Hot Off The Press! The Latest Television News and Info [Text View] - Page 38

fredfa

02-07-06, 04:29 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
An early slog for CBS's 'Courting Alex'

By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 7, 2006, 06:25

Networks are forever trying to leverage their strongest shows into better ratings for beginning shows. CBS hoped its new Jenna Elfman comedy “Courting Alex” would be able to improve on the good but hardly great ratings “Out of Practice” was pulling in the post-“Two and a Half Men” slot.

So far, the network’s still hoping.

Last night “Alex” posted a series-low 4.4 overnight rating among viewers 18-49, off 4 percent from the 4.6 “Practice” averaged over its last four original episodes in the 9:30 p.m. timeslot.

“Alex” has seen a 12 percent ratings dip since it debuted. The show premiered two weeks ago with a 5.0 overnight rating among 18-49s, holding 88 percent of “Men’s” audience. Last week the show dipped to a 4.5, then to last night’s 4.4, holding about 81 percent of “Men’s” audience.

“Alex’s” declines are discouraging, as the network obviously would have liked to build on its premiere audience. The show is far from a failure and could work well as a replacement for CBS’s aging sitcoms on Wednesday night next.

Yet the show’s not exactly a big hit, either, which is what any network would like airing out of a show like “Men.”

There were certainly reasons for “Alex’s” dip. Last night it aired head-to-head with an original episode of ABC’s “The Bachelor,” which was not on last week. It also faced strong timeslot competition “Las Vegas” on NBC and “24” on Fox. Ratings for the hour-long “Bachelor” and “Vegas” shot up at 9:30, after “Men” was over.

Elsewhere last night, NBC aired the season and likely series finale of “Surface,” earning a 2.9 among 18-49s. That’s the highest rating it’s earned since Nov. 28, but if it holds, would only equal the show’s season average. With little buzz and small ratings, “Surface” gives way to the highly rated “Deal or No Deal,” which could keep the 8 p.m. Monday slot come fall. “Deal” debuts after the Olympics.

Meanwhile, for the night, CBS finished first among 18-49s with a 5.0 average rating and a 12 share. Fox was second at 4.6/11, ABC third at 4.4/10, NBC fourth at 3.8/9, Univision fifth at 1.9/4, and UPN and WB tied for sixth at 1.6/4.

ABC began the night in the lead with a 4.4 rating during the 8 p.m. hour for “Wife Swap.” CBS was second with a 3.9 average for “The King of Queens” (4.0) and “How I Met Your Mother” (3.9), Fox third with a 3.4 for “Skating with Celebrities” and NBC fourth with its 2.9 for the “Surface” finale. The WB and Univision tied for fifth that hour at 2.1, WB for “7th Heaven” and Univision for “Contra Viento y Marea,” with UPN seventh with a 1.5 average for “One on One” (1.3) and “All of Us” (1.6).

At 9 p.m. Fox took the lead with a 5.8 average for “24.” CBS retained second with a 4.9 average for “Men” (5.4) and “Alex” (4.4), with ABC and NBC tied for third at 4.0, ABC for the first half of a two-hour “The Bachelor” and NBC for “Las Vegas.” Univision was fifth with a 2.2 for “Alborada,” UPN sixth with a 1.7 for an hour of “Girlfriends” and WB seventh with a 1.1 for “Related.”

CBS took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 6.1 rating for “CSI: Miami,” the night’s top-rated show in the demo. ABC was second with a 4.7 for the second half of “The Bachelor,” NBC third with a 4.6 for “Medium” and Univision fourth with a 1.3 for “Cristina.”

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_2702.asp

fredfa

02-07-06, 04:37 PM

Last week’s and the season-to-date complete network average prime-time results (with demographic averages) are now at the top of RATINGS NEWS the first post in this thread.

fredfa

02-07-06, 04:46 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

02-07-06, 04:50 PM

Weekly Ratings
ABC Wins Big Super Bowl Week

By Christopher Lisotta TVWeek.com February 7, 2006

The Sunday telecast of Super Bowl XL catapulted ABC to the top of the weekly ratings in both total viewers and the adults 18 to 49 demographic, almost doubling its nearest competitor in both demos.

The Super Bowl was the highest-rated program for the week ended Feb. 5 with a 34.6 rating in adults 18 to 49, according to Nielsen Media Research. Those ratings include live-plus-same-day digital video recorder viewing. The game was also tops in total viewers, garnering 90.7 million.

The Super Bowl post-game was No. 2 for the week in the demo with a 25.1 rating, followed by ABC's post-post-game offering, "Grey's Anatomy" (16.5), Fox's Wednesday edition of musical reality series "American Idol" (12.5) and the Tuesday "Idol" (12.4).

In total viewers, the rankings were the same, with the post-game in the No. 2 spot with 59.8 million, followed by "Grey's" (37.9 million), "Idol" Wednesday (30.4 million) and "Idol" Tuesday (30.2 million).

ABC won the week in the demo with an 8.5 rating, followed by Fox (4.3), CBS (3.7), NBC (2.6), The WB (1.5) and UPN (1.1).

In total viewers ABC garnered 22.9 million for the week, followed by CBS (12.1 million), Fox (10.3 million), NBC (7.6 million), The WB (3.5 million) and UPN (2.7 million).

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9349

fredfa

02-07-06, 04:54 PM

The Business of TV
Showtime Adds Weeds, Sleeper Cell to iTunes

By MikeShields MediaWeek.com FEBRUARY 07, 2006 -

Showtime has begun offering two of its original series, the critically acclaimed Weeds and Sleeper Cell, for sale through Apple's iTune's Music Store.

The CBS-owned premium cable network follows the lead of ABC and NBC, among others, in offering its hit series for viewers to download onto their PCs or video iPods for $1.99 per episode.

Interestingly, Showtime is the first paid subscription network to elect to sell individual shows via iTunes. In the past, the network has featured an episode of the Kirstie Alley star-vehicle Fat Actress for free to viewers on Yahoo! as part of a promotional tactic to drive subscriptions - the backbone of networks like Showtime and HBO's business models.

While offering the series Sleeper Cell up for sale appears to be a move to extend the revenue life of a short-term miniseries, selling episodes of the Emmy wining Weeds would seem to open up the possibility of cannibalization - offering non-subscribers an option to get the network's top shows without converting to paid subscribers.

"iTunes allows fans of these hit Showtime programs to purchase and watch them in an innovative way," said Matthew Blank, chairman of Showtime Networks. "It is also a tremendous opportunity for non-subscribers to sample Showtime's programming."

It will be interesting to see whether HBO, which has long thrived on acquiring subscribers seeking out in its hit series, such as the soon-to-return Sopranos, will begin selling shows through iTunes. Of course, both Showtime and HBO have long sold their popular series on DVD, with little effect on their core subscription businesses.

Meanwhile, Apple's Music Store is fast becoming a misnomer, as the company says that it now sells more than 50 TV series, ranging from Desperate Housewives to Knight Rider.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001958327

fredfa

02-07-06, 04:57 PM

The Business of TV
NBC U Streams More Content

By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 2/7/2006

NBC Universal will make more of its content available online, including movies and some TV "events," on a new on-demand online service, Aeon Digital.

TV fare comprises NBC U's syndicated dating shows Fifth Wheel (canceled in 2004) and Blind Date, and an "uncensored" Jerry Springer offering.

Movies include Ray, The 40-Year Old Virgin, The Motorcycle Diaries, The Skeleton Key, The Wedding Date, and The Constant Gardener.

The programming will be available for a 24-hour period after ordering. Aeon's, service, which is targeted for a spring launch, uses a digital set-top box with a DVR to access, play and store the Internet-delivered content.

NBC U in December said it wouldl make content available on Apple's video iPod—as well as computers—via Apple's online iTunes service as part of a deal for 300 episodes of 16 old and new series.

fredfa

02-07-06, 05:01 PM

TV Notebook
Reuven Frank, RIP

By Aaron Barnhart Kansas City Star in his blog “TV Barn” Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Obituaries like today's for Reuven Frank, the NBC News pioneer, really date me. I know nothing about "The Huntley-Brinkley Report," which he produced from the late 1950s until 1970 (when I was five).

Link: Reuven Frank, Producer Who Pioneered TV News Coverage at NBC, Is Dead at 85 - New York Times.

No, I remember Reuven -- other than for his continuous editorializing in the Viewpoint section of TelevisionWeek -- for his work on a little NBC News program that, it seems, all but a few of us have forgotten.
Can you remember it?

"NBC News Overnight."

It was co-anchored by surly Lloyd Dobyns and a rumpled young talent named Linda Ellerbee, who recalled later in her memoir being told that the show "would not be hindered by money, Reuven explained, because there would be no money. Well, damn little. It would be a no-frills newscast and it would depend on the kindness of strangers."

Frank was also, according to Ellerbee, the inspiration for the show's most storied moment, one that bears repeating in full in light of this week's anti-Danish rioting (!) that has newspaper editors terrified of publishing a cartoon.

“(W)e got a letter from a creep, addressed to "NBC News Overnight, Jew York." The man said we'd lied to the public. There had been no Holocaust. It was nothing but a bunch of commie crap and we were nothing but a bunch of pinko traitors to America and all true Americans. On the theory -- Reuven's -- that it never pays to ignore a fanatic -- we read the letter on the air and suggested the man turn off his set; we didn't need viewers that much and frankly, would rather not have him as part of our audience.”

http://www.tvbarn.com/

fredfa

02-07-06, 05:07 PM

TV Notebook
Shonda’s mom is mad: The scoop on the post-Super Bowl ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

By Maureen Ryan on the Chicago Tribune TV blog February 07, 2006

I suppose I should be mad that Sunday’s post-Super Bowl “Grey’s Anatomy” left us on a cliffhanger. I’m not. Sure, the episode was more pumped up and melodramatic than normal. And then there was that shower scene, complete with three hot girls soaping each other up, at the start (which reminded me of the 2003 post-Super Bowl episode of “Alias,” which had Jennifer Garner strutting about in sexy lingerie in the opening scene), which did induce an eye roll or three.

Then again, you can’t argue too much with a sexy scene in a show that’s mostly about the love lives of very hot doctors. And the fact that the shower scene was George’s oh-so-predictable fantasy was funny. And plus, the rest of the episode had some nuggets o’ fun: the best was Izzy and Alex finally getting together. And Christina Ricci was pretty good at being scared. McDreamy’s hair was great. What more do you really need?

Anyway, the creator of the show, Chicagoan Shonda Rhimes, who wrote the episode, has an explanation on the “Grey’s” writers’ blog as to why the episode left us hanging on such a cruel manner: She originally wanted the episode to be 90 minutes long. Then the network told her, hey, why not make it two hours long (and have the second hour air next week). And she essentially said, “OK!”

"Then I hung up and hyperventilated," Rhimes writes.

So, she has an explanation for the cliffhanger, but still, she gets “why you hate me.” Even Rhimes’ own mom is ticked at her. When Rhimes wouldn’t tell her what happens next -- now that Meredith’s got her hand stuck inside some guy’s body (which also happens to have live ammumition inside) -- “she got kind of mad and guilted me with the fact that I came out of her body,” Rhimes wrote. Heh.

Also, re the shower scene, sure, Rhimes says, it was a ploy. “I knew it was the Super Bowl, people. I knew a little girl-on-girl would be good with the Super Bowl 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.”

Well, I’ll be watching.

Update: Rhimes posted another entry on her blog just a few minutes ago. She's asked the network to air the post-Super Bowl episode again. Since the game ran long, a lot of people didn't see or record the whole episode (even Rhimes' own TiVo didn't get the whole thing).

The latest from Rhimes: "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 e-mail 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."

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

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