jan. 15 episode of "Grey's Anatomy." The episode drew a rating of 8.5 among 18-to-49-year-old viewers who watched it live, he said, which means that 8.5 percent of television households in that group saw the episode as it was broadcast. When the data was expanded to include live plus seven days, Mr. Shaw said, the rating rose to 8.7.

To be sure, that was no huge gain. But when the media landscape is fragmenting as never before, with broadcasters losing viewers to cable TV, the Internet and video games, every tenth of a ratings point — and the advertising revenue it potentially represents — matters.

"You can't fault them for selling everyone their programs reach," said Bill McOwen, executive vice president and managing director at MPG in New York, a media agency that is part of Havas.

And research, he said, "shows there is a very desirable type of person who is prone to this technology — the younger, more affluent individual" who is particularly coveted by networks and marketers.

Still, Mr. McOwen said, for many advertisers, "one has to question whether any viewing after the date intended is worth anything to them." He gave as examples the kinds of marketers that prefer to buy commercial time on Thursday nights, like retailers, automakers and movie studios, all of them seeking to stimulate demand for the coming weekend.

"If you're a film studio, how can you consider live-plus-seven viewing?" Mr. McOwen asked, adding, "The movie's being pulled from theaters by then if it had a poor opening weekend."

Several major media agencies have published reports saying that they want only live ratings to count when they sit down to negotiate with the broadcasters to buy commercial time for the coming TV season. Those negotiations, for what is known as the upfront market, are expected to begin in May for 2006-7; last spring, before the start of the 2005-6 season, the broadcasters booked about $9 billion worth of commercials in advance.

The large media agencies that disdain live-plus ratings include Carat USA, part of the Aegis Group; Magna Global USA, a unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies; and Mediaedge:cia, part of the WPP Group. That attitude, well before the upfront negotiations get under way, upset Mr. Shaw of ABC, who told the trade publication Mediaweek that he would not work with agencies that insisted on live ratings only.

"It's not our intent to negotiate in a public forum," Mr. Shaw said in an interview last week. "But to say that zero percent of playback viewing counts is unreasonable. I don't think that's a fair position.

"If you waited to watch 'Grey's Anatomy' until Monday or Tuesday, all I'm saying is that it should count," Mr. Shaw added. He was alluding to the special episode of the series on Feb. 5, which ran after the Super Bowl postgame show.

Bruce Goerlich, executive vice president and strategic research director at ZenithOptimedia USA in New York, part of the ZenithOptimedia Group unit of the Publicis Groupe, said his agency was still developing a position on live-plus ratings.

"We're looking at very small numbers right now," Mr. Goerlich said of program playback, "and growth may not accelerate the way we expected it to." The reason, he said, is that several cable system operators once strongly promoting cable box-DVR combinations to customers "are stressing video-on-demand offerings instead."

Still, "we're not dismissing the DVR," Mr. Goerlich said, because use "might increase in the future."

Jon Mandel, chairman of MediaCom in New York, owned by WPP, said the dispute "is like fighting the last war."

"There is a small group of us working on something," Mr. Mandel said, "that will make television an even stronger partner in the marketing of goods and services."

Mr. Mandel, a member of the Media Policy Committee of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, declined to be more specific.

On Friday, a spokesman for the association, Kipp Cheng, said the opening general session of its annual conference, scheduled March 2 in Orlando, Fla., would feature a discussion of the issue by Jean Pool, chairwoman of the policy committee. Ms. Pool is also executive vice president and chief operating officer at Universal McCann in New York.

As they say on TV, stay tuned.

fredfa

02-13-06, 04:57 PM

The Winter Olympics
Without a Star Like Kwan, NBC Finds Itself on Thin Ice

By Tony Kornheiser Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, February 13, 2006; E02

Good for Michelle Kwan. Bad for NBC.

By dropping out of the Olympic figure skating competition, the injured Michelle Kwan saved herself from worldwide embarrassment. She couldn't stay upright in her practice session; she fell so often she was wearing the ice, rather than skating on it. But Kwan's departure leaves NBC without a recognizable face to sell to the American public in women's figure skating, the big kahuna in the ratings game.

NBC caught a huge break when last weekend's snow kept everybody in the Northeast housebound Saturday and Sunday nights. But snow melts. Without Kwan, who's going to keep people watching the Olympics later this week? Especially against "American Idol"? (Now the biggest intrigue at the Olympics will be how much Janet Jones is betting, and on whom.)

You can fly in Emily Hughes, but she's not big sister and gold medalist Sarah Hughes. NBC is left to hang its hopes on Sasha Cohen. (Yes, I hear you. "Who?") Kwan's absence leaves NBC without a bankable, breakout American star. Bode Miller was hyped as that star, but he shot off his mouth, the public turned against him and he didn't even medal in the downhill. It doesn't matter who wins at speedskating; speedskating doesn't feed the bulldog. Figure skating is the bulldog, albeit a bulldog that has been to the groomer and come out blow-dried with a sequined collar. And how do you sell it without an American Sweetheart? Or does that now fall on Johnny Weir's lavender-and-lace-draped shoulders?

The real reason Kwan was put on the team was to get ratings. People know her and like her; she's the doyenne of American skating. But everybody knew she was injured and would be dicey for any medal. They were all hoping she'd heal, and they could build a few TV nights around her physical struggles. Sadly, Kwan is so hurt even Jack Bauer couldn't heal her, and even Paula Abdul wouldn't pass her along to the next round.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/12/AR2006021200887_pf.html

dturturro

02-13-06, 05:31 PM

Blacks on TV
The UPN network has almost twice the percentage of black characters as the other broadcast networks:
ABC: 15.7 percent
CBS: 17.8
NBC: 12.5
Fox: 18.9
UPN: 31
WB: 8.3
Source: "Prime Time in Black and White," 2002 study, Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA
[/QUOTE]

According to the US census of 2000 blacks make up 12.3% of the population. The WB is the only network which doesn't better this stat. What is the problem here?

fredfa

02-13-06, 06:31 PM

The Digital Revolution
Nets Grapple With Hi-Def Formats

Diverse Approaches Emerge in Rush to HD
By James Hibbard TVWeek.com February 13, 2006

The HD revolution is a rush of the sort not seen since the advent of color television.

Though the current HD universe contains only 6 million viewers, that number is expected to grow rapidly and networks cannot afford to be left behind.

The fate of the networks hinges on a key question their architects are all grappling with: What HD channel format will give them the best return in an uncertain future?

Unlike standard-definition channels, there's no established blueprint for how to program an HD channel. So companies have taken wildly different approaches to establish their brands in the HD marketplace.

Just last month two new HD spinoffs of popular cable brands debuted-MTV Networks' MHD and National Geographic Channel's NGC-HD.

With the new launches, there's an increasing sense of bona fide competition among fledging HD offspring. Discovery HD Theater is no longer the only resource for gorgeous nature programming now that there's NGC-HD. ESPN gets heat from Fox Sports Net's regional HD offerings. Stand-alones like HDNet, INHD and Universal HD compete for the uncut second-run theatrical market.

"We're now in a transition period," said Bryan Burns, VP of strategic business planning and development for ESPN. "At what point do we take a deep breath and say the HD tide has turned? Do we turn the other network off? There's a lot of things to figure out, but that's where we going. We're re-creating the way television is being viewed in this country."

The rapidly growing HD demographic is spearheaded by early-adopting males with disposable income-perfect for attracting advertisers. Yet channels face significant start-up costs to produce HD programming and launch auxiliary networks.

Turner, Nat Geo, ESPN, HBO and others decided to have simulcast versions of their most popular channels-a format experts say eventually will dominate among HD networks.

Discovery Networks, NBC Universal and MTV Networks, on the other hand, decided to launch uniquely programmed stand-alone networks to pack the channel with more native HD content and, in some cases, serve as bandwidth "placeholders" until a flagship channel has enough HD shows to support a simulcast.

Some channels use 1080i resolution, some use 720p. Some feature original programming, some do not. Some have wall-to-wall native HD content, some fluctuate between HD and standard-definition programming that's been upconverted to high definition-even though it often results in black bars appearing on television screens similar to letterbox brackets.

Such wildly varying standards have resulted in several HD networks adopting a more-HD-than-thou stance.

"The [stand-alone] placeholder channels that repeat the same programming over and over or use upconverted programming are certainly disappointing for viewers but sure do make HDNet and HDNet Movies look good," said HDNet co-founder and President Mark Cuban. "We have seen one of our competitors repeat the same show 57 times, and others go full days with only upconverted programming."

Discovery HD Theater, which broadcasts a collection of scenic content, boasts original programming shot exclusively in the highest-quality format.

"We're recognized within the industry as HD pioneers," said Patrick Younge, executive VP and general manager of Discovery HD Theater and Travel Channel. "These people are paying for HD content, so they should get exclusive content. We're the only network broadcasting 1080i HD for 24/7."Early on HD cable adoption was driven by premium networks. In 1999 and 2000, HBO and Showtime, respectively, launched two of the first hi-def feeds. "Premium subscribers tend to be early adopters, so we got in the space early," said Judy Pless, senior VP of the digital media group at Showtime.

At the time, new channels were driven solely by consumer demand. As more channels emerged, cable and satellite operators began bundling HD services for an additional charge, leading operators to push companies to provide HD content to make their packages more attractive.

This led to the current simulcast-versus-stand-alone de-bate. Become a simulcast and it keeps the new HD brand easy to schedule, but chances are there will be very little actual HD content, since most cable nets have very few current shows shot in HD.

Launch as a separately programmed stand-alone, and the channel can enjoy HD content from a dozen sources-but then risk causing brand confusion in the marketplace.

"The catchall is a very challenging model when you're already a known brand, since it goes against what consumers expect and can create problems," said Bruce Leichtman, president of Leichtman Re-search Group. "If you're TNT HD at 8 p.m., the consumer has an expectation of what they're going to see. The natural migration to the HD channel is to have the same programming."

For the newly launched MHD, MTV Networks elected to launch a stand-alone to take advantage of music content from MTV, VH1 and CMT. To give the networks a sense of identity, the channel established a studio in Vail, Colo., with an HD-worthy picturesque view.

"It was a tough decision. We're a brand that's very targeted," said Jeffrey Yapp, executive VP of MTV Networks Music Group. "So this is really about the best in music -particularly live performance natively shot in HD."

An odd entry in the HD market is Universal HD. The channel was launched as Bravo HD in 2004. But with no Bravo series actually shot in high definition, NBC Universal changed the network's name to Universal HD by year's end.

"Originally, we launched it to help to get our share of the HD space as a placeholder and as a marketing tool to help get Bravo launched in more homes," said Jeff Gaspin, president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment. "Then when we merged with Universal we realized they had a wealth of more content to offer."

Today the network has a compilation of upconverted Universal titles such as "Knight Rider" and "The Equalizer," alongside two entries from the NBCU cable networks group-Sci Fi's "Battlestar Galactica" and USA's "Monk."

ESPN has a quirky launch story. Though sports is now recognized as the biggest driver of high definition, the decision to launch ESPN was literally based on a more concrete situation-the construction of a new digital studio.

"We were preparing to build a studio and we realized if we built it in SD we're just going to have to tear the guts out in a few years and do it again in HD," Mr. Burns said.

Looking forward, experts expect cable networks to continue to fall in line until every major network has an HD twin.

"There's going to be a bit of a scramble from those who have not got in the game to get into the game," Mr. Burns said. "If you're in cable, and you've gone within 100 miles of a Circuit City store in the past year, you have to be thinking about it."

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9384

keenan

02-13-06, 09:36 PM

The Digital Revolution
Nets Grapple With Hi-Def Formats

"The [stand-alone] placeholder channels that repeat the same programming over and over or use upconverted programming are certainly disappointing for viewers but sure do make HDNet and HDNet Movies look good," said HDNet co-founder and President Mark Cuban. "We have seen one of our competitors repeat the same show 57 times, and others go full days with only upconverted programming."
Pretty sure Cuban's talking about INHD here.

An odd entry in the HD market is Universal HD. The channel was launched as Bravo HD in 2004. But with no Bravo series actually shot in high definition, NBC Universal changed the network's name to Universal HD by year's end.

"Originally, we launched it to help to get our share of the HD space as a placeholder and as a marketing tool to help get Bravo launched in more homes," said Jeff Gaspin, president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment. "Then when we merged with Universal we realized they had a wealth of more content to offer."

Today the network has a compilation of upconverted Universal titles such as "Knight Rider" and "The Equalizer," alongside two entries from the NBCU cable networks group-Sci Fi's "Battlestar Galactica" and USA's "Monk."

It would be nice if UNI-HD had some of the Bravo content, even if up-converted, it would add more value to this channel.

fredfa

02-13-06, 11:14 PM

TV Notebook
No Immunity For 'Idol'

By Michael Malone at bcbeat.com

Longtime Survivor host and producer Jeff Probst says he “gets nothing” from American Idol--but watches it anyway--and adores The Shield, and thinks Craig Ferguson could give Leno and Letterman a run for their money.

As each episode of Idol winds down, Probst (the subject of B&C’s Take Five interview this week), says he wonders, “Why did I watch that?” Probst then amended his statement about getting nothing from the Fox smash, saying he tuned in to see contestants’ dreams come true.

Regarding FX hit The Shield, Probst is such a fan that he says he fantasizes about working on the show. “In another life, I would love to be part of the gang on The Shield,” says Probst. “I love that writing--how they put these guys in a box that they appear to not be able to get out of, and they get out of it, and they put them in a smaller box.”

He’s equally effusive about Ferguson, whose The Late Late Show is a CBS sibling of Survivor’s. “I think [Ferguson] is the new era of the talk show host,” says Probst. “I was just on a couple nights ago, and he is not at all afraid to talk about death or dreams or the human spirit, and have a quip at every corner. I really believe they found a star with that guy.”

Probst believes Ferguson could shake up late night from an earlier time slot. “Letterman and Conan and Kimmel and Leno and Jon Stewart are funny, but Ferguson is in a different world,” he says. “I think if that guy was on at 11:30, it’d be a whole new game in late night.”

http://www.bcbeat.com/

fredfa

02-13-06, 11:33 PM

The fight over a la carte
FCC: À La Carte May Lower Bills

By Todd Shields AdWeek.com February 13, 2006

Congressional wrangling over cable TV programming could accelerate in coming months as lawmakers react to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin, who said last week that cable subscribers might save money if allowed to pay only for the channels they want.

Programmers’ reactions ranged from gloomy to sullen as they digested Martin’s conclusion that reversed recent agency consensus. In November 2004, the FCC said so-called à la carte offerings were likely to reduce bills only for households buying nine or fewer channels. That’s not too attractive, since the FCC figures the average TV household watches 17 channels. Now, the agency said, “corrected calculations” showed a consumer could get as many as 20 channels without boosting monthly bills.

Martin long has backed changed subscription options as a way to address concerns over indecent programming. Cable operators have acceded to his suggestion for family-friendly tiers shorn of sexual and violent fare (consumer acceptance is not clear since the family tiers are still being formed). Martin has said à la carte pricing will let families avoid supporting racy channels embedded in the broad programming tiers that are the industry norm. “À la carte and increased tiering would offer consumers greater choice and the opportunity to lower their bills,” Martin said in a statement accompanying last week’s report.

The Parents Television Council, which backs à la carte and considers Martin an ally in its fight against coarse broadcasts, said the FCC report “crumbles the cable industry’s great wall of excuses.” Critics of big media, too, lauded the new evaluation. “The report confirms what I have believed for years,” said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association, which represents big cable operators and programmers, called it “disappointing” that the FCC relied upon “assumptions which are not in line with the marketplace.” Geraldine Laybourne, chairman and CEO of Oxygen Media, said à la carte would destroy the serendipity that helps to launch new hits. “TV viewers often don’t know what they want to watch until it’s there as an option,” Laybourne said. “Who would have known to subscribe to Bravo—to watch Queer Eye for the Straight Guy—prior to it airing?”

Religious and minority programmers said they feared being marginalized under an à la carte system. Cable operator Cox posted a statement on its official blog tying “this unwarranted interest in à la carte” to the furor over the baring of singer Janet Jackson’s breast during the Super Bowl on CBS two years ago.

Whatever its motivation, Martin’s report could give fresh impetus to those on Capitol Hill who back à la carte, whether to tame cable bills or squelch indecency or both. McCain says he will introduce legislation.

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), the chair of the Commerce Committee who has spent much of the past year pressuring cable over racy content, also quickly issued a statement. “If à la carte is not more expensive for consumers, I will support an effort to take such an approach, subject to discussions with providers on the downside of such a process,” Stevens said.

http://www.adweek.com/aw/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001995779

fredfa

02-13-06, 11:36 PM

TV Notebook
Challenging a Rival, Viewer by Viewer

By Jacques Steinberg The New York Times February 13, 2006

Hours after Oprah Winfrey publicly chastised the author James Frey, Anderson Cooper opened his prime-time program on CNN by interviewing someone who had spoken to Mr. Frey just after he departed Ms. Winfrey's set.

It was Larry King, whose program precedes Mr. Cooper's and who had taken an on-air call from Ms. Winfrey defending Mr. Frey two weeks earlier.

Watching from bed that night, and taking notes on a laptop, was Jonathan Klein, the president of CNN's domestic operations, who saw the volleying between Mr. King and Mr. Cooper as a moment warranting some celebration. There was Mr. Cooper giving Mr. King something akin to a victory lap for making "Larry King Live," and by extension CNN, an essential component of the week's most fevered water-cooler conversation, a goal of Mr. Klein's since he assumed his post nearly 14 months earlier.

But Mr. Klein also took some pride that Mr. King — by far the highest-rated host in its prime-time lineup — was being given an opportunity to electronically escort his audience to Mr. Cooper's program. Among Mr. Klein's charges to Mr. Cooper, whom he installed in the 10 p.m. Eastern time slot after jettisoning Aaron Brown last November, has been to hold more of Mr. King's audience than his predecessor had — something that, thus far, Mr. Cooper has been doing. Mr. Cooper has been retaining 90 percent of Mr. King's viewers in the age group that cable news advertisers value most, in contrast to the 70 percent Mr. Brown held.

More than a year after Mr. Klein took responsibility for CNN's main network, which is owned by Time Warner, he has taken to savoring small victories like these as he continues to try to chip away at the juggernaut represented by Fox News, a division of the News Corporation.

The ratings contest between the two cable news channels remains hugely lopsided — the 2.05 million viewers that Fox drew, on average, during prime time last year is more than double the 936,000 who watched CNN, according to Nielsen Media Research. To Mr. Klein, those numbers have obscured some of the progress that his network has made on his watch.

And yet, as he embarks on his second year in his job, Mr. Klein continues to struggle with how to define and distinguish CNN in the face of such overwhelming competition.

Last month, for example, he seemed to retreat on one of the earliest campaign promises that he had executed — eliminating the political shoutfests "Crossfire" and "The Capital Gang" — when he hired, as commentators, two conservatives, William J. Bennett and J. C. Watts. Both might well appeal to Fox News viewers, and appeared to have been cast as foils to the Democratic strategists James Carville, Paul Begala and Donna Brazile, who are also on CNN.

Asked in an interview last week if the network was lurching toward a "Crossfire" redux as the midterm Congressional elections approached, Mr. Klein said that it was not, and that the two new commentators would serve as analysts, including for Wolf Blitzer on his program "The Situation Room."

"This is not at all like 'Crossfire,' which was purposely setting left-wingers against right-wingers," Mr. Klein said. "We are simply looking for provocative ideas, as opposed to shouting matches."

When asked if he might be tempted to pit Mr. Bennett and Mr. Carville against each other on Mr. Blitzer's program, Mr. Klein said, "You never say never," adding "but that's not the premise."

Among the reasons some CNN staff members had puzzled over the hiring of Mr. Bennett were his incendiary comments, on his radio show last fall, that "you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down." Mr. Bennett had also characterized such a proposal as "impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible." Mr. Klein said last week that Mr. Bennett, in responding to the controversy, "had explained himself very clearly and well," and was "a guy who has some very evolved thoughts and is not afraid to express them."

Mr. Klein also sought, in that same interview, to reiterate a point that he has made since the outset of his tenure — that he does not consider Fox News, with its opinion-oriented prime-time schedule, to be his network's main competition. Instead, he said that he operated in a bigger universe that also included Discovery, A&E and even the Weather Channel.

"It's a fool's errand to limit our thinking to one or two other news networks," he said. "We also compete with 'Dancing with the Stars' and 'Skating with Celebrities.' I'll be in a hotel room watching Larry King and my wife calls and says that I have to check out 'American Idol.' "

And yet, Mr. Klein continually volunteered comparisons between the ratings performance of CNN programs and Fox's.

He noted, for example, that Paula Zahn's one-hour news program that is shown at 8 p.m. Eastern time was up by double digits last year in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic. (CNN increased by 18.5 percent in the time slot over 2004, according to Nielsen.) Her competitor on Fox News, Bill O'Reilly, was down in the same category at the same time (a loss of 20 percent).

"I'd rather be in our situation than the other guys' " Mr. Klein said. "We're on the right side of all those trend lines."

Never mind that Fox News had an average of 2.5 million viewers at 8 p.m. in 2004, to CNN's 774,000.

Over all, between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern time on weeknights last year, Fox's average audience grew by 49,000 viewers, or 2.5 percent, while CNN's fell by 37,000, or 3.8 percent. Yet again, though, Mr. Klein discerned a silver lining: Fox's prime-time growth, he said, continued to be built on a foundation of aging viewers (over 54), who are less attractive to advertisers. Fox News' average viewership among those 25 to 54 years old actually fell by 118,000, according to Nielsen, while CNN was up 9,000 in that category.

Sam Armando, vice president and director of national television research for Starcom Worldwide, a media planning and buying firm, said that, he, too, had detected similar trends at both CNN and Fox News in recent months.

"This initial bump at CNN has said to me, I need to open my eyes and keep an eye on them," he said. "It's a little premature, but the signs are there."

Mr. Klein is at his most exuberant when discussing the journalism on CNN over the last year. He was once the second-ranking executive at CBS News, and he has reinforced CNN's ranks by adding two veteran producers with broadcast experience. They are David Doss, formerly of "NBC Nightly News" and "Primetime" on ABC, who is now Mr. Cooper's producer, and Victor Neufeld, formerly of ABC's "20/20" and the "Early Show" on CBS, who is Ms. Zahn's. Beginning next week, they will be complemented on camera by John Roberts, formerly the chief White House correspondent of CBS News.

Mr. Klein noted that, on his watch, the network's reporters and producers, and especially Mr. Cooper, had blanketed crises like Hurricane Katrina, the West Virginia coal mine disaster and the tsunami in Asia. But CNN has always seemed to excel at covering crises.

Mr. Klein said that he had also exhorted his charges, on breaking stories as well as those that might not rise to the level of disaster, to "get there early and stay longer." As an example, he pointed to an enterprise report on Mr. Cooper's program last Monday that showed officials of St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans allowing several residents to appropriate trailers that were sitting unoccupied because the federal government had not yet fulfilled a promise to pay to lease them on the residents' behalf. A description of a similar scene later appeared in an article on the front page of The New York Times.

Sometimes, though, Mr. Klein and his colleagues have gone after stories at a far more fevered pitch and pace than other outlets. When officials discovered a 2,400-foot tunnel last month under the border between Tijuana and San Diego, CNN "poured resources all over it," Mr. Klein said, beginning with a report from the scene by Mr. Cooper on Monday, Jan. 30, and a one-hour special at 11 p.m. Eastern time the following Friday.

"To their credit, our shows just went," Mr. Klein said. "They didn't need to see it on the wires all over the place. They didn't need to see it on the front page of The New York Times."

"The journalism led to great ratings," he added, though the special won a time period that typically attracts many fewer viewers.

For all the attention he pays to his network's ratings vis-à-vis those of Fox News, Mr. Klein might also have mentioned that MSNBC, which typically has less than half the audience of CNN in prime time, has lately been gaining on CNN in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic and has drawn some attention — including for "Countdown" with Keith Olbermann at 8 p.m. Eastern time and for experimenting with a prime-time Friday night lineup stocked with true-crime documentaries.

Mr. Klein said he was not necessarily impressed or concerned.

"Any of us can do the quick fix. We can all go to true crime," he said. "But it's a deal with the devil. You confuse your identity to the audience."

"Next thing you know," he said, summoning a name from the annals of crime shows past, "you'll see Robert Stack anchoring."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/13/business/media/13cnn.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

fredfa

02-14-06, 12:31 AM

TV Notebook
As an Alternative to a Trip to a Video Store, Movies Through a Set-Top Box

By Saul Hansell The New York Times February 14, 2006

Will people pay $230 and hook a new gizmo up to their television sets so they do not have to drive to the video rental store?

That is the question to be answered by MovieBeam, a service being introduced in 29 major markets today. The service was originally developed and tested in three cities in 2004 by the Walt Disney Company. Disney has brought in new investors and streamlined the service's pricing to offer it on a broader scale.

MovieBeam is built around a technology that broadcasts movies slowly over unused portions of the television signals to set-top boxes that store them on a hard disk. Users will have a choice of 100 movies — mainly those that have been recently released on DVD's — with 10 new titles replacing old ones each week.

Consumers will buy the MovieBeam box for $250 from electronics stores. They can send for a $50 rebate, but must also pay a $30 activation fee, making the effective upfront cost $230. The service does not charge a monthly fee, but movies cost $3.99 each for current titles and $1.99 for older ones. (The company will also offer some movies in a high-definition format for an additional $1.) The customers will be able to watch the movie for a 24-hour period.

Tres Izzard, a former Disney executive who is now the chief executive of MovieBeam, said the service was meant to appeal to the 30 million people who rent at least four movies a month. Four-fifths of those rentals, he said, are releases of the sort that will be in the MovieBeam service.

"The hard drive is the back wall at a Blockbuster," Mr. Izzard said. He said that the service would allow customers to rent those films without driving or waiting for DVD's to come in the mail, as they do with services like Netflix.

Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Jupiter Research, said he was skeptical that people would pay more than $200 for a box from MovieBeam, plus a fee per movie, when cable systems are offering movies on demand at similar prices through their digital services.

"The pricing model seems to be somewhat questionable here," he said. "People will ask why they need to spend that much money for a box."

Mr. Izzard argued that digital cable reaches only a minority of cable households and that MovieBeam might be more economical to viewers who like movies but do not want the other channels offered by cable systems. The service does not have to appeal to everyone, he said; it will break even if it attracts 500,000 customers. The company will sell the boxes at a slight loss.

Disney sold a majority of MovieBeam for $48.5 million to a group of investors including Cisco Systems, Intel and several venture capital funds. The MovieBeam box will be sold under Cisco's Linksys brand name.

The major studios have agreed to provide movies to the service, except Sony, with which negotiations are continuing, Mr. Izzard said. Disney's studios will make movies available on the service on the same day they are released on DVD. The other studios will make them available several weeks later when they are released to video-on-demand services offered by cable systems and Internet rental services like Movielink.

As with other video-on-demand services, most of the rental fee is paid to the studios. Still, studios have been wary about the expansion of video-on-demand services because they could eat into DVD sales, the most-profitable form of movie distribution.

Mr. Izzard said that with MovieBeam's broadcast system, the cost of delivering a movie was negligible. In contrast, industry executives say sending a movie over the Internet typically costs 50 to 75 cents for a transmission.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/14/business/media/14movie.html?pagewanted=print

GeorgeLV

02-14-06, 01:42 AM

^^^
Wow, a crappier version of USDTV.

SVonhof

02-14-06, 09:16 AM

Blacks on TV
The UPN network has almost twice the percentage of black characters as the other broadcast networks:
ABC: 15.7 percent
CBS: 17.8
NBC: 12.5
Fox: 18.9
UPN: 31
WB: 8.3
Source: "Prime Time in Black and White," 2002 study, Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA

According to the US census of 2000 blacks make up 12.3% of the population. The WB is the only network which doesn't better this stat. What is the problem here?

Maybe the numbers for UPN and WB will even-out when the two networks join to be one.

harley1

02-14-06, 09:33 AM

fredfa

02-14-06, 09:57 AM

On the ala carte issue.

Correct me if I am wrong here,but don't companies bundle and sell a group of channels to cable and sat companies?

If so, will or can the US Congress tell them each channel must be sold and not bundled?

Congress could allow (not force) each channel to be sold seperately.

Now, as part of carriage contracts, many channels require that they be carried on the "basic" tier.

While that means everyone will receive the channel, it also requires everyone to pay for it.

It would be relatively easy to ban such contract provisions.

fredfa

02-14-06, 10:03 AM

A Critical View:
“Boston Legal”: Beneath the Quirks, There's Always a Message for the Masses

By Alessandra Stanley The New York Times February 14, 2006

"Boston Legal" is a mess, which may be its chief appeal.

David E. Kelley's last standing series on ABC on Tuesday nights is a comedy steeped in sanctimony; it's a drama with a swath of slapstick satire and self-mockery. It's an hourlong sitcom, except when it turns into liberal talk radio: in almost every episode, the hero, Alan Shore (James Spader), shakes off his sardonic detachment and delivers a long, uninterrupted rant about the Iraq war, the credit card industry or the Roman Catholic Church.

Then he has brandy and a cigar with the semisenile senior partner, Denny Crane (William Shatner), and the two lawyers tune in to a male bond that has become the show's sweet center and biggest joke. Shore recently broke through the fourth wall when he walked into his pal's office. "There you are," he said affably. "I've hardly seen you this episode."

Most network television shows, good or bad, are above all consistent. "Boston Legal" is deviant.

It keeps changing, for one thing. Some fixes — made to appeal to older, female viewers — have proven worthwhile: Candice Bergen, as Shirley Schmidt, a sharp-tongued senior partner, and Betty White as Catherine, a felonious secretary, have added some class and cut down the show's testosterone.

Others, however, are less inviting, more a sign of lax writing than expediency.

Mr. Spader began the role as a last-ditch addition to "The Practice" in 2003; ABC had cut the budget on that faltering drama, and Mr. Kelley responded by firing half the cast and hiring Mr. Spader, a film actor best known for playing icily intelligent villains. At first, Shore was wonderfully twisted and villainous, a greedy, corrupt and sneaky corporate lawyer who coaxed his old friend Ellenor (Camryn Manheim) to hire him after he was fired by his own firm for embezzlement. Early in the first season of "Boston Legal," Alan Shore had a soft spot for lost causes, but he kept any semblance of human decency well hidden from his colleagues and clients.

Shore remains icy and cutting, but he has shed much of his wickedness to champion causes. In a recent episode he represented a young woman suing the United States military for the death of her brother in Iraq, lashing out at the administration and a complacent, indifferent public. ( "At least with Vietnam we all watched and got angry.") He lost the case but won over the judge, who agreed with Shore's assessment that the war was a "disaster."

Shore has morphed from someone who was despicable even in his finer moments to a conventional prime-time hero. (The camera keeps cutting to characters staring in awe at his eloquence and moral fervor.)

And that makes the show too much like "The Practice" and "L.A. Law," where Mr. Kelley made his television writing debut. Each episode entwines serious issues with absurd ones, and guest stars add a little of both: Michael J. Fox played a C.E.O. with terminal cancer; Tom Selleck arrives next Tuesday as Shirley's philandering ex-husband.

Much of Shore's bad-boy behavior was leeched off by Mr. Shatner, who revels in his post-"Star Trek" second act. (In one episode, after Shore explains to Denny that sea lice are sometimes known as "cling-ons," he does a double-take and says, "Klingons?")

Denny Crane is a lecherous, monomaniacal showboater who has lost much of his mind, apparently to mad cow disease. He is Shore's soul mate and conservative sparring partner, channeling Vice President Dick Cheney to defend, not very persuasively, the war in Iraq or polluters. Environmentalists, he declares on a salmon fishing trip, are "evildoers."

"Yesterday it's a tree, today it's a salmon, tomorrow it's 'Let's not dig Alaska for oil 'cause it's too pretty.' Let me tell you something," he says. "I came out here to enjoy nature. Don't talk to me about the environment."

The conservative movement is ascendant, but one of the few places where liberal ideology still has a strong voice is on television dramas and sitcoms. Mr. Kelley seems to feel that he alone carries the torch. Last March, Mr. Kelley complied when ABC asked him to remove all direct references to the Fox News Channel and its on-air personalities in an episode about a high school principal who blocks Fox News from school televisions, saying its agenda was close to "hate speech." The script was changed to refer only to an unnamed conservative cable news channel. Mr. Kelley, however, added a taunt at his network.

"I don't know which newscast you've been watching recently, but the First Amendment is losing its luster lately," Shore says to a colleague in that episode. "Some networks are even censoring their scripted dramas."

But "Boston Legal" could do with less heat and more wit. In Shore, Mr. Kelley has created a character who rivals Tony Soprano or Al Swearengen of "Deadwood." It seems a shame to sacrifice him on the altar of politics. Dishing conservatives, after all, is a revenge best served cold.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/14/arts/television/14watc.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

fredfa

02-14-06, 10:06 AM

The Winter Olympics
Early weekend TV ratings decline sharply for games

By Scott Collins Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 14, 2006

NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics in Turin got off to a slow start in the weekend TV ratings.

Friday's opening ceremony drew an average of 22.2 million viewers at any one time, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research. That's less than half the average audience that watched the opening of the Salt Lake City Games on NBC in 2002, and it was down 18% from CBS' telecast of the Nagano Games in 1998.

The Olympics typically steamroller whatever rival networks throw in their path, but this year has already proved an exception. During the 10 p.m. hour Sunday, NBC's coverage finished second to ABC's medical soap "Grey's Anatomy" (25.3 million versus 21.2 million), according to early data. ABC even took first place for Sunday among the advertiser-friendly demographic of adults 8 to 49 — the first time a rival network has beaten coverage of competitive Winter Olympic events since at least 1988.

At least publicly, NBC executives say they are not worried. The company estimated Monday that at least 112 million viewers watched at least some of the Olympic coverage over the weekend on one of the NBC Universal networks (besides the flagship over-the-air network, coverage is also airing on cable outlets Bravo, CNBC and USA).

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-sp-olyrating14feb14,0,7375775,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

Marcus Carr

02-14-06, 10:11 AM

HD Sets to Comprise Majority Of Total Set Unit Sales for First Time in 2006, Says Kagan Research

Monday February 13, 3:11 pm ET

MONTEREY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 13, 2006--A new study from Kagan Research, THE STATE OF HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION 2006, forecasts nearly 20 mil. HD sets will be sold to US consumers in 2006, and estimates 104 mil. cumulative HD sets will be sold to consumers by 2008, resulting in 78 mil. HD households.

An essential factor in HD set adoption is price. According to Kagan Associate Analyst Patrick Johnson, "We project the average price of an HD set will decline some 38% by 2010, reducing the average price to $1,139. Rapid price declines, coupled with increasing levels of HD programming, will drive the number of HD households to 97 mil. in 2010, penetrating more than 82% of total TVHH."

With more than 1,500 of the 1,749 full-power TV stations in the U.S. broadcasting in digital as of December 31, 2005, HD set sales now constituting some 85% of digital TV sales and a February 2009 hard date signed into law, the HDTV supply chain is ramping up.

Kagan's annual edition of THE STATE OF HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION 2006 provides an in-depth look at programming strategies, regulatory issues regarding the transition to digital and 10-year forecasts for high-definition DVDs, digital sets, HD sets, and HD subscribers for both cable and satellite operators. Relevant industry statistics and exclusive projections based on Kagan's respected forecasting model include:

The number of cable HD subs grew from 2.3 mil. in 2004 to 3.8 mil in 2005. At the end of this year, Kagan estimates this figure will grow to 6.6 mil. and by 2010, the number of cable HD subs will surpass 30 mil.

The number of DBS HD subs in 2005 reached 1.8 mil. DIRECTV's rollout of four additional satellites as well as EchoStar's and DIRECTV's commitment to local HD programming will drive HD subscriptions and by 2010 Kagan projects there will be nearly 19 mil. HD subscribers.

Kagan estimates that just 1.7 mil. of the sets purchased by OTA households this year will be digital.

THE STATE OF HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION 2006 is a detailed and forward-looking report that breaks out HD set sales from other types of digital sets; provides exclusive 10-year projections for the number of cable and DBS HD subs, both tier and non-tier; and allocates the number of digital sets sold to consumers each year among subscribers to cable and satellite platforms, as well as those relying solely on OTA broadcasts.

For table of contents and more information on THE STATE OF HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION 2006 go to www.kagan.com/HDTV-2

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060213/20060213006263.html?.v=1

fredfa

02-14-06, 10:41 AM

The TV Column
Razzle-Dazzle Inflates the Ratings for Olympics on NBC

By Lisa de Moraes The Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 14, 2006; C07

All those super-duper Winter Olympics numbers you've been hearing about in coverage of the Games -- pure applesauce.

NBC has done so many triple axels with this year's Games numbers you just cannot be too cynical about the stats.

For starters, the network once again is engaged in the ratings doping it has found so useful since the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. That involves running the first half-hour of prime-time coverage on nights that do not start with, say, figure skating as "sustaining."

Which is to say "without network ad breaks."

Which is to say "not rated by Nielsen."

Like this past Saturday and Sunday.

(Grievously, this does not mean you don't have to slog through ad breaks during the first half-hour of prime-time Games coverage on those nights. You certainly did on Saturday and Sunday. But those ad breaks were all local, an NBC network rep confirmed. Local ad breaks don't count when a network wants something run sustaining.)

The difference between the 8 p.m. half-hour and the 8:30 p.m. half-hour, even before daylight saving time kicks in, is pretty significant. For instance, last week, the first half-hour of Tuesday's "American Idol" clocked 28.2 million viewers; the second, 34.2 million.

Leaving out the first half-hour of coverage artificially inflates the ratings.

It also renders comparisons to past Winter Games irrelevant. CBS, for instance, did not run sustaining the first half-hour of prime-time coverage during the Winter Games in Nagano in 1998 or Lillehammer in 1994. (However, CBS did not start its Sunday coverage until 8 because it continued to air "60 Minutes" through both Winter Olympics. Prime time on the broadcast networks starts at 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and at 7 p.m. on Sunday.)

This ratings new math applies only to a broadcast's "average audience." That's the number who watched during an average minute of a broadcast.

But over the weekend, NBC was slinging around numbers such as the 50 million who the network said watched Friday's Opening Ceremonies, making it "the third most viewed non-domestic Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony in history, behind only the tabloid-fueled Lillehammer Games . . . and Nagano."

Here's where we should remind you about the difference between "reach" and "average audience."

"Reach" is anyone who tuned in to as little as six minutes of a broadcast.

That means 50 million people probably saw one ad break, but odds are those 50 million did not get to fully appreciate the Opening Ceremonies in all their glory: the dancers pretending to be snowflakes, the flame-shooting Rollerbladers in wet suits, the woman dressed in the giant meringue that was decorated with an actual woman on a swing, the performers in giant white udder balloons.

"Reach" is terribly interesting if you work on Madison Avenue. To the rest of us, not so much.

"Average audience" is just that: the average audience in any given minute during a broadcast. When someone writes that "American Idol" snagged 30 million viewers last Tuesday, that's the "average audience."

Ironically, the "reach" numbers NBC was spitting out do not take out those first half-hours. That would be just silly, since the coverage of the Olympics on the Networks of NBC includes hours without commercials, as when MSNBC carries hockey in daytime and the game segments are almost commercial-free anyway.

It's the average-audience stats for the NBC broadcast network from which the network is removing the first half-hour on some nights.

FYI, the average audience for NBC's coverage of the Opening Ceremonies on Friday night was 22.2 million viewers, trailing Nagano's 27.2 million and Lillehammer's 33.8 million.

On Saturday, NBC's Games coverage averaged 22.8 million, according to early stats; and, on Sunday, 22.9 million.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/13/AR2006021302115_pf.html

CPanther95

02-14-06, 10:56 AM

The Winter Olympics
Early weekend TV ratings decline sharply for games

By Scott Collins Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 14, 2006

ABC even took first place for Sunday among the advertiser-friendly demographic of adults 8 to 49

Who are the idiots that have allowed 8-year olds to make influential buying decisions? And when did they become "Adults" anywhere outside of Disney World admittance? :)

fredfa

02-14-06, 11:16 AM

Typo. I am sure it was meant to be 18-49.

Marcus Carr

02-14-06, 11:17 AM

EchoStar says president, COO resigns

Tue Feb 14, 2006 7:10 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Satellite broadcaster EchoStar Communications Corp. on Tuesday said Michael Neuman had resigned as president and chief operating officer, effective on Monday.

The company said his duties will be assumed by Vice Chairman Carl Vogel and Chief Technical Officer Michael Dugan, who was formerly president and COO.

EchoStar, in a filing with securities regulators disclosing the changes, did not say why Neuman resigned.

http://today.reuters.com/business/newsArticle.aspx?type=ousiv&storyID=2006-02-14T120849Z_01_WEN0602_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESSPRO-MEDIA-ECHOSTAR-DC.XML

fredfa

02-14-06, 11:21 AM

TV Notebook
It's must-see TV -- force yourself

By Tim Goodman San Francisco Chronicle Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Despite the fact that "American Idol" is probably going to put a beat-down on the Winter Olympics tonight or, at the very least be the ratings Herminator to the Games' Grandma Luge, you should still be watching. This isn't some nationalistic plea, either. The Olympics is great television, period. Yes, you have to try harder. And you have to be interested in odd sports you probably can't do on your own.

But it's just too easy to beat up on the Olympics -- particularly the Winter Olympics -- and in the end, easy is cheap. Sometimes the whole "here we are now/entertain us" nature of American life is less blithely cool than it appears.

Granted, the Opening Ceremonies lacked the quizzical but intriguing pomp and circumstance of Greece -- what's up with the cows on ice thing? -- but the buy-in to the Olympics is like the buy-in to the Super Bowl. You just do it. Some years the Opening Ceremonies are going to be magical -- like the flaming arrow that lit up Barcelona -- and sometimes there's going to be people ballroom dancing in cow outfits, followed by a Formula 1 car. You just go with it.

Now you can make an argument that watching the coverage with a very active TiVo or two makes the experience infinitely more enjoyable -- and you'd be right in saying that NBC seems intent on mucking up everyone's viewing pleasure -- but why anyone would opt out is mystifying. Sure, sometimes the men's and women's cross-country "pursuit" seems to go on for -- what's the word? -- forever, but there's almost always a great payoff. Those finishes are unreal (they beat the hell out of speedskating, which plays on television like a clock-killing practice session). The allure of the Olympics is viewers get to see sports outside of our traditional pursuits. You don't need to be a NASCAR fan to get a rush out of short-track speedskating. Tight turns and chaos -- what's not to like?

The biggest problem with the Winter Olympics so far is NBC's oddly ill-prepared nature. Historically, the network has been overly geeked out on its facts, numbing brains with abstract data of little or no relevance. But this year there seems to be a mandate to say as little about the participants as possible. Though NBC has cut back on the emotional feature stories about various athletes (a mistake, in retrospect), its biggest goof is a near total lack of perspective.

For example, when Bode Miller missed out on a downhill medal, there was no immediate information on how many more events he would participate in. Same goes for Apolo Anton Ohno. As soon as he slipped out of the qualifying race -- a stunner -- viewers should have been told how many more chances he'd have to medal. Those things are important.

NBC seems to think the information is out there and viewers have retained it. No. We need helpful reminders, emphasis on the helpful.

For example, in the men's downhill, the commentators conveniently forgot to tell viewers how many skiers were left, which would have ramped up the drama. Instead, they dismissed France's Antoine Deneriaz as a non-threat because he hadn't done much lately and was the last skier down the hill (hey, thanks for that back-door reminder), which conventional wisdom said was a real handicap. So what happens? He blows the doors off everyone else, leaving the commentators to look stupid.

That wouldn't be their first time. They dismissed the eventual winner of the Nordic combined, too. And they all-but-ruled out Norway's Frode Estil when he was trampled at the start of the men's cross-country pursuit. Then he rallied for silver and they were forced to say it was a performance that belonged "in the Winter Olympics hall of fame."

Perspective. It's elusive on the ice.

But there's an even larger problem with NBC's coverage and, yes, it tangentially relates to perspective again. While you can't fault NBC and its bevy of cable channels from wanting the largest number of eyeballs (thus generating the largest pile of cash), much of the coverage involving Miller and Michelle Kwan -- gold-medal winners for hype in the men's and women's division -- has been disingenuous.

First, NBC (and Nike, too, with its relentless commercials) wanted viewers to believe that Miller was the odds-on favorite for multiple gold medals, when he really wasn't. Though anything can happen in downhill skiing -- crashes, upsets, mystifyingly slow numbers when the skier actually thinks he did well (see: Daron Rahlves), there are skiers having better seasons, and conventional wisdom suggests they, not Miller, will be the story. The trouble with that from NBC's perspective is that those skiers are foreign.

On American television, we sell Americans. No fault in that -- U-S-A! U-S-A! -- but NBC might have been a bit more forthcoming about the global perspective.

In the case of Kwan, it's even more of a black mark on NBC. Since figure skating is what sells and nobody sells quite like Kwan and her story of Olympic heartbreak, NBC was gearing up to milk as many tears (joy or sorrow) from her story while glossing over her dubious inclusion in the Games.

Yes, it was all by the rules -- so much as any actual rules apply to figure skating -- but a less fawning approach to Kwan might have had NBC more prepared for her pull-out. Her closed-door sessions met with Olympic approval (and why wouldn't they -- she's a darling) but NBC never really got into the whole dank matter of closed-door ethics.

Now that Kwan is out, all the tears are coming from NBC's side. The network reportedly tried to woo her as an announcer (anything for her presence) but have been turned down. Good. All that does is short-circuit the emotional storytelling machine that was about to hype a pack of lies -- that Kwan could actually win in Turin.

Now that Kwan is gone, maybe NBC will pay more attention to -- and milk more emotion out of -- the more obscure Olympic sports, to the betterment of all viewers.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/02/14/SPGPDH861H1.DTL&type=printable

fredfa

02-14-06, 11:25 AM

The Winter Olympics
For NBC, day three was the real killer

By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 14, 2006, 01:20

NBC was already struggling on Sunday when Michelle Kwan dropped out, bad boy skier Bode Miller failed to medal in the first of his five events, and Apolo Anton Ohno, a 2002 Salt Lake favorite, fell during his first event, not even making the final.

NBC went into the 2006 Winter Olympics with three good storylines, only to see all three evaporate on the third day. NBC immediately felt the defeats in the ratings, and going forward there seems little chance of recovery.

On Sunday night, ABC became the first non-Olympic network in at least 18 years to win a night among adults 18-49 opposite Games action. Certainly most of the credit goes to ABC, which had its top non-sports night of the season.

But blame the Games, too. The Games averaged a 13.2 household rating from 7:30 p.m. to 11:16 p.m., within the network’s guarantee to advertisers but 25 percent off the 17.6 NBC averaged for the first Sunday of the Games four years ago.

The night was also down 37 percent from a 20.2 the first Sunday in Nagano during CBS’s coverage of the 1998 Games, though that night included figure skating.

From 8 to 11 p.m., NBC averaged a 7.2 among 18-49s, 0.5 behind ABC.

NBC averaged 23.6 million total viewers, and viewership dipped sharply during the final hour, when Ohno should have been competing in the 1,500 meters final and Miller was knocked out of medal contention.

NBC fell from an average 26.3 million total viewers during the 9 p.m. hour to 21.2 million at 10 p.m., a falloff of 19 percent. Though certainly ABC’s competing “Grey’s Anatomy” drew some viewers away, they may not have left had the Games offered a more compelling plotline.

There’s nothing NBC can do about this, of course. The network can’t control what the athletes do on the slopes or the skating rink, but it makes it much harder to build momentum when there is no reason for viewers to stick around.

Kwan is gone and with her the seemingly hourly updates and speculation about her health. Miller, who was attempting to become the first athlete to medal in five alpine ski events, can now only medal in four, making the hype surrounding him seem overblown. While Kwan provided a great resurrection story, Miller does not have enough history to do the same, and viewers will care much less if he gets four medals after he failed to pocket his first.

As for Ohno, he too was a disappointment. Though he was a star at the last Games, his name recognition has faded since then. He needed a good showing to get people interested in him again. Failure to even make the medal round will kill some of the buzz around him.

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_2854.asp

fredfa

02-14-06, 11:32 AM

The Winter Olympics
NBC’s season: Looking ahead, it doesn't look good

By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 14, 2006

Many media people projected before February sweeps began that NBC would finish No. 1 based on the Olympics, and that still looks like it will happen.
But whether that sweeps win will help lift the network out of fourth place for the season among adults 18-49 is looking more and more doubtful.

Ratings for the Olympics in that demographic have been off compared to past years thus far, beginning with the Opening Ceremonies on Friday. Sunday they struggled even more, with NBC finishing behind ABC for the night, when the Games lost three significant storylines.

NBC’s prospects for recovering that lost momentum seem slight. Though figure skating will still get strong tune-in, the Games are heading into a tough 10 days against tougher competition from Fox’s “American Idol,” ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” and “Lost,” and CBS’s “Survivor.”

All these shows have a chance of finishing ahead of the Games among 18-49s, all at the expense of the Games and NBC, deflating any hopes for a huge Olympics lift.

Fourth-place NBC is struggling to catch up with third-place Fox for the season. But as the Olympics falter, Fox continues to gain.

The first three nights of the games lifted NBC to first among adults 18-49 last week, the week ended Feb. 12, with a 5.1 average, but it didn’t give the network a big boost for the season. Its season average jumped just 0.1 to a 3.2.

NBC still remains well behind third-place Fox, whose season average also jumped 0.1 to a 3.6. ABC leads with a 4.2, followed by CBS at a 3.9. All three have rosy prospects for the remainder of the season.

Fox has three weeks with three editions of “Idol” coming up, while ABC has the Academy Awards. And CBS held back some original episodes of hits like “CSI” and “Without A Trace” to show in March instead of facing the Olympics. That ensures the network big ratings next month, which is traditionally full of reruns.

Even if NBC were to jump into third place, it would be short-lived. When the Olympics end, NBC’s regular schedule will struggle to hold on to the gains it made in February.

Without the Olympics, NBC will be lucky to pull off a 3.3 weekly average, which will quickly cancel out two weeks of Games-enhanced 6s.

NBC has several new shows joining the schedule, and that's getting a lot of promotion during the Olympics. But they are far from sure things. It’s moving the aging “Apprentice” to Monday night, where it could well wither away.

And one of its higher-rated shows, Thursday’s “The Office,” will air its season finale six weeks early, in March, to allow star Steve Carrell to shoot a movie. For a network struggling to find hit shows, the loss of even one will hurt.

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_2852.asp

fredfa

02-14-06, 12:22 PM

Monday’s network prime-time ratings have been posted at the top of Latest Prime Time Ratings news which is the first post in this thread.

fredfa

02-14-06, 12:45 PM

18-49 Overnights
Even skating fails to boost Olympics

By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 14, 2006

Not even the most popular sport, figure skating, could provide relief for the ailing Winter Olympics.

The first figure skating medals were awarded last night, and the skateoff included a dramatic fall by China’s Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang, who recovered to win the silver. But instead of bumping up ratings for the Games, they hit their lowest level yet.

The primetime portion of the Olympics, from 8 to 11 p.m., averaged a 6.5 Nielsen overnight rating among adults 18-49, the lowest through four nights of Games and Opening Ceremonies coverage.

What’s perhaps more surprising is that the coverage also hit a low among total viewers, averaging 20.96 million. That compares to overnight totals of 22.8 million for the Opening Ceremonies, 23.6 million for Saturday, and 23.2 million for Sunday. Figure skating usually skews older, with the median age of the audience jumping on nights when it airs, according to Nielsen data analyzed by Magna Global.

For the night, NBC averaged a 12.8 household rating, down 35 percent from the 19.6 average for the pairs finals during the 2002 Olympics. It was down even more from the 20.2 average for the pairs skating during the 1998 Nagano Games, though that aired on Sunday, not Monday, night.

Final ratings due out late today will likely change some, as the figure skating ended well past 11 p.m.

There are many possible reasons for the falloff in ratings, the first being that no American skaters were really in contention during the pairs competition. The top skaters came from China and Russia, and while skating is certainly the Games’ most popular sport, it’s always boosted by Americans’ presence.

The last Games also benefited from the controversy over Canadian pairs skaters Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, who captured Americans’ hearts after they were unfairly denied the silver medal over a judging scandal. They later received a gold.

Finally, other networks continue to program aggressively against the Games. Fox’s “24” averaged a 5.4 rating at 9 p.m., and ABC’s “Bachelor” turned in a 4.6, up week to week. But NBC will see far tougher competition tonight, when Fox’s “American Idol” airs.

NBC still took the night among 18-49s with a 6.5 average rating and a 16 share. Fox was second at 4.0/10, ABC third at 3.9/10, CBS fourth at 3.7/9, WB fifth at 1.6/4, Univision sixth at 1.5/4 and UPN seventh at 1.3/3.
NBC finished first during each hour of the night, beginning with a 5.7 rating at 8 p.m. for its first hour of Olympics. ABC was second with a 3.5 for a repeat of “Wife Swap,” CBS third with a 3.0 for repeats of “The King of Queens” and “How I Met Your Mother,” and Fox fourth with a 2.6 for “Skating with Celebrities.” WB came in fifth during the hour with a 2.2 for “7th Heaven,” Univision sixth with a 1.8 for “Contra Viento y Marea” and UPN seventh with a 1.1 for “One on One” (1.0) and “All of Us” (1.2).

During the 9 p.m. hour, NBC led once again with a 6.9 average for Olympics. Fox moved to second that hour with a 5.4 average for “24,” with CBS third with a 4.0 for a repeat of “Two and a Half Men” (4.4) and a new “Courting Alex” (3.7), ABC fourth with a 3.7 for the first of two hours of “The Bachelor” and Univision fifth with a 1.7 for “Alborada.” UPN was sixth that hour with a 1.4 for “Girlfriends” (1.5) and “Half and Half” (1.4), and WB seventh with a 1.0 for “Related.”

NBC continued to grow into the 10 p.m. hour, leading with a 7.1 rating for the Olympics. ABC was second with a 4.6 for “The Bachelor,” CBS third with a 4.2 for a repeat of “CSI: Miami” and Univision fourth with a 1.1 for “Vecinos.”

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_2855.asp

keenan

02-14-06, 01:19 PM

A Critical View:
“Boston Legal”: Beneath the Quirks, There's Always a Message for the Masses

I hope Boston Legal stays just the way is, if that means it gets canceled, that's fine, I would rather see that than to have Kelley dumb it down. NBC's L&Os have also taken on hot-button political issues but they do it in such a subtle manner that the issue really never gets much focus, which is fine, it works for those shows. I like having at least one show on the schedule, Boston Legal, that's not afraid to stick it right in your face, it's stimulating. If ABC gets fed up with Kelley because of his political posturing in the show, them cancel it, but, Mr. Kelley, keep it the way you want until they do as there's many of us out here that appreciate it just the way it is.

HDTVChallenged

02-14-06, 01:23 PM

18-49 Overnights
Even skating fails to boost Olympics

By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 14, 2006

Not even the most popular sport, figure skating, could provide relief for the ailing Winter Olympics.

I don't suppose the ADHD of the program schedulers could possibly have anything to do with it? :D

Dear NBC,

Please finish coverage of one event before you jump away to another one. The ADHD method of jumping back and forth between events is *really* exhausting by the end of the night. ;)

keenan

02-14-06, 01:51 PM

I don't suppose the ADHD of the program schedulers could possibly have anything to do with it? :D

Dear NBC,

Please finish coverage of one event before you jump away to another one. The ADHD method of jumping back and forth between events is *really* exhausting by the end of the night. ;)
It's annoying as hell, since there's very little new on the other networks I've taken to recording and starting when it's about half over and just watching the stuff I want and zipping through the all those damn commercials and the event bouncing back and forth, programming it the way I want to see it, one event in it's entirety, then the next, I wouldn't watch it any other way, live?-I wouldn't watch it at all.

I will say the picture quality for the ice skating was simply oustanding last night, I don't know how some of those closeup shots could look any better.

dturturro

02-14-06, 04:50 PM

Congress could allow (not force) each channel to be sold seperately.

This is the key that people seem to be missing. Just because they are offered separately doesn't mean they'll cost the same. If people think they're going to save money by only paying for ESPN, USA & Disney they're in for a surprise. The people who will save money are those that shun the more popular channels or only have 1 or 2 satellite channels that they care for.

And if either of those channels are ESPN they're still going to be paying top dollar) ;)

PhillyGuy

02-14-06, 04:59 PM

fredfa

02-14-06, 05:40 PM

TV Notebook
'Shield' takes a more evil turn

By Ellen Gray Philadelphia Daily News Tue, Feb. 14, 2006

I've often marveled at the way FX's "The Shield" (10 PM ET Tuesdays) is able to keep me watching Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), a dirty cop who killed one of his own in the series' very first episode.

Like most people, I'm not a big fan of cop-killers, so it's a tribute to the writers of "The Shield," and to Chiklis, that I keep returning to Vic, even rooting for him from time to time, while never quite forgetting that, autistic children or no, he's a very bad man.

The same, of course, could be said for Tony Soprano, another cable-ready anti-hero who, despite years of therapy, isn't getting any better.

In both cases, I suspect that fans remain largely on their side because the opposition often looks worse, whether it's the coercive FBI agents who helped get poor Adriana (Drea De Matteo) killed on "The Sopranos" or the various corrupt forces that have tried to shut down Vic Mackey in the past.

This season, though, it looks very much as if Vic may have met his match in Lt. Jon Kavanaugh, a superbly creepy internal affairs guy played by the superbly creepy Forest Whitaker.

Creepy he may be, but he's right about Vic, who really has done the things Kavanaugh's after him for. And though he's at least once misrepresented himself and is rifling through the private affairs of Mackey's squad as if they'd been linked to al Qaeda, he does seem to have some regard for the legal niceties.

But tonight, as Kavanaugh browbeats Vic's ex-wife, Corinne (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) - in an episode that's peculiarly about love but couldn't be less about Valentine's Day - don't be surprised if you find yourself hating this guy, too, if only as the representative of a system that's willing to invade anyone's privacy in the name of keeping all of us safe.

They suckered us in

Looks as if ABC's Super Sunday strategy for "Grey's Anatomy" paid off. Big time.

Not only did Sunday's explosive conclusion of the "Code Black" two-parter outperform the show's average pre-Super Bowl audience this season by more than 7 million viewers, according to the preliminary Nielsens, but with 25.3 million tuned in, it also beat NBC's Olympics coverage for that hour by more than 4 million viewers.

Plus, it beat its once-invincible lead-in, "Desperate Housewives," which drew 23.2 million against the Olympics' 26.26 million from 9 to 10. Which leads me to ask: Did anyone believe they were actually going to blow up Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) in a show called "Grey's Anatomy"?

News as a 2nd language

CNN is touting its redesign for CNN International as "a radical move away from the cluttered screens and heavy graphics that currently prevail in today's rolling news and business networks."

In a network press release, Rena Golden, senior vice president of CNN International - available in 186 million households worldwide and simulcast daily on CNN from noon to 1 p.m. - said, "Our priority is to ensure that our viewers around the globe, many of whom do not speak English as a first language, understand and engage with the news we deliver."

Sounds great.

Maybe next they'll think about uncluttering the screen for those of us who do speak English as a first language.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//13866491.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

02-14-06, 05:41 PM

TV Notebook
Whitaker comfortable being anti-villain on 'The Shield'

By Gail Shister Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist Feb. 14, 2006

Forest Whitaker loves to be loathed.

"Most people who watch the show hate my guts. That's good for an actor," says the newest cast member of FX's gritty cop drama, The Shield (Tuesdays at 10 PM ET).

Whitaker plays Lt. Jon Kavanaugh, a nasty internal affairs investigator obsessed with bringing down renegade Detective Vic Mackey (star Michael Chiklis) and his Strike Team.

Despite Mackey's flaws - he murdered a fellow cop, among many other sins - he's still the hero of the piece because he puts away street scum and supports his kids. Kavanaugh's intentions are noble, but he's perceived as a villain.

He's no villain, Whitaker says. Viewers aren't seeing the Forest for the trees.

"I see Mackey as unredeemable," says Whitaker, 44, best known for his film work (Phone Booth; The Crying Game.) "He's degrading to everything I stand for. He needs to be destroyed.

"I accept that people care about him. At least he has a code. That makes him noble. In my code, there's nothing he does that's acceptable to me. I don't like the way he breathes. That's why people hate me."

People don't hate The Shield. In its fifth season, it continues to be FX's second most popular series, behind Nip/Tuck.

After five episodes, Shield averages 2.8 million viewers. That's down 11 percent from the same point last season, an FX rep says, adding that the early '04-'05 numbers were unusually high because of interest in new costar Glenn Close. (She did only one season.)

Whitaker sees Kavanaugh and Mackey as "shadows of each other. He's the antihero. I'm the anti-villain. We're both experts at manipulating. It's an odd parallel."

Whitaker is a triple threat. As an actor, his last on-screen TV gig was as host of UPN's The Twilight Zone ('02-'03). As a producer, he won an Emmy in '01 for TNT's Door to Door, starring Bill Macy. As a director, his film credits include '98's Hope Floats, with Sandra Bullock, and the '95 Angela Bassett-Whitney Houston hit Waiting to Exhale.

On Shield, it's clear that Kavanaugh and Mackey are on a collision course. As tensions escalate, Kavanaugh "crosses the line," in Whitaker's words.

"He starts to make choices that are way over on the other side. Illegal. He becomes very dark. It will lead to violence. Either I'm going to destroy him or he's going to destroy me. The only way to stop me is to kill me.

"I can safely say that my world and Vic's world will be turned upside down because of the war we're playing."

Who wins the war?

"If we go head to head, there's no possible way he could beat me up," says Whitaker, who plays Ugandan despot Idi Amin in the just-wrapped movie The Last King of Scotland. "I have just as much brutality as he does, as I'm at least as smart and aggressive. And he doesn't have as much discipline as me."

For the record, Whitaker is a soft 6-foot-2. Chiklis is just over 5-8 and built like a Hummer.

Don't lay any bets on Kavanaugh's biting the bullet. He's signed for the first 11 episodes, which run through March 21, and is expected to show up in at least two of the "back 10," to air early next year.

NBC cries Wolf again

NBC should be renamed the Dick Wolf Channel.

The King of Quantity is developing a fifth legal drama for the Peacock. This one is called Power, and it's about a group of young FBI agents and U.S. attorneys who go after criminals in Hollywood. (The line forms to the left.)

No writer or cast yet. By sheer coincidence, Wolf's Conviction, to launch March 3, features a group of young assistant district attorneys in New York City.

Penn alum Wolf also has Law & Order and its two spin-offs, L&O: Special Victims Unit; and L&O: Criminal Intent, on NBC's schedule.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//13864999.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

02-14-06, 05:45 PM

The Winter Olympics
Torino so far: Less fluff, more stuff

By Aaron Barnhart Kansas City Star in his blog “TV Barn” Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Color me converted. After Friday's gaudy opening to the Winter Olympics, I really wasn't expecting much of NBC's Torino coverage. But I've been pleasantly surprised.

Here's the first draft of my review, appearing in Wednesday's paper:

For America’s best known Winter Olympic athletes, the highlight of these 2006 Games thusfar has probably been Friday night’s opening ceremonies. On that night, figure skater Michelle Kwan was still one of the 211 members of Team USA, albeit the one that NBC’s cameras seemed most in love with as she paraded around (stadium) with her red-and-white-clad teammates.

By Sunday, she had left Italy behind, and two of her most heavily marketed colleagues were also licking their wounds: skier Bode Miller, who finished a disappointing fifth in the men’s downhill, and short-track skater Apolo Anton Ohno, who didn’t even qualify for the final race in the men’s 1500 meter event. But as viewers discovered, not only does Team USA have a deep bench, so does Team USA’s broadcaster. For the first time, NBC has committed to airing events from all 15 winter disciplines, and thanks to some inspired announcing choices, it is putting some pep into these no-name Games.

While less renowned athletes like Joey Cheek, Zhang Dan and Frode Estil stepped up with stirring performances, NBC fanned out across western Italy, covering such events as women’s hockey and the men’s 30-kilometer pursuit with the same intensity that it covered the sturm and drang of Kwan’s training injury and subsequent withdrawal.

Especially if you have a high-definition TV set, these Games have been a pleasure to watch. Time Warner Cable customers had their pleasure doubled when the cable company began carrying Universal HD on channel 1400, with selections from NBC’s cable coverage simulcast in high-def.

The opening ceremonies were dazzling at any resolution. Every Olympic Games, the organizers can be counted on to deliver a certain mixture of Cirque du Soleil-styled pageantry and post-ironic camp, and Friday’s spectacle was no exception, though Torino’s was certainly a less somber affair than the one staged two years ago in Athens.

Unexpectedly powerful moments -- as when 100 exuberant dancers clad in red bodystockings formed a pulsing human heart -- were inevitably followed by comically surreal ones, like the sudden appearance of rollerbladers with fireworks shooting out of their cherry-red helmets. NBC’s Bob Costas took note of all of this from the announcer’s booth, where he and Brian Williams, the network’s lead news anchor, took turns reading from a cheat sheet that explained the ceremony’s more cryptic moments.

Williams was a late add to the program, taking the place of "Today" show host Katie Couric, apparently as the network’s way to punish Couric for entertaining offers from CBS to become the next "Evening News" anchor there. Having a newsman in the booth was a good choice, given the security worries surrounding these games (besides the sheer scope of the event, Italy is a close ally of the U.S. and has troops in Iraq). However, Williams’ sense of humor is almost identical to that of Costas, so it must have taken extraordinary professionalism and self-restraint for the two men not to spend the whole Parade of Nations making fun of the soundtrack. The relentless mix of 1970s and ’80s hits that accompanied the athletes’ procession sounded like it came straight off a K-Tel compilation.

As the night culminated with the lighting of the Olympic torch, however, the Torino organizers created a solid gold moment of their own. Eight women, including author Isabel Allende and actresses Sophia Loren and Susan Sarandon, carried out an enormous flag emblazoned with the Olympic logo. That was followed by the lighting of the Olympic torch, with a female Italian athlete, Stefania Belmondo, taking it the prestigious final leg. The symbolism was an unmistakable reminder that the Winter Games belong to Europe, a continent which has long supported women with professional basketball and soccer leagues and has elevated several to their countries' highest elected office.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the two American men in NBC’s booth missed this symbolism.

Then it was on to the competition. Anyone who gave up their weekend to watch as much of it as possible was rewarded time and again with tightly edited pretaped packages of events many of which are only seen here twice a decade. NBC has intentionally dialed down the amount of airtime given over to “up close and personal” profiles, recognizing that it could create better emotional connections on the field of play. Sunday’s 30-kilometer men’s pursuit -- where everyone switches to faster "skating" skis at midrace -- featured an unexpectedly dramatic start to bookend its thrilling finish. Norwegian Frode Estil, the gold medalist in this event four years ago, stumbled upon the shotgun start, then suffered further indignity as other skiers in the pack plowed into him, creating a pileup and damaging Estil’s equipment. He limped out of the stadium in 76th, or last place.

Then came one of those sportsmanly turns reminiscent of Lance Armstrong and the Tour de France. Knowing that Estil had crashed, two of his teammates forced their way to the front of the pack and slowed the race to a crawl. Estil quickly worked his way back into contention and then, remarkably, had enough energy at the end to finish second and claim the silver medal. The Nordic combined, another only-in-Europe hybrid of ski jumping and cross-country, featured a mad dash to the finish line that was won by a Russian, Eugeni Dementiev, who caught even NBC’s seasoned Olympic announcer Al Trautwig off guard. "I don’t think we said his name until a few moments ago," he mused on-air to his colleague, Paul Robbins.

The women’s hockey tournament features just eight teams, but four of them have been putting on a dazzling exhibition of skill and speed. Led by perennial powers from teams USA and Canada, the women had the arenas to them selves for three days, with the men not starting play until Tuesday. NBC, which is carrying every hockey match, has its ablest set of announcers covering any sport here. Bill Clement has been a fluid and amiable host, and has helped Cammi Granato, a newcomer to broadcasting after a storied career on the ice, overcome obvious nerves. But the real find is floor reporter Pierre McGuire, a much-traveled hockey scout who does a better job of conveying arcane hockey knowledge in plain English than anyone I’ve ever heard.

At the opposite end of the spectrum was Fred Roggin, the superfluous studio host of CNBC’s coverage of men’s and women’s curling. While curling, with its plodding action and endless counter-maneuvering, is aptly called “chess on ice,” Roggin’s contributions could best be called Chess on Ice for Dummies. In a typical bit, Roggin presented Roy Sinclair, the head of the World Curling Federation, with a large round loaf of bread that had a crescent roll protruding from its top to resemble a curling stone. Sinclair wasn’t immediately sure what to make of Roggin’s offer. "That’s kinda sexy lookin’," Sinclair said of the loaf.

While all Olympic stars are to some degree manufactured -- in this country, by NBC’s marketing machine -- some are carefully crafted in full view of the public, while others are relative unknowns until they grace the cover of Time holding their medals. Shaun White is one of the latter. The snowboarder and skateboarder has benefited from a huge last- minute PR push from NBC, which probably was looking for someone to counterbalance Miller, the loudmouthed and divisive skier.

White, as any Olympics viewer now knows, is the "flying tomato," a 19-year-old whose mop of unkempt, flaming red hair, great smile and love of a camera lens has made him a potential American megastar. All he had to do was win something in Torino. So as White struggled to qualify for the half-pipe snowboarding finals, NBC covered it nearly as intensively as Kwan’s will-she-or- won’t-she minidrama.

Speaking of Kwan, one of the big surprises of has been the show that was created to follow her exploits, “Olympic Ice” (airing 5 p.m. CT nightly on USA Network). Thanks to the chemistry between host Mary Carillo and 2002 gold medalist pairs skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, “Olympic Ice” is both an entertaining recap of the previous day’s competition and a helpful guide to the perplexed, like me, who don’t always appreciate the physical torment figure skaters go through to create their four minutes of ballet.

http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2006/02/torino_so_far_l.html#more

fredfa

02-14-06, 05:54 PM

Ratings Notes
Nielsen Adds College Students to Viewing Sample

By John Consoli MediaWeek.com FEBRUARY 14, 2006 -

Beginning in early 2007, Nielsen Media Research will for the first time include out-of-home viewers in its national people meter ratings sample, measuring viewing by college students. It will include TV viewing in college dorms, fraternity and sorority houses and off-campus housing.

The announcement comes after a two-year pilot program sponsored by several Nielsen clients, including CBS, The WB, Turner Broadcasting, MTV Networks, Fox and ESPN.

Nielsen labeled the pilot program "a success." The first year was spent recruiting and installing people meters in college locations. The second year focused on understanding the ratings impact of including this out-of-home segment on the overall ratings.

The pilot program show that college students living away from home, during the 2004-05 TV season, watched an average of 24.3 hours of TV per week. And Nielsen estimates that overall adult 18-24 viewing levels could increase anywhere from 3-12 percent by incorporating college viewing in Nielsen's national TV ratings. That could result in a rating increase of 0.2 to 1.0 for individual programs.

"As the media landscape changes, our measures should adapt to the needs of the marketplace," said Jack Wakshlag, chief research officer, Turner Broadcasting. "Extended home is an important first step toward a more complete accounting of exposure."

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001996742

fredfa

02-14-06, 05:59 PM

Last week’s complete network average prime-time results (with demographic averages) are now at the top of RATINGS NEWS the first post in this thread.

fredfa

02-14-06, 06:06 PM

Last week’s top 10 prime-time program ratings are now at the top of RATINGS NEWS -- the first post in this thread.

fredfa

02-14-06, 06:12 PM

The Winter Olympics
Curl up and enjoy more live Games

By David Bianculli New York Daily News TV Critic Tuesday, February 14th, 2006

To watch women's curling the first time it was an Olympic sport, I had to point my giant C-band satellite dish north and grab the signal from Canada.

Yesterday, I was able to watch live coverage of the first U.S. curling matches, men's and women's, simply by tuning to the USA Network.

Granted, it was at 3 a.m. for the men's, and 7 a.m. for the women's - and the nearly empty stands suggested that the appetite for curling, in Torino or on NBC in prime time, is far from Olympic feverish.

But I don't care.

Being able to watch U.S. player Shawn Rojeski knock out three of defending champion Norway's sparsely spaced stones with one amazing carom shot, in a game his team won, was worth getting up early to see.

Make fun of me for liking curling all you want. I could defend myself my saying that this year, the U.S. women's team is lovely - Cassie Johnson, one of two sisters on the same squad, looks like Veronica Mars on ice - and that the Russians, in looks at least, are ultra-competitive.

But I honestly love watching this frozen-shuffleboard game.

By the time you're reading this, the U.S. women curlers already have played Canada, and the men have played New Zealand (games televised live on USA Network) - but between 5-8 p.m., the U.S. women are playing Japan, in a taped broadcast on CNBC.

The live events during NBC's corporate-wide coverage, so far, are more compelling to watch, though you have to know where and when to find them, and, for some of it, own the proper equipment to do so.

Yesterday morning, for example, I watched live coverage of women's hockey, Sweden versus Italy, on Universal HD - but if I didn't have a high-definition TV setup, I could have watched it on MSNBC.

I watched live women's biathlon coverage on USA, which seemed to draw an even smaller crowd than curling. Even Telemundo carries highlights - and, of course, there's NBC's prime-time coverage.

Watching NBC on high-definition is, in a word, gorgeous. Friday's opening ceremonies were stunning in high-def - though not as stunning as the decision by the pageantry planners to play songs such as "Video Killed the Radio Star" during the procession. How would you like to be the country that had to march to the tune of "YMCA"?

Halfpipe competition looked astounding in high-definition as well. It was more low-blow than high-def, though, the way NBC packaged the taped highlights so that Shaun White's roller-coaster ride from near-elimination to gold medal neatly spanned the 9 p.m. hour - the better to dissuade viewers from flipping to ABC's "Desperate Housewives."

Yet, with NBC doing fewer sappy up-close-and-personal feature packages, the fact that White was shown in one suggested strongly that he'd go for the gold - unlike, say, Apolo Anton Ohno, the U.S. speedskater who slipped out of contention Sunday, or star skater Michelle Kwan, who withdrew because of injuries.

NBC's scramble now is to make an instant Cinderella star of Emily Hughes, the alternate whose arrival was postponed by the weekend blizzard.

Another U.S. skating star to watch is Sasha Cohen, who's already caught the eye of gold medalist White, the "Flying Tomato" - who used his post-win press conference, and his subsequent interview with Bob Costas, to make it clear how much he'd like to meet and date her.

"I feel like Chuck Woolery," Costas said - but the joke, a reference to the man who hosted "The Love Connection" from 1983-94, was lost on White. "Love Connection" ended when White was only 7.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/col/dbianculli/

HDTVChallenged

02-14-06, 06:39 PM

That's how they make sure that you watch the entire broadcast.

LOL ... well that much is obvious.

But with everyone else in rerun mode this tactic is completely unnecessary and somewhat abusive of the audience. Or in other words, the chances are pretty good that I'm going to watch the entire broadcast anyway ... all the ADD does is {blankety, blank} me off ... especially since *none* of the primetime NBC broadcast is even remotely "live."

CPanther95

02-14-06, 06:50 PM

This is the key that people seem to be missing. Just because they are offered separately doesn't mean they'll cost the same. If people think they're going to save money by only paying for ESPN, USA & Disney they're in for a surprise. The people who will save money are those that shun the more popular channels or only have 1 or 2 satellite channels that they care for.

And if either of those channels are ESPN they're still going to be paying top dollar) ;)

That's certainly what the media conglomerates want you to think, but it goes against every common sense analysis of pricing.

Whitearrow

02-14-06, 07:46 PM

But with everyone else in rerun mode this tactic is completely unnecessary and somewhat abusive of the audience. Or in other words, the chances are pretty good that I'm going to watch the entire broadcast anyway ... all the ADD does is {blankety, blank} me off ... especially since *none* of the primetime NBC broadcast is even remotely "live."

Yeah, I agree. ABC never did the Olympics this way, and they were in the non-DVR era. They'd show whatever the lesser events were first (like, luge and cross-country skiing) and then spend almost all of the second half of the night on the major event like figure skating. (The only exception was when they were showing stuff live, like Calgary and Lake Placid... they'd show an early group, then cut away and come back).

But showing a whole event allowed for drama to build during the evening, and it also allowed you to compare groups of skaters. You'd get a real sense of the increasing tension as the night progressed, and when the final group of skaters finally went on, it was actually exciting.

NBC's way of showing two skaters, then cutting away for an hour, then two more, and two more 45 minutes later, until they finally come back for the last half-hour, really sucks, IMO.

And I can't believe they got Dick Button, the best figure skating commentator ever, but are only allowing him to do pairs -- which is not even his real forte. Erf.

I want ABC back doing the Olympics again.

fredfa

02-14-06, 08:07 PM

Weekly Ratings Notes
Olympics big, but the usual suspects reign

By Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter Feb. 15, 2006

The lighting of the Olympic Cauldron in Turin, Italy, turned on the rating lights at NBC.

With three days of Winter Olympics coverage, NBC scored its highest weekly marks in total viewers and adults 18-49 since the final days of the last Olympics, the 2004 Athens Summer Games, and its first weekly win in both categories since the week of Sept. 6, 2004.

Still, it was Fox's juggernaut "American Idol," ABC's hot Sunday dramas and CBS' hit "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" that dominated the top five of the weekly program rankings in total viewers and adults 18-49.

Wednesday's "Idol" (28.7 million viewers, 11.4 rating/29 share among adults 18-49) came out almost unscathed from its face-off with CBS' coverage of the Grammy Awards (17 million, 7.1/18), soundly beating the star-studded event and dipping only slightly from the previous week.

ABC's Sunday lineup also was strong as ever against NBC's coverage of the Olympics.

"Grey's Anatomy" (25.4 million, 11.3/25) hit a Nielsen milestone as the conclusion of a two-part episode, whose first hour drew some 39 million viewers after the Super Bowl, built on its first-run "Desperate Housewives" (23.5 million, 10.0/21) lead-in for the first time in the medical drama's history and logged the show's best numbers for a regularly scheduled episode.

Another hit sophomore medical drama, Fox's "House," also had a record-breaking week.

In its first airing after "Idol" this season, "House" (22.2 million, 8.7/20) posted its highest ratings ever in all key categories and posted the best retention of "Idol" audience.

Meanwhile, the Olympics had a slow start for NBC on Friday.

NBC's coverage of the opening ceremony (22.2 million, 6.5/19) was down from the highest-rated one ever, the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, by 51% in total viewers and by 58% among adults 18-49.

Compared with the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, on CBS, the slippage was 18% in total viewers and 23% in adults 18-49.

The ratings for NBC's Olympics coverage picked up Saturday and Sunday.

Even as it faces increased competition from CBS' "Survivor: Panama" (18.8 million, 6.6/17) ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" (20 million, 5.5/14) continues to grow consistently, hitting new season highs. Last week, the dancing competition became the first series since NBC's "Friends" to draw more viewers than Mark Burnett's long-running reality hit.

Fox's Emmy-winning but low-rated comedy "Arrested Development" quietly ended its run on Fox on Friday with four consecutive episodes; 3.4 million viewers tuned in for the finale at 9:30 p.m.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001997771

fredfa

02-14-06, 08:29 PM

TV Notebook
New Schedule for “The Office” (And “Joey” Returns)
(NBC Press Release) February 14, 2006

NBC KEEPS 'THE OFFICE' LIGHTS BURNING AS IT ANNOUNCES NEW EXTENDED SEASON FINALE OF HIT COMEDY TO MAY 11

Move Advances Season Premiere of New Comedy "Teachers" to Tuesdays (9:30-10 p.m. ET) Beginning March 28; "Joey" Returns to Lineup on Tuesdays Beginning Tuesday, March 7

BURBANK, February 14, 2006 -- NBC has extended its spring lease on "The Office" (Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m. ET) through May 11 as the network will add an extra original episode plus other encore broadcasts that will now take the hit comedy past its previously announced season finale of March 30.

The new comedy "Teachers" will premiere on Tuesday, March 28 (9:30-10 p.m.) a change from its previously announced season debut of Thursday, April 6 (9:30-10 p.m.). "Scrubs" will move up one-half hour on Tuesdays beginning March 28 with an encore broadcast (8:30-9 p.m. ET) followed by an original episode (9-9:30 p.m. ET).

In addition, "Joey" returns with original episodes on Tuesday, March 7 at 8-8:30 p.m. (ET), in place of "Fear Factor" which will return to the schedule this summer. Encore broadcasts of "Joey" will air at 8:30-9 p.m. (ET) from March 7-21 until "Scrubs" encore broadcasts take over on March 28.

Since shifting to Thursday nights on January 5, "The Office" has averaged a 4.7 rating, 11 share in adults 18-49 and 9.1 million viewers overall. That represents a 27 percent increase over the show's 18-49 average for Tuesday telecasts earlier this season (3.7/9 in 18-49, 7.7 million viewers overall) and an 88 percent increase over "The Office's" average for the 2004-05 season (2.5/6 in 18-49, 5.4 million viewers overall), when it also aired on Tuesday nights.

In its six Thursday telecasts thus far, "The Office" has delivered its six best retentions to date of its adult 18-49 lead-in from "My Name Is Earl." "The Office" has averaged a 90 percent retention of "Earl" so far on Thursdays, up from its 71 percent average on Tuesdays earlier this season. In the valuable adult 18-34 category, "The Office" has improved on its lead-in from "Earl" with each of its three most recent telecasts and was NBC's #1 telecast of the week in 18-34 for two of those three weeks.

fredfa

02-14-06, 08:35 PM

TV Notebook
CW Affiliation Talks to Begin This Week, Letter Confirms

By Michele Greppi TVWeek.com February 14, 2006

More than 200 owners and executives of TV stations throughout the country received their first communiqués Tuesday under the slate-blue letterhead of The CW making it official that conversations with potential affiliates of the new network are to commence this week.

The five-paragraph letter was signed by CBS Corp. President and CEO Leslie Moonves and Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO Barry Meyer, the two chief executives behind the plan to merge UPN and The WB into The CW this September.

"Affiliation materials will be sent out this week. At the same time, we will be contacting each company involved in the first wave of affiliation discussions," the letter said. "We will do what is necessary to move quickly to evaluate each market, as well as to provide each television station that wishes to participate in our evaluation process an opportunity to do so."

The affiliation materials are expected to be of a marketing nature. Many local station executives have told TelevisionWeek they have reservations about some key components of The CW's business plan and are anxious to get down to brass tacks so they can plan their immediate future.

"Since our January 24th announcement of The CW's launch this coming fall, the feedback from all of our constituencies has been terrific. It's clear that the time is right for a demographically focused, highly targeted programming alternative," the letter said. "For the potential affiliate, The CW represents a unique opportunity to partner on a long-term basis with The CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment in the creation of something new and extremely rare -- a major new broadcast television network, one which will provide its local affiliates with popular, proven programming in precisely the demographic categories that will build value with advertisers, viewers and shareholders.

"Additionally, The CW will have the resources and capabilities to establish a marketing apparatus that will be unsurpassed. The sum of these parts is that The CW will launch as a vibrant new market entrant which will breathe new vitality into each television market nationwide," the letter said.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9394

CPanther95

02-14-06, 08:39 PM

TV Notebook
New Schedule for “The Office” (And “Joey” Returns)
(NBC Press Release) February 14, 2006

BURBANK, February 14, 2006 -- NBC has extended its spring lease on "The Office" (Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m. ET) through May 11 as the network will add an extra original episode plus other encore broadcasts that will now take the hit comedy past its previously announced season finale of March 30.

That's a neat trick - one extra episode bumps the finale from March 30 to May 11. Cool, 6 more weeks of The Office. :rolleyes:

fredfa

02-15-06, 12:12 AM

TV Notebook
''Gilmore Girls''

By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

I had hopes for tonight's ''Gilmore Girls,'' hopes that the show would take advantage of its Valentine's Day tie-in to have Luke get back on track toward marrying Lorelai. And there were promises made, and ideas bounced around. But at the end of the episode, there we were again, with Luke and Lorelai not quite connected, and April a huge question mark between them.

In fact, for a show that has projected at least an air of optimism over the years, this episode proved a pretty big downer, as if Luke's skepticism about Valentine's Day was allowed to reign. If we accept Valentine's Day as something of an illusion, a day where we put aside real-world concerns for a bit of romance as we imagine it, then the show carried that idea another step -- to say that the romantic ideal of ''Gilmore'' is also an illusion for viewers, because the characters have to function in a real world where a tyrannical father, say, can spoil a moment.

http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/

Marcus Carr

02-15-06, 01:19 AM

Halfpipe competition looked astounding in high-definition as well.

Halfpipe was in upconverted SD, and hardly astounding.

fredfa

02-15-06, 10:24 AM

TV Review
MTV's 'Fat Camp': Winning Losers With a Lot to Gain

By Tom Shales The Washington Post TV Critic Wednesday, February 15, 2006; C01

Tucked in among the trashy pranks and fanzine foolishness of MTV can be found some of the brightest, sharpest documentaries on television. That is true not so much of the network's "reality" series -- "Pimp My Ride" is trippy but frivolous, and "Real World" keeps spewing overheated and recycled gossip -- but now and then, along will come a stand-alone production as earnest, affecting and unflinching as "Fat Camp."

The recorded saga is an account of one summer at a spot in the Poconos where teenagers try their damnedest to shed weight, going through aches and agonies both psychological and physical.

The show, airing tonight at 9, plunges right into the essence of the matter without any elaborate introductions -- no statistics on overweight kids or other generalities -- and tells its stories with no narration. As always, certain characters emerge and stand out from the crowd. Among them is Braelyn, who is struggling to make it as a counselor but faces demotion to being just another camper. There is also Dianne, whose mother works at the camp, who tends to deal with most problems by weeping profusely, and who bears an unfortunate resemblance to serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

Some of them will live through success stories, some will fight the system and lose everything but weight, some will become embroiled in sultry, hot-weather romances. Even though one camper posts a sign that says "Drama-Free Zone," the atmosphere lends itself to emotional turmoil: The kids are all at tender ages, they live in a culture that prizes and glorifies physical perfection above everything else (with the exception of wealth); and they have all had their fair shares of abuse along the way.

"It's hard, it's hard," Dianne sobs early in the program, and one can believe it. Viewers who share the problems of those in the documentary probably will come away from the program feeling less isolated, less "different" from those who are considered normal. But young viewers who stand to gain the most are those whose complaints about their own looks are relatively minor -- those who go into agony over the occasional zit, or who lament that they aren't as "hot" as they want to be. They'll see what it's like to feel truly ostracized and alienated.

On their first day at the camp, the kids are told, "You are going to be very surprised at what you are capable of doing." Stay with them through the ups and downs of the next couple of hours -- covering eight weeks -- and you can share the elation of those who've buckled down and made the most of the opportunity. One girl loses just more than 16 pounds, and a 268-pound boy drops to 181 -- seven pounds beyond what his most optimistic goal had been.

Some leave the camp early, crying and carping about the unfairness of it all, while others see it through to the end, even though there appears to be little in the way of mollycoddling or hand-holding. Says a boy whose weight loss has resulted in a fairly radical change in appearance: "This summer has been probably the best summer in my life." And he vows that when he gets home, and back to school in the fall, "I'm going to lose the rest of the weight."

The camp is by no means a spa. Nobody's treated to mud baths or low-fat haute cuisine. Emotional tension runs high, and inevitably cliques and factions form. Poor Dianne, who could turn a hangnail into a catastrophe, goes into a rant when she discovers that other girls in her cabin are complaining about her reluctance to shower. "Just tell me I stink and I'll take a [expletive] shower!" she shouts -- in tears, of course.

The adults in charge are anything but gentle in doling out reprimands to those who've screwed up -- who've sneaked off the campgrounds to score an illicit Twinkie or who duck behind a tree so they can puff away on a cigarette. If it seems they are all expected to lose weight the hard way, one has to remember a depressing truth: There is no easy way.

Slotting "Fat Camp" opposite NBC's Olympics, with all those perfectly defined and high-definition bodies, is a sly bit of ironic counterprogramming. MTV's show offers as much drama and trauma as the Olympics do, and a considerable amount of heartbreak besides.

Whatever editorial decisions its producers made, and however they might have tweaked certain stories to make them stronger, "Fat Camp" is touchingly and sometimes gruelingly true to life.

Fat Camp (2 hours) airs tonight at 9 PM ET on MTV.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/14/AR2006021402238_pf.html

fredfa

02-15-06, 10:52 AM

The TV Column
The Week’s Winners and Losers

A Bazooka Shot in the Arm for 'Grey's Anatomy'
By Lisa de Moraes The Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, February 15, 2006; C07

NBC schussed and triple-axeled its way to first place in the ratings last week despite slip-sliding Turin Olympics numbers.

Here's a look at the week's gold and brass:

WINNERS

"Grey's Anatomy." The payoff of Super Bowl Sunday's cliffhanger episode, in which the hot doctors of Seattle Grace Hospital work on Unexploded Bazooka Shell Guy, last Sunday's episode logged 25.4 million viewers, becoming the first show to beat the Turin Olympics -- and by an impressive 4 million viewers. It also marked the first time an original "Grey's Anatomy" has outdrawn an original "Desperate Housewives." And it was "Grey's" second biggest audience ever -- behind only the previous week's post-Super Bowl broadcast, in which nearly 38 million were introduced to Unexploded Bazooka Shell Guy. Over at NBC's "ER," John Wells banged his head against a wall and cried, "Why didn't I think of that!"

"Dancing With the Stars." ABC's dance-off show beat CBS's "Survivor: Too Long Title" on Thursday -- the first show to clip a "Survivor" since "Friends" went off the air in May 2004. Here's an interesting stat: The median age for "Dancing" hovers around 53 on Thursday and nearly 56 on Friday -- that's an old reality show -- while "Survivor" posts a median age of about 44. (FYI, the median age on "American Idol" Tuesday is just under 37 and Wednesday's show comes in at just over 37.)

Turin Olympics . Despite less-than-gold-medal ratings, the first three nights of Games coverage did deliver NBC's highest-scoring week since the Athens Olympics in August '04, allowing the network to win a week for the first time since Sept. 6-12, 2004, when it came out of those Summer Games and unveiled its much ballyhooed "Friends" spinoff, "Joey."

"House." The death throes of Dr. House's sickening affair with Sela Ward -- gak -- brought a record 22.2 million viewers to the Fox doc drama, beating previous high 19.5 million for last season's finale..

LOSERS

Grammy Awards . How embarrassing was it for all those Grammy stars to get whomped by the pop wannabes of "American Idol" last week, driving the trophy show to its smallest audience on record -- just 17 million viewers? Pretty embarrassing.

"Love Monkey." By its third broadcast, "Love Monkey's" knuckles were dragging on the ground. CBS pulled its too-precious music industry drama off the schedule indefinitely after only 5.4 million caught last week's episode. Bye-bye, "Love Monkey."

Turin Olympics . Yes, the Games can be a winner and a loser. After all, three days in, NBC's coverage is down 36 percent, compared with the last Winter Games, in Salt Lake City, and 13 percent, compared with the last overseas Winter Games, in Nagano. None of last week's three Olympics broadcasts were the No. 1 show, or even 2, 3, 4 or 5, for that matter. And the second night of competition on this once glorious franchise actually got sliced and diced by some idiotic story line on "Grey's Anatomy" about a guy who got shot by his own bazooka. That's just sad.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/14/AR2006021402064_pf.html

fredfa

02-15-06, 11:00 AM

Ratings Notes
The Games go downhill

By Gary Levin, USA Today

The first three days of NBC's Winter Olympics averaged 22.9 million. Though potent, that's down from 35.5 million for NBC's 2002 Salt Lake City Games and 26.4 million for CBS' 1998 Nagano Games. Coverage didn't crack the week's top 5, despite NBC's move to boost ratings by pulling commercials from the first — and least-watched — half-hour, exempting those periods from Nielsen consideration Saturday and Sunday.

[COLOR=red •Shades of Grey's. Grey's Anatomy capitalized on its post-Super Bowl cliffhanger, topping the Olympics with a second-best 25.4 million viewers, 6 million above the show's average. It was the first time Grey's outpaced lead-in Desperate Housewives (23.5 million).

CBS moved the Grammy Awards back to Wednesday to avoid last year's pummeling by Desperate Housewives. But things only got worse: The Grammys set a record low with 17 million viewers, down from 18.8 million in 2005. In its first hour, the Grammys drew little more than half the audience of rival American Idol (28.7 million), the week's top show.

[COLOR=red •House rules. Fox's medical drama House also scored a series-high 22.2 million viewers after several weeks off in its first airing this season with an Idol lead-in. That Idol episode, the final audition segment, was the week's top show with 31.2 million, a slight increase from the prior week.

UPN reality series Get This Party Started, about surprise-party planners, premiered with a weak 1.7 million viewers Tuesday, matching its other midseason failure, drama South Beach.

[COLOR=red •Surface sinks. The probable series finale of NBC's Surface Monday scored a fourth-place 9.5 million viewers. Fox's four-episode finale of Arrested Development averaged a series-low 3.3 million viewers Friday. And ABC's Crumbs (7 million) fared worse in a special Tuesday tryout; the show has been yanked from its Thursday home for another Grey's repeat this week.

[COLOR=red •Football funk. [/COLOR]ESPN's Pro Bowl scored a record-low 6 million Sunday; last year was 6.2 million.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-02-14-nielsen-analysis_x.htm

SnakeEyes

02-15-06, 11:35 AM

That's a neat trick - one extra episode bumps the finale from March 30 to May 11. Cool, 6 more weeks of The Office. :rolleyes:

Maybe they will go ahead and give us the Gervais episode.

fredfa

02-15-06, 12:08 PM

They probably figure they can repeat many of the early season episodes -- when so few people watched.

fredfa

02-15-06, 12:15 PM

Ratings Notes
A major ratings tumble for ABC's “Jim”

By Abigail Azote MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 15, 2006

When people talk about the death of the TV sitcom, they're talking about series that typically paired a bumbling husband with a smarter and far better-looking wife, in the mold of "Everybody Loves Raymond." But while "Raymond" was a top show on CBS, it's gone, and now others are suffering.

Feeling the most hurt is ABC’s "According to Jim," now in its fifth season. The question comes up, looking at its numbers, could it be its last?

"Jim" is averaging a 2.6 rating in adults 18-49 far this season, and that's down 33 percent from last season's 3.9. Last week the show averaged a 2.3, down 12 percent from the 2.6 of its September premiere,

"Jim's" decline can likely be tied to several causes, and one may simply be that it's tired. "The show has now been on the air for five years, so it may have run its course," says Peter Koeppel, president of Koeppel Direct of Dallas.

It's also in a new Tuesday timeslot and against tougher competition. "Jim" was moved at the start of the season from 9 p.m. to 8 p.m. to make room for "Commander in Chief." That means it now must lead off the night instead of following behind complementary shows like "George Lopez" or "My Wife and Kids."

"Jim" also faces off against Fox’s "American Idol," which is drawing younger viewers, and "NCIS" on CBS, which is taking the older ones.

Will "Jim" survive beyond this season? A lot will depend on what ABC has in development for next season.

"They don’t want to come back with an entirely new slate of comedies," says Sam Armando, director of television research at Starcom USA. Older, more established comedies will indeed be necessary to help launch new ones that will come out in the fall.

"If you look at the current lineup, ‘Jim’ is the strongest ABC has," says Armando. "If they have to keep one or two old ones, it might be one to stick around by process of elimination."
Meanwhile, in other broadcast ratings for the week ended Feb. 12:

Among adults 18-49, NBC used its late-week Olympics push to lead with a 5.1 average rating and a 13 share. Fox was second at 4.6/11, ABC third at 4.4/11, CBS fourth at 4.0/10, WB fifth at 1.5/4 and UPN sixth at 1.1/3.

Among adults 18-34, Fox was first with a 4.5 average rating and a 13 share. NBC was second at 4.0/11, ABC third at 3.6/10, CBS fourth at 3.0/8, WB fifth at 1.6/4 and UPN sixth at 1.3/4.

Among adults 25-54, NBC finished on top with a 6.3 average rating and a 14 share. ABC was second at 5.1/11, CBS third at 5.0/11, Fox fourth at 4.8/11, WB fifth at 1.4/3 and UPN sixth at 1.1/3.

Top five (18-49s): 1. “American Idol - Tuesday” (Fox) 12.9; 2. “American Idol - Wednesday” (Fox) 11.4; 3. “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC) 11.3; 4. “Desperate Housewives” (ABC) 10.0; 5. “CSI” (CBS) 9.3.

Top five (total viewers): 1. “American Idol - Tuesday” (Fox) 31.15 million; 2. “American Idol - Wednesday” (Fox) 28.74 million; 3. “CSI” (CBS) 27.42 million; 4. “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC) 25.42 million; 5. “Desperate Housewives” (ABC) 23.47 million.

Bottom five (18-49s): T101. “Eve –Tue.” (UPN), “Veronica Mars” (UPN), “Reba” (WB), “WB Movie Special” (WB), “Charmed” (WB) 0.8; 106. “Girlfriends” (UPN) 0.7; 107. “Get This Party Started” (UPN) 0.6; 108. “South Beach” (UPN) 0.5.

Bottom five (total viewers): 104. “Eve – Tue.” (UPN) 1.80 million; T105. “WB Movie Special” (WB), “Get This Party Started” (UPN) 1.69 million; 107. “Girlfriends” (UPN) 1.50 million; 108. “South Beach” (UPN) 1.40 million.

Show on the rise: “Bailando por un Sueño,” Univision, Sunday 8 p.m. Sunday night’s edition of Univision’s dancing show reached record highs in several key demos, attracting 6 million total viewers, 3.5 million viewers 18-49, 1.9 million 18-34s and 1 million 2-11s.

Show on the decline: “Bones,” Fox, Wednesday 9 p.m. “Bones” had been on the rise in its new post-“American Idol” slot, but suffered a setback last week head-to-head against CBS’s coverage of the Grammys. The show posted a 4.6 rating among 18-49s, down 12 percent from a 5.2 rating the previous week.

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_2883.asp

HDTVChallenged

02-15-06, 12:37 PM

Halfpipe was in upconverted SD, and hardly astounding.

I agree ... yet it didn't look much worse than some overly edge-enhanced 720p productions I've seen in the past.

fredfa

02-15-06, 02:43 PM

Tuesday’s network prime-time ratings have been posted at the top of Latest Prime Time Ratings news which is the first post in this thread.

fredfa

02-15-06, 02:46 PM

18-49 Overnights
Fox's 'Idol' trounces Olympics on NBC

By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 15, 2006
Some media people expected Fox’s “American Idol” to beat NBC’s Olympics coverage during their first head-to-head meeting ever, but no one expected a thrashing quite this sound.

“Idol” averaged 26.3 million total viewers during the 8 p.m. hour last night, according to Nielsen overnights, a huge 10.2 million viewer advantage over the 16.1 million NBC averaged that hour for its coverage of the Olympics.
Among adults 18-49, Fox led with an 11.1 to NBC’s 4.1. And that was despite coverage for men’s figure skating last night and a gold medal for an American skier.

The Olympics never really recovered, either. NBC averaged just an 11.3 household rating from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., according to Nielsen fast nationals, the first night it dipped below the 12 to 14 it had promised advertisers heading into the Games.

“Idol” was not completely immune to Olympic dropoff. It was down 15 percent versus last week’s 30.9 million, but was still 63 percent more than NBC averaged for the Olympics that hour.

“Idol” lead-out “House” average almost 20.1 million viewers during the 9 p.m. hour, slightly fewer than the 20.9 million NBC attracted for the Olympics during that period. “House” did lead easily among 18-19s with an 8.1 to the Games’ 6.3.

Fox finished ahead of NBC’s Olympics for the night among households, 18-49s and total viewers, the first time a network has done so since the Games started.
Fox led the night among 18-49s with a 9.6 average rating and a 24 share, followed by a 5.6/14 for NBC. ABC was third at 2.6/7, CBS fourth at 2.5/6, WB fifth at 1.9/5, Univision sixth at 1.7/4 and UPN seventh at 0.4/1.

At 8 p.m. Fox led with an 11.1 average for “Idol.” NBC was second with a 4.1 for the Olympics, WB third with a 2.2 for “Gilmore Girls” and Univision fourth with a 2.0 for “Contra Viento y Marea.” ABC and CBS tied for fifth that hour at 1.9, ABC for a Peanuts Valentine’s Day special (2.1) and “Rodney” (1.7) and CBS for a special “The Price is Right,” with UPN seventh with a 0.4 for a repeat of “Get This Party Started.”

Fox held onto its lead at 9 p.m., with “House” posting an 8.1 rating. NBC was second with a 6.3 for the Olympics, CBS third with a 3.0 for a “Dr. Phil” special and ABC fourth with a 2.7 for repeats of “According to Jim” and “George Lopez.” That left Univision fifth with a 1.8 for “Alborada,” WB sixth with a 1.6 for “Supernatural” and UPN seventh with a 0.4 for a new “Get This Party Started.”

At 10 p.m. NBC led with a 6.3 for its Olympics coverage, followed by a 3.3 for ABC for “Boston Legal.” CBS was third that hour with a 2.6 for a repeat of “NCIS” and Univision fourth with a 1.3 for “Vecinos.”

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_2886.asp

fredfa

02-15-06, 02:49 PM

TV Notebook
CBS Slates Louis-Dreyfus Show

By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 2/15/2006

Mark March 13, 9:30-10 p.m., in your calendars.

That is the date when CBS will try to break the post-Seinfeld sitcom curse with The New Adventures of Old Christine starring former Seinfeld co-star Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

As part of several midseason moves, the show, about a single mom who owns a gym, will launch in Courting Alex's old time period. That show moves to Wednesday at 8:30-9, paired with the return of Out of Practice, which will air at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays.

That block opens up with the departure of low-rated sitcoms Still Standing and Yes, Dear.

The curse: The Seinfeld cast has taken numerous unsuccessful cracks at their own series, including NBC's Michael Richards Show; ABC's Bob Patterson and CBS' Listen Up, both with Jason Alexander; and Louis-Dreyfuss' 2002 NBC show, Watching Ellie.

fredfa

02-15-06, 02:51 PM

TV Notebook
Are the Olympics in for a Bad Night?

By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

''Grey's Anatomy'' beat the Olympics Sunday night in the national ratings. ''American Idol'' crushed the games on Tuesday night, and ''House'' did so in some markets (including Northeast Ohio). I see a bad night coming for the Olympics.

Why tonight? New ''Idol,'' for one thing, where the field will be narrowed one more time before fan voting starts next week (and telecasts expand to three nights a week). I'll be watching.

New ''Lost,'' also, and one that sounds as if it will have some important plot developments. I'll be watching here, too.

''Bones'' will probably do well, since it will follow ''Idol.'' The ''One Tree Hill'' crowd will probably remain loyal. Too bad CBS and its corporate companion UPN are basically rolling up the carpet -- with reruns of ''Criminal Minds,'' ''CSI:NY'' and (waaaaa) ''Veronica Mars.'' It could have made things even rougher for NBC, especially with younger viewers.

I'm tempted to say the Winter Games will end up third for the night, behind ''Idol'' and ''Lost.'' Of course, they could run a strong second in each of the first two hours and then draw enough people at 10 p.m. to make a good night of it. But it won't bode well for NBC during the second week of the Olympics, and it undoubtedly encourage the other networks to be even more aggressive the next time the games come around.

http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/

fredfa

02-15-06, 06:20 PM

TV Notebook
Fox to Premiere Reality Game Show 'Unan1mous'

By Christopher Lisotta TVWeek.com February 15, 2006

Fox is launching a reality game show, "Unan1mous," in which nine strangers will be locked in a bunker until they unanimously vote on which one of them is worthy of a $1.5 million prize. The show will premiere Wednesday, March 22, at 9:30 p.m. (ET).

The longer it takes the group to reach a unanimous decision, the less money there will be to win. If the contestants take too long, they will be left with nothing.

Each of the contestants must convince the others to vote only for him or her by revealing personal facts and secrets or by lying. As the game progresses, contestants will be eliminated as potential winners of the cash prize but will continue to live in the bunker and to vote.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9398

fredfa

02-15-06, 06:24 PM

The Digital Revolution
Bells Call for Franchising Relief

By Todd Shields MediaWeek.com FEBRUARY 15, 2006 -

Telephone companies told a Senate panel on Wednesday they want relief from regulations they blame for slowing their entry into TV service in thousands of communities.

A cable executive told the Senate Commerce Committee that phone companies themselves were to blame for delays, and said they were seeking special treatment.

At issue are the franchise agreements needed before a company may offer video to communities.

Phone companies say the need for agreements with thousands of communities will slow their rollout of video that would compete with cable and help to limit price increases. “Today’s video franchising laws are out of date (and) serve mainly to delay competition,” said Ivan Seidenberg, chairman and CEO of Verizon, which has introduced video in Texas and other states. Seidenberg called for a streamlined, national video franchising process.

Tom Rutledge, COO for Cablevision Systems Corp., said Verizon had built systems capable of passing 3 million homes, yet had hardly begun asking for franchises. “I think the problem is that you have people who are not participating,” Rutledge said.

A representative for cities and localities criticized the phone companies’ proposals to reduce local government oversight. “What they really want…is to tilt the playing field to their own advantage,” said Lori Panzino-Tillery, president of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors. “The radical changes some are seeking would lead to communications red-lining.” Redlining is a term that refers to denying services to low-income areas.

Most of the dozen senators who took part in the hearing appeared sympathetic to the telephone companies’ call for deregulation.

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chair of the Commerce Committee, said franchising would be addressed in a broad telecommunications bill that could be assembled as early as next month. He declined to specify what approach he supports.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002033587

DoubleDAZ

02-15-06, 09:19 PM

That's certainly what the media conglomerates want you to think, but it goes against every common sense analysis of pricing.CP,
Have you ever gone to a website, like Rogers Cable in Canada, and tried to figure out what your cable bill might look like under Ala Carte? I did quite a while ago before they changed the site and I didn't like what I saw. But I admit it's difficult to do a straight comparison and I believe it's an unfair comparison. I think we subsidize prices with our contracts/cable bills the way they are and Canada enjoys Ala Carte prices that may be lower than what they would be if we were Ala Carte here too. Of course, the opposite could also be true. Unfortunately, IMHO, the main negative to Ala Carte is that no one knows what prices will be like until after the conversion and then it might be too late. :)

TommyK

02-15-06, 09:47 PM

TV Notebook
Fox to Premiere Reality Game Show 'Unan1mous'

But is it in HD?
Just Kidding.
It sounds awful.

slocko

02-15-06, 10:52 PM

we always say we can program better than these high paying execs, but this is one case where i know i can do better.

this sounds just awful.

TV Notebook
Fox to Premiere Reality Game Show 'Unan1mous'

By Christopher Lisotta TVWeek.com February 15, 2006

Fox is launching a reality game show, "Unan1mous," in which nine strangers will be locked in a bunker until they unanimously vote on which one of them is worthy of a $1.5 million prize. The show will premiere Wednesday, March 22, at 9:30 p.m. (ET).

The longer it takes the group to reach a unanimous decision, the less money there will be to win. If the contestants take too long, they will be left with nothing.

Each of the contestants must convince the others to vote only for him or her by revealing personal facts and secrets or by lying. As the game progresses, contestants will be eliminated as potential winners of the cash prize but will continue to live in the bunker and to vote.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9398

CPanther95

02-15-06, 11:08 PM

Unfortunately, IMHO, the main negative to Ala Carte is that no one knows what prices will be like until after the conversion and then it might be too late. :)

The main negative to the current system is we can a good idea what prices will be like now and in the future by extrapolating the current trends. Now that's scary. :)

fredfa

02-16-06, 08:53 AM

About Television
NBC's new big worry: Losing sweeps

By Kevin Downey MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 16, 2006

February should be NBC’s month but disappointing ratings for its Olympics coverage, compounded by solid performances by its competitors, has the network in a slump.

NBC is now in a distant second place behind ABC in the February sweeps, with both CBS and Fox nipping behind. And media people say its chances of winning sweeps, a given in past Olympics, seem to grow slimmer by the day.

Through Monday, ABC was No. 1 in adults 18-49 with a 6.94 rating on the strength of the most-watched Super Bowl since 1996 and its increasingly powerful lineup of shows like “Desperate Housewives,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “Dancing With the Stars.”

NBC was No. 2 with a 4.34 rating, according to the most recent numbers from Nielsen Media Research. CBS was No. 3 with a 3.86 and Fox No. 4 with a 3.77 rating. The WB had a 1.41 rating and UPN a 1.22.

ABC was also No. 1 in total viewers, averaging 18.7 million in the first 12 days of the February sweeps rating period, compared to NBC’s 13.2 million. CBS averaged just under 12.3 million, while Fox’s audience was nearly 9 million, the WB's 3.3 million and UPN's 3.1 million.

NBC's struggles are not all that surprising, say media researchers.

“The Olympics rarely go up against original programming, and the other networks decided to put their best products forward,” explains Jordan Breslow, director of broadcast research at MediaCom. “It has never gone up against ‘American Idol,’ and I don’t think anyone should be surprised that the older-skewing Olympics should not have any impact on ‘Idol.’

"I look at the Olympics as fallback programming" says Breslow. "It’s like, take your pick of first-run product and if there isn’t anything there, then, great, tune into NBC.”

Says John Spiropoulos, vice president and group research director at MediaVest: “The problem for NBC is that they are still struggling, putting the Olympics aside. The network has not yet shown that they have hit bottom, although they said they have.”

Indeed, many media buyers had predicted before the Olympics' Opening Ceremonies last Friday that NBC’s ratings would fall short of past Games.

One reason, as Spiropoulos suggests, is that NBC’s faltering ratings weakened its ability to promote the Games.

But also, and beyond the network's control, going into the Games, buyers sensed there were no breakout Olympics stories to capture the attention of viewers. That's turned out to be the case.

“You look at the Winter Games and the biggest superstar that we had has withdrawn, Michelle Kwan, and the outspoken [skier] Bode Miller can’t get his act together," says Breslow. "There’s no real draw, there’s nothing really pulling you in.”

What is surprising is how soundly NBC’s competitors are beating the Olympics in head-to-head competition.

On Tuesday, for instance, both Fox’s “American Idol” and “House” beat the Olympics. Fox averaged a 9.6 adult 18-49 rating, compared to NBC’s 5.6, based on Nielsen overnights.

On Sunday, ABC ranked No. 1 in the demographic, edging out NBC’s 7.2 overnight rating with a 7.7. ABC’s “Desperate” and “Grey’s” beat the Olympics at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., respectively.

The big question for NBC is whether or not it can bounce back in the next 11 nights of Olympics coverage.

MediaCom’s Breslow thinks that's unlikely. If anything, he says, the Olympics will face tougher competition in original programs such as the “Dancing with the Stars” finale, “American Idol,” and programs like CBS’s “Survivor.”

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_2915.asp

fredfa

02-16-06, 09:13 AM

The Digital Revolution
Cable Industry Ads Target Phone Firms' Push Into TV

The commercials accuse telephone companies of lying to seek changes in franchising rules to enter local markets more quickly.
By James S. Granelli Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 16, 2006

A simmering battle between the cable TV industry and major phone companies is about to boil over.

Cable operators plan to start running ads today that accuse AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and other major phone carriers of lying to the public and elected officials as the companies use their networks to roll out new television services.

The ads, which will debut in Indiana, call the phone companies "fibbers" for using "phoney baloney" consumer groups to argue that carriers need a change in cable franchising rules so they can enter local markets more quickly.

"Why do they really want to change the law?" one ad asks. "To raise your phone rates and be able to pick and choose what neighborhoods to serve."

Revisions to cable franchising laws — particularly provisions requiring operators to serve all residents in a city — are being considered by Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and some state legislatures, including California's.

Phone companies eager to offer television service allege that cable operators want cumbersome local rules to remain as obstacles to potential rivals.

"Cable is just trying to protect its turf and keep competition out," AT&T spokeswoman Claudia Jones said.

The cable industry chose to launch its campaign in Indiana because the state is poised to pass a franchising law that would take much of the local control of pay TV providers away from local authorities. Texas passed the first such bill last year, and California lawmakers are expected to introduce bills addressing franchising issues.

At a Wednesday hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee, AT&T Chairman Edward E. Whitacre Jr. and Verizon Chairman Ivan Seidenberg said franchising laws needed to be changed.

Getting permission from each community is "out of date with technology, out of touch with consumer demands," Seidenberg said. He argued that carriers already had local franchises to deliver phone service and shouldn't be required to negotiate with thousands of cities for video franchises.

Whitacre said San Antonio-based AT&T and other new video providers faced "uncertainty, delay and prohibitive costs driven by the current cable franchising process" designed for a local monopoly.

Cable companies and many local governments say phone carriers should be subject to most of the same rules to ensure local control over pay TV service and a level playing field.

"A level playing field means that we succeed or fail based on innovation and effort, rather than because our competitor may get better rules," Tom Rutledge, chief operating officer of Cablevision Systems Corp., told the Senate committee. He said franchise agreements served other local concerns and were not a barrier to offering services.

San Bernardino County franchise administrator Lori Panzino-Tillery told the panel that local governments needed to maintain control of the streets, sidewalks and other rights of way that pay TV providers want to dig up to lay their cables.

"Local government remains concerned that rhetoric and not facts have led members of Congress to believe that competition and innovation will flourish only if local government is removed from the equation," said Panzino-Tillery, president of the National Assn. of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors. "We are here today to help you understand that nothing could be farther from the truth."

Verizon has installed high-speed fiber-optic networks in 30 Southern California cities but has franchise agreements in only a few, such as Beaumont, Murrieta and Hermosa Beach.

AT&T hopes to offer service in Anaheim this year. Small carrier SureWest Communications Inc. in Roseville offers video service in various parts of the Sacramento area.

In Beaumont, Randy and Penny Cooper said they were awed by the high-definition programming coming over their 65-inch rear-projection TV. The Coopers bought cable TV service from Adelphia Communications Corp. and connected to the Internet through Verizon's digital subscriber line service.

After buying a high-definition television, Randy Cooper decided he didn't want to pay Adelphia $7.70 extra a month for a high-definition set-top box.

So when Verizon offered its fiber-optic service, Randy Cooper jumped at it. "Honestly, I had no complaints with Adelphia, but for a little less a month, what a package you get with this," Cooper said.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-fi-phonetv16feb16,0,1893640,print.story?coll=cl-tv-features

fredfa

02-16-06, 09:16 AM

The TV Column
Olympics No Match for Medal-Grinding 'Idol'

By Lisa de Moraes The Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, February 16, 2006; C07

"American Idol" continues its scorched-earth campaign to cleanse the television landscape of programming we hold sacred. On Tuesday night it made hash out of the Winter Olympics in their first face-off -- just six days after "Idol" reduced the Grammy Awards to ratings rubble.

Between 8 and 9 p.m., when the tape-delayed, mostly men's figure skating Games coverage was holding the interest of about 16 million viewers, "Idol" was amusing nearly 27 million by dashing the dreams of roomfuls of Ashlee and Usher wannabes.

Among the 18-to-49-year-olds that NBC targets, "Idol" more than doubled the ratings of the Games.

Hopefully, the bright young future stars of Fox's "Skating With the Celebrities" competing at the Games in You-Say-Torino-and-I-Say-Turin have not yet received word of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, lest it put them off their game.

NBC's migraine continued at 9 when the Games snagged only about 1.7 million more viewers than Fox's doc drama "House" -- during which, coincidentally, Dr. House learned LSD is a great way to stop that migraine cold. And "House" anesthetized the Games among those younger viewers.

Even though NBC's coverage featured the first U.S. gold medal victory in alpine skiing in a decade, the network was left with the least watched prime-time broadcast of a Winter Olympics since at least 1988 and possibly ever.

And despite NBC's ooh-Bode Miller-ing and golly-Shaun White-ing, the network had by Wednesday morning lost two of the past three nights among the 18-to-49-year-olds it targets -- and could very well have lost last night as well, what with Fox airing another hour of "American Idol" and ABC showing "Lost."

NBC noted yesterday that earlier Games, including Nagano, Albertville, Calgary, Barcelona and Seoul, had all been beaten by programming on competitors' prime-time lineups on several occasions.

Plus, the network added, its broadcast of the Salt Lake City Games had not faced a single Top 10 show on another network, and during the Nagano Games, the highest-ranked show that faced the Games was "Home Improvement" at No. 10. In Torino, however, six of the Top 10 shows face the Games with original episodes and they're all shows that are really on the rise, including both editions of "Idol," ABC's "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Dancing With the Stars."

Which, as near as we can tell, is NBC saying, "The other networks have good shows that they feel confident can take us on -- and they're right."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/15/AR2006021502677_pf.html

fredfa

02-16-06, 09:19 AM

Ratings Notes
'Dancing' Bumps 'Survivor'

By Bill Carter The New York Times February 16, 2006

CBS executives have become accustomed to a routine every time a new-edition "Survivor" hits the air: they hold their breath until the first ratings are in, hoping that the audience has come back.

This month, the exhalation came just a bit slower, thanks, in part, to the surprising success of a competing reality series. "Dancing With the Stars" on ABC has offered the most formidable competition that "Survivor" has seen on Thursday nights since the departure of "Friends" on NBC.

Last Thursday, in what has to be called an upset, "Dancing" attracted more viewers in the 8-to-9 hour than "Survivor" did — by a fraction: 19.1 million viewers to 18.9 million for the CBS show. Not that anyone at CBS is panicking. "Survivor" remains, in every measure, a hit, especially among viewers between the ages of 18 and 49, the group that many advertisers prefer to reach.

It is also the group that ABC itself counts as the only important factor in assessing network success. "Dancing With the Stars" presents an almost topsy-turvy version of network competition because its appeal is heavily concentrated in viewers 35 and older, which is much more often the profile of CBS hits, like "NCIS." CBS is the one network that regularly reports and revels in total viewer numbers, but in this case it is content to point out that "Survivor" remains much the superior show among younger adult viewers.

"The dancing show does have the pattern of being older-skewing," said David F. Poltrack, the executive vice president for research at CBS. And it is true that a large portion of the "Dancing With the Stars" audience is older than that of most ABC shows. It is also disproportionately female.

But with almost 20 million viewers, enough of those between 18 and 49 are included to call "Dancing" a hit in that demographic too. And the series also has performed well with its results show on Fridays. At the moment ABC has 2.5 hours each week filled with "Dancing," all presenting a marked improvement in ratings over what ABC had in those time periods before.

For that and many other reasons, beginning with the fact that for most of the last decade ABC has been almost invisible in the network competition on Thursday nights, the night when advertisers pay the highest premiums for hit shows, ABC executives are themselves dancing in their offices about the series.

"I am just so happy about how well it is doing," said Andrea Wong, the ABC executive in charge of reality series, on Tuesday. She has every right to her happiness. Ms. Wong was virtually alone among television executives — even at her own network — in believing "Dancing With the Stars" could appeal to American audiences.

The show, then called "Strictly Come Dancing," had been a significant hit in England, and the track record for British shows repeating that success in the United States has been rather impressive: best example, "American Idol." Still, a show with what amounted to B-list (or lower) celebrities performing ballroom dances, many of which went out as popular diversions with the end of World War II, was snickered at in many quarters of the network world. "People were quietly laughing at us," Ms. Wong said.

The series, featuring "stars" like the former "Bachelorette" Trisha Sutter and the boxer Evander Holyfield, was relegated to a summer run, where the damage of a flop would be minimal. From the start the show performed well, however, becoming the hit of last summer. But when ABC decided to stage a dance-off rematch between the two finalists last fall, the special flopped.

Ms. Wong said she was unconcerned because even one-time "American Idol" specials tend to underperform in the ratings. Still, bringing the show back in a 90-minute edition on Thursday, with another half-hour (later expanded to an hour) on Fridays, seemed a bit daring, especially with a new "star" lineup that included Stacy Keibler, professional wrestler, and Drew Lachey, professional brother (of the singer Nick).

"Dancing with the Stars" defied expectations again. It scored well from its first new episode, benefiting from what even CBS executives concede was a brilliant bit of scheduling. ABC's program chief, Stephen McPherson, slotted "Dancing" into the open spot on the schedule when "Survivor" was on hiatus between its two annual editions. That opportunity has been there for years, but no network had previously taken advantage of it.

"There no question that that was great strategy on their part to get a strong reality series started with 'Survivor' off the air," Mr. Poltrack said. He noted that CBS remained pleased with the ratings for "Survivor" but would be glad to see the dancing series go. "The good news is that it's only on for two more weeks."

Obviously this will not be the last we see of "Dancing With the Stars." "We'll be back," Ms. Wong said, adding that while "Dancing" will surely not be relegated to summer again, the network has not decided exactly where it will go.

It works awfully well for ABC on Thursday/Friday. The drawback is that it has an eight-week format. ABC could try to expand to 13 weeks, to cover both fall and winter editions as "Survivor" does, but the format might become unwieldy. "We would need a lot more couples," Ms. Wong said. "We might have to start with a three-hour special."

Mr. Poltrack also raised the specter of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," the game-show phenomenon that blazed so brightly for ABC — and was the last show before "Dancing" to work for ABC on Thursday night — before flaming out. "You also have to ask: at what point does the American audience tire of it?" Mr. Poltrack said. "All of a sudden you could have 2.5 hours of programming that isn't working."

But for the moment, with those vastly improved Thursday and Friday ratings, ABC has every reason to be foxtrotting all the way to the bank.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/16/arts/television/16danc.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

fredfa

02-16-06, 09:25 AM

TV Notebook
Go, go, go, go for G

The Newark Star-Ledger’s Alan Sepinwall TV blog

Better late than never, I got to "Grey's Anatomy" last night. I have to applaud Shonda Rhimes for following one of the first rules of drama: she brought a bomb onstage in the first act, and she made damn sure it went off by the last, even if it had to take poor Kyle Chandler with it.

(And here I was figuring Chandler was here to help prolong the inevitable Meredith/McDreamy reunion. Ah, well; guy was good enough that, between this and "King Kong," he ought to get a good pilot role. Since Matthew Perry's playing the Sorkin part in "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," maybe Chandler could play Tommy Schlamme.)

As implausible and over-the-top and "ER"-ish as this two-parter was, I was hooked for virtually all of it. (Again, the only moments throwing me out were when Meredith and Cristina started gabbing about their love lives in the middle of this.) I didn't even laugh when McDreamy pulled a Fonzie and brought Bailey's husband back to life with a well-placed fist to the chest. (On the other hand, I laughed for a long time when Bailey told George to stop looking at her va-j-j, or however you spell it.) This is a show that's firing on all cylinders right now, and I'm damn glad to see that it actually outrated "Desperate Housewives" this week.

"Gilmore Girls," meanwhile, took a trip to Martha's Vineyard by way of Bizarro World. So Logan is likable and Luke is a whiney jerk? When the hell did this happen? Rory's continued transformation into a Stepford Wife creeps me out (and I love how Rory and Logan piss and moan about Mitchum but don't have a problem staying in his home or using his money on a trip to Asia), and I want to slap Lorelai for not telling Luke that she wants to spend time with April. At this point, I'm longing for the Lorelai/Rory split portion of the season; at least then, we got lots of Richard and Emily.

If "Housewives" can be entered at the Emmys as a comedy, then maybe "House" should, too. The migraine medicine subplot -- and, especially, Wilson's horrified realization of what House was doing at that lecture -- was hysterical.

Back to "Sopranos"-land...

http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/

fredfa

02-16-06, 09:30 AM

The Winter Olympics
NBC trying, but who's buying?

By Barry Horn The Dallas Morning News February 16, 2006

NBC's score for artistic presentation of the Winter Games would have to hover close to a perfect 10.0. The pictures, the camera angles, the broadcasters, the analysis have all been first-rate.

The network and its cable siblings have left no (curling) stone unturned. When it comes to coverage, every sport from the oxymoronic 10-kilomenter-sprint biathlon to Finland-Switzerland women's hockey has been presented and accounted for.

NBC's score for eyeballs in front of TV sets, however, isn't nearly as good.

The Winter Olympics has lost hours in the ratings before. But you'd have to dig into the archives for an hour when it was thumped as it was by Tuesday's American Idol.

To be fair, the enthusiasm for Turin had no chance against the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. A live domestic post-9/11 Olympics in prime time has a distinct advantage over taped-delayed action, especially in the Internet age.

It hasn't helped NBC, that rather than cower as they have during Olympics past, rival networks, smelling weakness, have counter-punched with first-run programs.

Much has been written about the negative-ratings effect of Bode Miller's slump and Michelle Kwan's absence from figure skating. I don't buy Miller as a factor. Kwan would yet have skated for judges.

The irony for NBC: Its finest hour in Olympic production may be shrouded by Turin's audience acceptance.

http://www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/bi/gold_print.cgi

fredfa

02-16-06, 12:46 PM

Wednesday’s network prime-time ratings have been posted at the top of Latest Prime Time Ratings news which is the first post in this thread.

YoungC55

02-16-06, 01:45 PM

good reading on the
'NBC's new big worry: Losing sweeps
By Kevin Downey'

fredfa

02-16-06, 02:11 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Fox and ABC up against the Olympics

By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 16, 2006

It’s no longer news simply that other networks are finishing ahead of NBC and its Winter Games coverage. But now not only are other networks beating NBC’s Olympics coverage, they’re actually improving on their ratings from the previous week, when the Olympics weren’t airing, giving them a nice February sweeps bump.

Last night both Fox and ABC improved their adults 18-49 nightly average versus the previous week, when NBC aired low-rated episodes of “Biggest Loser” and “Law & Order.”

Fox was up 2 percent, to a first-place 8.3 from an 8.1 on Feb. 8, while ABC also rose 2 percent, from a 4.5 to a 4.6 last night. Both networks got strong performances from their Wednesday night hits.

Fox got its boost from “American Idol.” With the field of wannabes being whittled to 24, “Idol” was up 4 percent over last Wednesday’s 11.3 rating to an 11.7 at 8 p.m. That same hour, the Olympics averaged a 4.1, the second straight night Fox has doubled the Olympic audience in that hour.

ABC, meanwhile, also performed well. “Lost” held its rating from the previous week, a 7.6, finishing ahead of the Olympics by 1.5 rating points at 9 p.m. At 10 p.m., lead-out “Invasion” averaged a 3.8, up 3 percent over last week’s 3.7.

Fox finished first among 18-49s for the second straight night, averaging an 8.3 rating and a 20 share. NBC was second at 5.5/13, ABC third at 4.6/11, CBS fourth at 2.9/7, Univision fifth at 1.9/5, WB sixth at 1.3/3 and UPN seventh at 0.4/1.

During the 8 p.m. hour Fox led easily with its 11.7 rating for “Idol.” NBC was a distant second with a 4.1 for its coverage of the Olympics, ABC third with a 2.3 for “George Lopez” (2.3) and “Freddie” (2.4), and Univision fourth with a 2.2 for “Contra Viento y Marea.” CBS was fifth that hour with a 2.1 average for “Still Standing” (2.0) and “Yes, Dear” (2.2), WB sixth with a 1.2 for “One Tree Hill” and UPN seventh with a 0.4 for “South Beach.”

ABC took the lead during the 9 p.m. hour with a 7.6 average for “Lost,” followed by a 6.1 for NBC for the Olympics. Fox dropped to third that hour with a 4.9 for “Bones,” with CBS fourth with a 2.8 for a repeat of “Criminal Minds,” Univision fifth with a 2.1 for “Alborada,” WB sixth with a 1.3 for a repeat of “Beauty & the Geek” and UPN seventh with a 0.5 for a repeat of “Veronica Mars.”

NBC finally grabbed the lead at 10 p.m. with a 6.4 rating for its Olympics coverage. ABC was second that hour with a 3.8 for “Invasion,” CBS third with a 3.7 for a repeat of “CSI: NY” and Univision fourth with a 1.4 for “Don Francisco Presenta.”

Fox also finished first on the night among households, averaging an 11.9 rating and an 18 share. NBC was second at 10.9/17, below the Olympic guarantee it reportedly gave advertisers. ABC was third at 7.0/11, CBS fourth at 6.4/10, Univision fifth at 2.2/3, WB sixth at 2.0/3 and UPN seventh at 0.9/1.

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_2916.asp

DoubleDAZ

02-16-06, 04:10 PM

The main negative to the current system is we can a good idea what prices will be like now and in the future by extrapolating the current trends. Now that's scary. :)I guess either way it's a bit scary. I just sometimes wonder how many of today's channels and niche programs would be on if we had ben under an ala carte system for the past several years or so.

Anyway, didn't mean to go off-topic, I know there is an Ala Carte thread. :)

DoubleDAZ

02-16-06, 04:19 PM

I think a major problem with the Olympics these days is that with no Wide World Of Sports, there is no lead-in to who's who in amateur competition. Until NBC (or whomever has the broadcast rights) starts advertising, none of the (new & foreign) competitors are very well known and their abilities are certainly not well known. Widw World Of Sports kept us abreast of folks like downhill skiers, figure skaters, etc., but that hasn't been the case for several Olympics now and there is little to build a fan-base eager for the competition to begin. Just my $.02 worth!

TommyK

02-16-06, 04:45 PM

fredfa

02-16-06, 05:30 PM

TV Notebook
Death knell: 'Joey' in the suicide lane

By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 16, 2006

If there were any small glimmer of hope for NBC’s “Joey,” the ill-conceived “Friends” spinoff, it was squashed for good yesterday.

That’s when NBC announced that the show has been moved from its premier Thursday 8 p.m. timeslot to the most deadly spot on the primetime schedule, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. opposite Fox’s juggernaut “American Idol.”

“Joey” makes the switch March 7. It will air originals at 8 p.m. and reruns at 8:30 p.m. through March 28, when reruns of “Scrubs” will take the place of “Joey” at 8:30.

That bumps “Fear Factor,” which had been averaging a dismal 2.6 on Tuesdays, off the schedule. NBC said the reality show will return this summer.

What does this mean for “Joey?”

Basically that NBC has at last bailed on the once highly touted show. “Joey” was averaging a 2.9 on Thursdays through December, when it was yanked to make room for “Four Kings,” “My Name is Earl” and “The Office” on the night.

In putting “Joey” up against TV’s No. 1 show in both total viewers and adults 18-49, NBC is essentially saying that it has no hopes for the sitcom. This is not so much a mercy killing as a flag of surrender, a concession by NBC that in fact "Joey" is quite the stinker.

It's a humbling of NBC, and a proper one, after the longest time of standing behind a show that had been written off by media buyers and viewers.

Many media people wondered last year why NBC even bothered to bring the show back, much less keep it in its plum Thursday spot. Ratings had fallen throughout its entire freshman season, when it averaged a 4.2.

When the show returned last fall, it was promptly humiliated by UPN’s “Everybody Hates Chris,” which outdrew “Joey” among 18-49s on their first head-to-head airing.

The reason for "Joey's" return was likely money. "Joey" was one of NBC's most expensive shows, dreamed up in a panic when “Friends” was set to end in May 2004 and NBC was scrambling for a replacement. The network promised a huge contract to Matt LeBlanc if he would return to star in the new spinoff, money he received whether all the episodes aired or not.

NBC also promised to pay Warner Bros., the studio behind “Joey,” a penalty if the show was cancelled early. So it made sense for NBC to keep the show around for as long as possible in the hopes that it would catch.

Moving “Joey” to Tuesday is all the more an admission of defeat because the show targets the same younger demographic as “Idol,” all but ensuring it will lose much of its remaining viewers to the singing competition. Once the remaining six or so episodes have aired, “Joey” likely won’t return.

Also yesterday, NBC said that midseason sitcom “Teachers” will debut March 28 at 9:30, in the post-“Scrubs” slot.

The network also will delay the season finale of “The Office” from March 30 to May 11, adding one original episode during that time and running reruns for much of the rest.

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_2914.asp

fredfa

02-16-06, 10:45 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Marathons aplenty, plus a Kinky candidate

By Maureen Ryan and Sid Smith Chicago TribuneFebruary 16, 2006
Note: All times are Central)

What to watch this weekend? Funny you should ask. Sid Smith and I have come up with a list that includes animals run amok, "Footballers Wives," smooth con men on the "Hustle" plus much more. Enjoy!

• “Slings and Arrows,” 7 p.m. Sunday, Sundance Channel: What’s more risky than a mad director taking on a production of “Hamlet” starring a callow Hollywood hunk with no theater experience? Taking on the Scottish play that gets theater folk so rattled they won’t even say the name of the Shakespeare work.

This delightful Canadian satire is catnip to anyone who has ever had the slightest interest at what goes on behind the scenes at any big cultural institution, where ego, talent and the continual scramble for money battle it out on a daily basis. Paul Gross returns for the second season of “Slings” as the brilliant but potentially unstable director of the New Burbage Theater Festival’s biggest play of the season, this time “Macbeth.” He thinks he’s perfectly sane, but he does like to talk shop with his theater mentor, who happens to be deceased.

Peter Keleghan from “The Newsroom” has a delicious recurring role as a callous board member, and Mark McKinney is pitch perfect as a theater administrator who’s under the gun as egos run amok in the rehearsal room and the government and sponsors pull funding -- and even heap abuse on the New Burbage Theater Festival. “You people in the arts make me sick,” spits the country’s Arts Minister, who nonetheless floats the New Burbage festival a loan -- which is promptly spent on the services of an aggressively hip marketing firm run by a lunatic adman who’s played with convincing fervor by Colm Feore. His first idea? “Unsettle” the public’s fixed ideas about the New Burbage festival by using ads that depict the current subscribers as pensioners awaiting death.

“Slings” can be repetitive, but this is a loving satire done by those in the know, and it’s quite funny -- and even moving -- at times. By the way, the first, “Hamlet”-intensive season of “Slings” airs in a marathon that begins at 2 p.m. Saturday. Don’t miss the last few episodes of the first season, which deftly demonstrate why the barb-slinging theater folk satirized on this show love the stage -- and Shakespeare’s language -- so much. Plus it’s a good chance to see a lot of rising starlet Rachel McAdams, who played the ingénue in Season 1 of “Slings.”

• The 2006 Winter Olympics, 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 6 p.m. Sunday, NBC: The contests in Torino (or do you say Turin?) continue, with snowboarding, skiing and figure skating on Friday; speedskating and ski jumping among the events set for Saturday; and ice dancing, freestyle skiing and the women’s Super G on tap for Sunday.

• “Go Kinky,” 10 p.m. Friday, CMT: Kinky Friedman’s done a lot of things in his life: he fronted the country-weird band the Texas Jewboys in the ’70s, and in the ’80s he turned his hand to a series of successful mystery novels. Now the irreverent Kinkster is running for governor of Texas (with the campaign slogan “How hard can it be?”), and this new CMT series chronicles this half-serious, half-farcical effort. Familiar faces that pop up on the campaign trail include Bill Clinton, Willie Nelson and Dwight Yoakam.

• “Blue/Orange,” 5 p.m. Saturday, BBC America: An adaptation of Joe Penhall’s Olivier-winning drama set in a London psychiatric hospital, where a patient insists he’s the son of Idi Amin. A dark comedy about race, politics and madness.

• “Omagh,” 7 p.m. Saturday, Sundance Channel: A gripping, hair-raising, extraordinary film about a 1998 car bomb and its aftermath in Northern Ireland. Told in documentary fashion, graced with that crisp realism often evident in United Kingdom docudrama, “Omagh” is uncompromising and unrelenting, sometimes hard to take. But Gerard McSorley, as a father who loses his 21-year-old son in the explosion, leads a stellar cast, and director Pete Travis, working with a screenplay by Guy Hibbert and filmmaker Peter Greengrass, adroitly mingles a domestic drama exploring the devastation of grief with a political expose unwilling to settle for easy answers or cheap emotions. The dialect and cinema verite style renders some of the dialogue tough to understand, but this is a worthy achievement on par with that of this year’s Oscar contenders.

• “Hustle,” 9 p.m. Saturday, AMC: If you enjoyed the recent Sawyer-centric “Lost” episode called “The Long Con,” this is the show for you. This stylish, snappy British series, which has the sparkle of films such as “Ocean’s 11” and “Catch Me If You Can” sprinkled with the dark wit of “The Grifters,” stars Adrian Lester (“Primary Colors”) and Robert Vaughn (“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”) as the leaders of a dapper London crew that specializes in big-money con games. Their goal is fleecing morally suspect rich folks of not just what’s in their wallets but also the contents of their offshore bank accounts. These acquisitive con men aren’t quite Robin Hood and his Merry Men, but they aren’t completely heartless either: In one episode, two members of the crew are chagrined when they’re scolded by their boss for ripping off a mark whom they thought was wealthy but was actually nearly broke: “We fleeced him in good faith,” one protests. The second-season premiere of this engrossing program airs at 9 p.m.; if you want to catch the entire first season, start watching at 3 p.m.

• “Animals Behaving Worse,” 7 p.m. Sunday, Fox: A funny, sardonic look at a squirrel stealing memorial yellow ribbons off trees in Iowa, a fox stealing newspapers in Kansas, roosters run rampant in Key West (and crowing all night) and Caribbean monkeys pilfering food and even tropical cocktails. This “Nature” episode gamely asks: Are the critters increasingly misbehaving, or are we crowding them out of their world and offering too much temptation?

• “Footballers Wives,” 9 p.m. Sunday, BBC America: Yes, there’s another marathon alert here: Season 2 of this addictive British soap airs in its entirety beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, and the first outing of Season 3 airs Sunday. You may want to catch up with the second season of this catty chronicle of the lives of wealthy soccer players; after all, how else would you find out that star player Jason slept with the mother of his teammate’s wife, and sired a child by the mother-in-law that his teammate Kyle and his anorexic wife Chardonnay tried to pass off as their own (but things went a bit wobbly when the child was found to be a hermaphrodite)? Never mind, even if you don’t watch Season 3, the third season offers some juicy new plotlines, such as a funeral (not the one you might be expecting) and the addition of a hunky new star to the Earls Park club. His wife, a sharp-clawed Bollywood star named Amber, makes the mistake of calling Earls Park’s resident queen bee, Tonya (played by the increasingly terrific Zoe Lucker), “a frigid nobody from the sticks.” Big mistake, Amber.

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/02/marathons_aplen.html#more

fredfa

02-16-06, 10:51 PM

Ratings Notes
FNC Draws Large Audience For Cheney Mea Culpa

By Anthony Crupi MediaWeek.com FEBRUARY 16, 2006 -

Fox News Channel nailed down a large audience Wednesday evening when Vice President Dick Cheney gave FNC’s Washington managing editor Brit Hume an exclusive about his role in a weekend hunting accident and the subsequent delay in going public with the news.

Cheney broke his silence on Wednesday’s edition of Special Report with Brit Hume, in an interview that was taped early in the afternoon for a 6:00 p.m. airtime. In the segment, Cheney took responsibility for the shooting that injured 78-year-old lawyer Harry Whittington, saying, “I’m the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend.”

Special Report averaged 2.1 million total viewers and 513,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo in the 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. time slot, making the show Hume’s highest rated thus far in 2006. By way of comparison, Hume has averaged 1.6 million total viewers throughout the month of February.

In his interview with Hume, the Vice President also downplayed the 24-hour delay in reporting the news of the accident to the press, suggesting that the media outrage over how the information was disseminated may have been a case of sour grapes.

“I had a bit of the feeling that the press corps was upset because, to some extent, it was about them,” Cheney told Hume. “They didn't like the idea that we called the Corpus Christi Caller-Times instead of The New York Times. But it strikes me that the Corpus Christi Caller-Times is just as valid a news outlet as The New York Times is, especially for covering a major story in South Texas.”

Rival news agencies were vocal in their criticism of Cheney’s decision to give FNC an exclusive. Appearing on The Situation Room Wednesday afternoon, CNN commentator Jack Cafferty said that “it didn’t exactly represent a profile in courage for the Vice President to wander over there to the F-word network for a sit-down with Brit Hume. I mean, that’s a little like Bonnie interviewing Clyde.”

MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann also took a few choice jabs at Cheney, charging that he opted to sit for “the more malleable cameras of Fox News” in lieu of an open press conference with a full complement of media outlets.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002034457

fredfa

02-16-06, 10:55 PM

Local HD Note
More To See in HD

By Allison Romano at bcbeat.com

There is one more high-definition helicopter flying in the skies today. ABC-owned KGO debuted its new HD chopper in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose market yesterday, promising crisper shots even if you don’t have an HD set.

KGO’s “Sky7HD” is among a handful of such HD birds flying in local markets. There are two in New York (Fox-owned WNYW and ABC’s WABC), and tech-savvy WRAL in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., is also in the game.

By B&C’s own unscientific testing, the HD shots of traffic jams and car fires look particularly good on our high-def set. But, on the regular old 13-inch tube, the traffic still looks just as bad as before.

Of stations with the HD choppers, most are not actually producing their local news in HD (WRAL is an exception). There are a few local stations broadcasting HD news. Alas, without a Slingbox, we can’t pick up those high-def newscasts from places like Denver, St. Louis and Cleveland.

http://www.bcbeat.com/

keenan

02-16-06, 11:07 PM

The helicopter shots look spectacular and the talking heads that do the newscast kept talking it up, touting HD, guess which local news I watch now... ;)

fredfa

02-17-06, 12:41 AM

The 2005-2006 TV Season
Ask Matt
(from the Ask (TV Critic) Matt (Roush) column at TVGuide.com

By Matt Roush TVGuide.com TV Critic

Question: How awesome was Grey's Anatomy last Sunday? For an hour I forgot all about losing shows like Threshold, Arrested Development and Love Monkey. The shower scene near the end echoing, but so starkly contrasting, the fantasy the week before — fantastic! There were way too many great details to mention them all. I was so glad that Bailey's husband didn't die. The whole widowed-while-giving-birth thing just seemed so gimmicky. My only beef is that once the bomb was out of the body, it just seemed so obvious that it would blow up the bomb guys. It's hard to forgive anyone for blowing up Kyle Chandler, but all in all it was pretty amazing and I guess that with the other surprises they gave us, I shouldn't complain if there was some predictable stuff. — Jenny

Matt Roush: No, indeed, this is not the time to nitpick. That sensational two-parter was, I think, the turning point in Grey's Anatomy's already sensational success story. As you may have heard, Sunday's episode was the first time Anatomy actually built on the audience of its lead-in, Desperate Housewives. All season I've been wondering when that would happen, given that Grey's has been so much more satisfying and consistent, and the post-Super Bowl burst appears to have done the magic. (Of course, it's also possible that the Olympics was a factor in keeping Housewives' numbers down, although both ABC hits outdrew the Olympics.) But yes, as I noted in my Dispatch earlier this week, I thought these episodes of Anatomy had everything you could hope for in a medical drama: high suspense, high emotion (George and Addison getting Bailey's baby delivered), big shocks, flashes of humor, and great and sexy personal moments (the latest Meredith-McDreamy face-off, Cristina's declaration of love while Burke slept, Izzy and Alex making the best of a desperate situation).

These episodes ran the gamut of what a popular, populist and thoroughly entertaining ensemble serial drama is capable of. I can't help dwelling on how much this reminds me of the early days of ER (the original cast now taking on a mythic quality not unlike the first five years of Saturday Night Live). I just hope Anatomy keeps it up, and I don't see why it shouldn't.

Since we're on the topic, thought I'd share another expression of genuine praise, this one from Jill: "I'm sure this will get lost in the million messages you get on the subject Grey's Anatomy, but Sunday's episode really blew me away. (Sorry. Couldn't resist the pun.) When Meredith stepped out into the hallway to look after the bomb-squad leader, I thought, 'I hope she hooks up with him. It'll get her mind off McDreamy.' And then he blew up. I watch a lot of television, and there is no excuse for my not seeing that coming. But I didn't. I sobbed at the end of that episode. For the bomb guy whose name I don't remember, for Meredith's shock and comfort by her friends, for McDreamy's being hugged by his wife when he was thinking of Meredith, for Bailey naming her son after George. With so much garbage out there these days, it feels really good to have characters I care about and whose fictional travails can affect me so deeply."
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Question: With all of the pains people are enduring on TV with the CW merger and shows getting the premature axe, let's give one final bit of praise to the show that's escaped the can for almost three years. Even though it was dumped on a Friday night against the Olympics Opening Ceremony and probably got the lowest ratings for its new episodes ever, I couldn't be more pleased with how Arrested Development went out. The final four episodes were all among the best of the best, and I was laughing way out loud the entire time (and I have since watched it twice more and I am still laughing). It has been a roller-coaster ride for the show, and I've been hoping and praying that the ride would go on forever, but after a finale this perfect for those most loyal to the show, I couldn't ask for anything better. Ron Howard's final comments on the end of the series was a great response to Showtime, which would like to continue with the show's genius, but I think it's time to call an end to one of the greatest comedies ever. And hey, a movie would be a riot. — John F.

Matt Roush: Again, I steer you toward my recent Dispatch for my own thoughts on Arrested's finale, but I agree with you 100 percent. It was a beautifully crafted finale, a great payoff for those of us who've watched and loved this unique show from the start. And while Showtime still seems like its most appropriate and likely future destination, I'm at peace with the show wrapping as is. Since Arrested Development never felt like an American sitcom in its sensibilities anyway — its taste for the outlandish and bizarre was more like those short-lived British imports we've loved for years (Fawlty Towers, the original Office) — it makes sense that its run was relatively modest (although at 53 episodes, that's a lot more than some British comedies ever make). May it live forever on DVD, and may future generations forever scratch their heads wondering what in the world today's audience was thinking by rejecting something so brilliantly different.
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Question: I'm hearing so much about NBC's inheritance of Sunday Night Football. However, I was wondering how much of its schedule will be taken up by it. ABC's Monday Night Football only took up two hours of prime time. Does this leave the 7:00 and 8:00 hours (ET) on Sundays open for original NBC programming this fall? — T. Paul

Matt Roush: From what I understand, NBC is going to make a full night of it, and there won't be room for any so-called "entertainment" programming (with NBC, you always want to qualify that term these days) on Sundays. At least for the first half of the season. After that, it's anyone's guess how NBC will fill the night once football season is over.
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Question: Don't the relatively large ratings numbers for NBC's Saturday Olympics coverage prove that there is still an audience for network fare on Saturday night? I'm not convinced many stayed home specifically to watch the Olympics. I think most just flipped around the dial and stopped on something that looked like it was worth watching. Don't the networks create a self-fulfilling prophecy by not programming anything worth watching on Saturday nights and then claiming there's no audience for programming on that night? Worse, it looks like the networks may be headed in the same direction on Friday nights. I'm convinced that a solid comedy block on either night would eventually deliver large numbers for them. Maybe not at first, because viewers are conditioned to avoid the networks on those nights. But if they actually made the effort, I think viewers would follow. Your thoughts? — Matt

Matt Roush: It's a good and always pertinent question, but this particular self-fulfilling prophecy appears to have fulfilled its destiny to the point of no return. NBC and CBS dump umpteenth repeats of its crime dramas on Saturdays and get OK returns for no investment. ABC has similar results with burn-offs of theatrical movies (a format that has understandably lost its luster in this DVD era). Only Fox kinda thrives on Saturdays, with its relatively low-budget crime-busting reality shows. The last time any of the networks expended large sums of money on original programming (CBS was the last to give up the ghost, with shows like The District and The Agency), the demographics and ad support just didn't add up. Putting hit or alternative comedies on Saturday would be a smart way to try to drive audiences to a night they stopped watching a long time ago, but I don't see that happening in the foreseeable future. It's hard enough for the networks to fill the rest of the week with fresh material. And using the Olympics as a benchmark to how more ordinary programming might fare on Saturdays stretches logic. The Olympics is a draw because it's so rare and different. You can't replicate that every week or weekend.
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Question: With Stacy Keibler's success (so far) on Dancing with the Stars, coupled with The Rock's Hollywood presence, do you see the WWE benefiting from this at all, as far as respectability and broadened interest from the casual TV watcher? — Dustin

Matt Roush: I seriously doubt it, but I can only speak for myself. And while I'm wowed by Stacy's performances and presence on Dancing with the Stars, it only makes me hope that her career path will now move her away from the wrestling ring to classier venues that will take advantage of her star quality. This has not made me the least bit inclined to check out what might be a mother lode of other hidden gems in the world of WWE. On the other hand, the fact that WWE can generate stars like Stacy and The Rock suggests to me that it's doing OK on its own and doesn't really need the rest of us to join the party.
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Question: I know you've recently said that you've fallen behind on The O.C., but my question is, do you think it will be renewed for next season or is Fox trying to kill it by leaving it on at a later time and not showing a new episode until March 9? I mean, what else can Fox program there that will do any better? And it still draws the 18-34 and 18-49 demos. I know the show is sometimes uneven, but it still has its great moments and is still entertaining. Most of its problems are with the annoying minor characters. The main cast is top-notch. — Terrence

Matt Roush: I know it sometimes looks that way, but the networks truly aren't in the business of "trying to kill" shows. Benching The O.C. during the Olympics is not a bad sign, especially considering that Thursdays is when NBC is airing the figure-skating finals, always a top draw. (CBS isn't airing new episodes of CSI or Without a Trace during these weeks, either.) And while I'm still taking an extended O.C. break (blame the Thursday logjam), I will be very surprised if Fox doesn't stick with it for at least another season. It keeps the network's lights on on Thursdays with a loyal (if smaller than before) audience, and even if it's lost some of its luster, the show still generates media buzz and thus remains an important part of the Fox brand. At least for now.
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Question: I heard CBS yanked Love Monkey off the air. This has incinerated my last nerve. People at work have been talking about the show and I a couple of my friends turned me on to it just a week ago. Don't the execs understand that you have to give a show a little TLC and be patient with the ratings? This show's popularity was spreading by word of mouth, which can take a while to see results. Any word on Love Monkey being picked up by another network or revived by CBS? Or is it dead? — Bryan

Matt Roush: The most hopeful likelihood is that CBS will try to relaunch the show at a later time. Just can't say when or where. But the frustration continues to build over the premature yanking of Love Monkey, which at the very least deserved a chance to be paired for a week or two with a compatible hit like The Amazing Race instead of following repeat broadcasts of crime dramas. (Not to mention the American Idol factor on Tuesdays, which started the very night Love Monkey premiered.)

Another Monkey fan, Stephen, asks: "What is the possibility that Love Monkey could end up on the new CW network? That show seems to mesh with the other shows on WB-UPN now more than on the dead-man network (CBS). I think it would make a great partner to Everwood, either as a lead-in or a lead-out. I actually enjoyed Love Monkey. It just seemed out of place on Tuesday." I keep hearing rumors that this show or that show or some canned show will be part of the new CW, and for now, that's all they are — rumors, and pretty thin ones at that. The chances that any currently existing show that's not part of WB or UPN will make that schedule are pretty slim, especially a show that's already struggled to find an audience. Truth is, Love Monkey wasn't only out of place on Tuesdays, it was out of place on CBS, the land of formula procedurals. And the problem with Love Monkey is that it needed time to grow and be nurtured as it found its footing between the musical milieu and the subplots for the ensemble cast; these days, it's difficult to know which network would have such patience. Maybe the current WB, which is why Stephen's question makes a good, if ultimately futile, point.
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Question: I took your recommendation on Everybody Hates Chris and anticipated the show long before it first aired. It looked hilarious, the cast is great, it's about Chris Rock's youth, there was no laugh track: It seemed to have all the makings of a great show. And yet, with each episode I've seen, I grow less fond of it. While the "first kid to get hand-me-ups" joke was funny, I didn't laugh once at the Valentine's Day episode. Chris' little sister is an annoying brat, Chris' mom is a shrill, carbon copy of the Malcolm in the Middle mom, and seeing Chris' father threaten Tanya's little boyfriend was just ridiculous and mean. And while I root for young Chris, I'm tired of seeing the poor kid being subjected to so much grief, not the least of which is the heavy-handed racism. What do you think, Matt? Are you as finished with this show as I am? — Gene

Matt Roush: Not a bit. I don't watch it every week (or let's just say I have a DVR library of episodes to catch up on, given how much Thursday programming I record each week), but when I do play back an episode, I still enjoy it and find it one of the freshest comedies, especially of the family variety, in years. I think you're being ungenerous to the mother. Tichina Arnold is not doing an impersonation of Jane Kaczmarek; her ferocity is rooted in family pride, not in Malcolm's brand of manic suburban lunacy. Which is another way of saying that, while I enjoy Malcolm, I believe Chris. The parents are what distinguish Chris for me, that and the fact that Chris is living a born-loser life (suggested in the show's title). If it lost its edge, which includes Chris and others being subjected to mean-spirited behavior and flagrant racism, there would be no reason for it to exist. But I'm sure you're not the only person who doesn't find it funny. As we've learned from today's TV comedy drought (and the demise of Arrested Development), nothing is more subjective than what tickles our funny bones. Or what doesn't.
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Question: What brain-dead person at CBS slotted The Amazing Race in a 10 pm/ET slot? It's one of the few obvious family shows. Seems like The Unit, at 9 pm/ET, and Race should be flipped, at the very least. — John

Matt Roush: Let this be another reminder that our idea of logic and the networks' idea of logic are two very different things. In the best of all TV worlds, CBS would realize that Amazing Race is a very family-friendly show and would program it early in the evening, like Survivor on Thursdays. But for CBS, the point is to maximize viewership, not to make life easier for the rest of us, and the strategy here is that the military-themed The Unit is seen as a good fit with the breakout hit NCIS, and on the occasions that CBS has run Race at the later hour of 10 pm/ET, it has performed well there in a very competitive time period. (You can't underestimate the importance of scheduling a strong show in the 10 pm hour, as a lead-in to local news.) So while I totally get your frustration, there is, as usual, a business reason behind this seemingly nonsensical decision.
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Question: I was wondering what you've thought of Bones' performance in its new time slot. The ratings have gone up each of the last three weeks and are well above its Tuesday-night performance, but I have a feeling Fox was hoping for numbers like House got last year when it followed American Idol. I think Bones has done remarkably well, considering its ultracompetitive time slot against Lost and Criminal Minds. What do you think of the show's ratings performance, and what do you think Fox thinks of it? The episodes have been great as well. I think this show is starting to reveal itself as a growing series with a bright future and is emerging as the best show of the 2005-06 class. — David

Matt Roush: Well, let's say one of the best shows of the freshman class, anyway, and certainly Fox's best new show of the season. As for the ratings, I'm with you. The show may not be scoring House numbers, but House doesn't face Lost. Bones is high-quality entertainment and is holding its own, and I don't think it's in any danger of cancellation. I'll be curious to see how it does when it moves to an hour earlier, to 8 pm/ET, starting March 8, when its strongest competition will be a new season of America's Next Top Model. It won't have the luxury of an American Idol lead-in, but it will be part of an Idol night, and that should count for something.

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