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fredfa

11-24-04, 01:07 AM

The Washington Post's weekly winners and losers of the Neilsen ratings:

For CBS, a November to Remember
By Lisa de Moraes washingtonpost.com Wednesday, November 24, 2004; Page C07
For the first time in nearly two decades, CBS is going to win the November ratings sweepstakes among the 18-to-49-year-olds advertisers covet. Last week the network mopped up thanks to the 100th episode of "CSI," the first episode of "Amazing Race 6" and the final episode of two-parter "Category 6: Day of Destruction."
Here's a look at the week's hills and vales:
WINNERS
"CSI." CBS's kinky crime drama marked its 100th episode with a story line in which the crack CSI team investigated the brutal stabbing and mutilation of a transgender woman, leading the team, CBS said, "into the fringe world of sex changes and transgenders." Naturally the episode scored the series's biggest audience ever -- nearly 32 million viewers -- and became the most watched broadcast of any kind so far this season, beating even Game 7 of the Yankees-Red Sox baseball playoffs.
"Desperate Housewives." ABC hit pay dirt when its "Desperate Housewives" promo on "Monday Night Football" outraged sanctimonious sportswriters and conservative media watchdog groups, whose collective howling resulted in record young-viewer numbers for the series six nights later. That included its largest audience ever among women 18 to 34 -- nearly a third of the available audience in that demographic group. "Desperate" was the week's No. 1 show among 18-to-34-year-olds. In the broader 18-to-49 demographic, the show topped its combined competition -- NBC, CBS, Fox and WB -- by 22 percent.
"Category 6: Day of Destruction." Actually two nights of destruction, starting two Sundays ago when the first half of CBS's special-effects extravaganza scored more than 19 million viewers. Part 2 logged nearly 17 million viewers, giving CBS its most watched Wednesday of the season to date.
"Amazing Race." The sixth edition of CBS's hurry-up-and-wait reality series premiered to 11.8 million viewers -- the franchise's biggest opening audience since the first edition in September '01.
"House." Fox's new doc drama built on its "Rebel Billionaire Weirdsmobile" lead-in by nearly 30 percent.
"Complete Savages." ABC's all-guys sitcom scored a best-yet 6.7 million viewers last week; the network gave it a full-season order.
"Biggest Loser." NBC's fat-farm competition -- this really is the Golden Age of Television -- clocked nearly 11 million viewers last week -- the network's best entertainment number in the Tuesday time slot in a year.
"The Wizard of Oz." TBS's gazillionth telecast of MGM's 65-year-old flick -- which is also the collective age of development suits at some networks -- was basic cable's No. 1 movie last week among the 18-to-34 set. In its Saturday 8-10 p.m. slot, "TWOZ" scored more viewers than did CBS.
Vibe awards. UPN's taped trophy telecast enjoyed nearly a million more viewers than last year thanks to a move from Friday to Tuesday night and advance publicity about a stabbing at the event. The Vibe awards ranked No. 1 among teens, marking UPN's best Tuesday teen delivery in more than three years.
LOSERS
"LAX." Say so long to NBC's campy airport drama after last week's ratings crash -- a worst-yet 6.3 million viewers.
"The Simple Life 2: Road Trip." Paris and Nicole's clip-job channeling Bing and Bob copped an anemic 5.6 million viewers -- a worst-ever for the "Simple Life" franchise.
"My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss." Down to 3.4 million viewers -- Fox's smallest Sunday audience for any original program during a TV season in at least 13 years.

fredfa

11-24-04, 01:21 AM

NBC Bets Conditions Are Ripe For a New Weather Channel
Network Chases Viewers, Ads In the Nascent Digital Arena
THE SMALL SCREEN
By JOE FLINT The Wall Street Journal November 24, 2004
NBC is betting that the tide is turning in favor of digital television.
The network's launch last week of an all-weather channel slid under the radar of many media watchers. But the creation of the digital-only network is a big gamble for NBC that could have major implications for the broadcasting industry.
For now, few television viewers have access to Weather Plus or its brethren across the digital spectrum. But NBC is hoping that new niche ventures such as its weather network can help recapture some of the revenue-generating advertising that is slowly being gobbled up by cable competitors.
But first, NBC will have to persuade cable and satellite operators to carry Weather Plus. Although in theory the channel is available over the air to consumers who own new, high-definition digital television sets, the vast majority of viewers in the U.S. watch all their television over cable or satellite.
The channel, called NBC Weather Plus, premiered last week only in New York City, primarily as a place for people to check their local forecast. The potential audience is limited to Time Warner's 700,000 digital cable subscribers in New York, though NBC expects that cable carriers in other regions will soon begin carrying the channel.
To transmit the channel, NBC is using a portion of the digital spectrum it has been allocated free by the government to broadcast high-definition television, an allotment that every television station in the country received.
Broadcasters will use up some of that spectrum to send out crystal-clear, high-definition pictures of their regular programming. But that will leave them with plenty of digital space to create new services. While broadcasters are wary of the cost of broadcasting in high definition, they are attracted to the prospect of creating channels that eventually could add revenue.
Many stations already are using their digital allotment for new local channels. Some broadcasters are even talking about teaming up and using their spectrum to form a service that essentially would operate as an alternative to cable transmission, delivering the most sought-after cable television networks to consumers on a digital platform. Although the odds of success are long, if telephone companies can seek to compete with cable and satellite companies in the distribution business, why shouldn't broadcasters try it, too?
"I think there is a general excitement about the opportunity to leverage millions of dollars we've invested in a digital infrastructure," says Terry Mackin, an executive vice president with New York-based station owner Hearst-Argyle Television. Hearst-Argyle, which owns three NBC affiliates, is one of several major broadcast partners on the Weather Plus channel, along with Post-Newsweek, New York Times Co.'s television arm and A.H. Belo. NBC, which is owned by General Electric Co., says Weather Plus will be available in 15 cities over the next three months, which will allow it to reach 50% of the U.S.
But bringing the digital channel to the other half of the country could be tough. Many local stations, who have been hit just as hard by cable's ascent in the fight for ratings and ad dollars, want to keep their spectrum for themselves rather than partnering with a network.
Creatively, NBC's entry into digital broadcasting is fairly low risk. The station, which is seen on channel 731 on New York's Time Warner Cable, consists simply of a weather map of local and national conditions. The channel has an L-shaped bar on the screen with information on the New York tri-state area. During some parts of the day, there is a weather reporter on camera, but mostly Weather Plus just offers a screen with background music.
There is advertising on Weather Plus, but not enough to guarantee profits for NBC and its affiliate partners anytime soon. For now, the service is being offered free to cable and satellite operators. The partnership, says Brandon Burgess, NBC's executive vice president overseeing the venture, has invested tens of millions of dollars in the channel.
Mr. Burgess says there is a need for the channel because "half the time when you tune into the Weather Channel, you don't get what you hope to get, instead you get a national story or long-form programming."
The Weather Channel, the cable network owned by closely held Landmark Communications, recently has made a push to broaden its audience by launching shows such as "Storm Stories," about, well, big storms. But if viewers want to find out what is going on right outside their door, they often have to wait, since Weather Channel's local updates come only every eight minutes.
Still, the Weather Channel has little reason to worry about its nascent rival. For starters, it already is available in some 90 million homes. Weather Channel chief Patrick Scott also points out that in any market, there are 40 or 50 sources of weather. "Clearly we'll watch it, it would be dumb of us not to," he says of the new Weather Plus. But, he adds, "there is a lot more to this than just aggregating some data -- this is about trust and brand and depth."
NBC is the first network to officially launch a digital service, though Walt Disney Co.'s ABC has an experimental network up and running, called ABC News Now. That channel, which started out as a broadband service, had its digital-television premiere in July during the Democratic convention, and specialized in campaign news, offering coverage that was distinct from what was available on the main network.
Currently, ABC News Now offers a mix of live coverage and segments of material that has already appeared on ABC News. Last week, it carried live the opening of President Bill Clinton's library in Little Rock, Ark. The channel is available to about 6.5 million digital cable subscribers nationwide.
ABC is still contemplating whether to proceed with its digital service. On the one hand, it could be a way for the network to get into the 24-hour news business. But until digital television sets and cable boxes are in a majority of homes, it will be an uphill battle. Bernie Gershon, ABC News's senior vice president and general manger of its digital media group, says that "at this point it is some tire-kicking on our part to see what works and doesn't work."
NBC likely has some tire-kicking of its own in store. While weather is a popular subject, NBC has waded into the digital world with a rather bland first venture. If the network wanted to send a signal to advertisers that it was primed for new business, it might have started out with something that drove up the thermostat a few more notches.

rogo

11-24-04, 03:36 AM

I have heard rumors of a nifty new information network that provides instant, up-to-date weather conditions and forecasts for, well, pretty much every single major city on the whole damn planet.

It's called the Internet and it's increasingly displacing every means of finding out the weather other than looking out the damned window.

More and more homes have it available 24/7 than will ever have antennas to pick up digital broadcasts and / or ever find channel 7 million and 41.

More great innovation from the geniuses who killed Boomtown.

fredfa

11-24-04, 11:26 AM

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)

Primetime Tuesday Ratings:
CBS and NBC Split Leadership

Metered Market Ratings for Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2004
Night 20 of the November Sweeps

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 8.8/13
NBC: 8.2/12
ABC: 6.7/10
WB: 5.4/ 8
Fox: 3.7/ 6
UPN: 2.7/ 4

Percent Change From the Year-Ago Night (Tuesday11/25/03):

WB: +42
NBC: +14
CBS: - 4
UPN: - 7
ABC: -13
Fox: -51

Fast Affiliate Ratings

Total Viewers:
CBS: 12.25 million
NBC: 11.21
ABC: 9.82
WB: 6.04
Fox: 5.11
UPN: 2.86

Adults 18-49:
NBC: 4.7/12
ABC: 3.6/10
CBS: 3.6/ 9
Fox: 2.3/ 6
WB: 1.7/ 4
UPN: 1.2/ 3

Yesterday's Winners:
NCIS (CBS)
Samantha: An American Girl Holiday (WB)
The Amazing Race 6 (CBS)
According To Jim (ABC)
Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

Honorable Mention:
The Biggest Loser (NBC)
Rodney (ABC)

Yesterday's Losers:
The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best (Fox)
All of Us (UPN)
Eve (UPN)
Scrubs (NBC)

Ratings Breakdown:

Although yet another victory for CBS in households and total viewers is certainly worth noting, on the forefront last night was original WB made-for movie, Samantha: An American Girl Holiday, at a healthy (and fourth-place) 5.4/ 8 in the overnights, 6.04 million viewers (also No. 4), and a fifth-place 1.7/ 4 among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. Comparably, that was an increase over the year-ago time period occupant (theatrical Never Been Kissed on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003 -- 3.8/ 6; Viewers: 3.93 million; A18-49: 1.6/ 5) of 42 percent in the overnights, 2.11 million viewers and 6 percent among adults 18-49. Note: total viewers and adults 18-49 from last night are based on the fast affiliate ratings; year-ago levels for Never Been Kissed are based on the final nationals.

Over at CBS, The Amazing Race 6 is a more than ample replacement for canceled drama Clubhouse with an overall No. 1 finish in the overnights (8.1/12), total viewers (11.43 million) and adults 18-49 (4.7/12) from 9-10 p.m. Earlier in the evening, the Eye net's growing NCIS remains a force to reckon with a first-place finish in the overnights (10.8/16) and total viewers (14.99 million), and a second-place 3.4/ 9 among adults 18-49 at 8 p.m.

Since no network is without its problem spots, CBS' veteran Judging Amy looks like it might be time to call it quits with a 7.8/12 in the overnights (#2), 10.34 million viewers (#2) and a third-place 2.7/ 7 among adults 18-49 (#3) at 10 p.m. Comparably, that was a decrease of 22 percent in the overnights, 1.29 million viewers and 4 percent among adults 18-49 from the year-ago telecast (10.5/15; Viewers: 11.63 million; A18-49: 2.8/ 8 on Nov. 25, 2003).

Over at NBC, although a 90-minute edition of The Biggest Loser (#2 overall: 6.7/10; A18-49: #2 overall, 4.2/11 from 8-9:30 p.m. / #3, 7.4/11; A18-49: #1, 4.5/11 in the 9 p.m. half-hour) remains a decent reality hit, lead-out Scrubs (#3: 6.3/ 9; A18-49: #3, 3.6/ 9 at 9:30 p.m.) proves that creativity is not synonymous with a mass audience. Even so, Law & Order: SVU at 10 p.m. remained a solid first with an 11.5/18 in the overnights, 15.20 million viewers and a 6.0/16 among adults 18-49 at 10 p.m.

On ABC, there were two things worth noting in its combination of My Wife and Kids (#2: 6.1/ 9; A18-49: #3, 3.0/ 9), George Lopez (#3: 5.9/ 9; A18-49: #3, 3.3/ 9), According To Jim (#2: 7.7/11; A18-49: #2t, 4.2/11), Rodney (#2: 6.5/10; A18-49: #2, 3.9/10) and the soon-to-conclude NYPD Blue (#3: 6.8/10; A18-49: #2, 3.8/10). The first was growth for According To Jim out of George Lopez of a considerable 31 percent in the overnights and 27 percent among adults 18-49. The second was Rodney moving into the No. 2 spot among adults 18-49 at 9:30 p.m., with retention of 93 percent out of According To Jim in the demo. ABC was wise to renew Rodney for the remainder of the season.

Although week two of Fox drama House was nothing to crow about with a fifth-place finish in the overnights (4.4/ 6), and fourth-place finish in total viewers (6.09 million) and adults 18-49 (2.6/ 7) at 9 p.m., growth of 47 percent in the overnights, 1.95 million viewers and 37 percent among adults 18-49 out of lead-in The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best (#5: 3.0/ 4; Viewers: #5, 4.14 million; A18-49: #4, 1.9/ 5) is worth highlighting.

Last, and least, was UPN's combination of All Of Us (#6: 2.7/ 4; A18-49: #6, 1.1/ 3), Eve (#6: 2.8/ 4; A18-49: #6, 1.1/ 3) and Veronica Mars (#6: 2.7/ 4; A18-49: #6,1.3/ 3). Considering that Veronica Mars was up a considerable 36 percent among adults 18-34 over former time period occupants Rock Me Baby and a repeat of Half and Half on the year-ago night, there is hope for this promising Buffy-esque drama.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

[/B][/U]National Ratings in Primetime - Week of Nov. 15: [/B][/U]
CBS Dominates By Considerable Margins

In yet another solid victory for the Eye net, CBS' advantage over second-place NBC for the week of Nov. 15 was 26 percent in households, 3.25 million viewers, 10 percent in adults 18-49, and 17 percent among adults 25-54. NBC remained No. 1 among adults 18-34 -- 6 percent above CBS. Although CBS was close to year-ago levels in households and total viewers, year-to-year growth demographically for the network by as much as 30 percent among women 18-34 (3.0/ 9 to 3.9/11) is the story worth telling this week (and season).

Comparably, ABC and Fox were close to Nov. 2003 levels, while NBC, UPN and the WB were all on the downside. Biggest loser: the WB, with erosion of 10 to 17 percent in the below five categories.

What follows are the final national ratings for the week of Nov. 15 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago period in parentheses) followed by the top-rated programs of the week:

Households:
CBS: 9.1/14 (- 2)
NBC: 7.2/11 (- 8)
ABC: 6.8/11 (- 3)
Fox: 4.4/ 7 (no change)
UPN: 2.8/ 4 (- 7)
WB: 2.5/ 4 (-14)

Total Viewers:
CBS: 14.07 million (- 1)
NBC: 10.82 (- 7)
ABC: 10.54 (- 1)
Fox: 6.84 (+ 1)
UPN: 4.19 (- 6)
WB: 3.83 (-12)

Adults 18-49:
CBS: 4.4/12 (+ 7)
NBC: 4.0/11 (-11)
ABC: 3.9/10 (- 5)
Fox: 2.9/ 8 (- 3)
UPN: 1.7/ 4 (-11)
WB: 1.6/ 4 (-11)

Adults 18-34:
NBC: 3.5/10 (-10)
CBS: 3.3/10 (+22)
ABC: 3.2/10 (- 6)
Fox: 3.0/ 9 (-12)
WB: 1.8/ 5 (-10)
UPN: 1.8/ 5 (-14)

Adults 25-54:
CBS: 5.5/13 (+ 6)
NBC: 4.7/11 (- 8)
ABC: 4.5/11 (no change)
Fox: 3.0/ 7 (+ 3)
UPN: 1.7/ 4 (-11)
WB: 1.5/ 4 (-17)

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Ratings Box: What's Hot/What's Not

Evening News Rating Update:
Now that Dan Rather is stepping down from his anchor chair at the CBS Evening News, what follows is a season to-date ratings look at the three-network news race. Considering CBS is last with noticeable year-to-year erosion, maybe this is not as big a deal as everyone seems to think. Take a look and not that percent change versus the comparable year-ago period appears in parentheses:

Households:
NBC Nightly News: 7.1/14 (+ 1)
ABC World News Tonight: 6.2/12 (- 6)
CBS Evening News: 5.0/10 (- 9)

Total Viewers:
NBC Nightly News: 10.0 million (+ 2)
ABC World News Tonight: 8.85 million (- 5)
CBS Evening News: 6.97 million (- 9)

Adults 25-54:
NBC Nightly News: 2.7/10 (no change)
ABC World News Tonight: 2.5/ 9 (- 7)
CBS Evening News: 1.9/ 7 (-10)

Source: Nielsen Media Research data
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
November Ratings Update:
CBS Dominates
Based on results through Friday, Nov. 19 (16 days into the November sweep), CBS rules by a rock-solid margin, with an advantage to-date over No. 2 NBC of 31 percent in households, 4.01 million viewers, 17 percent in adults 18-49, and 22 percent among adults 25-54. Although an above-average performance for miniseries Category 6: Day of Destruction certainly helped, CBS' strength is based predominantly on regularly scheduled programming. The CSI franchise, Without a Trace, Everybody Loves Raymond, Two and a Half Men, Survivor: Vanuatu, The Amazing Race 6, 60 Minutes, Cold Case, NCIS, King of Queens...you name it and CBS has it.

Elsewhere, minor year-to-year losses for NBC coupled with minor growth for ABC means that the alphabet network has narrowed the gap, while reality populated Fox is close to year-ago levels. Although UPN and the WB are also on par with ratings in Nov. 2003, UPN holds an advantage in three of the below four categories. The exception: adults 18-49, which both networks are tied at with a 1.6/ 4 each.

What follows are updated ratings for the November sweep (with change versus the comparable year-ago period in parentheses):

Households:
CBS: 9.7/15 (- 1)
NBC: 7.4/12 (- 6)
ABC: 6.6/11 (+ 2)
Fox: 4.3/ 7 (- 2)
UPN: 2.6/ 4 (+ 4)
WB: 2.5/ 4 (- 7)

Total Viewers:
CBS: 15.12 million (no change)
NBC: 11.11 (- 5)
ABC: 10.09 (+2)
Fox: 6.75 (- 1)
UPN: 3.90 (+ 3)
WB: 3.80 (- 7)

Adults 18-49:
CBS: 4.9/13 (+14)
NBC: 4.2/11 (- 9)
ABC: 3.8/10 (+ 6)
Fox: 2.9/ 8 (no change)
UPN: 1.6/ 4 (no change)
WB: 1.6/ 4 (no change)

Adults 25-54:
CBS: 6.0/14 (+ 7)
NBC: 4.9/11 (- 6)
ABC: 4.3/10 (+ 2)
Fox: 2.9/ 7 (no change)
UPN: 1.6/ 4 (no change)
WB: 1.5/ 4 (- 6)

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

fredfa

11-24-04, 11:46 AM

Back when this thread was beginning, someone asked about ratings for Pax.
I finally found some.
They are not for this past week, (released yesterday) but for two weeks ago (ending Nov.14th.)

CBS 8.5/13
NBC 7.4/12
ABC 7.1/11
Fox 4.1/6
WB 2.7/4
UPN 2.5/4
Pax 0.4/1

In no case did any Pax show get more than a one share.
It's highest rating was as 1.0 for a showing of "Doc".
By night, Pax's numbers were:

Mon 0.1/1
Tue 0.3/1
Wed 0.3/1
Thu 0.6/1
Fri 0.5/1
Sat 0.3/1
Sun 0.8/1
(From Neilsen research and Broadcasting & Cable)

fredfa

11-24-04, 11:52 AM

Idol Way Up Down Under

By John Eggerton – Broadcasting & Cable,
Fox must be counting the days until its New Year launch of the next round of American Idol, particularly after news out of Australia about that country's Idol final.
According to FremantleMedia, Network Ten's audience for last weekend's show that crowned Casey Donovan Australia's Idol peaked at 3.47 million.

That number might be enough to get a Hawaii or Dr. Vegas canned in the states, but in Australia, where the total population is only about 20 million, that amounts to a 67.5% share of total viewers and a whopping 74.1% of the key 16-39 demo.
The broadcast was the top-rated of the year for Australia. It is the second installment of Idol in Australia, which is produced by Grundy Television.
American Idol launches its fourth contest Jan. 18, but Fox is looking to start peaking interest with an Idol holiday special tonight featuring past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, and Fantasia Barrino.

fredfa

11-24-04, 01:46 PM

(This is also posted a a stand-alone thread, so I won't put in in Latest News.)

Broadcasters to Fund USDTV
By Linda Moss Multichannel.com
U.S. Digital Television Inc., a low-cost “best-of-television” wireless service, is completing a deal to get a round of funding from several major broadcasters.
“These leading broadcast groups are going to own and control the business of USDTV,” CEO Steve Lindsley said. “This has been my primary objective from day one.”
USDTV’s strategy -- which entails leasing spectrum from local TV stations in order to offer a limited digital lineup of cable networks and broadcasters -- was recently cited by the Federal Communications Commission in its report panning a la carte.
Lindsley was buoyed by that report, which noted that “more choices in program selection,” like the $19.95-per-month offering from USDTV, are appearing through marketplace forces, and not regulation.
Since launching earlier this year, USDTV has tallied 10,000 subscribers in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Albuquerque, N.M. The company is providing an over-the-air package of 20-30 channels, including one-dozen popular cable networks like ESPN and HDTV signals, for $19.95.
USDTV’s game plan is to lure cable and direct-broadcast satellite subscribers, as well as cable-nevers who don’t want to pay $50 or more per month for a huge battery of cable networks.

fredfa

11-24-04, 01:49 PM

For the fans of The Apprentice 2, this late news from NBC (and thefutoncritic.com)

THE APPRENTICE (12/16; 3 HR.)*

Air Date: 12/16/04 (THURSDAY)
Time Slot: 8:00 PM-11:00 PM EST on NBC
Episode Title: "Season Finale Event With Live Reveal!"
THE APPRENTICE --(8:00PM-11:00PM) --(TV-PG)
"Season Finale Event With Live Reveal!"
Decision Time
The final two tasks are underway as the remaining two candidates battle it out to be Donald Trump's next apprentice. But each one faces huge obstacles during their respective task: Trump is directly involved in missteps at both a polo match and an NBA charity game, and a Tony Bennett performance causes a last minute scramble. This all leads up to the final LIVE boardroom showdown where someone will hear the words "You're Hired."

fredfa

11-24-04, 02:13 PM

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2004
'NCIS' Powers CBS to Tuesday Win
A week after scoring its best ratings ever, the CBS drama "NCIS" put up another strong number Tuesday, leading the network to a win for the night.
CBS averaged an 8.0 rating/13 share in primetime to finish slightly ahead of NBC's 7.5/12. ABC was third at 6.4/10, and The WB, thanks to its first original movie, came in fourth at 3.9/6. FOX averaged 3.2/5 and UPN 2.0/3.
NBC grabbed a win among adults 18-49 with a 4.7 rating in the ad-friendly demographic. ABC and CBS tied for second at 3.6, and FOX took fourth with a 2.3. The WB's 1.7 was fifth, beating UPN's 1.2.
At 8 p.m., "NCIS," 9.5/15, easily won the hour for CBS over "The Biggest Loser," 6.3/10, on NBC. "My Wife and Kids," 5.7/9, and "George Lopez," 5.6/9, put ABC in third. "Samantha: An American Girl Holiday," based on the stories behind the American Girl dolls, posted a 3.8/6 for The WB. FOX's "Rebel Billionaire" sunk to fifth, while UPN's "All of Us" and "Eve" trailed.
At 9 p.m., CBS held onto the lead with "The Amazing Race," 7.1/11, which just beat the 7.0/11 average of ABC's "According to Jim" and "Rodney." NBC dropped to third with the last half-hour of "The Biggest Loser," 6.8/11, and "Scrubs," 5.3/8. The WB's movie stayed in fourth. "House," 3.9/6, couldn't move FOX out of fifth but did improve substantially on its lead-in. "Veronica Mars" posted a 1.9/3 for UPN.
At 10 p.m., "Law & Order: SVU" (10.1/17) won the hour for NBC with the night's biggest audience. "Judging Amy," 7.4/12, was second for CBS, beating ABC's "NYPD Blue," 6.4/11.
• Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.

fredfa

11-24-04, 02:36 PM

Cablevision Unit Buying Satellites
By Associated Press

November 24, 2004, 11:47 AM EST

WASHINGTON -- Cablevision Systems Corp. said Wednesday its Rainbow DBS satellite television unit will buy $740 million worth of satellites from defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp.

Lockheed will construct five satellites for Cablevision and provide related equipment, software and training, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The satellites will be delivered over a period from 38 months to 50 months after the deal closes.

Rainbow DBS, which operates the VOOM satellite TV service, expects the cost for the five satellites to be $740 million, subject to certain adjustments and not including launch costs.

Rainbow DBS said existing cash on hand will be sufficient to make all required payments under the contract through the first year, estimated to be $48 million.

Rainbow DBS hasn't identified the funding sources it will use for the payments due after the first year, but the cable TV and entertainment giant Cablevision has said it plans to spin off the unit, which also includes the television channels AMC, The Independent Film Channel, WE: Women's Entertainment and the Mag Rack.

New York Stock Exchange-listed shares of Cablevision, based in Bethpage, N.Y., traded Wednesday morning at $21.73, down 45 cents, or 2 percent.

NYSE-listed Lockheed shares traded at $59.23, up 19 cents, or 0.3 percent.

fredfa

11-24-04, 03:06 PM

DirecTV Dumps Trio
By Allison Romano – Broadcasting & Cable
Pop-culture digital network Trio is losing its place on DirecTV Inc., which also means about one-half of its available audience.
As expected, the satellite company plans to pull the NBC Universal-owned channel off its system Dec. 31. Starting Dec. 1, DirecTV will run a crawl on the channel informing viewers of Trio’s fate.
Trio says it is “committed to programming the network for its loyal viewers and cable distribution partners.” A Trio spokesperson added that NBC Universal “continues to evaluate the future of the network in relation to its overall digital strategy.”
Translation: The future looks pretty grim.
DirecTV accounted for more than half of Trio’s 20 million subs. NBC inherited the network–a critical darling–last spring through its acquisition of Vivendi Universal Entertainment and has been evaluating its growth potential.
Network President Lauren Zalaznick, who also heads Bravo, has been an passionate advocate and appealed to NBC Universal Television chief Jeff Zucker and cable head Jeff Gaspin to save the network.
Trouble is, Trio is a low priority in a big NBC Universal Cable portfolio. To make Trio viable, NBC would need to lean on cable and satellite operators to get better distribution deals, but it also has USA Network, Sci Fi Channel, Bravo, CNBC and MSNBC to promote, as well as digital initiatives like a high definition channel and video on demand.

AFH

11-24-04, 03:48 PM

Fred, did the info about the Apprentice say when the next one will start? I'm assuming that NBC is trying to follow the pattern that CBS has with Survivor, i.e. airing Survivor Sept thru Dec and late Jan thru the end of the tv season.

I also have one suggestion for this informative thread. When you use the white lettering for title headings it is very hard to see. Could you use a color is that is easier to see without having to highlight the title? I have the eyes of a 27 yr old b/c I am 27 but it's still hard on the eyes.

Thanks,

keenan

11-24-04, 04:13 PM

Originally posted by AFH

I also have one suggestion for this informative thread. When you use the white lettering for title headings it is very hard to see. Could you use a color is that is easier to see without having to highlight the title? I have the eyes of a 27 yr old b/c I am 27 but it's still hard on the eyes.

Thanks,

Are you using the alternate display scheme? With the blue-grey(standard) forum scheme it looks fine, just a suggestion.

fredfa

11-24-04, 04:23 PM

Antonio: I would expect NBC to start Apprentice 3 in February (sweeps) and have it conclude in May sweeps.
I have seen nothing definitive about that, though.
When I get information, I'll post it.

As to the white, it appears far easier to read (for me) than the light blue headlines were.
But if everyone prefers a different color for headlines, I'll be happy to oblige.

Morris Jones

11-24-04, 04:32 PM

Same thing with me. Yes I use the alternate display scheme. We like it better, which is why we use it. :)

Mojo

fredfa

11-24-04, 05:01 PM

This is a problem.
I have always used the standard display, but when I switched over to the alternate, things changed dramatically.
Many colors which were crystal clear in the standard are barely readable (white, skyblue).
Others, which are very hard to read in the standard setup (blue and green for example) are great in the alternate version.
Again, I am willing to bow to the majority...I've posted a few new colors in the first few stories in Latest News.
(To be honest, I find the alternate view a lot easier on my eyes, and it woudl be easier to run the thread using the many more colors which seem to work better in alternate.)
But the entire object of this thread is to post items of interest about HD and TV so as many people as possible can enjoy and learn.

GregF

11-24-04, 05:28 PM

well maybe i'm not using the default color scheme. Here is how it looks on my monitor:
http://www.corporation-x.com/howitlooks.jpg

rogo

11-24-04, 05:36 PM

I use the alternate display too because the AVS original is an eye killer.

If there is a neutral headline color that works with both, that'd be really great.

Fred, this thread is an all-time best.

tall1

11-24-04, 05:42 PM

I dint know there was an alternate color. I love it, thanks guys.

f44

11-24-04, 06:17 PM

fredfa,

Not sure if this goes under cancelled, but the PAX show Doc has its scheduled series finale this Sunday.

keenan

11-24-04, 06:30 PM

Originally posted by rogo
I use the alternate display too because the AVS original is an eye killer.

Interesting, the white background is hard on my eyes, too much bright white spaces, whereas the black background makes it easier to see individual posts and delineate the post text itself from everything else on the page and it just has a softer look, to me anyhow...

Personal choice...

fredfa

11-24-04, 08:19 PM

thanks rogo!

f44 -- frankly I have too hard a time finding Pax info, and its ratings are so low it doesn't seem like much of an omission - at least to me.
But since you are interested in Pax, and if its OK with you, feel free to continue posting Pax info here.
Thanks in advance.

On the color scheme -- I'll continue to experiment for a while.
You guys have never been hesitant to give me feed back -- which I (almost always) greatly appreciate, so I'll do my best to come up with something that will at worst be an acceptable compromise.

Also, as a favor to me, if you know people who are interested in television and TV news, please turn them on to the thread.
Page views make the work I put into keeping this site updated worthwhile.
We're now averaging a little better than 1,100 during week days - about half that on weekends.
That's about three times what we were getting a month after I started this thread, so things are looking up.
Any help you can give me to get even more views will be greatly appreciated.
The more (page views) the merrier!

I also have to thank KenH and the other moderators who have allowed me to stray from the HD-only premise of the AVS Programming Forum to include other TV news and commentary I believe is of note.
The moderators' forbearance has been great (and although I try to post as much HD news as I can find, I would assume they get their share of complaints about the non HD material posted here.)

Sorry to ramble.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

f44

11-24-04, 09:46 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
thanks rogo!

f44 --
But since you are interested in Pax, and if its OK with you, feel free to continue posting Pax info here.

Not that interested, just coincendental that i read the thing on Doc when you posted the ratings. So it seems like all their new shows, including that Cold Turkey one, are flopping, right?

mp3trojan

11-24-04, 11:06 PM

Fred,

Where would you go to find ratings for a specific market i.e. Dallas? Just curious as to who's winning the sweeps war between the local news programs. Thanks

fredfa

11-25-04, 12:09 AM

f44:
Both "Doc" and "Cold Turkey" did an 0.3/1 the week I saw the Pax ratings (Nov 1-7.)
I'll see if I can find something more recent. But to answer your question -- it seems everything on Pax is failing.

mp3trojan: Does the Dallas News have a TV columnist?
If so, email him or her and ask for local news ratings on a regular basis.
I have no immediate access to local Dallas ratings -- but will see if I can come up with anything for you.
Sometimes a week or so after sweeps Broadcasting & Cable runs ratings for the top 25 markets. If they do in the next few weeks, I'll try to remember to post Dallas for you.

fredfa

11-25-04, 01:52 AM

mp3trojan:
I have found a couple of items that may be of interest (until this sweeps ends and hopefully I can get the Nov. Dallas news ratings).
First, here is a PRNewswire piece about ratings for election night in Dallas/Fort Worth:
Dallas-Fort Worth Viewers Vote for NBC 5 on Election Night
DALLAS AND FORT WORTH, Texas, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- More North Texans
watched NBC 5 / KXAS-TV for 2004 election night coverage than any other single
local or national television news source.
NBC 5 News @ 10pm was #1 with a 11.5 rating/ 16 share and NBC's "Decision
2004" primetime national election coverage finished #1 with a 9.9 rating/
13 share.
Election day began with NBC 5 morning reports being the most watched local
newscasts in Dallas-Fort Worth. Both NBC 5 Today at 5am and 6am led in
viewership with a 2.9 rating/ 15 share and 5.4 rating/ 19 share, respectively.
"The 2004 election was a big story," comments Tom O'Brien, NBC 5 president
and general manager. "While many news organization just report the facts, we
did a great job of providing context for North Texans, conveying insight that
each viewer will find personally relevant. We're serious about our mission,
by covering 'Not just what happens. What matters.'"
NBC 5's dominance over the competition on election night reflects the
continued success of the station in delivering news and information that area
residents find valuable. NBC 5 News @ 10pm has been #1 for eight consecutive
key A.C. Nielsen ratings periods.
NBC 5 / KXAS-TV / nbc5i.com and Telemundo 39 / KXTX-TV are the NBC owned
and operated media centers serving the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.

Election Night - November 2, 2004
Dallas - Fort Worth, Texas
TV Household Rating/Share

7-10 p.m. 10-10:30 p.m.
Rating Share Rating Share
KXAS / NBC 5 9.9 13 11.5 16
WFAA / ABC 8.6 12 10.1 14
KDFW / FOX 6.4 9 7.4 10
CNN 4.6 6 7.5 10
FOX News Channel 4.3 6 4.8 7
KTVT / CBS 3.9 5 3.6 5
MSNBC 1.4 2 2.2 3
KERA / PBS (1) 0.7 1 1.8 3

(1) KERA prime is 9-10 p.m. (not 7-10 p.m.) to reflect election
programming

One rating point equals approximately 22,560 households
Source: Nielsen Media Research / Overnight Report 11/2/04 / Dallas-Fort
Worth DMA

and here is a ling to a Columbia Journalism Review article about WFAA TV (almost a year old now.)

http://archives.cjr.org/year/94/1/lonestar.asp

lastly, from mediaweek, what the ratings were back in 2001:

http://www.mediaweek.com/mediaweek/top50/dallas.jsp

Sorry I can't easily find anything more specific (or current) than election night ratings (which, of course, heavily lean toward a station's network affiliation.)

Fred

fredfa

11-25-04, 01:55 AM

Improved Numbers Shelter CBS From the Fallout

By BILL CARTER and JACQUES STEINBERG The New York Times November 25, 2004

The face of CBS News has announced his retirement from the anchor chair. The division still anticipates serious fallout from the investigation into the National Guard story that went wrong. Important news employees expect to be disciplined; some may well be fired.
Still, it is hard to wipe the grins off the faces of CBS's top executives.
CBS is doing so well right now with its entertainment programming that the developments in its news division - led by Dan Rather's sudden announcement Tuesday that he will step down sooner than expected from the anchor position after a 24-year run - are being taken entirely in stride.
"Our news division is not hurting us," said Leslie Moonves, the CBS chairman, who is also co-president of Viacom, the network's parent company.
That may not represent a ringing endorsement, but it also does not signal the kind of management displeasure that in the past led to major layoffs, big budget cuts or other batterings of CBS News.
Mr. Moonves was by no means shrugging off the seriousness of what may come out of the report by an independent commission looking into Mr. Rather's "60 Minutes" segment examining President Bush's National Guard record. That broadcast relied on what turned out to be unsubstantiated documents.
Mr. Moonves said that when the commission report is released - it is expected by the middle of December - he fully expects it to be a tough day for CBS. But he has many reasons not to be unsettled by a tough day here or there - hundreds of millions of reasons, in fact.
That is the kind of profit increase, in dollars, that the network expects to collect as a result of the best competitive performance by its prime-time entertainment in a generation.
Moreover, CBS - long identified as the gray-haired network - is in position to record a significant breakthrough with younger audiences once the complete results of the November ratings sweeps are in. (Sweeps are special ratings periods that advertisers use to buy commercial time for the next quarter of the year.)
For the first time since 1987, when Nielsen Media Research began measuring the age composition of audiences on a daily basis, CBS is expected to win the sweeps competition in every important ratings category: total viewers, viewers between the ages of 25 and 54, even viewers between the ages of 18 and 49.
The latter group, considered the most valuable to advertisers, has always been CBS's nemesis. (In the past, CBS has had to endure jokes about its viewers being less a hip audience than a hip-replacement audience.) The 18-to-49 group has long been the demographic area the other three broadcast networks use as their only measure of success.
Now CBS is comfortably winning there. As of this week, CBS had a 4.6 rating in the November sweep with that group, to NBC's 4.1, ABC's 3.9 and Fox's 2.9 rating. (Each ratings point in that group represents about 1.2 million people.)
CBS is even beating NBC in the 18-to-49 group on Thursday nights, the biggest advertising night of the week and formerly NBC's "must-see TV" stronghold.
David F. Poltrack, the executive vice president of research for CBS, said the network's share of what he called "the salable audience," which spans both the 18-to-49 demographic and the 25-to-54 age group, had increased by more than two percentage points this television season. That should transfer to more than $200 million in additional advertising revenue for CBS, Mr. Poltrack said.
Far from wringing its hands about what is happening in the news division, where Andrew Heyward has been president since 1996, CBS is rubbing its hands at the prospect of cashing in on its expanding success.
"The network," Mr. Moonves said, "has never been healthier."
Mr. Moonves included the news division in that assessment, at least as far as profits go. While Mr. Rather's newscast has fallen to a distant third in the ratings competition among the network evening newscasts, Mr. Moonves said the program remained profitable. He also said "60 Minutes," CBS's twice-weekly newsmagazine program, was continuing to generate strong profit numbers.
Best of all, he said, has been the recent ratings increases for CBS News' morning program, "The Early Show," which Mr. Moonves said is up 25 to 30 percent in profits this year despite remaining a distant also-ran to NBC's powerhouse program, "Today," and behind ABC's "Good Morning America."
"Look, it's not the 'Today' show," he said. "NBC makes more money as a network than us because 'Today' makes so much money." Some estimates have put the annual profit of "Today" at $250 million.
But a third-place news program that makes money is no disaster, Mr. Moonves said. "Do we want to do better than third? Of course. But it's really not hurting us."
Even CBS's affiliated stations are so happy with the network's overall performance that few are still complaining about the controversy surrounding Mr. Rather.
"The 6:30 network news is important to them because it leads into their 7 p.m. access shows," Mr. Moonves said, referring to syndicated programs like "Entertainment Tonight," which are significant profit centers for local television stations. "But the affiliates are very supportive of what we've been able to do."
Alan Bell, president and chief executive of Freedom Communications, which owns five CBS affiliates in cities like Albany; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and West Palm Beach, Fla., said: "It's a fabulously well-managed company, which is more than I can say about other past eras of CBS."
He called the issues surrounding Mr. Rather's decision to retire a "delicate situation," adding that "I don't think any of us who have to manage people and events in a fishbowl relish the role they played."
But he expressed confidence that CBS, under Mr. Moonves, will find answers to its problems in its news division.
"Let me make it real simple," Mr. Bell said. "The success you're seeing CBS achieve right now is a reflection of the talents and capacities of Leslie Moonves. He ultimately will figure out how to help the news division reach the same level of performance as the rest of CBS."

fredfa

11-25-04, 02:06 AM

A couple of show notes
thefutoncritic.com

C.S.I.: NEW YORK (CBS) - Spike TV has scored the off-network rights to the latest "C.S.I." spin-off in a record deal with syndie distributor King World vauled at $1.9 million per episode. Said deal marks the largest off-network sale for a drama series in television history, second only to Spike's deal for the parent series "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation." The record setting deal comes despite not much of a bidding war for the series as Viacom is said to have been intent on keeping the series under its corporate umbrella. While full details weren't released, "New York" will likely begin its run on Spike TV with a once-a-week play come fall 2006 with an expansion to five-nights-a-week come fall 2008.

DYNASTY: THE MAKING OF A GUILTY PLEASURE (A.K.A. DYNASTY: BEHIND THE SCENES) (ABC) - The Alphabet has slated its "behind-the-scenes" telefilm about the 1981-1989 ABC soap for Sunday, January 2 at 9:00/8:00c. Among the project's principal cast are Melora Hardin as Linda Evans, Bart John as John Forsythe, Alice Krige as Joan Collins, Pamela Reed as Esther Shapiro, Ritchie Singer as Richard Shapiro and John Terry as Vince Peterson. Here's how the Alphabet's press materials describe the project: "From 1981-1989, ABC broadcast the phenomenally-successful primetime drama serial, Dynasty, a series that reflected the Reagan years of excess and glamour. Now ABC takes viewers behind-the-scenes with a satirical, yet poignant, look at the show that allowed people to forget about their ordinary lives and drink in the champagne and caviar existence of the Carrington's - a TV family dripping in jewels but short on basic morality. Dynasty was not an instant hit series when Esther and Richard Shapiro first created the show, but it eventually dazzled audiences around the world with one of TV history's most notoriously wicked female characters, Alexis Carrington; revolutionized the term 'cat fight' as Alexis and Krystle went at it through a lily pond and mud puddle; and inspired millions of women to beef up their shoulder pads. With success came bigger salary demands from the stars and an over-inflated budget, making it one of the most expensive shows on television at that time. Dynasty: Behind The Scenes tells of the sometimes desperate, and frequently hilarious, efforts to keep the show at the top of the ratings. No plotline was too outrageous or inconceivable for the show that left an indelible imprint on the '80s."

fredfa

11-25-04, 02:43 AM

It’s Rate-Hike Season
By Linda Haugsted Multichannel.com
Cable rate increase notifications are as predictable as holiday cards in the mail in November and December, and cable’s competitors are already poised to take advantage of any consumer discontent.
Operators said they are feeling the full impact of programming-price and fuel increases. Representatives also said they invested in upgrades and beefed up their customer service and channel lineups -- all factors that justify coming rate hikes.
An online check of local news coverage shows that notices so far warn of basic-cable-rate increases ranging from 9.5% in locations such as Lansing, Mich. (Comcast Corp.), and Pine Level, N.C. (Time Warner Cable), to 2.9 % in Holland, Mich. (Comcast).
A Time Warner spokesman said rate hikes are set division by division. Hikes are announced and rolled out according to the local billing cycles.
Time Warner divisions in North Carolina and Ohio have already begun sending notices, according to press coverage. There cable rates will escalate by 5.5%. By comparison, the cost of living increased about 2.5% in 2004.
Companies are contextualizing the rate increases. Comcast plans no hikes for its 6.5 million high-speed-data customers or its 1.2 million telephony customers, spokeswoman Jenny Moyer said. The company’s planned 2005 increase will be about 3% averaged across all products, she added.
The rate hike will help to pay for the hundreds of hours of new linear and video-on-demand programming the company has added and will launch, such as a planned children’s channel set for next year.
Comcast has also taken significant steps across the country to expand service hours, to put more technicians in the field and to offer consumers shorter service windows. The company continues to upgrade its plant to voice-over-Internet-protocol readiness, she added, and 95% of the MSO’s plant will be able to provide telephony in 2005.
Cablevision Systems Corp. has announced that it will increase rates an average of 2.8% in its systems. The company noted that charges for phone and Internet service would remain unchanged for the second year in a row.
One company that is not currently in rate-hike mode is Adelphia Communications Corp. Spokeswoman Erica Stull said the company is changing its strategy of spreading hikes throughout the year around the country to a uniform increase date. That date has yet to be set, however.
Several companies declined to state the amount of their planned rate increases.
Direct-broadcast satellite competitors are already touting coming cable-rate hikes in an effort to capture consumers who are angry over another cost increase.
DirecTV Inc. is running commercials attributing nothing but continually higher costs and bad service to digital cable.
And EchoStar Communications Corp. is being even more aggressive. It has invited local reporters across the country to call the company as soon as writers receive notice of a cable-rate hike.
EchoStar vowed to provide interviews with angry local cable customers who have switched to its Dish Network. The company will also put writers in touch with local retailers, provide Federal Communications Commission reports dunning rate hikes and provide anti-cable analysts’ reports.

fredfa

11-25-04, 04:51 AM

D'Onofrio returns to 'Law & Order':CI
By ARMY ARCHERD Daily Variety

HOLLYWOOD -- "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," which was shut down for six shooting days due to Vincent D'Onofrio's hospitalization for exhaustion, was back onstage Tuesday with D'Onofrio (Detective Robert Goren) on hand.
I spoke to him in his dressing room via phone. He sounded fine and assured me that he was indeed OK. He insisted the cause of his absence was strictly "exhaustion."
"I guess I'm a perfectionist," he noted. "And the only thing that would stop me (from working) was falling down -- and that's what happened."
I asked if his doctors had recommended any changes. "We went over my lifestyle," he admitted, "and we all decided -- I shouldn't smoke. My daughter Leila is most influential in trying to get me to stop smoking."
He added, "I have to get more rest. I have been working on a short movie, 'Five Minutes, Mr. Welles,' a fictitious event that happened during the filming of 'The Third Man.' I got interested in it when I was playing (Welles) in 'Ed Wood.' "
D'Onofrio hopes to take the film to Cannes. He wrote it with Will Conroy, with whom he's also writing a Western, "Mac Dog Williams." "Thumbsucker," in which he stars, is also headed to Cannes, he says.
I asked if he had any plans to depart the series after the fifth season. "I'm here as long as Dick (Wolf) thinks I should be. But I can't get myself that exhausted again. I can't let that happen again."
He's in 30-35 scenes of every show and, despite the long hours, he allowed, "It's not digging ditches."

waltinvt

11-25-04, 09:18 AM

The red headlines read much better - for me anyway.
Thanks Fred

WaltinVt

mp3trojan

11-25-04, 10:05 AM

Thanks Fred for the efforts. I tried to do this during the may sweeps and came up mostly dry. I look forward to you future post. Thanks again

fredfa

11-25-04, 02:00 PM

Wednesday's ratings have been posted.

AFH

11-25-04, 03:25 PM

Yes I use the "alternative" white AVS look. As Mark said it is much better on the eyes. The red is much better. Fred this thread is a good depature from the typical hd stuff and I'm glad the mods have given you some room to provide the forum with general television news as well as some hd related stuff. I like reading the other hd threads, but this thread has gotten better b/c it stays interesting and relevant to what is happening in the television industry. Everyone enjoy your Thankgiving dinnner if you haven't already done so. 2 more hours and I can some turkey and enjoy some wine with friends.

Thanks Fred

fredfa

11-25-04, 05:05 PM

Top 20 Prime Time Programs, Season-To-Date
Through Nov. 21

# PROGRAM NETWORK DAY TIME HOUSEHOLDRATINGS/SHARE
1 CSI HD CBS Thu 9:00PM 18.2/27.0
2 CSI: MIAMI HD CBS Mon 10:00PM 13.6/21.0
2 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES HD ABC Sun 9:00PM 13.6/20.0
4 WITHOUT A TRACE HD CBS Thu 10:01PM 13.4/21.0
5 SURVIVOR: VANUATU CBS Thu 8:00PM 11.7/18.0
6 E.R. HD NBC Thu 9:59PM 11.5/18.0
7 EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND HD CBS Mon 9:00PM 11.2/16.0
8 NFL MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL HD ABC Mon 9:07PM 11.1/18.0
9 LOST HD ABC Wed 8:00PM 10.9/17.0
10 TWO AND A HALF MEN HD CBS Mon 9:31PM 10.8/16.0
11 CSI: NY HD CBS Wed 10:00PM 10.7/17.0
12 COLD CASE HD CBS Sun VAR 10.5/16.0
13 60 MINUTES CBS Sun 7:00PM 10.1/17.0
13 APPRENTICE 2 NBC Thu 9:00PM 10.1/15.0
15 LAW AND ORDER:SVU HD NBC Tue 10:00PM 9.4/15.0
15 NCIS HD CBS Tue 8:00PM 9.4/15.0
17 EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P ABC Sun 8:00PM 9.3/14.0
18 LAW AND ORDER HD NBC Wed 10:00PM 9.1/15.0
19 JOEY HD NBC Thu 8:00PM 8.9/14.0
20 NFL MONDAY SHOWCASE HD ABC Mon 9:00PM 8.6/13.0
20 WILL & GRACE NBC Thu 8:30PM 8.6/13.0

f44

11-25-04, 09:52 PM

it's all correct! ;)

fredfa

11-25-04, 11:40 PM

Accidents do happen! :)

fredfa

11-25-04, 11:47 PM

NASCAR’S TV Future
Despite Success, Nascar Faces Yellow Flags on Its TV Future

By RICHARD SANDOMIR The New York Times November 26, 2004
When NBC and Fox, with their cable television partners, signed deals promising Nascar $400 million annually, the points system to win the Winston Cup had been in place since 1975 and the stock-car racing circuit's Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, started the season.
Much has changed since then. Winston was replaced this year by Nextel, and the points system was overhauled to create a playoff during the final 10 races of the season.
On Sunday, Greg Biffle won the Ford 400, and Kurt Busch won the Nextel Cup by 8 points, the closest points finish in the circuit's history. Busch's triumph - which was not certain until the final lap - vindicated Nascar's change to the playoff as a reaction to Matt Kenseth's championship last year, which was presumed for months.
It also registered in the ratings. Although the first three races of the playoff, two on TNT and on NBC, showed decreases, the last seven on NBC surged. The Ford 500 earned a 6.2 rating (with 9.9 million viewers), up 38 percent from last year. The 10-race Chase showed a 12 percent ratings increase, to a 4.6, with 7.3 million viewers.
The playoff, of course, was not anticipated when the current contracts began in 2001.
Back then, the idea in selling the first half of the season to Fox and FX, and the second half to NBC and TNT, was to create order out of Nascar's chaotic TV universe, and to expand viewership by showing more races on broadcast TV.
"The TV partners expected ongoing changes," said Dick Glover, vice president for broadcasting for Nascar. "Did anyone expect anything of the magnitude of what the Chase would mean? No."
The Chase amounted to an unexpected bonus for NBC, which did not have to pay an extra fee for the shift to the playoff. NBC, with TNT, televises the second half of the Nascar season largely because Fox carries the National Football League. The combined NBC-TNT rating is about 25 percent lower than Fox's.
Anything that potentially changes the value of a television property will enter into discussions over a new contract.
Both packages expire after the 2006 season, although Nascar holds an option to extend the Fox deal for two more years. But if there is more money to be gotten, Nascar is not likely to trigger that option.
Ken Schanzer, the president of NBC Universal Sports, called the playoff a "terrific innovation that worked as well as you could hope for," but he would not say how much it would add to the cost of the next contract.
"At the end of the things," he said, "we'll discuss the value, and they will make an assessment if they'll continue with us or someone else."
Contract talks are expected to start late next year.
One complication may be the financial losses the networks have sustained; in 2002, Fox's parent company, News Corp., wrote off $297 million from the value of the Nascar deal, saying that it could not meet its revenue projections because of an advertising recession worsened by the 9/11 attacks. Conditions have improved since.
David Hill, chairman of the Fox Sports Television Group, is adding another element of doubt, or at least spinning the financial talks the networks' way.
While praising Nascar's innovations and its decision to shift races from cable to a broader broadcast TV audience, he said the attention and success of the Chase for the Nextel Cup "detracts value from the Daytona 500," which NBC and Fox carry in alternate years. "By creating, in effect, a postseason, the value of the Daytona 500 will decline."
He added, "Life is like a seesaw, and the Daytona is at the wrong end of the season."
The Daytona 500 is, by far, the highest-rated race on the Nextel series. Its 10.6 rating, with 17.8 million viewers, this past February on NBC was 38 percent better than the Subway 400 at Rockingham, N.C., last February, the second-highest rated race, which was carried by Fox.
Since Fox and NBC began to carry the Daytona race, it has attracted more viewers than ever.
"We look at the Daytona 500 as unique and special," Glover said. "All 43 competitors gear up for it, point toward it, and everybody is tied going in.
"I'm going to call David and make a friendly wager on how well the Daytona 500 will do next year. I feel strongly that with all the excitement of the last 10 races, there will be a carryover to the Daytona 500," which Fox will be showing.
Gentlemen, start your calculators.

fredfa

11-26-04, 12:12 AM

Here are some strongly-held views of Robert Bianco of USA Today -- a TV critic who actually likes prime time television.
You won’t agree with everything he says, but he is provocative and I thought you might enjoy reading his opinions – and the reasons he uses to back them up.

Watch it, tape it, enjoy it
By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

Times are good for TV fans.
After a few dismal seasons in which the networks seemed to concentrate on one-upping one another’s tasteless reality ideas, TV has rediscovered the allure of scripted hits.
The out-of-the-gate success of ABC's Lost and Desperate Housewives has proved there's still a healthy appetite not simply for dramas, but for dramas whose world extends beyond police stations, courtrooms and forensic labs.
Nor are Lost and Housewives the only good news this fall. A host of strong hours arrived this season, led by Fox's House, WB's Jack & Bobby and UPN's Veronica Mars. We've seen an old favorite, Gilmore Girls, bounce back after a bumpy year and some newer shows come into their own — such as Without a Trace, Two and a Half Men, CSI: Miami, Arrested Development, Cold Case and Joan of Arcadia.
That's a lot to watch, and we're still awaiting the return of two of TV's best series, 24 and Alias, in January.
But time's a problem. As is so often the case, too many of the good shows compete in the same time slots — a problem that will be compounded when the best of the cable series return: FX's Rescue Me and Nip/Tuck and HBO's Deadwood.
How can a time-pressed viewer cut through the clutter? An hour-by-hour prime-time guide to what to watch and, when necessary, what to tape, follows (all times ET/PT):

SUNDAY
7 p.m.
King of the Hill/Malcolm in the Middle (Fox); tape 60 Minutes (CBS) Reverse the order if you're in a serious mood, or if the Fox football game runs over (as it usually does), because Fox doesn't push back its schedule. That means on a lot of fall nights we miss King entirely and land in the middle of Malcolm. That's a shame, because Jane Kaczmarek and Bryan Cranston are worth a full half-hour on their own.
8 p.m.
The Simpsons/Arrested Development (Fox); tape Cold Case (CBS) Let's get this over with upfront: After 16 years, The Simpsons is showing its age. Too many of the jokes are either variations on things we've heard before or twists we haven't heard because they don't really fit the characters. Well, too bad. Even diminished, The Simpsons is a national treasure.
Plus, this season we have an added reason to root for The Simpsons: It provides the lead-in for the best sitcom on TV, Arrested Development. Brilliantly original in its writing and its casting, Arrested is a family sitcom as seen through the filter of reality TV. The joy of Arrested isn't that every line is hilarious, though many are. It's that nearly every joke is unexpected, from a crude throw-away about a yacht called "The Seaward" to Jessica Walter's gleefully goofy scream every time her private eye shows up in disguise.
Though Arrested may have Emmys, Cold Case has the ratings. Another variant on the CSI theme, Case is less consistent than Without a Trace, but it does share Trace's ability to trigger an emotional response. Plus it's less graphic than CSI, because the corpses aren't just cold; they're old.
9 p.m.
Desperate Housewives (ABC) Housewives isn't just the show of the night; it's the show of the season — the series that got people talking about scripted series again. I don't want to oversell this mystery/sitcom/soap: Housewives isn't The Sopranos, nor does it claim to be. It's just an incredibly entertaining, refreshingly witty blend of Twin Peaks, Knots Landing and Designing Women —fast moving, brightly colored and gloriously unafraid to be out-there. Any show this instantly, hugely popular sparks an equally instant backlash, so please take note. The title isn't Normal Housewives, nor is it All Housewives Are Desperate.
This is a series about four very specific women who are unhappy with their lives — some because they didn't get what they wanted, some because they did. Of course all women aren't like that. But if you don't know any women like that, you need to get out more. Just wait until the show's over.
10 p.m.
Boston Legal (ABC) Let's end the week with one of the season's most pleasant surprises, a blissfully bizarre Practice spinoff from David E. Kelley. I was no great fan of the characters played by James Spader and William Shatner on The Practice. But transferred into their own playground, they're amusing in a larger-than-life, guard-the-scenery kind of way.

MONDAY
8 p.m.
7th Heaven (WB) You know how some slots have too many good choices? Here we have a time slot with no compelling choice. For most adults, 7th Heaven's sap-factor remains a deterrent. Even so, it's one of the few dramas families can watch without parents worrying they'll have to explain why some naked woman just jumped into the arms of a football player.
9 p.m.
Las Vegas (NBC) Come January, the choice will be 24, assuming Fox sticks with its plan and moves the show into this time slot. Until then, all you need is something to tide you over until Two and a Half Men begins at 9:30, and on most weeks, Las Vegas is your best bet. It's not a great show or a huge hit, but when it's on its game, Las Vegas works quite well as high-gloss, low-thought entertainment — the kind of show you don't have to feel bad about catching or missing.
9:30 p.m.
Two and a Half Men (CBS) Some day, the sitcom slump is bound to end. Until then, I can think of only four comedies worth catching every week: Arrested Development, Scrubs, Less Than Perfect and Two and a Half Men. In its second season, Men has grown even funnier and more confident. While still based on the effervescent comic rapport between stars Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer, the show has expanded its scope to include its supporting cast, particularly Holland Taylor and Conchata Ferrell. It is a shame Men has to follow CBS' anti-maternal Monday comedy pattern, which requires all grown men to hate their mothers. But at least the show has explored the issue, and Taylor's mom is more than capable of defending herself.
10 p.m.
CSI: Miami (CBS) Though this spinoff has done much to distinguish itself from the CSI mother ship, you can sum up the most important difference in two words: David Caruso. Miami has provided a welcome safe harbor for this excellent actor, and his continued presence here is one of TV's happiest developments. The show also has a strong supporting cast, led by Emily Procter, Khandi Alexander and recent addition Jonathan Togo, and has done a good job adapting CSI's plot-driven procedural template to a new climate.

TUESDAY
8 p.m.
Gilmore Girls (WB) Few things are more pleasant than watching an old favorite return to form. After treading water last season, Gilmore has rediscovered the virtue of plot, linking Lorelai with Luke and letting Rory's adulterous dalliance with Dean trigger Lorelai's maternal instincts. And while I'm not a huge fan of Emily and Richard's separation, the story did give Kelly Bishop an Emmy-worthy scene, as she returned from a seemingly perfect date and broke down, alone, in tears.
9 p.m.
House (Fox); tape The Amazing Race (CBS) Actually, you'd better have more than one VCR handy. You're also going to need a tape for UPN's Veronica Mars, a fine successor to the Buffy teen heroine tradition, and for Scrubs, which NBC has once again marooned in the middle of a mismatched schedule.
If you have only one recorder, however, set it for The Amazing Race. Though it's just begun this season's run, Race has already re-established itself as the best of the reality shows, despite an overabundance of models and the instant overexposure of Jonathan, who may be the most obnoxious racer ever.
Yet as much as I love Race, the class act in this time slot is Fox's medical mystery House. Hugh Laurie is playing one of the year's best and most novel characters: a crotchety, difficult, damaged doctor who is fascinated by disease and repelled by people. And yet so strong is Laurie's performance, and so great are his gifts as an actor and comic, that he makes this potentially repellent man appealing — and oddly enough, even sexy. Who would have guessed?
10 p.m.
NYPD Blue (ABC) In terms of novelty, and maybe even quality, Gilmore or House might be better choices for the night's top show. But nostalgia and well-earned regard for a soon-to-be-departed television classic tip the scales toward Blue. Clearly, you can sense that the show is winding down.
Certainly Andy — played by the incomparable Dennis Franz — can see the writing on the wall: Times and police work have changed, and his new bean-counter boss has no use for him. (And if you think the writers are taking a sly stab at ABC, you're no doubt right.) But there's still life left in Andy and in his relationship with Clark (the underrated Mark-Paul Gosselaar). And the show is still able to tug at your heart, as it did with Bobby Simone's ghostly return. Now wouldn't it be nice to see John Kelly drop by, just once before we go?

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m.
Lost (ABC); tape America's Next Top Model (UPN) It was obvious that Lost was one of the year's best pilots; the question was how well it would fare as a series. The answer thus far is "terrifically." J.J. Abrams and a top-rate team of writers have worked miracles with this fantasy island premise, smoothly flying between past and present, and from sweeping adventure to intricate character development. No one is quite who he or she seems to be, and no secret is completely revealed. I don't know where they're going with Lost, but I know I want to go along for the ride.
Compared to Lost, Top Model offers more modest pleasures, but it's a pleasure to watch nonetheless. Sure, it helps that the girls are beautiful and that they're competing for a prize that is both attainable and worth winning (unlike, say, The Bachelor). But the secret to Model's success is host/den mother Tyra Banks' refusal to let the girls skate by on their looks. She imparts lessons and expects them to be learned, and rare among reality bosses, she punishes bad behavior rather than rewarding it. I've never thought all that much of models, but Banks has won me over.
9 p.m.
Jack & Bobby (WB); tape West Wing (NBC) The first choice in this time slot is easy. Despite the gimmicky intrusion of its future-cast narration, Jack & Bobby is an incredibly promising family drama — one that boasts some of the season's strongest performances.
The tough choice is what to tape, West Wing or UPN's Kevin Hill. Of the two, Kevin Hill got off to the stronger start, but later episodes have faltered, relying too much on Taye Diggs' personal appeal and not enough on plot. Plus, like so many UPN series, Kevin lacks the visual sheen you expect from network TV: You can't help feeling they're cutting corners on everything from the lights to the sets to the costumes.
Which leaves us with West Wing. It's a shell of what it once was, and the cynical way NBC is rushing the administration out the door isn't helping matters. And heaven knows, those season-opening Middle East summit episodes were so heavy-handed, you could almost feel them slapping you across the face. Yet if you can look past C.J.'s unfortunate stint as the newly crowned Queen of Foreign Policy, the show has definitely improved over the past few weeks. When push comes to shove, Wing still has one of the best casts on TV, even if they are no longer working with a comparably talented writer. So go with Jack and Wing —at least until ABC's Alias arrives in January.
10 p.m.
CSI: NY (CBS) While CSI has the edge here, the show's hold on this time period is increasingly tenuous. Where the original CSI is cherished for its flashes of dark humor, NY is just dark. It's like they think they can build an entire series around mood lighting. Worse yet, the plots have been unrelentingly grim and sick (with the nadir a shared story between a mass murderer and a wannabe amputee). And while Gary Sinise is a fine actor, neither he nor anyone else has been given anything interesting to play. There's nothing wrong here that tweaking can't fix, but CBS would be wise to get to it. After all, NBC's Law & Order is just a prosecutorial cast change away from being an acceptable alternative.

THURSDAY
8 p.m.
The O.C. (Fox); tape Joey (NBC) Remember when this was the most hotly contested time slot on TV? Now CBS' Survivor wins the ratings race with ease — and Fox's soap-on-speed The O.C. wins the must-see contest just as easily. Endearingly off-kilter and yet emotionally on-target, The O.C. welcomes new and regular viewers alike: On any given week, the show's likely to be launching a whole new story.
Normally, the series to tape would have been Survivor, but bad luck and worst casting have turned this battle between dumb men and dreary women into a South Pacific soporific. Things may improve as the group dynamic changes, but it's still hard to imagine anyone caring much who wins.
That brings us to the season's most crushing disappointment, Joey, which has squandered the promise of its pilot along with our affection for Matt LeBlanc. For weeks, the show has made the same mistakes as the equally pointless (but at least still amusing) Will & Grace: The characters live in some hermetically sealed alternate universe where nothing they do or say matters. What's more, Joey has taken a beloved, well-defined character and made him indecipherably fuzzy — one week he's smart enough to trick another actor out of his sick bed; the next, he's so stupid he gets tricked into barking at an audition.
So why tape it? Because the writers have finally given Joey a job, a sign that they realize his world needs to expand beyond his sister and his apartment. I hope it's not too late.
9 p.m.
CSI (CBS) It's amazing, really. After two spinoffs, TV's trendsetting procedural is not only as popular as ever, it's as good as ever, maybe better. Competition from its offspring seems to have inspired CSI to take new risks, shaking up the office by sending some of the staff to the day shift and shaking up the formula by delving more into its characters' personal lives.
With all its changes, CSI has not lost sight of what made it so popular in the first place: intricate mysteries, lightened with touches of humor and gussied up with high-tech anatomical tours. And the cases have been particularly strong this fall, from the return of the blue-paint serial killer to a twist-filled tour of the transsexual community. I wish the show would cut back on the near-ritual abuse of women, but that complaint can be levied at almost every cop show.
10 p.m.
Without a Trace (CBS) As good as CSI has been this season, Without a Trace, the missing-persons drama it inspired, has been even better. To be fair, when it comes to drawing us into its stories, Trace does have a built-in advantage: There's always a chance its victims are still alive. Even so, what's amazing about Trace is how efficiently the show is able to hook you into the plight of its weekly lost lamb. Nor do the writers stop there: A recent episode about a missing single mother used her disappearance as a jumping-off point for an exploration of the problems facing the working poor. Throw in a rock-solid cast, led by one of America's top actors, Anthony LaPaglia, and you can see why Trace has taken over this time slot from a flagging ER.
Should you tape ER anyway? That depends. Generally the answer is "yes" if the plot focuses on the women, "no" if it focuses on the men.

FRIDAY
8 p.m.
Joan of Arcadia (CBS) Wrapped within this lyrical ode to faith and metaphysics lies TV's finest family drama. To some fans' dismay, that family has gone through a hard stretch this season: a lawsuit triggered by the accident that crippled Kevin, a new boss for Will, the death of one of Joan's friends. Better days seem to lie ahead, but the show's well-delivered message was well worth hearing: Life isn't easy, even with God's help.
9 p.m.
Hope & Faith/Less Than Perfect (ABC) In today's sitcom climate, beggars can't be choosers. So no, Hope is hardly the ideal companion for the much-better Perfect, but it will have to do. And as long as you're braced to expect very broad, very basic comedy, Hope can deliver — though it would do so more reliably if star Kelly Ripa would just learn to pull back a little.
It's a small screen, but we can still see you; you don't have to mug to the rafters.
There's nothing wrong with Perfect's star: Like her character, Sara Rue becomes more assured and more delightful each week. True, the show's humor is just as silly and broad as Hope's, but the plots are generally more clever and the jokes are delivered by a much stronger cast. Indeed, this season the entire ensemble — Rue, Sherri Shepherd, Andrea Parker, Zachary Levi, Patrick Warburton, Will Sasso, Eric Roberts and Andy Dick — has hit its stride. Now if we could only get a few more viewers to stride along with them.
10 p.m.
Medical Investigation (NBC) Given its cast, led by Boomtown standout Neal McDonough, this CSI/ER blend really should be much better than it is. Like Mission: Impossible medics, this team of medical investigators flies to a new trouble spot every week — which may be why the show seems to have so much trouble finding its center. The cast alone is enough to make MI a decent way to kick off the weekend, but it's also the reason you keep wanting something more.

SATURDAY
Take the night off. You've earned it.

f44

11-26-04, 12:27 AM

Interesting article, but you should put Scrubs in red.

fredfa

11-26-04, 12:40 AM

We all have our favorites TV shows -- of the past and prsent, and now many of them are selling millions of copies in DVD collections.
Here is a list (not guaranteed to be complete) of some of the upcoming DVD releases of TV shows.

Upcoming DVD Releases of TV Shows

Coming November 30
'Tru Calling - The Complete First Season'
"Northern Exposure: The Second Season"

Coming December 7
"Carnivale: The First Season,"
“24” Season Three
'Gilmore Girls - The Complete Second Season'
'M*A*S*H - Season Seven (Collector's Edition)'
'Crusade - The Complete Series'
'Star Trek Voyager - The Complete Sixth Season'

Coming December 14
'Everybody Loves Raymond - The Complete Second Season'
'Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids - The Ultimate Collection'
'Newlyweds - Nick & Jessica - The First Season'
'Reba - Season 1'
'Star Trek The Original Series - The Complete Third Season'
'Quantum Leap - The Complete Second Season'

Coming December 21
'The 4400 - The Complete First Season'
'The Simpsons - The Complete Fifth Season'
'Star Trek Voyager - The Complete Seventh Season'

Coming December 28
'King of the Hill - The Complete Third Season'
'Sex and the City - Season Six, Part 2'

Coming January 4
'Las Vegas - Season One Uncut & Uncensored'
'Millennium - The Complete Second Season'
'C.S.I. Miami - The Complete Second Season'
'God, the Devil and Bob - The Complete Series'

Coming January 11
'Oz - The Complete Fourth Season'
'Monk - Season Two'
'Gilligan's Island - The Complete Second Season'
'Hunter - Season One'

Coming January 18
'Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Third Season'
'Kung Fu - The Complete Second Season'

Coming January 25
'Coupling - The Complete Fourth Season'
'Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 6'
'MacGyver - The Complete First Season'
'Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman - The Complete Season Five'
'One Tree Hill - The Complete First Season'
'The Dukes of Hazzard - The Complete Second Season'
'Renegade - Season One'
'Soap - The Complete Third Season'
'Married... with Children - The Complete Third Season'

Coming February 1
'Charmed - The Complete First Season'
'Wonderfalls - The Complete Series'
'Sealab 2021 - Season 2'
'Cheers - The Complete Fourth Season'

Coming February 8
'Miami Vice - Season One'
'Highlander The Series - Season 6'
'Murphy Brown - The Complete First Season'
'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air - The Complete First Season'
'Deadwood - The Complete First Season'
'Night Court - The Complete First Season'

Coming February 15
'Angel - Season Five'

Coming February 22
'The Shield - The Complete Third Season'

Coming March 8
'Felicity - Senior Year Collection (The Complete Fourth Season)'

keenan

11-26-04, 01:23 AM

Originally posted by fredfa
Here are some strongly-held views of Robert Bianco of USA Today -- a TV critic who actually likes prime time television.
You won’t agree with everything he says, but he is provocative and I thought you might enjoy reading his opinions – and the reasons he uses to back them up.

Watch it, tape it, enjoy it
By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

It is interesting, it follows my preferences to a degree, where it seems to vary quite a bit is determined by whether I can get the Fox programs in HD, which I cannot, and whether the program runs repeats, such as L&O and Without A Trace, whereas ER and NYPD have not. Plus, I do not have a method to Tivo anything yet but that will probably change because I'm definitely going to have some conflicts with 24 and Alias when they return. Plus, I rarely ever watch anything that is not in HD.

It would be interesting to have an AVS Forum ratings/poll to see what members watch and how it stacks up against Nielsen's.

fredfa

11-26-04, 01:28 AM

It would be interesting, but considering how many members who say that network TV is of no use to them, I am not sure it would prove anything!
(But it might be fun, nonetheless.)
One of my favorite TiVo functions is the ability to only tape first-run episodes of a program -- it saves a lot of disc space.
I find I disagree with Bianco a LOT -- but find him a good read all the time.

keenan

11-26-04, 01:36 AM

Originally posted by fredfa
It would be interesting, but considering how many members who say that network TV is of no use to them, I am not sure it would prove anything!
(But it might be fun, nonetheless.)

No, not looking to prove anything, but among the members who do watch TV, I agree, I think it would be fun to see..:)

HeHe!! That even rhymes..:D

fredfa

11-26-04, 01:05 PM

Thursday's ratings have been posted.

fredfa

11-26-04, 01:10 PM

A somber Post-Thanksgiving story
CBS 'CHEERS' STAR IN SHOCKING OVERDOSE

By BILL HOFFMANN The New York Post
November 26, 2004 -- Bubbly blond "Cheers" star Shelley Long - depressed over the bust-up of her marriage - was rushed to the hospital after taking an overdose of painkillers in an apparent suicide bid.
The 55-year-old actress, who played ditzy waitress Diane Chambers on the classic TV sitcom, was taken to UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles after the heartbreaking incident.
Long had been extremely depressed in recent months, was barely eating and often spent long periods of time in bed, said friends, speculating that she tried to kill herself. "It is very sad to see this woman, who is only 55, looking like she's turning 90," one pal told The Sun newspaper of London.
Another friend said, "For 18 months, she's been getting more and more depressed. It's like seeing someone falling off a cliff.
"She told some of her good friends she felt she had nothing to live for."
The incident took place Nov. 16, and hospital records show that Long was discharged Tuesday. Her mom, in a brief telephone interview, confirmed to The Post that her daughter is no longer in the hospital.
In a weird twist, Long once played a depressed woman committed to a hospital for depression in the 1979 TV movie "The Cracker Factory."
She's not the only "Cheers" cast member to have been felled by depression — Kelsey Grammer, too, has also had severe bouts with the blues.
Things got rough for the actress last year, when her securities-broker husband, Bruce Tyson, walked out after 22 years of marriage. They are now divorcing, and Long had to leave their Hollywood mansion when it was sold. She now lives alone.
She met Tyson on a blind date in 1979. They were wed two years later — it was her second marriage — and have a daughter, Juliana, 19.
The actress starred in several films since bolting "Cheers" in 1987, six years before it ended in 1993.
Among the flicks were 1995's "The Brady Bunch Movie," in which she played Carol Brady, and 2000's "Dr. T and the Women."
Many see her career as a classic example of what happens to some TV stars who give up popular roles to seek movie fame.
She never regained the popularity she enjoyed as the overeducated "Cheers" barmaid, who was a foil to bar owner Sam Malone, played by Ted Danson.
She's slated for a rare, pretaped guest appearance tonight in the ABC series "Complete Savages."
For "Cheers, " she won an Emmy and two Golden Globes.
Eddie Doyle, the real-life Ted Danson who's served drinks for 30 years at the Bull & Finch Pub in Boston, the bar on which Cheers was based, said:
"I'm just really surprised and hope she's going to be all right. I guess they say things like that happen around the holidays."
Additional reporting by Mark Bulliet, David K. Li and Bill Sanderson

bgall

11-26-04, 01:37 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
Thursday's ratings have been posted.

heh, for once the ratings deviated from my viewing.

I ended up watching all of spiderman and the second half of seinfeld.

fredfa

11-27-04, 01:21 AM

Where Only the Housewives Are Desperate

Programming Turnaround Boosts ABC's Fortunes

By William Booth Washington Post Staff Writer
BURBANK, Calif.---They're not running around with lampshades on their heads, but with the November ratings sweeps underway, the vibe at ABC's red-brick corporate headquarters is go-go again at long last.
The Disney-owned broadcast network has snapped out of its death spiral, where it has been trapped in recent years as a perennial fourth in overall ratings and the all-important 18-to-49 demographic among the Big Four.
Now, with a handful of blister-hot fall shows like "Desperate Housewives," "Lost" and "Wife Swap," the network suddenly finds itself creatively, financially competitive again -- what a difference a few frisky hausfraus make.
Overall ABC is now placing third, behind CBS, virtually tied with NBC and ahead of Fox. In the first nine weeks of the fall season, CBS averaged 13.3 million viewers in prime time, NBC garnered 10.3 million, and ABC a hair behind at 10.2 million. Fox scored 9.8 million for the same period.
Last season the alphabet network was dead last in total viewers. Now, on Sunday and Wednesday, the network's showing is so strong that it may claim victory on both those nights at the end of the season.
"The executives seem to be drinking a lot less at parties now," quips ABC late-night talker Jimmy Kimmel. "For a long time, the network was doing so badly. And yeah, there is a bump in self-esteem."
Fred Ryan, president of Allbritton Communications and general manager of WJLA, the ABC affiliate in Washington, says in the past few years exchanges between ABC and its affiliates were grim.
"Those years when the network was placing near the bottom," Ryan says, "the meetings were not as fun to attend, for either side."
Now the Mouse House network is kind of sparky, actually. "I'm not going to tell you that it isn't much better to come into work Monday morning, and look at the overnight ratings," says ABC spokesman Kevin Brockman.
But perhaps it's a cautious spark. Steve McPherson, ABC Entertainment president, is trying to manage expectations, but he admits that "it is nice to get off to this kind of encouraging fall. But it really is just the beginning. This is an incredibly competitive business."
So the uptick is like a gift basket for network executives. But what does it really mean for a broadcaster to turn itself around?
For starters, it might mean fewer people get fired. In the months before the new fall season premiered, Disney brass swept the executive suites, removing Lloyd Braun and Susan Lyne, two of the top managers who picked what later turned out to be some of this season's hottest shows.
Though ABC is only a slice of the Disney empire, the company's stock has pumped itself up since the network turnaround, from around $22 a share to $27 -- even though in its fourth-quarter earnings report Disney said revenues from ABC fell about 4 percent (plus there's that nasty and delicious shareholder lawsuit, featuring the testimony of the Michaels -- Ovitz and Eisner -- going on in Delaware).
Fortunes may soon turn. Traditionally, networks sell about 80 percent of their advertising time slots -- their "inventory" -- months in advance in the so-called "upfront market." The nets offer blocks of time -- "packages" -- to big advertisers like Procter & Gamble or Ford, guaranteeing them a certain number of eyeballs over the course of a season. If they fall short of their promises, as ABC has repeatedly in the past, they have to make up for the difference by giving advertisers free 30-second spots.
But the networks also hold back about 20 percent of their inventory to sell on the "scatter market." At ABC, prices are going up.
Mike Shaw, ABC president of sales and marketing, says the net is beating its projections, and the success of some of its prime-time lineup was immediate: "We started getting calls right away" from prospective advertisers.
In the upfront market, ABC sold a 30-second spot for "Desperate Housewives" for around $150,000. Now that same buy in the scatter market could cost an advertiser $400,000.
ABC's bounce from the bottom is generally seen as driven by a handful of unusual shows like "Lost." In the past, ABC has had trouble making hour-long dramas that people wanted to watch (it hasn't had a hit drama since "The Practice" in 1997).
"I think the shows are character-driven, serialized, and they are a breath of fresh air compared to dramas of the last few years," McPherson says. The "fresh air" that McPherson alludes to is in comparison to procedurals like the "Law & Order" and "CSI" clones on other networks. But he admits, "Don't get me wrong, we would take a 'CSI.' "
Dramas tend to trump sitcoms in the profits game. The rule of thumb, according to Shaw, is that if you're going to have a hit, you want it to be an hour-long drama, because audiences who watch those shows skew toward the wealthier demographic prized by advertisers.
Richard Weitz, a prominent agent with A-list talent agency Endeavor, says that ABC now has "five cornerstones on the map," meaning it can use its successful programs as both promotional platforms and lead-ins to other, less watched shows. "ABC is back," Weitz says. "They have the launching pads." ("Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" has compiled its best ratings ever in recent weeks, and "Monday Night Football" continues to be the network's third most watched show.)
The way McPherson describes it, ABC will use "Desperate Housewives" to push viewers to "Boston Legal," which follows it on Sunday night. The network is also employing a neat programming trick: For example, an episode of "Desperate" might not end now until 10:01, so a viewer who clicks over to "Crossing Jordan" on NBC finds that show has already started, increasing the likelihood that he'll stick with ABC and give "Boston Legal" a try.
And the importance of a good lead-in cannot be overstated, says WJLA's Ryan, to get viewers to sample his nighttime news show. "No matter what you do, you're tied to prime-time lead-in. It's very hard for a local station to have a large audience when our competitors have a lead-in that is far greater than ours."
The network is feeling confident, too, because it plans to bring three new dramas out in its 2005 mid-season -- "Eyes," a show about private investigators starring Tim Daly from "Wings"; "Grey's Anatomy," about medical residents; and "Blind Justice," a Steven Bochco production starring "ER's" Ron Eldard as a detective who loses his sight. The critically popular "Alias" is also returning in January with all original episodes.
ABC has not yet been deluged by better ideas from more creative TV producers and writers, but that might change come spring, as new show ideas are peddled around town. McPherson certainly hopes so. "I believe the community is starting to see ABC as a place they can succeed," he says. "It's good for us, good for everybody, good for the audience. It's a wider range of choices."
Staff writer John Maynard contributed to this report.

fredfa

11-27-04, 01:10 PM

Friday's ratings have been posted in Latest News.

fredfa

11-27-04, 04:20 PM

Surmounting the High-Definition Divide
By Steve Donohue Multichannel.com 11/29/2004
While HDTV sets continue to fly off retail store shelves, convincing consumers to buy a high-definition programming package remains a huge challenge for both cable and satellite companies.
There are about 8 million to 9 million U.S. households that have at least one HDTV set, but only 2.3 million households subscribe to an HD programming package from cable operators or satellite providers, according to Leichtman Research Group.
Cable and satellite companies have focused much of their HD marketing efforts on joint campaigns with consumer-electronics companies looking to push more TVs, but some analysts say more needs to be done to sell programming packages to consumers who already have HD equipment.
“I think the low-hanging fruit is the 6 million people today, the early adopters who have an HD set and are not watching HD from anybody,” says Leichtman Research head Bruce Leichtman. He says the HD proposition offers cable and satellite services an opportunity to induce customers to switch to a new multichannel provider.
Educating consumers about the differences between standard and high-definition TV is also key. About half of the 5 million to 6 million U.S. households with an HD set but without a cable or satellite HD programming package think they are watching HDTV, Leichtman says, citing the results of a consumer survey his firm recently conducted.
“It’s tragic that these phenomenally expensive pieces of hardware are ending up in people’s living rooms, yet the reason they bought them is not being realized. It’s nuts,” says Jimmy Schaeffler, an analyst at the research and consultancy firm The Carmel Group. “It’s like buying a luxury car because you want to go faster, but they don’t sell you the right gas to take it any faster than 40 miles per hour.”
Schaeffler believes cable and satellite firms need to team up with broadcasters and consumer-electronics companies to educate consumers on HDTV.
But don’t expect the Consumer Electronics Association to aid that cause. When recently asked what the CEA was doing to help educate HDTV buyers on the need for cable or satellite programming packages, CEA president Gary Shapiro commented that the organization believes that consumers get a compelling proposition when they hook up their HD sets to DVD players.
But the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing is of the same mindset as Schaeffler. In October, the association kicked off its “Go for 2” HDTV marketing campaign designed to emphasize that consumers need an HDTV programming package in order to take full advantage of the capabilities of their new HD sets. The campaign is a joint effort with Sony Corp., which markets cable as the best way to watch football games in HD.
The campaign comes at a time when the gap between the number of HDTV sets sold and the number of consumers that subscribe to cable or direct-broadcast satellite is growing, according to CTAM CEO Char Beales. “We’re both [cable and satellite] fighting a common enemy, and that is a lack of consumer knowledge about buying an HD set and service as a two-step process,” she says.
But figuring out exactly how good — or bad — the HDTV situation is for multichannel platforms is hardly an exact science. For example, EchoStar Communications Corp. and DirecTV Inc., which are both pitching consumers HDTV receivers that also contain a digital video recorder, haven’t released HDTV subscriber numbers. And cable operators are also reticent to reveal their HD progress with customers.
One exception is the Rainbow DBS subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp. The company recently reported that it counted a paltry 26,000 customers for its Voom HDTV programming service, which includes several exclusive, niche HD channels.
After its October 2003 debut, Voom did not begin charging customers for its programming package until March 31. As a consequence, it has lost 2,000 customers since the end of August.
Comcast Corp., the country’s largest cable operator, also doesn’t release its HDTV subscriber count. But Comcast CEO Brian Roberts told analysts in October that Comcast systems nationwide are adding about 15,000 HDTV subscribers weekly. At that pace, Comcast is doubling Voom’s total subscriber count every two weeks.
Leicthman says that at this time last year, DBS companies were winning a greater share of new HDTV customers than their total share of the multichannel video market. But he believes the HDTV battle between cable and satellite is “drawing a lot closer.” A survey of HDTV consumers Leichtman conducted this fall found that 8% of cable subscribers and 8% of DBS customers say they bought an HDTV programming package.
Regardless, “it’s too early to say who’s winning the war for HD, because I think people are still lining up their armies,” says Joe Rooney, senior vice president of marketing for Cox Communications Inc.
Rooney maintains that cable has the advantage in the HD war because operators have the ability to carry every local HD broadcast signal in any given market, while satellite providers don’t have the bandwidth capacity to do the same. DirecTV Inc. hopes to eliminate that advantage next year, when the company launches two additional satellites that its says will allow it to carry 500 local HD channels.
Of course, viewers can also receive HD signals from local ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC affiliates with an over-the-air antenna and receiver. But analysts note that few customers own HDTV broadcast receivers, which cost at least $300 apiece.
“Frankly, the [HD] consumer is watching regular digital cable with a DVD player, and what we as an industry need to do is convert those customers who already have HD to our high-definition service, and make sure that we win the battle of the HD covert,” Rooney says.

fredfa

11-27-04, 04:23 PM

Report Forecasts HDTV Purchases
By Matt Stump Multichannel.com11/29/2004
A new study by Frank N. Magid Associates finds that 29% of all consumers in the market for a TV in the next year will or are very likely to buy an HDTV set. Another 17% said they are somewhat likely to buy an HD set.
“That’s very encouraging,” says Maryann Baldwin, executive director of Magid Media Futures, which has been surveying consumers about HD over the past four years.
Magid sent out an online survey to 1,251 people across the country in October. Some 8% of those who returned the survey were HD set owners. But like the general HD population, only half of those set owners had signed up for HD programming from a cable or satellite provider. Some used the sets to watch DVDs with greater clarity, but some were watching TV, thinking they were receiving an HD signal when, in fact, they were not.
“There is still a lot of confusion in the marketplace,” says Jill Rosengard, managing director at Magid. Baldwin says that many people believe that since their HD set cost so much money, the programming will also be expensive, curtailing the number of people getting HD programming packages.
But that gap is closing. The most recent HD set buyers are shortening the time gap between when they get an HD set and when they subscribe to HD programming, Baldwin says.
For those that have both an HD set and an HD package, the primary complaint is lack of programming. “They are just more desperate for more channels,” Baldwin says. Many new set owners believe all channels are available in HD. “They don’t understand [the] acquisition and production process,” she says.
Some 32% of HD set owners who responded to the Magid survey said they look to see what’s available on HD every time or most times when they sit down to watch TV. Nearly 8% of HD set owners said they watch HD programming 75% to 100% of the time, while 14% said that they watch HD fare 50% to 75% of the time, and 50% said they watch it 25% or less of the time.
Magid found that 23% of non-HD set owners will be in the market for a new TV next year, about the national average. With nearly half of those very likely or somewhat likely to buy an HD set, Magid is projecting HD set penetration will double next year, closing in on 20% of the population. And a greater proportion of the potential buyers are falling into the middle income group. Still, the chief reason most consumers weren’t looking at HD sets was price, even though some sets are available for $700 or less.
And there is still a need for education on what programming is available in HD. Some 40% of shoppers could name only one HD network. Only 28% could name four or more networks in HD. “There is still a lot of education that needs to go on,” Baldwin says.
But the growing base, Baldwin says, should make HD appealing to programmers that have been on the sidelines until now. “There is going to be a large enough market that it’s going to be worthwhile,” Baldwin says. “From the programmer’s perspective, the shelf space is filling up. There won’t be unlimited shelf space.”

fredfa

11-28-04, 12:50 AM

An in-depth, detailed look at DirecTV's strategy and the hurdles it faces from next week's issue of Broadcasting & Cable:

Whatever It Takes To Get Ahead
News Corp. plays to win with DBS service
By Paige Albiniak Broadcasting & Cable 11/29/2004
With 13.5 million subscribers, DirecTV has pushed ahead to become the second-largest multichannel provider in the country, behind only Comcast. But in an extremely competitive environment it's going to need every bell and whistle to wrest subscribers from cable and EchoStar's Communications' rival Dish TV.
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which since January has owned 34% of DirecTV, isn't backing away from the battle. It is out to win, and win big. DirecTV is pouring money into upgrading its service, offering everything from TiVo to NFL game packages to upgraded HDTV capability in order to woo subscribers.
DirecTV's partnership with TiVo allows customers to get a digital video recorder that is integrated into their receivers. DirecTV research shows that customers who have DVRs buy more premium services and also turn over, or churn, at a lower rate.
“One of the reasons DBS has gained so much share from cable is because it's frankly a more attractive consumer offering,” says Todd Mitchell, media and entertainment analyst for Blaylock & Partners. “That's due to two components: more channels for less money, and more variety. And their set-top boxes are just better than cable's. They got DVRs out first and theirs are better.”
DVRs are so important to DirecTV's strategy that CFO Mike Palkovic says, “Rolling a truck in and giving a customer a DVR upgrade is a good thing to do. It costs you money during the quarter, but you get an increased revenue stream immediately.”
As DirecTV pushes into more high-definition offerings, it has started to offer subscribers an HD DVR for $999 retail. Sales of the box are currently slow, but HD remains a technology that has yet to catch on.
DirecTV is banking on HDTV. It has plans to launch satellites that will provide customers with their local broadcast stations in high-definition. Two satellites previously used to offer business-to-business broadband are being converted to video satellites, and service should be available from those satellites by next summer or fall. By 2007, DirecTV will have two more local HD satellites up and running. All that comes at a cost of $1 billion—not cheap, but worth it, says Stephanie Campbell, DirecTV's executive vice president of programming.
“It's the competitive factor,” Campbell says. “We see high-definition as the way forward.” DirecTV assumes that cable will carry stations' high-def offerings and is preparing now for the competitive onslaught.
One big question: How much content will eventually be broadcast in high-def?
“It's a complicated process to get started,” Campbell says. “We'll have to go market by market and figure out who is broadcasting in digital and how much of that is high-def.”
In the meantime, DirecTV isn't shuffling its feet waiting to implement new features to give it a competitive advantage over cable and EchoStar. That's because virtually every new DirecTV customer is being wooed away from a competitor.
Earlier this month, DirecTV announced a five-year, $3.5 billion extension of its deal with the National Football League. DirecTV offers NFL Sunday Ticket, which gives premium subscribers every NFL game every week throughout the season for a $265 annual rate.
Analysts say the deal is too expensive to be profitable. “This announcement, we believe, is a short-term negative for the equity for several reasons,” says Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swinburne in a research note. “First, it likely dilutes near-term [cash-flow] growth and long-term [cash-flow] margins, at least through the end of the new contract.
“Second, it signals to the market that DTV management may not be focused on profitability, but rather has a more narrow-minded focus on subscriber growth. Third, it feeds the 'bear' thesis on DTV that controlling parent Fox is focused on building as large a subscriber base as possible to the benefit of its programming assets. Finally, it implies the market will have to wait longer than previously expected to see evidence of DirecTV's earnings power.”
Palkovic disagrees with Swinburne and says DirecTV always has at least broken even or profited from its NFL package.
“Some of the customers who take that package are our best customers,” he says. “I'm not only breaking even, I'm protecting my most lucrative customer: the high-end sports fanatic that's got the lowest churn and the highest [average revenue per user] in the industry.”
With NFL Sunday Ticket secured, DirecTV now wants to add original channels; it's building studios at its Los Angeles headquarters so that it can create its own programming.
“I don't think we are going to be producing episodic dramas like The Shield. But we're not going to be afraid to produce content that we need,” says Eric Shanks, senior vice president of advanced services and content.
Besides the Sunday Ticket channel, DirecTV also will launch three “Mix” channels in 2005 as guides to various genres. For example, the News Mix channel will show mini-screens of CNN, Headline News, MSNBC, Fox News Channel and other news channels offered with the service. The subscriber will use a remote to select the desired channel from those screens. DirecTV also is launching Kids and Sports Mix channels.
“In an effort to really rise above the crowd in terms of providing the best television experience, we found that the more choices you give people, the harder it is for them to find what they want to watch on television,” Shanks says. “So we are deploying a number of services that help them organize their day and give back the most valuable thing they have, which is time.”
DirecTV is working to stay competitive by teaming with phone companies Verizon, Bell South, Qwest and Cincinnati Bell to offer a voice, high-speed data and video bundle in one package.
Those agreements are just starting to kick in, but in the third quarter, the telcos brought an additional 75,000 subscribers to DirecTV. Now, however, some telcos are dipping into the television business as well, making potential partners into potential competitors.
DirecTV still likes the tie-in with telcos. While DirecTV and EchoStar each have had relationships with telcos over the years, “it's different this time around,” says Steve Cox, DirecTV's executive vice president of sales and distribution. Some phone companies, he says, will bundle DirecTV with phone service “with minimal to no upfront cost [to customers]. And when we originally launched with the telcos, we didn't have local channels.”
Palkovic is bullish on the telco connection, too. “Cable has an advantage today by delivering a single network connection into your home,” he says. “Are they having success with it? We saw from our numbers this quarter there are 1.1 million customers that came to our platform. So the cable bundle isn't getting it done for everyone.”
Analysts are uncertain that consumers will ultimately prefer the DirecTV/telco package to cable's offering. “With all three products coming in through the same pipe, it's easier to converge those things. It's more difficult for the satellite guys to converge their offering with the phone infrastructure,” Blaylock's Mitchell says.
But according to DirecTV, it's far too soon to tell. “I've always had a lot of confidence in our ability to keep up with the competition technologically,” says DirecTV's Campbell, “especially with the talent that News Corp. brought to the table and the entrepreneurial spirit that they have. We're going to stay in it by hook or by crook.”

fredfa

11-28-04, 01:02 AM

Is there big trouble ahead for DirecTV?
A big yes is the answer from some experts and financial analysts who explain their reasoning in an in-depth article in this week’s Broadcasting&Cable.

Growth Comes at a Cost
DirecTV is growing but needs expensive customer incentives to do it

By Paige Albiniak Broadcasting & Cable 11/29/2004
Once Rupert Murdoch finally got his hands on DirecTV, the mandate was clear: Acquire customers at the fastest pace possible. So far, DirecTV is achieving that but at the expense of short-term profitability. That has analysts on alert.
Getting new customers in the DBS or cable business is tough sledding. Virtually everybody who is going to buy cable or DBS has already done it, so DirecTV has to spend heavily on persuading customers to switch. And to get them to stay, it has to spend millions in upgrading equipment. That is all expensive.
DirecTV doubled its spending on customer retention and marketing to nearly $1 billion in 2004. That includes making good on such offers as providing a free receiver for every TV in the house and upgrading users' TiVo digital video recorders (DVRs) as technology improves. While that increased spending has boosted growth, it has also cut into profits.
From a growth perspective, spending works. The third quarter was the first time the company added more than a million new subscribers. The company, which took in $10.1 billion in revenue in 2003, had 13.5 million subscribers as of Sept. 30.
But that figure takes a little explaining. Because of customer churn, one of cable's and DBS' biggest problems, DirecTV lost 725,000 customers during the same period, giving it a net gain of 456,000 new users.
It's the bane of the business, customer churn. DirecTV's churn rate is 1.67% a month. By comparison, its DBS competitor, EchoStar, had a churn rate of 1.77% in the third quarter.
“We've now attained higher gross adds in five consecutive quarters, with each one establishing a new record at that time,” DirecTV CEO and President Mitchell Stern told analysts during the company's third-quarter conference call. “Over the last 12 months, DirecTV has added about 1.8 million net subscribers, which is the largest number of subscribers we have ever added over any 12-month period.”
But customers also cost money—in new equipment, marketing and efforts to retain them. EchoStar spends less to grab a customer—$600 per subscriber versus DirecTV's $617—in equipment, upgrades, special deals (like providing extra set-top boxes for other TVs in a home) and programming. Getting the churn rate and the customer-acquisition rate in balance is the name of the game.
Multichannel providers like DirecTV base their business on keeping churn rates and subscriber-acquisition costs low, while keeping average revenue per unit as high as possible. DirecTV takes in an average of $66.50 per customer. At that rate, it takes about six years to make money from a subscriber. That's too long for many analysts.
“That's their business model, but the market doesn't seem to be too fond of it,” says Andy Baker, a media analyst for Cathay Financial. “They were doing a good job with profitability, but then Murdoch arrives on the scene and says do a land grab and get subscribers at any cost.”
Still, even with these economics in place, analysts put the company's return on investment at about 33%, and that's good news for any business. Whether that figure will continue depends on a continued low churn rate or lower costs for getting customers.
“No matter how you slice it, the multichannel-video market is a mature market,” says Cannon Carr, executive director and senior analyst at CIBC World Markets. “It's more difficult to find profitable and desirable customers, and it's getting more expensive to win subscribers. If Rupert Murdoch wants heavy growth, he's going to have to spend heavily to do it.”
Analysts and executives peg much of DirecTV's growth to the company's rapid rollout of local channels in local markets. DirecTV started the year with 64 markets available, covering 72% of the country. Today, it offers 130 markets, covering 92%.
Over the next three years, DirecTV plans to spend $1 billion to launch a local high-definition satellite service—an imperative if the company wants to stay competitive with cable. While that service may attract hard-to-reach customers, it also will add to DirecTV's cost of acquiring customers. Analysts are watching closely.
DirecTV added more than 1.4 million subscribers—at exactly $1,000 per subscriber—when it closed earlier this year on the $1.4 billion purchase of DirecTV's subscribers through Pegasus Communications and the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) in August.
These aren't typical DirecTV customers, says CFO Mike Palkovic. “When you are buying an existing subscriber base, particularly one that's already connected to your billing system and requires no transition costs other than the acquisition dollars, that's a guaranteed revenue stream from day one,” he explains. “And a lot of those customers,” he adds, “have been with Pegasus for years.” Some 20% of new customers come in with risky credit and end up churning out faster.
But will DirecTV's major effort to grab new subscribers pay off?
“They are spending a lot of money to acquire these customers, and they are not going to see the benefits until down the line,” says Cathay Financial's Baker. “If that customer leaves within five to six years, DirecTV lost money on that customer.”
Adds CIBC's Carr, “The incremental economics aren't near as good as they were a year ago. Gaining market share and stealing share from cable is getting more expensive to do. That's going to force companies like DirecTV and EchoStar to reevaluate their business plan.”

fredfa

11-28-04, 01:23 AM

HD Television: Defining the Future of TV

As the Hi-Def Era Arrives, Solving Technical Problems Is Just the Beginning
By Jay Sherman TVWeek.com

Bryan Burns said he has received quite an education in the two years since ESPN first announced its plans to launch a high-definition cable network.
Mr. Burns, ESPN's VP of strategic business planning and development, remembers that at the time of ESPN HD's March 2003 launch, the network was having trouble with its backhaul encryption, which enables feeds from sporting events to be beamed from remote trucks to the network's headquarters in Bristol, Conn., for distribution to operators. In getting the data to Bristol, there were times when the equipment would freeze up, briefly leaving viewers of both the HD and standard-definition channels without a picture.
Other times, because ESPN was broadcasting in both HD and standard-definition format, the remote trucks became laden with so much equipment that power would drop out. There were also problems with the equipment itself, much of which consisted of early-generation models rife with flaws, Mr. Burns said.
"There were a number of times that it was harder than we thought it was going to be," said Mr. Burns, one of the early architects of ESPN's HD initiative. "Things happened that stumped us. But there was never a time that we thought it's not worth it."
Mastering the technical aspects of HD delivery might have been the easy part when compared with the challenge of convincing the mass market to jump on the HD bandwagon. Indeed, despite the increased comfort level with the processes used to deliver HD signals to consumers, the picture remains unclear whether HD is simply another example of a technology in search of a use-at least in the near term-or in fact the means by which consumers will watch TV in the future.
"There is some appetite, though limited, for this product," said Mark Lazarus, president of Turner Entertainment Group. "But the question is, at what point do you stop getting early adopters and it becomes mainstream? This is going to be [the standard for] television, but it will take some time."
It's a refrain repeated by many cable network executives who have launched or are about to launch high-definition programming or channels devoted entirely to HD. As they see it, HD is going to do to television what color did to the medium when it was first launched in 1953. And while no one knows exactly how long that process will take, most agree there's no time like the present to put their flag in the sand.
"If you look at the evolution of television, from cable to DVD and now to HD, it has been an unrelenting quest for picture quality," said Clint Stinchcomb, senior VP and general manager of Discovery HD Theater. "We see HDTV as a natural progression."
Competition with content distributors is another reason networks are getting into the HD game. With cable and satellite operators locked in a pitched battle over subscribers-especially premium subscribers-both sides are viewing HD as an important weapon. Customers who tend to get HD services from either a satellite or cable provider are more likely to buy other services from that provider, reducing the chances that the customer will bolt in favor of the competition.
"We find [HDTV] a tremendous differentiator," said Stephanie Campbell, senior VP of programming at No. 1 satellite operator DirecTV Group. "It is one of our top priorities at DirecTV, in conjunction with offering local HD channels."
Some forms of programming-sports, movies and epic or highly visual content-lend themselves to HDTV. Beyond that, its demand remains unclear.
A quick look at who's betting on HDTV proves that point. At one end of the spectrum are such networks as Discovery and ESPN, both with channels that broadcast entirely in HD, using a combination of repurposed and original content. ESPN is now on pace to broadcast 180 events in HD by year-end and plans to boost that number to 300 in 2005.
In the middle are networks that have put their toes into the water with a measured approach.
At the other end of the spectrum are networks with no plans, at least public ones, to dive into the HDTV pool. These networks, which include Lifetime Television and MTV Networks, may not own content that has been the traditional lifeblood of HDTV, and appear to be taking a wait-and-see stance, according to people familiar with those networks' plans.
That said, there are nearly 20 broadcast and cable networks that either have a channel devoted entirely to HD or broadcast at least a few hours a day in HD. Some, like Turner Broadcasting Group's TNT in HD, are simply high-definition versions of a parent network's feed. Others feature a combination of programming produced in HD along with newly converted library material.
NBC Universal's Bravo HD-Plus, for example, uses a combination of concerts, movies and theater performances for programming. NBCU is relaunching the channel in December to feature HD content from Universal Studios, as well as TV series from some of the company's cable channels, that will supplement programming currently on Bravo HD-Plus.
Scripps Networks is experimenting with HD by mining the libraries of its four networks for content that could be folded into a channel. So far, Scripps has about 25 hours' worth of content, with plans to ramp up next year.
"We're very excited about [HDTV]," said Mark Hale, Scripps Networks executive VP of operations and production. "This is a medium that we can get a lot of benefit out of."
But while many cable executives in particular are bullish about the format, consumers aren't yet showing the same kind of enthusiasm.
According to JupiterResearch, just 7 percent of television households owned an HDTV monitor in 2003. While that is up from 0.7 percent in 2000, it could be several years before networks see the kind of critical mass that could make programming investments pay off. Though JupiterResearch predicts the penetration rate will grow to 49 percent by 2008, some observers are less sanguine.
A key hurdle is cost. Up to now, most HDTV set owners have been early adopters-sports fans and videophiles who don't mind spending thousands of dollars on a set.
For most consumers, however, the price of admission is still too steep. The average wholesale price of an HDTV set hovers around $1,300 this year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. That's down from $1,440 in 2003, but still far more than a standard-definition TV, which typically sells for less than $300.
A different kind of cost challenge confronts cable networks. Creating and producing HD content is more expensive than standard-definition content. Though the price differential is narrowing, HD content still commands a 10 to 15 percent premium. There are significant costs associated with converting existing libraries to an HD format as well.
What's more, recouping those costs in any meaningful way is probably years off. While some advertisers are dabbling in the format for their commercials, many remain on the sidelines, held back by the higher production costs and relatively small target audience.
While the networks can earn higher carriage fees from cable and satellite operators eager for HD content to attract and retain high-end customers, they won't be enough to offset losses generated by the cost of running an HD channel.
"The thing about HD which is so interesting is that economically it makes no sense at all," said Todd Chanko, an analyst at JupiterResearch. "There are significant costs that networks have to engage in if they are reprocessing and transferring film to [the HD format] and to managing parallel systems and conversions. Preproduction and post-production resources have to be allocated to get content on the [satellite] for distribution."
Network executives admit that they are rolling the dice by launching HD content today in anticipation of a sizable audience materializing tomorrow. But for a number of networks the risk is worth it, even if it takes as long as five years before their HD channels turn a profit.
The reason is simple: Better to stake a claim on the HD waterfront now than try to get a spot once HD is a widely used format. High-definition channels take up considerably more bandwidth than standard-definition channels, which means there will likely be fewer opportunities down the line for a network to have a shot at carriage than there are today.
"We did lose money entering the space, but we got a lot out of it," said David Zaslav, president of NBC Universal Cable, who added that the company learned about viewing habits and which content is best suited to HD. "By moving early into the space, it gave us a slot that will be very valuable in the future.
"By the time it's a profitable venture, everyone is going to be saying, `Let me get into that space,"' Mr. Zaslav said. "But it will be too late; there will be a long wait at the door."

fredfa

11-28-04, 11:22 AM

'Cold Case,' 'NCIS' on ratings rise
Sophs hit their stride
By RICK KISSELL Variety.com
HOLLYWOOD -- CBS is on a roll this fall, and it doesn't figure to be derailed anytime soon thanks to a strong core of young skeins.
One of the best indicators of a scripted show with hit potential is how it fares in its second season, and three of the Eye's four sophomore series are on the rise at the one-quarter mark of year two.
Leading the way are a pair of 8 o'clock crime dramas, Sunday's "Cold Case" and Tuesday's "NCIS," which are both up 22% vs. last year in adults 18-49 through nine weeks this fall, according to Nielsen.
"Cold Case" has risen to a 3.9 rating from a 3.2 despite facing another rising star, ABC's unscripted feel-good reality show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." And Mark Harmon starrer "NCIS" has gone to a 3.4 from a 2.8, regularly winning its hour in adults 25-54 and total viewers.
Also on the move for CBS is Monday laffer "Two and a Half Men," whose 5.7 rating reps an 8% year-to-year rise, even as lead-in "Everybody Loves Raymond" has dipped by 6%.
In the same Monday hour, NBC's "Las Vegas" is similarly impressive (up 2%, 4.8 vs. 4.6) despite an 18% dropoff for lead-in "Fear Factor."
On the other end of the spectrum, you can largely blame the nets' Friday woes this season on a pair of series -- ABC's "Hope & Faith" and CBS' "Joan of Arcadia" -- that opened big last season before fading by spring. When they kicked off their second seasons in September, neither was especially impressive.
Through nine weeks, "Hope" is off a troubling 26% (2.6 vs. 3.5) year-to-year while "Joan" has declined 21% (2.2 vs. 2.8). Both still challenge for their timeslot's lead, though.
Fox's "The OC" is down 10% year-to-year (3.5 vs. 3.9) but that's understandable given its move to a tough Thursday-at-8 timeslot.
At the weblets, UPN has seen its comedies "All of Us" and "Eve" droop in their second seasons amid overall laffer leaks at the net.
The WB is faring very well, though, with its teen sudser "One Tree Hill," which is the fastest year-to-year riser on any net -- up 62% vs. last fall (2.2 vs. 1.3).

fredfa

11-28-04, 11:30 AM

This week's Broadcasting & Cable takes a close look at Rupert Murdoch and his long quest for a satellite carrier.

Murdoch's 21-Year Quest
That's how long it took News Corp. titan to gain control of a DBS operation
By Paige Albiniak Broadcasting & Cable 11/29/2004
Maybe the lesson from Rupert Murdoch's long attempt to control a U.S. satellite-TV company: Forget about partners.
Murdoch began his attempt to build a U.S. satellite empire in 1983, when he tried to launch Skybrand, a satellite TV company that was to offer rural consumers five whole channels.
That first effort failed quickly because the company couldn't acquire programming cheaply enough, and the British press wrote off the U.S. TV business as too tough to enter. (Meanwhile, in 1983, Murdoch's NewsCorp acquired a majority interest in a small British pay-TV offering that is now BSkyB, its most successful and innovative satellite TV company.)
In 1990, News Corp. entered a $1 billion partnership with General Motors' Hughes Corp., General Electric's NBC and Cablevision to launch SkyCable. The venture intended to offer customers 108 channels via satellite. But it wasn't long before squabbling broke the partnership up, and it was back to the drawing board.
Murdoch's attempt, in 1995, to build his own satellite-TV company called American Sky Broadcasting, or ASkyB for short, looked bona fide. He hooked up with MCI WorldCom, agreeing to pay half the $682.5 million to acquire one of the few satellite slots that could cover the entire continental U.S. (shortened to CONUS).
In return, MCI WorldCom was expected to pony up $2 billion to get a 13% stake in News Corp. and a seat on the company's board of directors. But it quickly became clear that News Corp. had no intention of letting MCI have management input in either company, and the relationship fell apart.
In 1997, News Corp tried to combine ASkyB with Charlie Ergen's upstart satellite-TV interest, EchoStar Communications Corp.
Even though DBS was hardly competitive with cable at that point, the combination was labeled “Deathstar” by cable operators, because it would have joined together two powerful forces. It didn't happen. Ergen and Murdoch did not get along, and the two moguls parted company as bitter rivals.
Looking for a partner who was less interested in running the company, Murdoch attempted to sell his assets to cable-backed satellite-TV company Primestar for $1.7 billion. The Justice Department blocked the deal, citing concerns about allowing companies that owned cable networks to also own DBS distribution platforms.
With nowhere else to turn, Murdoch ended up having to swallow a bitter pill, finally selling the ASkyB assets to EchoStar in 1998 for $1.1 billion in cash and stock. As part of that deal, EchoStar dropped a $5 billion breach-of-contract suit it had filed against News Corp. when Murdoch pulled the plug on the partnership.
Murdoch took a little break from the wild and woolly U.S. satellite industry while he waited for the regulatory and market environment to catch up with his ambitions.
Overseas, in 1998, he acquired an 80% interest in a company called Stream International, now Sky Italia, for $118.8 million.
News Corp. today owns 100% of that company, one of two satellite-TV operations it has whole ownership of. The other is Asia's Star TV.
Murdoch became interested in the United States again when General Motors put DirecTV on the block in 2000. He endured grueling negotiations with the company for 18 months.
But General Motors wanted more cash than News Corp. was willing to give, and Ergen saw yet another opportunity to thwart his rival. Surprising everyone by raising enough capital, EchoStar won a $26 billion bid for the company on Oct. 27, 2001. It simply had to convince the government that the merger of the country's only remaining satellite TV players wasn't anti-competitive.
But Murdoch didn't intend to let Ergen walk away with his prize. He assigned his lobbyists to walk the halls of Congress and the FCC until the deal—given only a 35% chance of success in the first place—was dead.
In December 2002, the Justice Department ruled that an EchoStar-DirecTV combination would be anti-competitive.
Four months later, on April 9, 2003, GM accepted News Corp.'s offer to buy a 34% controlling stake in Hughes Electronics, DirecTV's parent. In the end, Murdoch had his U.S. satellite company, finally sealing the DirecTV deal last January.
It had taken him only 21 years.

fredfa

11-28-04, 12:29 PM

Saturday's ratings have been posted in Latest News.

keenan

11-28-04, 02:26 PM

Originally posted by fredfa

On the other end of the spectrum, you can largely blame the nets' Friday woes this season on a pair of series -- ABC's "Hope & Faith" and CBS' "Joan of Arcadia" -- that opened big last season before fading by spring. When they kicked off their second seasons in September, neither was especially impressive.
Through nine weeks, "Hope" is off a troubling 26% (2.6 vs. 3.5) year-to-year while "Joan" has declined 21% (2.2 vs. 2.8). Both still challenge for their timeslot's lead, though.

This is too bad, I think "Joan" has some very good talent and the premise for the show is somewhat unique, I hope it survives...

fredfa

11-28-04, 02:45 PM

High Rates, Low Numbers As CNNfn Fades, Fox Rises to Challenge CNBC's Business Niche
By John Motavalli TVWeek.com November 29, 2004
To prove that CNBC is popular with CEOs and other top executives, David Friend, the channel's senior VP of business news, likes to recall the time the anchors on the daytime show "Squawk Box" were kvetching on-air about their unreliable Dell printer. The next time Dell CEO Michael Dell appeared on the channel, he brought a replacement printer and installed it himself.
The point is CNBC is better than any channel on cable at delivering the top tier of executives in corporate America, the high-net-worth decision-makers who insiders call "C-level executives," (CEOs, chief marketing officers, chief operating officers, chief information officers, chief financial officers and executive VPs).
It is crucial to the success of the channel that it can sell itself via the concept of whom it reaches. It certainly can't sell on ratings alone. CNBC's total-day Nielsen rating of 0.1 is very low.
Its best-rated shows during the prime business day, including the market-oriented "Squawk Box" and "Closing Bell," merit only a 0.3 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. Yet CNBC has found success as a business-to-business vehicle. That helps it get some of the highest demographics in cable-a majority of viewers according to one CNBC survey have a household net worth of $1 million-and cable's highest costs per thousand. "We dominate business news," said Pamela Thomas-Graham, the CEO of CNBC.
NBC Universal Cable President David Zaslav called CNBC "a very strong brand that has established itself as first class with consumers and with cable operators."
All of which has made CNBC extremely profitable. However, in a changing marketplace, the question is whether that will be enough. CNNfn was in the black last month when its parent company announced the channel would go dark because it couldn't expand distribution. Business news in general has been less popular since the dot-com boom, and some claim there is lingering resentment against CNBC for touting high-fliers that later crashed. And its non-daytime schedule continue to flounder.
Against this background, Fox is preparing to launch a new service that News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch believes can cause the kind of unprecedented shift in viewing of business news that Fox News Channel achieved with general and political news. Fox, said several sources, believes it can steal away a lot of those "C-level" executives and pull in moreof the so-called "Joe Lunch Pail investors."
There are reasons to believe CNBC may be vulnerable. "CNBC doesn't speak to individual investors," charged Robert Leverone, who heads the TV unit of MarketWatch, which was just purchased by Dow Jones. "It's a network that maybe your father watches at the country club."
Even some insiders recognize the challenge. Robert Wright, chairman of NBC Universal, told TelevisionWeek in a Nov. 8 interview that CNBC's prime time has "always been a bit of a struggle." He said the channel was still looking for "the right kind of niches."
It is not hard to see what would attract Fox into the category. CNBC is an economic powerhouse. It is available in 86 million cable TV homes, for which multiple system operators pay an average of about 30 cents per month per home. That provides a revenue base of about $250 million in affiliate fees alone. And most of those are locked into deals, negotiated by NBC's Mr. Zaslav, that guarantee distribution through 2008 and, in many cases, until 2013.
Add to that some of the highest ad revenue in basic cable. CNBC ad sales, pitched as the only way to reach high-level businesspeople, totaled about $225 million last year (down from more than $300 million at the height of the dot-com boom), according to Kagan Research.
Even dead periods for ratings-overnight, for instance-are sold outright for infomercials, bringin in an estimated $70 million a year at present.
Add those together and CNBC is generating annual revenue of more than $500 million. (Kagan estimates total revenue at $523 million.) The network news operation, which is heavily staffed, probably costs about $200 million a year to operate, but that is still lower than most major competitors. One way of achieving lower costs is by having their primary studios in brand-new headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., a right-to-work state..
Several informed sources put CNBC's yearly profit at $250 million to $300 million, a huge bounty for NBC. No wonder CNBC looks so attractive to Mr. Murdoch and Fox News Channel head Roger Ailes, who is one of the founders of CNBC.
Speaking about CNBC recently at a Fox Entertainment Group event, Mr. Murdoch said, "I think it's wide open for competition."
Earlier this month, on an investor conference call, Mr. Murdoch said, "CNNfn was never a factor in our thinking at all. CNBC is. We expect to go ahead with [a business channel] in the foreseeable future."
Mr. Murdoch recently said the channel being planned will offer "more positive programming," which presumably means more upbeat fare than CNBC. Ms. Thomas-Graham told TVWeek that this has an unfortunate connotation. "A news organization needs to be about truth and insight," she said carefully. "We're about the facts. As a viewer, you want business news based on facts. Our on-air people are the best at what they do."
A Fox spokesperson responded, "We find it amusing that Pamela Thomas-Graham is waxing philosophical about journalistic integrity. She should really stick to what she does best: Planning launch parties for .1 shows."
Fox News has offered no substantial comment beyond what Mr. Murdoch said. However, observers noted that Fox has proven it can develop personality-oriented programs, such as "The O'Reilly Factor," which routinely draws Nielsen ratings in the 3.8 range, and the business-oriented "Your World With Neil Cavuto" (a former CNBC anchor), which routinely draws ratings of 1.1 and higher.
Mr. Cavuto can be expected to take a lead in developing the Fox News business effort, perhaps even heading it.
Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, said Mr. Murdoch sees a huge advantage in launching a business outlet that can build on and complement what has been achieved by the Fox News Channel. "Murdoch is thinking he can take the killer audience numbers on Fox News and cross-promote," Mr. Thompson said, "grab some of the viewers who left CNNfn, and up his demographics overall."
Ms. Thomas-Graham, asked about Fox's business plans, said: "CNNfn was at it for nine years, and they weren't able to succeed. To make business news work, it takes several things to get it right. We're very fortunate to have David Zaslav, who has given us a national distribution base."
CNBC is also making moves to broaden its mandate, Mr. Friend said. In particular, he noted that CNBC is doing more long-form programming, such as the recent documentary "The Age of Wal-Mart: Inside America's Most Powerful Company."
"We have added new reporters and added new content," Mr. Friend stated, noting that their reporters have recently broken a number of big stories, including several on OPEC production.
Mr. Friend bristled at a claim by a Bloomberg executive that CEOs like to appear on CNBC because they are pitched soft questions. "Our anchors, including David Faber [host of `The Faber Report' on CNBC] are some of the toughest questioners on TV," Mr. Friend said. "They are critical, incisive, and fair."
Mr. Thompson of Syracuse University said not to assume that because Fox News beat its competition, Fox Business News (or whatever name is chosen) will prevail. Some of the same problems that beset CNBC could also trouble Fox, he noted, and three business channels (including Bloomberg) "might be cutting the pie too thin."

rogo

11-28-04, 03:13 PM

"Mr. Cavuto can be expected to take a lead in developing the Fox News business effort, perhaps even heading it. "

Oh, lord. no.

Are they naming the channel, "Mr. CEO, Do you still beat your wife and children?"

donyoop

11-28-04, 07:37 PM

http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=806e4c4b-0abe-421a-00b9-511d6b0b8772&TEMPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf

fredfa

11-29-04, 12:27 AM

Thanks for the update, donyoop.

fredfa

11-29-04, 01:40 AM

Jet Carrying NBC Official Crashes in Colorado
By RICHARD SANDOMIR The New York Times November 29, 2004

A charter jet carrying Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Universal Sports, and five other people crashed yesterday on takeoff from an airport in Montrose, Colo., killing the pilot and co-pilot, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Mr. Ebersol was taken to a hospital, but the extent of his injuries was not clear. One of his sons was still missing last night.
The plane, bound for South Bend, Ind., crashed through a fence at the end of the runway at 10 a.m. and burst into flames, said an F.A.A. spokesman, Allen Kenitzer. It crashed into terrain covered with small brush and cedar trees. The airport, 185 miles southwest of Denver, serves the Telluride ski area, where Mr. Ebersol owns a home.
Tom Chinn, commander of the Montrose police department, told Reuters, "It looks like he hit the ground near the end of the runway and then skidded a quarter mile across the road."
Mr. Ebersol, 57, was on the flight with his sons Charlie and Teddy. According to the NBC affiliate in Denver, KUSA-TV, Charlie Ebersol, a senior at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, pulled his father from the wreckage. Teddy, 14, was missing, and a search was being conducted by the Montrose police.
Doug Percival, a tow truck driver, said he had heard the plane explode. He looked out of his dispatcher's office near the end of the airport and saw the jet on fire.
"I heard a kid, maybe 18, screaming, 'Please help my brother, he's only 14, he was in the fourth row, help me get him out,' " Mr. Percival said.
He said he also saw Mr. Ebersol. "He was so banged up, I thought he was dead," said Mr. Percival, who was first interviewed by The Montrose Daily Press.
A spokesman for St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo., said that two survivors were taken to the hospital but refused to say if they were the Ebersols. The spokesman, Daniel Prinster, added that at the request of the patients' family, no further details were available.
A third survivor was a crew member, according to a statement by Jet Alliance of Millville, N.J., the company the plane was registered to.
Mr. Ebersol's wife, the actress Susan Saint James, was not aboard the plane, a CL-601 Challenger jet. Jet Alliance said the charter jet was operated for Jet Alliance by Air Castle Corporation and took off about 9:55 a.m. Mountain time.
Mr. Kenitzer said that the N.T.S.B. would assess whether snow in the area contributed to the crash. "This is a plane that can fly in a lot of weather, but we won't know until there is an investigation," he said. Typically, he said, the jet seats 18.
For the past 15 years, Mr. Ebersol has been one of the most influential executives in sports television. A protégé of and former assistant to Roone Arledge at ABC Sports, Mr. Ebersol became the president of NBC Sports in 1989.
He has become best known for deals that led to NBC's acquisition of the rights to the 1996 Summer Olympics and every Summer and Winter Olympics from 2000 to 2012.
In recent years, he has backed away from broadcasting the National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association because he did not want to continue to suffer hefty losses.
Instead, he has made deals with the Arena Football League and the National Hockey League. Under Mr. Ebersol, NBC also acquired the rights to Nascar.
In 1975, as the director of weekend late-night programming for NBC, he helped shepherd "Saturday Night Live" into creation.

leesweet

11-29-04, 11:24 AM

(Catching up here, late back from Thanksgiving...)
fredfa, thanks for the color changes, much appreciated! (Although I did bring this up weeks ago in a PM to you. :) )

fredfa

11-29-04, 11:36 AM

Sunday's ratings have been posted.

taz291819

11-29-04, 11:38 AM

Originally posted by fredfa
Monday's ratings have been posted.

Damn you're quick, the show's haven't even aired yet.:D

leesweet

11-29-04, 12:20 PM

Must have Monday on the brain after the long weekend when doing the overnights from Sunday... :D

Can someone explain this snippet:though the legal drama's ratings always fall when the final numbers become availableWhy are the fast ratings 'always' better than the final ones for Boston Legal?

fredfa

11-29-04, 01:24 PM

Fox, NBC Seek Midseason Save

By John Consoli Mediaweek.com November 29, 2004
Despite a disappointing start of the season and November sweeps, the Fox and NBC entertainment presidents are optimistic that their networks, which finished first and second, respectively, in the race for adults 18-49 last season, will once again be battling for that demo's dominance by next May.

Through the first nine weeks of the season, NBC was down 12 percent from the same period last year among viewers 18-49 with a 3.9 rating, third place among the six broadcast networks. Fox was down 9 percent with a 3.8.

The season race, however, is still up for grabs, with CBS the current leader with a 4.1 (up 7 percent) and ABC at 4.0 (up 5 percent). But CBS won the 18-49 race five of the first nine weeks of this season, one more than the number of weeks it won the demo all last season.

Through the first 19 days of the sweeps, CBS was drawing 3.7 million more viewers a night than second-place NBC (14.5 million vs. 10.8 million) and was holding a 12 percent lead over NBC among 18-49 viewers (4.6 vs. 4.1). ABC was third among 18-49 viewers with a 3.9, up 8 percent over last year, and Fox was fourth with a 3.0, down 3 percent.

"We are not where we want to be right now, but we are not where we're going to be, either," said NBC entertainment president Kevin Reilly. "If we end up 9 percent down in fourth quarter, that's OK. In the post-Friends era, that's not that bad. We're starting to see some stability from some of our returning shows like Law & Order: SVU and The West Wing, and we have five new scripted shows and five nonscripted shows that we will premiere starting in January. These aren't just shows we threw together, but shows we developed and talked about during last May's upfront."

NBC's ratings problems have not been caused exclusively by the retirement of Friends, but the network did lose a huge chunk of its 18-49 audience as a result of its departure. Friends averaged a 9.5 rating in the 18-49 demo during the first nine weeks of last season, while its replacement, Joey, has averaged a 5.3. Among NBC's returning shows, only SVU and Las Vegas are showing gains in the 18-49 demo.

"The fall has been a mixed bag," Reilly said. "Joey is not Friends, but it is still the highest-rated new sitcom, way ahead of [ABC's] Rodney [which is averaging a 3.8 in the 18-49 demo]." Among the network's other new series, however, three have already been cancelled.

But Reilly remains optimistic about turning the season around. NBC's five scripted shows are dramas Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Revelations and Medium and sitcoms Crazy for You and The Office. The network also has a slew of unscripted shows on deck, including newcomer The Contender and the returning Average Joe. "January is the new September," he said, stressing
that midseason premieres are more important than those at the start of the season. "I completely believe that."

So does Fox entertainment president Gail Berman, who acknowledged that her network still has not been able to find a way to come out of the ratings gate following a month of prime-time baseball telecasts in October.

"We have had the same difficulties as past seasons after baseball," she said. "But if we are flat or slightly down at the end of the fourth quarter, we feel like we have our big guns coming out, ready and poised, while the other networks have used up their big guns."
Fox has new dramas Jonny Zero, Point Pleasant, Athens, The Inside and Lone Star, in addition to the returning 24. It has sitcoms Life on a Stick, animated American Dad and Family Guy, as well as fresh runs of Bernie Mac and powerhouse American Idol for midseason.

"We will absolutely be in the mix for the 18-49 demo title," Berman said. "I think we will give everyone a run for their money."

"I'm still optimistic about Fox," said Laura Caraccioli-Davis, senior
vp/director of Starcom Entertainment. "Fox traditionally has always come up with something unexpected in mid-season, although I agree that there is not much of a glimmer of hope right now."

Caraccioli-Davis was less optimistic about NBC turning things around. "I think NBC could rely too much on unscripted, and it seems like the viewers have said they want more scripted," she said.

For the full-season 18-49 title, ABC also has a shot, based on the strong showing of its two new dramas Lost and Desperate Housewives, Alias returning in January, and three new dramas and two sitcoms waiting in the wings for midseason.

"ABC, NBC and Fox each have a legitimate shot at winning the 18-49 demo for the season," said Brad Adgate, vp of research at Horizon Media. "All have enough new stuff to pass CBS." Meanwhile, WB and UPN are battling for fifth place in 18-49 viewers, with the WB holding a lead of one-tenth of a rating
point (1.6 to 1.5).

But Dave Poltrack, CBS executive vp of research and planning, said the only way the other networks will beat CBS in 18-49 is if they add some midseason scripted dramas that can generate watercooler buzz, like Desperate Housewives has.

"If Fox and NBC rely too much on reality, they might draw more of an 18-34 audience while alienating the 35-plus viewers, who are our core," Poltrack said.
"We feel to have a successful season, we only have to be competitive in the 18-49 demo, while Fox and NBC, to have a meaningful season, have to beat us," Poltrack said.

"If we do win 18-49, it would really be a home run."

fredfa

11-29-04, 01:36 PM

thanks for noticing, taz! (It is great to have a few hundred watchful eyes here to help edit.)

To answer your question leesweet:
There are a number of shows which do better in the urban areas (the metered markets) and then slump a bit when the total national numbers come in. On the other hand there are some shows (Joan of Arcadia comes to mind) which generally do somewhat better in the entire national sample.

leesweet

11-29-04, 01:54 PM

Ah, thanks for the details on the mechanics of the overnight samplings! :) Didn't know it wasn't a national sample, which, of course, explains it. Red vs Blue states. :D (oops, my bad...)

fredfa

11-29-04, 05:21 PM

'NUMB3RS' ADD UP TO A JANUARY PREMIERE
(Released by CBS Monday, November 29)
thefutoncritic.com--CBS's "Numb3rs," HD a drama about an FBI agent (Rob Morrow, "Northern Exposure") who recruits his mathematical genius brother (David Krumholtz, "The Lyon's Den") to help the Bureau solve a wide range of challenging crimes in Los Angeles, premieres Friday, Jan. 21 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
From two very different perspectives, the brothers take on the most confounding criminal cases. Inspired by actual events, the series will depict how the confluence of police work and mathematics provide unexpected revelations and answers to the most perplexing criminal questions.
NUMB3RS also stars Peter MacNicol ("Ally McBeal"), Judd Hirsch ("Taxi"), Sabrina Lloyd ("Sports Night") and Alimi Ballard ("Dark Angel") and represents the first dramatic television series from three-time Academy Award nominated director Ridley Scott ("Black Hawk Down," "Gladiator") and Tony Scott (Emmy Award winners for the "The Gathering Storm").
Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Alex Gansa and Brooke Kennedy are the executive producers for Scott Free in association with Paramount Network Television. Cheryl Heuton, Nick Falacci and David Zucker are co-executive producers. Heuton and Falacci co-created the series and wrote the pilot.
Friday, Effective Jan. 21
8:00-9:00 PM JOAN OF ARCADIA
9:00-10:00 PM JAG
10:00-11:00 PM NUMB3RS (P)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(zap2it.com)--Get ready to permanently subtract "dr. vegas" from your Friday schedule and add a drama with an equally quirky title, as CBS attempts to divide the 10 p.m. ET primetime audience and eat away at a fraction of NBC's "Medical Investigation" audience. Get ready to solve some important equations and fill in those unknown variables as CBS premieres "Numb3rs" (their typographical silliness, not ours) this January.

The new drama, which comes from filmmaking siblings Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, will launch on Friday, Jan. 21 in the 10 p.m. slot "dr. vegas" vacated before the start of the November sweeps period.

The series features David Krumholtz ("The Lyon's Den," "Grounded For Life") as a mathematics genius enlisted by his FBI agent brother (Rob Morrow of "Northern Exposure") to use his gift with numbers to solve complicated Los Angeles-based crimes for the Bureau. "Numb3rs" co-stars Peter MacNicol ("Ally McBeal"), Judd Hirsch ("Taxi"), Sabrina Lloyd ("Sports Night") and Alimi Ballard ("Dark Angel").

Originally developed for a fall launch, the "Numb3ers" pilot, written by Cheryl Heuton and Nick Falacci, was somewhat reconceived. Actors Michael Rooker and Gabriel Macht exited from the initial cast, with Morrow joining on board. CBS ordered 12 episodes of the drama at the beginning of the month.

In its five airings on Friday night, "dr. vegas" averaged 8.16 million viewers, somewhat overshadowed by NBC's freshman medical procedural, which has settled in with 9.13 million viewers

keenan

11-29-04, 05:32 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
'NUMB3RS' ADD UP TO A JANUARY PREMIERE
and represents the first dramatic television series from three-time Academy Award nominated director Ridley Scott ("Black Hawk Down," "Gladiator") and Tony Scott (Emmy Award winners for the "The Gathering Storm").

This here definitely gives reason to take a look at this show..

fredfa

11-29-04, 06:14 PM

New DirecTV DVR may have video on demand
By David Lieberman, USA TODAY
NEW YORK — DirecTV is preparing to offer a digital video recorder (DVR) service in mid-2005 that could duplicate virtually every feature now available from current partner TiVo, plus provide video on demand similar to what's offered on cable, say executives of the company preparing the software.
About the only TiVo function the new service will not have, they say, is the ability to jump over commercials. That's an unadvertised TiVo feature users can activate with programming instructions widely available on the Internet.
The new service "will be simpler and faster" than TiVo's, says Abe Peled, CEO of NDS Group. His company plans to deliver its DVR software to DirecTV by April.
DirecTV remains tight-lipped about the NDS-powered DVR it will offer. Spokesman Bob Marsocci simply says that DirecTV plans to introduce "an alternate DVR product and service in the first half of next year."
It also won't disclose who's making decoders — the satellite receiver/DVR combo box — equipped for the new DVR service, although South Korea's Humax is known to be one company on the list.
Yet, comments by Peled and other executives about the NDS product offer a preview of what could be one of the key battles in the fast-growing DVR market. These computerlike devices enable users to easily schedule and record TV shows on a hard drive, as well as pause and replay live TV.
Rupert Murdoch is picking the fight. His News Corp. controls both NDS and DirecTV and is eager to see the new DVR service succeed. NDS also provides DirecTV's encryption technology and a DVR service for Murdoch's British Sky Broadcasting satellite service.
But TiVo can't afford to let DirecTV go. More than 61% of TiVo's 2.3 million DVRs belong to DirecTV subscribers who pay an extra $5 a month to get the TiVo service from the No. 1 satellite company. TiVo doesn't have many alternatives: Cable operators and EchoStar's Dish Network offer their own DVRs.
That's one reason TiVo shares fell 11% last week after it reported that 75% of its new subscribers in the third quarter came via DirecTV.
If DirecTV puts its marketing muscle behind NDS, then "TiVo is going to get hurt, obviously," says Vamsi Sistla, director of broadband research at ABI Research.
Peled says that a big selling point for his DVR is in the way it handles pay-per-view (PPV). With TiVo, users must agree to pay for a PPV movie before recording it for subsequent viewing. But the NDS system will enable DirecTV to signal a user's DVR to record several movies, making each available for viewing at any time.
Customers "pay when they watch (the movie), not when they record it," Peled says.
He adds that his system "will be less expensive for DirecTV" than TiVo and that the savings could be passed to consumers. "We are not a consumer brand. We don't own the customer data the way TiVo does. And we don't sell advertising that we send to the box."
TiVo declined to discuss the NDS challenge. But it told analysts last week to beware of what could be "vaporware," unfinished software.
"NDS has delayed their product offering into later next year," TiVo CEO Mike Ramsay said. "I think we have got a fairly clear runway with DirecTV that we certainly want to take advantage of. ... When it is time to compete, we will focus on that, too. And I think we'll do very well."

fredfa

11-29-04, 06:30 PM

BravoHD Begins
Just a note (in case you missed it elsewhere: NBC/Universal’s rebranded BravoHD began broadcasting – a few days early – this morning.

fredfa

11-29-04, 08:10 PM

Mariska Hargitay Takes 'SVU' Personally
By Rick Porter
(zap2it.com)--On Tuesday (Nov. 30), NBC will broadcast the 125th episode of "Law & Order: SVU." And for the 125th time, Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni will play the show's lead detectives, Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler.
Given that the show is a spinoff of "Law & Order," which is as famous for its cast turnover as for its longevity, the stability of "SVU's" regulars is pretty remarkable. Dann Florek (Capt. Don Cragen) and Richard Belzer (Detective John Munch) have also been with the show from the start, while regulars Ice-T and B.D. Wong have been around since season two.
Hargitay has a theory as to why that is. "The mothership ['Law & Order'] is much more 'Just the facts, ma'am' than our show is. There's just not as much to play," she says.
"We're dealing with much more personal matters, personal issues," Hargitay says of "SVU," which deals primarily with sex-based crimes like rape and child molestation. "There's much more of, I think, the human condition and the complexity of it."
Because the cases Benson and Stabler deal with are often so intimate, "SVU" is a little freer than its "Law & Order" counterparts with doling out personal information about its characters. We know, for instance, that Benson was conceived as the result of a rape. Viewers also learned in the Nov. 23 episode that Stabler's wife and children, who provide a balance to the grisly work he does, have moved out.
"There's just no way to do the show without having that personal stuff," Hargitay says. "Even ['L&O' creator Dick Wolf], who did fight it at the beginning, doesn't fight it anymore. [Executive producer] Neal Baer tells him, 'This is what we're doing,' and he loves it."
Viewers seem to be enjoying it as well. So far this season, "SVU" is the only one of the three "Law & Order" shows to increase its audience over last season (although both the original and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" are facing tougher competition this season). It draws about 13.7 million viewers per week, up 1.3 million from last year.
Hargitay is particularly proud of the current batch of episodes, starting with last week's "Doubt," a he said-she said sexual assault case that caused a rift between Benson and Stabler. She says that even after playing Benson for five-plus years, she's still capable of being surprised by the character's strength.
"In the beginning, I think Elliot was a lot stronger than Olivia. ... It's been interesting to see the tables turn and me be the rock, me be the one that has to calm Elliot down and get him refocused. The characters go through different strengths and weaknesses -- different things set them off to where they can't hack it. ... In these next few episodes, you see him lose it a couple times, and Olivia has to step in."
That she can feel so excited about a string of shows 125 episodes into "SVU's" life, Hargitay says, is a good indicator for her that she'll keep playing Benson for a while.
"I feel like the writers have hit their stride, and they're giving us great stuff, peppering in these personal moments that are very informing to the characters and the story," she says. "The integrity of the procedural is never compromised, yet the audience feels closer to the characters because ever week, they get to know them better."

fredfa

11-29-04, 08:20 PM

Latest On Ebersol Crash
MONDAY UPDATE from The Associated Press: Authorities Monday said the missing teenage son of NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol probably died in Sunday's jet crash near the Montrose airport.
The elder Ebersol, 57, and his 22-year-old son Charles emerged from the fiery wreckage of the 18-seat corporate jet after it crashed during takeoff and burst into flames, but two crew members were killed.
Another son - 14-year-old Edward "Teddy" Ebersole - was also aboard the flight but no trace of him has been found.
Matt Eilts, Montrose County chief deputy coroner, said today that a “complete and thorough search” of the crash vicinity revealed no sign of Edward.
“We believe at this time that the boy has probably perished within the crash,” Eilts said. A search of the wreckage was expected today.
Investigators from the National Safety Transportation Board arrived at midday at the airport, 185 miles southwest of Denver.
The pilot and a flight attendant were killed in the crash, said Michael O’Connor, regional duty officer with the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington state. The coroner’s office identified the crash victims as Luis Alberto Polanco Espaillat, 50, of the Dominican Republic and Warren T. Richardson III, 36, of Coral Gables, Fla., but did not say which was the pilot.
A co-pilot was hospitalized in Denver in critical condition, while Dick and Charles Ebersol were hospitalized in Grand Junction, witnesses said.
Ebersol’s wife of 23 years, actress Susan Saint James, was not on the plane. Saint James starred in TV's “Kate and Allie” and “McMillan and Wife.” The family lives in Connecticut.
The plane was identified as a CL-602 Challenger, registered to Jet Alliance of Millville, N.J. The company offered its condolences in a statement, but said it had no additional information.
Steve McLaughlin of MTJ Air Services, which deices private planes at the Montrose airport, said MTJ did not deice Ebersol’s plane before it took off.
Airport Manager Scott Brownlee said he did not know whether the plane had been deiced. He said deicing would have been the pilot’s decision, but he said at least one commercial jet had deiced before taking off Sunday.

fredfa

11-29-04, 08:33 PM

Death Knell For Plasma TVs?
Signs of a Glut and Lower Prices on Thin TV's
By ERIC A. TAUB The New York Times November 29, 2004

While hanging a television on the living- room wall may have captured the imagination of American consumers, it has yet to empty many pocketbooks.
That may soon change as a glut of liquid crystal display flat-panel televisions, called L.C.D.'s, enter the market, a result of a boom in new factories. According to several manufacturers and analysts, the prices for L.C.D. flat-panel TV's will drop in the new year, falling by as much as 30 percent by the end of 2005. The prices of plasma flat-panel TV's are also expected to fall significantly.
That is not a message that the electronics retailers want to be heard during the holiday shopping season. They are hoping that the price cuts that have already occurred will spur more people to buy flat-panel sets, and many are already offering discounts to increase traffic in their stores.
"We do not want to talk about predictions of price drops," said Lee Simonson, the director of Best Buy's television division. "We want people to buy now."
Flat-panel TV's still represent less than 10 percent of the 29 million TV sets to be sold to dealers in 2004. Of the flat-panel sales, 73 percent are L.C.D. sets and 27 percent are the larger plasma models.
Flat-panel sets have become hot items with consumers. According to a survey by the Consumer Electronics Association, an industry trade group, a plasma television is the most desired holiday gift this season.
Manufacturers, like the makers of other consumer electronics, are investing heavily to expand their production capacity, hoping to capture market share. Earnings, they reason, will come later, although until recently, these sets had proved highly profitable. In the first three quarters of 2004, the LG.Philips LCD Company made $1.4 billion in profits from L.C.D. televisions, although the company reported a drop in earnings in the third quarter from the year-earlier period. Another manufacturer, AU Optronics, made $900 million in the three quarters, according to DisplaySearch, a technology research company.
This windfall has given them the cash to build next-generation plants capable of creating even larger screens at lower per-unit costs. Each new generation L.C.D. plant costs $1 billion to $3 billion.
Next year, AU Optronics and another L.C.D. maker, C.P.T., both based in Taiwan, will complete new plants for making 32- and 37-inch displays. To cut construction costs, Sony and Samsung are in a $2 billion joint venture to build the world's first L.C.D. plant designed to produce eight 40-inch or six 46-inch displays cut from one large piece of glass.
"The plant building boom is due to a herd mentality as big sales numbers have been forecast," said Chris Chinnock, president of Insight Media and editor of the Microdisplay Report, an industry newsletter. "We've seen this cycle of shortfall, investment and oversupply for 10 years. Everyone sees the opportunity at the bottom of the trough and thinks they can do better than their competitors."
Bharath Rajagopalan, general manager for TCL-Thomson Electronics, owner of the RCA brand, said: "L.C.D. production is becoming a commodity game. There is an inordinate amount of competition and price erosion."
Ross Young, president of DisplaySearch, predicts that there will be a 53 percent increase in capacity during 2005, and he says that will put a lot of pressure on pricing. A 42-inch L.C.D. set that costs close to $4,500 today will be $3,100 next year, and $2,250 in 2006, he says.
Tasso Koken, vice president and general merchandise manager for Sears home electronics, predicts that in 18 months, a 20-inch L.C.D. TV from a well-known manufacturer will be under $299, down from $700 to $800 today. "The 2005 price drops in L.C.D. will make the 2004 reductions look like a walk in the park," he said.
As prices for all televisions fall, the industry expects that each of the competing technologies will carve out its own market niche. The ultimate victim may be the tried-and- true picture-tube TV.
So far, average consumers do not seem to care which technology they are buying. "Generally speaking, the consumer has no understanding of the differences between L.C.D. and plasma technology," Mr. Koken of Sears said.
But there are important differences. Plasma displays use a grid of hundreds of thousands of cells filled with a xenon and neon gas plasma. An electrical charge illuminates colored fluorescent phosphors, creating an image. Because of the difficulty in producing very small grids, plasma sets can be produced cost effectively only in larger screen sizes.
In an L.C.D. panel, liquid crystals are sandwiched between pieces of glass. An electrical charge twists the crystals to block light or to allow it to pass through to the screen. L.C.D. sets do not display motion as crisply as plasma TV's, and have more limited viewing angles.
Many industry executives expect that later this decade, L.C.D. units, which are typically 3 to 5 inches deep, will completely replace smaller-size picture-tube sets. Next year, Sony expects to double the number of flat-panel TV's it sells in the United States, while decreasing its picture-tube offerings by 20 percent, according to Mike Fidler, a Sony senior vice president. The picture-tube business is expected to remain profitable for the company for the next three years, but then decline as the price of L.C.D. TV's falls below $500, Mr. Fidler said.
Falling prices for larger screen sizes may force plasma sets to be sold only in sizes around 60 inches, where they maintain their price edge over L.C.D. screens. Plasma panels contain only electrodes and phosphors, so they can be made in larger sizes without a proportionate increase in price, according to Ed Wolff, a vice president at Panasonic.
But some are not so sanguine about the future of plasma. Mr. Fidler of Sony says that L.C.D. TV's will drop so much in price that plasma will go away in three to five years.
Given the uncertainty of whether customers will take to mounting their TV's on a wall, some companies like RCA are hoping that a less-expensive large-screen projection TV will remain a viable alternative to L.C.D. or plasma sets. A harbinger of that trend, the company's recently introduced Projects, a 61-inch projection set, is just 7 inches deep.

fredfa

11-30-04, 01:47 AM

Four Studios Give Backing to a Format for HD DVD's
By TODD ZAUN The New York Times November 30, 2004
TOKYO, Nov. 29 - A group of companies led by the Toshiba Corporation made a major advance in the effort to define a new DVD standard as Paramount and three other Hollywood studios announced on Monday that they would release films in the group's high-definition DVD format by the end of next year.
The decision by the studios to support the so-called HD DVD format is a setback for a rival group of developers, led by the Sony Corporation, and its so-called Blu-ray technology for playing and recording DVD's.
Obtaining pledges from studios to make movies available in the new format is considered a crucial step toward establishing it as an industry standard and securing billions of dollars in licensing fees and hardware sales for its creators.
In addition to the Paramount Home Entertainment unit of Viacom, Universal Pictures, Warner Brothers Studios and New Line Cinema also said they would release titles in the HD DVD format, which its creators promise will offer sharper images and more of the interactive features that have helped make DVD's popular. Warner Brothers and New Line are divisions of Time Warner, and Universal is a unit of the General Electric Company.
Executives from Toshiba and the NEC Corporation, which is also developing HD DVD, said they believed that the pledge of support from the studios would give their technology a strong push. Together, the four studios accounted for about 45 percent of prerecorded DVD sales in the United States in the first half of this year, Toshiba said.
"I've heard the opinion from many people in Hollywood that a single format would be best for consumers," Yoshihide Fujii, a senior vice president at Toshiba, told reporters in Tokyo. Toshiba plans to begin selling HD DVD players by the end of next year at a price below $1,000, he said.
Monday's announcement came as the momentum in the standards fight seemed to be shifting in Sony's favor. In September, Sony announced it was leading a group of investors to buy Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, a move that many analysts predicted would greatly increase the odds of MGM's signing on as a supporter of the Blu-ray technology.
Last month, the 20th Century Fox unit of the News Corporation said it was joining a Blu-ray developers group, the first studio to do so. Still, neither MGM nor Fox has committed to making movies available in the Blu-ray format.
A Sony spokesman said that despite Monday's setback, the company remained confident that its technology would win out.
"Blu-ray is a superior format from a technological point of view," said the spokesman, Taro Takamine. "We need to continue our efforts to get more support for Blu-ray."
And to be sure, the commitments from the four studios to make HD DVD's do not prevent them from also releasing titles using the Blu-ray format. Pony Canyon, Japan's largest distributor of prerecorded DVD's, for example, plans to release titles in both formats, according to spokesmen for Toshiba and Sony.
Each of the two competing technologies uses a blue laser, rather than the red laser that is now used to play CD's and DVD's. The blue laser is finer and can read data that is packed more tightly on a disc. A single-layer HD DVD disc will be able to hold 15 gigabytes of data, while a Blu-ray disc promises to hold 25 gigabytes. That compares with 4.7 gigabytes on traditional DVD's. Either of the new technologies would allow users to record a full-length film in high-definition video on a single disc.
The Toshiba-led group is betting that the format that is cheapest and quickest to reach the market is the one that is most likely to become the standard, so its strategy has been to make incremental improvements to existing DVD technology.
Much of the production equipment now used to make discs, players and recorders can be easily adapted to make the high-definition discs and players, Toshiba says. That means that HD DVD's should not cost much more than current DVD's once mass production begins, Toshiba has said.
"We believe that HD DVD has clear advantages in cost of manufacturing and ease of replication," Thomas Lesinski, president of Worldwide Home Entertainment for Paramount Pictures, said in a statement explaining the studio's decision to back HD DVD.
Sony and the Blu-ray group, which also includes Matsushita Electric and Sharp, have adopted a different strategy. They argue that to get consumers to pay for expensive new hardware, companies will have to offer something substantially better than current DVD players. They are aiming to take a bigger leap forward with a format that offers greater capacity and, they say, better picture quality than HD DVD.

fredfa

11-30-04, 01:59 AM

Cable's Holiday Gift:
A Rate Increase on Your Bill
Despite Satellite Competition, New Increases Are Planned; Getting 120 Channels for $40
By PETER GRANT Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL November 30, 2004; Page D1
Cable companies may be facing their most intense competition ever from satellite-television operators. But that isn't stopping them from raising rates for the coming year.
Comcast Corp., the nation's largest cable operator, is raising its rates an average 5.9% for its standard analog-cable package of about 70 channels.
That is well above the 3.2% inflation rate -- and more than Comcast's price increase last year of 5.7%. In Massachusetts, for example, Comcast will raise the price of its standard cable package to an average of $45.95 in 2005 from $43.39.
Other cable operators also are raising rates faster than inflation, but they are beginning to show some restraint. Time Warner Inc.'s cable business is raising its average rate for standard analog cable 4.1% in 2005, after increasing rates 4.9% this year and 5.2% in 2003. Cox Communications Inc. will raise its analog cable rate an average of only 2.5% to $41.21, and Cablevision Systems Corp. will boost its rate 2.1% to about $46.
The increases come at a time when the cable industry is losing subscribers to lower-priced satellite-television operators. Last year, the two largest satellite companies, EchoStar Communications Corp. and DirecTV Group Inc., added a net 2.3 million subscribers, while cable operators lost a total of a net 63,000 customers, according to Kagan Research LLC. Still, cable remains far ahead on total count, with 73.7 million subscribers, according to A.C. Nielsen Research, compared with a total of about 24 million for DirecTV and EchoStar.
Satellite-television operators also have been raising prices -- but they continue to offer more channels per dollar than cable. DirecTV, the largest satellite TV company, for example, raised its rates $1 to $3 in March, the equivalent of 2% to 9% increases, depending on which package of channels subscribers purchased. EchoStar, which has about 10.5 million subscribers, kept its average price increase last year down to 2%, according to a company spokesman.
EchoStar's Dish Network charges $29.99 for 60 channels and $39.99 for 120 channels, while Time Warner in, say, Columbus, Ohio, will charge $37.95 for 70 channels when its coming rate increase goes into effect.
Though cable generally is more expensive, cable companies offer services that satellite doesn't have, such as video on demand and high-speed Internet connections via cable modems. These are areas the companies hope will boost their revenue.
While Comcast and Time Warner have raised rates for analog video, they have kept a lid on increases of other video service and new features such as high-speed Internet hookups and phone service. By limiting increases in digital cable, they are hoping to encourage households to upgrade to that service, which opens up a wide range of new channels and features such as video on demand.
Taking all features and services into account, Comcast and Time Warner's average rate increase next year will be only 3% and 3.5%, respectively.
For couch potatoes who don't seek to upgrade but simply want to avoid rising cable and satellite costs, one option is to get out the rabbit ears and pay nothing for television. Or they can sign up for so-called basic cable, which all cable companies are required by law to provide. This package typically includes only 15 or so channels. But the price is right: usually less than $20 a month.
For decades, cable companies were able to act as quasimonopolies, creating so much consumer outrage in the early 1990s that Congress imposed rate regulations on the industry. Those regulations were phased out a few years later, partly because satellite operators emerged as viable competitors. The smaller price increases are a sign that at least some cable companies are ending their dependence on annual price increases of more than 5% a year. Now, the companies are finding other ways to boost revenue, such as adding the new services. Cable companies also have been successful in the past year in moderating price increases by programmers such as ESPN.
Comcast, so far, has been a major exception to the rule -- partly because it needs to recoup the heavy investment it made to upgrade cable systems it acquired from AT&T Corp. in 2002. Also, Comcast believes it can hold on to subscribers by offering services beyond the reach of satellite operators. For example, Comcast recently introduced a popular on-demand service that enables digital-cable subscribers to watch highlights of all National Football League games whenever they want for no additional charge. Comcast developed the service, in part, to compete against DirecTV, which offers the NFL's Sunday Ticket, a service that allows subscribers who pay an additional fee to get access to practically all NFL games.
Even within companies, price increases can vary widely by geography and often are softened by special promotions and packages. For example, recent price increases were in the 5.5% range at many Time Warner systems, including Cincinnati, San Antonio, Charlotte, N.C., and Binghamton, N.Y. In Kansas City, Mo., by contrast, Time Warner is raising rates only 2.9%.
Many consumers who have switched have done so because of price. "It seemed like every time I turned around my cable bill went up another $1.75," says Sandy Etzel, 49 years old, an art-museum administrative assistant in Santa Fe, N.M., who recently switched to EchoStar from Comcast. She says her satellite bill now is $55 a month, compared with the $48 she was paying Comcast, but her new service includes more than 100 additional channels and a digital video recorder.
Executives at cable and satellite companies have blamed rate increases primarily on the need to pass on rising programming costs. They also acknowledge that networks aren't raising their prices as much as they have in the past. For example, ESPN, one of the most expensive networks, used to get rate increases of 20% a year from most operators. Early this year, ESPN, owned by Walt Disney Co., agreed to a nine-year deal with Cox that will drop its annual rate increase to an average of 7%.

fredfa

11-30-04, 02:20 AM

Body likely is NBC executive's son
By Alan Levin, USA TODAY
The body of the 14-year-old son of NBC executive Dick Ebersol was apparently recovered late Monday after a fiery jet crash in Colorado that injured Ebersol and another son.
A body matching the description of Edward "Teddy" Ebersol was found underneath the wreckage, Montrose County Coroner Mark Young said. "I'm not going to discuss the condition of the body out of respect for the family."
Two others were killed in the crash after the charter jet took off in light snow Sunday from an airport that serves the Telluride ski area. A company at the airport that handles snow and ice removal from planes reported that the jet took off without being de-iced.
Ebersol and his son Charles were hospitalized in stable condition, Mike McCarley, spokesman for NBC Sports, said Monday night.
Federal authorities said it's too early to tell what caused the crash. "It's going to be a while because unfortunately a lot of the wreckage is still covered with snow," said Arnold Scott, the lead investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board.
A heavy snowstorm had eased up before the plane prepared to take off, but there was no immediate word if weather was a factor.
The way in which the Canadair Challenger 601 crashed will make icing a likely cause to be investigated.The jet apparently failed to get airborne. Ice and snow on a jet's wings can play havoc with its ability to fly. Small amounts the size of grains of sand can reduce a wing's ability to lift a jet off the ground.
As a result, pilots on charter flights are required to inspect their aircraft before takeoff to ensure that no ice or snow is present, according to Federal Aviation Administration regulations. If there is ice, they must get the plane de-iced with a bath of chemicals.
However, the twin jet being operated by Air Castle Corp. in Millville, N.J., did not get de-iced, said Steve McLaughlin of MTJ Air Services, the only company at Montrose Regional Airport that performs the service.
With light snow falling, crews began picking through the charred pile of twisted metal and a 6-foot-high shard of the fuselage with three gaping, round windows. The two engines lay on the ground nearby near the tail section where they had been mounted. A backhoe was brought in to help dig through the wreckage, found near a cattle pen in a snow-covered field dotted with knee-high weeds.
Ebersol has been head of NBC Sports for nearly 15 years, and is perhaps best known for his love of the Olympics, which are broadcast on the network.
He and two of his sons, Charles, 21, and Edward, were flying home from California, where the older son's school, Notre Dame, played a football game Saturday against Southern California. Another Ebersol son, Willie, 18, is a freshman at USC.
They flew to Colorado, where they have a home, to drop off Ebersol's wife, actress Susan Saint James, who starred in the 1980s television series Kate and Allie. Then, Ebersol and the two sons were headed to drop off Charles at school in South Bend, Ind.
Witnesses said that it appeared that the plane never got off the ground. It ran off the runway and skidded across a two-lane road, punching through fences before bursting into flames.
Rescue workers initially declared Edward missing. He was a freshman at a Connecticut boarding school.
The coroner's office identified the victims as Luis Alberto Polanco Espaillat, 50, of the Dominican Republic and Warren T. Richardson III, 36, of Coral Gables, Fla. The FAA said Espaillat was the pilot, Richardson a flight attendant. The co-pilot's name hasn't been released.
The co-pilot was hospitalized in Denver in critical condition. Dick and Charles Ebersol were hospitalized in Grand Junction.

fredfa

11-30-04, 02:27 AM

Channel-surfers paying less attention to TV
By Bill Keveney, USA TODAY November 30
Viewers are watching prime-time programming almost as much as they did 10 years ago, but they appear to be paying less attention, according to a new study by Knowledge Networks, a consumer-research company whose clients include networks and advertisers.
Growth in channel switching, up 42% since 1994, and multitasking, such as talking and eating, "indicate lower attentiveness," says company vice president David Tice.
Increased channel switching, most often during ad breaks and between programs, may indicate viewers are more intent on controlling what they watch.
Trends in prime time (8 p.m.-midnight ET/PT in the study) are moving too slowly to cause alarm among advertisers, Tice says: "Viewing behavior is changing, but not drastically." The July survey of 696 viewers ages 18-49 (comparisons with 1994 are limited to the first hour of prime time) found:
•More people are watching alone, partly a result of more TVs in the home. More TVs mean more viewing, a plus for networks and advertisers, but solo viewers are more likely to switch channels.
•Viewers are more likely to change channels during reality shows than scripted programs.
•Growth in other prime-time TV uses, like video games (up from 1% in 1994 to 6%) and recording shows (from 14% to 17%), have reduced viewing of regularly scheduled shows (from 85% to 82%).
Jeffrey Cole, head of the Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California, says channel switching, multitasking and digital video recorder usage threaten traditional commercials. "I think TV advertising is in its final phase as a medium that delivers national audiences to advertisers in 30-second blocks."
But Artie Bulgrin of ESPN, a Knowledge Networks client, says TV generally remains a passive medium, and if advertisers "understand who their audience is and make their messages relevant to that audience, the 30-second spot will be around a while."

fredfa

11-30-04, 11:06 AM

Monday's ratings have been posted.

fredfa

11-30-04, 12:22 PM

For CBS, not so much to laugh about
Its new shows are sputtering, except 'CSI: NY'
By Toni Fitzgerald medialifemagazine.com
Coming into the season, CBS had the most stable schedule and the least need for a new breakout hit show. Good thing, too, because with the exception of “CSI: NY,” the network’s new shows have been middling to very bad.
More than any other network, CBS can afford to deal with the duds. Its November sweeps average among adults 18-49 is up nearly 15 percent over last season, and it leads No. 2 NBC by almost 17 percent.
Still, the network has to be at least a tad distressed that out of five new shows, only one is a definite for next season. Everyone expected “CSI: NY” to be a hit, and it is. Though viewership isn’t quite as strong as it was for its debut, it easily beats time slot competitor “Law & Order.”
But the network’s new comedies, Monday’s “Listen Up” and Wednesday’s “Center of the Universe,” were among the season’s most poorly reviewed shows. Though both may survive the season, their viewership isn’t showing big gains over comparable shows last year.
And the network’s other two new dramas, “Clubhouse” and “dr. vegas,” have been canceled. At the same time, CBS still boasts three of the top-four dramas among total viewers (“CSI,” “CSI: Miami” and “Without a Trace”), so there’s room for some slacking.
Bottom line, this season CBS can live with a disappointing development slate. Had it been any other network, however, they may have been in trouble.
Two months into the season we’ve seen fewer quick cancellations by the networks than last year, when nearly 10 shows were off the schedule in a matter of weeks.
This year’s outright kills have been unsurprising: NBC’s wan dramas “Hawaii” and “LAX,” the aforementioned “Clubhouse” and “dr. vegas” and the WB’s misplaced improv “Drew Carey’s Green Screen.”
Still, it can be hard to keep up with what’s still around, what’s awaiting the axe, and what has been renewed.
Here’s an update on the networks’ new shows, including their status as of Monday and what Media Life predicted for them when they debuted (see chart for rating scale).
Last week we looked at ABC (see Toni's report at post #779); today we’ll look at CBS.
Later this week we’ll chart NBC, Fox, the WB and UPN.

CBS
Listen Up (Mondays, 8:30 p.m.)
Status: Full-season order. Media Life rating: 14.
It’s maintaining nearly 100 percent of “Still Standing’s” lead-in, but still a distant second place to NBC’s “Fear Factor” in the timeslot.
Clubhouse (Tuesdays, 9 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 p.m.)
Status: Canceled. Media Life rating: 11.
After it failed to improve CBS’s 18-49 fortunes on Tuesdays, the network moved it to Saturdays and then quickly canceled.
Center of the Universe (Wednesdays, 9:30 p.m.)
Status: Additional scripts ordered. Media Life rating: 12.
This show opened so late (mid-October) that CBS is still mulling a full-season order. After outdrawing “King of Queens” in its debut, “Center” has lost 16 percent of its lead-in.
CSI: NY (Wednesdays, 10 p.m.)
Status: Full-season order. Media Life rating: 27.
The surest bet on the new schedule, “CSI: NY” has become the first show to beat NBC’s “Law & Order” among 18-49s in their shared timeslot.
dr. vegas (Fridays, 10 p.m.)
Status: Canceled. Media Life rating: 10.
Averaged a 2.1 among 18-49s before getting yanked.

The Media Life Meter
Rating fall’s new shows probability of survival
30-27 Odds are this show will make it to next season.
26-22 Odds are this show will make it through this season.
21-15 Show may not survive the season.
15-9 Show will be canceled sometime this season.
8 or lower Catch it while you can – this show may not make it to four episodes.
Source: Media Life

fredfa

11-30-04, 12:36 PM

Cablevision's Voom Faces Deepening Gloom
"There is not a single person in the satellite television business who can figure out what in heaven's name they are doing"
By George Mannes thestreet.com Senior Writer 11/30/2004 7:02 AM EST
Cablevision (CVC:NYSE) executives still can't persuade outsiders that Voom is anything but doomed.
The Long Island, N.Y.-based cable operator has sunk hundreds of millions of dollars to launch Voom, a new home satellite service focusing on high-definition television. Given the promising commercial prospects for HDTV -- demand that's evident in growing sales of large-screen HDTV sets, and in efforts by cable operators such as Comcast (CMCSA:Nasdaq) to boost HDTV programming -- Cablevision's strategy makes sense, in theory.
But with each milestone that Cablevision announces in its development of Voom, there's a chorus, among analysts and other satellite-TV watchers, that each step forward is a step back for Cablevision and Rainbow Media Enterprises. That's the Cablevision subsidiary that will operate the satellite subsidiary once its expected spinoff from Cablevision takes place.
Try as hard as they can, outsiders are having a tough time imagining that Voom has a chance for success, given the availability of HDTV programming elsewhere and the huge head start enjoyed by the dominant U.S. satellite TV services, DirecTV (DTV:NYSE) and EchoStar (DISH:Nasdaq) .
"There is not a single person in the satellite television business who can figure out what in heaven's name they are doing," says Bob Scherman, editor and publisher of the industry trade publication Satellite Business News.
Cablevision's shares fell 36 cents Monday to close at $21.40.
Asked whether there is some clever, contrarian strategy at work or a hidden payoff within Voom that critics may have overlooked, Scherman replies, "I get asked this 10 times a week. People are at the point where they're dumbfounded. And as much as people like [Cablevision founder] Chuck Dolan, they simply cannot figure out how someone with this experience and knowledge can be wasting so much money on a business plan which has less than zero chance of succeeding."
Prompting the latest round of head-shaking was Cablevision's announcement last week that it had signed a contract with Lockheed Martin (LMT:NYSE) under which the aerospace company would construct five new satellites for Voom for a price of $740 million.
About the only bright spots that analysts saw in that announcement was that the contract -- which Cablevision says will require $48 million of payments in the first year -- won't require huge upfront costs for Voom, and is cancelable by the satellite operator, subject to a termination fee.
While the downside to Cablevision itself may be limited, given Rainbow's expected spinoff, news like this continues to weigh on Wall Street's valuation of the combined Cablevision/Rainbow.
The Lockheed Martin announcement prompted Lehman Brothers analyst Vijay Jayant to cut his price target on Cablevision on Monday from $24 to $23. "Given the limited opportunity for Rainbow DBS," writes Jayant in his research report, "executing on the contract to construct five ... satellites will destroy equity value."
In the best-case scenario, writes Jayant, no new satellites are built but a $100 million termination fee is incurred. In that case, RME -- which also includes the national programming services American Movie Classics, the Independent Film Channel and WE: Women's Entertainment -- is worth $1 per Cablevision share.
In the worst case, Jayant calculates that all five satellites are built, requiring $1.2 billion in additional funding -- a number covering not only construction but also launch and insurance costs. "A decision by Voom to think about constructing five ... satellites makes the bear case outlook on Rainbow Media take a higher probability," writes Jayant. (The analyst has an equal-weight rating on Cablevision; Lehman hasn't done recent banking for the company.)
Under one theory, Cablevision could be investing in Voom in order to sell it to DirecTV or EchoStar -- EchoStar being more likely, since DirecTV recently announced plans to launch satellites that would increase its own capacity for transmission of HDTV programming.
But Scherman, for one, says EchoStar CEO Charlie Ergen is unlikely to pay what Cablevision CEO James Dolan would want to recover costs on Voom. "The notion that Jimmy Dolan is going to outnegotiate Charlie Ergen is something laughable," Scherman says.

fredfa

11-30-04, 01:16 PM

CBS looking longingly at Russert to replace Rather
By Gail Shister Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist
NBC's Tim Russert is locked up through 2012, but many inside CBS feel he'd be a terrific successor to anchor Dan Rather.
"People love him here," says a high-ranking CBS executive, speaking on condition of anonymity. "He's a big deal, a very likable news guy. He could anchor from where he is," in Washington.
Meet the Press moderator Russert, 54, reportedly is on CBS's wish list of outsiders to replace Rather, 73, who vacates Evening News after 24 years March 9. (Also on the list: Today's Matt Lauer and ABC's Diane Sawyer.)
"Matt and I worked it out - he'll do Monday and Friday, and I'll do Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday," Russert joked yesterday, referring all questions to NBC.
This is the second time Russert has made the anchor buzz at CBS. In 2000, when he was first rumored as Rather's replacement, NBC offered him an unprecedented 12-year contract.
Russert "would be a terrific Evening News anchor," says Bob Schieffer, 67, moderator of CBS's Face the Nation and 23-year weekend anchor of Evening News.
"He's smart, obviously industrious, and has built up a great reputation. There's no way NBC would let him leave. Meet the Press is making a lot of money."
With Evening News languishing in third place in the Nielsens, no one would blame CBS if it were lusting for Russert, who has led Press to 196 consecutive weekly blue ribbons. And it's up 11 percent over last season.
No comment from CBS or NBC.
Like Russert, Lauer and Sawyer are both under long-term deals. CBS would love a shot at Sawyer (a CBS alum), but it's not even remotely possible.
When an ABC rep asked Sawyer for comment, "she laughed and said, 'That's flattering, but it's completely out of the question.' "
Inside CBS, the clear favorite is White House correspondent John Roberts, 48, a solid newsman whom some consider a lightweight because of his background as a Toronto "veejay."
"I'm not even thinking about it," Roberts says. "I've got enough on my plate right now. My full-time job is cracking the nut of the White House."
Roberts says he hasn't been contacted, "nor do I expect to be for at least the next month." Leslie Moonves, boss of CBS owner Viacom, says he won't name a successor until January, at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Schieffer says he'd fill in as Evening News anchor, if asked. (He hasn't been.)
"I'm a good company man. I'll do whatever they ask me to do, and do it with pleasure. But it's beyond my imagination that they would need somebody to fill in temporarily."
As for "temporarily" becoming longer, Schieffer doesn't delude himself.
"There's no way in the world they would come to somebody 67 years old and ask them to anchor. I wouldn't do that. I'd look for somebody who's going to be there for a while."
Besides, Schieffer is content with his Sunday gig, which usually beats ABC's This Week for second place in the ratings.
"I've got a good bird's nest on the ground," says Schieffer, sounding suspiciously like fellow Texan Rather. "Basically, I do whatever I want to do, and the way I want to do it. I love this job."
He loves his alma mater, too. Texas Christian University tomorrow will name its journalism school the Schieffer School of Journalism. (Rather received the same honor from Sam Houston State.)
"I'm humbled, awed and surprised," says Schieffer, a 1959 alum and "terrible" student. "I didn't graduate with honors, but I did graduate on time."

GregF

11-30-04, 01:43 PM

Wow good for Tim Russert. Regardless of what he does or where he goes, his next contract negotiation will have some extra zeroes on it.

fredfa

11-30-04, 06:41 PM

Nielsen Ratings Week Ending Nov. 28, 2004
'Housewives’, CBS Top Weekly Ratings ,
(zap2it.com)-- Two weeks ago, ABC ran a promo for "Desperate Housewives" calling the freshman soap the No. 1 show on television. It was a lie then, but count on ABC's marketing department to dust off the ad, because for the week ending Friday, Nov. 28, at least, ABC's newest hit has, indeed, moved to the top of the Nielsen heap.
A record-breaking week for "Housewives" wasn't enough, though, for ABC to give CBS any sort of competition for the top spot overall. The Tiffany Network once again dominated the overall ratings and eked out a victory in the key demographic, capping a powerhouse November sweeps period.
Overall Prime Time Ratings/Share
CBS 8.8/1---13.91 million viewers
ABC 6.9/11---11.05
NBC 6.2/10---10.02
Fox 4.4/7---7.47
WB 2.6/4---3.94
UPN 2.2/4---3.4

Adults 18-49
CBS 4.2
ABC 4.1
NBC 3.6
Fox 2.9
WB 1.4
UPN 1.4

CBS glutted the Nielsen Top 20 for the week with 12 shows, far ahead of the competition. With Thanksgiving somewhat blunting the network's powerhouse Thursday offerings, Monday shows made strong showings, led by "CIS: Miami" at No. 2 with a 14.3/23 and followed closely by "Two and a Half Men" (12.3/18, 4th) and "Everybody Loves Raymond" (12.2/18, 5th). Even with viewers stuffing themselves with turkey, the Thursday line-up still managed to stay strong, with regularly weekly winner "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" at No. 3 with a 13.5/24 and respectable numbers for "Without a Trace" (11.9/22, 6th) and "Survivor: Vanuatu" (8.8/17, 14th).
The network also had a trio of listworthy programs on Sunday with "60 Minutes" (11.6/17, 7th), "Cold Case" (11.4/16, 8th) and the movie "When Angels Come to Town" (9.1/14, 13th). CBS's other Top 20 shows included Tuesday's "NCIS" (9.4/15, 12th), a special Friday encore of "CSI" (8.8/16, 14th) and Wednesday's "CSI: NY" (8.3/14, 18th).
"Desperate Housewives," goosed by rumors of the offing of a main character, scored with 27.24 million viewers, its largest audience yet, doing a 16.1/23 on Sunday. That night also saw "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (9.8/14, 11th) and "Boston Legal" (8.8/14, 14th) make the Top 20. The "Monday Night Football" showdown between the Chiefs and the Patriots was No. 9 with a 10.6/17 and the seven-minute pregame was No. 20 with an 8.1/12.
In a slow week for NBC, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" led the way with a 10.1/17 for No. 10 and the flagship "Law & Order" was No. 17 with an 8.5/14. The heavily hyped "Seinfeld Story" was No. 19 with an 8.2/15.
FOX's top program for the week was a screening of "Spider-Man," which was No. 43 with a 5.7/10.
On The WB, "7th Heaven" was the lead offering with a 5.0/7 for No. 55, while the network's movie "Samantha: An American Girl Holiday" was No. 67 with a 3.9/6. UPN's best was an "America's Next Top Model" clip show at No. 78 with a 2.9/5.

fredfa

11-30-04, 06:57 PM

Fox January Schedule changes
(Released by FOX via thefutoncritic.com)
FOX has a New Year's resolution everyone can keep. Break out the 2005 calendar and start the year off right with a fresh new wave of programming - including brand-new dramas JONNY ZERO and POINT PLEASANT and the highly anticipated return of AMERICAN IDOL, 24, THE SIMPLE LIFE and THE BERNIE MAC SHOW - beginning January 2005 on FOX.
The gritty drama JONNY ZERO, from the acclaimed team behind "The West Wing" and "ER," will take viewers on an action-packed ride through the streets of New York City as ex-con Jonny Calvo (Franky G.) returns to his old neighborhood, trying to make amends for the mistakes he has made. A former bouncer, Jonny has a mythic reputation, and his old boss, Garrett (Ritchie Coster), a corrupt club owner, will stop at nothing to get him back on the payroll. But Jonny struggles to go legitimate, befriending wannabe hip-hop renaissance man Random (GQ) and a fellow lost soul, troubled ex-stripper Danni Styles (Brennan Hesser).
In the pilot episode, Jonny is released from prison without a job or a place to live. In order to make ends meet he takes a job at Captain Jack's restaurant as a bus boy and kids' party entertainer. One night he befriends a man, Martin Styles (Victor Slezak), who is looking for his runaway daughter, Danni. Jonny agrees to help this man find his daughter, but when he goes to report back to Styles, he finds him being assaulted by a thug. Subsequently, Danni is kidnapped and it is up to Jonny to find her and pass on her father's dying wish. Meanwhile, Special Agent Stringer (Chris Bauer) informs Jonny that he has walked into the middle of a Mob war on the series premiere of JONNY ZERO Friday, Jan. 14 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).
Mac is back! THE BERNIE MAC SHOW will lead off Friday nights with back-to-back episodes starting Friday, Jan. 14 (all-new episodes 8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT and encore episodes 8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT).
It's more funny than embarrassing when Bryana accidentally walks in on Bernie getting out of the bathtub and catches a glimpse of his "privacy." Bernie reprimands her, but a few days later at parent night at Bryana's school, he is horrified to see that she has drawn a picture of him naked in the bathroom with his privacy exposed. He then realizes that Bryana and Jordan are too old to be sharing a room and moves Bryana in with Vanessa. But Vanessa feels invaded and is not making it easy on her new roommate. Wanda and Bernie decide to add another room onto the house for Bryana and Wanda wants to re-do part of the master bedroom as well on the "My Privacy" episode of THE BERNIE MAC SHOW Friday, Jan. 14 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT).
The award-winning series 24 will kick off its fourth season of clock-stopping suspense with an explosive two-hour season premiere Sunday, Jan. 9 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). This special Sunday-night broadcast will air on the same day as the NFC Wild Card game and 24's regular time period premiere will follow the next night - Monday, Jan. 10 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). The gripping drama will then unfold on a weekly basis without repeats or preemptions all the way to the heart-stopping season finale.
Last season, Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), who was in charge of a special field operations unit of the Counter Terrorist Unit, fought to stop a viral terrorism threat before it could kill millions of people. Season four begins 18 months later with the episode "Day 4: 7:00 am-8:00 am." CTU is now headed by Erin Driscoll (Alberta Watson), a steely government agent who made firing Jack one of her first priorities upon taking over. After the explosion of a commuter train, Jack, who is now working for Secretary of Defense James Heller (William Devane) and is secretly romantically involved with Heller's married daughter, Audrey (Kim Raver), suddenly finds himself heading back to CTU for a meeting with Driscoll on Heller's behalf.
The wait is almost over! AMERICAN IDOL, the ultimate in family viewing and the No. 1 show on television last season, has set the stage to return in January. Last May, approximately 65 million votes were cast in the season finale, crowning Fantasia the third AMERICAN IDOL after previous winners Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard. Since then America has been anxiously waiting for the biggest show of the year to return.
AMERICAN IDOL is back for its fourth season and another quest to discover America's most talented singer. Host Ryan Seacrest and America's favorite judges, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, all return to lend their professional expertise, personal comments and often-unwanted criticism to this season's crop of aspiring singers. An all-new season with new contestants and the best and worst of auditions from seven cities around the nation begins with a special two-hour season premiere episode Tuesday, Jan. 18 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and a special one-hour episode Wednesday, Jan. 19 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). Some will get the judges' approval and others will learn the hard truth! Tune in to see who survives and who goes home!
Something wicked this way comes to a usually quiet New Jersey beach town, when a sudden, violent storm washes in more than the tide in the new drama series POINT PLEASANT premiering Thursday, Jan. 20 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
After local lifeguard Jesse Parker (Sam Page) sees the beautiful Christina Nickson (Elisabeth Harnois) floating in the ocean, he dives into the dangerous waters to save her life and bring her to safety. Little does Jesse know that his heroic rescue heralds the beginning of all hell breaking loose.
Jesse brings Christina to the home of local doctor Ben Kramer (Richard Burgi). The Kramers, including Ben's wife Meg (Susan Walters) and daughter Judy (Aubrey Dollar), take an instant liking to Christina and invite her stay with them as she searches for clues to her past and attempts to find her mother - coincidentally a Point Pleasant native - whom Christina never knew. Unbeknownst to Christina, her presence is having a profound effect on Point Pleasant's inhabitants, awakening repressed feelings, unlocking secret desires and heightening emotions. Tensions flare between Jesse, who finds himself inexplicably drawn to Christina, and his best friend, Terry (Brent Weber), who secretly lusts after Jesse's possessive girlfriend, Paula (Cameron Richardson). Paula's hot-to-trot mother, Amber (Dina Meyer), attempts to rekindle her relationship with the good Dr. Kramer. And long-buried secrets kept by Jesse's parents, Police Captain Logan (Alex Carter) and God-fearing Sarah (Clare Carey) begin to surface, especially when the darkly mysterious and charismatic Thomas Boyd (Grant Show) moves into town and insinuates himself into Christina's new life.
As Christina looks for answers to her mother's disappearance, she will come to realize that she has never known her "real" father either - for Christina is the offspring of a mortal woman and the Devil. While Christina struggles to control the demons inside her (and the powers that come with it), the fight for her soul has begun and the town of POINT PLEASANT has turned into the ultimate battleground of good versus evil.
After the demons it's time for the divas when THE SIMPLE LIFE 3: INTERNS premieres Wednesday, Jan. 26 (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT). This newest edition of THE SIMPLE LIFE follows "celebutantes" and best friends Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie as they pack up their Louis Vuitton briefcases for a trip around the Northeast via Greyhound Bus. The outrageous fish-out-of-bottled-water series chronicles the adventures of Hilton and Richie, who are again stripped of their cell phones, cash and credit cards, as they go from hot tickets to bus tickets. Departing from New York, the girls must navigate their way through this wild bus ride through towns, host families and internships. American business will never be the same again.
Coming to the FOX schedule in March will be the Victor Fresco comedy LIFE ON A STICK. Laz (Zachary Knighton) and Fred (Charlie Finn), both 18, have been friends forever. Just out of high school, and unsure what they want to do with their lives, they take jobs at a mall food court, at the lame "Yippee, Hot Dogs" run by the always yelling Mr. Hut (Maz Jobrani). There, Laz meets the girl of his dreams, the lovely and strong-willed Lily (Rachelle Lefevre).
Optimistic but not ambitious, Laz cuts a deal with his well-meaning but superficial dad, Rick (Matthew Glave), and equally superficial stepmom, Michelle (Amy Yasbeck), which allows Laz to continue living rent-free at home. All Laz has to do is keep an eye on his stepsister (Michelle's daughter), the angry, angst-ridden, 16-year-old Molly (Saige Thompson). Michelle and Rick hope that Laz will help socialize Molly and get her on the right track with the boy she likes - the sweet and very honest Jasper (Ryan Belleville). Rounding out the family is the perfect and wise 8-year-old Gus (Frankie Ryan), the only product of Rick and Michelle's union and the object of their obsession.
With FOX's year-round schedule in full swing, January also will bring the exciting finales of the current seasons of THE SWAN (Monday, Jan. 3, 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT); THE REBEL BILLIONAIRE: BRANSON'S QUEST FOR THE BEST (Tuesday, Jan. 11, 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT); QUINTUPLETS (Wednesday, Jan. 12, 8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT); NORTH SHORE (Thursday, Jan. 13, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT); and MY BIG FAT OBNOXIOUS BOSS (Sunday, Jan. 30, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) - shows that launched in summer and fall on FOX.
It's like unwrapping a new gift every week on THE SWAN, as self-proclaimed "ugly ducklings" are given the unique opportunity to realize their dreams. The unscripted series that turns a fairy tale into reality, THE SWAN revitalizes women who are stuck in a rut by revealing their beauty and confidence through physical, mental and emotional transformations with the help of a team of specialists. Each week this season, two women and their stunning transformations are featured, with one of the contestants selected to compete in the Swan Pageant. The second season culminates on its two-hour finale Monday, Jan. 3 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) with the spectacular pageant in which one woman will be crowned "The Swan," winning hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes.
Following is a day-by-day recap of the FOX schedule for January 2005:
Mondays
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT TRADING SPOUSES
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT 24 (2-Hour Season Premiere on Sunday, Jan. 9; Time period premiere on Monday, January 10)
Tuesdays
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT AMERICAN IDOL Season Premiere Jan. 18
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT HOUSE
Wednesdays
8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT THAT '70s SHOW
8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT THE SIMPLE LIFE 3: INTERNS Season Premiere Jan. 26
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT AMERICAN IDOL Season Premiere January 19; 1-hour episodes through February
Thursdays
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT THE O.C.
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT POINT PLEASANT Series Premiere Jan. 20
Fridays
8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT THE BERNIE MAC SHOW All-new episodes start Jan. 14
8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT THE BERNIE MAC SHOW Encore episodes start Jan. 14
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT JONNY ZERO Series Premiere Jan. 14
Saturdays
8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT COPS
8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT COPS
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK
11:00 PM-MIDNIGHT MADtv ET/PT
Sundays (through January)
7:00-7:30 PM ET/PT KING OF THE HILL
7:30-8:00 PM ET/PT MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE
8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT MY BIG FAT OBNOXIOUS BOSS

fredfa

11-30-04, 07:50 PM

CBS Claims November Landslide
Jim Finkle – Broadcasting & Cable 11/30
CBS declared a landslide victory in this month’s sweeps race even though the polls don’t officially close until Wednesday night.
The network says it’s poised to post its first November sweeps victory since 1980 among 18-49s. It projects that it will end the sweeps season with a 4.5 rating in that key demographic. It estimates that NBC and ABC are about neck and neck with a 4.0, and Fox is last of the Big Four with an average 3.0 rating.
If CBS is able to retain 18- to 49-year-olds, it’ll be able to boost ad rates for next season, especially on Thursdays, one of the most lucrative nights of the week for broadcasters. “With this significant a change for us, there will definitely be more money coming into us in May,” said CBS Chairman Les Moonves in a conference call with reporters. “These ratings are absolutely going to translate into dollars, especially on Thursday night.”
The victory forced Moonves to eat a little, unusually palatable crow. Years ago, CBS was so far behind among 18-49s that Moonves once lamented that it would never lead in that category. Today, he said he was thrilled to have been wrong.
“It is extremely gratifying for all of us that this has happened,” he said “We’re pretty proud.”
The improvement in prime time has helped affiliates going into their late-night news, giving them the best competitive position they’ve had in that slot for at least a decade, according to Moonves.
During the briefing with reporters, he said it’s too soon to provide any information about the network’s efforts to find a replacement for news anchor Dan Rather.“With Dan leaving, it’s a time of transition,” he said. “It’s certainly one of the biggest things on my plate.”
CBS is looking at a variety of options for the newscast, he added, including making changes to its format. In passing, he said that it might be wrong to assume that Rather would be replaced by one person.
Does that mean he’ll be replaced by a team of two anchors, asked one reporter.
“Anything could happen,” he replied. “We may bring in the cast of Friends to do the evening news.”
According to the preliminary projections from CBS, its average audience for November sweeps will come in at about 14.25 million. NBC is second with 10.77 million, then ABC with 10.71 million and Fox with 7.05 million.
That 3.5 million-viewer lead would be the largest of any No. 1 network since November 1987, when NBC was top dog.
During his press conference, Moonves also confirmed a diagnosis on Dr. Vegas that had yet to be formally articulated by the network: The show is not just on hiatus. It has been cancelled.
He also said the network had asked producers of CSI: NY is to make the show a little lighter. Although it has performed well in the ratings, CBS was concerned about its tone.
“We thought it was a little too dark,” Moonves said. “But we’re making adjustments.”

AFH

11-30-04, 07:53 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
CBS looking longingly at Russert to replace Rather
By Gail Shister Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist
NBC's Tim Russert is locked up through 2012, but many inside CBS feel he'd be a terrific successor to anchor Dan Rather.
"People love him here," says a high-ranking CBS executive, speaking on condition of anonymity. "He's a big deal, a very likable news guy. He could anchor from where he is," in Washington.
Meet the Press moderator Russert, 54, reportedly is on CBS's wish list of outsiders to replace Rather, 73, who vacates Evening News after 24 years March 9. (Also on the list: Today's Matt Lauer and ABC's Diane Sawyer.)

Wow, I would have never thought of any of those three to replace Rather. I assumed that CBS would bring up one of their weekend guys. Maybe they will.

Tabasco

11-30-04, 08:15 PM

Sorry if this is somewhere else, but where's "Family Guy"? It didn't seem to be in Fox's January plans.

fredfa

11-30-04, 08:24 PM

(Nor "Tru Calling"...although that commitment had already been scaled back to just six episodes...)
It seems to me, squicken, that the Fox schedule is like the Denver weather: if you don't like it, just wait an hour and it will change.

f44

11-30-04, 09:50 PM

FOX has not had a date for Family Guy except for "2005" although I thought I had read it would come out either around March/April or fall 2005.

fredfa

12-01-04, 02:14 AM

CBS, the Broom Network
By Lisa de Moraes washingtonpost.com Wednesday, December 1, 2004; Page C07
CBS will win the November ratings sweep by about 3.5 million viewers -- the largest margin of victory by any network since 1987. CBS crowed about its first November sweeps win in the coveted 18-to-49 age bracket since 1980 during a conference call with reporters yesterday. That win, CBS chairman Leslie Moonves said, would pay off in May when advertisers commit money upfront to prime-time lineups for the following season. Oh, and Moonves said they might not replace "CBS Evening News" anchor Dan Rather with just one anchor.
Here's a look at the week's Zergs and Jenningses:
WINNERS
CBS Thursday. Even against a "Seinfeld" special, CBS won last Thursday among 18-to-49-year-olds. CBS, in fact, won every Thursday of the November sweeps in the age group for the first time since 1984 when Bill Cosby joined the NBC lineup.
"Desperate Housewives." Kill off a character, viewers are sure to follow. More than 27 million people watched ABC's campy new Sunday drama last week -- its largest audience yet -- to see which of the desperate housewives would get knocked off. Adding to ABC's Sunday fun, "Boston Legal" hit a series high, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" posted its second largest audience ever, and "Home Videos" clocked a season best. All told, it was ABC's largest Sunday with regular programming in four years.
"Spider-Man." Thanksgiving broadcast premiere of Spidey flick posted Fox's best movie delivery on any night in more than 2 1/2 years. Fox hasn't done this well on a Thursday, excluding baseball, since its February 2003 sweeps interview with, you guessed it, Michael Jackson.
LOSERS
"Kelly, Ruben & Fantasia: Home for Christmas." Last week's "American Idol" holiday special attracted only 5.6 million viewers Wednesday night because, hello, no Clay Aiken. Nearly 11 million music fans caught NBC's "Tim McGraw: Here and Now" earlier that night. Last year's "American Idol" Christmas special had also clocked nearly 11 million.
"The 'Seinfeld' Story." Apparently viewers do know an infomercial when they see one. NBC's Thanksgiving exercise in commercialism clocked a disappointing 14 million viewers -- the smallest audience for an original "Seinfeld" telecast since at least 1991. "T 'S' S" got whomped by CBS's "Without a Trace," which posted nearly 20 million viewers in the same time slot. NBC noted that "The 'Seinfeld' Story" more than doubled the network's 18-to-49 ratings for the time period last Thanksgiving, but last Thanksgiving NBC ran a Harry Connick Christmas special in the time slot, and it would be hard not to beat a Harry Connick Christmas special.
The "Bachelor" finale. Wednesday's show attracted about 10 million viewers, which is this edition's top draw, but it's way down from the year-ago finale crowd of 18.6 million.
"WWE Tough Enough $1,000,000 Download." WWE's peek into the grueling competition among a bunch of supersized guys trying to snag a four-year, million-dollar WWE contract settled for 1.5 million viewers Friday night. Meanwhile, repeats of "America's Next Top Model," in which a bunch of really skinny chicks battle to land a modeling contract, have been averaging 1.9 million in the same time slot. The chicks have it.
"Christmas Carol." "Bah! Humbug!" viewers said of Kelsey Grammer's musical turn as Ebenezer Scrooge, which bagged fewer than 9 million people Sunday night in the "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and "Crossing Jordan" time slots. That's the smallest audience there since last April, when NBC also preempted "L&O:CI" and "Crossing Jordan" for a made-for-TV movie, "Homeland Security."
The week's 10 most watched programs, in order, were: ABC's "Desperate Housewives," CBS's "CSI," "CSI: Miami," "Without a Trace," "Two and a Half Men" and "Everybody Loves Raymond," ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and CBS's "60 Minutes," "Cold Case" and "Survivor: Vanuatu."

fredfa

12-01-04, 02:21 AM

This story has been circulating on the web, in various versions, for about a day now.
I thought I would wait before posting it so as not to spoil anyone's enjoyment of the end of Ken Jennings' run on "Jeopardy".

'Jeopardy!' Whiz Ken Jennings Loses
By RANDY KENNEDY The New York Times December 1, 2004
In the end, after all the mind-bendingly tough answers like Leif Ericson, Johannes Kepler, George III and Ecuador (the clue: "a Spanish dictionary defines it as 'Circulo maximo que equidista de los polos de la Tierra,' ") it was a plain old accounting firm that finally brought down Ken Jennings, the "Jeopardy!" champion, ending the longest winning streak in game show history.
Answer: Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year.
On last night's show Mr. Jennings responded, "What is Fed Ex?," while his opponent Nancy Zerg, a Realtor from Ventura, Calif., answered correctly, "What is H & R Block?" And so, after 75 shows, 2,700 correct responses and more than $2.5 million in winnings, Mr. Jennings - a software engineer from Salt Lake City who became a smiling, brainy pop-culture hero during his winning streak - finally put down his buzzer.
Yesterday, with his wife, Mindy, in a hotel room overlooking Times Square, Mr. Jennings, who taped the last show in September and has had to keep quiet about his loss since then, said it almost made sense to lose on such a mundane topic.
"I do my own taxes," he said, grinning. "I would have never thought of taxes." But as he prepared for a post-loss media blitz that included "Late Show With David Letterman" and "Nightline," flashes of Mr. Jennings's mild-mannered but deadly competitiveness showed through.
"The woman next to me just knew it immediately," he said, describing his final final "Jeopardy!" question. "I could hear her little light pen writing, and I thought, 'Oh my gosh, she knows this.' And I had no idea."
In becoming a one-name television phenomenon - known in game-show circles as KenJen, the game show equivalent of Ali or Jordan or Tiger - Mr. Jennings single-handedly raised the ratings for "Jeopardy!," which decided to delay broadcasting his last show until last night, the final night of the television sweeps month. Mr. Jennings's streak began on June 2, after "Jeopardy!," in a move to increase its viewership, dropped its 20-year policy of retiring undefeated champions after five games. By the show that was broadcast on Nov. 3, when he hit $2.19 million in winnings, Mr. Jennings had buzzed his way past Kevin Olmstead, who previously held the record for highest game-show winnings after his success on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
But Mr. Jennings, 30, said his life had actually changed very little since he became a celebrity, partly because he was contractually bound not to talk about his streak while it was under way, and in fact sometimes kept even his own mother in the dark - though that was mostly just in jest, he said.
He is now recognized almost everywhere, and his wife said she no longer asked him to swing by the grocery store because he would have to sign dozens of autographs in the checkout line. In New York this week, he said, a woman at St. Patrick's Cathedral interrupted her prayers when she recognized him.
"It's difficult just because it never really lets up," he said. "It's always the same questions. It's always the viselike grip of the little old ladies."
His wife said: "He's had bruises on his arm. I'm not kidding."
But in other ways, fame and fortune have not descended on him as they have on some lottery winners, he said. He and his wife have not gone on shopping sprees. (He did buy a big-screen television recently, but he'd been saving for it for years.) They are planning a nice European vacation, but probably not a long one because they are parents of a 2-year-old son. Devout Mormons, they have donated tens of thousands of dollars of winnings to the church. And Mr. Jennings has even - true to his "Jeopardy!" champion personality - checked a book out of his local library with advice on how best to avoid the difficulties faced by people who experience financial windfalls.
"There are unbelievable statistics," he said, "that three-quarters of all people who have some big windfall are out of money within two to five years. So many people are not smart about it. So I think it would be very ironic if I got the money for being smart and then did, like, something incredibly dumb with it."
He said that he had taken a leave from his job to write a book about his experience but that he hoped the money would simply pay for him to be "Mr. Mom" for a while.
Mr. Jennings said it was often hard to read about himself and hear himself described on television as a grinning nerd and a cold-blooded game show assassin during his "Jeopardy!" reign. But he said he actually expected the anti-Ken backlash to start earlier and was gratified that many people continued to root for him even when he became a one-man Yankees of the game show world.
"People are going to think what they are going to think," he said. "I tried to remove myself from it."
"You come to realize that it's not about you," he added. "They're just watching some TV game show version of you for 22 minutes," he said, adding that he sometimes was among the rapt viewers and ended up unwittingly admiring himself. "I watched myself on TV and thought, 'Wow, Ken's doing really good.' "
Mr. Jennings, getting ready for the Letterman show yesterday afternoon and tucking into a room service cheeseburger, said that though he prized his privacy, he was seriously considering trying to trade on his fame and go where many other reality-television stars have gone, onto the B or maybe C list of the celebrity promotions world.
"A lot of these things might be sort of fun, you know, if somebody had an idea for a commercial endorsement or speaking," he said. "So I guess I am sort of perpetuating my own lack of anonymity."
But for the next few months, he plans to spend lots of time at home, where he will continue to read obsessively, speed through crossword puzzles and do most of the things he has always done. Except, of course, his own taxes. "H & R Block got hold of me and they've offered me free financial services for life," he said, grinning as if he had just nailed a question on medieval horticulture. "So that I never forget their name again."

fredfa

12-01-04, 02:35 AM

Prime-Time Network Ratings
(The Wall Street Journal)
Figures are for the week ended Sunday, Nov. 28
# Program Network Viewers (in millions)
1 Desperate Housewives HD ABC 27.2
2 CSI HD CBS 24.4
3 CSI: Miami HD CBS 22.1
4 Without a Trace HD CBS 19.8
5 Two and a Half Men HD CBS 18.9
6 Everybody Loves Raymond HD CBS 18.5
7 Extreme Makeover ABC 18.2
8 60 Minutes CBS 17.7
9 Cold Case HDCBS 17.5
10 Survivor: Vanuatu CBS 16.5
11 NFL Monday Night Football HDABC 15.6
12 Law & Order: SVU HD NBC 15.2
13 NCIS HD CBS 14.7
14 Seinfeld Story NBC 14.1
15 CSI Friday Spcl(S) HD CBS 13.7
16 CBS Sunday Movie HD CBS 13.7
17 Boston Legal HD ABC 13.6
18 CSI: NY CBS HD 13.5
19 Apprentice NBC 12.9
20 Law & Order HD NBC 12.6
21 Fear Factor NBC 12.1
22 America's Funniest Home Videos ABC 12.1
23 NFL Monday Showcase HD ABC 12.1
24 West Wing HD NBC 11.8
25 According to Jim HD ABC 11.5
26 Amazing Race: 6 CBS 11.5
27 Still Standing HD CBS 11.2
28 Listen Up HD CBS 10.9
29 Tim Mcgraw: Here And Now NBC 10.6
30 Rodney HD ABC 10.5
Source: Nielsen Media Research

fredfa

12-01-04, 02:57 AM

Holiday TV classics countdown
By Rati Bishnoi, USA TODAY
Every year the question comes up —when is Rudolph going to be on? Where can we watch Miracle on 34th Street?Among many perennial broadcast classics this season:
•Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer(CBS, Wednesday, 8 ET/PT). Celebrates its 40th anniversary; Hermey the Elf and Yukon Cornelius help the red-nosed one save Christmas.
•The Year Without a Santa Claus (ABC Family, Thursday, 7 p.m. ET/PT). Feeling miserable, Santa Claus decides to take the day off.
•Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (ABC Family, Thursday, 8 p.m. ET/PT). The Mailman (Fred Astaire) explains the mystery of Santa Claus.
•Frosty the Snowman (CBS, Friday, 8 p.m. ET/PT). The "jolly" snowman runs away to the North Pole to escape evil Professor Hinkle's attempts to steal his magic hat; followed at 8:30 by Frosty Returns
•A Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC, Dec. 7, 8 p.m. ET/PT). After struggling as director of the school pageant, Charlie Brown needs help from Linus to learn the meaning of Christmas; includes new character vignettes.
•Miracle on 34th Street (AMC, Dec. 12, 8 p.m. ET/PT). Macy's Santa claims to be the real Kris Kringle in the 1947 movie.
•The Bishop's Wife (TCM, Dec. 12, noon ET/9 a.m. PT). Cary Grant plays angel Dudley in this 1947 movie.
•National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (NBC, Dec. 12, 8 p.m. ET/PT). The Griswolds stumble through a holiday season.
•Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (WB, Dec. 18, 8 p.m. ET/PT). The curmudgeon tries to sabotage Whoville's merry yuletide in this animated favorite.
•A Christmas Story (TNT/TNTHD, Dec. 24, starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT) A 24-hour HD marathon of Ralphie's quest for a Red Ryder BB gun.
•It's a Wonderful Life (NBC, Dec. 25, 8 p.m. ET/PT). Clarence the angel rings George Bailey's bell. And Merry Christmas to all.

fredfa

12-01-04, 03:05 AM

Universal Music Is in Talks to Create Satellite TV Channel
By JEFF LEEDS The New York Times December 1, 2004
The Universal Music Group, the global conglomerate that releases music by stars like U2 and Shania Twain, may soon have an answer for executives who complain that no cable channel on earth will play their latest music videos. The company is discussing the creation of a satellite TV music channel, according to executives involved in the matter.
The company, a unit of Vivendi Universal, is in talks to put the channel on the Dish Network, owned by EchoStar Communications, the executives said. Universal is aiming to have the channel, which would feature videos from its roster of acts, on screens in the first or second quarter of next year, they added.
Universal has been developing the idea with Andy Schuon, who resigned in January as the head of programming for the Infinity radio unit of Viacom Inc. and who once worked as a top programmer at Viacom's MTV network, the executives said.
Representatives for Universal and EchoStar declined to comment.
Entrepreneurs inside and outside the music business have been exploring whether viewers would embrace a new outlet in a music video market that MTV has dominated for more than two decades. Cablevision's Fuse channel, introduced early last year, quickly earned a following but lacks MTV's wide distribution. Fuse is also carried on the Dish Network, which says it has more than 10 million subscribers.
Record executives often complain about how MTV has discarded its original focus on music. MTV executives say shows like "Punk'd" attract a bigger audience than a basic rotation of music videos, and they note that a spinoff channel, MTV2, emphasizes lesser-known acts.
In 1994, the major record companies tried planning their own 24-hour music channel, but abandoned the idea amid a Justice Department antitrust inquiry. Since then, executives who have explored starting a new effort have typically found themselves short of widespread support or financing.

fredfa

12-01-04, 03:30 AM

Rather’s chair up in the air
CBS News' options include multiple anchors
By MICHAEL LEARMONTH Variety.com
NEW YORK -- CBS is considering multiple newscasters to replace Dan Rather in the anchor's chair when he steps down in March.
Viacom co-prexy-co-chief operating officer Leslie Moonves said an anchor partnership is being considered as part of a broad rethinking of the "CBS Evening News" franchise, and that no candidates have been ruled out.
"We are exploring every possibility right now," Moonves said. "After the first of the year, we are going to come to a decision and, by the way, it could be more than one person."
The possibility of a second or even a third chair on the "CBS Evening News" set throws a new angle into the anchor-heir handicapping, but it also brings back some sour memories at CBS of the failed partnering of Rather and Connie Chung in 1994, a year before Moonves joined the network.
Anchor duos have produced some of TV journalism's finest moments, such as NBC's Chet Huntley-David Brinkley partnership, which lasted more than a decade, and some of its biggest flops, including Tom Brokaw and Roger Mudd in the early '80s and the Barbara Walters-Harry Reasoner debacle in 1976.
Moonves said even though "Evening News" is a distant third among evening newscasts, the net has a unique opportunity to execute a turnaround with the transition at NBC from Brokaw to Brian Williams.
"It will give us an opportunity to look at what we're doing right and what we're doing wrong and proceed with the future in a different way," Moonves said.
The only aspect of the "Evening News" not negotiable is the 6:30 timeslot and half-hour duration, he said.
While audiences for all three evening newscasts have dwindled nearly 30% over the past decade, they still reach an estimated 25.8 million viewers a night, according to Nielsen Media Research.
CBS News is awaiting a final report from an independent committee investigating a story on President Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard that was sourced, in part, with documents that were found to have been forged.
Moonves said he's confident that any level of negligence found in the decision to air the documents would not prevent Rather from continuing as an investigative reporter for "60 Minutes."

fredfa

12-01-04, 10:56 AM

Voom Gets Five Scripps Networks
Multichannel.com 12/1/2004 10:42 AM ET
Scripps Networks’ five cable services have found an HD direct-broadcast satellite home.
Rainbow DBS’ Voom said Wednesday that it has reached an agreement to add Home & Garden Television, Food Network, Do It Yourself, Fine Living and Great American Country to its programming lineup.
The Scripps Networks services join HD networks such as Home Box Office HD, Cinemax HD, ESPN HD, Showtime HD, Starz! HD, Playboy Hot HD, The Movie Channel HD, Bravo HD+, Discovery HD Theater and the Voom HD Originals, 21 channels created by Rainbow Media Enterprises Inc. and available exclusively on Voom.
The Cablevision Systems Corp.-owned DBS provider also offers standard-definition networks including Turner Network Television, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, TBS, Cable News Network, A&E and AMC, as well as over-the-air digital local-broadcast channels delivered in HD where available.
“Voom is committed to offering its customers diverse programming options, and the addition of the five Scripps networks is another significant step toward our goal of providing the best programming available in both HD and SD,” RME CEO Tom Dolan said in a prepared statement.
Scripps Networks executive vice president of affiliate sales and marketing John Baird added, “As a leading provider of HD and SD programming, Voom represents an ideal partner for Scripps Networks, particularly as our own high-definition content is under development. Additionally, the agreement with Voom is Scripps Networks’ first five-network deal, including our newest channel, Great American Country.”

bgall

12-01-04, 11:11 AM

Originally posted by fredfa
•A Christmas Story (TBS, Dec. 24, starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT)

This will actually be on TNT, not TBS. And it will be in HD all day :)

fredfa

12-01-04, 11:15 AM

Tuesday's ratings are posted in Latest News.

fredfa

12-01-04, 11:50 AM

thanks, bgall!

GregF

12-01-04, 01:14 PM

"The 'Seinfeld' Story." Apparently viewers do know an infomercial when they see one. NBC's Thanksgiving exercise in commercialism clocked a disappointing 14 million viewers -- the smallest audience for an original "Seinfeld" telecast since at least 1991.

This is pretty good though. I enjoyed it. Whether you watch the upcoming replay or watch on DVD, I recommend it. I thought it was underpromoted more than anything. I hardly saw any ads for it.

tall1

12-01-04, 02:29 PM

Originally posted by GregF
This is pretty good though. I enjoyed it. Whether you watch the upcoming replay or watch on DVD, I recommend it. I thought it was underpromoted more than anything. I hardly saw any ads for it. I really enjoyed it too which kinda surprised me cuz I have watched it so much in syndication. But I still got a kick out of those classic clips and hearing how the making of seinfeld was similar to what was portrayed in some of the episodes. The HD thing was a bit of a disappointment (the clips were shown in 4:3, not HD)...wishful thinking on my part.

fredfa

12-01-04, 02:53 PM

NBC Announces Start Dates for Four Mid-Season Series
(thefutoncritic.com)—BURBANK, Calif. -- December 1, 2004 -- Jeff Zucker, President, NBC Universal Television Group and Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment, jointly announced today the premiere dates of four mid-season programs - "Medium," "Committed," "The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search" and "The Contender"- coming to NBC this winter. They also announced the airdate of a special, 90-minute live finale of the weight-loss drama "The Biggest Loser."
"Medium," a chilling drama series inspired by a real-life story, will premiere on Monday, Jan. 3 (10-11 p.m. ET). Patricia Arquette ("Stigmata," "Flirting with Disaster") stars as Allison Dubois, a young wife and mother who has been struggling since childhood to make sense of her dreams and visions of dead people. She uses her gifts to help solve violent and horrifying crimes whose mysteries often reside with those who live beyond the grave. The series also stars Jake Weber ("U-571") as husband Joe Dubois, and Sofia Vassilieva and Maria Lark as their children, Ariel and Bridget. David Cubitt ("10.5") recurs as Detective Lee Scanlon.
"Medium" comes from Emmy Award-winning executive producer, creator and director Glenn Gordon Caron ("Moonlighting"), and executive producers Kelsey Grammer ("Girlfriends"), Steve Stark and Oscar winner Ronald L. Schwary ("Ordinary People"). "Medium" is produced by Picturemaker Productions, Inc., in association with Grammnet Productions and Paramount Network Television.
"Committed," a comedy series that casts an off-kilter eye on the bizarre whirlwind courtship of two opposites who attract each other despite outrageous circumstances, premieres on Tuesday, January 4 (9:30-10 p.m. ET).
From writers and executive producers, Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline ("Roseanne," "Ellen," NBC's "Three Sisters"), "Committed" stars Josh Cooke ("Century City") and Emmy winner Jennifer Finnigan (NBC's "Crossing Jordan") as Nate and Marni. Darius McCrary ("Family Matters"), Tammy Lynn Michaels ("The L Word") and Tom Poston ("Newhart") also star.
NBC joins partner Sports Illustrated to launch a nationwide search for the next great swimsuit supermodel with its new unscripted series "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search." The series will premiere Wednesday, Jan. 5 (8-9 p.m. ET) and the finale will be timed for the launch of the magazine's famed annual Swimsuit Issue. Twelve selected finalists will live in Los Angeles where they will compete for the chance to appear in the Swimsuit Issue and win a million-dollar modeling contract from NEXT Model Management. The contest's three-judge panel includes former Sports Illustrated model Roshumba Williams, NEXT Model Management CEO Joe Wilkenfeld and former Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue editor and creator Jule Campbell.
"Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search" is produced by Pariah, PB & J Television and Sports Illustrated. Gavin Polone, Patty Ivins, Julie Pizzi, Terry McDonell and Sports Illustrated's Roy S. Johnson executive producer the series. Jessika Borsiczky serves as producer along with co-producer Frank for Pariah.
The winner of the compelling weight-loss drama, "The Biggest Loser" will be revealed on a special 90-minute live telecast on Tuesday, Jan. 11 (8-9:30 p.m. ET). In the end, "The Biggest Loser" becomes the biggest winner, walking away with a healthier body and $250,000. Caroline Rhea ("Sabrina, The Teenage Witch") hosts the unscripted series in which two competing teams follow comprehensive diet and exercise plans to undergo radical physical makeovers.
"The Biggest Loser" is a production of Reveille, 25/7 Productions, 3 Ball Productions and NBC Universal Television Studio. Ben Silverman (NBC's "The Restaurant," "The Office: An American Workplace"), Dave Broome ("Jingle Ball Rock"), J.D. Roth ("NBC's "For Love or Money," "Endurance"), John Foy ("For Love or Money," "Endurance") and Todd A. Nelson ("For Love or Money," "Endurance") are the executive producers.
NBC's much-anticipated "The Contender" -- the new unscripted series about the search for the next boxing superstar from Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone, Mark Burnett (NBC's "The Apprentice," "Survivor") and Jeffrey Katzenberg of DreamWorks SKG -- will premiere with a special 90-minute episode on Monday, February 21 (9:30-11 p.m. ET) and then will move into its regular time period on Tuesday, March 1 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET).
"The Contender" follows a diverse group of sixteen young men as they pursue their dream of becoming an American hero in the boxing ring. The canvas of the show is much broader than boxing -- it will give viewers a first-hand look into the real life hopes, triumphs and defeats of the contestants.

djdickerson

12-01-04, 04:26 PM

It's good to see "Two and a Half" men climb into the ratings after 2 years. This is the wittiest show on TV plus the laughs aren't "canned" like the sound on other shows. (You know, the laugh you've been hearing since "Lucy?") Plus they are exploring some new subjects that would naturally come up in such a situation and not relying on old "Honeymooners" scripts and laughs like some other shows.

keenan

12-01-04, 05:15 PM

Originally posted by djdickerson
It's good to see "Two and a Half" men climb into the ratings after 2 years. This is the wittiest show on TV plus the laughs aren't "canned" like the sound on other shows. (You know, the laugh you've been hearing since "Lucy?") Plus they are exploring some new subjects that would naturally come up in such a situation and not relying on old "Honeymooners" scripts and laughs like some other shows.

Agreed, this is by far my favorite sitcom, Charlie Sheen seems born for this role.

tall1

12-01-04, 06:46 PM

Originally posted by keenan
Agreed, this is by far my favorite sitcom, Charlie Sheen seems born for this role. I love this sitcom but they strayed from the star of the show, Charlie Sheen, with the ep about Jon Cryer and his new girlfriend. I don't think I laughed once. And last night's episode was less Charlie focused and not as funny. Charlie carries that show.

fredfa

12-01-04, 07:19 PM

White House Seeks To Speed DTV Switch
Bill McConnell – Broadcasting & Cable,12/1/2004 6:52PM ET
President Bush has ordered the Commerce Department to establish a private-sector advisory committee to help the federal government keep the DTV transition on track and to resolve other tricky telecommunications issues, such as promoting nationwide, affordable access to high-speed Internet service.
The White House dictate was included in a Spectrum Policy Initiative unveiled Tuesday. Formation of the committee was among the recommendations suggested in a two-part report issued by the Commerce Department in June.
Although the FCC has said it will be hard to complete the switch to all-digital TV before 2009, the White House still insists that the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration try to wrap it up by Dec. 31, 2006, the government’s target date for reclaiming old analog channels. (Few expect that date to be met because stations aren’t required to give up the channels until 85% of their markets are equipped to receive digital programming, which could take many more years to reach.) The reclaimed channels will be doled out, in part, to local fire, police and other public-safety departments.
To facilitate that transfer, the White House also asked the FCC to consider requiring stations to participate in a voluntary coordination system, also known as CAPRAD, which is administered by the National Institute of Justice.
Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee, applauds the White House proposals. “President Bush's spectrum initiative is exactly the right prescription at the right time for our nation,” he says. “It is essential that we have the proper spectrum-management plans and policies in place for our economic well-being and so that we can continue to see further growth and development of wireless technologies.”

fredfa

12-01-04, 07:30 PM

Three Cable Networks Rule November Prime
By Anne Becker Broadcasting & Cable
Sunday-night football games HD and election coverage helped ESPN, Fox News Channel and Cable News Network to dominate November cable viewership, with the three networks splitting the top 20 programming spots.
ESPN’s Packers-Texans HD game on Nov. 21 and the Raiders-BroncosHD game on Nov. 28 took the top two spots for the month, snagging 10,398,000 and 10,260,000 total viewers, respectively, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Fox News’ Nov. 2 election coverage at 9 and 10 p.m. took the No. 3 and 4 spots, with 8,341,000 and 8,274,000 viewers, respectively; its 8 and 11 p.m. hours took the No. 7 and 8 spots. CNN cracked the top 10, coming in at No. 9 with its 11 p.m. hour of election coverage, which pulled in 7,111,000 viewers.
In terms of overall prime time viewership for the month, ESPN came out on top again, averaging 2,692,000 total viewers, although that represents a 9% drop from a year ago. TNT, led by strong numbers for its William H. Macy original movie The Wool Cap, was No. 2 in average viewers in prime with 2,331,000, up 14% from a year ago. USA came in third with 2,252,000 total viewers, up 9% from last year.

fredfa

12-01-04, 07:38 PM

CBS' November to remember
Eye lashes rivals in demos

By RICK KISSELL Variety.com
In what Leslie Moonves called a "watershed moment" for his network, CBS has scaled to the top of Demo Mountain, sweeping November in all key ratings categories.
The Eye remains the oldest-skewing of the networks, but its big-tent strategy of delivering programs that attract viewers of all ages -- and in both red and blue states -- has worked to perfection so far this fall, including the four-week sweep period that will wrap tonight.
Net has been pacing well ahead of its rivals for a couple of years in total viewers, but started making a demo push last season when it eked out a victory in adults 25-54 while placing third in adults 18-49.
Now it has become the net to beat in 18-49, the demographic that most closely correlates to advertising revenue.
Three of a kind
With two nights left to be tabulated, CBS is projected to finish the sweep in first place in adults 18-49 (4.5 rating), adults 25-54 (5.5 rating) and total viewers (14.3 million) -- its first such trifecta since 1980.
Net was clearly powered by three editions of the "CSI" franchise (including the Thursday original, which drew its largest audience yet during the month). But CBS also has what Moonves describes as a "balanced portfolio."
Other crime dramas such as "Without a Trace," "Cold Case" and "NCIS" are on the rise; "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Two and a Half Men" make for the most popular hour of comedy on television; reality franchises like "Survivor" and "Amazing Race" are thriving; and "60 Minutes" is the top-rated newsmag.
Also contributing nicely during November were two-part disaster pic "Category 6: Day of Destruction" and the annual "Country Music Assn. Awards."
By the numbers
Add it all up and you can understand why Moonves was so upbeat Tuesday in reeling off the net's numerous accomplishments during a conference call with reporters.
"CBS is at the doorstep of a watershed moment," he said. "We're about to accomplish something many thought wasn't possible for this network."
Moonves proceeded to quote a number of execs -- including NBC's Randy Falco and former Peacock West Coast topper Don Ohlmeyer -- who had dismissed the Eye's demo chances in the past. But even the confident CBS topper admitted that he long ago thought the feat would be impossible.
"Way back when I took this job (in 1995), I said there was no way CBS will ever win in 18-49," he said. "It was something we didn't even dream about."
Staying course
The net's success in the demo won't affect its programming strategy, though.
"Hits are hits, and the foundation of our success has been to program to all viewers," Moonves said. "We still believe we're broadcasters at CBS, and it has worked.
"By programming to everyone, we've gotten 18- to 49-year-olds also."
That will make the Eye sales department very happy.
"With this change for us (ascending to first in 18-49), definitely more money is coming to us in May," he said. "Also, we're getting the bulk of the scatter money. This will absolutely translate into dollars."
For CBS, other highlights for the month include winning Thursday in 18-49 for the first time since 1984, and winning the month by the largest margin in total viewers (roughly 3.5 million) for any net since 1987.
Newsworthy event
Also of note was the Eye's improved perf in the 10 o'clock hour leading into the late local news. Net will win the month for the hour in adults 25-54 and adults 18-49 -- up more than 25% in both vs. last year.
This has helped David Letterman's "Late Show" pull closer to NBC's "Tonight Show With Jay Leno" in key demos.
The race for second in primetime, meanwhile, is headed for a photo finish between ABC and NBC.
Alphabet, which like CBS is ahead of its year-ago sweep perf, held a slight lead through Monday (4.0 rating to 3.9), with a tie at 4.0 still the most likely scenario. Peacock, down about 10% vs. last year, could still round down to a 3.9 if it comes in below projections over the final two nights.
Each adults 18-49 ratings point reps roughly 1.30 million viewers, while each 25-54 ratings point equals roughly 1.22 million viewers.
(Michael Schneider contributed to this report.)

f44

12-01-04, 09:32 PM

Originally posted by tall1
I really enjoyed it too which kinda surprised me cuz I have watched it so much in syndication. But I still got a kick out of those classic clips and hearing how the making of seinfeld was similar to what was portrayed in some of the episodes. The HD thing was a bit of a disappointment (the clips were shown in 4:3, not HD)...wishful thinking on my part.

The clips were actually shown in 4:3 HD. Posted by videojanitor in HDTV Programmming forum:
"What you're really seeing is a 4:3 image with black side panels to fill out the frame. When that is downconverted to a 4:3 format, they simply extract the 4:3 image from the center, and discard the side panels."

f44

12-01-04, 09:33 PM

Originally posted by djdickerson
It's good to see "Two and a Half" men climb into the ratings after 2 years. This is the wittiest show on TV plus the laughs aren't "canned" like the sound on other shows. (You know, the laugh you've been hearing since "Lucy?") Plus they are exploring some new subjects that would naturally come up in such a situation and not relying on old "Honeymooners" scripts and laughs like some other shows.

I don't get what's so great about this show. Most of the jokes can be seen coming from a mile away. Not nearly as good as Raymond in my opinion.

Arrested Development is far wittier.

keenan

12-01-04, 09:40 PM

Originally posted by f44
I don't get what's so great about this show. Most of the jokes can be seen coming from a mile away. Not nearly as good as Raymond in my opinion.

Arrested Development is far wittier.

Well, it's a modern take on The Odd Couple with a child thrown into mix and that seemed fairly popular, it's all personal choice.

Raymond is good as well and I will surely miss Peter Boyle, I would watch Arrested Development if I could get it in HD, no Fox-HD where I am at, and I'm a HD junkie..:p

fredfa

12-01-04, 09:48 PM

[All NASCAR Nextel Cup races in HD in 2005
All NASCAR Nextel Cup races in HD in 2005
(From Multichannel.com) 12/1/2004
Starting next year, NBC and Turner Network Television will televise their portion of the 2005 National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing schedule in HDTV, officials said Wednesday.
TNT’s and NBC’s full season of HD NASCAR coverage will begin with the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing during the weekend of July 1 and 2 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
This means the entire 2005 Nascar Nextel Cup Series will be in HD. Fox Sports had announced in September it would do its half of the schedule in HD next year.

fredfa

12-01-04, 09:59 PM

Champ's Loss Is Ratings Win
By Jim Finkle Broadcasting & Cable 12/1/2004
Jeopardy!'s ratings soared to a seven-year high Tuesday night as millions tuned in to watch the defeat of the show's biggest winner ever, Ken Jennings.
The show featuring his loss garnered an average 13.0 rating/22 share in the weighted metered markets, according to Nielsen overnight numbers. It was the show's best rating since February 1997 and a 57% improvement over the same date last year.
Jennings won $2.5 million in 74 straight shows since his first appearance on June 2.

fredfa

12-02-04, 01:22 AM

Brokaw Signs Off 'NBC Nightly News'
By Frazier Moore The Associated Press
NEW YORK – After bringing viewers the news for nearly 23 years, NBC anchor Tom Brokaw signed off Wednesday expressing gratitude for what he got in return
.
"Thanks for all that I have learned from you," he said at the end of his final "Nightly News" broadcast, his voice wavering just a bit. "That's been my richest reward."

Brokaw reminded his audience how "we've been through a lot together, through dark days and nights, and seasons of hope and joy.

"Whatever the story, I had only one objective: to get it right," he said, adding he was "always mindful that your patience and attention didn't come with a lifetime warranty."

Making good on an exit plan announced in May 2002, Brokaw, 64, is stepping away from daily journalism to pursue his varied other interests, including more time on his Montana ranch. But his NBC association will continue under an agreement to host at least three documentaries a year.

And if a huge story breaks, "I'll report for duty," he told The Associated Press recently. "It doesn't mean I'll go back to what I did before. They'll have to find a new role for me."

Brian Williams, long groomed as Brokaw's successor, takes over "Nightly News" with Thursday's broadcast. He begins at the top of the ratings, where "Nightly News" has reigned since 1997.

Brokaw's departure has been the object of ceremony the past few days, both from the press at large and on his own network, which last week aired a two-hour Brokaw retrospective on "Dateline NBC."

Wednesday morning, he appeared on "Today," which he once anchored, for a tribute (and a champagne toast) from current hosts Katie Couric and Matt Lauer, who paraphrased a familiar song: "Nobody does it better and no one ever has."

"Even as we speak," Brokaw joked during the segment, "people are changing the name plate on my door."

The much-awaited shift at NBC was briefly upstaged last week by the surprise announcement that Dan Rather would be departing "The CBS Evening News" anchor chair in March, after 24 years. (No successor to the 73-year-old Rather, who will continue on "60 Minutes," has yet been named.)
Those changes, after two decades of stability, will leave only ABC's Peter Jennings among the old-timers.

Brokaw, a South Dakota native who joined NBC in 1966, was White House correspondent from 1973-76, encompassing the Watergate years. He anchored "Today" from 1976-81.

He began his "Nightly News" run in April 1982, sharing the anchor title with Roger Mudd, who reported from Washington in a partnership that NBC brass hoped would revive the glory years of the Huntley-Brinkley team.

It didn't, either with ratings or chemistry between Mudd and Brokaw. In September 1983, Brokaw emerged as solo anchor -- just days after Peter Jennings began soloing on ABC's "World News Tonight."
As Brokaw marked his 30th anniversary with NBC in 1996, he recalled the precipitous ups and downs at the network where he stuck it out and prospered.

"I never expected the waves would be quite as steep as they were," he admitted. "But even in the worst of times, it was better than anything I thought I'd ever have in life."

During a most chaotic era -- in 1981, with NBC's prime-time ratings in a tailspin -- Brokaw almost leaped to ABC News, whose new boss, Roone Arledge, had come courting.

"I came very, VERY close to going," Brokaw said. "So close that I went out to dinner with (wife) Meredith and said, 'I'm gonna do this,' and she went to bed thinking it was a good idea. Then I sat up and drank some scotch and smoked a cigar and stared out the window for several hours."

What he saw, of course, was his future at NBC -- which, as Brokaw would be the first to point out, hasn't ended yet.

fredfa

12-02-04, 01:32 AM

Fox News audience up 70% in November
Cabler claimed top 11 shows
By MICHAEL LEARMONTH Variety.com
NEW YORK -- Fox News Channel saw its total primetime audience increase a staggering 70% in November, a month filled with titillating news from the trial of Scott Peterson, the death of Yasser Arafat and a tightly contested election. The cabler claimed the top 11 shows in the cable news business, even knocking CNN's "Larry King Live" out of its customary spot in the top 10. King's show came in at No. 12.
Fox News averaged 2.2 million viewers in primetime -- more than double the competition (CNN, MSNBC and CNBC) combined. CNN averaged 982,000 primetime viewers for the month, compared with MSNBC's 442,000, CNBC's 158,000 and Headline News' 194,000.
CNN and MSNBC also showed growth in November over the same month last year, increasing their total primetime viewers 15% and 54%, respectively, while CNBC stayed roughly flat in primetime at 1% growth.
In total day, Fox grew its total average aud by 56%. CNN grew 24% and MSNBC 42%; CNBC fell 27%. CNN's Headline News grew 29%.
Fox and CNN programs analyzing the election on N

fredfa

12-02-04, 01:51 AM

Tom Brokaw signs off humbly, with gratitude

By Peter Johnson, USA TODAY
Departing NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw began Wednesday by choking up on NBC's Today, the program he anchored as a young man with Jane Pauley.
After he chatted about his 38-year NBC career, he teared up when Katie Couric read a few touching fan letters, champagne was brought out and his staff gathered behind him.
"Nobody does it better, and no one ever has, Tom," Couric said.
"Well, it's very sweet," Brokaw said, clearly moved. "I've ... it's been a great, great privilege."
Brokaw was more scripted later when he ended his 21-year Nightly run by telling viewers that his only objective had been "to get it right."
"When I failed, it was personally painful, and there was no greater urgency than course correction," he said. "On those occasions I was grateful for your forbearance and always mindful that your patience and attention didn't come with a lifetime warranty."
Brokaw noted that he didn't operate alone at NBC News.
"I am simply the most conspicuous part of a large, thoroughly dedicated and professional staff that extends from just beyond these cameras across the country and around the world in too many instances in places of grave danger and personal hardship. And they are family to me."
Brokaw, 64, will now produce and host documentaries at NBC. Brian Williams, who was named Brokaw's heir in 2002, takes over today. Williams inherits 10.8 million viewers and the No. 1 evening newscast, a spot NBC has held for years.
Brokaw plans to take a break until President Bush's inauguration in January, when he's expected back to help with coverage.
Veteran network news producer Steve Friedman, who has worked with Brokaw for decades, starting in 1968, says the veteran anchor "is a guy who, at least in his own eyes, didn't stay too long at the party."
"He has been a fixture in people's homes for the past 30 years," Friedman says. "When he walks away, viewers are going to feel it, maybe not at the beginning, but when there's a big story, they will."
As anchor, Brokaw said he learned "more than I have time to recount this evening, but the enduring lessons through the decades are these: It's not the questions that get us in trouble, it's the answers. And just as important, no one person has all the answers."
He cited his long-standing admiration for the World War II generation, subject of two of his books.
"They did not give up on the idea that we're all in this together. We still are."

PJO1966

12-02-04, 01:52 AM

Originally posted by keenan
Well, it's a modern take on The Odd Couple with a child thrown into mix and that seemed fairly popular, it's all personal choice.

Raymond is good as well and I will surely miss Peter Boyle, I would watch Arrested Development if I could get it in HD, no Fox-HD where I am at, and I'm a HD junkie..:p

I don't understand the appeal of Raymond. Arrested Development is definitely the best comedy on TV IMO.

fredfa

12-02-04, 02:12 AM

“Wizard of Oz” In HD for first time
Burbank, CA - December 1, 2004
(from thefutoncritic.com and The WB)
The WB has announced it will broadcast the 1939 movie classic “The Wizard of Oz” as a High Definition premier on Sunday Dec. 19 (7:30-10:00 PM ET).
It’s the third straight year the WB has broadcast the Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr and Margaret Hamilton epic, but its first ever showing in HD.

fredfa

12-02-04, 02:22 AM

Ever had problems getting a local station to sign off on waivers for DNS service via DirecTV or Dish?
Well, according to Thursday's New York Times, help may be very close!

Who Needs Waivers?
I Want My Moscow TV!
By SETH SCHIESEL The New York Times December 2, 2004

KEN SCHAFFER doesn't like blind spots. Never has.

On Oct. 19, 1957, days after Sputnik became Earth's first manmade satellite, Mr. Schaffer, the son of a Bronx truck driver, received a Heathkit radio for his 10th birthday. Inspired by the chirping from space, he soon became a world-class ham-radio operator, adept at Morse code.

"It was compelling that I could just go beep-beep-beep, the smallest possible muscle group movement, and I could send a signal that goes to China," he recalled recently. "I would never answer people from New Jersey or Long Island or anything. I wanted Mongolia."

Years later, in 1981, after detouring to invent a wireless microphone, travel with the Rolling Stones and make guitars for John Lennon, Mr. Schaffer installed a satellite dish atop his Midtown Manhattan apartment building and was soon pulling in broadcasts from the Soviet Union.

"I wasn't interested in HBO and free Showtime," he said. "It was not interesting to me. I was watching Russian feeds from Moscow to Cuba - and what they used to do after they finished the feed is, the Russians would send porno to Havana, or American films. And this was before Gorbachev and all that kind of stuff."

Inspired by the potential of satellites to open up communication, Mr. Schaffer soon built a satellite telephone operation connecting the Soviet Union with the West, a venture that he sold for millions in 1995.

Now, Mr. Schaffer, 57, is trying to abolish yet another blind spot. In short, he has devised a way to make home TV reception portable - with high-quality pictures to be watched, and channels to be changed, from anywhere in the world that the Internet can reach.

So far, he has put his PC-based innovation into the hands of a few dozen others willing to pay several thousand dollars. But he aims to reduce the price to less than $1,000 within a year.

"Kenny is not your everyday eccentric," said Jonathan Sanders, a consultant to CBS News in Moscow who has known Mr. Schaffer for more than 20 years. "Kenny is an explosion of genius wrapped in a very unconventional package that is bursting with energy. This is somebody who is doing the kinds of things that you read about at one time only in science fiction, things that no one else thinks are possible but that he is able to pull off."

So much was clear one Tuesday afternoon last month.

"So this is like the Russian version of a cross between 'E.R.' and 'Law and Order,' " Mr. Schaffer said. He was sitting at a desk in the apartment next to the Plaza Hotel where he has lived, at least part time, since 1968. Spread before him were computer monitors. On one was a live cable television feed from the apartment he keeps in Moscow. On another, a live London feed was displaying a somewhat risqué commercial for a British cellphone carrier.

The quality of the full-screen images bore no resemblance to what the rest of the world thinks of as streaming Internet video. It was not quite real television, but there was very little of the pixilation and none of the incessant stuttering familiar to anyone who has watched live video over the Internet. The main character appeared on the Russian medical drama, and Mr. Schaffer jerked back a bit. "Arrgh! That's my ex-wife!" he said, pointing at the actress, Alla Kliouka.

Mr. Schaffer popped out of full-screen mode, clicked, and switched the channel to MTV Russia.

In fact, Mr. Schaffer was controlling a dedicated computer terminal back in Moscow that was simultaneously connected to his Moscow cable box and a D.S.L. data line. The terminal, which Mr. Schaffer calls TV2Me, uses a small infrared emitter to tell the cable box which channel to display. Inside TV2Me are special computer cards that allow the unit to send high-quality video over a routine broadband data connection.

In his bedroom is a huge Sony plasma flat-panel television. He puts up the same Moscow channels that were on the laptop in the living room. Even on the big screen, the images are fluid and clear.

It was an impressive demonstration, but a somewhat ironic one as well. Sony, it turns out, has just developed a similar product, called LocationFree TV. Both TV2Me and LocationFree TV allow a user to view their home television from anywhere in the world that has a high-speed Internet link, even a Wi-Fi connection outdoors. The Sony unit is cheaper. The home base station of the Sony unit is smaller. Sony's user interface is slicker. But for all that, Mr. Schaffer's unit transmits a clearer picture over the Internet.

So how did he do it?

And why?

Mr. Schaffer has always been a TV guy, and a stickler for picture quality.
"We had one of the first televisions in the Bronx," he recalled. "I remember vividly standing in the living room in front of this round-tube TV thing, this huge console, watching the first transmission of 'The Huntley-Brinkley Report' in color and screaming to my mother, 'I can see the colors, I can see the colors!' "

In 1975, Mr. Schaffer bought one of the first big-screen projection televisions in New York City, an 84-inch monster made by Advent. He had been working as a rock music technician and publicist, and Mr. Schaffer said that Ron Wood and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones would sometimes come over to review concert tapes on the big screen.

Also that year, Mr. Schaffer was living with the band's tour director when he noticed that whenever Mick Jagger would switch to a wireless microphone, the sound quality collapsed. "Sometimes the police radio would bleed through and it would be, 'There's a body floating in the East River' or something, in the middle of a show," Mr. Schaffer said.

Mr. Schaffer set about inventing a wireless microphone that would actually work well and came up with a system that lent itself to a wireless guitar as well. His customers ended up including not only the Stones and John Lennon, but also Pink Floyd, Peter Frampton, Fleetwood Mac and others.

Two decades later, after Mr. Schaffer's venture into satellite phone service - an endeavor that brought him a 14,000-word profile in The New Yorker - he started playing around with Internet and Web systems. He took a look at what was being called Web video and was not impressed. "I saw what was presented as Internet TV on Yahoo," he recalled. "It was the equivalent of the microphone Mick Jagger was using when I said I could do better than that. It's a one-to-one equivalent."

All the while, Mr. Schaffer was shuttling between New York and Moscow, where he estimates that he has spent a total of perhaps four years out of the last 20. Russian television improved through the 1990's, but he still could not get what he wanted. "I missed 'Seinfeld,' " he said. "I wanted to watch Ted Koppel and 'The Sopranos' and 'Saturday Night Live.' "

He started working on TV2Me in earnest in 2001, and he has ended up using the same basic compression technology that Sony is using, called MPEG-4. But while Sony is essentially using standard MPEG-4 by itself, Mr. Schaffer and his team of Turkish and Russian programmers have developed circuitry that allows the MPEG-4 encoder to operate more efficiently and to generate a better picture.

"All of his projects have to do with connecting people and also something beyond the norm," said Robert E. Bishop, an old friend of Mr. Schaffer's and a managing partner of Tekseed L.L.C., which is developing a separate video system for security applications. "For him, it has to be something that is advancing technology. I think he was trying to take existing hardware and put it together in a way that really improved the science of moving video from Point A to Point B."

The engineering has always come naturally to Mr. Schaffer. The business side is another matter. He built a big business out of the wireless music technology in the 1970's, but never patented his inventions. He sold his satellite company for millions to a company now part of the military contractor Lockheed Martin, but he lost much of the proceeds in bad investments during the 1990's technology boom.

This time, Mr. Schaffer is trying to play by the book, a change he attributes to an enhanced sense of responsibility after having a child with Ms. Kliouka in 1995. He has patents pending. He has lawyers.

For now, he has sold only a few dozen TV2Me units, at prices ranging from $4,800 to more than $6,000. Many of his clients so far are well-heeled sports fanatics who simply must get their games when on the road. One client is a University of Oklahoma football fan. Another, a British rock star, needs his soccer.

Within a year, Mr. Schaffer hopes to reduce the price to less than $1,000.

Right now, the product is based on a high-powered Pentium 4 PC running Windows, but by building special chips that can focus on only the tasks required for TV2Me, such a product can be made lighter, smaller and cheaper. The use of such chips is a big reason Sony's product is so much less expensive than TV2Me.

In fact, Mr. Schaffer says he may end up selling his entire technology. "I'd like to see this go to a company," he said, indicating that he already has buyers in mind. Mr. Schaffer is keenly aware of the copyright and other legal issues potentially posed by his technology, which does, after all, retransmit cable or satellite television signals over the Internet. He insists that each customer put his systems only to personal use.

"I want to stay absolutely within the law," he said. "On a personal level, I paid for this cable." What separates him from other cable subscribers, he said, is simply that "I have a long extension cord."

But he said he had turned down overseas sports bar owners who want to show American football to attract expatriate customers. And he has built roadblocks into his system meant to prevent users from sharing their video feeds with others.

For now, he says he has not heard from any unhappy networks or satellite or cable television operators. A spokesman for Time Warner Cable, the main cable carrier in Manhattan, declined to comment on either TV2Me or Sony's LocationFree TV.

But just as television companies at first largely ignored digital video recorders like TiVo, only to wake up later, devices like TV2Me may offer new challenges and opportunities to the entertainment industry sooner than expected. TiVo users sometimes refer to their practice as "time shifting," that is, watching television on their own time.

Mr. Schaffer refers to the use of his product as "space shifting," as in watching television in one's own space. (His Web site is www .spaceshift.net.)

More broadly, Mr. Schaffer hopes that his life of eliminating blind spots has done just a bit to make humanity safer. "I think the more that you eliminate borders between countries, people, ideas, the more likely it is that we're going to make it another couple of hundred years," he said. "That's what my motivation is."

fredfa

12-02-04, 09:56 AM

R.I.P. VCR
"We're saying goodbye to one of the most important products in the history of consumer technology’
By Don Kaplan New York Post

December 2, 2004 -- DIGITAL video is killing the VCR, the home electronics star of the 1980s and '90s.

Video cassette recorders, the most successful consumer electronic devices ever besides TVs, are now an endangered species, selling for as little as $20 at some retailers - the same price as some low-end DVD players that have far, far better picture quality.

And that's if a retailer even still sells VCRs. Dixons, the largest home electronics chain in the U.K. stopped selling the devices this month, a move that signals the death knell for the gadget that has been a mainstay in our homes for more than 25 years.

"We're saying goodbye to one of the most important products in the history of consumer technology," Dixons marketing director John Mewett told a reporter.
No major U.S. retailer has pushed the stop button on VCRs yet - despite dropping sales world wide and the availability of better technology like recordable DVDs and digital video recorders, some stores say the demand for VCRs is still there.

"It's still a very healthy business for us,'' a spokesperson for Best Buy, the Minnesota-based chain of electronics stores. ''We'll will continue to sell them for the foreseeable future as long the market is there for them.''

But what's coming soon is a sad end for a machine, initially introduced by JVC in the 1970s that fought and won a pitched battle during the 1980s against Sony's Betamax. The two incompatible formats clashed for years with Sony conceding in 1988.

VCR sales have been on the decline for years. Since 2000 it is estimated that that sales of the devices have gone from $1.87 billion to just $144 million, according to statistics from the Consumer Electronics Association.

Next year, the CEA projects that only 2.8 million VCRs will be sold compared to the 23 million that people bought in 2000.

And even then, the VCR had begun to give way to DVD players. At its peak sometime between 1980 and 1990 it is estimated that about 200 million units were sold in one year.

fredfa

12-02-04, 11:34 AM

Wednesday's ratings have been posted in Latest News.

fredfa

12-02-04, 11:46 AM

Orbach fights cancer
By GEORGE RUSHNew York Daily News Thursday, December 2nd, 2004
"Law & Order" detective Jerry Orbach has been handed what may be the toughest case of his career - a battle against prostate cancer.The beloved Bronx-born actor has been receiving treatment for the disease since spring, his manager, Robert Malcolm, confirmed to the Daily News.

Malcolm declined to discuss how advanced the illness is or the nature of the treatment, but said Orbach, 69, has not undergone surgery.

"We expect he'll be fine," said Malcolm. "He's been playing golf, shooting his episodes and doing real well."

Orbach played sardonic Detective Lennie Briscoe for 12 seasons on NBC's "Law & Order." His character has been reassigned to the Manhattan district attorney's office for "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," which is slated to debut early next year.

Producer Dick Wolf said Orbach's illness "has not affected production of [the show] in any way."

"Jerry is one of the great actors of his generation," Wolf said of Orbach, who is also a Tony Award winner on Broadway.

"He has been both a colleague and a friend for almost 15 years. He is dealing with an unfortunate medical situation right now. We expect him to make a full and swift recovery, and while he is receiving treatment, we will work around his schedule."

Another source said Orbach has been receiving outpatient care at a New York hospital, but that he did spend one night in the hospital this week because of "a slight complication."

Orbach first revealed his illness to the cast and crew of the original "Law & Order" in April, when he bade them goodbye.

"I think it's a measure of their respect for Jerry that there hasn't been a word about it till now," said Malcolm.

Actor Robert De Niro, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Secretary of State Powell and writer Dominick Dunne all have beaten the disease.

Besides being nominated for Emmys for his TV work, Orbach created the roles of El Gallo in "The Fantasticks," Billy Flynn in "Chicago" and Julian Marsh in "42nd Street" on the New York stage.

He met his wife, Elaine Cancilla, when she replaced Chita Rivera as his co-star in "Chicago."

He was inducted into the Broadway Hall of Fame in 1999.

fredfa

12-02-04, 03:32 PM

Good News for Sacramento DBS subscribers
Viacom Buys KOVR-TV
(CBS O&O Waivers to Follow)
By Katy Bachman mediaweek.com December 02, 2004

Viacom announced Thursday it has agreed to purchase CBS affiliate KOVR-TV in Sacramento, Calif., the nation's 19th largest TV market, from Sinclair Broadcast Group for $285 million. The company already owns and operates UPN affiliate KMAX-TV in Sacramento, giving the company its ninth TV duopoly.

“Sacramento is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country and the acquisition of this CBS station will significantly enhance our presence in this very attractive market,” said Fred Reynolds, president and CEO of the Viacom Television Stations Group, which also owns and operates duopolies in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, Detroit, Miami and Pittsburgh.

Viacom is likely to capitalize on new synergies between the two stations as it does in its other duopoly markets. KMAX currently broadcasts five hours of local news on weekdays and four hours on weekends. It’s weekday morning news program is No. 2 in the market.

f44

12-02-04, 04:09 PM

Are you sure Bernie Mac reruns start 1/20? I thought it was 1/14 as well. Also, Committed is at 9:30pm ET.

fredfa

12-03-04, 01:12 AM

Back on November 24, mp3trojan asked:

Fred,
Where would you go to find ratings for a specific market i.e. Dallas? Just curious as to who's winning the sweeps war between the local news programs. Thanks

I had no ratings for him then, but here are the November Dallas news sweeps numbers as published in Friday’s Dallas Morning News:

Dallas Local News Ratings
By ED BARK /The Dallas Morning News 11:38 PM CST on Thursday, December 2, 2004

KXAS-TV (Channel 5) held on to the No. 1 spot at 10 p.m. in the closest three-way ratings sweeps race since KTVT-TV (Channel 11) became a CBS station in June 1995.

The four-week November local newscast competition, which ended Wednesday, saw WFAA-TV (Channel 8) climb back into second place for the first time in a year. But the overall gap between Channel 5 and third-place Channel 11 was just 1.3 ratings points (28,600 homes), setting the stage for an even more feverish competition in February sweeps.

KDFW-TV (Channel 4) again finished far back, in part because its 9 p.m. local newscasts have never generated the big lead-in audiences sometimes supplied by network entertainment programming.

Channel 5's late-night news victory was its ninth in a row, dating to the Winter Olympics-aided February 2002 sweeps. Channel 8 extended its winning streak at 5 and 6 p.m. to a whopping 17 years and 51 sweeps periods. The streak began when Channel 8 took ratings juggernaut Wheel of Fortune away from Channel 5 in a bidding war that continues to pay dividends. The game show airs at 6:30 p.m., providing a potent lead-out for Channel 8's early evening newscasts.

Channels 4 and 5 tied in the increasingly important 6 to 7 a.m. morning competition; Channel 4 pulled even with a ratings surge on the final day of the sweeps. Channel 8, which dropped anchor Scott Sams in September, again finished third.

Channel 11 was out of the running at 6 a.m. and 5 and 6 p.m. while finishing closer to first than ever before in the marquee 10 p.m. competition. Still, the CBS station failed to fully capitalize on a significant lead-in advantage from CBS entertainment programming, allowing Channel 8 to overtake it for second place on the final two nights of sweeps.

CBS programming averaged a sweeps-leading 12.4 rating (272,800 homes) from 9:45 to 10 p.m.; the first 15 minutes of Channel 11's newscasts dropped to 217,800 homes. The three other stations all either increased or held their lead-in audiences, with Channel 5 making the best showing in that respect.

Channel 8 again was the only station to register year-to-year audience losses in all four newscast time periods. Channels 5 and 11 either equaled or increased viewership in three of the four time periods.

As allowed by Nielsen Media Research, all of the stations chose not to count some or all of their 10 p.m. newscasts during last week's Wednesday-to-Friday Thanksgiving holiday period. Channel 8's late-night Monday newscasts also weren't counted because of Monday Night Football overruns stretching past 11 p.m.

LOCAL NEWS RATINGS

Here are the weeknight and early morning newscast ratings for the November and May 2004 sweeps periods and from one year ago. Each rating point equals 22,000 homes in the Dallas-Fort Worth viewing area. Sweeps numbers are used to adjust rates charged to advertisers.
Nov. '03 May '04 Nov. '04

10 p.m.
Channel 5 11.5 10.6 10.4
Channel 8 11.1 8.1 9.5
Channel 11 7.9 8.7 9.1
Channel 4 4.9 5.3 4.8
6 p.m.
Channel 8 8.9 7.5 8.7
Channel 5 6.1 5.5 6.1
Channel 4 4.8 4.9 5.2
Channel 11 3.8 3.3 3.5
5 p.m.
Channel 8 9.1 6.4 7.6
Channel 5 4.7 3.9 5.2
Channel 4 5.2 4.2 4.4
Channel 11 3.1 3.3 3.2
6 a.m.
Channel 4 4.7 5.0 4.8
Channel 5 4.6 4.1 4.8
Channel 8 4.6 3.1 3.7
Channel 11 1.1 0.7 1.5
SOURCE: Nielsen Media Research

GregF

12-03-04, 03:25 AM

Originally posted by PJO1966
I don't understand the appeal of Raymond. Arrested Development is definitely the best comedy on TV IMO.

"Arrested" must be a love it or hate it thing. I hate most of what Ron Howard cranks out, this show included.

mp3trojan

12-03-04, 04:35 AM

Thanks Fred. How cool of you. Perhaps channel 11 loses some of their lead in audience is because they have a MASSIVE static logo on the bottom RIGHT side of the screen during their newscasts that they do not fade or anything and the viewers they lose are owners of HDTV sets that are susceptible to burn-in. I would love to start watching Tracy Rowlett again but I already have FOX4 burned in the bottom LEFT hand side of my set from when before FOX4 started fading their logo. Out of KDFW, KXAS, WFAA, and KTVT(CBS)....KTVT is the only newscast in the market that does not fade their logo. Just a thought.

BTW Kristine Kahanek is a firey HOT redhead!!!!:) Those in Dallas know what I mean.;)

jim tressler

12-03-04, 09:55 AM

fred, can you find any ratings for G4TechTV? They just "changed" the show "The Screensavers" last week, and its awful. I wonder how their ratings on that show are compared to say last year, last month.

thanks

jim

fredfa

12-03-04, 11:53 AM

Thursday's ratings have been posted in Latest News.

fredfa

12-03-04, 11:57 AM

jim tressler:

Sorry, but I don't have any access to G4TechTV ratings.

(As for The Screensavers, ever since Leo left, I have been a former viewer!)

fredfa

12-03-04, 12:10 PM

Satellite Pioneer to Retire From DirecTV
Sources say founder Eddy Hartenstein has grown frustrated with his diminishing role
By Sallie Hofmeister Los Angeles Times Staff Writer December 3, 2004
Eddy W. Hartenstein, widely regarded as the father of modern-day satellite television, will retire as vice chairman of News Corp.'s DirecTV Group Inc. at the end of the year, the company said Thursday.

Sources said that Hartenstein, a Caltech graduate and aerospace engineer, had grown frustrated with his diminishing role at the company he launched in 1990 and built into the nation's leading satellite TV provider. Since News Corp. took control last December and installed new leadership, the sources said, Hartenstein has increasingly been cut out of the loop.

The abrupt timing of Hartenstein's resignation, announced late in the afternoon, caught many employees at the El Segundo-based company by surprise. The brainy, down-to-earth executive is just 54 — young enough, industry sources speculated, to start a second career at another technology-based company, perhaps in a burgeoning area such as satellite radio.

In an interview Thursday, Hartenstein said he planned to take some time off before contemplating his next move.

"The thing I'm proudest of is that we really changed the way people view television," said Hartenstein, who long kept an old black-and-white television in his South Bay garage that served as a reminder of how far broadcast had come. "We made digital happen."

Executives at News Corp., which acquired the company from General Motors Corp., issued a statement acknowledging Hartenstein as the creator of DirecTV.

"Eddy has not only been a colleague but a friend for more than 10 years," Chase Carey, chief executive of DirecTV, said in the statement. "His expertise and counsel have been critical to our progress during the last year."

Hartenstein, who grew up in Alhambra, was a longtime executive at Hughes Electronics Corp., the aerospace, defense and satellite subsidiary of GM.

In the 1990s, Hartenstein persuaded GM to finance what was then a speculative venture: using satellite and digital technologies to bring sharper pictures and sound to television. In 1994, DirecTV revolutionized pay television by introducing a pizza-sized rooftop dish to replace the large backyard receiver that had been the industry standard.

In addition to clearer pictures and sound, DirecTV gave consumers an alternative to cable TV and a larger selection of channels. Hartenstein distinguished DirecTV from cable by offering improved customer service and innovative sports packages.

On Thursday, even his rivals gave him his due.

"Without him, we would not be where we are in our competition against cable," said Charles Ergen, CEO of EchoStar Communications Corp., the nation's second-largest satellite TV provider. "His engineering acumen is legendary, and few executives in this industry have matched his vision."

fredfa

12-03-04, 12:27 PM

In reality, Fox is in primetime pain
Two bombs, 'Obnoxious Boss' and 'Billionaire'

By Toni Fitzgerald staff writer medialifemagazine.com

With heavy-hitter “American Idol” not set to debut until midseason and several of its scripted summer shows having failed, Fox decided to live or die by reality this fall.

It’s not dead yet, but it could use a respirator.

Despite limited success of “Nanny 911” and “Trading Spouses,” most of Fox’s new shows have disappointed, especially potential reality franchises “My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss” and “The Rebel Billionaire: Branson’s Quest for the Best.”

None of its scripted shows have performed well either, despite the fact that Tuesday drama “House” earned some of the year’s better reviews.

The network has dipped 7 percent year-to-year among adults 18-49 for the season.

Fox, however, has proven remarkably adept at remaking its schedule on the fly. It always seems to crank out an unexpected reality hit at midseason, be it “Joe Millionaire” or the first “Big Fat Obnoxious” installment.

While it would have been nice to use baseball momentum to start the season strong, Fox can still finish No. 1 or 2 among 18-49s for the season on the strength of “Idol” alone. It will just be a little tougher.

Two months into the season we’ve seen fewer quick cancellations by the networks than last year, when nearly 10 shows were off the schedule in a matter of weeks.

This year’s outright kills have been unsurprising: NBC’s “Hawaii” and “LAX,” CBS’s dull “Clubhouse” and “dr. vegas” and the WB’s misplaced improv “Drew Carey’s Green Screen.”

Still, it can be hard to keep up with what’s still around, what’s awaiting the axe and what has been renewed.

Here’s an update on the networks’ new shows, including their status as of Monday and what Media Life predicted for them when they debuted (see chart for rating scale). Note that some but not all of Fox's new shows were reviewed.

We’ve already looked at ABC, CBS and NBC; today we’ll look at Fox. Later this week we’ll chart the WB and UPN.
Fox
“My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss” (Sundays, 9 p.m.)
Status: Finishing limited order. Media Life rating: (not reviewed)
The sequel to last year’s “My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé,” which finished eighth for the season among 18-49s, “Boss” has averaged a very disappointing 2.2 rating, albeit against ABC monster hit “Desperate Housewives.”
“Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy” (Mondays, 8 p.m.)
Status: Full-season order. Media Life rating: (not reviewed)
Part of Fox’s seemingly never-ending reality wheel, and remarkably similar to ABC’s higher-rated Wednesday “Wife Swap,” “Spouses” performed well enough this summer to earn a fall spot. It’s also bettering lead-out “Swan 2’s” average by more than 10 percent.
“The Rebel Billionaire: Branson’s Quest for the Best (Tuesdays, 8 p.m.)
Status: Finishing limited order. Media Life rating: 11.
This show almost certainly won’t be extended after averaging a “Next Great Champ”-like 2.3 for its season debut and sinking from there.
“House’ (Tuesdays, 9 p.m.)
Status: Finishing limited order. Media Life rating: 16.
After a handful of episodes “House” doesn’t show great promise, but it has been well-reviewed. Fox may let it hang on until January and see how much better it can perform with “American Idol” as a lead-in.
“Next Great Champ’ (Tuesdays, 9 p.m.)
Status: Canceled. Media Life rating: (not reviewed)
A flop from its summer debut, the “Contender” clone finished its limited run on FSN.
“Quintuplets’ (Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m.)
Status: Full-season order. Media Life rating: (not reviewed)
A summer holdover, “Quintuplets” retains about 80 percent of lead-in “That ‘70s Show’s” wilting audience. But Fox likes star Andy Richter and hopes the sitcom will benefit from “American Idol’s” Wednesday return next year.
“Method & Red’ (Wednesdays, 9:30 p.m.)
Status: Canceled. Media Life rating: (not reviewed)
The well-reviewed show struggled during its summer run, but Fox nonetheless gave it a second chance come fall. Well, somewhat of a chance. After losing much of lead-in “Bernie Mac’s” audience in just a few outings, Fox axed it.
“Nanny 911’ (Wednesdays, 9 p.m.)
Status: Renewed for season two. Media Life rating: (not reviewed)
Taking the place of “Bernie Mac” while the star recuperates from exhaustion, this reality filler has performed surprisingly well, averaging nearly a 4.0 rating in a tough timeslot. Fox will air the second season sometime next year.
“North Shore’ (Thursdays, 9 p.m.)
Status: Renewed after summer run. Media Life rating: (not reviewed)
Fox hoped that pairing the similarly themed “O.C.” with “North Shore” would give it a ratings kick the show never found last summer, but that hasn’t happened yet. “Shore” is losing more than half “The O.C.’s” lead-in among 12-34s.
The Media Life Meter
Rating fall’s new shows probability of survival
30-27 Odds are this show will make it to next season.
26-22 Odds are this show will make it through this season.
21-15 Show may not survive the season.
15-9 Show will be canceled sometime this season.
8 or lower Catch it while you can – this show may not make it to four episodes.
Source: Media Life

fredfa

12-03-04, 12:40 PM

'L&O' fee is syndie record
Peacock's new 'Intent': To cash in

By JOHN DEMPSEY, DENISE MARTIN Variety.com

NBC Universal has pocketed a record $1.92 million an episode from its sale of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" in a shared window to the USA Network and its sister channel Bravo.

That edges out the $1.9 million Spike will pony up for exclusive cable TV rights to "CSI:NY" in a deal that's still in its final stages.

Last month, for "Cold Case," TNT shelled out $1.4 million an episode --the highest price TNT has ever paid for a rerun hour.

The three deals represent media synergy at its most visible. NBC U is a sister company of USA, King World ("CSI:NY") is a sibling of Spike, and Warner Bros. Domestic Cable ("Cold Case") is, like TNT, a division of Time Warner.

But what's unusual about the "Intent" deal is that Bravo -- which will play the reruns on the weekend while USA strips them during the week -- has in effect bought out the syndication window. Both USA and Bravo start playing the off-net "Intent" in September.

Deal encompasses a four-year license term for the 89 "Intent" episodes produced through the 2004-05 season. NBC U will tack an extra year onto the USA/Bravo contract for each additional season of 22 hours commissioned by NBC.

Since USA is paying the bulk of the license fee, the network will also be able to play "Intent" on the weekends, with one restriction: The USA episode won't be able to play in the same time period as the Bravo run.

And USA's payment also includes the right to repeat the brand-new episode of "Intent" within eight days of its NBC primetime run. Fees for these "repurposings" of the new hours can cost about $150,000 an episode, a stipend that, in the case of "Intent," is built into the overall $1.92 million an episode tariff.

The inclusion of Bravo in the deal drew the most comment within the industry. Adding Bravo goes against the grain of the usual contract for a high-visibility off-network hour, which specifies that one cable net buys the Monday/Friday schedule, leaving the distributor to sell the weekend plays simultaneously to TV stations in rerun syndication.

Those syndication deals can add $200,000-$300,000 or more per episode to the series, depending on the health of the advertising marketplace and the number of years the show continues in weekend syndication.

The fat license fee for "Intent" comes despite the ratings decline of the series this year on NBC's Sunday-night schedule, where the show has lost viewers to ABC's runaway hit "Desperate Housewives."

There was no doubt within the industry that USA would end up with the "Intent" reruns for two big reasons: USA currently plays the new episodes a week after they appear on NBC, so "Intent" reruns are already associated with USA; and USA strips "Law & Order: SVU," which the network pre-bought two years ago for $1.4 million an episode.

fredfa

12-03-04, 05:25 PM

CBS Rolls Out Reality in January

(zap2it.com)--The long-in-development unscripted show "The Will" finally has a premiere date on CBS, as does a competition to find a new lifestyle guru now that Martha Stewart's in prison.

Both "The Will," from "Bachelor" producer Mike Fleiss, and "Wickedly Perfect," as the domestic-diva show is called, will premiere the first week of January. "Perfect" gets the plum "Survivor" spot at 8 p.m. ET Thursdays starting Jan. 6, while "The Will" will air at 8 p.m. Saturdays -- a spot once intended for "The Amazing Race" -- beginning Jan. 8.

Over the course of 10 episodes, "Wickedly Perfect" will follow 12 contestants who think they have the goods to become "the country's new authority on at-home living." Hosted by former "Good Morning America" anchor Joan Lunden, the show will offer put the contestants through a series of tests related to cooking, decorating and entertaining.

Chef/Food Network star Bobby Flay, stylist David Evangelista ("The Rosie O'Donnell Show") and "Sex and the City" author Candace Bushnell will serve as judges. The winner will get a book deal with Atria Books (like CBS, a unit of Viacom), several appearances on CBS's "Early Show" and a development deal for a lifestyle TV show.

The show will push the 10th edition of "Survivor" back to March.

In "The Will," a "wealthy patriarch" will have potential heirs -- family and friends included -- compete for a portion of his estate (presumably because watching probate battles from beyond the grave is less satisfying). The 10 would-be heirs will compete in mental and physical challenges to determine who gets to walk away with the inheritance.

The show has kicked around in various stages of development for more than two years. ABC originally announced "The Will" for fall 2002 but never went forward. CBS announced in February that it had begun casting.

jim tressler

12-03-04, 07:48 PM

thanks for looking...

and yes it really has gone down hill.. its basically a kiddie show now.. too bad used to be good..

fredfa

12-04-04, 11:49 AM

ESPN Gives Earnhardt Movie Star Treatment
By John Crook

(zap2it.com)-- On a sunny but chilly spring morning, an eerie time warp seems to have settled over North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham.

Two sets of race cars speed along opposite sides of the track, each group a mirror image of the other -- except one group is shiny and new, the other aged and scarred by accidents.

There are no fans jamming the spectator area, just cameras recording the action for "3," (HD) a TV movie chronicling the life and career of driver Dale Earnhardt, who died in a 2001 crash. The movie, which stars Barry Pepper as Earnhardt, premieres Saturday, Dec. 11, on ESPN.

On this production day, as the crew breaks for lunch, Pepper heads to his trailer while an assistant fetches a plate of down-home North Carolina fare from a nearby chow wagon. Pepper himself would have been just as happy to stand in line with his castmates, but he's a co-executive producer on this ESPN original movie, in which capacity he is sitting down with a reporter to talk about the project.

Virtually unrecognizable under the prosthetic makeup that transforms him into an unsettling ringer for Earnhardt, the 34-year-old Canadian actor is cordial but obviously very much aware of what is riding on this movie, not just for him, but for the late NASCAR champion's family, friends and legions of fans.

"Dale was a fierce competitor who earned the respect of his fans the hard way," says Pepper, who plays Earnhardt from ages 16 to 49 in the movie. "We wanted to do it right. I wouldn't have done the movie if we couldn't do it right."

That's not surprising, given that Pepper earlier had a vivid lesson in how high the stakes can be when an actor portrays a real person rather than a character spun from fiction.

The actor received widespread acclaim for his portrayal of baseball star Roger Maris in the 2001 HBO movie "61*," and none of the cheers were louder than those from members of the Maris family, who had been chilly to the project until they saw the warmth and humanity Pepper brought to his performance.

"Of course, the stakes are higher [when you're playing a real person]," Pepper says. "How could they not be? I would have to be incredibly arrogant not to recognize and respect the fact that I am playing someone who touched a lot of lives.

"It's been a huge privilege to bring Dale's legacy to film, and it's been an immense challenge as well, just as I knew it would be," he continues. "We've come [to North Carolina] so we could shoot this movie in a lot of the places where things actually happened -- sometimes even with the same people around. I think this is just about as close as we could get to the real thing, and I'm really, really proud of what we've been able to do."

With Elizabeth Mitchell ("The Santa Clause 2") on board as Teresa Earnhardt, Dale's third wife after two early failed unions, and J.K. Simmons ("Spider-Man") playing Ralph Earnhardt, his gruff, hardworking dad, "3" also incorporates mostly local actors as other supporting players and extras. Newcomer Chad McCumbee, who plays Dale Jr. in the TV movie, is an aspiring NASCAR driver in real life.

"He just knocked us out," Pepper says of McCumbee. "If he wants to have a career as an actor, he certainly could do it, because he's a natural."

Directed by Russell Mulcahy ("Highlander"), "3" opens in 1961 in Kannapolis, N.C., the small mill town where both Ralph Earnhardt and eventually his son turned to racing as a way to escape being "lintheads," as the towel-mill workers were called.

Scrambling to provide for his wife and five kids, Ralph Earnhardt passes along to his son both a love for racing ("They can't put it in you, and they can't take it out," he tells Dale) as well as an unyielding "winning is everything" philosophy.

"The winner ain't the one with the fastest car. It's the one who refuses to lose," he tells his son at a key point, a motto Dale eventually translates into his own credo: "Second place is just the first loser."\

In an underwritten role, Mitchell has the radiant intelligence to help illuminate why this third marriage was the charm for Earnhardt, while Simmons softens Ralph's gruffness just enough to show that he thinks the demands he places on Dale are nothing compared with how life will test his son later.

As for Pepper, his performance as the taciturn Earnhardt is a tour de force, a portrayal grounded in profound respect for a beloved sports hero while human enough to allow that Dale Earnhardt, like any man, occasionally was capable of being selfish and willfully stubborn. You'll probably hear Pepper's name called in next fall's crop of Emmy nominees.

For sensitive viewers, or those with young children, be advised that Earnhardt's final race is shown up to the point where his car begins to spin out of control, but the camera cuts away before the fatal crash and fades to a poignant conclusion that owes a debt to "Field of Dreams." Have your handkerchief handy.

fredfa

12-04-04, 12:16 PM

That’s a Great Picture, But It Isn’t HDTV
By Kevin Downey Broadcasting & Cable,12/6/2004

Half the people who think they’re watching HDTV really aren’t. So says a new study just released by Durham, N.H.-based Leichtman Research Group.

On the consumer side, the general understanding of HDTV apparently is forgotten once consumers enter the big-box appliance stores, see the array of choices, and get blasted with facts and terms they don’t understand.

They may end up walking out with digital TVs that have clearer pictures than their old analog models, or sets that could get high definition if the buyer acquired the right accessories. But that great picture is just that, and not the real deal.

“People go to their friends’ homes and say, 'Hey, isn’t this incredible?’ But they’re really not watching HD,” says Bruce Leichtman, LRG’s president and principal analyst.

LRG based its findings on telephone surveys conducted with consumers, which were matched with data on the number of HD set-top boxes manufactured by companies like Motorola and installed by cable TV and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) services. LRG and other research companies estimate that only a small number of homes receive HDTV through an HD antenna.

Breaking Down the Data
“You add that up, and the reality is that about 3 million [households] are receiving HD programming from cable TV or DBS,” says Leichtman.

The Consumer Electronics Association says 13.3 million digital television sets have been sold to dealers since 1998. The CEA says only 87%, or about 10.6 million, of those sets are HD-ready. Then LRG discovered that 15% of HD homes have more than one set, which means high-definition sets are in only 9 million homes.

When LRG factors in the deployment of equipment needed to transform an HD-ready set into a set so that it actually receives an HD picture, the number tumbles down to 3 million homes. But twice as many households report they are watching HDTV.

Nielsen Media research says that there are nearly 109.6 million television households, which means, if LRG’s data is right, HD is being seen in just 2.7% of all U.S. homes. To put it another way, the number of real HDTV households out there equals the total number of television homes in Chicago.

As with most new technology, HDTV will become less confusing for consumers and less challenging for advertisers as it becomes more commonplace. That will likely happen in a few years as HDTV becomes more widespread—the CEA estimates that more than 50 million homes will really be receiving HD signal by 2007—and as more networks offer programs in high-definition.

Not All Digital Is High-Def
“There are so many ways that people are confused,” says Laura Behrens, senior analyst of media industry research at Gartner/G2. “There are so many pieces to buy and so many things to consider. Not all flat-screen TVs are HD-ready, and not all flat screens are digital. And even screens that are high-definition may not have resolution that is very high.”

There’s also confusion among consumers about how to receive HD signals, according to Behrens. Most people who actually have HDTV get it through a cable TV or DBS service, which typically means installing an HD set-top box and paying a modest monthly fee for HDTV.

The FCC has a mandate that all TV sets larger than 13 inches come equipped with a digital receiver by the end of 2006, though that date has been a moving target. And that doesn’t mean those sets will receive high-definition signals or even be HDTV-ready. Nor does the FCC mandate mean all programming will be in high-definition.

“The mandate is not for HDTV, although that’s what gets talked about,” says Behrens. “The HD is the sizzle in the steak. But the steak is digital TV.”

While consumers are still largely confused when it comes to figuring out HDTV, media planners and buyers are faced with the challenge of figuring out how many people are watching HD networks and, demographically, who is watching.

There are a growing number of networks airing programs in high-definition. Among them are all the broadcast networks and nearly two dozen cable networks like Discovery HD Theater and NBC Universal’s Bravo HD+, which last week rebranded itself Universal HD. The revamped network will air movies, sports and television shows like Law & Order: SVU and Monk.

Still, determining the demographics and size of the audience watching HD programs requires some guesswork.

For one thing, Nielsen Media Research doesn’t yet release viewing figures for programs watched in high definition.

Not All Couch Potatoes...
“Nielsen doesn’t measure a lot of things, which is a big problem for the future of television,” says Tim Hanlon, senior vice president and director of emerging contacts at Starcom MediaVest Group. “The traditional advice [to advertisers] would be, 'Until it’s Nielsen-rated, don’t bother.’

“The progressive answer is, 'Don’t wait for Nielsen to divine how consumers are watching television; just open your eyes to penetration numbers and recognize where your audiences are.’”

Several research companies are conducting surveys to create a psychographic profile of the HDTV user. That wouldn’t seem so hard if you think about it. “They’re early adopters of technology products,” says LRG’s Leichtman.

But they’re not necessarily couch potatoes. “It has more to do with getting new things than it does with [watching] more TV. People constantly try to link HDTV with digital video recorders, but they are not necessarily the same audience.”

...But Usually Affluent
Moreover, the high cost of high-definition television sets—typically well above $1,000—means most HDTV homes are on the affluent side, according to Aditya Kishore, senior analyst at the Yankee Group.

“It’s not a handful of really rich people who have HD,” he says. “But as for the majority of buyers, you’re probably looking at a minimum $75,000 household income.”

The affluence of HD households makes them of particular interest to some advertisers, says Starcom’s Hanlon.

“Today, the early adopters who can afford expensive sets are probably exceedingly attractive audiences for high-priced cars, TV sets or high-priced whatever,” he says.

Although someday the whole nation will watch television in high-def, Hanlon says, “for programmers and advertisers right now, HDTV is a leap of faith.”

Afraid you don't know enough about HDTV to accurately assess your options? Here are some suggestions.

1. HOW WILL YOU GET YOUR SIGNAL?
Over the air or from a cable set-top box or satellite? If you’re expecting over-the-air reception, make sure the set has an integrated tuner so you can receive the signals without spending more money on a receiver. But realize that you’ll pick up only broadcast HD signals. If you expect HDTV through a cable or DBS set-top, you can opt for a TV without an HDTV tuner as long as it’s HDTV-ready.

2. WHERE ARE YOU PUTTING YOUR SET?
Know the room you’re putting the set in. For a home-theater experience, the viewing distance should be 2.5 times picture height. That means sitting about 8 feet away from a 50-inch TV.

3. WHAT ABOUT THE ENTERTAINMENT CENTER?
Flat-panel displays get all the buzz, but putting one in a 20-inch-deep entertainment center sort of ruins the effect. Look into a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a digital light-projection (DLP) unit and save yourself a few thousand bucks.

3. DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GETTING?
If you’re looking at flat-panel displays, be sure you have an in-store demo of the difference between enhanced-definition (EDTV) and HDTV; about 15% of the digital TV sets on the market are not HDTV-ready. Cheaper flat-panel displays are typically EDTV, with a resolution that tops out at DVD quality. So if you want the sharpness of HDTV, you need to steer clear of EDTV.

4. DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE NOT GETTING?
Not all programs are in high-definition, and here’s the not-pretty truth. “People don’t understand that, when they have HDTV and they are watching something that is not in high-definition, the picture looks blurry,” warns Paul Compton of Skybird Installs of Britton, Mich., which helps consumers set up their HDTVs.

fredfa

12-04-04, 12:28 PM

HDTV sales are on track to expand to 50 million sets by 2007
Wide Open Future
By Ken Kerschbaumer Broadcasting & Cable12/6/2004

The stillness of night gives way to the soft light of morning in the heart of the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park. Dark purple clouds roll over the mountains and the herd of bison below. As the sun slowly rises, a mist forms above the herd, and the valley floor is delicately illuminated. It's a new day in the valley, and a new day for Discovery HD.

Since September, the channel’s viewers have been treated to Sunrise Earth, an hour-long program that gives them a chance to see something special: sunrise at the nation’s most beautiful spots—without having to get up at 5 a.m. to do it (the show airs at 7 a.m.). It’s also the kind of treat that makes consumers happy that they ponied up the extra bucks for an extra-big, extra-clear HD picture.

Discovery is one of the biggest bettors in an expensive gamble by TV manufacturers, networks and retailers that the tipping point for HDTV is at hand. The percentage of homes tuning in to HDTV programs is poised to make a big leap beginning in 2006: from 30% of all homes to about 50% of all U.S. homes by the end of 2007, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. That’s more than 50 million HDTV sets by 2007.

Right now, only about 3 million homes have high-definition TV, though many millions more think they do.

This Christmas selling season should give HDTV an essential push.

The price for an average HDTV set will come down to around $1,300. (They’re still not cheap, but a bargain hunter can get lucky: Sanyo, for example, sells a 32-inch HDTV tube-based monitor for $699.) The Consumer Electronics Association predicts that about 6 million HDTV sets will be sold this year—which will just about double the number of HDTV sets in operation nationwide. Another 9 million will be sold in 2005.

When that happens, even more HDTV programming—limited now by high cost and a lack of advertising revenue—will start to flow onto networks. The 40 or so cable and broadcast networks currently dipping their toes in the HDTV waters will dive in with continuous programming.

“When 15 million homes start tuning in with HDTV sets, you’ll start seeing the shift,” says John Hendricks, Discovery Channel founder and a digital-TV prophet. Then Nielsen will start tracking what’s on. “Everybody will be waking up. When that happens, everyone will be desperate for a feed, but they won’t be able to get the bandwidth.”

The growth is happening for retailers. “We’re seeing people come in with a much better idea of what they want,” says Ed Maloney, president of Jackson, Miss.-based Cowboy Maloney’s. “They go to a friend’s house and see HD, and it’s a combination of word of mouth and 'word of eye.’ That sells a lot of sets.” In terms of dollars, he says, HDTV sales at his stores are growing about 20% a year.

Although it’s mostly the major broadcast networks and cable movie and sports channels sending out HDTV now, another wave of as many as 30 networks will step up to HD in 2005, predicts Mike Antonovich, vice president of global sales and marketing for satellite provider PanAmSat, which already operates a high-def satellite service it calls the “HD neighborhood.”

But there is also confusion. “Extended-definition” (EDTV) flat-panel plasma and LCD digital TVs—which are not necessarily high-resolution units—are now the rage, and some consumers seem willing to sacrifice picture quality for aesthetics, especially as prices fall.

But retailers maintain that the high-definition picture is hands-down better—and consumers will inevitably catch on.

Maloney wonders, why not go whole hog? “If you’re going to spend all that money for an 'extended-definition’ TV plasma screen, spend a little bit more and get an HD set,” says Maloney. “Why spend something on a 'high-look’ technology but not the high-performance technology?”

The movement on retail sales floors is prodding programmers to get going. Now more than ever, all aspects of TV production, from sunrises to sports, are adapting to HDTV production. Directors, camera crews, makeup artists and, of course, talent are rethinking the way they tell stories, shoot scenes and do business.

Sunrise Earth producer Dave Conover, for example, shot 23 sunrises with Compass Light, his production company. Crews of four went to various locations with two new Sony F900 cameras each to capture a world awakening. The show is already catching on; a second season is in the works.

Shooting in high-definition is expensive, costing 25% more than standard-definition (SD) on average. With so few viewers, hardly any advertisers have signed up to sponsor broadcasts.

Still, trailblazing networks like Discovery and HBO—the latter now airs 70% of its schedule in high-definition—consider the expense an investment for the future.

Conover says high-definition scenes deliver the same thrill that viewers experienced more than a half century ago when TV sets were first marketed. “What captured their attention was the magical access to a place on the planet that isn’t just outside their window,” he says. “And that’s the goal of Sunrise Earth: to use HD’s resolution and brilliance to make something as simple as a sunrise compelling to viewers.”

Nature documentaries aren’t the only shows playing with the new format. It takes only a few seconds for CSI’s “look” to sink in. The combination of lighting and color saturation gives the show a unique tone, and each of the three CSIs has its own color palette: CSI: NY gets an icy-blue tone; CSI: Miami is flecked in orange; and the original CSI, set in Las Vegas, is a story told in hints of green.

“We use different color palettes to differentiate storylines,” says CSI executive producer Danny Cannon. Some scenes get different degrees of vividness. “A frightening storyline will be de-saturated while a more ironic storyline might be more saturated.” The result are neon signs that pop, building exteriors that give a greater sense of decay, and a clarity in fog or mist that just deepens the dread.

Makeup: Compressor and a Hand-Held Nozzle

The extra detail that HDTV video allows puts more pressure not only on set design and lighting but also on actors and even news anchors. Many fear that HDTV will allow every unsightly scar or blemish to be blown out of proportion: There’s nothing like a close-up on a 60-inch HDTV to make a shaving nick look like a bloody gash.

Helping on-air talent put their best face forward has always fallen to the makeup team. The solution? Put aside creams and embrace air brushes made by companies like TempTu and Dynair. Air brushes use compressed air to apply makeup in aerosol form via compressor and a hand-held nozzle with a pressure button. It takes a couple of weeks for anchors to fully embrace the technique, but the result is a foundation that fills wrinkles more effectively.

“It should be used for the foundation and to replace women’s blush because it’s so natural-looking and makes the skin look flawless,” says ESPN makeup artist Annie Bean, who gets the network’s anchor talent ready for ESPN-HD telecasts. “Then you can do what you’ve always done for the eyes and lips.”

The key is getting the skin tone right, which means plenty of testing with lighting. “Without the right lighting, it will look terrible,” says Bean. “Just make sure you start on the process way before you ever actually go to air.”

Softer lights also soften HDTV’s harsh close-ups, she adds, noting, “It puts more pressure on the director of photography.”

For all the improvements, there is still one issue that all HDTV producers of events are grappling with: how to take full advantage of HD’s widescreen 16:9 picture (16 units wide by 9 units high).

With 95% of the viewing audience still watching on standard-def sets (4:3 ratio, or four units wide by three units high), producers try to frame a shot so all the action takes place within the standard frame, generally rendering widescreen an afterthought.

CSI’s Cannon, however, stays focused on widescreen production. “We only compensate slightly for standard TV when we lose certain parts of a face,” he says. “But we don’t let standard TV hinder us.” There’s also a business reason for that: CSI has significant DVD sales, and consumers are accepting of the letterboxing required on a standard TV.

More important, high-definition DVDs are on the horizon. By the end of next year, four Hollywood studios—Paramount, Warner, Universal and New Line—will begin selling high-definition DVDs in the HD-DVD format (see related story on page 22). Players are expected to cost about $1,000, and their introduction will complete the HD-content circle and open up another HD revenue stream.

While Cannon and those involved in TV dramas can serve both widescreen and standard-def viewers fairly easily, live- and sports-event producers aren’t so lucky. Because the SD and HD broadcasts are derived from the same camera positions, the advantage of widescreen is never fully realized. Football fans watching a widescreen version could see the safety blitz develop if producers framed for widescreen. But they don’t.

Jed Drake, ESPN senior vice president and executive producer, says tennis matches could be shot with a camera perched high at center court as opposed to behind the baseline. “Moving to only widescreen productions isn’t an 'if,’” he adds, “but a 'when.’”

No More Big Analog Sets

When NBA Entertainment covers games in HD, it shoots them in widescreen and letterboxes them for standard viewers. But instead of having black bars on the top and bottom of the screen, it moves the picture to the top of the screen and places graphics at the bottom. The viewer at home doesn’t even know it’s letterboxed.

“This way, we give the SD viewer a bit of a look into the future,” says Steve Hellmuth, NBA senior vice president, operations and technology.

As the sports leagues and networks try to figure out their HDTV programming over the next two years, one thing is certain: The audience will grow at an unprecedented rate. “We’re well past the early-adopter stage,” says Jenny Miller, director of industry trends for CEA.

One big contributor to the momentum: By the end of 2006, every TV larger than 13 inches will have both an analog and a digital tuner. “When that happens, there will no longer be analog TV sets” over 13 inches for sale, Miller says.

Millions of analog sets, of course, will continue to be in use for years to come. As 2007 dawns, the picture will finally be in focus: HDTV has arrived.
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HDTV: Can You See Me Now?

Sprint and AT&T Wireless already offer cellphones with live video streaming of more than a dozen TV channels; both companies tout the picture quality on the Lilliputian screen. Indeed, the jump from 1-3 frames per second last year to the current 15 frames per second “has hit a threshold that we think will be quite satisfactory for the consumer for quite a long time,” says Jeff Hallock, vice president of data product and strategy for Sprint’s Consumer Solutions division.

By 2007, Texas Instruments hopes to come to market with a DTV receiver chip that can be placed in a cellphone. It’s not high-def, but, for cellphones, it promises to be far better than current video transmitted over cellular networks. Code-named “Hollywood,” the chip will receive live digital broadcasts using new TV-transmission infrastructure that is in development for cellphones.

But hold on. Didn’t Sony already flop with its little bitty Watchman in the 1980s, appealing mainly to those few goofballs who enjoy watching themselves watching TV in the stands at NFL games?

“It’s a higher-quality experience than those Watchmans were,” says Hallock, “and it’s a richer lineup of content that can be on demand.”

Still, the trend in consumers’ taste for TV screens these days would seem to be toward gigantism, not miniaturization. Josh Bernoff at Forrester Research is skeptical: “Who wants that? It’s one thing to send somebody a little video of yourself at your birthday party, but as for regular TV content—unlikely to catch on.” —Mark Laswell

Pssst! Wanna Deal?

Here are nine HD monitors priced below $1,000. With holiday sales, they may cost even less. All come with HDTV tuner.

Sanyo HT32744: $699
A 32-inch 4:3 direct-view monitor

Sanyo HT30744: $699
A 30-inch widescreen direct-view monitor

Samsung TX-P2670WH: $699
A 26-inch widescreen direct-view monitor

Dish Network: 34-inch widescreen bundle: $999
In the bundle: direct-view set, set-top box and antenna

Dish Network: 40-inch widescreen bundle: $999
In the bundle: rear-projection set with set-top box and antenna

Zenith C30W47: $999
A 30-inch widescreen direct-view monitor

Zenith C32V37: $999
A 32-inch 4:3 direct-view monitor

Samsung TX-P3071WH: $999
A 30-inch widescreen direct-view monitor

Samsung TX-P3275H: $999
A 32-inch 4:3 direct-view monitor

(Source: Fall 2004 HDTV Guide, published by TWICE and CEA)

fredfa

12-04-04, 02:00 PM

Friday's ratings have been posted.

fredfa

12-04-04, 03:21 PM

As DBS Rises, Ops Ask FCC: Set Us Free!

(So We Can Raise Rates When We Want)
By Ted Hearn multichannel.com12/6/2004

Washington— Cable’s urban moat remains under assault.

The latest sign that satellite TV is more than a rural powerhouse was Comcast Corp.’s recent request for total deregulation in Dallas, the country’s No. 7 television market, on account of robust competition from DirecTV Group Inc. and EchoStar Communications Corp.

Other cable operators, such as Charter Communications Inc. and Adelphia Communications Corp., have sought similar relief in Los Angeles and Miami suburbs chockablock with single-family homes.

Cox — already deregulated in Phoenix due to video competition from a local phone company — now wants Tucson, Ariz., included.

Cablevision Systems Corp. has already won relief in dozens of New Jersey and New York commuter towns ringing Manhattan, based on satellite competition.

Deregulation petitions must go through the Federal Communications Commission, which is under no formal deadline to act.

Under federal law, Comcast needs to show that pay TV competitors in Dallas serve at least 15% of area households. Comcast told the FCC that 17.6% subscribe to the competition in that market, justifying relief.

“Indeed, with more than 20 million subscribers nationwide, and the substantial penetration figures reported in Dallas, it cannot be credibly argued that Dallas consumers are not generally aware of the availability of DBS competitors,” Comcast told the FCC in a Nov. 15 filing.

“We believe that in a competitive environment, marketplace forces and consumer choice are the most effective regulatory measures to ensure that rates are reasonable and that service offerings are competitive,” Comcast spokesman Tim Fitzpatrick said in a statement. “Comcast is delivering high-value, quality services at a competitive price.

“By lifting this regulatory burden, Comcast will be better positioned to serve our customers, attract new ones and meet competition from other video providers.”

Congress eliminated expanded-basic price regulation effective March 31, 1999. But it retained basic regulation until the 15% penetration test was met in each cable franchise area. The basic tier includes local TV stations, public-access channels, and cable networks placed there by the cable operator.

WHAT THEY’D GAIN

If the FCC agrees with Comcast in Dallas, local regulators would lose power to set basic cable rates. Equipment rates would also be deregulated.

Two other restrictions would also be eliminated. Comcast would no longer be bound by the uniform-rate rule, which requires a cable company to ensure that all local subscribers receive the same rate card, excluding the occasional short-term promotion.

Comcast would also be allowed to require basic subscribers to purchase another programming tier in order to receive a premium channel like HBO or purchase a pay-per-view event.

Across-the-board deregulation in large urban markets could be controversial, given that many cable companies have just announced 2005 rate increases that have not played well in the national media.

Mark Cooper, research director of the Consumer Federation of America, argues that because satellite-TV does not restrain cable rates, the penetration test used to deregulate cable systems is flawed.

“I think the empirical evidence supports our view, and has [done] so forever,” Cooper said. “The fact that Congress wrote a competition standard that does not protect consumers proves not that the market is working, but that Congress got the standard wrong.”

Cooper said basic rates would, if deregulated, rise because cable subscribers are required by law to buy the basic tier in order to gain access to all other cable programming. He said demand for basic cable is “inelastic” — an economics term that means demand does not change whether rates go up or down.

“One would expect them to have greater increases for basic cable,” he said. “That’s where you would put your price increases.”

Opposition from local communities to cable deregulation petitions varies.
Although New Jersey regulators fought the deregulation of Cablevision, many communities decide not to invest the resources in a fight with cable operators when the decision rests with the FCC.

DALLAS WILL FIGHT

Dallas is ready to fight. Nick Fehrenbach, manager of regulatory affairs and utility franchising for the city of Dallas, said he plans to challenge Comcast’s petition.

“We will be filing an opposition to the effective competition filing. One of the things we are going to be contesting is the DBS numbers,” Fehrenbach said.

Cable operators in small cities and rural communities have long been
vulnerable to DBS, mainly because they have been slow to upgrade to digital technology to fend off satellite’s more robust programming options.

Measured on a statewide basis, DBS subscriber growth has been impressive, with 41states now recording DBS penetration of at least 15% of households, according to the National Cable & Telecommunications Association.

Although no state has more DBS than cable subscribers, in a few years those lines might cross in states like Idaho and Utah, where satellite providers (including C-band) today serve 41% of all pay-TV subscribers.

That doesn’t meant there aren’t a few cable strongholds. In Hawaii, for example, cable has 96% of the pay TV subscriber base.

In recent years, satellite has become more aggressive in poaching customers from cable operators in large markets.

CABLE SUB 'THEFT’

“These days, DBS looks as much to urban and suburban markets as it does to rural markets to gain more subscribers,” said Jimmy Schaeffler, a DBS analyst with the Carmel Group. “In fact, one could argue that based on subscriber acquisition success by both EchoStar and DirecTV, the majority of their subscribers now are coming from suburban and, to lesser extent, urban cable footprints. That’s what’s happening.”

Cable, which has been losing subscribers in recent quarters, still has some weapons at its disposal: the ability to offer many local TV stations in HDTV — something DBS is years away from matching — and true video on demand, something cable operators say is infeasible for satellites hovering 22,300 miles above the equator.

EchoStar and DirecTV do not offer high-speed Internet access in the same class with cable and they do not offer local phone service on their own.

Comcast has about 500,000 subscribers in the Dallas area, with about with about 136,000 residing within city limits. Fehrenbach said he has seen records that show Comcast wants FCC deregulation for nearly all its Dallas-area subscribers.

LOW PENETRATION

Craig Moffett, a cable analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., said he didn’t think that Comcast’s Dallas petition could be viewed as the onset of many cable-deregulation petitions in large urban areas. Dallas, he said, had some unique characteristics.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily a sign of any material change. For whatever reason, Dallas has the lowest cable penetration of any major city in the U.S., and DBS penetration is pretty high,” Moffett said in an e-mail message.

Cable penetration in Dallas is less that 40%, compared with 64% nationally. The likely reason, Fehrenbach said, is the availability of about 20 TV stations in the Dallas-Ft. Worth market. The region’s flat terrain contributes to improved over-the-air signal reception.

Schaeffler said he viewed Dallas as the start of a trend, claiming cable has failed to stop satellite from taking video customers.

“This is an ongoing trend that will intensify, and there will be more and more of these requests to be released from the requirements of the 15% rule in urban and suburban [areas],” Schaeffler said. “I would project that in maybe three to five years down the line, more than 50% of the [TV markets] will be subject to this 15% threshold.”

For cable, seeking deregulation from the FCC is time-consuming and not inexpensive. A cable company has to file for each franchise area and has to pay the FCC about $1,000 for each application.

Comcast and the NCTA have proposed that the FCC streamline the process. Under their proposal, a cable company in one of the 41 states with at least 15% satellite penetration should be presumed subject to effective competition and deregulated.

The proposal would put the burden on local franchise authorities to prove that the 15% test had not been met in their communities.

fredfa

12-04-04, 06:06 PM

Soon: 24/7 WCBS DT on DirecTV
Broadcasters Pull Together
CBS helps five New York stations return to DTV broadcasts

By Ken Kerschbaumer Broadcasting & Cable 12/6/2004

For the first time since 9/11, five New York City broadcasters will begin full-power, over-the-air DTV broadcasts. That’s thanks to CBS, which is letting competitive stations transmit their signals through its Empire State Building antenna.

WABC, WNBC, WWOR, WPIX and WNET lost their DTV facilities when the World Trade Center was destroyed. With available real estate atop the Empire State Building and WCBS willing to grant access to its DTV antenna, the stations decided it was a logical place to build DTV facilities.

This week, low-power tests will measure performance and ensure that the antenna can handle the move to high power. The week of Dec. 13, the facility will be up and running to accommodate some high-power testing, although not all stations have finished installation of their transmitters. Davis says WABC will be at full power by the end of the year. “For the first time since 9/11, we’ll be able to broadcast at our full licensed power.”

The end of the project actually has ramifications outside of New York. Throughout the project, WCBS(DT) signed off at midnight to accommodate workers. The problem: WCBS(DT) is used by DirecTV to serve the entire nation. “At midnight, the country goes dark. Once the work is completed,” says Seidel, “we’ll be 24/7.”

“The [new facility] is a tribute to the engineering and construction crews that have worked overnight 1,300 feet above the ground for two years,” says Dave Davis, WABC New York general manager. “Lawyers arguing in a room is one thing, but the credit really goes to the engineers.”

Indeed, this massive DTV project has been in the works more than two years.

The key physical complements are two signal combiners from Dielectric. The six transmission signals are fed into the combiner on the 85th floor, filtered, then output to the antenna and subsequently to viewers.

Getting the combiner in place was only one of many issues that had to be addressed. A radio transmitter for a small FM station had to be moved down the hall, a process that proved more difficult than initially believed. Then the negotiations with the building for transmitter space—as well as preparing the upper floors with backup power, electric and fire suppression—took additional time. Finally, to seal the deal, all stations had to agree to vote on how they would handle potential conflicts, such as interference or when to switch to the backup system.

“In general, it hasn’t been technology issues that have been the long-lead items,” says Bob Seidel, CBS vice president, engineering technology, who headed up the project. “It’s been negotiations, agreements and lawyers that have affected our pacing.”

The groundwork for the system was actually laid in 1997, when WCBS was putting its DTV antenna in place. After consideration, it decided to put a multi-purpose antenna in place so it could operate different frequencies from one antenna.

“Since we knew we were going to be a very early adopter of DTV in New York, it made sense to put one up that would be broadband-capable,” says Bob Ross, CBS senior vice president, East Coast Operations. “We also knew it wouldn’t be easy to erect the antenna. This way, we could put it up once and use it forever.”

A big boost to WCBS was that it already had a five-bay antenna in place at the Empire State Building. That one was taken down and replaced with a two-bay antenna, freeing up three bays for the multichannel UHF antenna that is now home to the majority of New York’s DTV signals.

Work, however, didn’t begin until the stations sorted out their analog-transmission problems following 9/11. WABC, for example, has an analog and digital transmitter located at 4 Times Square. Those transmitters will now serve as backup; WABC will move its primary analog transmission to the Empire State Building. WABC’s system, like those of the other four broadcasters, was less than ideal in terms of market coverage. That left the stations open to WCBS’ proposal to share antenna space.

“The answer came back yes, and that was the beginning of a pretty long series of negotiations with Empire and [the stations],” says Ross. Deals were struck, with costs split equally among the six stations.

fredfa

12-04-04, 09:05 PM

HDTV December Highlights
By multichannel.com 12/6/2004
The following chart lists prominent national HDTV programming for this month from cable’s major HD programmers, including primetime and premiere fare, plus live events, and is meant to provide a sampling of what these networks offer.
All listings for 8 p.m. (ET) lineup

Discovery HD Theater
Xtreme Engineering Dec. 6, 13, 20, 27
Golf Escapes Dec. 7, 14, 21, 28
Xtreme Machines Dec. 8, 15, 22, 29
Jeff Corwin Dec. 9, 16, 23, 30
Front Row Seat Dec. 10, 17, 24, 31
Great Rivers Dec. 11, 18, 25
Dream RV Dec. 12
Millionaire Motorhomes Dec. 19
Ice Hotel Dec. 26

ESPN
NCAA Basketball: Memphis-Ptts. Dec. 7
NCAA Basketball: Okla. St.-Syracuse Dec. 7
NBA: Philadelphia vs. Chicago Dec. 10
NCAA Basketball: Oregon vs. Illinois Dec. 11
Movie: 3 Dec. 11
NFL: Philadelphia vs. Washington Dec. 12
NBA: Detroit vs. New York Dec. 15
NFL: Carolina vs. Atlanta Dec. 18
NFL: Baltimore vs. Indianapolis Dec. 19
NCAA Football: Las Vegas Bowl Dec. 23
NFL: Denver vs. Tennessee Dec. 25
NFL: Cleveland vs. Miami Dec. 26
Studio programming in HDTV includes daily SportsCenter, Monday Night Countdown, Sunday NFL Countdown and Primetime.

Fox Sports Regionals
NBA: Detroit vs. Dallas Dec. 6
NBA: Dallas vs. Minnesota Dec. 7
NBA: Seattle vs. San Antonio Dec. 8
NBA: Indiana vs. Milwaukee Dec. 10
NBA: Portland vs. Minnesota Dec. 14
NBA: Atlanta vs. Dallas Dec. 18
NBA: Denver vs. Orlando Dec. 18
NBA: Memphis vs. L.A. Lakers Dec. 20
NBA: New Orleans vs. L.A. Lakers Dec. 22
NBA: Boston vs. San Antonio Dec. 26
NBA: Houston vs. Milwaukee Dec. 28

HDNet
Series:
Face 2 Face with Roy Firestone Dec. 6
HDNet World Report Dec. 7, 19
Hack Dec. 8
Smallville Dec. 9, 16
Higher Definition Dec. 10, 17
True Music Dec. 12
Get Out! Dec. 13
Hollywood HD Dec. 14
The Agency Dec. 15
A Minute With Stan Hooper Dec. 20
Across America Dec. 21
The Handler Dec. 29
Odyssey 5 Dec. 23, 30
Bikini Destinations Dec. 27
InFocus: Ultimate Access Dec. 28
Events/Specials:
NHL Relived Dec. 10, 17
NCAA Football: SWAC Championship Dec. 11
2004 Jammys Dec. 12
NCAA Basketball: Wash. State vs. Portland Dec. 18
HDNet Boxing: Best of 2004 Dec. 18
True Music: Extended Play Dec. 19
A Night of Motown Featuring the Funk Brothers Dec. 19
NCAA Basketball: Ball State vs. Butler Dec. 22
Higher Definition: 2004 Year in Review Dec. 24
Kurt Bestor Holiday Concert Dec. 25
Sleeping Beauty on Ice Dec. 25
People of World Report: 2004 Year in Review Dec. 26
True Music: Best of 2004 Dec. 26
Face 2 Face with Roy Firestone: 2004 Year in Review Dec. 27
Places of World Report: 2004 Year in Review Dec. 28
Across America: 2004 Year in Review Dec. 28
Hollywood HD: 2004 Year in Review Dec. 28
The Who Live at Isle of Wight Festival 2004 Dec. 31
David Bowie Live at Isle of Wight Festival 2004 Dec. 31

HDNet Movies
Beethoven’s 2nd Dec. 6
In Country Dec. 7
The Terminator Dec. 8
Life as a House Dec. 9
Palmetto Dec. 10
Mad Max Dec. 11
Brigadoon Dec. 12
Mr. Saturday Night Dec. 13
Badlands Dec. 14
Fearless Dec. 15
The Drowning Pool Dec. 16
Every Which Way But Loose Dec. 17
Dog Day Afternoon Dec. 18
Downhill Racer Dec. 19
Passion of the Mind Dec. 20
Russian Ark Dec. 21
The River Dec. 22
The Grifters Dec. 23
Dad Dec. 24
Black Beauty Dec. 25
Cimarron Dec. 26
Greased Lightning Dec. 27
The Manchurian Candidate Dec. 28
2 Days in the Valley Dec. 29
Runaway Train Dec. 30
The Usual Suspects Dec. 31

INHD
NBA: Detroit vs. Dallas Dec. 6
Rampage Dec. 7
NBA: Minnesota vs. Philadelphia Dec. 8
King of Air Dec. 9
World Team Tennis Dec. 10, 30
Greystoke Dec. 11
Flugtag: Miami Dec. 12, 31
Mr. Olympia 2004 Dec. 13, 23
NBA: Portland vs. Minnesota Dec. 14
Fields of Glory Dec. 15, 22, 25
Melissa Ethridge Dec. 16
The Vanishing Dec. 17
Bonfire of the Vanities Dec. 18
Fuel & Fury 2 Dec. 19
NBA: Utah vs. Philadelphia Dec. 20
Ms. Olympia Dec. 21
Santa vs. the Snowman Dec. 24
NBA: Boston vs. San Antonio Dec. 26
Heavyweight Heroes Dec. 27
NBA: Houston vs. Milwaukee Dec. 28
NBA: Minnesota vs. New York Dec. 29

INHD 2
Laurie McKenzie Dec. 6, 13, 20, 27
The Vanishing Dec. 7
INHD to the Max Dec. 8, 11, 15, 22, 25, 29
On Course Dec. 9, 16, 23, 20
Everlast From the Playboy Mansion Dec. 10, 18
Anarctica Dec. 12
Hoffa Dec. 14, 28
Hollywood Walks Dec. 17
Mary J. Blige Dec. 19, 31
Taps Dec. 21
Hanson Acoustic Dec. 24
Destination #2 Dec. 26

NBA TV
Detroit vs. Dallas Dec. 6
Minnesota vs. Philadelphia Dec. 8
Portland vs. Minnesota Dec. 14
Utah vs. Philadelphia Dec. 20
Boston vs. San Antonio Dec. 26
Houston vs. Milwaukee Dec. 28
Minnesota vs. New York Dec. 29

NFL Network
Game of the Week I: Teams TBD Dec. 8
Game of the Week II: Teams TBD Dec. 9
Game of the Week I: Teams TBD Dec. 15
Game of the Week II: Teams TBD Dec. 16
Game of the Week I: Teams TBD Dec. 22
Game of the Week II: Teams TBD Dec. 23
Game of the Week I: Teams TBD Dec. 29
Game of the Week II: Teams TBD Dec. 30

TNT
Law & Order Dec. 6, 7,13, 17, 20, 21, 24, 27, 28, 29, 31
Wizard of Oz Dec. 8
NBA: San Antonio vs. Houston Dec. 9
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings Dec. 10, 11, 12
Call Me Claus Dec. 14
Christmas in Washington 2004 Dec. 15
NBA: Cleveland vs. Detroit Dec. 16
Hard to Kill Dec. 18
Men in Black Dec. 19
Jack Frost Dec. 22
NBA: Minnesota vs. San Antonio Dec. 23
Ever After Dec. 25
Knight’s Tale Dec. 26
NBA: Miami vs. Detroit Dec. 30

Universal HD
Change of Habit Dec. 6, 23
No Man Is an Island Dec. 7
The Nelson Affair Dec. 8
Strange Bedfellows Dec. 9
D.C. Sniper Dec. 10
Tremors 3 Dec. 11
Child’s Play 2 Dec. 12
The Border Dec. 13
Last Remake of Beau Geste Dec. 14
How to Frame a Figg Dec. 15
Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here Dec. 16
Stealing Christmas Dec. 17, 20
12 Days of Christmas Eve Dec. 18, 22, 24
Hard Target Dec. 19
Wild & Wonderful Dec. 21
Beethoven’s 4th Dec. 25
Waterworld Dec. 26
Blindfold Dec. 27
Concorde Dec. 28
I Wanna Hold Your Hand Dec. 29
Ugly American Dec. 30
Return to the Cabin by the Lake Dec. 31

Cinemax
Big Fish Dec. 6, 16
Sphere Dec. 7
Matrix Revolutions Dec. 8
Matrix Reloaded Dec. 9, 24
Rainmaker Dec. 10
Bad Boys II Dec. 11, 29
Intolerable Cruelty Dec. 12, 22
Club Dread Dec. 13, 30
Sniper 2 Dec. 14
Runaway Jury Dec. 15
From Dusk Till Dawn Dec. 17
Cradle 2 the Grave Dec. 18
A League of Their Own Dec. 19
Torque Dec. 20
Stuck on You Dec. 21
Die Hard With a Vengeance Dec. 23
Patriot Games Dec. 25
National Security Dec. 26
You Got Served Dec. 27
Tad Hamilton Dec. 28
Devil’s Own Dec. 31

Home Box Office
Shattered Glass Dec. 6
Last Samurai Dec. 7, 20
Life and Death of Peter Sellers Dec. 8
Inside the NFL Dec. 9, 16, 23, 30
Reverse of the Curse of the Bambino Dec. 10, 22
Mystic River Dec. 11, 14
Sex and the City Dec. 12
Daredevil Dec. 13
Kangaroo Jack Dec. 15
Face Off Dec. 17
Chasing Liberty Dec. 18
Bend It Like Beckham Dec. 19
Catch That Kid Dec. 21
Love Actually Dec. 24
Welcome to Mooseport Dec. 24, 31
The Sopranos Dec. 26, 27, 28, 29

The Movie Channel
Stealing Time Dec. 6
Tough Luck Dec. 7
Karate Kid Dec. 8, 24
Possessed Dec. 9
Candyman Dec. 10
Abandon Dec. 11, 15
Mississippi Burning Dec. 12, 23
Rocky Dec. 13
Blown Away Dec. 14
Double Whammy Dec. 16
Crossing Guard Dec. 17
Rocky V Dec. 18
Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys Dec. 19
Bugsy Dec. 20, 26
Flatliners Dec. 21
Golden Child Dec. 22
Glory Dec. 25, 29
The Hours Dec. 27
Big Chill Dec. 28
Artworks Dec. 30
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Dec. 31

Showtime
The Hunted Dec. 6, 28
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Dec. 7, 12, 24
Serving Sara Dec. 8
School of Rock Dec. 9, 25
Pulp Fiction Dec. 10, 27
Huff Dec. 11
Carry Me Home Dec. 13
Houseguest Dec. 14, 20
Spy Kids 2 Dec. 15
Die Another Day Dec. 16
Equilibrium Dec. 17
Monster Dec. 18
Bulletproof Monk Dec. 19, 23
Barbershop Dec. 21, 31
Dangerous Minds Dec. 22
Italian Job Dec. 26
Four Feathers Dec. 29
Legally Blonde 2 Dec. 30

Starz
Cop Land Dec. 8, 17
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd Dec. 17
Gigli Dec. 20
Hollywood Homicide Dec. 17
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Dec. 19
Maid in Manhattan Dec. 20
Missing Dec. 23
Mona Lisa Smile Dec. 6
Pulp Fiction Dec. 16
Radio Dec. 13, 21, 26, 30
Spawn Dec. 19

Encore
2 Fast 2 Furious Dec. 26, 30
Anger Management Dec. 20
Billy Bathgate Dec. 29
Cool Runnings Dec. 30
Cutting Edge Dec. 12, 20
Daddy Day Care Dec. 13, 17, 29
Friday After Next Dec. 9, 19
Horse Whisperer Dec. 21
In the Army Now Dec. 28
Operation Dumbo Drop Dec. 28
Ransom Dec. 15, 26
Red Dragon Dec. 10, 22
Tombstone Dec. 25
XXX Dec. 8, 19

Numbers equate to the episode number of the series.
**FF: Full Frame
***WS: Wide Screen

tall1

12-04-04, 10:46 PM

Hey Fred, this is the BEST source for HD programming I can find on the net. You really do a great job and you have made me a huge hero to my wife with all the great programming info. Thank you so much and keep up the good work. It is very much appreciated.

fredfa

12-05-04, 01:07 AM

Cablevision: Rainbow Media Spinoff Won't Occur In '04
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON -- Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC) said Friday that it no longer believes it will complete the spinoff of its Rainbow Media Enterprises unit this year, as planned.

Cablevision, the sixth-largest cable operator in the U.S. by subscribers, had previously pushed back its spinoff date to the fourth quarter from the third quarter.

A Cablevision spokesman said the company wouldn't comment beyond Friday's disclosure made in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

As reported, the company last month also disclosed changes to its spinoff plan, saying it would hand over $350 million in preferred interests to the new entity. Cablevision had intended to hold on to redeemable preferred membership interests. By giving those up, Cablevision effectively reduced Rainbow's liabilities.

fredfa

12-05-04, 03:31 AM

Thanks for the kind words, tall1 -- I am delighted to hear them, and glad that all the effort to keep this thread updated makes it useful (and hopefully enjoyable to peruse) for you and other HD fans.

And once more I should thank KenH and the other moderators for allowing me wander a bit from the forum's "HD Programming" theme to cover all of TV news, even when it doesn't specifically concern HD (or even, on occasion, programming!)

So again, I'm happy you find it so helpful and thanks again for the kind words.

fredfa

12-05-04, 01:53 PM

In case you are wondering, Saturday's ratings have been delayed.
I hope to have them later in the day.

fredfa

12-05-04, 09:31 PM

Saturday's ratings have finally been posted in Latest News.

mp3trojan

12-05-04, 10:11 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
At 9 p.m., CBS moved into first with the 5.6/10 for "NCIS."

I watched this show for the first time yesterday. Good but it's lacking the "military formality" as seen in JAG..IMO that would make it better. Great show though.

Symbios

12-06-04, 12:23 AM

Wow, I can't believe I've never noticed this thread here before! Very informative - keep up the good work Fred!

fredfa

12-06-04, 12:29 AM

Thanks, Symbios -- and welcome to the thread and to AVS!

fredfa

12-06-04, 01:42 AM

This could just mean that Cablevision actively is in negotiations to sell VOOM.
Or it could mean something else entirely.

Cablevision again delays troubled spinoff
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK Variety.com

NEW YORK -- Cablevision won't be ringing out the New Year by celebrating the spinoff of Rainbow Media Enterprises after all.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday, cabler quietly revealed it is once again delaying the spinoff of Rainbow -- which includes the troubled high-def satcaster service Voom and national cable nets AMC, Independent Film Channel and sports programming -- into a separate company.

Hold-up comes as Cablevision continues to fight to resolve an SEC inquiry into accounting practices at AMC. Company did not say in its latest filing when the spinoff may occur.

Cablevision was to have spun off Rainbow in September, but delayed the launch until the final quarter of 2004.

The New York-based Cablevision envisions the spinoff as a way of luring more high-risk investors, since Rainbow assets are national in reach. Wall Street hasn't eagerly embraced the plan, pointing to the money-losing Voom as a trouble spot.

Voom may be the country's first all-high-definition TV provider, but so far it has been getting shaky reception from viewers in a market dominated by powerhouse satcasters DirecTV and EchoStar. Cablevision topper Charles Dolan launched Voom at the beginning of the year, convinced that high-def will be as big a revolution as the transition from black-and-white TV to color. Voom, which has had a hard time signing up customers, has about 26,000 subs, vs. DirecTV's roughly 12 million and EchoStar's 10 million.

Some on Wall Street speculate Cablevision will scuttle Voom and sell the sat service to EchoStar or DirecTV as they ramp up their HD channel capacity. This fall, DirecTV said it would spend $3 billion on satellites over the next three years that would add capacity for 1,500 HD channels.

Voom has 35 HD channels, including 21 it created called Voom HD Originals; among them are Rush HD, for extreme sports, and Divine HD, which caters to gays and lesbians.

Cablevision has already spent more than $150 million on the service, including the launch of the Rainbow 1 satellite last year. Rainbow DBS reported revenues of $5.9 million in the third quarter, with losses of $75.3 million -- attributed in part to outlays for Voom.

Friday's filing came after U.S. markets closed.

dline

12-06-04, 12:17 PM

Love the thread, but I have to ask: I keep seeing Extreme Makeover in the top ten on the ratings lists. Is this referring to Extreme Makeover, the plastic surgery show which airs Thursday nights? Or is it really Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, a different show entirely?

Veander

12-06-04, 12:23 PM

I can't believe they stuck LAX on the night they did. The MNF spot was better than Lost and Smallville. Oh well it was a good show that failed only when they kept banging on the "cheat on your wife" drum.

fredfa

12-06-04, 01:31 PM

Sunday's ratings have been posted in Latest News.

fredfa

12-06-04, 01:35 PM

dline:
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is usually in the top 10.
The Thursday Extreme Makeover often/usually runs fourth in its time period (behind Survivor, Joey/Will & Grace/ and The O.C.).

fredfa

12-06-04, 01:53 PM

Midseason replacement shows ready for moment in spotlight

By Joanne Ostrow Denver Post TV critic Monday, December 06, 2004 -
Itching to have Keifer Sutherland back in your life? Wondering how Steven Bochco's newest cop show will compare? Dying to see Playboy pinup Jenny McCarthy act out as a naughty girl?

Television's midseason replacements are in the wings, returning a few favorites and introducing a slew of newcomers beginning in January. Midseason is traditionally a time when offbeat, sometimes challenging series get a break, out of the onslaught of September debuts. "All in the Family," "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "The Wonder Years" had January starts.

With more networks giving lip service to the idea of year-round scheduling, the idea of midseason starts to sound antiquated. Still, the networks are trotting out new shows over the next few months to replace the goners.

Getting the hook:
NBC's "Hawaii" and "LAX,"
CBS's "Clubhouse" and "dr. vegas" and the WB's "Drew Carey's Green Screen."

Coming soon:
From ABC: "Grey'snatomy," a medical drama starring Ellen Pompeo ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") as a first-year surgical intern and Patrick Dempsey as a staff surgeon; Bochco's "Blind Justice," starring Ron Eldard ("ER") as a recently blinded detective relearning how to live and work; "Eyes," starring Tim Daly as a private investigator of corporate dirty tricks.

From CBS: "Numb3rs" - that's not a typo - from brothers Ridley and Tony Scott premieres Jan. 21. Rob Morrow ("Northern Exposure") plays an FBI agent who recruits his mathematical genius brother, played by David Krumholtz ("The Lyon's Den"), to help the bureau solve crimes in Los Angeles. The cast includes Peter McNichol ("Ally McBeal"), Judd Hirsch ("Taxi") and Sabrina Lloyd ("SportsNight"). CBS also has two reality series coming up, "The Will," with friends and family competing for an inheritance, and an untitled series hosted by Joan Lunden, seeking the next Martha Stewart. CBS did so well last season, it needs little tinkering.

From Fox: "Jonny Zero," about the life of Jonny Calvo, ex-con and strip club bouncer, starring Franky G ("The Italian Job"); "Life on a Stick," a comedy from Victor Fresco ("Andy Richter Controls the Universe") about buddies working in a mall food court; "The Sketch Show," a Kelsey Grammer comedy based on a British import; and "Hell's Kitchen," a reality show about chefs competing in Gordon Ramsay's L.A. restaurant Cordon Bleu.
Mainly, Fox can boast the return of "24" with a two-hour premiere Jan. 9.

From NBC: Bill Pullman and Natascha McElhone portray a scientist and a nun in an apocalyptic drama titled "Revelations." Patricia Arquette sees dead people in "Medium"; Jerry Orbach stars in the latest "Law & Order" franchise, "L&O: Trial By Jury"; Josh Cooke and Jennifer Finnigan play attracted opposites in "Committed"; and David E. Kelley ("Boston Legal," "Ally McBeal") tries reality TV with "The Law Firm," offering prize money to real lawyers who try real cases.

From UPN: "The Bad Girls Guide," with McCarthy in an adaptation of the Carmen Tuttle books; "Cuts," a spinoff of "One on One" with Shannon Elizabeth as a busybody in a barber shop; and a reality series, "The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott."

From The WB: Fran Drescher ("The Nanny") takes the Demi Moore role in "Shacking Up," playing a single mom of a certain age whose 20-something boyfriend is the same age as her son. The WB's only bright spot this season was "Jack and Bobby." Somebody better come up with something better than the creepy Drescher concept, and fast.

fredfa

12-06-04, 02:02 PM

I usually find Tim Goodman's TV column thought-provoking and/or amusing.
So I thought I'd share it:

TV -- another thing women like to do alone
Tim Goodman’s TV column from the San Francisco Chronicle
Monday, December 6, 2004
Everything we know we learned from television:

-- It took the esteemed journal Science to conduct a revolutionary psychological survey that found women like watching television alone more than a whole lot of other things in life, like shopping, taking care of their kids, talking on the phone or cooking. To which we say three things: 1. Duh. 2. More proof men add little value to the world. 3. Haven't we been saying the same thing about television for years now, without all the big words?

-- So we go on "vacation" for two weeks (preferred and psychologically approved phrase: "work stoppage"), and Dan Rather steps down. It never fails. We get off the couch and news breaks. Byline goes missing, something big pops up. In case there's a connection here somewhere, we'd just like to alert Larry King that we're taking another two weeks in late December. Start packing.

-- This study of women and what makes them happy -- 909 of them in Texas -- was conducted by a team of psychiatrists and economists. How much do you want to bet one of the recurring answers was this: "I swear to God, if you keep asking these stupid questions during 'Oprah,' I'm going to beat the life out of you."
And only a psychiatrist would be stunned that taking care of the kids would rank low. "Hey, Freud, you want to know what'll make me happy? How about changing that poopy diaper, Mr. I'm Working Late on the Survey."

-- CNBC canceled "McEnroe." Does that even need a comment?

-- Only in America can "Jeopardy!" brainiac Ken Jennings not only be vilified for being smart, but have the IRS take roughly half his earnings. That'll send a message to the youth of America: Thinkin' makes people hate you and costs you money.

-- Eddy W. Hartenstein, essentially the man who created satellite television by launching DirecTV, retired. If for nothing else, he should be thanked for saving his customers from those dreadful Comcast "news" bits. Good work, Eddy.

-- Pretend this is a make-believe press conference from the executives at CBS and NBC who turned down an advertisement by a church that said it was accepting of gays: "Look, if we let you walk in that door, you're only gonna want to get married." OK, now pretend we've cut away for a commercial while they explain that the ad is too controversial. Now, we're back listening to them: "Say, why not just stay at home and watch 'Will & Grace.' And hey, there's still one lesbian left on 'Survivor.' "
-- Hypocrisy? You're soaking in it, Madge.

-- In case you're wondering: Yes, we're on "the clear."

-- It would probably take a team of psychiatrists and economists to find out the appeal of Jessica Simpson and her husband, Nick Whatever, so we're not going to tax ourselves on that. But reader David Eckstein points out that after the heat left the hot kitchen that was the Terrell Owens-Nicolette Sheridan set-to on "Monday Night Football," nobody said anything about another locker room scene involving Ms. Simpson's smarter half (OK, so we did watch part of their "Newlyweds" series, so we know that much is true). Anyway, Mr. Eckstein -- who admitted he might have been the only person with taste in the entire country who watched "Nick & Jessica's Family Christmas" -- says that Nick had his own locker room scene. Now, mind you, we apparently have a lower threshold for pain than Mr. Eckstein does, so we didn't watch this special. In fact, we'd rather chop off our own (hey you can't print that) than watch such a soul-killing special. It could have been "Nick and Jessica's Porn Christmas" -- still, a nonstarter. Anyway, Mr. Eckstein said Nick entered the skit wearing only a towel, desperate househusband that he is. Nick then puts on deodorant. (Perhaps the brand was flashed?) Then, in a succession of scenes we can only imagine as woeful and insipid, a woman wearing a towel proceeds to lick Nick's armpit.
That's what the e-mail says. She's followed by a "burly man" who licks Nick's other pit.

OK, everybody take a 30 or 40 second break here. Put the paper down. Breathe. Think about a beautiful field in Ohio. Good. Breathe out. It's morning in America and ... d'oh!
So a guy in a towel gets a bisexual (that counts, right?) armpit licking on a "Family Christmas" show and nobody phones the FCC? What the hell is wrong with this country? We've got your moral values right here, pal.
Anyway, who knows. Maybe Mr. Eckstein made this up. We were too busy gouging our eyes out to watch. Then again, it could be things were far more heinous. Maybe Nick and Jessica sang.

-- We don't care what kind of woman you are. If you sat at home and watched that Christmas special alone, that's no kind of happy. That's just pathetic.

-- A study in the United Kingdom declared that reality programming was bringing families together. Now, as Americans, we know this isn't true. We may sit there and watch people eat bugs, but our Garbo-esque womenfolk are unhappy.

-- Of course, things are done differently there. They have a reality show called "The Farm," where a bunch of D-list celebrities do dumb things. (Yes, we have versions of that, galore.) Anyway, soccer star David Beckham's alleged ex-flame, Rebecca Loos, got in a world of trouble for, um, "stimulating (a) boar for 10 minutes to produce a flask of semen," according to one news report. Some Britons were outraged, calling the act sexually perverse bestiality. A government official, however, cleared the show. He said it was a task "that occurs regularly on U.K. farms." The official added: "We don't believe that the scene was degrading or harmful to the boar."

-- Let us assume for the moment that the previous item is -- how shall we say this? -- right in our wheelhouse, and we could smack it deep into the cheap seats. Instead, shall we just agree, that in our little country filled to the brim with moral values and an FCC that is currently playing Whac-A-Mole with people plying their First Amendment rights, pleasuring a pig for 10 minutes might get you fined.

We don't give pigs a happy ending in this country. We're civilized. Except for the armpit licking.
-- You're right. We need to end this subject.

-- NBC announced that Carson Daly is going to host its first prime-time New Year's Eve special. And God help us, but when we read that, we just wanted to throw ourselves under a train.

 You don't need the Poindexters writing in Science to know that watching TV alone is glorious. It's not just controlling the remote, which is essential. It's stumbling across Spanish-language channels and staying put, it's waltzing into the middle of noir gems on Turner Classic Movies, or laboriously but with purpose going around the dial, catching a bit of everything. It's wondering aloud what in the hell is the attraction of Jessica Simpson or any of the other Simpson family replicants, for that matter. It's cursing the country and hurling on the short pile -- alone.

Let's not forget a simple tenet of television: When it's on, you've already got a friend. You don't need anymore.
-- Bring me the head of Ken Jennings.
-- The high-fives: 1. "The Wire" on HBO. 2. Homer Simpson, not Jessica Simpson. 3. English pigs. 4. Turner Classic Movies. 5. "Dwell" on the Fine Living channel.

fredfa

12-06-04, 02:06 PM

"TV Guide and TV Land Present: 100 Most Memorable TV Moments of All Time"e
Tonight at 10 on TV Land
By Linda Stasi The New York Post December 6, 2004 --

NO, no! Not another "list" show. Yes, yes, another "list" show.

Sure, many of these list shows are as bad as the usually dreadful reunion shows (where cast members get to show clips of themselves in old hairdos), or worse, the "remember when" shows, where current cast members of tanking shows get to remember the good times (meaning when the show was still a hit).

But then sometimes a winner breaks out of the box. "TV Guide and TV Land Present: 100 Most Memorable TV Moments of All Time," is one of those winners.

In fact, this five-night extravaganza is not only terrific but an absolute must-see for everyone — TV fan or foe.

This isn't just a collection of say, the funniest "I Love Lucy," "Cheers," or "Seinfeld" moments — nor is it the best moments of scripted TV dramas (although that is all there as well), but an exhaustive collection of the moments of our lives, our parents' lives and our kids' lives for the past 50 years.

The editors of "TV Guide" and producers at TV Land have come up with clips of the most dramatic live news events (Where do you think the shooting of Oswald falls into the top 100?), to the most incredible Olympic moments (Remember the exhilaration of Nadia's 10, and the horror of the slaughtering of the Israeli athletes?), to TV character farewells (Who can forget Rosalind falling down the elevator shaft during a normal conversation in "L.A. Law"?), to the top reality show moments.

The number of great clips will have you howling, gasping and even crying.

And unlike most of the list shows, you won't find the usual suspect talking heads — with the exception of Kathy Griffin, Sandra Bernhard and the incredibly annoying not-funny guy from "The Last Comic Standing," who seem to show up on everything for no apparent reason.

Those over-exposed comics aside, "TV Guide and TV Land Present: 100 Most Memorable TV Moments of All Time" has Mike Wallace talking about his interview with the Ayatollah, astronaut Buzz Aldrin talking about first moon landing, Anderson Cooper talking about current events, Jessica Walter talking about sitcom moments, plus literally scores of other newsmakers, news reporters and actors you just don't see on every show everyday.

My family is definitely not the type to sit through five hours of programs with me — nor did they intend to do it this time, yet we were all riveted. But the time we got down to the last 25 or so, we were all disagreeing over which moment would come in as No. 1. Then of course, we all realized there could only be one moment.

This miniseries is one you should definitely record — it is a kind of five-hour encapsulation of the last 50 years not only of American history but of pop culture — which is often one in the same.

keenan

12-06-04, 02:16 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
Midseason replacement shows ready for moment in spotlight

Are there premiere dates for these shows? Or did I miss the post? Thanks.

fredfa

12-06-04, 02:20 PM

keenan:
The premiere dates for mid season replacements are (continually updated) and listed at the bottom of Latest News at the top of the thread.

keenan

12-06-04, 02:44 PM

Thanks, I knew it had to be here somewhere...:)

f44

12-06-04, 06:00 PM

fredfa,
How come some shows on the midseason and cancelled lists are in bold when others aren't? I thought it was to indicate HD, but don't see a pattern.

More FOX mid-season dates:
American Dad---February 6, right after Super Bowl XXXIX, regular timeslot will be Sundays at 9:30pm ET (not HD)
The Inside- March (probably HD being a drama)
Kelsey Grammer Presents: The Sketch Show- March (dont know about HD)
Life on a Stick- March (I am guessing it will be HD)

f44

12-06-04, 06:01 PM

Season finale dates (although all of these might end up being series finales):

"With FOX's year-round schedule in full swing, January also will bring the exciting finales of the current seasons of THE SWAN (Monday, Jan. 3, 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT); THE REBEL BILLIONAIRE: BRANSON'S QUEST FOR THE BEST (Tuesday, Jan. 11, 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT); QUINTUPLETS (Wednesday, Jan. 12, 8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT); NORTH SHORE (Thursday, Jan. 13, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT); and MY BIG FAT OBNOXIOUS BOSS (Sunday, Jan. 30, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) - shows that launched in summer and fall on FOX."

Rebel Billionaire, Quintuplets, and North Shore are HD shows. All these finales were scheduled to happen from the get-go due to the year-round thing.

Rakesh.S

12-06-04, 06:13 PM

fox needs to cancel that steaming pile of **** known as north shore and bring tru calling back..or at least put forth a press release telling people that it won't air again

Does anyone know why Fox changed their stance all of a sudden after picking it up for s2?? trouble with the creators, money etc etc??

The DVD just came out and I have seen no promotion for it..what's the deal?? why bother releasing the dvd at all?

fredfa

12-06-04, 06:29 PM

Rakesh.S
It is true Fox "picked up" Tru Calling, but at the same time it cut back the episode order to six (from 13).
Clearly, with ratings so far a major disappointment, and Fox almost desperately counting on American Idol to save it next month, the place is a Nielsen disaster area.
By its actions, it seems fair to say that "Tru Calling" does not figure in Fox's future plans. I haven't heard a reason given, but the ratings were less than stellar (though not, as I recall, on the magnitude of this seasons Fox stinkers like "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss").

f44: the bold was orginally meant to convey HD...some day when I have little to do, I'll go back in and make all HD shows conform.

mp3trojan

12-06-04, 06:33 PM

Originally posted by Rakesh.S
Does anyone know why Fox changed their stance all of a sudden after picking it up for s2?? trouble with the creators, money etc etc??

Perhaps a sudden outcry from raging female hormones. I'm sure some of the decision makers at Fox have wives and teenage daughters THEY have to answer to:)

Correct on the steaming pile:)

f44

12-06-04, 07:33 PM

fredfa,

14 Seinfeld Story NBC 14.1 ---should be listed as HD
Edit: just made bigger to indicate it is not news.

Also,
You forgot The Inside (HD) on the midseason list for Fox and also, Life on a Stick is officially March:

From Fox press release:

"Coming to the FOX schedule in March will be the Victor Fresco comedy LIFE ON A STICK. Laz (Zachary Knighton) and Fred (Charlie Finn), both 18, have been friends forever. Just out of high school, and unsure what they want to do with their lives, they take jobs at a mall food court, at the lame "Yippee, Hot Dogs" run by the always yelling Mr. Hut (Maz Jobrani). There, Laz meets the girl of his dreams, the lovely and strong-willed Lily (Rachelle Lefevre). "

Kelsey Grammer Presents: The Sketch Show is scheduled to air Sundays at 7:30pm ET. Starts probably in February or March.

Life on a Stick was scheduled for Wednesday @ 8:30pm ET before The Simple Life 3 was scheduled but I assume once The Simple Life ends (it always is a short run) that LOAS will have the timeslot. You accidently listed it as "Life On A Stick [B]HD March?" with the bold HTML code.

The Mountain (HD) on The WB gets pitiful ratings and should be listed on the HD in trouble" list. Same with My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss on Fox for the non-HD list, but seeing that they listed a season finale date, they'll probably just let it run out on-air.

fredfa

12-06-04, 07:42 PM

I know Fox SAYS KGP:TSS is scheduled for Sundays at 7:30.
But when they actually give it a start date, I'll include the day and time.
Same with Life On A Stick.
I certainly could add The Mountain to the in-trouble list (and Marc Berman has it facing cancellation in his Freshman Update at the bottom of the post).
But with great critical notices (and so little on the WB worth much) I just haven't yet decided to do that. If the WB had a raft of shows doing well, I probably would. But since just about everything they've done this year has gone wrong, they might be looking to at least salvage the show critics seem to like.
I haven't added "Obnoxious Boss" to the list simply because Fox seems to have absolutely nothing on hand to replace it with.
That is why I like to post a wide ranges of artcices on this thread. Because I post them in no means indicates I agree with them, only that I thought many of you might find them interesting, illuminating or amusing.
But they do, I hope, provide food for thought.
Back to "The Mountain": my judgments can, and I am sure, often will be, wrong.
The list is, after all, just my opinion.
I like to think it is a well-founded opinion, but it is all mine.

f44

12-06-04, 07:45 PM

With LOAS, I was just saying that "?" shouldn't be next to March.

f44

12-06-04, 07:50 PM

What is "Relations" for NBC?

fredfa

12-06-04, 09:19 PM

Lead to Letterman, One Night a Week
By BILL CARTER The New York Times December 6, 2004

If the late-night television competition between Jay Leno and David Letterman really were a war, as it has often been described, it would be the Hundred Years' War. At least. And after a long period of quiet, the latest battle, or at least skirmish, seems to be taking a different turn. David Letterman is making a fight of it on Monday nights. The ratings for late night have consistently favored Mr. Leno for about eight years, to a point where it appeared that Mr. Letterman had no realistic hope of competing on an even basis again. But that trend seems to have shifted, if only slightly, thanks to Mondays.

"Late Show With David Letterman" has had some overall ratings growth this season, while "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" has slipped a bit. But it is on Mondays that the change is most noticeable.

At CBS this is being trumpeted as the harbinger of a monumental comeback, while at NBC the latest numbers are being greeted with so-what shrugs. But Mr. Letterman's side is making one point aggressively. During the current season, "Late Show" has won relatively often on Monday nights, both among total viewers and in the category that NBC says is the one that really counts, viewers between the ages of 18 and 49. (NBC uses that standard because it sells its commercials based on those ratings.)

Rob Burnett, an executive producer of "Late Show," who also runs Mr. Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, said he was willing to "play on NBC's terms," referring to the 18-to-49 group. He pointed out that Mr. Letterman had beaten Mr. Leno in that group six times so far this season on Mondays while losing three.

Overall Mr. Letterman has picked up about 380,000 more viewers this season, and Mr. Leno, who is still comfortably ahead, has lost about 290,000.

Mr. Burnett is not arguing that Mr. Letterman's show has become appreciably better. "It has very little to do with the quality of the shows," Mr. Burnett said. He also dismisses any idea that Mr. Leno may have been affected by NBC's announcement that its other late-night star, Conan O'Brien, would be taking over for Mr. Leno in five years.

Instead, he points to what is different about Mondays. CBS has become a powerhouse in prime time on Mondays, especially at 10 p.m., when its "CSI: Miami" has trounced all of NBC's entries. Though CBS and NBC show local news before the late-night shows, the "CSI" lead-in has spilled over to benefit Mr. Letterman.

For Mr. Burnett this development represents validation after years of NBC declaring Mr. Leno the definitive late-night champ. Mr. Burnett had protested far and wide that it was all about the lead-ins, which NBC dominated at 10 p.m. for much of the decade. NBC dismissed this as excuse-making.

"The days when Jay was beating Dave were based solely on the strength of NBC's prime-time lineup and late local news," Mr. Burnett said. "As that strength is evaporating, 'The Tonight Show' is finally being exposed."

At least on one night of the week, that is. Mr. Leno still wins the other nights, many handily. But with help from "CSI," Mr. Letterman is clearly faring better.

"For years people have been saying the late-night wars are over," Mr. Burnett said. " 'Jay beats Dave because America loves Jay.' Well, do they love Jay less on Mondays?"

NBC declared final victory - if not quite mission accomplished - two years ago and again last year when Jeff Zucker, who was then the president of NBC Entertainment (he is now president of the NBC Universal Entertainment Group), said flatly, "There is no more late-night war."

And he is not backing off. "I see no evidence to suggest that it's changed," Mr. Zucker said in a telephone interview.

Mr. Letterman's improvement this season, Mr. Zucker said, was really a return to the status quo of two and three years ago. "Last year was the aberration," he said. "Dave was in a big slump and Jay was especially strong."

The evidence, he said, was in the differential between the two shows in that 18-49 rating group so far this season. Mr. Zucker pointed out that Mr. Leno led Mr. Letterman by .4 of rating point in that category this season, down from .8 last season. But he said Mr. Leno led by the same .4 in both 2002 and 2001.

Mr. Leno's lead remains large enough that his show can legitimately be called dominant. To cite the current numbers as some kind of comeback by Mr. Letterman would be unfair, Mr. Zucker argued, in the same way that some news accounts had been unfair to NBC's "Today" show over the past several years when its rival, ABC's "Good Morning America," occasionally cut into its traditionally huge ratings lead.

" 'Today' has won 500 weeks in a row," Mr. Zucker said. "Jay has won 122 of the last 123 weeks. He has won 38 of 44 nights this season. Instead of being 44 and 0, he's 38 and 6."

The six nights, of course, were Mondays, which circles back to the "Late Show" argument about lead-ins. The producers of "Late Show" certainly believe it has momentum on Mondays. That is the reason it books the best guests it can on that night. Tom Hanks, Jerry Seinfeld and Colin Farrell appeared on Mondays last month.

Mr. Burnett said the big star bookings work because CBS was able to promote those appearances on its heavily watched shows earlier in the night. He noted that some years ago when Mr. Letterman booked one of his most frequent guests, the sportscaster Marv Albert, when he was caught in a sex scandal, the show expected a big ratings boost that never came.

"Without a lead-in to promote these people, you're spitting into the wind," Mr. Burnett said.

He accused NBC of resorting to "all kinds of spin" by arguing that "Late Show" was only returning to where it had been two and three years ago. "They're cutting off history at the most convenient point for them," Mr. Burnett said.

If you go back a little farther, he said, the advantage Mr. Leno held over Mr. Letterman, in every category, including that 18 to 49 group, was wider: in 2000 it was .7 of a rating point, .9 the year before that.

He noted that Mr. Leno had benefited mightily on Thursday nights, on which NBC had television's biggest drama, "ER." (NBC has used Thursdays to book its best guests as CBS now uses Mondays.) But Mr. Letterman has made inroads on that night as well, again, Mr. Burnett says, because CBS's prime time has become so strong on Thursday.

"The analogy I offer is two restaurants," he said. "One has an exit off the freeway and the other you have to find by the back roads. Suddenly we have an exit too. But it takes a while for people to realize it's there."

Mr. Burnett gave full credit to the CBS chairman and program chief, Leslie Moonves, for the network's turnaround in prime time (CBS has passed NBC this season for first place). "Les has built us that exit ramp and a whole super highway leading to that ramp," he said.

Mr. Zucker said he was forced to wonder why, with CBS having this degree of success, Mr. Letterman was not doing better. And he swatted away concerns that CBS's surge in prime time was a long-term threat to Mr. Leno's supremacy.

"It took Les nine years to get to first place," Mr. Zucker said. "It's not like we're going to be out of first place for nine years."

But the mini-trend this season is apparently enough to make the producers of "Late Show" cocky again, after years of eating crow. They are even daring to dream and to willingly stick out their necks. "I think if the current trend continues, the 'Late Show' will be No. 1 again," Mr. Burnett said. "Originally I thought it would take two years. Now I think it could be as early as 18 months."

Back to the trenches.

mp3trojan

12-06-04, 09:33 PM

I want Dave in HD...NOW!!!!!!!

Ken H

12-06-04, 09:37 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
Lead to Letterman, One Night a Week
Since it's so popular to make a wish around here, mine is that when Dave goes HD, he reclaims the ratings lead. Think of the furor that would cause!!!!!!!

mp3trojan

12-06-04, 09:44 PM

I would rather watch Leno in HD than Dave in SD. But if Dave went HD It would be ALL Dave. Gimme HD any day.

f44

12-06-04, 09:48 PM

Originally posted by Ken H
Since it's so popular to make a wish around here, mine is that when Dave goes HD, he reclaims the ratings lead. Think of the furor that would cause!!!!!!!

But isn't HD not counted in the ratings?

Ken H

12-06-04, 09:52 PM

Originally posted by f44
But isn't HD not counted in the ratings? Correct.

The point is, if a program that was in second place (ratings wise) for years suddenly became #1, at the same time it went HD.....

keenan

12-06-04, 10:14 PM

Originally posted by mp3trojan
I want Dave in HD...NOW!!!!!!!

I could care less if it's in HD myself, with these shows it's the content, and for me, Dave just has that twisted, quirky sense of humor, after all, how many cans of paint has Jay thrown off the top of his building? Of course Jay's building is only about 1 1/2 stories if I remember correctly... :D :p

mp3trojan

12-06-04, 10:46 PM

Originally posted by keenan
how many cans of paint has Jay thrown off the top of his building?

And you just THOUGHT you knew what the true color of that paint was:p

fredfa

12-07-04, 01:43 AM

Scottish Actor Said to Be Choice as Next 'Late Late' Host on CBS
By BILL CARTER The New York Times December 7, 2004

CBS is expected to announce today that it has selected Craig Ferguson to be the new host of "The Late Late Show," which follows David Letterman's talk show on the network.

Mr. Ferguson, who is not widely known to American late-night television audiences, won what amounted to a runoff among four finalists for the job of succeeding Craig Kilborn as host. The weeknight show, which starts at 12:35 a.m., is CBS's competition to "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" on NBC.

The network is taking very little time in making the change. Mr. Ferguson, who is in his early 40's, will start as host on Jan. 3.

Mr. Ferguson will stand out in the world of late-night television. Unlike most of the men who have starred in that time period, he is not a Midwesterner. Nor is he even an American; Mr. Ferguson is a Scot, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, speaks with a burr.

He is best known in this country for playing the boss on ABC's long-running sitcom "The Drew Carey Show," which ended last summer.

Mr. Ferguson has mainly worked in films in Britain, starring with Brenda Blethyn in "Saving Grace," which he helped to write. And he received some strong reviews for playing a blustery Scottish hairdresser in "The Big Tease," where he was also a writer.

Mr. Ferguson had served as a guest host for "The Late Late Show" on two occasions before he and three others, D. L. Hughley, Damien Fahey and Michael Ian Black, were chosen as finalists for the job. Each was given a week last month as host.

Mr. Ferguson was picked yesterday after consultations between the CBS chairman, Leslie Moonves, and executives from Mr. Letterman's production company, World Wide Pants, which also produces "The Late Late Show."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Craig Ferguson gets in 'Late'
New host expected to start on Jan. 3
By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER variety.com

Craig Ferguson has won "The Late Late Show" derby, landing the permanent gig to host the bedtime CBS yakker.
Ferguson, who's expected to start on Jan. 3, beat competing finalists thesp Michael Ian Black ("Ed"), Damien Fahey (MTV's "TRL") and comedian D.L. Hughley ("The Hughleys") for the spot.
A CBS spokesman declined comment, but the net is expected to announce Ferguson's appointment today. Insiders said Ferguson's energetic style won the Eye over. The final choice was made by "Late Late Show" producers, including Worldwide Pants, and CBS execs, with strong consultation from net honcho Leslie Moonves and David Letterman.
Ferguson becomes the third host of "The Late Late Show" following Tom Snyder, who launched the show as a low-key chatfest, and Craig Kilborn, who turned the show into a more traditional latenight talkfest.
Ferguson guest hosted "The Late Late Show" on Oct. 14 and 15, then returned to host the week of Nov. 8. Thesp, who's best known for playing Mr. Wick on "The Drew Carey Show," will next be seen in the feature "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events." His credits also include writing and exec producing the film "The Big Tease."
"The Late Late Show" has been stunting with guest hosts since Kilborn left in mid-September; show airs weeknights at 12:37 a.m., following "Late Show With David Letterman."

fredfa

12-07-04, 01:55 AM

Crime plot vanishes without a trace
With serialized dramas in vogue this season, procedural dramas like "Without a Trace" are changing the rules.
By Scott Collins Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Dec 6 2004

For clues about the current state of TV drama, stake out this week's episode of "Without a Trace," where there is no missing person.

The CBS crime drama, now in its third season, has grown into a Top 5 hit as viewers have gotten hooked on watching world-weary FBI investigator Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia) and his crew hunt down vanished spouses, lovers and kids, digging up dark secrets about each victim along the way.

But Thursday's episode charts new crime-free territory. Instead of a missing-persons case, it's focused entirely on Jack's angry, agonized deposition in the nasty divorce from his high-powered lawyer wife, Marie (Talia Balsam). At the climax, as painful details from his past emerge, Malone bolts from a conference table, and in front of stunned lawyers hurls a leather swivel chair through a plate-glass window.

While the scene may be a bit over the top for some, Hank Steinberg is satisfied. "It's totally Anthony's Emmy episode," the show's 35-year-old creator and executive producer said half-jokingly.

Call it "Desperate G-Men." The success of NBC's "Law & Order" and CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" has led to a glut of procedural dramas — tidy, self-contained whodunits that hew to the mechanics of law enforcement and that viewers can easily follow, even if they drop in only occasionally.

This fall, however, two serialized ABC shows are getting the most attention: "Desperate Housewives," a wry soap that plumbs the dark heart of suburbia, and "Lost," about the strange fates of castaways on a desert island. Unlike their crime-driven cousins, the ABC dramas rely on intricate characterizations and week-to-week plot twists and cliffhangers (last week's "Housewives" shocker was the murder of a neighborhood busybody).

Last season, the "Without a Trace" writers began fleshing out the investigators' private lives — for example, workaholic Jack's marital woes worsened, thanks to a fling with colleague Samantha (Poppy Montgomery). The producers stressed that they started adding such elements long before "Housewives" came along; still, this week's episode carries the effort to the greatest lengths yet.

Steinberg — whose interests as a writer tend less toward crime than historical dramas (he's written TV movies about Robert F. Kennedy and baseball great Mickey Mantle) — has pushed to add texture to Malone and his gang since the show started. The move unsettled some network and studio executives at first, he said, but the ratings have largely cured such anxieties.

While it hasn't had the buzz of "Housewives," "Without a Trace" is one of TV's fastest-growing series — with ratings zooming 29% to 20.6 million viewers, compared with last season. "Trace" is part of a new generation of shows that appeals to younger adults. Last month, it helped CBS win the November sweep among adults ages 18 to 49 for the first time since 1980.

It's also taking a big bite out of its main competitor, NBC's 11-year-old "ER," which this fall has dipped 12% to 17.3 million viewers, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research.

The rivalry between the two shows makes for an awkward subject at Warner Bros. Television, which produces both "ER" and "Trace," although studio chief Peter Roth insists, "There's room for them both."

Last week, for the first time, a repeat episode of "Trace" had more viewers than a first-run episode of "ER," albeit by a tiny margin.

"I think we do better [in the ratings] because of the character stuff. I really believe that," Steinberg said, who also directed the divorce episode.

John Rash, who buys network ad time at media firm Campbell Mithun, agrees. Although it never hurts to have a smash hit like "CSI" as a lead-in, Rash says, "Trace" is also drumming up more viewers by creating a "hybrid of serialized and episodic drama."

Since "Dragnet," the formulaic nature of the cop show has made it perfect for series TV.

"You can manufacture episodes like they manufacture Chevys," said Robert J. Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University. But during the 1980s, NBC's "Hill Street Blues" broke new ground by weaving stories of the cops' personal travails into the traditional formula. ABC's "NYPD Blue," another cop drama from producer Steven Bochco, furthered the idea a decade later.

Over the last few seasons, as "CSI" and "Law & Order" have generated successful spinoffs, such pioneering cable-TV hits as "The Sopranos" have reminded network executives of the dramatic possibilities that lie beyond police work.

As for "Trace," the high ratings have given Steinberg more latitude.

"When someone is putting together a successful show, we have to support them," said CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler.

The "Trace" cast has also played a key role; the actors sometimes grow restless with scenes in which characters laboriously discuss evidence, because that generally limits whatever personal stamp an actor can put on the material. That's especially true of LaPaglia, a veteran Australian-born actor with more than 40 films to his credit.

LaPaglia "wanted more to play; he didn't just want [Malone] to run credit cards and license plates on black Maximas," said Greg Walker, another "Trace" executive producer.

"I'm just not interested in a dictatorial 'do what you're told, hit your mark and go home' " style of working, LaPaglia said last month on the set.

He credits Steinberg for taking the risk with the divorce episode. "It's a big departure for the show [and] a gutsy thing for Hank to do," LaPaglia said.

But on today's cluttered TV dial, even hit shows need help standing out from the pack — even if it means nixing the crime from a crime show.

"The thing about TV audiences now is that there's so much on the air," LaPaglia said. "They've seen everything."

fredfa

12-07-04, 02:08 AM

NBC's priority: Maintaining 'Law & Order'
By Gary Levin, USA TODAY

Law & Order's newest "ripped from the headlines" plot: The Case of the Missing Viewers.

Ratings for the flagship Wednesday series are down more than 20% to the lowest level in six years. Newest spinoff Criminal Intent, which once dominated its Sunday time slot, is down 11%. Yet Tuesday's Special Victims Unit remains healthy, up 12% this season and now more popular than the original, a sign viewers haven't tired of the formula.

Law is "fast becoming one of the shrinking bright lights on (NBC's) schedule." says Stacey Lynn Koerner with ad-buying firm Initiative Media.

Analysts say the falloff stems from twin factors: competition from two of this season's biggest new hits, Desperate Housewives and CSI: NY, and the show's ubiquity on cable, where reruns rank among the most-watched shows. Episodes of the show's three versions can be seen 38 times this week alone on NBC, USA and TNT.

Law & Order creator and mastermind Dick Wolf, who has supervised production of 535 episodes, downplays the significance of weekly ups and downs.

"It's literally meaningless, because our brand exists on a lot different plane than other programs," he says.

Namely, it's a cash machine that has helped build cable networks, raked in ad revenue and has become the main structural support for NBC, whose new series have failed to take hold. The franchise's value over its 14-year history is well over $1 billion.

Last week, Criminal Intent reruns were sold to siblings USA and Bravo for a record $2 million an episode. "This is the most unparalleled revenue engine in the history of programming," Wolf says.

Yet the ratings downturn comes at the worst possible time for NBC, which also is suffering without Friends. "It factors more heavily into the strength of the network than it did when there were other shows to support it," says Koerner.

NBC Entertainment chief Kevin Reilly sees a glass half-full. He notes CSI: NY is the lowest-rated series in CBS' franchise, and its advantage over Law & Order has steadily eroded to just 200,000 viewers last week.

"As much as CSI is impacting Law & Order, we're impacting CSI: NY," he says. "The sounding of alarm bells is way premature."

Later this season, the Law franchise will account for 23% of NBC's schedule, with weekly episodes of the three series, one repeating on Saturday, and the third spinoff, Trial by Jury, due in March. So the show's continued health will be even more closely tied to the network's overall fortunes.

"It's the single most important asset of the network," Wolf says. "I don't think anybody would dispute that."

fredfa

12-07-04, 02:10 AM

'Law & Order' stays orderly
By Gary Levin, USA TODAY

Forget those homicidal maniacs: There's even more drama behind the scenes at Law & Order.

The shows easily have weathered their share of cast changes, proving that compelling scripts — not stars — draw viewers.

But this season brings more than the usual revolving-door changes.

Elisabeth Rohm exits the original Law & Order (Wednesdays, 10 p.m. ET/PT) in early January in what creator Dick Wolf calls a surprise, "water-cooler" moment. She will be replaced a week later by Annie Parisse (As the World Turns). As the show's sixth assistant D.A., she "has the most sophisticated, almost European sexuality; she's smart and hot," he says.

Jesse L. Martin is departing early to film an adaptation of Rent but returns next fall. And The Sopranos' Michael Imperioli guest-stars in the final four episodes as nephew and temporary partner of Detective Fontana (Dennis Farina).

And on SVU (Tuesdays, 10 p.m. ET/PT), the only Law to gain viewers, Mary Stuart Masterson filmed a multi-episode arc to pinch-hit for B.D. Wong, who's performing in Broadway's Pacific Overtures.

Lately, the rumor mill has been in overdrive about other changes both real and imagined. Wolf sets things straight:

•Vincent D'Onofrio, star of Criminal Intent (Sundays, 9 p.m. ET/PT), is not being replaced by Chris Noth. Rumors started swirling that the combustible D'Onofrio posted anti-Bush screeds on the set, irritating other cast and crew members. Rumors were compounded when the star had two fainting spells, forcing a brief hospital stay.

The Bush-bashing rumors amounted to "tabloid journalism," Wolf says, and the offending "signage" actually took place on L&O'supcoming fourth edition, Trial by Jury, which D'Onofrio has nothing to do with. Wolf acknowledges that Noth, previously on L&O, was on a short list of possible replacements drafted during the hospitalization. But D'Onofrio is back, so "that step was not necessary. Vincent's done an incredible job the past 3½ years, and I would like him to be there for the rest of the show's run."

•Jerry Orbach's prostate cancer did not force his exit or stall production on Trial by Jury. The decision to shift Orbach, 69, from an L&O lead to a Trial supporting player, Wolf says, "was made prior to my knowledge of his medical problem," revealed last week. But it had the side effect of shielding L&O from delays, because his new role is part-time. Scenes are being shot around his treatment, and "it has not impacted production."

fredfa

12-07-04, 02:27 AM

Activists Dominate FCC Content Complaints
By Todd Shields mediaweek.com December 06, 2004

In an appearance before Congress in February, when the controversy over Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl moment was at its height, Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell laid some startling statistics on U.S. senators.

The number of indecency complaints had soared dramatically to more than 240,000 in the previous year, Powell said. The figure was up from roughly 14,000 in 2002, and from fewer than 350 in each of the two previous years. There was, Powell said, “a dramatic rise in public concern and outrage about what is being broadcast into their homes.

What Powell did not reveal—apparently because he was unaware—was the source of the complaints. According to a new FCC estimate obtained by Mediaweek, nearly all indecency complaints in 2003—99.8 percent—were filed by the Parents Television Council, an activist group. This year, the trend has continued, and perhaps intensified.

Through early October, 99.9 percent of indecency complaints—aside from those concerning the Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” during the Super Bowl halftime show broadcast on CBS— were brought by the PTC, according to the FCC analysis dated Oct. 1. (The agency last week estimated it had received 1,068,767 complaints about broadcast indecency so far this year; the Super Bowl broadcast accounted for over 540,000, according to commissioners’ statements.)

The prominent role played by the PTC has raised concerns among critics of the FCC’s crackdown on indecency. “It means that really a tiny minority with a very focused political agenda is trying to censor American television and radio,” said Jonathan Rintels, president and executive director of the Center for Creative Voices in Media, an artists’ advocacy group.

PTC officials disagree.

“I wish we had that much power,” said Lara Mahaney, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles-based group. Mahaney said the issue should not be the source of complaints, but whether programming violates federal law prohibiting the broadcast of indecent matter when children are likely to be watching. “Why does it matter how the complaints come?” Mahaney said. “If the networks haven’t done anything illegal, if they haven’t done anything indecent, why do they care what we say?”

Powell, who said during the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas in April that he was unsure how many complaints come from organized groups, addressed the question in an op-ed piece in The New York Times last Friday.

“Advocacy groups do generate many complaints, as our critics note, but that’s not unusual in today’s Internet world…that fact does not minimize the merits of the groups’ concerns,” Powell wrote.

Powell’s fellow Republican commissioner, Kathleen Abernathy, last week said that the agency does not let the number or the sources of complaints determine its indecency findings. “As long as you’re following precedents and the law, it shouldn’t matter,” Abernathy told Mediaweek.

At issue is a process that once relied upon aggrieved listeners and viewers contacting the FCC, but that increasingly is driven by organized groups with a focus on programming content. The FCC does not monitor programming for fear of assuming a role as national censor; it relies on complaints to initiate its indecency proceedings.

So far this year, the system has resulted in millions of dollars in settlements and proposed fines against broadcasters.

In such a system, even the number of complaints becomes an object of contention. For example, the agency on Oct. 12, in proposing fines of nearly $1.2 million against Fox Broadcasting and its affiliates, said it received 159 complaints against Married by America, which featured strippers partly obscured by pixilation.

But when asked, the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau said it could find only 90 complaints from 23 individuals. (The smaller total was first reported by Internet-based TV writer Jeff Jarvis; Mediaweek independently obtained the Enforcement Bureau’s calculation.)

And Fox, in a filing last Friday, told the FCC that it should rescind the proposed fines, in part because the low number of complaints fell far short of indicating that community standards had been violated.

“All but four of the complaints were identical…and only one complainant professed even to have watched the program,” Fox said. It said the network and its stations had received 34 comments, “a miniscule total for a show that had a national audience of 5.1 million households.”

Even as some question whether the FCC should let the views of 23 people lead to fines, others take the agency to task for routinely failing to account for many of the complaints it receives. “Over 4,000 people filed a complaint against Married by America. Where do the complaints go?” asked the PTC’s Mahaney.

The PTC has worked hard to achieve its influence over broadcast content. Founded in 1995 by longtime conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III, it set out to make an impact in 2003, including what it called “a massive, coordinated and determined campaign” for more action by the FCC against broadcast indecency. “We delivered on that promise,” Bozell said in the group’s annual report.

The document listed tools developed by the PTC, including continual monitoring and archiving of broadcast network programs and “cutting-edge technology to make it easier for members to contact program sponsors, the FCC, or the networks directly with a simple click of the button.”

The result, the group said, was “a more than 2,400 percent increase in online activism.”

rogo

12-07-04, 03:33 AM

"It took Les nine years to get to first place," Mr. Zucker said. "It's not like we're going to be out of first place for nine years."

Really Jeff? You sure about that?

With the L&O franchises tiring all over the map, and nothing of any merit having launched on NBC, I could see a long period of irrelevance. The Apprentice has a short series life (limited # of seasons are plausible), the venerable ER (still good IMHO) is losing ground, and only moderate #s of people watch Las Vegas, the West Wing, American Dreams...

fredfa

12-07-04, 10:42 AM

NBC peddling gear from its shows

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Viewers of "Will & Grace," "Las Vegas," the daytime soap "Passions" and Bravo's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" will soon be able to purchase products featured in the NBC Universal shows, including the stars' wardrobes and accessories.

The studio said Monday that it has teamed up with San Francisco-based Delivery Agent to allow viewers to snap up the items, either via the Web or a toll-free number.

Delivery Agent's Just Seen On proprietary platform has recently been integrated into NBC and Bravo's Web sites as well as the sites for the shows. The platform enables viewers to buy apparel, beauty products, housewares, furniture and accessories that appear on each show by clicking on a Delivery Agent-powered online store featured on the NBC and Bravo Web sites.

Viewers also can purchase products by calling a Delivery Agent-managed number that will appear on the shopping sites. NBC pays Delivery Agent an upfront fee for launching the service and the companies share in the sales revenues.

"After consistently receiving viewer inquiries about products seen in our shows, we welcomed Delivery Agent's solution to connect viewers with products in this important new area for our business because they share a commitment to innovation and, above all, to our viewers' experience," said Stephen Andrade, NBC vp interactive development.

While NBC has posted information on the "Will & Grace" Web site for almost two years about the products featured on the show, this is the first time the network has set up a process enabling viewers to purchase brands directly from "Will & Grace" or any other NBC show.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

fredfa

12-07-04, 11:04 AM

(From Marc Berman’s The Programming Insider: Tuesday 12/07/04 column at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Monday Ratings:

ABC Opens on a Winning Note

Monday 12/06/04: Metered Market Ratings

Overall Prime Time Ratings/Share
ABC: 11.0/18
CBS: 9.6/14
NBC: 7.7/11
Fox: 5.8/ 8
WB: 3.3/ 5
UPN: 2.4/ 3

Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Monday 12/08/03):
Fox: +66
CBS: + 4
ABC: - 2
WB: -11
UPN: -20
NBC: -31

Fast Affiliate Ratings

Total Viewers:
ABC: 14.16 million
CBS: 13.52
NBC: 10.97
Fox: 7.69
WB: 3.36
UPN: 2.63

Adults 18-49ABC: 5.1/13
CBS: 4.9/12
NBC: 4.0/10
Fox: 3.3/ 8
WB: 1.2/ 3
UPN: 1.1/ 3

Yesterday’s Winners:
Fear Factor (NBC)
Monday Night Football (ABC)
CSI: Miami R (CBS)

Honorable Mention:
Everybody Loves Raymond R (CBS)
Two and a Half Men R (CBS)

Yesterday’s Losers:
Dateline (NBC)

Ratings Breakdown:
With CBS in repeats, ABC opened the week on a winning note, beating the Eye net by an average of 15 percent in the overnights, 640,000 viewers and 4 percent among adults 18-49.
At 8 p.m., With only two networks, NBC and Fox, airing originals, NBC’s Fear Factor was first the overnights (7.4/11), total viewers (12.05 million) and adults 18-49 (4.8/13). Second in the hour based on the overnights was a repeat of Life of Luxury on ABC (6.4/ 9), followed by repeats of CBS’ Still Standing (6.2/ 9) and Listen Up (6.0/ 9), Fox’s Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy (6.0/ 9), a repeat of the WB’s 7th Heaven (4.0/. 6), and repeats of UPN’s One On One (2.3/ 3) and Half and Half (2.5/ 4). Excluding ABC’s Life of Luxury (which could have football included in the fast affiliate averages), second among adults 18-49 were Still Standing R (3.3/ 9) and Listen Up R (3.4/ 9), followed by 7th Heaven R (1.3/ 4), and One On One R (1.0/ 3) and Half and Half R (1.2/ 3).

At 9 p.m., and again opposite repeats on CBS, ABC’s Monday Night Football (Dallas vs. Seattle) was No. 1 with a 12.0/20 in the overnights from 9 p.m. to 12:45 a.m.., and 15.75 million viewers with a 6.0/15 among adults 18-49 from 9-11 p.m. based on the fast affiliate ratings.

Repeats of CBS’ Everybody Loves Raymond (10.6/15; A18-49: 5.5/13), and Two and a Half Men (9.8/14; A18-49: 5.1/12) were a comfortable second from 9-10 p.m., followed by a repeat of CSI: Miami (12.5/19; A18-49: 6.0/15) moving into the No. 1 spot at 10 p.m. (tied with football among adults 18-49) Third was NBC’s Las Vegas (9.2/13; A18-49: 4.6/11), followed by another edition of Dateline on Princess Diana (6.6/10; A18-49: 2.7/ 7) from 9-11 p.m. Based on the ratings for Dateline, maybe it’s time we let Princess Diana rest in peace already.

On Fox, soon-to-conclude The Swan 2 (5.7/ 8; A18-49: 3.5/ 8) was fourth in the 9 p.m. hour, followed by a repeat of the WB’s Everwood (2.6/ 4; A18-49: 1.1/ 3), and repeats of UPN’s Girlfriends (2.6/ 4; A18-49: 1.3/ 3) and Second Time Around (2.0/ 3; A18-49: 1.1/ 3).

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

fredfa

12-07-04, 11:59 AM

Representatives Seek Digital-Decision Delay
By Bill McConnell Broadcasting & Cable 12/7/04

A group of lawmakers representing mostly rural or African-American districts Monday asked Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell to delay a vote on his plan to accelerate the transition to all-digital TV.

The lawmakers are worried that Powell will ask his fellow FCC commissioners to vote on the plan next week. “Surely there can be several months of congressional debate and input on this critical matter during the first quarter of next year,” wrote Reps. G. K. Butterfield, D-N.C.; John Lewis, D-Ga.; Mike Ross, D-Ark.; Bernie Thompson, D-Miss.; Marion Berry, D-Ark.; and Bob Etheridge, D-N.C. in a letter to Powell.

The plan, developed by FCC Media Bureau Staff, would set Jan. 1, 2009, as the date when TV stations must give up their old analog channels and operate all-digital. To continue receiving TV service at that point, viewers would need to subscribe to pay TV, purchase a digital set or buy converters that will keep old analog sets working.

Under current FCC rules the TV stations won’t be obligated to go all-digital for another decade or so.
Powell envisions Congress subsidizing the cost of converters for low-income Americans, but only Congress has the power to sanction such a program. “We do not see any substantive language in the Media Bureau Plan that would protect low income consumers from losing their analog television service or any provision to assist them with making the conversion to digital without the purchase of expensive digital equipment which so many minorities cannot afford,” the lawmakers wrote.

Despite the lawmakers’ worries, some FCC officials and industry lobbyists say no vote on the plan is slated for this month, and even a vote in Januaryis unlikely. But staff for the lawmakers say rumors persist that Powell will attempt to bring the matter to a vote with only a few days notice.

fredfa

12-07-04, 12:15 PM

HD Industries jockey for bragging rights
by John Merli TVTechnology.com
WASHINGTON--The good news for HD proponents on the eve of 2005 is that if you have an HD-capable monitor, you can view a lot of channels today with the right set-top box--if you live in a top-20 market, or almost anywhere in Pennsylvania. The bad news is there still isn't much 1080i and 720p in a lot of smaller markets, although that may not be HD's biggest problem right now. And no cable companies are bragging about (or publicly releasing) how many HD subs they have.

HD is not cable's priority these day. Endlessly prompting subscribers to leapfrog from analog to digital tiers--and heavily promoting Internet broadband, cable telephony and VoIP--are proving to be lucrative, albeit distracting, diversions from the HD build-out that seemed so promising a few years ago. The high churn rate of digital cable customers who went back to analog tiers or to DBS, hasn't helped ratchet up the HD market either, outside the largest DMAs. Nor has an elusive digital must-carry rule.

WHAT REVOLUTION?
Yet three different industries don't hesitate to take credit anyway for "leading the digital revolution" (as the National Cable & Telecommunications' Web site labels it) toward HD growth. NCTA says it is clearly the leader. Not so fast, says NAB. Don't forget about those local broadcasters who started on-air with HD signals nearly six years ago. In the other corner, the Satellite Broadcasting & Communications Association says DBS is the true leader in propelling HD's growth.

"In the last two years, cable has gone from zero to 90 million homes now technically capable of receiving HD programs from their local operators," said Brian Dietz, NTCA senior communications director. "Cable has now thoroughly embraced HD and is not just talking about it. We've invested a lot of money in order to bring consumers HD. Today every cable company out there provides digital services, and with it, HD in [some markets], in different ways."

It may sound a bit like déjˆ vu all over again to some longtime observers, but the NCTA, the Consumer Electronics Association and the FCC itself (which recently launched its own "DTV--Get It!" consumer re-education campaign), believe they are now finally starting to see the beginning of a significant change to full digital and HD conversion. It's been six years since terrestrial HD programming first began on PBS, NBC and other broadcast networks and thus became available to cable venues.

As of October, there were 17 (nonbroadcast) cable channels featuring at least some HD, ranging in genre from sports (ESPN HD, Comcast SportsNet, Madison Square Garden Network) to movies (Bravo+, Starz HD, Cinemax HD and HBO HD) to science (Discovery HD Theater). Neither Comcast nor Cox Communications releases statistics on how many of their subs access HD programming via cable. Dietz said compression rates for SD and HD channels tend to vary between local cable systems (rates are also a guarded secret), but he said the cable industry adheres to the rule that no digital programming will be intentionally degraded en route from its original source to the end user.

Brain Roberts, chairman and CEO of Comcast, the nation's largest cable company with more than 22 million subs (more than two-thirds still analog), said in a conference call in late October that his company added more than 340,000 digital-tier subs in the previous quarter--and in-stalled more than 200,000 HD boxes. (The HD numbers were mentioned after Roberts first told reporters about the sign-up of nearly 550,000 new broadband customers, a Comcast quarterly record.)

Comcast said it technically can provide HD services to about 19 million customers, which is more than 90 percent of its overall sub base. It currently provides HD to subs in at least 28 states--although in 19 of those states, only one or two markets are affected. (A major exception is Comcast's home base of Pennsylvania, where HD is available in all-size markets across much of the Keystone state.) Comcast deploys HD in 18 of the 20 largest markets. The smallest DMA served is the retirement/resort town of Panama City, Fla. (No. 159).

Cox spokesman Bobby Amirshahi said as of the third quarter, 37 percent of its overall customer base now subscribes to its digital tier (although again, he would not disclose the number of Cox HD subs). Both Cox and Comcast charge only a few extra dollars to rent HD set-top boxes, and neither charges extra for providing basic broadcast HD (all broadcast networks in most markets served) or cable HD programming, although premium HD channels like HBO do stipulate their own fees.

DRIP, DRIP, DRIP
Although most local broadcast HD channels remain elusive to digital cable carriage outside the major DMAs, in the absence of digital must-carry rules (and sizable audiences with HD equipment--about 6 percent nationally today), local carriage agreements are announced fairly regularly. In late October, for example, WB affiliate KDAF-DT became available to a half-million Comcast subs in Dallas-Ft. Worth (Channels 214 or 657). Like the major broadcast networks, most WB primetime shows are simulcast in HD.

NAB, meanwhile, thinks the cable industry is taking far too much credit for the digital conversion.
"It is disingenuous for cable to claim it is driving the HD revolution," said NAB spokesman Dennis Wharton, "when the reality is that cable was late to the game on HDTV and is trying to play catch-up to broadcast television leaders. There are hundreds of cable channels, and barely a handful has any HDTV programming whatsoever. If that's 'driving the HD revolution,' then cable is riding in a horse and buggy."

For its part, the DBS industry (which appears to be abandoning its efforts to compete with cable and telcos for broadband customers) also thinks that cable has little to be proud about in the digital revolution. It contends that DBS deserves the credit for pushing HD to the forefront of the American mindset.

IT'S SATELLITE, STUPID
SBCA President Richard DalBello said both the "cable and broadcast industries are still struggling to catch up, as DBS continues to define the technological boundaries of HDTV." He predicts that as compression technology improves, "expect the number of satellite-offered local and national HD channels to rise substantially."

DirecTV announced in September that its planned launch of two new satellites next year will give the satellite broadcaster enough capacity to offer more than 1,500 local HDTV channels.

Advertisers have not exactly been lining up to buy time (much less at higher rates for higher quality) in the HD realm, especially as audiences remain relatively small. A few million viewers of NBC HD's Olympics coverage last summer can attest to the lack of HD-centric spots firsthand, after they had to endure the same Sony spot promoting its HD products over and over again.

Well-financed national HD networks aside, inserting ads into local HD programming presents its own set of challenges. But help may be on the way: Cox recently tested the industry's first local ad-insertion into HD shows using a digital video networking platform from Terayon Communications.

GregF

12-07-04, 12:27 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
Craig Ferguson gets in 'Late'
Craig Ferguson gets in 'Late'

I don't know this guy but I predict Conan will slaughter him. He'd have to be extremely funny. I have this theory that "Red State" Americans don't want people with foreign accents in certain celebrity positions they kind of hold sacred-- late night talk show hosts, First Ladies, etc. Of course there is always an exception, right, Governor Schwarzenegger?

I was hoping the spot would go to Letterman recurring guest Amy Sedaris.

GregF

12-07-04, 12:34 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
Representatives Seek Digital-Decision Delay
By Bill McConnell Broadcasting & Cable 12/7/04

A group of lawmakers representing mostly rural or African-American districts Monday asked Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell to delay a vote on his plan to accelerate the transition to all-digital TV.

Such madness. Haven't any of these people taken business classes? If the FCC was to force all-digital tomorrow, so many converter boxes would be in demand they'd be dirt cheap and the government wouldn't need to subsidize. Sure middle-class Americans would splurge for new TV's but middle-class families often have 5 or 6 TV's these days. They'd buy converter boxes too, for the kid's room, the kitchen, the guest room, etc.

It seems most people just accept that our government takes most of our money and then wastes it. It galls me that any social program would be starving for funds while the government is paying for converter boxes.

Symbios

12-07-04, 12:51 PM

Such madness. Haven't any of these people taken business classes? If the FCC was to force all-digital tomorrow, so many converter boxes would be in demand...

I totally agree with you on that one. We will never get anywhere if they keep pushing the cutoff date back like this; itâ€™s just crazy.

fredfa

12-07-04, 01:34 PM

The Real Winner in the TV Wars
As satellite outfits and cable operators duke it out, consumers stand to benefit most from the increasingly cutthroat competition
By Steve Rosenbush Businessweek.com

Satellite TV is turning out to be a more formidable rival for cable than some analysts anticipated. The satellite business is expected to add more than 3 million subscribers this year, bringing the total to nearly 25 million. For cable, however, the number of subscribers is projected to decline slightly, to just over 73 million.

And satellite's ability to sign up subscribers is showing no signs that it will slacken anytime soon. While the number of cable customers is expected to remain more or less flat, satellite operators are expected to add a further 2.9 million viewers in 2005 and 2.7 million in 2006, according to analyst Rob Sanderson of American Technology Research.

"The satellite market is on a tear -- it's not even close," Sanderson says. He also expects the growth period to last until the end of the decade, a few years longer than many investors have been anticipating.

BROADENING GAP
Satellite's growth has been fueled in large part by its value-priced services. Echostar offers 60 channels of digital programming for $29.99 a month, and consumers can double the number of channels for just $10 more. While cable prices vary widely from market to market, a comparable cable package with 120 channels will often cost $45 or more.

Also, cable rates are rising faster than satellite's. The price of cable-TV service, excluding features such as high-speed Internet access, phone service, and digital video recorders, is expected to rise 2.5% to 5.9% in 2004, according to major cable operators.

Comcast is expected to raise rates 5.9%, although the average bill will rise at half that pace because many customers take advantage of discounts on higher-end offerings. Time Warner Cable is expected to boost the rates of its expanded basic services by about 4%, according to spokesman Mark Harrad.

Satellite companies haven't yet announced prices for 2005. They usually wait for cable companies to go first, then raise their rates by a smaller margin. Unlike satellite companies, cable operators are required by law to announce their price increases. The net effect is that the price difference between satellite and cable gets a little wider every year.

THE ANALOG HANDICAP
Why are rates rising in an era when inflation is so low? The cable and satellite industries are paying dearly for programming, which accounts for about 50% of their operating budgets. The cost of programming is increasing almost 10% a year, according to Bobby Amirshahi, a spokesman for cable operator Cox Communications.

And cable companies are at an added disadvantage because they need to recoup their investment in new networks, especially as they make the transition to the digital era. Comcast, for example, has spent $39 billion to upgrade its systems since 1996.

More than half the cable customers in the U.S. still receive an analog signal. Since these systems don't have as much capacity, they can't transmit as many channels as satellite systems. Also, analog can't support a variety of pricing plans because the pipes go only one-way, broadcasting the same service to everyone. If cable companies want to maintain the edge in the mass market, "they're going to have to make a faster transition to digital," Sanderson says.

Satellite operators, whose networks are all digital, have made huge gains at the lower end of the market, where customers are most price-sensitive. Also, satellite offers a bigger selection of channels for less money, and it has more pricing flexibility.

WIN SOME, LOSE A FEW
Cable companies, on the other hand, have been content to focus on the sale of higher-end services. And that's not a bad strategy. The profit margin for add-ons such as broadband and phone service is around 45%. That compares quite favorably to the margin for cable-TV service, which is about 35%.

Video-on-demand is also proving to be popular. During the third quarter, Time Warner added 100,000 subscribers for this service, bringing the total to 1.4 million. The gain far outstripped the loss of 11,000 basic cable subscribers.

Cable operators can't afford to be sanguine, though. Satellite companies are figuring out ways to offer pricier services such as broadband and video-on-demand, according to Sanderson, so cable won't have the higher end of the market to itself forever. It's clear that the battle between the cable and satellite companies is really just getting under way -- and the real winner will be consumers.

fredfa

12-07-04, 01:48 PM

Last 'Apprentice' challenge: 3-hour finale
New York Daily News Tuesday, December 7th, 2004

Fans watching the conclusion of "The Apprentice 2" will have to wait nearly three hours to hear Donald Trump utter "You're hired." NBC confirmed yesterday that the finale of "The Apprentice 2" will air over the course of three hours on Dec. 16.

As reported by the Daily News last July, NBC was looking for ways to milk the last episode of season on the popular series, which has Trump putting a group of business wanna-bes through a series of challenges and awarding a job to the winner.

Last spring, an estimated 41.5million people tuned in to the two-hour "Apprentice" finale to see Bill Rancic be crowned the newest Trump executive. That show emanated in part from NBC's Studio 8H.

But because of intense demand for tickets for that show, part of this season's finale - including Trump's pick - will unfold live at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall. The finale will also include a cast reunion and highlights of the previous season. NBC promises that some of last season's cast members will return. And the O'Jays will perform their classic "For the Love of Money," which is the show's theme song.

For those keeping track, the final two tasks for the remaining "Apprentice 2" contestants will be organizing a polo match to benefit the Alzheimer's Association and running a charity basketball tournament with 12 NBA stars.

fredfa

12-07-04, 01:57 PM

Congress Wants Faster DTV Resolution
Resolution calls for a comprehesive digital-TV transition that involves all 1,748 TV stations and that sets Dec. 31, 2006, as the target date for the return of the analog spectrum.

By Ted Hearn multichannel.com
Congress is expected to approve a nonbinding resolution soon calling for passage of legislation next year that would end the digital-television transition as early as Dec. 31, 2006.

The resolution -- contained in intelligence legislation expected to gain final passage this week -- weakened Senate-approved legislation that called for the return of 24 megahertz of analog-TV spectrum by 2008 if certain conditions were met.

In a related move, Congress also dropped a Senate provision that required the Federal Communications Commission to decide by the end of the year whether cable companies had to carry multiple digital-TV services transmitted by local digital-TV stations, according to congressional and industry sources.

Congress is expected to adjourn later this week after passing a $388 billion spending bill and the intelligence-reform package, which is designed to carry out the recommendations of the national commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. The panel urged Congress to find spectrum for emergency-response units.

Among other things, the budget bill includes satellite-TV legislation that gives EchoStar Communications Corp. 18 months to ensure that customers in 38 markets do not need second dishes to receive all of their local-TV signals.

The bill also ensures that 2 million satellite customers continue to receive out-of-market feeds of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox programming for five more years.

On digital TV, the text of the “sense of Congress” resolution explained that public-safety groups urgently needed more spectrum while noting that the return of some, but not all, analog spectrum would be unfair to about 75 TV stations that were forced to vacate and to their viewers who had yet to obtain digital-receiving equipment.

Instead, the resolution calls for a comprehesive digital-TV transition that involves all 1,748 TV stations and that sets Dec. 31, 2006, as the target date for the return of the analog spectrum.

Congress wants to use the analog spectrum -- 108 MHz in all -- not just for public safety but also for allocation to wireless-broadband companies in an auction expected to raise billions of dollars for the U.S. Treasury.

fredfa

12-07-04, 02:21 PM

Fox moves up finale for “The Swan” Released by FOX
thefutoncritic.com--The season finale of THE SWAN, featuring the 2nd annual Swan Pageant, is now set to air Monday, Dec. 20 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (The season finale was previously announced for Monday, Jan. 3.)
Sixteen women are competing for a place in the pageant, but only nine will make it. Eight finalists will be selected in advance of the pageant and the ninth, the wildcard, will be revealed on the season finale. Only the most beautiful and transformed women are selected to compete in the Swan Pageant and further their chances of being crowned "The Swan" during the dazzling, suspense-filled finale.

fredfa

12-07-04, 05:47 PM

Weekly Ratings for Week Ending Dec. 5th
CBS Weekly Triumph Caps Sweeps Win

(zap2it.com)--CBS closed a historic November sweeps victory with a solid ratings win for the week ending Sunday, Dec. 5. Just as the network did for the sweep as a whole, CBS captured the week in overall ratings, total viewers and both adult demographics the network professes to crave.

Overall Prime Time Ratings/Share/Viewers
CBS 8.4/13/13.03 million viewers
NBC 7.0/11/10.37 million viewers
ABC 6.8/11/10.44 million viewers
Fox 4.2/7/6.58 million viewers
UPN 2.4/4/3.58 million viewers
WB 2.4/4/3.50 million viewers

Adults 18-49
CBS 4.1
NBC 3.9
ABC 3.7
Fox 2.8
UPN 1.5
WB 1.5

After a week out of the top spot, CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" was again television's most watched show with a repeat drawing 24.67 million viewers and a 15.5/23. Fellow Thursday entries "Survivor: Vanuatu" (11.7/18) and "Without a Trace" (11.7/19) tied for No. 7 on the frame.

Fellow Jerry Bruckheimer forensic procedural "CSI: Miami" was a close second for the week with a 14.5/23, joined by new Monday episodes of "Everybody Loves Raymond" (12.3/18, 3rd) and "Two and a Half Men" (11.6/17, 8th). The network had two Sunday shows in the Top 20 with "60 Minutes" (10.8/17, 10th) and "Cold Case" (9.1/13, 18th), as well as two Wednesday shows with "CSI: NY" (9.8/16, 16th) and a seasonal airing of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (8.1/12, 20th). Tuesday's "NCIS" was also listworthy with a 10.3/16 for No. 14.

Over on NBC, things peaked with Thursday's "ER" (12.0/20, 4th) and "The Apprentice 2" (10.8/16, 10th). Episodes of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10.5/17, 13th) and "Law & Order" (10.2/16, 15th) followed closely, as did an episode of "The West Wing" (8.9/13, 19th).

The "Monday Night Football" game between the Rams and the Packers was ABC's top show for the week, doing an 11.5/18 for No. 8, while the seven-minute pregame was No. 17 with a 9.6/14. Close behind was the Mitch Albom adaptation "The 5 People You Meet in Heaven," which earned an 11.2/17 for No. 9 on Sunday night. Wednesday's new "Lost" was part of a three-way tie for No. 10 with a 10.8/17.

Also making a fine showing was a Wednesday Christmas special featuring Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson. That hour-long special did a 7.8/12 for No. 22.

FOX didn't have any programming in the Top 20, offering nothing better than Sunday's NFL overrun, which did a 6.7/11 for No. 35. The network's best scripted show was "The Simpsons" at No. 47 with a 5.9/9.

UPN's top two shows were "WWE Smackdown!" and "America's Next Top Model," which tied for No. 79 with the same 3.4/5. The WB did a bit better with its best, "7th Heaven," which was No. 60 with a 4.8/7.

On the other hand, The WB had network television's least watched show in "The Mountain." The Sunday drama was No. 114 with a 1.0/1 and its audience of less than 1.35 million viewers fell below two different specials on PAX.

fredfa

12-07-04, 11:04 PM

FCC DTV Plan on 2005 Front Burner
By Ted Hearn multichannel.com 12/7/2004

Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell plans early next year to revive his effort to end the digital-TV transition by 2009.

Powell had hoped to bring the issue to a vote in November or December, but that got sidetracked due to the need to write new local-phone-competition rules within a few weeks.

"Once we get [the phone rules] passed, DTV moves to the front burner,” a senior FCC source said Tuesday.

Last week, Powell indicated to reporters that he was not concerned that a digital-TV vote would be delayed.

“Where did I say exactly when we were going to do that? We’ve been playing with this for a long time,” he said. “I tend to put these things in my quiver and I reach back and pull it out when we think it’s right.”

The FCC plan endorsed by Powell would end analog-TV broadcasting Dec. 31, 2008, forcing broadcasters to return 108 megahertz of prime spectrum for reallocation to public-safety groups and wireless-broadband providers through an auction.

The plan has been controversial with broadcasters, which oppose counting cable households as having converted to digital if they receive digital-TV signals in downconverted-analog format.

The FCC plan gave digital-TV stations the right to elect cable carriage in digital or analog after 2008, but TV stations argued that they would be forced to choose analog because a substantial portion of viewers wouldn't have digital receivers.

Broadcasters also feared that cable subscribers who invested in digital-TV sets would not have guaranteed receipt of broadcasters’ digital signals under the FCC plan.

As an alternative, the National Association of Broadcasters said the FCC should force cable to transmit digital-TV signals to homes to serve subscribers with digital-TV sets. Cable would ensure continued viewing in analog-only homes by providing set-tops or downconverted analog pictures, the NAB said.

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association countered that cable operators should retain the right to convert digital signals to analog at the headend in order to avoid forcing set-tops on reluctant subscribers. The FCC plan did not require cable to furnish set-tops.

The NCTA said cable should continue to have the downconversion right until 85% of homes had digital receivers.

Powell indicated that he was open to modifications to the plan but not to proposals that would abandon the idea of a firm transition deadline.

“I like the plan, but I’ve never been opposed to other ideas,” he said. “I’m not very married to a particular approach. What I am fairly married to is that I would love to get this country to a hard deadline.”

fredfa

12-07-04, 11:10 PM

Reinventing the Evening News
The Networks Have a Rare Chance
To Transform Their Broadcasts,
But Is It Even Worth Trying?
The Small Screen, By Joe Flint, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL December 8, 2004

After two decades of inertia, the evening news is in play.

Two of the three big broadcasters are undergoing major transitions. NBC's Tom Brokaw has already departed, and CBS's Dan Rather will exit early next year, opening the possibility that the networks, faced with a long-term decline in ratings, will consider transforming the way they deliver the news.

The question is, will a little, or even a lot of retooling of the evening news attract viewers who increasingly get their information from cable, the Internet or elsewhere, and does it make sense, either economically or journalistically, to find out?

Ratings for the traditional, 30-minute newscast have been steadily declining for 20 years -- today, newscasts of ABC, CBS and NBC reach a combined audience of about 26 million people, according to Nielsen Media Research. Ten years ago, those same broadcasts reached almost 35 million people. What's more, most of that audience is over 50; few younger viewers grew up with the habit of watching network news the way their parents and grandparents did.

As cable news, especially the Fox News channel, has matured, the broadcast networks have abdicated much of the coverage that used to be a core part of their work, such as the political conventions. Budget cuts have left the networks short-staffed, and now that all are owned by large conglomerates -- General Electric Co., Walt Disney Co. and Viacom Inc. -- the pressure for profits from news divisions is far greater than it was in the days when the broadcast networks were stand-alone companies.

Cable's news channels are owned by big media companies, too, but cable benefits from a dual revenue stream of subscriber fees and advertising, permitting the kind of spending the broadcast networks have a harder time justifying. (Even with that, much of cable news is filled with cheaply produced shows and talking heads.)

There are two schools of thought on the future of the nightly news: One says that evening newscasts have become largely irrelevant. The other contends that the broadcasts still play a critical role in delivering news to millions of people, and that the programs represent a benchmark to which all television journalists should aspire.

Those who feel the evening newscasts remain significant (despite the fact that most Americans aren't home at 6:30 p.m. -- 5:30 p.m. in the Midwest -- to watch them) point to the fact that 26 million viewers is still about 22 million more than the audience for cable news on any given night. And in times of crisis and during stories of national importance, the majority of the country still turns to the broadcast networks, wanting to see a face it feels it can trust and respect.

Unfortunately, television is a business driven by demographics. A quick look at the ads that run on evening newscasts tells you that this is an older audience that doesn't attract big ad dollars. And if these broadcasts fail to find a way to appeal to younger viewers, then the future for nightly news is grim.

It is amidst this bleak backdrop that CBS, whose newscast has been in third place for almost 10 years, must decide how to replace Mr. Rather and determine whether it should consider overhauling the entire concept of the evening news. If CBS decides to continue with a solo anchor, the two leading candidates inside CBS to succeed Mr. Rather are Scott Pelley and John Roberts. Both are veteran correspondents, although neither is as well known as Brian Williams, who succeeded Mr. Brokaw at NBC last week.

CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves hasn't ruled anything out. Newsweek recently went so far as to speculate that the network has its eye on NBC's Tim Russert, who hosts "Meet the Press," and Matt Lauer, host of the network's "Today" show. But CBS insiders have dismissed this, pointing out that among other things, both have several years to go on their contracts. And why would either of them want to leave a successful program to host a fading franchise?

"If you were Matt Lauer, you wouldn't even swap jobs with Brian Williams," says Andrew Tyndall, who runs his own research firm that monitors the news business. "There is nothing stopping a network news division from having four or five anchors," he adds, "If there is a big political story, bring Russert out. If it is a human-interest story, bring Katie Couric out."

While Mr. Moonves is keeping his thoughts to himself, on a conference call last week he hinted that he is open to several options. He even suggested that the network could go with two anchors, although that scenario hasn't worked since the days of Chet Huntley and David Brinkley in the 1950s and '60s.

CBS would be wise to view Mr. Rather's exit as an opportunity and find a way to shake up its newscast. Right now, the three newscasts are remarkably similar. The same stories are covered in the same way, usually at the same time. Even their commercial breaks seem in sync. And while all do a reasonably good job, the reporting for the most part is a roundup of what has already been covered in depth by the morning shows and cable.

"The fundamental first question is, does CBS still want a world-class newscast that presents national and international events for a mainstream audience?" says former CNN Washington bureau chief Frank Sesno.

If CBS wants to have a shot at staying relevant in nightly news, the first thing it should consider is an hourlong broadcast. With a longer format, half of the program could round up the day's headlines, while the second part would focus on a few important stories, possibly including lively roundtable discussions.

This doesn't have to be dull. If the CBS entertainment team can figure out how to be No. 1-rated network among adults age 18-49, then they can at least attempt to develop a newscast that will attract that audience. One possible place to turn for help: their Viacom siblings at MTV. I'm not advocating dumbing down the news -- HBO, for example, manages to create compelling sports-news programs that appeal to both hard-core fans and casual observers. Why can't the same happen for news?

Ultimately, if the networks are serious about staying in the news business, the newscast of the future also will have to air in prime time, when most working adults are home to watch. But would a CBS or NBC really bench a "CSI" or "Law & Order" for a newsmagazine? And there's the rub.

Alternatively, the evening news can keep chugging along with declining ratings. Even with a shrinking audience, it likely will still be more popular than anything cable puts in that time slot for the foreseeable future.

But the CBS chief is right to ponder whether the format can be reinvented. "There is definitely an opportunity," says Jonathan Klein, a former CBS News executive who just became president of CNN. "Maybe not to reinvent the wheel but just put some new hubcaps on it." Whether new hubcaps on a car that is about 40 years old will be enough remains to be seen.

fredfa

12-07-04, 11:25 PM

Prime-time TV rankings Nov. 29-Dec. 5

Network averages

The Los Angeles Times--Here is the number of viewers (in millions) that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for last week and for the season.

Network Last week Season to date
CBS 13.03 13.37

ABC 10.44 10.27

NBC 10.37 10.28

FOX 6.58 9.36

UPN 3.58 3.62

WB 3.50 3.90

Here are the rankings for national prime-time network television last week (Nov. 29-Dec. 5) as compiled by Nielsen Media Research. They are based on the average number of people who watched a program from start to finish. Nielsen estimates there are 277.93 million potential viewers in the U.S. age 2 and older.

(Viewership is listed in millions. )

Rank Program Network Viewers
1 CSI HD CBS 24.67 million viewers
2 CSI: Miami HD CBS 22.71
3 Survivor: Vanuatu CBS 19.48
4 Everybody Loves Raymond HD CBS 18.71
5 "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" ABC 18.61

6 Two and a Half Men HD CBS 17.88
7 Without a Trace HD CBS 17.73
8 ER HD NBC 17.67
9 Monday Night Football HD ABC 17.35
10 Lost HD ABC 17.15

11 Apprentice 2 NBC 16.72
12 60 Minutes CBS 16.17
13 NCIS CBS HD 15.65
14 Law & Order: SVU HD NBC 15.30
15 "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" CBS 14.93

16 CSI: NY CBS HD 14.91
17 Law & Order HD NBC 14.71
18 NFL Monday Showcase HD ABC 14.56
19 Cold Case HD CBS 13.65
20 The West Wing HD NBC 13.28

21 King of Queens HD CBS 12.66
22 "Nick and Jessica's Family Christmas" ABC 12.40
23 Amazing Race: 6 CBS 11.84
24-t According to Jim HD ABC 11.61
24-t Las Vegas HD NBC 11.61

26 Joey NBC 11.44
Fear Factor NBC 11.44
28 Judging Amy CBS 11.30
29 "Christmas at Rockefeller Center" NBC 10.93
30 "Frosty Returns" CBS 10.62

31 "NFL Sunday Post-Game" FOX 10.54
32 Will & Grace NBC 10.53
33 Still Standing CBS 10.41
34 The Simpsons FOX 10.36
35 Medical Investigation NBC 10.33

36 Third Watch NBC 10.24
37 Listen Up CBS 10.15
38 Center of the Universe CBS 10.12
39 "Frosty the Snowman" CBS 10.07
40 Rodney ABC 10.06

41 Biggest Loser NBC 9.87
"The Family Man" NBC 9.87
43 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (Sun.) ABC 9.76
44 NYPD Blue ABC 9.52
45 My Wife and Kids ABC 9.38

46 Wife Swap ABC 9.34
47 "A Very Married Christmas" CBS 8.94
48 Dateline: NBC (Wed.) NBC 8.91
49 Dateline: NBC (Fri.) NBC 8.85
George Lopez ABC 8.85

51 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (Mon.) ABC 8.55
52 The Swan 2 FOX 8.18
53 Trading Spouses FOX 8.09
54 20/20 (Fri.) ABC 7.99
55 Nanny 911 FOX 7.84

56 Malcolm in the Middle FOX 7.78
57 America's Most Wanted FOX 7.66
58 Cops (8:30 p.m.) FOX 7.57
59 Apprentice 2 (Wed.) NBC 7.39
60 "Ice Wars: 2004" CBS 7.10

61 7th Heaven WB 6.88
62 Cops FOX 6.79
63 "Home Depot SEC Championship Game" CBS 6.77
64 Hope & Faith ABC 6.74
65 8 Simple Rules ABC 6.71

66 Arrested Development FOX 6.66
67 Extreme Makeover ABC 6.61
68 Primetime Live ABC 6.55
69 O.C. FOX 6.51
70 House FOX 6.33

71 Crimetime Saturday CBS 6.27
72 Complete Savages ABC 6.25
73 Gilmore Girls WB 6.23
74 That 70s Show FOX 6.15
75 Less Than Perfect ABC 5.71

76 "The Perfect Storm" NBC 5.57
77 Thrifty Post-Late ABC 5.48
78 WWE Smackdown! UPN 5.27
79 Everwood WB 5.09
80 America's Next top Model 3 UPN 4.90

81 Smallville WB 4.89
82 Quintuplets FOX 4.79
83 "Big 12 Championship" ABC 4.62
84 Rebel Billionaire FOX 4.37
85 One Tree Hill WB 4.36

86 Bernie Mac (9:30 p.m.) FOX 4.10
87 Big Fat Obnoxious Boss FOX 4.05
88 Bernie Mac FOX 4.00
89 Reba WB 3.91
90 North Shore FOX 3.89

91 That '70s Show FOX 3.78
92 Girlfriends UPN 3.67
93 Fear Factor (Sun.) NBC 3.58
94 One on One UPN 3.48
95 Life as we Know It ABC 3.45

96 Eve UPN 3.38
97 Half and Half UPN 3.37
98 Second Time Around UPN 3.26
99 Enterprise UPN 3.19
100 Blue Collar TV WB 3.17

101 Quintuplets (Fri.) FOX 3.09
102 Kevin Hill UPN 3.06
103 All of Us UPN 3.04
104 Steve Harvey's Big Time WB 2.63
105 Veronica Mars UPN 2.40

106 Charmed WB 2.36
107 Malcolm in the Middle (7:30 p.m.) FOX 2.26
108 Grounded for Life WB 2.22
109 Jack & Bobby WB 2.12
110 What I Like About You WB 2.09

111 "40 Days and 40 Nights" WB 1.94
112 America's Next Top Model 3 (Fri.) UPN 1.65
113 Mountain WB 1.35

keenan

12-07-04, 11:28 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
FCC DTV Plan on 2005 Front Burner
By Ted Hearn multichannel.com 12/7/2004

Last week, Powell indicated to reporters that he was not concerned that a digital-TV vote would be delayed.

“Where did I say exactly when we were going to do that? We’ve been playing with this for a long time,” he said. “I tend to put these things in my quiver and I reach back and pull it out when we think it’s right.”

Somebody needs to tell this guy the broadcasters are using guns and bullets to his bows and arrows...:p

fredfa

12-07-04, 11:40 PM

Each Network’s Bottom Five Shows
Week of Nov. 29 - Dec. 5

C B S

39 "Frosty the Snowman" CBS 10.07 million viewers
47 "A Very Married Christmas" CBS 8.94
60 "Ice Wars: 2004" CBS 7.10
63 "Home Depot SEC Championship Game" CBS 6.77
71 Crimetime Saturday CBS 6.27

N B C
48 Dateline: NBC (Wed.) NBC 8.91
49 Dateline: NBC (Fri.) NBC 8.85
59 Apprentice 2 (Wed.) NBC 7.39
76 "The Perfect Storm" NBC 5.57
93 Fear Factor (Sun.) NBC 3.58

A B C
68 Primetime Live ABC 6.55
72 Complete Savages ABC 6.25
75 Less Than Perfect ABC 5.71
77 Thrifty Post-Game (Sat) ABC 5.48
83 "Big 12 Championship" ABC 4.62

Fox
86 Bernie Mac (9:30 p.m.) FOX 4.10
87 Big Fat Obnoxious Boss FOX 4.05
88 Bernie Mac FOX 4.00
101 Quintuplets (Fri.) FOX 3.09
107 Malcolm in the Middle (7:30 p.m.) FOX 2.26

U P N
98 Second Time Around UPN 3.26
99 Enterprise UPN 3.19
102 Kevin Hill UPN 3.06
103 All of Us UPN 3.04
105 Veronica Mars UPN 2.40

The WB
108 Grounded for Life WB 2.22
109 Jack & Bobby WB 2.12
110 What I Like About You WB 2.09
111 "40 Days and 40 Nights" WB 1.94
113 Mountain WB 1.35

fredfa

12-08-04, 12:31 AM

'Lost' keeps its bearings in mid-series cliffhanger
By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY December 8

What a way to go on Christmas vacation.

Trapped on an uncharted isle that's part paradise and part purgatory, the survivors of Oceanic's ill-fated Flight 815 have endured a plane crash, a polar bear, a monster, a madwoman, boars, boredom, cave-ins, fistfights, knifings, divisions, torture, terror and a wild game of golf — and they're only halfway through their first season.

Tonight, things go from strange to stranger for TV's most fascinating castaways on a sterling, shock-filled Lost, the show's last original episode this year. (Catch up with reruns through December.)

As he has all season, producer J.J. Abrams carefully treads the line between fun and frustration tonight, parceling out just enough information to keep you satisfied while keeping you wanting more. So while a few questions are answered, many more are posed in this mid-season cliffhanger, all the better to ensure your return in January when Lost is paired with Abrams' equally entertaining Alias.

The story picks up right where it left off last week, with Charlie and the very pregnant Claire captured by the mysterious, off-the-manifest Ethan. A guilt-ridden Jack (Matthew Fox) is quickly in pursuit, and is pursued in turn by his memories of his father.

To the extent anything is clear on Lost, Ethan would clearly seem to be a bad guy, and his sudden turn-to-the-psychotic at the end of the last outing was one of the show's scariest surprises. It was also, however, an amusingly savvy TV trick that played off our assumption that Ethan was just one of those irregular "extras" who pop in and out of series' ensembles.Indeed, the writers even tweak the joke tonight, with a reference to expendable one-episode-only red-shirted Star Trek crewmen.

Still, the secret to the show's success so far, and its best bet for long-run prosperity, is that Lost is as much a character study as an adventure. Yes, tonight's kidnap-chase plot is exciting, but it's Jack's need-to-lead intransigence and isolation, the flip side of his heroism, that trigger the story's tragic consequences. Not coincidentally, Fox's ability to balance those character traits also has increased his stature as a star each and every week.

By tapping into viewers' long-standing love for continuing stories and their desire for a break from reality slop and cop-show procedurals, Lost and Desperate Housewives have spearheaded a fall revival for scripted series. A genre that once seemed lost is now found, with the promise of even more fun ahead.

Just wait'll next year.

mrvideo

12-08-04, 01:57 AM

Originally posted by kblee
I don't see Summerland listed under the WB. Isn't it supposed to have a mid-season start (January)?

Summerland returns Feb 28th, taking over Everwood's slot. They didn't say for how long it will be in that location.

fredfa

12-08-04, 02:09 AM

The week’s winners and losers
By Lisa de Moraes washingtonpost.com Wednesday, December 8, 2004; Page C07
CBS last week took the November sweeps crown among the coveted 18-to-49 set for the first time since 1980, while comeback network ABC celebrated its first sweeps victory among 18-to-34-year-olds in a decade. But best of all, Princess Di flopped and prime-time figure-skating competition appears to be so over. This truly is the most wonderful time of the year.
Here's a look at the week's champs and chumps:

WINNERS
Brian Williams. The republic is still safe, sort of, though Tom Brokaw has signed off as anchor of the "NBC Nightly News"; his successor, Brian Williams, even beat ABC's Peter Jennings and CBS's Dan Rather during his first two nights, bagging 11.7 million viewers last Thursday on his first broadcast.

"The Librarian: Quest for the Spear." Noah Wyle is a hot nerdy librarian who's put in charge of humanity's greatest secrets -- Pandora's box, the goose that laid the golden egg, the Bill O'Reilly phone tapes -- hidden under the New York Metropolitan Library, and when the Serpent Brotherhood snatches part of the Spear of Destiny (look it up) he has to retrieve it before they gain control of the world. If you're among the nearly 7 million who tuned in on TNT, you helped make it basic cable's No. 1 flick of the year.

"Nick & Jessica's Family Christmas." America's favorite young married couple, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, starred in this fun-filled ABC Christmas variety hour, which attracted 12.4 million viewers of all ages and was last week's top-ranked prime-time show among teens. Do you have any idea how hard it was to get out that sentence without gagging?

"[Author's name]'s The Five People You Meet in Heaven." ABC's teleflick logged 18.6 million viewers Sunday night -- the most watched TV movie since the network's "[Syndicated TV-show host] Presents Amy & Isabelle" logged more than 19 million viewers in March 2001.

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Big week for Rudolph on CBS, celebrating his 40th-anniversary telecast with his largest audience since 2000. His 15 million or so viewers rivaled the audience Tom Brokaw scored with his bow-out that night on NBC, and he beat Brokaw among the 25-to-54-year-olds all the news divisions target.

"The Real Gilligan's Island." TBS's reality series opened with more than 4 million viewers last Tuesday and beat its time-slot reality competitor, Fox's "Rebel Billionaire," among young viewers. It probably helped that during the premiere, one of two people posing as the Skipper collapsed from what appeared to be a heart attack. Of course TBS, the "very funny" network, can't hope for such a stroke of luck every week and will probably have to settle for lesser ratings going forward.

LOSERS
"Diana Revealed." Can it be? Princess Di fatigue? Last March, when NBC News brought us "Princess Di: The Secret Tapes," the first public airing of the audiotapes Di recorded during her ill-fated marriage to Prince Charles, Part 1 clocked a hefty 17 million viewers and Part 2 more than 14 million. Months later, NBC News's special Princess Di unit unveiled "Diana Revealed," in which actor turned "communications consultant" to the stars Peter Settelen interviews Di on video. We're told that is a "critical part of his technique" to "inspire confidence" in his clients -- honest, you can't make up stuff this good. But this time Part 1, which aired last week, on the final Monday of the November sweeps, delivered only 8.9 million viewers to NBC. (Part 2, this past Monday, logged an equally disappointing 8.4 million.)

"[Skin-care product company] Presents Ice Wars: USA Versus the World." Are we also finally over prime-time figure skating? Last Friday, the 13th consecutive "Ice Wars: USA Versus the World" scored 7.1 million viewers on CBS, only slightly better than last year's worst-ever 6.9 million and a far cry from the more than 18 million who watched the competition during the Tonya Harding-clubs-Nancy Kerrigan glory days of the '94 Winter Olympics.

"Project Runway." The unveiling of Bravo's latest reality series, in which 12 fashion designers compete for a photo spread in Elle mag, scared up an anorexic audience of 354,000 last Wednesday, which is a shame because that dress made of corn husks was inspired.

John McEnroe. After six months of suffering, CNBC last week finally put its prime-time show starring the tennis loudmouth out of its misery. During its run, "McEnroe" averaged a mere 75,000 viewers; some nights the audience was too small for Nielsen to measure and the show officially "scratched."

fredfa

12-08-04, 02:48 AM

ABC's new lease on 'Life'
Struggling show gets 'Makeover' timeslot
By JOSEF ADALIAN From Variety.com

ABC is giving "Life as We Know It" another shot in a new time period while upping the episode order for a pair of its laffers.

Critically hailed but low-rated "Life" will move to 8 p.m. Thursdays starting Jan. 6, switching timeslots with "Extreme Makeover." Move is designed to boost "Life," which has struggled to find an aud opposite CBS' "CSI" and NBC's "The Apprentice."

ABC execs are hoping to take advantage of the fact that CBS Thursday anchor "Survivor" will be on hiatus for at least part of January. On the downside, "Life" will now square off against Fox's "The OC," which appeals to the same young aud as ABC's frosh drama. It also puts "Life" in the same timeslot that, a decade ago, killed ABC drama "My So-Called Life."

Sked shuffle is also meant to give Diane Sawyer's "Primetime Live" a more compatible lead-in. "Extreme Makeover" and "Primetime" worked reasonably well 9-11 p.m. Thursdays last season, given the competition.

"Life" has wrapped production on its initial episode order and is awaiting word on an order for additional episodes. Skein has been averaging around a 1.5 ratings in adults 18-49.

Two recent marathons on MTV generated solid sampling for "Life." Indeed, an episode that aired this Saturday at 10 p.m. was the highest-rated show of the night on cable in female teens.

Meanwhile, ABC has quietly ordered four more episodes of Touchstone Television's "My Wife and Kids" and "Hope & Faith." Each laffer will now tape a total of 26 episodes this season, the same episode order given to "According to Jim."

fredfa

12-08-04, 03:44 AM

William Sackheim, 84; TV Writer, Producer Won 2 Emmy Awards
By Dennis McLellan Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

William Sackheim, a veteran film and television producer and writer who produced television's "Gidget" and "The Flying Nun," dramatic series such as "Delvecchio" and "The Senator" and numerous TV movies, has died. He was 84.

Sackheim died of a degenerative brain disease at his home in Beverly Hills, his family said.

A two-time Emmy Award winner whose television career spanned the 1950s through the '90s, Sackheim won Emmys for producing an episode of "The Alcoa/Goodyear Theatre" (1959) and the TV movie "The Law" (1975).

Sackheim produced numerous early TV movies, including "The Impatient Heart," starring Carrie Snodgress; "The Neon Ceiling," starring Gig Young and Lee Grant; "A Clear and Present Danger," starring Hal Holbrook; and "The Harness," starring Lorne Greene.

His film credits include co-producing "The In-Laws," "Pacific Heights" and "The Hard Way"; co-writing the first Rambo movie, "First Blood"; and producing and co-writing the story for "The Competition."

As a television producer, Sackheim had a keen eye for spotting talent. In the mid-1960s, he gambled on a young Sally Field to star in the "Gidget" series.

"Sally was brought into my office by [actor] Eddie Foy Jr., who found her outside the Columbia Studio gates and asked if she was an actress," he told United Press International in 1984. "Then he brought her to me, and I saw a spark in her that I hadn't found in 350 girls I'd interviewed."

Sackheim recalled that while producing the 1974 TV movie "The Law," which he co-wrote and which served as the pilot for a 1975 miniseries, he was looking for a specific character for a heavy dramatic role when "Judd Hirsch ambled into my office, a rumpled apparition."

"But the minute he read for me I got goose bumps," Sackheim said. "I gave him the part, his first major break in Hollywood."

Hirsch went on to star in the series "Delvecchio," a 1976-77 police drama, which Sackheim executive-produced.

While producing "Night Gallery," the 1969 pilot for the Rod Serling TV series, Sackheim saw a short film titled "Amblin" and hired its young maker, Steven Spielberg, to direct Joan Crawford in one of the pilot's three stories.

"The first rushes screamed off the screen," Sackheim recalled in the 1984 interview. "It was immediately apparent that here was a major talent."

Sackheim also plucked future director-producer John Badham out of the casting department at Universal in 1968 and made him a personal assistant. As executive producer of "The Senator," the 1970-71 political drama starring Holbrook, Sackheim gave Badham his first assignment as a director.

Badham and Sackheim went on to work on a number of other projects together, including the Emmy-winning, movie-length pilot episode of "The Law."

"In many ways," Badham told The Times, "he was just an extremely generous man — generous with his talent and with his mentoring, so that people such as [writer-producer] Steven Bochco and Spielberg and many others were so fortunate to have had his support.

"In my case, for him to just turn to me one day and say, 'Yes, you can direct an episode of "The Senator," ' with no big drama … Otherwise, I might still be sitting down in the casting department."

He added: "Somebody, Jack Webb I think, quipped one day that being in the room with Bill Sackheim in a story conference was like being in a room with a man passing a kidney stone…. He agonized so much over stories and scripts and cared so very deeply that it was almost like he was in pain. But he wouldn't let a story or script go until he had something that made it special."

Bochco, who worked with Sackheim as the producer of "Delvecchio," said that although the current generation in Hollywood may not know Sackheim, he was a television icon from the 1960s into the '80s. "Everybody knew him," Bochco said. "He had produced or written just brilliant movies of the week. He was one of the earliest writer-producers working in that form. Bill made some of the most powerful movies for television that have ever been made. And his series work is wonderful."

Bochco said he first met Sackheim as "a kid writer on the lot at Universal. Billy was such a wonderful, open, generous guy. He was a fixture there, so young writers like myself would always sort of gravitate toward Bill. His door was always open."

In fundamental ways, Bochco said, "he not only taught me about writing, but he also taught me about working and how to work. He was very special to me."

Born in Gloversville, N.Y., Sackheim moved to Beverly Hills with his family as a child. A Beverly Hills High School graduate, he served in the Army in New Guinea during World War II.

While in the service, he freelanced as a writer for "Batman" comic books. After the war, he got a job working in the music department at Republic Pictures. He launched his screenwriting career in the B-unit at Columbia Pictures.

In 1995, the Museum of Television and Radio held a tribute to Sackheim in Los Angeles.

Sackheim is survived by his wife of 54 years, JoAnne; two sons, Daniel, a producer and Emmy-winning TV director, and Drew, a fashion photographer; and two grandchildren. A memorial service is pending.

mp3trojan

12-08-04, 09:30 AM

Mr. Moonves, You want to shake things up at CBS get Bill O'Reilly on your nightly news. That'll work. :)

fredfa

12-08-04, 11:29 AM

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2004
Tuesday Ratings 'Race' Is a Split

(zap2it.com)--CBS won the overall ratings race on Tuesday night, but the highest rated shows among adults 18-49 were on ABC and NBC, producing a split.

Overall Prime Time Ratings/Share
CBS 8.5/13
NBC 7.2/11
ABC 7.0/11
Fox 3.5/5
WB 2.3/4
UPN 1.6/3

Adults 18-49
NBC 4.4
ABC 4.1
CBS 3.8
Fox 2.3
WB 1.5
UPN 0.9
At 8 p.m., CBS began the night on top with the 10.0/15 for "NCIS." ABC got a 7.6/12 from the holiday standard "Charlie Brown Christmas," which easily won the hour among young adults. Third went to NBC with the 6.2/10 for "Biggest Loser," still miles ahead of FOX's "Rebel Billionaire," which continued to tank. A repeat of The WB's "Gilmore Girls" was fifth, better than the 1.9/3 averaged by UPN's "All of Us" and "Eve."
At 9 p.m., CBS held onto first with the 7.5/11 for the latest installment of "The Amazing Race." ABC stayed second with comedies "According to Jim" (7.2/11) and "Rodney" (6.4/10), which bested the end of NBC's "Biggest Loser" and a new episode of "Scrubs." On FOX, "House" rebounded somewhat from its lead-in with a 4.5/7, improving dramatically in its second half. The WB stayed fifth with the 2.3/3 premiere of "High School Reunion." UPN's "Veronica Mars" repeat was sixth.
At 10 p.m., NBC grabbed first with "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," which had a 9.3/15 overall and also yielded the evening's highest demographic ratings. CBS was second with "Judging Amy" at 8.1/13, as ABC's "NYPD Blue" had a 6.5/11 in third.
• Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.

fredfa

12-08-04, 11:46 AM

The Longest Day Enters the Hardest Season
By JOE RHODES The New York Timnes

CHATSWORTH, Calif.---For no particular reason, except possibly to torture himself, Robert Cochran keeps a neatly typed story/character grid from the first season of "24", the real-time television spy thriller he and Joel Surnow created four years ago, pinned to the bulletin board of his otherwise memento-free office. It's a comprehensive episode-by-episode cheat sheet of the actions and interactions of every major character, the pivotal plot points, the timing of every twist.

It was all there, six episodes' worth, meticulously planned before the pilot was even broadcast: every exploding, collapsing, double-crossing, fate-of-the-nation, assassination-plot cliffhanger that would soon turn "24" into the most talked-about television show of 2001.

Considering the complexities of the plots, and the fact that each season's 24 hourlong episodes (with a ticking countdown clock on screen at all times) sketch out a single crisis-filled day in the life of the nation, a precise outline would seem indispensable. Except, it didn't work out that way.

"That was the furthest ahead we were ever able to plan," Mr. Cochran says, wistfully, walking over to the first-season grid, touching it as if it were some kind of long-lost relic. "We were able to plan ahead maybe five or six episodes a couple of more times that season. In the second season, maybe three or four."

And this year?

He looks a little embarrassed. "This year, I would say ... none."

Hard as it is to believe - and Mr. Cochran says no one from the outside ever believes it - the writers of "24" are pretty much making it up as they go along, this year more than ever. And when the fourth season debuts on Fox on Jan. 9 (it then moves to a new Monday-night time slot), they will be doing it in the midst of wholesale cast changes, embarking on dramatically new story lines and further testing the loyalty of an audience that has already seen practically every major character - including Agent Jack Bauer, the show's world-weary centerpiece played by Kiefer Sutherland - disgraced, compromised, tortured and, in some cases, killed.

Missing from the cast when the new season begins will be Dennis Haysbert, who played the noble but undermined President David Palmer; Elisha Cuthbert as Kim, Jack Bauer's constantly-in-jeopardy daughter; Carlos Bernard as Counterterrorism Unit station chief Tony Almeida, who ended last season being arrested for treason; Reiko Aylesworth as Michelle Dessler, a spy; and Almeida's wife, who spent much of last season assuming she was about to die from a terrorist-disseminated virus. In fact, besides Mr. Sutherland, only one member of last season's cast will return (though many of the departed will make brief appearances over the course of the season).

Stepping into the breach will be William Devane, Shohreh Aghdashloo - nominated for an Oscar for her performance in "House of Sand and Fog" - and a number of other new faces.

"We love the characters and we love the actors, but we just ran out of things for them to do under the configuration we had set up," Mr. Cochran says, explaining why he and Mr. Surnow felt such drastic changes were necessary. "I'm not sure the network was thrilled, but we'd really put the characters in positions where there was no place to go with them."

For the record, the network was not thrilled. "I did have doubts, of course - anyone would," says Gail Berman, Fox's president of entertainment, when asked how she initially reacted to the idea of revamping one of her network's highest-profile shows. "But '24' is just a different animal. It has an audience that has come to expect the unexpected."

Jolting that audience has been the show's trademark since the first season ended with the death of a major character, Jack Bauer's wife, murdered by his ex-girlfriend who, oh yeah, also turned out to be a rogue East German spy. In the second season, only halfway through, there was a nuclear explosion in the California desert, leading to riots and almost to full-scale war. Last year's 24-hour story line included, in addition to sundry prison breaks, point-blank shootings and extortion plots, the agonizing deaths of innocent hotel guests exposed to a mutated virus and Agent Bauer racing to stop terrorists from poisoning the city of Los Angeles while, incidentally, he was also fighting through heroin withdrawal. That makes for a pretty long day.

Which is why, when the fourth season - set 18 months after last season's traumas - begins, Mr. Sutherland's character is trying to lead a less harrowing life. Having lost his job and put his drug problems behind him, he's working as a consultant for the Defense Department and starting a new romantic relationship, with the Defense Secretary's married daughter, played by Kim Raver. But inevitably he gets drawn back into the counterterrorism maelstrom and once again finds himself facing a day in which lives will be at stake, terrible things will happen and naps will not be an option.

Beyond the existence of terrorist sleeper cells in America, Mr. Cochran and Mr. Surnow won't talk much about future story lines - partly because they don't want to spoil the surprise, partly because they still don't know how things are going to play out. "Every season is like a brand-new jigsaw puzzle," Mr. Cochran says, trying to explain how it is that, four seasons in, the seven-person writing staff still can't manage to work out the plot more than a week or two in advance. "If we could figure out what the magic formula is, we'd be thrilled. But we haven't been able to do that."

"Sometimes," he humbly says, "it's just hard to think of good stuff. And everything on this show affects everything else. If I'm sitting at my word processor and come up with what I think is a great idea for a character, then I run next door and find out that maybe they've just killed that character. So now I have to go to that writer and say, 'No, don't kill that guy. I need him.' Well, now that other episode is completely screwed up. So we have to sit down and rethink that other episode and if part of it is already shot, we have big problems.

"So we go back, tear things apart and put them together in way that will accommodate what I want to do in the next episode, and by then we're only a week away from shooting. Then, of course, the production people will come in and say, 'We can't do this' for some technical reason. So we tear it apart again. By the time we do all that, we're lucky to make it."

Characters often get painted into corners, and sometimes, the writers freely admit, the last-second solutions are less than elegant. In the first season, Agent Bauer's wife (whom the writers often refer to as "that poor woman") suffered a convenient bout of amnesia to keep her from sharing critical details with other characters. And in the second season, in order to occupy Kim Bauer, the peril-prone daughter, for a few episodes, the writers had her stuck in a hunter's snare trap and stalked by a cougar.

"Sometimes the show runs strictly on adrenaline and velocity," says Howard Gordon, who shares executive producer credits with Mr. Cochran and Mr. Surnow. "Our job is to make sure the train is moving fast enough so that, even if there's a hole in the track, it'll keep going.

And all of that, Mr. Gordon believes, hinges on Mr. Sutherland's portrayal of Jack Bauer, an intense and often grim character constantly forced to make horrible choices - sometimes including the killing of innocent bystanders - to save lives and protect the people he cares about.

"Jack is this really tragic character," Mr. Gordon says. "He's really the walking damned. He can't have the life the rest of us have. He kind of bleeds for our sins."

It hasn't been all that easy for Mr. Sutherland either. "Season one was difficult," the actor acknowledges. "It was an act of faith. And after making 48 films, you end up a little low in the faith department. There were so many things being done at the last minute, it kind of scared me. But now I trust that they'll work things out." That includes the radical changes in the cast, the individual members of which - himself included - he considers less important than the show's innovative format.

"The format could go on forever," he says. "They could make it about a firefighter's worst day. Or someone in the Army. Or a woman who's pregnant, and her car has broken down."

Of course, he doesn't know whether the producers would ever consider anything like that. But then again, neither do they.

fredfa

12-08-04, 12:13 PM

ESPNU Semester Starts March 4
Multichannel.com 12/8/2004 11:14 AM ET

ESPN will launch its 24-hour college-sports ESPNU network just in time for March Madness. ESPNU will launch Friday, March 4, with college basketball’s “Championship Week” tipping off the following day.
The new network’s first week of programming will include approximately 25 additional live conference-tournament games not currently slated to air on ESPN or ESPN2. ESPNU content and components will also be featured across ESPN’s family of services, including ESPN.com (espn.go.com), ESPN-The Magazine, ESPN Mobile, ESPN Radio, ESPN Interactive, ESPN Broadband and merchandising.
“March is a memorable time for college-sports fans,” ESPNU vice president and general manager Burke Magnus said in a prepared statement. “Given that, the start of Championship Week and the added bonus of the easy-to-remember ‘03-04-05’ date, the launch timing is ideal,” Magnus added. “ESPNU will become a destination for the rich passion and pageantry of intercollegiate athletics.”

fredfa

12-08-04, 01:07 PM

'LAW & OVER'
By MICHAEL STARR The New York Post

December 8, 2004 -- Departing "Law & Order" star Elisabeth Rohm braced herself for a flood of emotions while shooting her final scenes yesterday — and then she walked onto the show's courtroom set.

"The second I got to the set, literally every single person there . . . was wearing this hideous platinum wig," Rohm told The Post. "I generally wear curlers in my hair, and not only did they have those wigs, but they all had these momma-type curlers in their hair.

"And they toasted me with a diet Coke can," said the now-reformed soft-drink addict. "Clearly, they thought about a way to be disarming and funny and let me know I meant something to them."

Rohm, who's leaving "Law & Order" after four seasons as assistant DA Serena Southerlyn, described her last day on the set as "really bittersweet, wild and raucous" after spending all weekend trying to think of what she'd say to the cast and crew.

"I'm not good at being vulnerable, and I literally went into Sam's [Waterston] dressing room and said, 'I have to hide out here,' " she said. "I almost cried five times."

As for Serena's ultimate fate, well, Rohm said she's sworn to secrecy about how she bows out.

"It's a big, splashy ending, which is kind of unique for the ['L&O'] mothership," she said. "It's kind of unusual for us to have it be personal . . . but I think it will be really shocking."

fredfa

12-08-04, 01:38 PM

Scripted shows provide a break from reality
Tim Goodman San Francisco Chronicle Wednesday, December 8, 2004

As the television season continues to slog through holiday fare and reruns, January signals the unofficial start of midseason, that nebulous point when new blood replaces that which was spilled on the Nielsen knife.

So far the biggest story of the year involves the return of scripted programming and, not coincidentally, the resurrection of ABC. The two are tied together because the network has made two huge hits out of "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost." When conventional wisdom suggested that reality programming was going to continue its domination -- more than 15 reality shows were on the schedule when the season started in September, and more were added later -- only three reality series made it into the Nielsen top 20, season-to-date. Of those, two were franchise series -- "Survivor" on CBS (ranked No. 5 and celebrating its finale Sunday) and "The Apprentice" on NBC (No. 14) -- while the third, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on ABC (No. 16), simply proves again that there's no accounting for taste.

For all the doomsday scenarios about reality programming tearing apart the fabric of the country -- and killing the creative process in Hollywood - - it looks, at least as we enter the halfway point of the season, as if reality is dying.

Of course, this is a genre that will not go away -- nor should it. Done well, good reality programs provide a change-up to scripted fare. An argument can be made that well-done reality hits ultimately sharpen the writing on dramas and sitcoms. But excess hurts everyone. And the copycat mentality of television has meant that viewers have suffered from excess. Too much reality across the dial gives weak executives a short-term fix -- if everyone is doing it, the people must want it, right? -- and an excuse to save money. But rational people know this gluts the market and dilutes quality. Viewers know this. Finally, they did something about it. In television, the audience is always the ultimate arbiter. And the audience has slowly stopped watching.

Now, perhaps, television will come out the other side. "Desperate Housewives" (ranked No. 2) and "Lost" (No. 6), have jolted the industry. Both shows come from a network, ABC, that was in a deep and serious slide. They have turned the network around almost immediately -- unheard of -- and have given others hope and perhaps fuel to take more chances. Their success proves that there's an audience out there -- an audience that wasn't even watching ABC a year earlier -- that will respond to well-written, well-acted fiction.

The Nielsen top 20 also features freshman hit "CSI: NY" on CBS (ranked No. 12) as a spin-off success, plus the good-but-not great "Joey," another new spin-off for NBC (No. 19). There are strong showings from relatively new CBS dramas, "Without A Trace," now in its third season (No. 4) and "Cold Case," in its second season (No. 11). Sitcom "Two and A Half Men," also in its second season on CBS (No. 9), is gaining in popularity. What all of this means is that series launched within the past couple of seasons have not only caught on, but flourished. Only "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" can claim the same success from the reality genre.

It was probably inevitable that people would get sick of -- and then tune out -- cheap, sleazy, reality programming. Not only have they been getting it in droves from the likes of Fox, but it's about the only popular programming on cable, which has saturated the market place.

Who doesn't want to escape to the fun and absurdity of Wisteria Lane, the mysterious street that runs through "Desperate Housewives," or the remote (and dangerously populated) island of "Lost"? If nothing else, these shows are different. That means something these days.

Another good sign for all viewers, as we head forward, is that -- for lack of a better description -- "good-hearted" reality is winning out over more tawdry and lame fare. Former powerhouse "Fear Factor" has slipped to No. 36 in the Nielsen ratings, while the infinitely more fun "Amazing Race: 6" is at No. 30. Where did all the evil, spirit-vanquishing trash go? Well, below 30. Don't peek over the edge, you'll see it all too close.

We are all going to see continued doses of reality -- as early as January, right out of the midseason gate. But you can bet that the eyebrow- raising numbers for "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" not only have executives taking a closer look at the dramas they have on the bench, but casting a more open, progressive eye to future pilots.

That, people, is how tides get turned.

The bad news in all of this is that there's still a ton of comic mediocrity in the scripted arena. Where dramas have fared well (though formula is also a key there -- "CSI" is ranked No. 1, "CSI: Miami" No. 3 and "CSY: NY" is No. 12), it's hard to find any good news for sitcoms.

You've got a staple in "Everybody Loves Raymond" at No. 7, but that series will bow out next year. Its likely heir, "Two and A Half Men" is at No. 9 and though it's funnier than most people think, it's not exactly groundbreaking. Two of broadcast television's best comedies, "Arrested Development" on Fox (No. 84) and "Scrubs" on NBC (No. 56) are largely being ignored and remain in peril for the future.

A killer blow to reality can only come if the sitcom genre is resuscitated. If two midseason comedies can catch on like fall's breakout dramas, we may have a real obituary to write.

But until then, at least reality has been beaten back. Scripted series are what drive the television industry and even if the quality isn't on level with, say, "The Sopranos" or other elite series, it still means a reduction in the likelihood that you'll see more bug-eating banality.

slocko

12-08-04, 03:02 PM

i like amazing race and fear factor. fear factor needs to evolve some. what attracts me are the underwater challenges. the million dollar multi-episode couple episodes from last season were great too. i think the gross aspect of the show no longer is fresh or compelling.

i also think that fear factor can branch out as sports type show. design some grueling physical challenges.

fredfa

12-08-04, 05:07 PM

Dick Clark Suffers Stroke
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable

Dick Clark, American Bandstand host and veteran TV producer, has been hospitalized after suffering a mild stroke.
Clark, 75, helped to popularize rock with his ABC Bandstand show, combining a clean-cut, ever-youthful image that even susipicious mothers had to love with an obvious love and respect for the genre.

Clark has followed that television first act with a successful second as producer of various TV properties, including NBC's American Dreams--which weaves the Bandstand theme into a scripted drama--various awards shows including The Golden Globes, a New Year's Eve special, and numerous blooper shows.

In a statement released by his publicist Wednesday, Clark said: “The doctors tell me I should be back in the swing of things before too long so I’m hopeful to be able to make it to Times Square to help lead the country in bringing in the New Year once again.

fredfa

12-08-04, 05:10 PM

FOX to Wrap 'North Shore' Early
By Brian Ford Sullivan

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) – FOX is sending its freshman drama "North Shore" packing early as the network has rolled back its commitment to the series by one episode.

Production on the series will halt after its 21st installment at the end of next week as FOX has scrapped plans to shoot its previously ordered 22nd episode, which had been scheduled to start shooting on January 3 following a holiday break.

Because of the change, the show's producers plan to incorporate elements from the 22nd episode, which was originally supposed to end with a cliffhanger, into the newly branded finale. Said episode will now feature a less ambiguous ending.

Viewers however may never end up seeing "North Shore's" final two episodes. Already scheduled are episodes 17 ("Sucker Punch") and 18 ("Catwalk") for December 9 and 16 respectively with episode 19 tentatively slated for January 13. The reason: work on the last two installments won't be completed in time to beat "Point Pleasant," which assumes "Shore's" Thursday, 9:00/8:00c slot on January 20, to the air.

Just 4.16 million viewers on average have tuned into the series since the 2004-05 season officially began (Monday, September 20) with only "World's Craziest Videos" (3.94 million), "Totally Outrageous Behavior" (3.66 million) and "The Complex: Malibu" (2.50 million) faring worse on the network overall. Even more troubling has been the show's retention from current lead-in "The O.C.," which is just 54.25% in the four weeks the series have aired together.

While each of these developments leads one to believe "North Shore" is dead, FOX, Brancato/Salke Productions or 20th Century Fox Television has yet to confirm any cancellation.

AFH

12-08-04, 05:28 PM

Fred, I need something that shows what primetime shows that aren't a repeat that are coming on the nets tonight.

fredfa

12-08-04, 05:38 PM

Antonio:
Try azcentral.com and go to the TV section, enter your zip code, then your provider, and you'll get a grid.
I know that grids lists at least some repeats, but am not sure if it lists all as repeats.

fredfa

12-08-04, 05:38 PM

slocko:
At least we agree on Amazing Race.
It is very well done.

fredfa

12-08-04, 05:53 PM

President signs SHVERA
(The Evening Bridge) – December 08, 2004
This (Wednesday, Dec. 8) afternoon, President Bush signed into law a $388 billion appropriations package that includes key satellite TV provisions allowing DBS providers to offer "significantly viewed" local TV stations from outside markets and deliver superstations and distant network signals for another five years, among other items.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: For anyone interested, (and if you receive your TV from satellite, you should be interested) here is the text of SHVERA.

(You have to scroll down to Title IX, Section 1.)

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/Z?r108:H19NO4-0085:e1767127:320290

keenan

12-08-04, 06:10 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
President signs SHVERA
(The Evening Bridge) – December 08, 2004

Anyplace we can go to get a synopsis of changes if any? I'm really too lazy to read these bills in their entirety. Whatever is different than it was before the bill was signed...does it effect DNS for instance?

AFH

12-08-04, 06:33 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
Antonio:
Try azcentral.com and go to the TV section, enter your zip code, then your provider, and you'll get a grid.
I know that grids lists at least some repeats, but am not sure if it lists all as repeats.

Thanks Fred! I tried that and as I suspected the guide did not tell which shows are repeats. I know that Lost isn't b/c I went to ABC's website. I normally look at Marc Berman's Mediaweek column to determine what shows are airing but he will not be back until Thurs.

fredfa

12-08-04, 06:36 PM

sorry, antonio, I really don't know where to point you.
The networks have apparently stopped routinely telling the listing services when shows are repeats -- so the info is harder to come by-- (although TiVo seems to get it right when we program our season passes for only the original episodes).
We check in the To Do guide of TiVo to see what is coming up -- always new episodes, it doesn't bother with repeats.
But if I can find a reliable online guide, I'll be sure to post it here.

fredfa

12-08-04, 06:45 PM

TNT Has Highest Prime Number
By Anne Becker Broadcasting & Cable ,

TNT led the prime time cable ratings for 2004 with 2,454,000 average total viewers in prime, according to Nielsen Media Research numbers presented at Turner's annual year-end ratings presentation in New York yesterday.

The network also led in the 18-49 and 25-54 demos, with 1,232,000 and 1,147,000 viewers, respectively. MTV topped prime time viewership with 18-34 year olds, scoring an average 498,000 viewers in prime last year.
Rounding out the top ten cable networks in average total viewers in prime for the year were:
2—-USA
3---Nick at Nite
4---ESPN
5---TBS
6---Cartoon Network
7---Fox News Channel
8---Lifetime
9---Spike
10--Discovery Channel.

keenan

12-08-04, 06:49 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
sorry, antonio, I really don't know where to point you.

Antonio, if you are using an internet portal like Yahoo, the TV listings will list if the show is a repeat or not, it's never failed me..

AFH

12-08-04, 07:07 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
sorry, antonio, I really don't know where to point you.
The networks have apparently stopped routinely telling the listing services when shows are repeats -- so the info is harder to come by-- (although TiVo seems to get it right when we program our season passes for only the original episodes).
We check in the To Do guide of TiVo to see what is coming up -- always new episodes, it doesn't bother with repeats.
But if I can find a reliable online guide, I'll be sure to post it here.

I'll check my Directivo guide when I get home. I like to know how to plan my workout schedule before I get home from work but I can't do that today.

Thanks

AFH

12-08-04, 07:08 PM

Originally posted by keenan
Antonio, if you are using an internet portal like Yahoo, the TV listings will list if the show is a repeat or not, it's never failed me..

Thanks, I need to check that out.

fredfa

12-08-04, 08:30 PM

Senate Passes DTV Advisory
By Bill McConnell Broadcasting & Cable

The Senate Wednesday passed congressional recommendations on speeding the switch to DTV as part of an overhaul of U.S. intelligence network. The DTV provision is minor component of the massive bill and is non-binding. The legislation passed by an overwhelming 89-2 vote.

The House passed the bill late Tuesday 336-75. The "sense of the Congress" is intended to give the FCC, broadcasters and the telecom industry an idea of what direction Congress wants to take the DTV transition. The resolution calls for TV stations to begin all-digital transmissions and return their old analog channels to the government "as early as" Dec. 31, 2006, and turn a portion of the old channels over to local fire, police and other public-safety departments.

The intelligence overhaul is being driven by glaring problems in the country’s intelligence agencies that were exposed by the 2001 terrorist attacks. The DTV measure is included in the bill because New York City officials had a hard time communicating during terrorist attacks and Congress could alleviate their continuing communications problems by handing them some TV spectrum.

The open ended wording of the resolution is a bit of a victory for broadcasters who don’t want to be saddled with the obligation, even a recommended one, to give up their old channels so soon. Congress is expected to debate an actual DTV deadline early next year.

keenan

12-08-04, 08:42 PM

Originally posted by fredfa
Senate Passes DTV Advisory
By Bill McConnell Broadcasting & Cable

non-binding

"sense of the Congress"

an idea of what direction

"as early as"

Gotta love these politicians and their language, God forbid anyone there makes a real decision...:p

fredfa

12-08-04, 08:45 PM

keenan:
I suspect we'll see all kinds of versions of what the bill "really" means.

As to DNS: it allows satellite companies to provide HD signals to those not served by a digital signal. Thus if a station opts to use only low power, it would presumably allow D* or E* to provide its signal to you in HD (and, I believe the DNS versions.)

It also specifies that DNS cannot be provided to an area before that area would get the network signals (thus east and central time zone residents can receive west coast feeds, but not vice versa.)
Some DNS folks are grandfathered in, and frankly I just don't know which or who.
The SHVERA is very, very convoluted.
But that was to be expected: there were all kinds of lobbying hands in the kitchen as this sausage was being made.

Another important provision: DBS may provide "significantly viewed" stations in a market. If a station is carried by local cable operators, then it can also be provided by D* or E*. So people between two cities (Baltimore/Washington, Boston/Providence etc, should be able to receive BOTH local markets via satellite.

It requires Dish to get rid of its two-dish setup for locals within 18 months.

And it requires satellite companies with more than five million subs to make LIL available to all -- although there obviously is some time frame to allow for the new markets, I'm just unsure what that time frame is.

A disclaimer---I don't guarantee any of this info: I am not a lawyer, and although I have read and reread (and reread) SHVERA time and again, I am still unclear about a number of its provisions.

fredfa

12-08-04, 08:48 PM

I think the key sentence in the DTV advisory story is the final sentence:

Congress is expected to debate an actual DTV deadline early next year.

That has to make everyone (broadcasters, MSOs, the CEA, satellite companies -- and certainly HD fans) very nervous.

Who knows what they will come up with -- especially given how badly they need the billions of dollars they would get from an analog spectrum auction.

fredfa

12-08-04, 09:15 PM

Enough to serious DTV transition talk and SHVERA stuff, and Dick Clark recovering from a stroke.
It is time for some fun.
So........

Martha Stewart to Host Homemaking Show After Prison Release

By RANDY KENNEDY The New York Times December 9, 2004

NBC and Mark Burnett, the reality-television mogul behind "The Apprentice" and "Survivor," announced yesterday that they had reached a deal with Martha Stewart's company to bring her back to morning television next year, after she is released from prison in West Virginia.

Mr. Burnett said that he and Ms. Stewart would create a more ambitious version of her syndicated cooking and style show, which was dropped by many stations after her conviction in March on charges of lying to investigators about a stock sale. The new hour-long program would be taped beginning in September in front of a live audience and would feature more celebrities and humor.

"She's actually very funny," said Mr. Burnett, who has visited Ms. Stewart in prison and said he would do so again next week, although he stressed that they had not discussed the television deal or business matters, which would have been a violation of prison rules. He said the agreement for the morning show was worked out before Ms. Stewart went to prison.

Shares of Martha Stewart Living rose $1.55 yesterday, or 7 percent, to close at $24.43.

Ms. Stewart began serving her five-month prison sentence in October, and after she is released she must serve five months in home confinement. Mr. Burnett and Susan Lyne, the new chief executive of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, said they had no hesitation about announcing the television plans while Ms. Stewart was still serving her sentence. They added that they believed her potential for drawing a large television audience could be much larger after her prison stint.

"This is a forgiving country," said Ms. Lyne, at the company's headquarters in Manhattan, standing in front of a poster-sized picture of Ms. Stewart pouring batter into a bowl. "People love redemption stories."

Asked whether Ms. Stewart would refer to her prison experience (one of her lawyers has said that she is cooking often, using the communal microwave) Ms. Lyne said, "I think she won't avoid it."

While there has been speculation that Ms. Stewart's program could replace Jane Pauley's morning talk show, which has struggled to find an audience, the network's executives said that no decision had been made about Ms. Pauley's show. "One show has nothing to do with the other show," said Barry Wallach, president of NBC Universal Domestic Sales and Distribution, which syndicates Ms. Pauley's show and will also handle Ms. Stewart's. He added, of Ms. Pauley's program: "Jane has shown some growth recently."

At the news conference to announce the television deal, Ms. Stewart's presence could be felt everywhere at her headquarters, from the cheerful Christmas music to the hot cider and cookies with silver sugar buttons served to guests. In her remarks, Ms. Lyne rigorously avoided using the words "jail" and "prison," instead referring to West Virginia or Alderson, the name of the town where the federal prison is located.

But Mr. Burnett, whose flamboyant personality is reflected in his reality shows, repeatedly referred to Ms. Stewart's incarceration and tried to make light of it. "Millions of people feel like Martha got a raw deal," he said.

He added that before Ms. Stewart went to prison, he and she had filmed some test video for the new show and during the filming, Ms. Stewart gave him a fruit peeler.

"And I really thought she was giving me a file to bake into a cake," he said, joking, and adding: "Of course, Martha didn't think it was funny."

keenan

12-08-04, 09:28 PM

Thanks Fred,

RE: Martha Stewart, I wonder if she'll give us a good recipe for pruno...:D

fredfa

12-08-04, 11:36 PM

For those of you who read post #1002

( Scripted shows provide a break from reality
Tim Goodman San Francisco Chronicle Wednesday, December 8, 2004)

here is a contrarian view of the world of reality TV (which many of us dislike intensely because very few reality shops are presented in HD)

No reality calamity
Genre bigwigs say it's nowhere near dead
By ADDIE MORFOOT From Variety.com Posted: Wed., Dec. 8, 2004, 7:45pm PT

Rumors of reality TV's demise have been greatly exaggerated, according to panelists at Wednesday's Hollywood Radio and TV Society luncheon.

With several new reality skeins failing out of the gate -- and some returning shows (like "The Bachelor") posting declines, reality has received its fair share of knocks this fall. But reality producers and execs, gathered for the HRTS event at the Regent Beverly Wilshire, said they still believed in the vitality of the genre.

"The halcyon days of 'anything reality works' have faded," said Endemol USA prexy David Goldberg. "But I think when you look at 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' and 'The Apprentice,' (shows) that are working today, (it) shows that the genre is still very viable."

Legendary TV producer Chuck Barris said he's seen the popularity of unscripted fare ebb and flow quite a few times through the years.

"Reality shows are basically gameshows, and gameshows are reciprocal," he said. "If (the genre) dips, it will certainly come up again."

Reveille CEO Ben Silverman said reality TV continues to evolve, with comedic-themed shows growing in vogue.

"The real story of the fall is derivative programming doesn't work," Silverman said. "I think you are going to see a lot of blended concepts. As much as we define this genre as reality, so much of it is constructed. I think there is huge opportunity" for the return of programs like "The Gong Show," "Candid Camera" and hoax shows.

MediaCom U.S. chairman Jon Mandel took a contrarian approach, however, arguing that advertisers may be facing problems with the reality genre.

"If you look at the minute-by-minute ratings for these shows from an advertising perspective, you may as well be buying the NBA," Mandel said. "If your commercial isn't in the last 10 minutes, it's not so great."

Mandel said he was also concerned with the use of too much product placement.

"You have got to limit us because (advertisers) are putting too much money into this, and we are going to ruin the whole process," Mandel said. "Americans aren't stupid. They don't want to watch commercials. We know that. So they avoid my commercials. So now you are going to put my commercials in the (reality) show. Save me from myself -- please."

As for the hot-button issue of "concept theft," Goldberg -- whose company produced "The Next Great Champ," a show accused of copying NBC's "The Contender" -- said he didn't think there was such a thing as an exclusive lock on a genre.

"If that were the case there would be one musical performance show, one extreme stunt show, one makeover show and so on," he said. I don't think that anybody can have a lock on a genre by saying we are doing a show that hasn't been produced and it isn't based on an existing format and therefore it is ours. I just don't buy that philosophy."

Producer Allison Grodner and Andrea Wong, ABC exec VP of alternative programming, specials and latenight, were also on the panel.

fredfa

12-09-04, 12:02 AM

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?
It is down to the wire for new shows on the verge of cancellation
(From Stephen Battaglio’s “The Biz” column at TVGuide.com)

For a select group of producers, writers and actors, there would be no better Christmas or Hanukkah present than getting a call from a network president to say that their show has been picked up for the rest of the season. There are still a few new series that have yet to hear about a "back nine," which would bring them to a full season of 22 episodes or so. For planning reasons, networks will have to make their decisions by the end of next week. So if your favorite show is listed below, you'd better tune in. It may not be around much longer.

House — Fox executives like the medical drama, and apparently some viewers do too. The show gains two million viewers over the minuscule audience lead-in it gets from The Rebel Billionaire. But the show is still fourth in its time period on Tuesdays at 9. Even if the network does decide to keep it going, execs will have to decide if it's the right program to lead out of American Idol.

Life as We Know It — This teen-angst series has a lot in common with cult favorite My So-Called Life — including low ratings. It's the least-watched show on ABC this season — last week it pulled in 3.5 million viewers. But the network's surprise success with Desperate Housewives and Lost means executives can afford to be patient. The network has ordered four additional scripts, and the show will get one final push in January. If the audience levels don't rise, it will be gone as fast as you can say "February sweeps."

Center of the Universe — CBS ordered up two more episodes of the John Goodman sitcom. Two?! Not exactly a vote of confidence. But the network had to keep the show in production so it could see a couple more weeks of ratings before deciding whether to continue for a full season (Universe didn't get on the air until late October). To do so, it will have to score better than last week, when it lost 31 percent of the 18-to-49-year-olds who were watching lead-in The King of Queens.

The Mountain — The WB picked its favorite child when it moved Jack & Bobby away from ABC's Sunday-night juggernaut Desperate Housewives and stuck The Mountain in its place. It's been ugly ever since. This past week it was the least-watched network prime-time show, with 1.35 million viewers. Chances of a full season pickup are slim and slimmer.

Second Time Around — This sitcom about re-married newlyweds will not be getting a full season order, but sources at UPN told The Biz the network is keeping its option to bring the show back next fall. Like UPN's other Monday sitcoms, Second Time Around has consistently ranked in the Top Five among black TV viewers.

fredfa

12-09-04, 01:21 AM

Cable's neat sweep
Claims first primetime win over broadcasters

By DENISE MARTIN Variety.com

Chalk another one up for cable: For the first time, the cable universe grabbed a larger share of primetime viewers than did broadcasters during the November sweep.

That's the news from Turner chief of research Jack Wakshlag, who presented his year-to-date Nielsen analysis to reporters Wednesday.

Early projections, based on data spanning Dec. 29, 2003 to Dec. 5, 2004, show that cable registered a more than 5-share advantage over the broadcasters. Cable notched a total 51.7 share of households (up 3.4) while broadcasters scored a 46.3 (down 2.6)."It's the end of an era," Wakshlag said, noting that it would "take an extraordinary event for broadcast to beat cable (during sweeps) ever again."

That event could be the Super Bowl, which will air on Fox in February, giving broadcasters a collective boost in the next sweeps month.

Cable is also projected to extend its lead over the major nets for the third straight year with a 52.9 household share to broadcast's 43.

Among cablers, TNT came out on top for the second consecutive year in primetime among adults 18-49, 25-54 and total viewers, averaging 2.4 million overall. Rounding out the top five in that category were USA (up 21%), Nick at Nite (even), ESPN (up 7%) and TBS (up 1%).

In the key 18-49 demographic, eight of the top 10 cablers experienced year-to-year growth. Biggest gainers among the top 10 were Comedy Central (up 24%), FX (21%), Discovery Channel (15%) and USA (14%). Upticks come thanks largely to off-network fare -- "Law & Order," "CSI" and "Sex and the City" -- as well as theatricals and a handful of strong original series including "Chappelle's Show," "Nip/Tuck," "American Chopper," "The 4400" and "Monk."

Suffering some losses in primetime were Lifetime (down 5% in 18-49) and TLC (down 25% in 25-54). MTV maintained its lock on adults 18-34 (498,000), narrowly edging TNT (488,000), though its ratings are essentially flat for the year.

Once again, Nickelodeon took the total-day crown in total viewers, with Nick at Nite tying up the 18-34 and 18-49 demos. TNT won the day in 25-54.

The "2004 Video Music Awards" was the top-rated nonsports entertainment program of the year (10.3 million viewers).

Among kids nets, Nickelodeon held onto the No. 1 spot in total-day ratings in kids 2-11 and 6-11, with growth in both categories. Cartoon Network followed, with strong boys 6-11 numbers (up 6%). Disney came up third in the kids demos, experiencing some declines in 6-11 (down 5%) but placing second in girls 6-11 (down 8%). Disney remains tops among girls 2-11 as well as tweens 9-14.

rogo

12-09-04, 02:30 AM

I'm thinking that Fox -- a network that is devoid of nearly any meritorious programming in any genre -- might want to pick up House, which is at least a good show. Move it to a more appropriate time slot what with Idol coming, fine... But really keep it.

Given the microscopic ratings of Rebel Billionaire and the last start, it should say something that the show has found any viewers at all. Oh, and did I mention it actually seems pretty good?

trbarry

12-09-04, 08:56 AM

I'm thinking that Fox -- a network that is devoid of nearly any meritorious programming in any genre -- might want to pick up House, which is at least a good show. Move it to a more appropriate time slot what with Idol coming, fine... But really keep it.

I watch House and I think it's the only Fox show on my PVR record list. But that recommendation from me tends to be the kiss of death for any show lasting a full season. Instead of using Nielsen they should save money by just calling me and canceling anything I watch.

- Tom

fredfa

12-09-04, 10:34 AM

I agree about House, and it will hopefully benefit with a lead-out from American Idol starting next month.
And, in addition to House, there will be 24 -- so there will be two Fox shows to TiVo in our home.

fredfa

12-09-04, 10:42 AM

'Gilligan's Island' as, well, literature
It may seem a stretch but it endures in reruns[/B[
By Ed Robertson [B] [B]medialifemagazine.com

With last week’s premiere of “The Real Gilligan’s Island” on TBS, and the strong viewership it pulled, someone who's never watched the original might assume the cable network was playing off one of the classic shows of an earlier decade.

The show was certainly a classic but not in the way one might think.

When the original “Gilligan Island” premiered on CBS in 1964, it was considered the emblem of everything that was wrong with television. The premise was inane, the writing sophomoric, and the lead character, played by Bob Denver, was a complete imbecile. TV critics and even network executives blasted the show.

Yet there was a disconnection at work. If viewers were listening to critics, they were ignoring what they heard. “Gilligan” was a top-20 hit, especially among younger viewers, in each of its first two seasons.

Embarrassed by the show’s success, then-CBS programming head Jim Aubrey couldn’t wait to cancel “Gilligan.” That opportunity came in 1967, when the ratings for the show, while still respectable, were in decline.

“Gilligan” was on the bubble, but so was “Gunsmoke,” the venerable western, which had just completed its 12th season on CBS.

For Aubrey, it was a no-brainer. He dumped “Gilligan” and moved “Gunsmoke” into the sitcom’s Monday 7:30 p.m. timeslot. He figured the new timeslot would attract younger viewers to the aging western and that “Gilligan” would go quietly off into the sunset.

Aubrey was half right. “Gunsmoke” lasted another eight seasons but “Gilligan” did not fade from memory.

Quite the contrary, it found a whole new life in reruns, such that to this day it's still a huge hit in syndication. And in that time it has also ascended to become an indelible part of contemporary literature.

Yes, when you think about it, “Gilligan’s Island” is literature in the truest sense of the word. It is that simply because it has survived, despite the critics and despite the uppitiness of TV executives who thought they knew better. It has survived as literature, if light literature, in the minds of the people who matter, TV viewers.

This is not to say it is Sophocles or Shakespeare, though in its slapstick it shares more with the latter than many would like to think.

Literature is that which resonates with people from generation to generation. It engages us in ways that bring us back to it, for one reason or another. We write about it, refer to it in conversation, and we keep it alive to the point where it becomes a permanent part of our culture.

That’s what makes “Gilligan’s Island” literature, beyond the show’s earworm theme song or whether you prefer Ginger over Mary Ann.

It's also a lot more literary than one might think. Series creator Sherwood Schwartz, a well-read man, originally saw “Gilligan” as a social microcosm of the modern world, and he intended it to touch on timeless literary themes.

One is the notion of tossing complete strangers and opposites into challenging situations to see how they react. This has become a staple of reality TV, most notably with CBS's "Survivor" but no less with TBS's “The Real Gilligan’s Island,” which represents a completed circle.

The idea of placing people in difficult situations to see whether they rise, becoming greater creatures, heroes in a classic sense, is a theme running through great literature for thousands of years.

The shipwreck on "Gilligan’s Island" forces the characters to adapt to their new environment and work together to survive. Defoe wrote about this in "Robinson Crusoe," as did James Barrie in "The Admirable Crichton." Countless films and television shows before and since “Gilligan” have also explored this idea, from "Paradise Lagoon" to "Lost."

“Just as [the castaways on ‘Gilligan’] had to learn to get along with each other, that’s how the countries of the world eventually are going to have to get along with each other,” Schwartz told author Sylvia Stoddard in "A Companion Guide to Gilligan’s Island" (St. Martin’s, 1996).

“Now, that was never openly stated when I originally pitched the idea to the networks, but with comedy you can sometimes have a subliminal message,” Schwartz said. “That really was the message of the show.”

This sort of social awareness, though lost on critics, pops up in other places. The ship, S.S. Minnow, was named after then-FCC chairman Newton Minow, who in 1962 so famously blasted television as “a vast wasteland,” a mindless procession of game shows, violence, “formula comedies about totally unbelievable families,” cartoons, endless commercials, “and most of all, boredom.”

Minow’s comments were fresh on Schwartz’s mind when he began developing “Gilligan” in 1963. A witty man who established himself as a writer on “The Red Skelton Show,” Schwartz couldn’t resist naming the ship after the FCC chairman, knowing full well that his show represented everything Minow was railing against.

Finally, it’s important to remember that “Gilligan’s Island” was a product of a time, and it was a time when expectations for TV were quite low. Most people saw television as a temporary escape from the troubles of the workaday world.

“Gilligan” may have been simple-minded, but so were a lot of other shows in 1964: “Bewitched,” “My Favorite Martian,” “Andy Griffith,” “Petticoat Junction” and “McHale’s Navy.”

It was a time of great upheaval in this country, when people were still in shock over the assassination of JFK. Vietnam was building, and the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing. TV was called the boob tube but not entirely derisively.

“Gilligan's Island” is still here to remind us of that time.

fredfa

12-09-04, 11:10 AM

From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Ratings for Thursday Oct. 28th

Thursday 12/09/04
Primetime Wednesday Ratings:
ABC a Solid No. 1;
The Billboard Music Awards on Fox Down Considerably

Metered Market Ratings

Household Rating/Share
ABC: 11.0/16
NBC: 9.8/15
CBS: 7.0/10
Fox: 4.7/ 7
UPN: 3.6/ 5
WB: 3.2/ 5

Percent Change From Comparable Year-Ago Night (Wed. 12/20/03):
UPN: +64
WB: +14
CBS: +11
ABC: + 2
NBC: + 1
Fox: -28

Fast Affiliate Ratings

Total Viewers:
ABC: 15.61 million
NBC: 12.10
CBS: 9.81
Fox: 6.73
UPN: 4.08
WB: 3.45

Adults 18-49:
ABC: 5.7/15
NBC: 3.5/ 9
CBS: 3.4/ 9
Fox: 3.1/ 8
UPN: 2.0/ 5
WB: 1.5/ 4

Yesterday's Winners:
Lost (ABC)
Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2004 (ABC)
Law & Order (NBC)

Yesterday's Losers:
A Clay Aiken Christmas (NBC)
The 2004 Billboard Music Awards (Fox)

Ratings Breakdown:
Although bookends Lost and Wife Swap means ABC is back on the Wednesday map this season, the addition of annual Barbara Walters Special: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2004 at 9 p.m. only added to the network's considerable victory. Lost (12.4/19; Viewers: 18.85 million; A18-49: 7.1/20) and the Barbara Walters special (12.1/17; Viewers: 16.43 million; A18-49: 5.4/14) ranked No. 1 in all three categories from 8-10 p.m., while the addictive Wife Swap (#2, 8.5/13; Viewers: #3, 11.56 million; A18-49: #2, 4.7/13) was second in the overnights and adults 18-49 behind NBC's Law & Order (12.7/20; Viewers: 15.75 million; A18-49: 5.0/14). CBS' CSI: NY (#3: 8.2/13; Viewers: #2, 11.78 million; A18-49: #3, 4.5/12) was a repeat yesterday.

As a reminder, total viewers and adults 18-49 are based on the fast affiliate ratings.

Second in the overnights behind Lost (which does not cease to amaze me, by the way, given the constant plot curve balls) was NBC special A Clay Aiken Christmas (6.4/ 9), followed by CBS' 60 Minutes (6.3/10). A Clay Aiken Christmas, which could be used as a cure for insomnia if you taped it, was fourth among adults 18-49 with a 2.0/ 5. Note: 60 Minutes aired in only 43-metered markets due to preemptions caused by Billy Graham and St. Jude's.

On Fox, the 2004 Billboard Music Awards sprung a leak, dipping to a record low 4.7/ 7 in the overnights, 6.73 million viewers and a 3.1/ 8 among adults 18-49. Comparably, that was a decline of 28 percent in the overnights, 3.08 million viewers and 33 percent among adults 18-49 from last year's telecast (6.5/10; Viewers: 9.81 million; A18-49: 4.6/12 on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2003). Note: viewers and adults 18-49 for last year's Billboard Music Awards were based on the final nationals.

On the WB, a two-hour repeat of Smallville (#6, 3.2/ 5; A18-49: #6, 1.5/ 4) trailed UPN's combination of America's Next Top Model (#4, 4.5/ 7; A18-49: #3, 2.4/ 7) and a repeat of Kevin Hill (#6: 2.6/ 4; A18-49: #6,1.5/ 4) by an average of 11 percent in the overnights and 25 percent among adults 18-49.

At 9 p.m., although NBC's rejuvenated The West Wing (#2, 10.3/15; Viewers: #2, 12.35 million; A18-49: #3, 3.7/ 7) beat CBS' combination of King of Queens (#3, 6.8/10; Viewers: #3, 10.12 million; A18-49: #2, 4.0/10) and Center of the Universe (#3: 5.6/ 8; Viewers: #3, 8.79 million; A18-49: #2, 3.7/ 9) by an average of 66 percent in the overnights and 2.9 million viewers, the CBS comedies had an advantage of 4 percent among adults 18-49.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Ratings Box: What’s Hot/What’s Not

Noggin Posts Increases:
Noggin, the commercial-free, educational network for kids 2-5, will end 2004 as the highest rated year in the network's history, with growth of 60 percent in the target demographic. Noggin has delivered 11 straight months of double-digit ratings growth in 2004, with November reaching a new zenith at a 1.7 rating.

The Nanny Reunion Scores on Lifetime:
Monday night's The Nanny Reunion: A Nosh to Remember on Lifetime averaged a solid 3.0 household rating with 3.6 million viewers from 8-9 p.m. -- the cable network's second highest rated special ever. The top-rated special on Lifetime remains The Golden Girls Reunion, with a 3.7 rating and 4.2 million viewers.

Speaking of The Nanny Reunion:
Bringing in guest star Danny "The Partridge Family" Bonaduce in place of Daniel "Niles" Davis was as dumb as Niles marrying barracuda C.C. What was that fashion girl from Flushing thinking?

Top-Rated Dr. Phil and Tony Danza Show:
Based on ratings for the week of Nov. 22, King World's Dr. Phil scored a 5.9 household rating, equaling its all-time best, while Buena Vista's The Tony Danza Show perked up to a series-high 1.5. Also worth noting was a season-high 1.2 for NBC Universal's Starting Over.

More Than 100 People Found on Missing:
Missing, the half-hour syndicated weekly from Telco Productions that features actual cases of missing individuals across the country, has now found more than 100 people. Assisted by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, each episode of the series features interviews with friends, family and investigators involved with the cases. Coming up from Telco in Sept. 2005: This Week in Real Estate, a syndicated weekly showcasing homes for sale in a particular city. For more information, contact Alex Paen at 310/828-4003.

CBS and NBC Share the No. 1 Spot on Tuesday:
Although CBS' combination of NCIS, The Amazing Race 6 and Judging Amy was more than enough to score another Tuesday win in households and total viewers, old faithful Law & Order: SVU at 10 p.m. led NBC to victory among adults 18-49. Worth noting: Annual holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas, now on ABC, led the 8 p.m. hour among adults 18-49, followed by NBC's The Biggest Loser (3.9/10), CBS' NCIS (3.4/ 9) and Fox reality dud The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best.

Speaking of NCIS, did you know that year-to-year Paramount's underrated JAG spin-off is up by 2.03 million viewers, 25 percent in adults 18-49 and 17 percent in adults 25-54? It's one of the fastest growing shows in primetime.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data

HDTVChallenged

12-09-04, 11:29 AM

Originally posted by trbarry
Instead of using Nielsen they should save money by just calling me and canceling anything I watch.

- Tom

LOL .... Add me to that call list :D

fredfa

12-09-04, 06:09 PM

Cable Penetration at 10-Year Low

Mediaweek.com December 09, 2004 ---Direct broadcast satellite continues to gain at wired cable’s expense.

According to a Television Bureau of Advertising analysis of Nielsen Media Research data for November 2004, satellite penetration reached 19.2 percent, up from 18.2 percent a year ago. Over the same period, wired cable lost 300,000 subscribers, pushing penetration down to 66.4 percent, the lowest its been since December 1994.

Penetration of alternative delivery systems to wired cable, of which satellite is the largest component, is now at 22.7 percent of all subscription television customers.

Reagan

12-09-04, 08:59 PM

Cable Penetration at 10-Year Low

A frustrated Mrs. Cable could not be reached for comment.

fredfa

12-09-04, 09:54 PM

The lists of shows on hiatus, shows in ratings trouble, cancelled shows, and mid-season replacements have all been updated (at the bottom of the Latest News post).

fredfa

12-09-04, 10:17 PM

Bill Moyers retiring From TV journalism

NEW YORK The Associated Press--"I was just in the editing room, working on the last piece," Bill Moyers says. "I thought: 'I've done this so many times, and each one is as difficult as the last one.' Maybe finally I've broken the habit."

It hasn't been so much a habit for Moyers as a truth-telling mission during his three decades as a TV journalist. But come next week, he will sign off from Now, the weekly PBS newsmagazine he began in 2002, as, at age 70, he retires from television.

"I'm going out telling the story that I think is the biggest story of our time: how the right-wing media has become a partisan propaganda arm of the Republican National Committee," says Moyers. "We have an ideological press that's interested in the election of Republicans, and a mainstream press that's interested in the bottom line. Therefore, we don't have a vigilant, independent press whose interest is the American people."

For that, his absence after the Dec. 17 Now will be all the more keenly felt: Moyers' interest has always been the American people.

A humanist who's at home with subjects ranging from the power of myth to media consolidation, from drug addiction to modern dance, from religion to environmental abuse, Moyers has produced hundreds of hours of diverse programming on issues that others shortchange, sidestep or simply fail to notice. And through it all, he has looked upon his audience not as targeted consumers, or as voters split along a Red State-Blue State divide, but as his fellow citizens.

He's a citizen-journalist with a robust background, this Texas native who, early on, earned a divinity degree (he's an ordained Baptist minister) then served as special assistant to President Johnson, and for several years was publisher of the Long Island newspaper Newsday.

In 1971, he came to public television as host of This Week and Bill Moyers' Journal, and, next, joined CBS News to do similarly civic-minded programming.

Then in 1986 he and his wife, Judith Davidson Moyers, became their own bosses by forming Public Affairs Television, an independent shop that has not only produced documentaries such as A Walk Through the 20th Century,Healing and the Mind and A Gathering of Men with Robert Bly, but also paid for them through its own fund-raising efforts.

"Judith and I will take several months to catch our breath," says Moyers during a recent conversation at the soon-to-be-vacated office he rents at Thirteen/WNET's Manhattan headquarters. "Then I will think about the Last Act — capital L, capital A — of my life."

He does have one immediate project: a book he will write about his years with Johnson. But he has no TV ventures in mind.

With his days at Now ticking down, Moyers voices pride in that series, which, upon its premiere three years ago, he envisioned as "a flexible format for ideas and conversation, reportage and debate." Now reaching 2.4 million viewers weekly with its breaking-news currency and contemplative pace, Now will continue with his worthy co-host, David Brancaccio, taking over. (It airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. ET; check local listings.)

"It has gained traction," says Moyers — if only by default, in an era where most TV journalism gravitates toward the sensational or trivial. "As the networks have raced to the bottom, it is very easy to stand out if you just do good journalism. We've been trying to do good journalism, and it filled a real void."

One example of typically good journalism on Now not long ago: an in-depth look at the record of President Bush's nominee for secretary of state, Condoleeza Rice, who in her current post as national security adviser "dreadfully misjudged the terrorist threat leading up to 9/11, and then misled America and the world about the case for invading Iraq," as Moyers concluded.

It was the sort of report unlikely to be found on most newscasts, and even less likely to endear a reporter to the powers-that-be, on whose good graces the media has grown all too reliant. But Moyers believes that challenging those in power is a journalist's duty — and, consequently, his.

"What they're really objecting to is not my ideology," he says in his thoughtful, almost pastoral manner. "I'd be doing this if the Democrats were in power. It's not that I'm a liberal, it really isn't. It's the fact that I'm doing journalism that isn't determined by the establishment.

"You don't get rewarded in commercial broadcasting for trying to tell the truth about the institutions of power in this country," he goes on. "I think my peers in commercial television are talented and devoted journalists, but they've chosen to work in a corporate mainstream that trims their talent to fit the corporate nature of American life. And you do not get rewarded for telling the hard truths about America in a profit-seeking environment."

Through his own devices, Moyers has been the journalist he wanted to be, while honored for it with more than 30 Emmys and 10 Peabody awards.

"I've just been doing the kind of journalism that ought to be done, IF you had the opportunity to do it," he insists. "The fight has been to create that opportunity and that independence."

It's been a fight he fought well. But where will tomorrow's Bill Moyers come from?

"We have got to nurture the spirit of independent journalism in this country," he warns in reply, "or we'll not save capitalism from its own excesses, and we'll not save democracy from its own inertia."