Hot Off The Press! The Latest Television News and Info [Text View] - Page 41

Marcus Carr

03-28-06, 08:25 AM

Barton Gives Bells 10 Years

By Ted Hearn 3/27/2006 11:05:00 PM

Phone companies would be granted 10-year national video franchises with automatic renewal under a House bill released Monday afternoon by Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas).

The release of the bill sets the stage for a hearing Thursday and a possible vote next week by the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.

Reflecting changes sought by the cable industry, the 34-page bill would allow incumbent cable operators to escape local franchising in communities where phone companies are providing pay TV service or when their existing franchises are "no longer in effect."

“The House bill released today represents considerable progress, and we look forward to working with chairman [Barton] and all committee members in the weeks ahead,” National Cable & Telecommunications Association president Kyle McSlarrow said in a prepared statement.

McSlarrow was relieved because Barton originally wanted to deny cable incumbents a national franchise until the phone company had 15% of the local pay TV market. Barton also slapped pricing controls on cable.

"While our policy recommendation would be to reform and streamline the franchising process to ensure speedy entry by new competitors, we are pleased that the national franchising scheme proposed in the House bill seeks to ensure that all providers compete on a level playing field," McSlarrow said.

AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. have been urging Congress to adopt a national franchising approach to expedite their entry into cable markets. Under the Barton bill, the phone companies would have video-entry authorization from the Federal Communications Commission within 30 days.

“Verizon is studying the bill to make sure it meets objectives important to consumers: greater video choice, accelerated broadband deployment and a free and open Internet, unfettered by government regulation,” said Peter Davidson, Verizon’s senior vice president for federal legislative affairs, in a prepared statement.

Although the Barton bill did not include territorial-buildout requirements on phone-company video entrants, it would ban red-lining based on the economic profile of a community. The FCC is allowed to intervene in order to ensure that a neglected community is served.

Barton’s bill includes watered-down language on network neutrality, giving the FCC authority to enforce its consumer-centric broadband principles adopted last August. But the agency would not have the authority to promulgate net-neutrality rules.

The FCC could adjudicate disputes that arise under the principles, which do not directly address whether network owners are banned from establishing fee-based premium services on their high-speed-Internet platforms.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) -- who introduced a bill that would bar cable and phone companies from guaranteeing some Web merchants preferential treatment -- blasted the Barton bill.

“This legislation begins the construction of a multilayered, toll-strewn information superhighway that is out of sync with what has made the Internet work -- access for all. [My bill] ensures that the Internet will truly be free from discrimination, and I plan to continue to fight for that principle,” Wyden said in a prepared statement Monday night.

Public Knowledge, a group that seeks network-neutrality guarantees, complained that Barton’s approach failed to protect against discriminatory conduct by network providers.

“Without stronger legislation, the cable and telephone companies will have the power to change the fundamental nature of the Internet. This bill needs significant improvement before it will preserve the open Internet that consumers and service providers expect and deserve,” Public Knowledge president Gigi Sohn said.

Elsewhere, the Barton bill would require national video franchisees to contribute 1% of gross revenue to provide financial support for public-access channels and institutional networks that link government and educational facilities in a community. In the future, national franchisees would need to provide more channel capacity to public-access programming.

Barton’s bill would allow local government to offer high-speed-Internet access, provided that they do not seek any special advantages over private companies.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6319478.html?display=Breaking+News

Marcus Carr

03-28-06, 08:49 AM

House Would Grant 10-Year National Franchise

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/27/2006 5:21:00 PM

The House Energy & Commerce Committee has released a copy of legislation that a spokesman calls "the bill"-- rather than a draft--of a proposed new national video franchising scheme.

In a victory for the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, gone are arguably the most cable-unfriendly provisions of an early draft of the bill.

Those would have allowed new video services, like telco video, to serve up to 15% of a market before cable could secure a similar national franchise. Another would have required incumbent cable operators to give price breaks to everyone in their systems, not just those who were being served by new competition.

The bill as currently constituted allows new video providers to get a 10-year franchise within 30 days of filing the requisite application, so long as they file the correct paperwork. It also allows cable to get a franchise under the same national franchise terms if a competitor enters the market with a national franchise or when their current franchise expires.

The national franchise can be revoked for "repeated and willfull violations," including discrimination in terms of service (so-called "red lining"), violating rights-of-way laws, or making false statements about service.

The bill still allows for local franchise deals if video providers wish to seek them.

Republicans were praising the bill as bipartisan, though an earlier bipartisan draft with the blessings of ranking Democrats John Dingell and Ed Markey fell apart when the 15% trigger and uniform pricing language was exised in the wake of strong opposition from the cable industry.

The only Democrat being cited in a release from the majority touting the bill was Bobby Rush (D-Ill.).

Another Illinois legislator, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, praised the bill and Chiarman Joe Barton (R-Tex.), saying: "I want to thank the members of the Energy and Commerce Committee, including my friends, Chairman Joe Barton and Reps. Fred Upton and Bobby Rush, for putting consumers first as we prevent outdated regulations from stunting the growth of new pay-TV services and drive down costs by giving people more choice."

A hearing on the bill has reportedly been scheduled for Thursday, March 30.

http://broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6319469.html?display=Breaking+News

fredfa

03-28-06, 10:15 AM

Obituary
Dan Curtis, 78; Creator of Epic TV Miniseries 'Winds of War,' 'War and Remembrance'

By Valerie J. Nelson Los Angeles Times Staff Writer March 28, 2006

Dan Curtis, whose battle to make two Emmy-winning World War II miniseries, "The Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance," lasted years longer than the war the epics were based on, has died. He was 78.

Curtis, who also created the daytime soap opera "Dark Shadows" in the 1960s that became a pop culture touchstone, died Monday of brain cancer at his Brentwood home, said his daughter, Cathy.

The landmark "War" miniseries were produced in the 1980s on a scale never before attempted on television. He served as executive producer, co-writer and director.

When "The Winds of War," a 16-hour, $40-million dramatization of the beginning of World War II, aired in February 1983, it was one of the most-watched miniseries of all time. ABC estimated that 140 million people tuned in to at least part of the series, which starred Robert Mitchum as Navy Capt. Victor "Pug" Henry.

"Wherever I turned, people were talking about it," Curtis told The Times soon after it aired. "No matter what I do the rest of my career, I can't imagine anything coming up to the high that was."

After spending more than four years on "The Winds of War," Curtis was adamantly opposed to adapting a second Herman Wouk novel that picked up the story of the war after Pearl Harbor. He relented when ABC promised a big budget and free rein to truthfully depict the horrors of the Holocaust.

When "War and Remembrance" began airing in 1988, the 30-hour, $104-million production was the biggest, longest and most expensive project in television history.

Writing the script took more than a year, location scouting took two years, and production required 21 months with filming in 10 countries. Curtis compared the editing, which took two years, to being in jail.

"The reality is, this is the end of 10 years of my life," Curtis said when the sequel aired.

"War and Remembrance" did not garner the ratings of its predecessor, but it was watched by about 40 million viewers. Though both miniseries received Emmys, the sequel brought Curtis his own, for outstanding miniseries.

After calling "The Winds of War" "a handsome hunk of pop entertainment," Times television critic Howard Rosenberg declared the sequel "a monumental slab of TV" that was worth the five-year wait.

Still, Curtis openly worried that he would be remembered for "Dark Shadows," his gothic horror daytime soap that ran from 1966-71 on ABC.

The idea for the show — about an orphaned governess who goes to work for a wealthy family — came to him in a dream that he shared with his wife when he woke up. She urged him to run with it.

At first, the campy series struggled in the ratings.

"My sister told him, 'make it scarier,' so he brought in the vampire Barnabas Collins, and the ratings took off," Cathy Curtis recalled.

In addition to the charismatic 175-year-old vampire, played by Jonathan Frid, other supernatural elements and characters were added that drew viewers.

A rabid fan base, fueled by cable reruns and video collections, still exists. By mining popular themes found in science fiction and horror literature, Curtis pushed the boundaries of daytime storytelling.

The show also introduced a number of future stars, including Kate Jackson, John Karlen and Roger Davis. Numerous up-and-comers such as Susan Sullivan, Marsha Mason and Harvey Keitel did guest shots.

With features based on the mythology of the show, Curtis segued to the big screen. "House of Dark Shadows" (1970) recast the original story and was more violent than its TV counterpart. In 1991, he tried to revive "Dark Shadows" on prime-time television, but the NBC show lasted only two months.

Daniel Mayer Cherkoss was born Aug. 12, 1927, in Bridgeport, Conn., to Edward, a dentist, and his wife, Mildred. After his mother died when he was 13, his father remarried. He gained a stepbrother, Myron Ballen, who later served three terms in the Connecticut Senate.

At Syracuse University, Curtis earned a bachelor's degree in sociology in 1950 and met Norma Klein, a student whom he married in 1952.

By the time he entered show business as a salesman at NBC, he had simplified his name to Curtis.

In the early 1960s, he formed his own production company and became the owner and executive in charge of the Emmy-winning golf program "CBS Match Play Classic" (1963-73). To be nearer to Hollywood, Curtis moved his family to Beverly Hills in 1972.

For much of the late 1960s and early 1970s, he worked in the horror genre, with small-screen remakes of such classics as "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (ABC, 1968) and "Dracula" (CBS, 1973).

He was producer of the ABC movies "The Night Stalker" (1972) and "The Night Strangler" (1973), which introduced Darren McGavin in his signature role of grizzled, has-been crime reporter Carl Kolchak.

Besides his "War" work, Curtis was proudest of two recent TV movies he directed.

Last year, he made "Our Fathers," a dramatized account of the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal for Showtime. For NBC, he directed "Saving Milly," based on journalist Morton Kondracke's book about his wife's battle with Parkinson's disease.

The NBC film "touched close to home," his daughter said, because Curtis' wife, Norma, had Alzheimer's disease. She died three weeks ago.

In addition to his daughter Cathy and his stepbrother Myron Ballen, Curtis is survived by daughter Tracy. A daughter, Linda, died in 1975.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Eden Memorial Park, 11500 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills.

Instead of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Dr. Jeff Cummings' Alzheimer's research, c/o UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Center, 710 Westwood Plaza, Suite 20238, Los Angeles CA 90095.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-me-curtis28mar28,0,6469636,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

fredfa

03-28-06, 10:32 AM

TV Notebook
'Big Love': Real Polygamists Look at HBO Polygamists and Find Sex

By Felicia R. Lee The New York Times March 28, 2006

SALT LAKE CITY — Yuck, she said. A sex scene. And right at the beginning of the show, her friend chimed in.

"Big Love," HBO's new take on a fictional polygamous family in the suburbs of this city, was on the television. The Viagra-popping Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) was thrashing in bed with Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin), the youngest of his three wives. The five women watching the show — covering their eyes during the sex scenes, chiding the competitive wives, urging Bill to take control — were critics with special credentials: a current or past polygamous marriage.

And despite the show's flaws, these women called "Big Love" a cultural benchmark, one with the potential to cast a warmer light on their lives.

"It's a more realistic view of a polygamous family that lives out in society than people have known," said Anne Wilde, a widow who was part of a multiple family for 33 years. "It can be seen as a viable alternative lifestyle between consenting adults."

"Big Love," which had its premiere on March 12, has certainly made a noisy splash. Some television critics find it an intriguing twist on suburban family angst. The Mormon Church contends that the show glamorizes a practice it renounced in 1890. Vicky Prunty, the head of the leading anti-polygamy group here and herself a former polygamist, dismisses it as a Hollywood fantasy for men. The first "Big Love" episode was watched by 4.6 million people (following "The Sopranos," which drew 9.5 million), according to Nielsen Media Research. A week later, the number for "Big Love" was down to 3.4 million after "The Sopranos" attracted 9.2. million.

For the women gathered in a hotel room here at the request of The New York Times to talk about the intersection of their lives and popular culture, more is at stake than good ratings. "This is a glimpse of a family that is mainstream," Mary Batchelor, a 37-year-old mother of seven and director of "Principle Voices," a leading polygamy advocacy group, said of the Henricksons. "There are hundreds of these families. It shows an aspect of polygamy nobody ever sees. Before, you saw families in crisis." She referred to media images of men being carted off to jail for beating women or children or marrying child brides.

"This is making all of America say 'Why is there a law against polygamy?' " said a 55-year-old woman who wanted to be known only as Doris, because she feared repercussions at her new job after years of staying at home with her 14 children in suburban West Jordan. "This guy is just trying to support his family, and the family is just trying to make it."

While the women said "Big Love" had too much skin and not enough religion or humor for their taste, they agreed that it portrayed the Henricksons like any other American family, especially in an era of mixed marriages of all sorts, gay partnerships, single parents and serial monogamy.

In addition to Doris, Ms. Batchelor and Ms. Wilde, the women watching "Big Love" on this night included Linda, a 53-year-old widow and mother of four who said she lived for 30 years "in a plural situation" with 12 other wives; and another Mary, 52, who has been married for 10 years, has five children and whose sister-wife ("my best friend") lives up the street in a town called Bluffdale. She is an artist and high school teacher.

They did have some worries. "My concern is that this will stereotype and cause more prejudice from the mainstream Latter-day Saints Church," Mary said of the "Big Love" family. "People who are not Mormons will say, 'They are kind of normal,' but people in Mormondom will say, 'They are as disgusting as we thought' because of the sexual content." Like the characters in "Big Love," who talk about keeping their families below the horizon, these women were careful about providing private details. Ms. Wilde, for instance, declined to say how many sister-wives were in her family.

The personal and the political sometimes converge, though. Ms. Batchelor is a second wife who became an only wife after the departure of the first wife — that being Ms. Prunty, the co-director of Tapestry Against Polygamy. That nonprofit group's trustees and directors include formerly polygamous wives and family members, and its advisory board consists of legal and social-work professionals. Their main focus is to help people leaving polygamous families and to educate the public.

"Big Love" skims the surface of the intense dynamics in plural families, Ms. Prunty said. Their isolation, secrecy and complicated logistics make them breeding grounds for forced marriage, under-age brides and abusive men, she said. The writers of the series have said that those issues will be addressed.

"In reality, there's not a woman out there who's going to share a man without religion being a factor," Ms. Prunty said. "That's what's missing in the show. This seems like some male fantasy, some alternative marriage that is Hollywood."

While each episode, after discussions between HBO and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, includes a disclaimer that the Mormons long ago renounced polygamy, thousands of polygamists who call themselves Mormon fundamentalists say they are following the church's original teachings on marriage, called "the principle." Some live in religious communities, others live independently.

C. Michael Quinn, a historian and former professor at Brigham Young University, said his research shows that the devotion of fundamentalist Mormon teenage girls to polygamy helps keep the practice alive. Dr. Quinn, the author of several scholarly books on Mormons, said the girls from polygamous families cannot imagine another life. The boys, he said, cite the difficulties in supporting a big family but find wives among the girls in their community.

"They believe polygamy was a commandment from God to the Mormon founder, Joseph Smith Jr., in the 1830's," explained Dr. Quinn, himself an excommunicated Mormon from a Mormon family that goes back seven generations. He estimates that one-third to one-half of about 30,000 to 50,000 Mormon fundamentalists are also polygamists; Tapestry Against Polygamy estimates that there may be as many as 100,000.

The fictional Henricksons are portrayed as independent fundamentalists. Middle-class and attractive, their three households include seven children in total and discreetly share a backyard. Bill is hustling to open his second home-improvement store. The show's darkest element is a creepy father-in-law, Roman (Harry Dean Stanton), the patriarch of a polygamous clan, who wants a bigger cut of Bill's business profits.

The women gathered to watch the show liked that a distinction was made between such groups and more modern, independent polygamists. They laughed at Roman but admitted he represented a certain reality. "There's diversity," Ms. Wilde said. But Linda added, "Please, we don't believe in forced marriage or child brides."

They also liked the cool and collected first wife, Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn); disliked the second wife, Nicki (Chloë Sevigny), a secret shopaholic and Roman's daughter; and empathized with the efforts of the newest wife, Margene, to fit in. Bill, they said, was mismanaging his time and not standing up to the women, who seem to fight constantly for his attention. In the show's second episode, Nicki and Barb are upset about the short robe that Margene wears to breakfast with the whole family and spar about the need for the women to stick to "the schedule" for visits from the Viagra-enhanced Bill.

"Viagra is not part of our culture," Linda said. "Our men don't need Viagra." She added that sister-wives would not put pressure on a man sexually.

Later in the show, when a friend asks Bill if he is thinking of "adding a fourth" wife, Bill demurs, saying that he has his hands full. "They're the path you've chosen; walk it with decency," the friend comments.

"That's a good line," Linda said, as the other women murmured their assent.

The creators of "Big Love," Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer (who along with the actor Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman are the executive producers of the series), said in a telephone interview that they were hearing all the criticisms and compliments. The show was conceived as a prism through which to look at the "struggle for the common good over the individual good" that exists in any family, Mr. Olsen said. He and Mr. Scheffer are partners in real life.

"The pro-polygamists think it's too dark," Mr. Olsen said. "The anti-polygamists don't think it's dark enough. I think we've split the baby down the middle." The men said they spent almost three years researching the show, talking to experts and reading everything from sociological tracts to official Mormon records.

Mr. Scheffer said future episodes would explore some of the darker aspects of polygamy, like the abuses of patriarchy. There are already hints in the early episodes: Roman has at least one teenage bride.

Back in the Salt Lake City hotel room, where a light snow mixed with rain fell outside, Ms. Batchelor worried aloud about Bill and his wives. "I think they're a family in transition," she said. "I hope they're going to make it."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/28/arts/television/28poly.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

fredfa

03-28-06, 10:39 AM

TV Notebook
Friedman's back on CBS' morning beat

By Paul J. Gough The Hollywood Reporter March 28, 2006

New York -- Former "Today" executive producer Steve Friedman will return to CBS News beginning Tuesday to head morning broadcasts.

CBS News President Sean McManus tapped Friedman as vp of morning broadcasts. He'll be in charge of "The Early Show," "The Saturday Early Show," "CBS Morning News" and "Up to the Minute."

Friedman has a long list of credits beyond two stints at "Today" from 1979 to 1987 again in the 1990s. He brought "Today" to the top position in the morning during both of those times. He's also been executive producer of the "NBC Nightly News" and created "Dateline."

He was senior executive producer of "The Early Show" when it began in 1999 until 2002.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002237165

keenan

03-28-06, 11:17 AM

From The Hollywood Reporter,

March 28, 2006

Earth to ABC: Kelley preps 'Mars' attack

By Nellie Andreeva

David E. Kelley is going back in time with a new drama project for ABC, which has received a put pilot commitment with a hefty penalty attached.

The show, targeted for fall 2007, is based on the BBC's 2006 sci-fi crime drama "Life on Mars," which stars John Simm as a 21st century detective who, following a car crash, mysteriously finds himself working as a cop in the 1970s.

Kelley is set to pen the pilot script and to executive produce the pilot.

Kelley's 20th Century Fox TV-based David E. Kelley Prods. is producing the project with the original series' producer, British company Kudos Film & Television, and 20th TV.

Kelley became interested in bringing the format to U.S. television after his representatives at WMA, which recently signed Kudos, introduced him to the property.

Kudos' joint managing directors, Stephen Garrett and Jane Featherstone, who executive produce the British series, also are on board to exec produce the U.S. version alongside Kelley.

The deal keeps Kelley in the ABC fold, where he created and executive produces the drama "Boston Legal." It also marks Kelley's first stab at the crime drama genre since the 1999 series "Snoops," also on ABC.

"Life on Mars," named after the David Bowie song, debuted on BBC 1 on Jan. 9 with an initial run of eight episodes.

It was created by Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan and Ashley Pharoah, who also collaborated on Kudos' hit crime drama for the BBC, "Hustle."

Kudos' producing credits also include the hit BBC series "Spooks," which airs on BBC America as "MI-5."

Kelley is additionally repped by manager Marty Adelstein and attorney Michael Gendler.

Kudos also is repped by attorney Jamie Mandelbaum.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002237277
Earth to ABC: Kelley preps 'Mars' attack

Alan Gordon

03-28-06, 12:08 PM

Alan, I also read that article at tvweek, and couldn't find it later. What I did see at other sites though, was talk about the CW's pre-upfront meeting, that mentioned that they had given out a packet with some show info in it on possible shows that could return. My guess is that tvweek just mistook that info for official renewal announcements, then pulled that info off when nobody else ran it. UPN's "All of Us" was another show on that list that was kind of a longshot.

Thanks Rocky, I figured it was probably a mistake on TVWeek's part too, but didn't connect the pre-upfront meeting to it.

~Alan

fredfa

03-28-06, 12:35 PM

Monday’s prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted at the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

Alan Gordon

03-28-06, 12:45 PM

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know where to find out when a station's affiliation with a network expires?!

~Alan

pwrmetal

03-28-06, 02:14 PM

Doctor Who ratings:

The Unquiet Dead rating fell to a 1.27 with an audience of 1.55 million viewers. (As noted earlier in this thread, the reports from last week listed viewers as 1.58 and 1.61 million when in fact that was the rating.)

Oddly enough the rating dropped despite an increase in viewers 18-49 (13% up for men, 12% overall).

(Courtesy Shaun Lyon of Outpost Gallifrey (http://www.gallifreyone.com))

RussTC3

03-28-06, 04:40 PM

A drop in HH but a gain in the key demos.

The guy over at that forum has great access to the ratings, so I think we can rely on that forum for all the ratings data for now on.

Really great breakdowns.

SnakeEyes

03-28-06, 06:02 PM

fredfa

03-28-06, 06:39 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Breakout: Fox reclaims Monday night

Easily takes No. 1, bounding up 41 percent

By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Mar 28, 2006

Fox already dominates Tuesday and Wednesday nights on the strength of “American Idol,” and now it is once again competing for No. 1 on Monday night after a tough fall.

Last night the network finished first among viewers 18-49 with a 5.2 average Nielsen overnight rating, up 6 percent versus last week’s 4.9 and up 41 percent over the 3.7 final rating it has averaged on the night so far this season.

Fox won the night by more than a point. With NBC and ABC also boasting competitive if not spectacular schedules, and CBS still the favorite, Mondays have become a lot more interesting.

Some of Fox’s week-to-week gains surely came because CBS aired mostly reruns last night, but the Monday night tandem of “Prison Break” and “24” is also looking strong.

The return of “Prison Break,” which had been on hiatus since November, wasn’t overly impressive last week, posting a 4.3 overnight rating among 18-49s after averaging a 4.4 last fall. But the show grew in its second outing, up 5 percent to a 4.5 last night and serving as a stronger lead-in for “24.”

The Kiefer Sutherland action drama posted a 6.0 among 18-49s last night, up 9 percent from a 5.5 last week.
Last fall, Fox’s Monday schedule struggled mightily. Though “Break” was an immediate hit, the sitcoms “Arrested Development” and “Kitchen Confidential” at 8 and 8:30 p.m. flopped, pulling Fox’s average way down for the night.

Fox led a competitive night among 18-49s with a 5.2 average rating and a 13 share. CBS finished second at 4.0/10, NBC third at 3.8/10, ABC fourth at 3.8/9, UPN fifth at 1.4/3, and WB and Univision tied for sixth at 1.3/3.

NBC started the night in the lead with a 5.0 rating at 8 p.m. for game show “Deal or No Deal.” Fox was second that hour with its 4.5 for “Prison Break,” ABC third with a 3.8 for “Wife Swap” and CBS fourth with a 2.6 for repeats of “The King of Queens” and “How I Met Your Mother.” WB and Univision tied for fifth at 1.3, WB for “Everwood” and Univision for “Barrera de Amor,” with UPN seventh with a 1.2 for “One on One” (1.2) and “All of Us” (1.2).

At 9 p.m. Fox took the lead with its 6.0 for “24.” ABC was second with a 4.2 for “Supernanny,” and NBC and CBS tied for third at 4.1, NBC for “The Apprentice” and CBS for a repeat of “Two and a Half Men” (4.5) and a new episode of “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (3.8). UPN and Univision tied for fifth that hour at 1.5, UPN for “Girlfriends” (1.5) and “Half and Half” (1.5) and Univision for “Alborada,” while WB dropped to seventh with a 1.4 for another hour of “Everwood.”

At 10 p.m. CBS took the lead with a 5.2 for a repeat of “CSI: Miami.” ABC was second with a 3.4 for “Miracle Workers,” NBC third with a 2.3 for a “Heist” rerun and Univision fourth with a 1.1 for “Cristina.”

CBS took the night among households with an 8.3 average rating and a 13 share. Fox was second at 7.3/11, NBC third at 6.8/10, ABC fourth at 6.2/10, WB fifth at 2.3/3, UPN sixth at 2.2/3 and Univision seventh at 2.0/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_3727.asp

fredfa

03-28-06, 09:40 PM

TV Notebook
Fox tacking a year on its 'Prison' term

By Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter March 29, 2006

Two episodes into the spring portion of "Prison Break's" freshman season, Fox has given the suspense drama a full-season pickup for fall.

The first season of the show has chronicled the planning of a prison break by a group of inmates led by two brothers, Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) and Michael (Wentworth Miller).

Because the season culminates with a group of eight inmates escaping from prison, the second year of the series will have a brand new story line. "Season 1 was the prison break, and Season 2 will be the manhunt," series creator-executive producer Paul Scheuring said in a phone interview from New Mexico where he is scouting locations for the show's second season.

"It will be 'The Fugitive' times eight. We're going to be scattering our escapees to the four corners of the country, using various modes of transportation, planes, trains and automobiles. Basically it's going to be the second half of 'The Great Escape.' "

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002237755

fredfa

03-28-06, 10:06 PM

Last week’s top 10 prime-time program ratings are now at the top of RATINGS NEWS -- the first post in this thread.

fredfa

03-28-06, 10:26 PM

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

homcom

03-29-06, 12:02 AM

fredfa, any news on the show Yes, Dear. The first post says it might be back next season, is there still a chance? I really like that show, but the on again off again scheduling, plus the timeslot changes make it hard to keep up with it.

Thanks so much for doing all the work, that this thread requires, it is a really great resource.

pwrmetal

03-29-06, 08:45 AM

Very interesting. Not sure what to make of it. Obviously a drop in overall isn't good but an increase in the key demo is. Lets see where the overall sits this Friday and if the key demo is able to at least maintain it's boost.

In my opinion, the key ratings weeks for Dr. Who are the rating for the 6th episode "Dalek" and then following that. I think Sci-Fi will promote that one heavily, and IMO it's the first truly fantastic episode of the season, and is also when the season really starts to take off. Whether people tune in for it and whether or not the episode generates a buzz will be key to the ratings for the rest of the season.

fredfa

03-29-06, 10:07 AM

TV Notebook
Nothing to show but 53 shows

Lame duck 'Arrested Development' will expire 47 episodes short of the 100 mark. And, apparently, that spells failure.
By Scott Collins Los Angeles Times Staff Writer March 29, 2006

The strange fate of "Arrested Development" reminds us once again of the odd up-is-down commercial imperatives of American network TV.

Variety reported Tuesday that creator Mitch Hurwitz has decided to bail on the sitcom about a grandiosely strange Orange County family, which won an armload of glowing reviews, a best comedy Emmy after its first season and whispered reverence from Fox executives, who referred to the show the same way nuns might speak of a medieval relic associated with the Virgin Mary. Unfortunately, what "Arrested" could never do is get arrested. Not nearly enough viewers ever tuned in to justify all the heroic attempts to save the show, which is now evidently dead beyond all doubt.

"The fans have been so ardent in their devotion and in return … I've given everything I can to the show in order to try to live up to their expectations," Hurwitz told Daily Variety. "I finally reached a point where I felt I couldn't continue to deliver that on a weekly basis."

In the annals of Hollywood, "Arrested" will go down as a tragedy — not because it was a creative flop (its small but intense legion of fans say quite the opposite) but because it committed the unpardonable sin of crapping out after three seasons. To TV executives, that is just about the worst thing a series can do, because it means that the studio has spent big money to keep alive a show that in all likelihood will never produce serious cash in syndication, where it takes about 100 episodes, or almost five seasons, to prosper.

Does that make any sense? Only to accountants at the TV studios. The economic model that American viewers are stuck with tends to encourage painfully incremental storytelling among dramas and formulaic situations in comedies. Why? So the shows can reach the vaunted 100 mark more easily. Producers lean toward that magic number whether creativity dictates it or not. For all the talk of the death of network comedies, precious little thought has been given to changing the financial formula.

This is the not the way it is everywhere. Consider the BBC. One of its most highly regarded sitcoms, John Cleese's landmark farce, "Fawlty Towers," produced precisely 12 episodes. Twelve! That's one-half of an American season. BBC's "The Office" produced a grand total of 14 episodes. The NBC version, in its second season, has already made roughly twice that many.

"Arrested" lasted 53 episodes. Only in America would that be considered an early death.

Hicks are gaining on the suits

Memo on the red-state/blue-state humor divide:

Comedy Central, best known for coddling the media elites with fare like "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," has a profitable programming sideline with blue-collar comics. Sunday's "Ron White: You Can't Fix Stupid" averaged a whopping 4.5 million total viewers, making it the third-most-watched program in the network's history, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research. That's about three times as many viewers as Stewart's "Daily Show" gets.

What are Comedy Central's two most-watched shows of all time? Last year's roast of comic Jeff Foxworthy (6.2 million viewers) and "Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again" (6.1 million).

White, a frequent guest on Foxworthy's "Blue Collar TV," uses a cigar and a whiskey highball as stage props.

Think of him as the anti-Colbert.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-channel29mar29,0,1575156,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

fredfa

03-29-06, 10:28 AM

Nielsen Notebook
'Adventures' continues

By Gary Levin, USA Today

• Christine crosses. CBS' The New Adventures of Old Christine (15.1 million viewers) Monday matched last week's time-slot debut, suggesting the show is a keeper. Former Two and a Half Men companions fared worse in their new Wednesday homes: Out of Practice (6.9 million) and Courting Alex (6.3 million) hit series lows.

• Idol mauls. American Idol keeps chewing up the competition: Wednesday's results (27.7 million) sent Law & Order (9 million) and Lost (16.1 million) to series lows; Criminal Minds (12.1 million) was well below average. Tuesday's two-hour performance episode (33.4 million) was Idol's biggest yet, excluding auditions and finales.

• Unan1mous numbers. Fox's new reality show Unan1mous premiered with 16 million viewers Wednesday, the biggest post-Idol opener since Skating with Celebrities. (Unlike that show, which tanked on Mondays, Unan1mous will air regularly behind Idol.) And ABC's American Inventor held up in Week 2 with 13 million viewers, winning its slot among young adults and down just 8% from the two-hour opener.

• Chef cooks. Wednesday's instant-classic South Park 10th-season premiere, addressing the departure of Isaac Hayes and his Chef character, averaged 3.5 million viewers, the biggest audience since its second season in August 1998. Stand-up special Ron White: You Can't Fix Stupid drew 4.5 million Sunday, the third-biggest audience in Comedy Central history.

• Up, down. Week 3 of HBO's The Sopranos dipped to 8.9 million Sunday, from 9.2 million, but Big Love climbed to 3.7 million from 3.4 million.

• Hannah fans. Disney Channel's latest scored a one-two Friday punch: Original movie Cow Belles averaged 5.8 million viewers, while the debut of Hannah Montana was the channel's highest-rated series telecast yet among tweens and averaged 5.4 million viewers overall.

• Real low. Bravo's The Real Housewives of Orange County premiered with a measly 430,000 viewers Tuesday, dropping from Blow Out's low 521,000-viewer lead-in. Wednesday, Top Chef averaged 720,000.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-03-28-nielsen-analysis_x.htm

fredfa

03-29-06, 11:29 AM

TV Notebook
For 'Scrubs,' sixth season looks likely

By Abigail Azote MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Mar 29, 2006

At the beginning of this season, the future of “Scrubs” seemed bleak indeed.

The NBC sitcom, entering its fifth season, was bumped from the fall schedule and pushed to a less-desirable January premiere. The sense among media people was that NBC was using "Scrubs" as a fill-in in the hope that its new comedies would catch with viewers, allowing it to finally put the quirky hospital sitcom to rest.

That doesn't look like it's going to happen. More than likely, “Scrubs" will return for a sixth season, if not in the fall certainly in January again.

The reason, say media buyers: NBC may not have a choice. With the exception of "My Name is Earl," the network's new comedies have largely stumbled, and it's also losing some older comedies, including "Will & Grace” and “Joey.”

“It’d be very risky to let ‘Scrubs’ go at this time,” says Tom Weeks, entertainment director at Starcom Entertainment. NBC must fill about 10 hours of programming in the coming season, by Starcom’s estimate, either with new shows or shows that are on the bubble, such as "Scrubs," and a share of those hours must be devoted to comedies.

Since premiering in January, "Scrubs" has been airing back-to-back original episodes Tuesdays at 9 and 9:30 p.m. Among total viewers, the show is down 6 percent, to a 6.5 million season-to-date average, while averaging a 3.2 in 18-49s, up a slight 3 percent from last season’s 3.1. That's well down from its peak in its second season, when it averaged a 7.9 18-49 rating in the plum Thursday timeslot leading out of “Friends.”

The network has no shortage of comedies in development. It recently announced 10 comedy pilots in the works, including one written by “Saturday Night Live” comic Tina Fey.

But the critically acclaimed "Scrubs" will still get preference, even with its weak ratings. As the saying goes, better the devil you know than the devil you don't know.

“Why would you take something that’s untested and bump something that has a track record?” asks Karen McCallum, media director at Esparza Advertising in Albuequerque, N.M. “Inherently, that’s risky."

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_3751.asp

fredfa

03-29-06, 11:32 AM

fredfa

03-29-06, 12:11 PM

Tuesday’s prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted at the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

fredfa

03-29-06, 02:30 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
A gentleman's C for 'Teachers' on NBC

By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Mar 29, 2006, 01:25

Reviewers gave it failing marks, but viewers didn’t seem to agree. NBC’s new sitcom “Teachers” had a decent premiere last night against tough competition in the 9:30 p.m. timeslot.

The show posted a 3.3 overnight rating among viewers 18-49, a 22 percent increase over what NBC averaged in the timeslot a year earlier and up 10 percent from the 3.0 it averaged over the last four weeks.

Those last four weeks included three repeats of “Scrubs” and one new episode.

Up against Fox’s hit “House” and CBS’s new “The Unit,” “Teachers” did okay if not great. Its 3.3 bettered the 3.0 ABC’s “Sons & Daughters” posted in that timeslot on the same night earlier this month. And it retained 94 percent of lead-in “Scrubs’” 3.5 in 18-49s.

Critics found the comedy, from one of the guys behind of “Scrubs,” lacking. Media Life’s Toni Fitzgerald wrote, “It tries too hard, its jokes aren’t funny, and it has an air of desperation, as though it knows things won’t work out. It's awful.”

But to young adults, the show was more appealing than most of the other choices in the timeslot. “Teachers” earned a 3.3 among 18-34s, second only to “House.”

Of course, as is always the case, no real judgments can be made about the show until next week. Among 18-49s, “Sons & Daughters’” dropped 37 percent from its premiere in its second week.

Meanwhile, on the strength of “American Idol” and “House,” Fox easily took the night among 18-49s with a 10.8 average rating and a 26 share. CBS was second at 3.7/9, NBC third at 3.5/9, ABC fourth at 2.3/6, Univision fifth at 1.8/4, WB sixth at 1.0/2 and UPN seventh at 0.8/2.

At 8 p.m. Fox bettered the combined broadcast competition with a 12.9 rating for “Idol.” CBS was second with a 3.0 for a repeat of “NCIS,” ABC third with a 2.0 for a repeat of “According to Jim” (1.9) and a new “Hope & Faith” (2.0) and NBC fourth with a 1.8 for “Most Outrageous TV Moments.” Univision was fifth that hour with a 1.5 for “Barrera de Amor” and UPN and WB tied for sixth at 1.0, UPN for a repeat of “America’s Next Top Model” and WB for a “Gilmore Girls” rerun.

Fox led again at 9 p.m. with an 8.9 rating for a new episode of “House.” CBS finished second again with a 4.5 for “The Unit,” with NBC third with a 3.4 for “Scrubs” (3.5) and “Teachers” (3.3), and Univision fourth with a 2.1 for “Alborada.” ABC dropped to fifth that hour with a 1.9 for an hour of “Sons & Daughters,” with WB sixth with a 0.9 for another “Gilmore Girls” rerun and UPN seventh with a 0.5 for a repeat of “Veronica Mars.”

NBC took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 5.3 for “Law & Order: SVU.” CBS was second with a 3.7 for “The Amazing Race,” ABC third with a 2.9 for “Boston Legal” and Univision fourth with a 1.7 for “Rocio Durcal: Inolvidable.”

Among households, Fox finished first for the night comfortably with a 15.4 average rating and a 23 share. CBS finished second at 8.1/12, NBC third at 5.6/9, ABC fourth at 4.5/7, Univision fifth at 2.1/3, WB sixth at 1.7/3 and UPN seventh at 1.3/2.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_3755.asp

fredfa

03-29-06, 02:37 PM

TV Notebook
''Commander in Chief'' Comes Back -- But ...

By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

For weeks, ABC has had the return of ''Commander in Chief'' scheduled for April 18. Now it will be back sooner than expected, according to this ABC announcement today:

“Commander In Chief” makes its return to the ABC schedule beginning THURSDAY, APRIL 13 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET). In the interim, the ABC newsmagazine “Primetime” will air on FRIDAYS, APRIL 14 & 21 and MAY 5 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET). “Primetime” will return to its regular scheduled time period THURSDAY, MAY 25 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET). “Less than Perfect” returns TUESDAY, APRIL 18 (9:30-10:00 p.m., ET), along with an additional episode of “Hope & Faith” (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET).
The ABC primetime schedule for Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays will be as follows:
Beginning Thursday, April 13
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition -- After the Storm” 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET
“American Inventor” 9:00-10:01 p.m., ET
“Commander In Chief” 10:01-11:00 p.m., ET
Beginning Friday, April 14
“America’s Funniest Home Videos” 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET
“Primetime” 9:00-10:00 p.m., ET (April 14, 21 and May 5 only)
“20/20” 10:00-11:00 p.m., ET
Beginning Tuesday, April 18
“According to Jim” 8:00-8:30 p.m., ET
“Hope & Faith” 8:30-9:00 p.m., ET
“Hope & Faith” 9:00-9:30 p.m., ET
“Less than Perfect” 9:30-10:00 p.m., ET
“Boston Legal” 10:00-11:00 p.m., ET
(end announcement material)

I'm not sure what to make of this. ''Commander in Chief'' is still well-liked by viewers, judging from the frequent letters I get asking when it will return. So why put it at Thursdays at 10, when it has to compete against ''ER'' and ''Without a Trace''? It could be that ABC is just burning off the show, but I'm not convinced. After all, ''American Inventor'' has shown some promise for the network, and may be a good lead-in to ''CiC.'' ABC may also sense that those ''CiC'' letter-writers will follow the show almost anywhere.

Interesting to see ''Less Than Perfect'' return instead of, say, ''Crumbs,'' which is not scheduled and still has unaired episodes waiting for telecast. I guess ABC thinks the older comedy still has some life.

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

keenan

03-29-06, 03:27 PM

TV Notebook
''Commander in Chief'' Comes Back -- But ...

I'm not sure what to make of this. ''Commander in Chief'' is still well-liked by viewers, judging from the frequent letters I get asking when it will return. So why put it at Thursdays at 10, when it has to compete against ''ER'' and ''Without a Trace''? It could be that ABC is just burning off the show, but I'm not convinced.
I'm convinced, putting it against those two shows is like sending it down the road on a death march.

archiguy

03-29-06, 03:47 PM

I'm convinced, putting it against those two shows is like sending it down the road on a death march.

Yep; looks like ABC has decided to "impeach" President Mac. :D

keenan

03-29-06, 03:57 PM

From Broadcasting & Cable,
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6320280.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP
Broadcasting & Cable: The Business of Television

FCC Cancels Some Proposed Indecency Fines

by John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/29/2006 2:53:00 PM

The FCC, without elaboration, has vacated over a quarter of a million dollars in proposed indecency fines against a number of Indiana and Tennessee stations.

In Indiana, the stations, which had aired CBS' Without a Trace, including a scene of teen-sex party, were ones that aired the broadcast at 10 p.m., when indecency broadcasts are protected, rather than the 9 p.m. airing in the Central and Mountain zones, where the broadcast could be fined (the indecency "safe harbor is 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.).

The mix-up was that while some Indiana stations make the switch to Daylight Saving Time, the majority don't, which means the majority were airing it after 10 p.m. That will change, though, since the state has passed a law to regularize the observance starting this weekend.

The Tennessee stations are all in the Eastern time zone, so they appeared to have simply been inadvertently included in the 111 stations fined for the program.

The stations now off the hook are WTHI Terre Haute, Ind.; WANE Fort Wayne, Ind.; WISH Indianapolis; WLFI Lafayette, Ind.; WSBT South Bend, Ind.; WVLT Knoxville, Tenn.; WDEF Chattanooga, Tenn.; and WJHL Johnson City, Tenn.

Each had faced a proposed fine of $32,500, so that knocks $260,000 off the slightly over $3.6 million fine total for the broadcast on CBS affiliates.

The FCC process makes room for such appeals, announcing the proposed fine but giving the stations an opportunity to explain why they should not be fined. Stations can also appeal a fine once the FCC has officially levied it.

keenan

03-29-06, 03:59 PM

Yep; looks like ABC has decided to "impeach" President Mac. :D
Of course, moving it to the 10PM hour might mean we get to see a little flesh, and a more serious drama instead of the kiddy-fantasy pablum that it's been until now. :)

fredfa

03-29-06, 04:22 PM

That is the hopeful view, jim.
I suspect the next few episodes are already in the can.

fredfa

03-29-06, 04:25 PM

TV Notebook
USA, Disney, TNT Top Cable's First-Qtr. '06 Ratings Race

By Anthony Crupi MediaWeek.com March 29, 2006

USA Network was the top-rated ad-supported cable network in the first quarter of 2006, according to Nielsen Media Research data. The general entertainment network posted a 2.2 household rating in the first three months of the year, averaging 2.64 million total viewers in prime, an increase of 12 percent over the same period a year ago.

Disney Channel, which is not ad-supported, trailed USA with a 2.1 HH rating and an average 2.46 million viewers in prime, a 28 percent leap over its first-quarter 2005 audience.

TNT took third place in the quarter, averaging a 2.0 HH rating and 2.31 million total viewers in prime, a drop of 11 percent from 2.59 million a year ago.

USA also was tops in the 18-34, 18-49 demos as well as its target 25-54 demo, averaging 1.2 million viewers to TNT’s 1.1 million.

Other high-ranked nets in the total-viewer field were: TBS (1.71 million viewers in prime), ESPN (1.67 million), Nick at Nite (1.61 million), Cartoon Network (1.51 million), Lifetime (1.5 million), Fox News Channel (1.49 million), Spike TV (1.3 million) and FX (1.28 million).

In the 18-49 demo, USA’s 1.18 million viewers edged TNT (1.03 million), TBS (1 million), FX (745,000) and ESPN (721,000).

Big gainers in prime included BET, up 27 percent in the quarter, BBC America (up 27 percent) Biography Channel (up 63 percent), CMT (up 37 percent), E! (up 13 percent), Discovery Channel (up 9 percent), FX (up 24 percent), Hallmark (up 20 percent), HGTV (up 11 percent), OLN (up 23 percent), TV Land (up 16 percent) and VH1 (up 17 percent).

Nets that lost ground in prime included: A&E (down 15 percent), AMC (down 11 percent), Sci-Fi Channel (down 15 percent), Spike TV (down 17 percent), Nick at Nite (down 12 percent) and Cartoon Network/Adult Swim (down 16 percent).

On the news side, FNC was down 8 percent in prime and dropped 28 percent in the 25-54 demo. CNN fell 14 percent in prime and also slipped 23 percent in the news demo.

The smaller news nets continued to show ratings growth, as Headline News was up 38 percent in prime, and rose 24 percent in 25-54, while CNBC grew 21 percent in prime and 19 percent in 25-54. MSNBC was up 15 percent in prime and grew its 25-54 audience 27 percent..

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002273734

jpeckinp

03-29-06, 05:30 PM

Marcus Carr

03-29-06, 06:17 PM

Telecom Bill? Bet On It, Says Barton

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/29/2006 4:41:00 PM

A confident House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-Tex.) told reporters Wednesday that he fully expected the president to have signed a telco reform bill by the end of this congressional session.

Calling himself "a pretty good poker player," he said "the odds are 2 to 1 that the president is going to sign a bill this year."

In a roundtable with a couple handfuls of reporters, Barton challenged them at least twice to bet against him, saying majority leader Dennis Hastert, who publicly supports the bill, had cleared floor time for the vote sometime in May or June.

Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said that they were "very close" to getting both the cable and telco sides to sign off on the bill, which creates a national franchising system for both new entrants like telcos and incumbent cable systems.

The legislation has already been made more cable-friendly by the excising of two provisions in an earlier draft that would not have allowed cable to seek a national franchise until a competitor had penetrated 15% of the market, and would have forced cable to apply any price cuts it made to apply to its entire service area, not just where a competitor was offering service.

That excision meant that a once bipartisan bill lost the support of ranking Democrats Ed Markey and John Dingell, with Markey highly critical of the new bill without what he saw as those and other consumer-friendly provisions, like one setting benchmarks for building out systems.

Both Upton and Barton pointed to the support of Illinois Democrat Bobby Rush as the reason they were billing the legislation as bipartisan, though no other Democratic names are on it. Rush called it a good bill for minorities, consumers, and his constituents," saying: "I expect to have a lot of Democrats support this bill."

Rush said his constituents need competition to cable to lower prices and he wanted to "break the logjam."

Barton said that "anytime you don't have the ranking member on the full committee and subcommittee on board [Dingell and Markey, respectively], that is not a positive sign," but called Rush a "superstar" late addition to the team.

He also said they may yet get Markey and Dingell on board, and agreed with Rush's hopeful assessment that "we're going to get a lot of Democrats on board."

Broadcasters concerned about the possible inclusion of an amendment to the bill targeting retransmission consent should be less so, suggested Barton. When asked whether there was a "germaneness" problem with an amendment that Rep. Nathan Deal was said to be working on, Barton said there was, instead, "a vote-getting problem. It won't pass."

Barton said he would encourage Deal not to introduce the amendment.

A complementary telecom reform bill is working its way through the Senate Commerce Committee, with a markup planned for after the spring recess.

Barton and Senate Commerce Chairman Stevens have differences over at least one provision--whether to extend the industry-fed Universal Service Fund, which underwrites phone service to rural areas--to broadband service as well. But their differences are "conferenceable," Barton said, meaning that there wasn't anything that couldn't be worked out.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6320349.html?display=Breaking+News

keenan

03-29-06, 07:14 PM

Is there any word when this bill would be effective, given that it's passed and signed? Our local franchise board in Santa Rosa CA suspects the below is a major reason why Comcast has dragged it's ass on completion of a new agreement.

The legislation has already been made more cable-friendly by the excising of two provisions in an earlier draft that would not have allowed cable to seek a national franchise until a competitor had penetrated 15% of the market, and would have forced cable to apply any price cuts it made to apply to its entire service area, not just where a competitor was offering service.

fredfa

03-29-06, 10:00 PM

TV Notebook
ESPN scores 45 Sports Emmy noms

By Paul J. Gough The Hollywood Reporter March 30, 2006

WASHINGTON -- ESPN scored 45 Sports Emmy nominations Wednesday, the highest among any network.

The original ESPN network received 26 nominations, with ESPN 2 delivering 12 more noms and ESPN Classic receiving four and ESPN.com receiving three. It, along with ABC Sports' 14, were the largest Emmy nominations for the fourth time in five years.

Other high-profile networks also did well. HBO received 17 nominations, while Fox Sports received 16, CBS 11, TNT nine and NBC seven.

NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics last month in Turin, Italy, was not eligible for consideration this year but will be eligible next year.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002274423

Ken H

03-29-06, 11:26 PM

This technology could be just what us satellite subs have been looking for.

If they do what they say they can I don't see why we couldn't have full rez full bandwidth HD.Sounds too good to be true.....

fredfa

03-30-06, 01:58 AM

TV Notebook
“Love Monkey” on VH1

The cancelled CBS series “Love Monkey” will at least finally get all its eight programs aired.

VH1 will begin showing the series April 11.

SVonhof

03-30-06, 09:18 AM

This technology could be just what us satellite subs have been looking for.

If they do what they say they can I don't see why we couldn't have full rez full bandwidth HD.

http://www.eucliddiscoveries.com/press_release.php#032806

Interesting read. Sounds good from everything they say, except if they are the first to figure out how to do this, why wouldn't we wait for EuclidVision2 or 3? Wouldn't those have better compression and maybe better overall quality? If this technology was not expected to hit this early, maybe this version will be improved on within a short time?

Still is promising and if it does work well, I would think that the Sat and Cable companies would jump all over it.

fredfa

03-30-06, 10:13 AM

TV Notebook
Pulled After Approval Ratings Fell, 'Commander in Chief' Returning

By John Maynard Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, March 30, 2006; C07

President Mackenzie Allen is back in office next month after a lengthy vacation that would make real-life presidents blush.

ABC's "Commander in Chief," starring Geena Davis as the nation's first woman president, will return to the lineup in a new time slot (10 p.m. Thursdays) beginning April 13, the network announced yesterday. The show bumps the newsmagazine "Primetime" to Fridays at 9 p.m.

The embattled "Commander," which has not aired since Jan. 24, has had its share of backstage drama since debuting in the fall to initially strong ratings and mostly critical acclaim.

In October, veteran television producer Steven Bochco took over as the "show runner" -- overseeing the day-to-day operations -- replacing creator Rod Lurie, who reportedly had fallen behind in delivering scripts to the network.

Bochco was removed as the show's supervisor last month after ratings dipped and he became more involved with developing the pilot for a crime drama, "Hollis and Rae." Dee Johnson, an original executive producer with the show, becomes "Commander's" third show runner; Bochco and Lurie remain executive producers.

"Commander" debuted Sept. 27 with 16.4 million viewers and peaked the next week with nearly 17 million. Ratings declined steadily, though, and the last two episodes in January -- going head-to-head with the returning "American Idol" -- averaged 10.5 million viewers.

In its new time slot, "Commander" will face stiff competition against the CBS crime drama "Without a Trace," which is averaging nearly 19 million viewers and is ranked sixth in the Nielsens, and NBC's aging "ER," which still draws about 13 million.

"Commander" will get a decent lead-in from "American Inventor," a reality show produced by "American Idol's" Simon Cowell that is averaging nearly 14 million after two weeks.

ABC also announced yesterday that beginning April 18, the office sitcom "Less Than Perfect" will return to the lineup Tuesdays at 9:30.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/29/AR2006032902168_pf.html

slocko

03-30-06, 10:54 AM

Just finished watching Rome. I had recorded but didn't have a chance to watch much because of some travelling.

What a great show. How did it do rating wise? Is it coming back to HBO?

fredfa

03-30-06, 11:45 AM

fredfa

03-30-06, 11:48 AM

TV Notebook
'Commander in Chief,' back into battle

By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Mar 30, 2006, 01:19

“Commander in Chief,” ABC's White House drama that at one point looked like it would be the new season’s breakout hit, will return April 13 after being on hiatus since January.

But by the looks of things it will be returning to almost certain death, airing in the Thursday 10 p.m. timeslot on a night that has killed off many ABC shows over the years. The scheduling can only be read as a final vote of no-confidence from ABC.

Many had wondered if “Commander” was ever coming back after creator Rod Lurie was fired and Steven Bochco, who replaced Lurie as showrunner, was forced out last month. By placing it Thursdays at 10, where the network has struggled for years, ABC seems to be confirming the belief that it saw no way to save the show.

Airing at 10 on Thursdays, “Commander” will face off against CBS’s “Without a Trace,” which has long been on the rise, and NBC’s still-strong “ER.” It's a formidable duo. Combined, they're averaging an 11.4 rating in adults 18-49 this season. By comparison, “Primetime,” the ABC show now has in the timeslot, has averaged a 2.5.

“Commander” was already in deep trouble when it was taken off the air Jan. 24. After averaging nearly 17 million total viewers for its second episode, the show had dipped 40 percent, to 10.5 million viewers, for that final airing. It’s averaging a 3.7 in 18-49s.

If ABC thought the show could be revived, it would have picked a less-contentious timeslot, perhaps Mondays, Wednesdays or even a special Sunday run.

Or the network could have kept “Commander” on Tuesdays at 9 p.m., where it originated and where viewers would know to look for it. Its chances may have been better on Tuesday, despite increased competition from CBS’s new hit “The Unit” and Fox’s “House,” which now has a powerful “American Idol” lead-in.

By moving the show to Thursday, ABC seems to have admitted that “Commander” is all but finished. Many media people had written the show off before the network announced its return, speculating that the show would not return at all.

“Commander's” one chance would come if it should pull even decent ratings in the new slot, indicating that old viewers had returned and that the show had found new ones even against the tough competition. ABC might then pick it up for a second season.

But that seems unlikely. The first few episodes that will air in its return were overseen by Bochco, who was widely criticized for trying to turn the show into an over-the-top action-adventure series wherein President McKenzie Allen (Geena Davis) saved the world anew each week. Lurie’s vision was much calmer, focusing on the problems faced by the first-ever woman president.

Lurie got booted in October after failing to deliver scripts on time, costing the network money on production delays. ABC brought in “NYPD Blue” creator Bochco to replace him, and Bochco axed most of the writing staff and brought in new cast members.

The new version of the show struggled almost immediately. Viewership declined into December, and ABC unwisely put the show on a long break, waiting until mid-January to debut a new episode.

Dee Johnson, who succeeded Bochco last month, was with Lurie from the beginning as a writer, and that means that the show could return to its original creative promise. But at this point, it could be too late to save it.

At the very least, “Commander” will have a stronger lead-in than past Thursday burnoffs. The new reality show “American Inventor,” which airs from 8 to 10 p.m., has averaged a 5.3 adults 18-49 rating, more than double ABC’s average in the timeslot last year. But that hasn't helped "Primetime" much.

“Commander” will bump “Primetime” to Fridays at 9 p.m., replacing freshman series “In Justice.” Also yesterday, ABC said that sitcom “Less Than Perfect” will return Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. on April 18.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_3784.asp

slocko

03-30-06, 12:08 PM

Rome's biggest problem will be filling Caesar's shoes. He was a great actor. But they do have Antoni, Vorenus, and Pullo. They can work with that.

fredfa

03-30-06, 12:32 PM

Wednesday’s network prime-time ratings are now at the top of RATINGS NEWS (the first post in this thread).

fredfa

03-30-06, 12:34 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
NBC's Wednesday strategy turns sour

By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Mar 30, 2006

NBC has a real problem on Wednesday nights, and it has to do something about it quickly or it risks killing a new show with some promise as well as an old show that has gone into a fast fade in its new timeslot.

Last night “Heist,” the well-reviewed new crime caper that took over “Law & Order’s” 10 p.m. timeslot, averaged a 2.5 Nielsen overnight rating, down 17 percent from last week’s 3.0 rating for its premiere.

To add more to NBC’s woes, “L&O” continued to struggle in its new 9 p.m. timeslot, averaging a 2.7. That was up 0.1 from last week but nearly a full point below its season-to-date average.

Both shows finished last in their timeslots among the Big Three, and squandered a strong lead-off at 8 p.m. from the new hit game show “Deal or No Deal,” which had its second-best average ever, a 5.4.

NBC does not have a lot of time to make a decision. It needs to revive “L&O” quickly, and it must either take “Heist” off the schedule or put it in a timeslot where it does less damage.

The network apparently overestimated the 15-year-old “L&O’s” strength by moving it to 9, where it competes with ABC’s “Lost” and Fox’s “American Idol.” The best solution might be to return to what NBC had been airing before “Heist’s” premiere, “L&O” reruns at 9 and originals at 10. After all, last night’s original was only 0.6 better than a “L&O” rerun did in the same slot two weeks ago.

It could then move “Heist” somewhere else on the schedule, perhaps to Friday nights, where it would be a great companion to the equally flashy “Las Vegas.” It could replace “Conviction,” which has shown virtually no promise in more than a month on the air, at 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, Fox finished first for the night among 18-49s with a 6.4 average rating and a 16 share. ABC was second at 4.1/11, NBC third at 3.5/9, CBS fourth at 3.2/1, UPN and Univision tied for fifth at 1.6/4, and WB seventh at 1.1/3.

NBC led at 8 p.m. with the 5.4 for “Deal.” Fox was second with a 4.0 for “Bones,” ABC third with a 2.5 for “George Lopez” (2.4) and “Freddie” (2.6), and UPN fourth with a 2.3 for “America’s Next Top Model.” CBS was fifth that hour with a 1.7 for already-fading “Out of Practice” (1.7) and “Courting Alex” (1.7), Univision sixth with a 1.6 for “Barrera de Amor” and WB seventh with a 1.2 for “One Tree Hill.”

Fox took over at 9 p.m. with an 8.7 for its “American Idol” results show (11.2) and “Unan1mous” (6.3). ABC was second with a 6.6 for “Lost,” CBS third with a 3.5 for “Criminal Minds,” NBC fourth with a 2.7 for “Law & Order” and Univision fifth with a 1.9 for “Alborada.” That left UPN sixth with a 1.0 for “Veronica Mars” and WB a disappointing seventh with a 0.9 for the premiere of “Bedford Diaries.”

At 10 p.m. CBS led with a 4.6 for “CSI: NY.” ABC was second with a 3.1 for “The Evidence,” down 9 percent from the previous week’s premiere. NBC was third with a 2.5 for “Heist” and Univision fourth with a 1.4 for “Don Francisco Presenta.”

Among households, Fox led the night with a 9.6 average rating and a 15 share. CBS was second at 7.3/12, NBC third at 7.1/11, ABC fourth at 6.4/10, UPN fifth at 2.4/4, Univision sixth at 2.1/3 and WB seventh at 1.6/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_3783.asp

keenan

03-30-06, 01:30 PM

Ratings were disappointing, and trended downward from episode one.

There has been some dispute if season two is being shot -- or not. Frankly I forget the latest, but I am sure someone who reads the thread can update us.
The last I read about Rome was that Albrecht said it was picked up for a second season, buy he was rather ambivalent about whether it would actually happen, stating that they had until either March or May of 2006(can't remember which) to make a final decision as that is when shooting for the second season would have started. My guess is it won't be back, HBO needs some surefire hits to replace the ones that have gone, like The Sopranos early next year and Sex In The City which is gone already.

keenan

03-30-06, 01:35 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
NBC's Wednesday strategy turns sour

It could then move “Heist” somewhere else on the schedule, perhaps to Friday nights, where it would be a great companion to the equally flashy “Las Vegas.” It could replace “Conviction,” which has shown virtually no promise in more than a month on the air, at 10 p.m.

That's a good idea, Conviction is blah TV and Heist would make a good companion to Las Vegas. Plus, did NBC and Wolf think L&O was going to last forever..?

fredfa

03-30-06, 01:42 PM

Frankly, I thought last year's "L&O: Trial By Jury" had a lot more promise than :"Conviction".

fredfa

03-30-06, 04:19 PM

TV Notebook
'Commander in Chief' on the move

By Maureen Ryan from the Chicago Tribune TV blog

When it finally returns, “Commander in Chief” will take up a spot on a new night.

ABC announced Wednesday that “Chief” will return Thursday, April 13 (previously, it had been set to come back Tuesday, April 18). The show will air 9 p.m. Thursdays through May, and the Thursday news magazine “20/20” will move to Fridays until the end of the season.

Starting April 13, ABC’s Thursdays will look like this: “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition -- After the Storm,” “American Inventor,” and “Commander in Chief.”

One wonders how "Chief" will be received on its return, given that the show is on its third head writer, it’s had such a long break without new episodes and it’ll be up against “ER” and “Without a Trace” when it does come back. At the very least, let’s just hope that the stunt-driven writing of Steven Bochco’s short-lived “Chief” reign is over when the Geena Davis drama returns.

By the way, the network is also revamping its Tuesday schedule, in the face of “American Idol’s” continuing domination. It’s sticking with “According to Jim” and “Hope & Faith” at the 7 p.m. hour, but starting April 18, those shows will be followed by a tepid block consisting of “Hope & Faith” and “Less Than Perfect”; “Boston Legal” will stay where it is at 9 p.m.

It looks as though the experimental ABC comedy series “Sons & Daughters,” which has been airing at 8 p.m. Tuesdays, at won’t be occupying that slot for much longer. Get your fill of it while you can.

One more TV note: "Crossing Jordan's" 100th episode, a May 7 outing, will serve as the NBC show's season finale.

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

fredfa

03-30-06, 05:52 PM

fredfa

03-30-06, 06:03 PM

Here are some excerpts from a Nov. 17, 2005 story by Bill Carter in The New York Times:

HBO chairman Chris] Albrecht announced only a couple of weeks into ["Rome's"] run that he was renewing the series for another season. But in the interview he said, "That ship hasn't entirely sailed yet."

The reason, he said, has nothing to do with how well "Rome" turned out. Mainly, the issue has been money. "Rome" was wildly expensive, costing an estimated $100 million. It initially experienced debilitating production delays, fueling rumors that it was a troubled show. Once it was on the air and was seen to be a quality production, Mr. Albrecht said, those rumors subsided.

But he said those delays meant he had only a short window of time to retain a hold on the actors, which was why he renewed the series so quickly. For now, that means ordering scripts, which will be difficult to write because they need to cover the complicated period following the fall of Caesar.

"The real reason why, even though I ordered the show, we haven't formally gone into production, is how long it's going to take," he said. " 'Rome' won't be back until, at the earliest, March of 2007. Which makes you say to yourself: When I bring the show back, can I build an audience?"

AFH

03-30-06, 06:05 PM

TV Notebook
CBS Races to Another Time Slot

By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 3/30/2006

Hoping to breathe some life into its venerable reality franchise, CBS is moving The Amazing Race to Wednesdays at 8 beginning next week. The show has been airing Tuesdays at 10, where it has struggled to retain the audience of strongly-performing lead-in The Unit.

Moving Race to Wednesdays at 8 means CBS is benching rookie comedies Out of Practice and Courting Alex, though the network says in a press release that both will return to the schedule at a later date.

In place of Race Tuesdays at 10, the network will air crime drama repeats and specials, which will be a better fit coming out of the The Unit. The time slot will be occupied by a CSI: Miami repeat next Tuesday and then an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation the following Tuesday.

I hate to say I told them so, but I told them so in this same exact thread when it was announced that CBS would be moving 'Race' to 10pm Tuesdays. It took them a couple of episodes to realize that moving 'Race' into the 10 spot was a no-no and should have been a no-go from the beginnning. But then again what do I know. I only watch the show 3 or 4 days on my Tivo. :)

AFH

03-30-06, 06:06 PM

fredfa

03-30-06, 06:08 PM

Here is the entire Bill Carter article, originally posted on this thread on 11/17/05, so that folks won't say the "Rome" quotes were out of context:

Deep in this story is a ighlighted area in which HBOs chief indicates the renewal of "Rome" might not be such a sure thing aftar all. Interesting.

HBO Takes the ABC Sunday Challenge

By Bill Carter The New York Times November 17, 2005

Chris Albrecht, the chairman of HBO, does not buy the widely heard argument that something has undermined his channel's former hold on viewers on Sunday nights at 9, something in the form of an ABC show called "Desperate Housewives."

For one thing, he dismisses the notion that HBO plays by the programming rules of the broadcast networks. "We can't get distracted by somebody's else's rules or scorecard," he said in a recent interview in his New York office. HBO, he says, judges the success of its shows by criteria other than one night's rating, criteria that include subscriber totals (up this year), video-on-demand orders and even number of awards won.

For another, he points to what he feels is a deeper lineup of distinctive series on HBO, everything from the comedy "Entourage" to the dramas "Deadwood" and "Rome" to the coming, sure-to-be-talked-about "Big Love." All of these, he insisted, have the stuff to emerge as worthy successors to HBO's hugely popular and award-laden shows like "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City."

But that doesn't mean he hasn't been paying attention to how "Desperate Housewives" has altered the Sunday night landscape. Looking forward to the return of HBO's biggest gun of all time, "The Sopranos," in March, Mr. Albrecht said he had been pondering a potential marketing plan, to center on a photograph to be shot by Annie Leibovitz, which would play off the billboard ad HBO used two years ago. That ad featured the "Sopranos" cast in a rowboat surrounded by the ghosts of the dead characters who had been rubbed out over the years.

"Wouldn't it be funny," Mr. Albrecht said, "if we did the same thing, and all the dead people in the water were the women from Wisteria Lane?" - a reference to the lead characters of "Desperate Housewives." He added: "And the headline would be: 'They're back!' "

HBO was clearly elated (and relieved) when it concluded a deal with David Chase, the creator of "The Sopranos," to extend that show beyond what had been expected to be its final 12 episodes, starting in March, to an additional mini-run of eight episodes, beginning in January 2007. As usual with "The Sopranos," it has now been off the air a long time. "Two years later can 'The Sopranos' be as big as it was?" Mr. Albrecht asked, another way of asking the broader question that he acknowledged had been thrown at HBO in the past year or so: Can HBO be as big as it was?

The question has arisen mainly because of ratings comparisons, which is how broadcast network shows are measured. By that standard, there is no question that HBO is off its best results for Sunday nights, when episodes of its series have their first showings. That powerhouse ABC series at 9 p.m. has to be a factor.

But Mr. Albrecht disputes any notion that HBO is off its game. "I feel like we've done the job we needed to do in programming," he said. "Our audience has certainly moved off Sunday nights to other points during the week." As for "Rome," he said, HBO has been encouraged by the series' growth among viewers and by a second round of critical comments, which largely moved from tepid to enthusiastic.

In strict viewer terms, HBO calls "Rome" a success because, while its Sunday totals are not overwhelming, it accumulates more than 7 million viewers a week during its multiple showings.

Mr. Albrecht announced only a couple of weeks into its run that he was renewing the series for another season. But in the interview he said, "That ship hasn't entirely sailed yet."

The reason, he said, has nothing to do with how well "Rome" turned out. Mainly, the issue has been money. "Rome" was wildly expensive, costing an estimated $100 million. It initially experienced debilitating production delays, fueling rumors that it was a troubled show. Once it was on the air and was seen to be a quality production, Mr. Albrecht said, those rumors subsided.

But he said those delays meant he had only a short window of time to retain a hold on the actors, which was why he renewed the series so quickly. For now, that means ordering scripts, which will be difficult to write because they need to cover the complicated period following the fall of Caesar.

"The real reason why, even though I ordered the show, we haven't formally gone into production, is how long it's going to take," he said. " 'Rome' won't be back until, at the earliest, March of 2007. Which makes you say to yourself: When I bring the show back, can I build an audience?"

Long interruptions have never cooled viewers' ardor for "The Sopranos," but Mr. Albrecht acknowledged that those layoffs had not been ideal for scheduling. "Part of the challenge for us is to figure a way to be a little more flexible," he said.

He is already demonstrating a bit of that flexibility, rethinking his plan to bring back the western drama "Deadwood" in March at 10 p.m. on Sundays following "The Sopranos." Now, Mr. Albrecht said, he thinks the best move for the HBO's future would be to slot its new drama, "Big Love," in that position to direct some of the hordes of "Sopranos" fans to what he says he hopes will be HBO's next significant cultural phenomenon.

"Big Love," a family drama like none other on television, deals with a regular American dad who happens to have three wives and families. The issue of polygamy in the show, set in Utah, is sure to stir debate, and HBO will be only too happy to be in the middle of it.

HBO loved the chatter that accompanied the run of the Hollywood comedy "Entourage" this year, a sign, HBO executives suggest, that the show may be about to take off the way "Sex and the City" did after a couple seasons. Mr. Albrecht has ordered 20 more episodes of "Entourage."

In the meantime, Mr. Albrecht defends HBO, saying it still sets much of the agenda for quality television. "You have seen the supposed successor to 'Sex and the City' be on a broadcast network," he said, "if indeed 'Desperate Housewives' is the successor, which I don't believe creatively it is - maybe from an audience point of view it is."

For Mr. Albrecht, even that may be giving too much credit to the ABC show that has sucked up so much audience during the hour formerly owned by HBO. Re-emphasizing just how unconcerned he really is about that competitor, he noted the critical reaction to "Desperate Housewives" this season. "Anybody who knows anything about television," he said, "could look at that show and say: two years, maybe three."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/17/arts/television/17hbo.html?pagewanted=print

fredfa

03-30-06, 06:08 PM

Some Ratings definitons

Many of you read the daily ratings and aren’t sure about the different methodology -- or terms -- used.

Here is the explanation of the two major overnight ratings sources from Nielsen itself:

Metered Market Overnight Ratings: This is normally the first available ratings information, and consists of household ratings and shares based on the electronic measurement service that Nielsen Media Research provides in 56 of the nation’s largest markets. In each market a separate sample of homes is selected to represent that individual market. Often, networks or syndicators provide metered market information as an early indicator of a program’s performance. In aggregate, the 56 metered markets represent 75,427,430 homes, or 69.58% of all U.S. TV households.

Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings, including demographics, are released to subscribing customers daily. These data, from the National People Meter sample, are strictly time-period information, based on the normal broadcast network feed, and include all programming on the affiliated stations, sometimes including network programming, sometimes not. The figures may include stations that did not air the entire network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming. Fast Affiliate ratings are not useful for live programs, because the data reflect normal broadcast feed patterns. For example, on Monday Night Football, ABC’s Fast Affiliate Ratings would include whatever aired from 9-11PM on affiliates in the Pacific Time Zone, following the live football game, but not game coverage that begins at 6PM PT. The same would be true of Major League Baseball Playoffs and Presidential debates. “

Whitearrow

03-30-06, 06:21 PM

The last I read about Rome was that Albrecht said it was picked up for a second season, buy he was rather ambivalent about whether it would actually happen, stating that they had until either March or May of 2006(can't remember which) to make a final decision as that is when shooting for the second season would have started. My guess is it won't be back, HBO needs some surefire hits to replace the ones that have gone, like The Sopranos early next year and Sex In The City which is gone already.

YES, it is coming back. I'm happy to say we can answer this question once and for all :)

It was in Variety -- shooting on season 2 starts April 10 at Cincetta. It's also on HBO's web site in the FAQ for Rome, and Rome is one of the shows featured in HBO's very cool "backward" promo about its returning original series. Season 2 will begin airing in early 2007, most likely March.

It's fortunate that ratings aren't the end of the equation for HBO. The show received a number of award nominations in the fall, and appeared on a number of year-end "best of" lists. (Like many HBO shows, Rome took a while to build, but started garnering a lot of critical support by the end.)

It's also selling well in foreign markets, which is a big deal financially to HBO.

IMO, there is no such thing as a "surefire hit" for HBO, and it makes sense that HBO would continue nurturing a show that's started to develop a following and has sold well internationally. Especially when you consider that a huge part of the money spent was on the sets, which can be used over a number of seasons.

Slocko: Yes, it is a great show!

keenan

03-30-06, 06:54 PM

From Variety,
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117940324?categoryid=19&cs=1&query=rome&display=rome
Variety.com - Irritated Italos give HBO's 'Rome' the thumbs down

Irritated Italos give HBO's 'Rome' the thumbs down
Some claimed epic was censored, historically inaccurate

By NICK VIVARELLI

ROME -- Just as the second installment of "Rome" starts shooting at Italy's Cinecitta, a toned-down version of HBO's lusty historical skeinskein has finally marched onto Roman TV screens sans nudity and violence.

And it has been snubbed by Italos with anti-Yank disdain.

The lavish epic, which has sold around the world in both its original format and the sanitized version, aired on pubcasterpubcaster channel RAI-2 to a mere 10% audience share, half as many viewers as skit comedy show "Zelig" got on rival commercial broadcaster Mediaset.

That is a far cry from the substantial ratings the original "Rome" scored when it debuted on HBO Stateside and on the BBC in BlightyBlighty.

For Italians, "Rome" was preceded by polemics over the edited-out frontal nudity, which some blasted as censorship. There were also qualms over historical accuracy -- a worry shared by the British press.

Newspaper Corriere Della Sera blasted it as a "prime example of historical misinformation," calling Ciaran Hinds' Caesar a "parody" -- "too young and with too much hair" -- and describing the sexual relationship between Roman matron Atia (Polly Walker) and Mark Anthony (James PurefoyJames Purefoy) as "ridiculous."

"Many Italian journalists and commentators just don't want to see their history depicted by Anglo-Saxons," says RAI drama exec Paola Masini. "Watching British actors playing Romans rubs a lot of people the wrong way and prompted the press to find fault with the historical accuracy."

The Japanese had similar qualms with "The Memoirs of a Geisha," starring Chinese thesps Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li.

It's something that RAI -- which co-produced the Italian version with HBO and the BBC to the tune of E4.5 million ($5.4 million) -- had been aware of from the start, but could do little to avert.

Because of a lack of English-speaking ItaloItalo thesps, the best RAI could do was make suggestions to HBO and the BBC on the scripts, and supervise the tailored Italo version, which differs only slightly from the one HBO sold for syndication.

"I truly believe this is not a piece of cheesy Yank misrepresentation," says "Rome" executive producer Marco Valerio Pugini, a native Roman. "It's not 'Ben Hur' or 'Gladiator,' and top Italian historians have actually signed off on the script."

"We've been concerned about how we are representing Roman history for Romans not just because we're working with RAI, but also because we are working with real Romans in the heart of Rome," says Jonathan Stamp, the Oxford U.-educated Brit who is the skein's historical consultant.

But aside from cross-cultural considerations, the "Rome" Italy outing is the first time the skein has played a major international territory in its expurgated version, posing questions that programmers in other territories will be mulling.

"To everyone I say: there is the HBO version and there is a tamer version, which is considerably toned down," says Charles Schreger, prexyprexy HBO Enterprises.

Paradoxically, when it comes to Roman history, Anglo-Saxon territories may prove less prudish than neo-Latin ones.

Australia's Nine Network will go with the racier "Rome," while France's M6 and other broadcasters are still deciding.

Meanwhile, at Cinecitta, the Forum is being spruced up and helmets and leather bodices dusted prior to production kickoff of series two, April 10.

It is being shepherded by John Melfi ("Sex and the City""Sex And The City"), who takes over from Frank Doelger as executive producer, while Anthony Pratt has replaced Joseph Bennett as production designer.

Episodes one and two will be helmed by Timothy Van Patten and Allen CoulterAllen Coulter respectively, both of whom also worked on the first series.

Casting is underway in Britain for an older Octavian to take over from Max Pirkis.

And, while new plot elements are under wraps, Stamp said that Rome will become a desperate and anarchic place due to a famine. Epic will start with Caesar's funeral, have at least one big set-piece battle, and continue to feature lots of nudity.

Date in print: Mon., Mar. 27, 2006, Weekly

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thanks for the tip Whitearrow.. :)

Whitearrow

03-30-06, 07:12 PM

Newspaper Corriere Della Sera blasted it as a "prime example of historical misinformation," calling Ciaran Hinds' Caesar a "parody" -- "too young and with too much hair" -- and describing the sexual relationship between Roman matron Atia (Polly Walker) and Mark Anthony (James Purefoy) as "ridiculous.

Which I suppose its why it's labelled as "fiction" as opposed to "documentary."

BTW, Caesar was about 56 when he died... Ciaran Hinds was about 52 when they started filming. Yeah, that's pretty ridiculous, all right.

Sheesh.

Anyway, it's coming back, so I don't give a damn what the Italian press thinks :)

PJO1966

03-30-06, 08:01 PM

I'm sorry they're recasting Octavian.

henry296

03-30-06, 08:06 PM

TV Notebook
CBS Races to Another Time Slot

By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 3/30/2006

Hoping to breathe some life into its venerable reality franchise, CBS is moving The Amazing Race to Wednesdays at 8 beginning next week. The show has been airing Tuesdays at 10, where it has struggled to retain the audience of strongly-performing lead-in The Unit.

Moving Race to Wednesdays at 8 means CBS is benching rookie comedies Out of Practice and Courting Alex, though the network says in a press release that both will return to the schedule at a later date.

In place of Race Tuesdays at 10, the network will air crime drama repeats and specials, which will be a better fit coming out of the The Unit. The time slot will be occupied by a CSI: Miami repeat next Tuesday and then an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation the following Tuesday.

That tended to be the time that my wife and I would watch it anyway. 10 PM was too late, so we DVR'd it and watch it after dinner on Wednesdays.

slocko

03-30-06, 08:07 PM

I wonder if they might have had more success if it had been placed at the beginning of Caesar's rise to power. It could have hilighted his military genius.

Either way, great show with great characters.

jpeckinp

03-30-06, 08:55 PM

Interesting read. Sounds good from everything they say, except if they are the first to figure out how to do this, why wouldn't we wait for EuclidVision2 or 3? Wouldn't those have better compression and maybe better overall quality? If this technology was not expected to hit this early, maybe this version will be improved on within a short time?

Still is promising and if it does work well, I would think that the Sat and Cable companies would jump all over it.

What makes it even better is the fact that it works on todays Mpeg-4 hardware. So that could mean just a quick reprogram of receivers and maybe the sats and we could have it.

fredfa

03-30-06, 09:51 PM

Thanks for the update Whitearrow. Sorry I missed it.

But to be honest, though "Rome" may have "started to develop a following" that contention clearly hasn't been reflected in ratings, which declined week by week and ended up barely half of the premiere's numbers.

Don't get me wrong, I think it was immensely watchable and a fun show, but, to me at least after the premiere, it wasn't appointment TV, it was Tivo'd and viewed when time permitted.

Inundated

03-30-06, 09:55 PM

Glad to see CBS is moving "The Amazing Race". I mean, I was used to it at 9 on Tuesdays, but "The Unit" has apparently caught on. TAR was a poorly matched follow to that show, and was NOT a 10 PM show. Whoever put it on at 10 should be slapped. :D

jim tressler

03-30-06, 10:31 PM

Tivo baby - doesn't matter to me when they show it :) although its one of the few I watch live.. but the 10pm time slot helped with that.. kids are (Hopefully) asleep by then!

fredfa

03-31-06, 10:21 AM

TV Sports
ESPN Puts Down Mutiny

By Phil Mushnick The New York Post March 31, 2006

Monday was to have been the first of a two-day seminar for approximately 125 frontline ESPN producers, reporters, anchors and analysts, gathered in a hotel near Hartford.

But day one became something else, something weird and potentially wonderful. Day one saw the closest thing to a palace revolt ever conducted against ESPN.

You see, not everyone at ESPN always willingly lines up to drink the latest, stronger blend of Disney Kool-Aid. There are ESPNers, from everywhere within the company, who are mortified by what ESPN has become. But, short of quitting, there's not much they can do about it.

Monday, however, when the topic turned to ESPN's new project with Barry Bonds, the hired help let their bosses know that they're still, minimally, broadcast journalists, with credentials to match.

And then they lined up to let their bosses know they simply can't quietly suffer the fact that ESPN continues to jump into bed with news figures, let alone with Bonds, currently the nation's foremost representative of sports villainy.

Next, after ESPN execs heard, "Please don't do this," from one staffer after another, the surprise guest speaker was introduced - Mike Wallace, of CBS' "60 Minutes" fame.

And Wallace joined in. After learning about the Bonds deal, Wallace told the assembled that the ESPN execs in the room - the folks who invited him - were about to embark on an unholy alliance that guarantees only ridicule and regret, in exchange.

Wallace, 88, first explained his presence by reading aloud from the invite that promised him $15,000 for the gig, then trashed ESPN management for the deal it had made with Bonds.

(Wallace, however, admitted that the two segments devoted to Tiger Woods on "60 Minutes" the previous day was a tank job, with Woods and Co. dictating the ground rules for what correspondent Ed Bradley could and could not ask.)

In ESPN's recent string of appalling decisions, the Bonds deal is the worst. Even in a TV world where good-faith news and sports broadcasting are regularly abandoned in favor of anything-it-takes entertainment and corporate shilling, this is the kind of decision by which a network always will be measured and remembered.

This is the kind of decision that leaves a stain.

ESPN has selected the ultimate 2006 sports bad guy - a bad guy in every way and a bad guy long before he was even suspected of juicing - and placed him on its payroll.

Starting next week and relying on the thin rationalization the project is an ESPN Original Entertainment endeavor, ESPN will weekly slide into the sack with Bonds in exchange for exclusive access as he pursues baseball's hallowed home-run record, a record Bonds is now commonly known to be gaining on as a matter of ill-gotten gain.

ESPN is not only paying $4.5 million to a documentary unit to produce Bonds' diary, it will allow Bonds and his minions editorial control. It's mind-blowing.

As Monday's meeting turned to ESPN's alliance with Bonds, a trickle of stand-up-and-be-counted dissent became a flood. John Skipper, newly named Executive VP of Content, was described as "stunned" by the thumbs-down response to the project.

According to witnesses, Skipper then made some hopeful noises that, given such strong opposition from within, perhaps the Bonds project should be killed. After all, ESPN's execs had made it clear that the Bonds deal would lose money. And if it's about buying access and surrendering control, good grief, why take such a double dive for Barry Bonds?

It can't always only be about ratings, can it? Sometimes, a network's good name - what's left of it, anyway - and the good names of your employees should count at least as much as ratings, no?

By day one's end, there was genuine hope that ESPN management would come to its better senses, that ESPN would not pay to be compromised by Bonds, that ESPN would pull the plug on the Bonds project.

But Tuesday, during the second day of the seminar, Skipper announced that while he respects the thoughts of his top producers, on-air personnel and even other ESPN execs, ESPN would proceed - it would remain in bed with Bonds. Thus, what should have been out of the question is a done deal.

ESPN's bosses could have done the right thing and come out smelling like heroes. They could have said, "You know what? You're right - this doesn't pass even a minimum-standard smell test. Besides, if you folks feel this strongly about the integrity of our network, nothing else matters. The Bonds deal is dead."

But they didn't.

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