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Drew Carey's Green Screen is listed for hiatus and cancelled but should only be listed under hiatus as it is still in production.
Originally posted by Reagan
A frustrated Mrs. Cable could not be reached for comment.
LOL
Embarrassed by the show’s success, then-CBS programming head Jim Aubrey couldn’t wait to cancel “Gilligan.” That opportunity came in 1967, when the ratings for the show, while still respectable, were in decline.
As far as I can tell the people running the networks then were absolute clueless idiots who got a no-brainer of a job-- have a successful network when you were one of only 3 things to watch on TV. How else can you explain canceling a successful show, as bad as Gilligan was? How can you explain cancelling Star Trek, a show with high ratings that was one of the best shows ever made?
'Today' streak rolls on but ayemer 'GMA' gains
Leno beats out Letterman in key demo
By MICHAEL LEARMONTH Variety.com
NEW YORK -- NBC's "Today" took its 36th straight sweeps title in November and is closing in on its ninth year in the lead, but as in the latenight derby, the competition for top ayem show is getting tighter.
ABC's "Good Morning America," posted its largest audience since 1992 and narrowed the gap between it and the dominant "Today" to 740,000 total viewers, the smallest margin since "Today" took the morning crown in 1995.
Last year the margin between "Today" and "GMA" stood at 1.3 million viewers.
"GMA" also managed to cut the "Today" lead in the key adults 25-54 demo by 20%, with 630,000 viewers separating the two programs.
"Today" finished November sweeps averaging 6.1 million viewers, "GMA" had 5.4 million, and CBS' "The Early Show" finished with 3 million.
While remaining a distant third, "The Early Show" gained 96,000 viewers, or 3%, in the first 11 weeks of the season, while "Today" lost 275,000 viewers, or 4%, and "GMA" gained 106,000 viewers, or 2%.
"Early Show" audience was at its highest level in total viewers in 10 years.
NBC was also dominant in late night, with "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" delivering a 17% margin over "The Late Show With David Letterman" in the key demographic of adults 18-49.
But CBS' "Letterman" is closing the gap, finishing the November sweeps up 10% in total viewers from last year and turning in its best sweeps in total viewers since 1994.
"Letterman" finished in the show's closest competitive position to "Leno" in adults 25-54 since 1994 and in adults 18-34 and 18-49 since 2001.
Show has beaten or tied "Leno" in 25-54 and 18-49 in seven of the last eight Monday nights.
On Sunday mornings, NBC's "Meet the Press With Tim Russert" turned in an average audience of 4.5 million total viewers during the November sweep, a 12% increase over last year.
CBS' second place "Face the Nation" stayed flat from last year, while ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos" grew 3% in total viewers and Fox Broadcasting's "Fox News Sunday" dropped 5%.
(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Thursday Ratings: Thursday 12/09/04
Household Rating/Share
CBS: 15.3/23
NBC: 12.1/18
Fox: 4.0/ 6
UPN: 4.0/ 6
ABC: 3.9/ 6
WB: 2.1/ 3
Percent Change From Comparable Year-Ago Night (Thurs Dec. 11 2003):
NBC: + 6
CBS: - 1
UPN: - 5
Fox: no change
WB: -22
ABC: -28
Fast Affiliate ratings
Total Viewers:
CBS: 23.10 million
NBC: 14.76
Fox: 5.19
UPN: 5.13
ABC: 5.02
WB: 2.51
Adults 18-49:
CBS: 8.2/21
NBC: 6.7/17
Fox: 2.3/ 6
UPN: 1.9/ 5
ABC: 1.6/ 4
WB: 0.9/ 2
Yesterday's Winners: Survivor: Vanuatu (CBS)
CSI (CBS)
Without A Trace (CBS)
ER (NBC)
Yesterday's Losers:
Joey (NBC)
Extreme Makeover (ABC)
life as we know it (ABC)
North Shore (Fox)
The 6th Annual Family TV Awards (WB)
Primetime Live (ABC)
Ratings Breakdown:
Thanks to its combination of Survivor: Vanuatu (#1: 11.8/18; Viewers: #1, 20.27 million; A18-49: #1, 7.7/21), CSI (#1: 20.0/29; Viewers: #1, 29.68 million; A18-49: #1, 10.7/26) and Without A Trace (#2, 14.1/22; Viewers: #1, 19.34 million; A18-49: #2, 6.5/17), CBS scored another solid Thursday victory, beating No. 2 NBC by an average of 26 percent in the overnights, 8.34 million viewers and 22 percent among adults 18-49.
NBC's fortunes continue to worsen in the Thursday 8 p.m. hour, with an original episode of Joey (#2: series low 8.8/13; A18-49: #2, series low 3.9/11) trailing a repeat of former occupant Friends on the year-ago night (11.1/17; A18-49: 6.5/19 on Dec. 11, 2003) by 21 percent in the overnights and 40 percent among adults 18-49. Almost as bad: lead-out Will & Grace (#2: 8.6/13; A18-49: #2, 4.3/11 at 8:30 p.m.), which trailed former failed occupant Good Morning, Miami (8.6/12; A18-49: 5.3/14 on Dec. 11, 2003) by 19 percent among adults 18-49.
Better news for NBC were typical results for The Apprentice 2 (#2: 13.2/19; A18-49: #2, 7.7/19) and ER (#1: 14.4/22; A18-49: #1, 8.4/22) from 9-11 p.m. Although ER may be down, it's certainly not out.
In the battle of the audience leftovers, and there was very little remaining, ABC's line-up of Extreme Makeover (#4: 4.8/ 8; A18-49: #4, 1.9/ 5), life as we know it (#5: 2.8/ 4; #5, 1.3/ 3) and Primetime Live (#3: 4.3/ 6; A18-49: #3, 1.7/ 5) all landed in the loser's circle. Luckily spoiled Kelly Osbourne has her MTV reality series to fall back on.
Although Fox's The O.C. (#3: 5.1/ 8; A18-49: #3, 2.9/ 8) got some sampling at 8 p.m., particularly with younger females, lead-out North Shore (#3: 2.9/ 4; A18-49: #4, 1.7/ 4 at 9 p.m.) is begging to be put out of its misery. Over at UPN, WWE Smackdown! averaged a typical 4.0/ 6 with a 1.9/ 5 among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m., while The 6th Annual Family TV Awards on the WB at 9 p.m. (#6: 1.6/ 4; A18-49: #6, 0.6/ 2) could very well end up the lowest rated show of the week. Earlier in the evening, a repeat of WB holiday special, Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer was also last, but at a higher 2.8/ 4 in the overnights and a 1.1/ 3 among adults 18-49.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
And Then There Were Four: (Survivor)
With bland Julie voted off yesterday (smart move Chris, given that no one is likely to vote for Twila), that leaves perky Eliza, useless Scout, lucky Chris and grating Twila as the final four on Survivor: Vanuatu. Assuming Scout and Twila do not stand a chance, if Eliza and Chris make it into the final two, my pick to take it all is Chris because of the likely votes from Sarge, Chad, Scout and Twila. The last thing Eliza should have done at this point was alienate Twila. If it's either Chris or Eliza in the final two against Scout or Twila, both are shoo-ins to win. If I were voting for a winner: Eliza, given that Chris should have been voted off in episode one after blowing the first immunity challenge.
And Then There Were Two: Apprentice 2)
After weeks of wondering why overrated Kevin lasted this long on The Apprentice 2, I was happy, thrilled and delighted - all of the above - to see the argumentative scholar finally get the axe. Given we all knew under-the-radar Kelly would make it into the final two, Jennifer's mouth managed to keep her in the game over the equally worthy Sandy. My pick to be hired: Jennifer because Kelly is too reminiscent of first winner Bill Ransic.
A few months ago, someone asked about the ratings for Pax.
The numbers aren’t readily available on a daily basis (at least from the sources I have access to) but here is a story on how the network is doing so far this season.
Despite new shows, PAX TV tumbles
Ratings are half of what they were a year ago
By Laura Nathan medialifemagazine.com
Last spring, its cash flow looking much improved, PAX TV announced plans to invest in 10 new shows, including three reality series, in the 2004-2005 season. In a May press release, PAX TV advised all to expect the unexpected.
It just seemed logical that after bumping along mostly on infomercials and reruns of such shows as Bob Saget’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” the network devoted to advancing family values in television was about to see a boost in ratings from its enriched schedule of original programming.
Not so. Quite the opposite, in fact. PAX TV's ratings have actually taken a tumble, and a severe one.
In its season-to-date ratings a year ago at this time, PAX averaged a 0.2/1 among 18-49s. That average has been cut in half to a 0.1/0. The same is true in the persons 2+ category. The 0.4/1 PAX was averaging a year ago is now a 0.2/1.
The same thing has happened with households, with a 0.7/1 slipping to an 0.4/1.
How is this possible with PAX’s 10 new shows and its entry, albeit late, into reality television with “Cold Turkey,” “Model Citizen” and “Second Verdict”?
It appears that some of those shows never got on the air, including the two new dramas, “Young Blades” and “Left Behind.” Also absent from the schedule is the variety show “The Magicians.” Just why is impossible to say. PAX TV did not return calls to Media Life requesting an update on its primetime schedule and ratings data.
But some of the shows did make it to the air and they should be helping the network. One is “Faith Under Fire,” hosted by Lee Strobel, which targets the network’s family values contingent with its discussion of spiritual controversies.
Other shows ought to be helping simply because of the big names behind them. “Frasier’s” Kelsey Grammer is producing the improvisational comedy show “World Cup Comedy,” which began airing this season. And “Temptation Island’s” Mark Walberg hosts the network’s new game show “On the Cover,” while “Turkey” is executive-produced by “Average Joe” creator Stuart Krasnow.
But how well any of them has done is impossible to discern. None has broken into the top-100 of Nielsen ratings, and apparently PAX is reluctant to talk about them, judging by their not returning calls to Media Life.
PAX, which owns some 6o TV stations around the country, got a major investor in 1999 when NBC acquired a 32 percent interest in the company. But it was a troubled partnership and in late 2003, NBC moved to dissolve the relationship, demanding that PAX refund its entire investment of some $600 million. The dispute is now in the courts.
fredfa, please please put the "And Then There Were Four" and "And Then There Were Two" stories in spoiler tags for both the page #1 and page #53 posts of it. I almost found out who got kicked off The Apprentice (recorded the episode).
fred, have you checked your PM?
Yes, and while I see your point, keenan (repeats, but no new episodes of "Lost" until late February means the show should be listed in the "Hiatus" listings), it isn't, technically, on hiatus.
ABC is going to repeat the first ten episodes and then, when they have new episodes filmed, pick up with # 11.
In reality, though the delay will madden the millions of "Lost" fans, it might well make the franchise even stronger because new episodes will be broadcast without interruption through the May sweeps.
In most cases hiatus means a show is destined for cancellation, and has been pulled from the schedule entirely.
(And thanks both for sending and for noting your PM, keenan...I check them rather irregularly some times!)
I think it's a pretty bold move on ABC's part, a serial style show like this with a 10 week break, but I guess that is to be expected since it is brand new and enough episodes were not in the can. Two friends have already told that they will probably have lost interest 10 weeks from now, the ratings will tell the story though...
I think that just goes to show how in disarray ABC is....how could they let this happen when the ratings were good from week one?
Alias Wants Rossellini Back
(scifi.com—)Isabella Rossellini told SCI FI Wire that she's been asked to reprise her role as Katya on ABC's spy drama Alias, which kicks off a fourth season in January. "They called me the other day to see if I was available in January, so I hope they'll make me kill someone else soon," Rossellini said in an interview. "I did say that I was available, so hopefully [it will work out]."
Rossellini guest-starred three times last season as Katya, the sister of Irina Derevko (Lena Olin). In her first episode, "Crossings," Katya informed Jack (Victor Garber) that Sydney (Jennifer Garner) was still alive, and offered to do everything in her power to save Sydney, so long as Jack agreed to kill Sloane (Ron Rifkin). Later, Katya tried to kill Sydney and made romantic advances toward Jack.
"My character is pretty mysterious, and we're all very devious," Rossellini said. "So the moment you think you get your character—'I'm bad at this, but good at that'—uh-uh. The next script arrives, and you're betraying [someone]. We're meaner than the public can even imagine."
Rossellini added that playing so mysterious and devious a character wasn't unusual or difficult, as she's played dark characters before. But she said that perpetrating Katya's brand of violence did not come easily. "I had to take my chopsticks and put them [through] somebody's hands," Rossellini said, referring to a scene in "Crossings." "There were all these special effects, and I wasn't hurting the person, but even just doing it I flinched a little bit. So the director said to me, 'Isabella, you have the accent. If you get the violence, you can be governor. So go. Go for it.' They're a great bunch of people. [Executive producer] J.J. Abrams and Jennifer Garner, they're so great. It's fun to be with them." Alias begins its new season with a two-hour premiere on Jan. 5 and moves to a new timeslot, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, following Abrams' other hit series, Lost.
I agree, one, they did not expect the response they've had for the show, two, I think the original order was for only 6-11 episodes, so I am sure now that the show appears to be soaring the production has to be ramped up again, during the holiday season which is probably no small task. It wouldn't surprise me if little things about the show were just a little different when it returns...
ABC best not blow this one...there are doing so well this season, it would be a shame..
Of course the added effect (if veiwership should suffer with all the repeats) is that "Alias" will get a smaller lead-in.
I just can't figure out how the ABC suits didn't figure out as olution to this problem eight weeks ago.
mp3trojan
12-10-04, 06:29 PM
Originally posted by fredfa
I think that just goes to show how in disarray ABC is....how could they let this happen when the ratings were good from week one?
My guess.....Feburary sweeps perhaps???? I smell the same thing coming for Desperate Housewives...Hope not!!
But they don't plan to have "Lost" back on the schedule until the last week of the February sweeps.
Curious, to say the least.
Yeah, this programming for sweeps is really starting to wear on me, it's as if there is really no responsibility to the viewer at all, they've put the money making aspect of TV right out in the open with no excuses...I don't know, it just bugs me, I enjoy being naive about some things and TV viewing is one of them...
Originally posted by fredfa
But they don't plan to have "Lost" back on the schedule until the last week of the February sweeps.
Curious, to say the least.
I think it will take that long to replay all the episodes, I'm guessing they might be looking to bring in new viewers to add to the current ones...a gamble, but who knows..
And despite all that, amazingly, the networks for the first time ever, were outrated by cable channels last month.
And, given the decisions networks have made over the past couple of decades, I guess it is hard to understand what took so long.
DirecTV to Drop FSN Chicago
Multichannel.com 12/10/2004
DirecTV Inc. will drop Rainbow Sports-owned FSN Chicago at the end of the month.
The direct-broadcast satellite provider’s subscribers were notified of the pending change as part of their December bills.
It was unclear whether DirecTV’s deal with FSN Chicago expires Dec. 31 or whether the company exercised an out in its agreement.
Earlier this year, FSN Chicago lost all of its local pro-sports-franchise carriage deals to upstart Comcast SportsNet Chicago, which DirecTV carries.
Representatives from FSN and DirecTV could not be reached for comment.
Sachs: DTV Plan a $28B Cable Tax
By Ted Hearn Multichannel.com 12/10/2004
The cable industry said a broadcaster-sponsored plan to end the digital-television transition would impose set-top costs on cable customers that could run as high as $28 billion.
"This multibillion-dollar tax on cable customers is wholly unnecessary," National Cable & Telecommunications Association president Robert Sachs said in a Dec. 9 letter to Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell.
The NCTA was responding to a TV-broadcaster plan that would deny cable systems the right to downgrade digital-TV signals to analog at the headend. The broadcaster plan would effectively require cable to provide a digital set-top for every analog-TV set or to carry each TV station in both analog and digital.
"There is simply no need to force cable customers to spend billions of dollars on converter devices designed to enable them to view the same thing they receive today on the same television set," Sachs added. "So this `alternative' is no alternative at all."
Sachs also dismissed broadcasters' claim that consumers with digital-TV sets would lose access to their digital programming if cable were allowed to downconvert at the headend. Sachs said the HD signals of 450 TV stations are currently carried on cable, and digital-TV-set owners would not lose access to them in the future.
"There is no reason to expect these choices to diminish over time and every reason to expect that competition will spur cable operators to add more HD programming if capacity allows," Sachs said.
As for the broadcast plan, he added, the FCC "should not adopt it."
The TiVo Top 10
Here are the top 10 Season Pass™ rankings among TiVo subscribers, based on anonymous, aggregated data, for the week ending 11/28/04.
1. Desperate Housewives
2. The Apprentice
3. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
4. Lost
5. Survivor: Vanuatu, Islands of Fire
6. ER
7. The West Wing
8. CSI: Miami
9. Joey
10. CSI: NY
(Source: TiVo)
Outdoor Channel Inks HD-Programming Pact
12/10/04
Multichannel.com--The Outdoor Channel has reached an agreement with North American Media Group Inc. -- one of the nation’s leading producers of outdoor programming -- to provide as many as six new exclusive, 13-week series in HD for Outdoor Channel 2 HD, slated to launch July 1.
The first series to be developed, with the working title The Guide’s Guide, is a Florida-based show that will put two world-class guides in a boat together, with one fishing and the other guiding.
He's trying to keep it inside
Mark Moses says his "Desperate Housewives" character is just misunderstood.
Who hasn't wanted to kill a blender-stealing neighbor?
By Maria Elena Fernandez Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Dec 12 2004
Mark Moses seems like a regular guy. He coaches his young sons' soccer and baseball teams, he speaks adoringly of his wife of 16 years, and he sure likes to laugh.
Then why does a woman interrupt his lunch at the Aroma Cafe in Studio City to belt out, "You're a murdering S.O.B."?
Perhaps it's because Moses has quickly become Public Enemy No. 1 in the minds of some TV viewers.
To them, he's Paul Young, the "Desperate Housewives" husband who dug out his swimming pool in the middle of the night after his wife ceremoniously killed herself in the pilot, set a toy chest afloat with "grisly remains" in a lake and committed his adolescent son to a psychiatric ward, where he ordered doctors to "forget the Freud and stick with the drugs."
He put his house up for sale, hired a hit man, and in his final act on the Nov. 28 episode, struck a meddlesome neighbor, Martha Huber, on the head with a blender and strangled her to death.
She had it coming, Moses explains over lunch, defending his on-screen alter ego. "She should have returned what she borrowed."
Paul Young, you see, killed his nosy neighbor with the blender she had borrowed from his wife, Mary Alice, but never returned. Not only was she was presumably blackmailing Mary Alice, she didn't have the decency to return the appliance after she discovered Mary Alice's dead body in the pilot episode. In fact, Martha removed the label with Mary Alice's name. The nerve!
"The writers had a good time with that one," says Moses. "As an actor if you're doing a lot of serious stuff, you want to do something funny. If you're doing a lot of funny stuff, you want to do something serious and meaningful. In this show, at least the women get to do pretty much all of that. But depending on how you look at it, that blender could be pretty funny. Especially if it's filled with a smoothie, that's really funny!"
Moses, whose first Hollywood role was in "Platoon" in 1986 and who has guest-starred on "West Wing," "ER," and "The Practice," also has plenty of sitcom experience. He was a guest on the first episode of "The Golden Girls," which Marc Cherry, creator of "Desperate Housewives," wrote in 1990, playing Rue McClanahan's illegitimate son.
The men worked together again in 1995 on two of Cherry's projects, "The Crew" and "The Five Buchanans."
So Cherry was understandably perplexed when Moses walked in to audition for the serious role of Paul Young, the Wisteria Lane husband who is keeper of the show's central secrets.
"He just had a gravitas and a coldness, which is not at all what Mark is in real life, so he was able to portray this in some kind of cold, distant way, and I thought it was terrific," Cherry says. "He looked so all-American and wholesome and he looked like someone you would want to have as a neighbor. I thought that was an interesting juxtaposition."
So many questions
Now, as one of the only male characters with his own story line, he also is at the center of intrigue. Why did Mary Alice kill herself? Why was she being blackmailed? What "awful things" are her 16-year-old son, Zach, remembering? What or who was buried in that pool and toy chest? Who is Dana?
"The character of Paul Young is very misunderstood," Cherry says. "He's basically a nice guy who's been put in a horrible circumstance."
But would you want to have him as a father? Paul and Zach Young could easily win the award, if there were one, for television's creepiest father and son.
If you're feeling sorry for Zach, who is grieving for his mother, "You won't later!" says Cody Kasch, the 17-year-old who plays him.
Don't forget — Zach is the boy who punched his father and broke into a neighbor's house to decorate the living room for Christmas, placing the Young family stockings on the fireplace, including his mother's.
"There's a father-son-type relationship between us, but it's on a different level," says Kasch, explaining the family dynamics. "There's a lot of secrets, a lot of mystery, a lot of dark things. But there is a connection and we'll see that later."
On this December afternoon, Moses and Kasch are reshooting a dinner scene for the Dec. 19 episode. When they shot it the first time a month ago, Paul Young revealed a big secret. Cherry has now decided to hang on to the juicy stuff for three more episodes. (And we won't tell you how the father and son are reunited either.)
But, as the show's 23 million viewers have come to learn, any meal shared by father and son at the Young house is dramatic, no matter what is said at the table.
"The two of them at mealtime is very eerie," Cherry agrees. "It's Norman Rockwell-esque, by way of David Lynch."
At their first breakfast scene, Zach is angry that his father didn't bother to list an obituary for his mother in the newspaper and says, "Maybe when you die, I won't put in an obituary."
The father responds: "That will be your choice to make. Assuming you outlive me."
In the Dec. 19 steak dinner scene, Zach confesses to his father that he is remembering "awful things" from his childhood. His father advises him not to dwell on the past, offers him mashed potatoes and says, "Sure is nice to be back to normal."
"Every take with Mark has a different feel, which is what is great about being in so many scenes with him," Kasch says. "Nowadays acting has turned into a lifestyle. But every once in a while you run into somebody who has been acting for 30 years, and it still means something to them. Mark is like that."
Ponies and other theories
Moses claims the show's mysteries are only shared with him on a need-to-know basis by the writers. But he was clever enough to figure out early that Martha Huber was the blackmailer, though he never imagined Paul would kill her with his own bare hands. After all, he had already paid a hit man $10,000. As for other mysteries, "I have a lot of theories," he says, his voice deepening.
OK, let's hear them.
Who is Dana? "My son's pet Shetland pony," Moses says. "He lived in the backyard and he was constantly in heat and he got so noisy that one night I went out and shot him and my son has never forgiven me."
And the pony had a little wrapping blanket? "Something like that."
So the pony is in the toy chest? "All we know is there are grisly remains in the toy chest. Grisly remains could be the grisly remains of many things. My speculation is that it's a Shetland pony. What's yours?"
What is wrong with your son? "Nothing outside of normal teenage behavior. If you give him the correct dosage of drugs, he's usually fine."
Does Paul know why Mary Alice killed herself? "Not really. That's what's so frustrating about it. But now there is a clue. He thinks she killed herself because she was blackmailed by Mrs. Huber. Paul knows whether or not Mrs. Huber is correct in her assumption about Mary Alice. I know that much and I can't give it away."
Paul, Moses assures, is not a bad guy. He misses his wife. Really. So is it fair for someone to accost the actor and call him a murderer?
"It was a crime of passion," Moses says sadly of the fictional dead neighbor. "He's a desperate husband."
Fast National ratings for Friday, Dec. 10, 2004.
CBS Regains Title on Erratic Friday
Returning to its regular schedule after last week's ice-skating "wars," CBS took Friday night among households with a 6.3 rating/11 share. Last week's winner NBC slipped to second with a 5.3/9 and ABC rounded out the Top Three with a 5.2/9. FOX was fourth with a 3.1/5, followed by The WB, 2.7/5, and UPN, 1.4/2.
Things looked quite a bit different among 18 to 49-year-olds though. ABC was the king of the demographic with a 2.4, followed by NBC with a 2.3. FOX came in third with a 2.2, while CBS was fourth with a 2.1. The WB took a 1.8 and UPN came in just under the wire with a 0.9.
At 8 p.m., NBC started the night strong with "Dateline NBC," 6.5/12. CBS was second with "Joan of Aracadia," 5.4/10, followed by "8 Simple Rules," 4.8/9, and "Complete Savages," 4.2/7, on ABC. FOX went with "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill," averaging a 2.9/5 for the hour, just enough to beat The WB's holiday specials "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas," 2.7/5, and "A Scooby-Doo Christmas," 2.8/5. "Star Trek: Enterprise" floated in UPN space with a 1.3/2.
At 9 p.m., CBS took the lead with the most-watched show of the night, "JAG," 7.1/12. NBC found itself suddenly in second place with "Third Watch," 4.8/8, and ABC stayed in third with the comedies "Hope & Faith" and "Less Than Perfect." A double dose of "Family Guy" gave FOX a nice bump, averaging a 3.3/6 for the hour. The WB stayed in fifth place with "Reba," 3.0/5, and "Blue Collar TV," 2.3/4, as UPN finished its night with a replay of Wednesday night's "America's Next Top Model," 1.4/3.
At 10 p.m., yet another network -- this time ABC -- was No. 1 with "20/20," 6.9/12. CBS slid back to second place with "Cold Case," 6.7/12, and NBC finished the night in third with a repeat "Medical Investigation," 4.5/8.
• Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.
Paul Bigelow
12-11-04, 11:55 PM
fredfa,
Thank you again for this thread. Day in and day out it one of the "must read" threads in the entire forum.
Best regards,
Paul Bigelow
Symbios
12-12-04, 12:37 AM
Yes, it's really fantastic what you're doing. This thread is the first thing I go to when I get up in the morning; it’s just wonderful. I know I’ve said it before and I'll say it again, keep up the good work Fred!
( For those with children, this looks like a great Christmas show for the whole fanily to watch Monday night.)
PBS Unwraps Restored Version of 'Cinderella
By John Crook
(zap2it.com)--PBS takes the wrappings off the holiday TV season's classiest present as "Great Performances" presents a digitally restored version of Julie Andrews in "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella" Monday, Dec. 13 (check local listings).
It has been virtually unseen since its 1957 world premiere, when a then-record audience of more than 107 million U.S. viewers tuned into a live CBS telecast. The musical also stars Edie Adams as the fairy godmother; Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostley as stepsisters Portia and Joy; Ilka Chase as the stepmother; and as the king and queen, Howard Lindsay and Dorothy Stickney, Broadway's royal couple at the time via their long run in the comedy smash "Life with Father."
A largely unknown young actor named Jon Cypher, who would go on to play Chief Daniels on "Hill Street Blues" many years later, got his first big break playing the prince.
Then 22 years old, Andrews was starring as Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady" when Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II cast her as Cinderella.
"Just before I went on, a very kind soul pointed out to me that more people probably would see me in that single telecast than all the full houses of 'My Fair Lady' for 100 years," Andrews says, laughing.
"The pressure was immense, and because it was live, we couldn't do anything through 'the magic of television.' As I was getting ready for the ball, the camera would be on my feet while someone was jamming a crown on my head."
Although the musical was revived in 1965 with Lesley Ann Warren as Cinderella, and again in 1997 with Brandy in the title role, musical theater connoisseurs have long declared this 1957 production is by far the best of the lot. Despite almost nonexistent special effects, this "Cinderella" has a rare magic all its own, thanks to the radiance of Andrews in her prime.
"I was given a wonderful gift by two of the most famous writers of any stage," she says. "For me, they wrote the part that every little girl longs to play."
Fast National ratings for Saturday, Dec. 11, 2004
FOX Locks Up Saturday Win
(zap2it.com)--The competition was minimal on Saturday night, as most of the networks aired movies and holiday specials. This allowed FOX's regular lineup to win households with a 4.8 rating/9 share. CBS was second with a 3.8/7, ahead of both NBC, 3.3/6, and ABC, 3.2/6.
FOX was also No. 1 among 18 to 49-year-olds with a 3.0 rating. CBS managed a 1.7, while ABC and NBC tied with a 1.4 each.
At 8 p.m., A double dose of "Cops" started FOX's night, averaging a 4.9/10 for the hour. ABC aired the TV movie "Naughty or Nice" starring George Lopez, 3.2/6, while NBC's film offering was "Last Ride," 2.5/5. CBS caught a bit of the holiday spirit with "Robbie the Reindeer in Hooves of Fire," 2.2/4, and "Robbie the Reindeer in Legend of the Lost Tribe," 2.3/4.
At 9 p.m., FOX was also tops with "America's Most Wanted," 4.8/9, while CBS shot up to seond place with a "Without a Trace" repeat, 3.8/7. ABC's movie slipped to third, 3.4/6, while NBC dipped to fourth.
At 10 p.m., With FOX out of the way, CBS was able to recover some lost group with "48 Hours Mystery," 5.3/10. NBC also had the best hour of its night courtesty of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," 4.9/9, while ABC ended things with a "Wife Swap" whimper, 2.9/6.
• Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, particularly in the case of live events.
mikey p
12-12-04, 02:00 PM
"fredfa"
This is far and away the best thread on this forum, bar none, the real news, a pleasure to read every day, BTW; more than once a day ;-)
A big tip of the cap, and thanks for your hard work on this project. Way better than most here.......
fredfa:
5 "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" HD ABC 18.61 ---should not be HD
9 Monday Night Football ABC 17.35 ----should be HD
16 CSI: NY CBS 14.91 ---should be HD
Got it f44, thanks again for proof reading!
Paul Bigelow, Simbios and mikey p:
It is always good to hear people are interested in what is going on in the world of TV -- and even better to hear that the effort to keep this thread current is appreciated.
A request, if I might, for you -- and anyone who enjoys the information posted in this thread:
If you know anyone interested in television email them the url for the thread.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=440744&perpage=20&pagenumber=1
Perhaps they'll become AVS members but of even more imprtance, maybe we can slowly seduce them to being interested in joining us all with our deep interest not just in TV, but in HDTV.
Every little bit helps.
Thanks again, all.
Fred
fredfa,
It looks like NBC is going to air the remaining episodes of LAX on NBC. They are airing "Ceast & Assist" on 1/15/2005 (a Saturday) at 8pm ET, so its not quite "cancelled" yet, although it will be.
Second Time Around should definitely not be under cancelled, as thefutoncritic says:
"The [13-episode] decision however con't spell the end of the freshman comedy as it will remain under consideration for the 2005-06 season. It's expected the midseason entry "The Bad Girl's Guide" will take over for "Second" on Monday nights early next year."
Humbly disagreeing, f44....
But production on LAX has been discontinued.
And a lot of the key people from "Second Time Around" have already left for other projects.
I realize the network isn't saying it's dead -- but then Karen Sisco might be a good example of what happnes to shows "under consideration" for some kind of revival.
You could be right on both shows.
On the other hand, I'm going with information I believe to be true added to a bit of my own intuition.
The Cancelled list is obviously not totally "official" (although I would prefer it to be that way).
The reality is that a lot of shows are dead long before their networks get around to the "official" obituary.
I give no guarantees, and try to provide lots of opinions in the thread -- many of which I don't agree with, by the way.
(On the other hand, your opinion is always closely listened to, and usually, as you know, followed.
stealthg2000
12-13-04, 01:12 AM
is curb really going to be in HD? its never been in hd before.. maybe there will be a chance for the wire and entorage next year... HBO would really be my best friend...
Good catch, stealthg2000.
Nope, the HD next to Curb (which has now been removed thanks to your query) was simply an error on my part.
Sorry.
How's he doin'? Well, not so hot
'Joey,' like other sitcoms this season, is struggling. Producers hope guests and stronger scripts will bring viewers back.
By Scott Collins Los AngelesTimes Staff Writer Dec 13 2004
On the NBC comedy "Joey," star Matt LeBlanc plays a struggling actor who lives in constant fear of unemployment. Last week, for instance, Joey got his hands on an advance script for his latest project, a "Baywatch"-type series set in a ski resort, and became frantic that the writers were about to ax his character.
Joey might not be the only one whose job is on the line. A spinoff of "Friends," one of the biggest comedy hits ever, "Joey" is on a downhill slide. The show has been shedding viewers fairly consistently since its Sept. 9 premiere, particularly among its target audience of young adults.
The producers are scrambling this month to improve scripts and beef up the cast with special guests, such as "Charlie's Angels" star Lucy Liu, who's shot three episodes and may do more. But "Joey" suffers a problem common to many spinoffs — the inevitable comparison to the show that preceded it.
It's also struggling for traction during one of the worst seasons ever for scripted comedy.
NBC likes to point out that "Joey" is the top-rated new comedy this year, but that's not saying much. The competition includes marginal shows such as ABC's "Rodney," CBS' "Listen Up" and "Center of the Universe" and NBC's already-canceled "Father of the Pride." Fox's decision to move its hot youth soap, "The O.C.," to Thursday is likely pulling away viewers as well.
Whatever the cause, "Joey's" weakness is creating new headaches at NBC. It was counting on the sitcom to stay competitive on Thursday night, when movie studios and other advertisers shell out top dollar for airtime. The show's low ratings were one of the main reasons NBC lost its dominance among young adults — with CBS taking the lead — in last month's sweeps, which helps set ad rates for local stations.
NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly downplayed the show's problems but noted that its creative pedigree gives "Joey" an extra hurdle to clear in terms of perception. "Were 'Joey' not a 'Friends' spinoff, it would be called an unequivocal hit," he said. "But being held to the standard of a 'Friends' spinoff, it somehow seems as if it's underperforming."
More than 18 million viewers watched the premiere, but recent episodes have lured fewer than 12 million viewers, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research. The series' main rival, CBS' "Survivor: Vanuatu," averages 19.6 million viewers.
Among adults ages 18 to 49, "Joey" is down 43% compared with the viewership "Friends" drew last year during the same 8 p.m. Thursday slot.
Still, NBC has ordered a full season's worth of 24 episodes (11 have aired so far). So "Joey" has plenty of time to improve before executives decide which shows to renew in the spring.
But some TV analysts are skeptical that "Joey" will ever find its way. "It's not an engaging show," said Stacey Lynn Koerner of Initiative Media, a New York-based ad firm. He predicted "Joey" is doomed to be a one-season series.
On paper, it had everything going for it. And NBC had reason to be optimistic. During the phenomenal 10-year run of "Friends," about six young Manhattanites navigating friendship and romance at the fictional Central Perk coffee shop, fans had grown to love LeBlanc's portrayal of Joey Tribbiani — a none-too-bright but good-natured lug known for luring women with his guileless greeting: "How you doin'?"
By the time "Friends" ended its run in May, NBC had already locked down the spinoff with LeBlanc, the only cast member seriously interested in continuing with his character. (LeBlanc was said to be busy with rehearsals and unavailable for comment.)
Warner Bros. Television, which produces "Joey," picked two "Friends" writers to run the show — Shana Goldberg-Meehan (the daughter of "Family Ties" creator Gary David Goldberg) and Scott Silveri. Kevin Bright, who with partners Marta Kauffman and David Crane supervised "Friends," signed on as an executive producer and is directing some episodes.
The producers came up with a premise that involved Joey moving to Los Angeles, where his streetwise sister, Gina (Drea de Matteo, formerly of HBO's "The Sopranos"), lives with her 20-year-old son, Michael (Paulo Costanzo). They seemed to be borrowing a page from "Frasier," which descended very successfully from "Cheers."
Fans of "Friends" have generally praised the producers for sticking with Joey's dim but lovable character. But some complain that the scripts give LeBlanc too little to do and that the supporting characters are weakly drawn. "I laughed out loud in some parts, but the writing was still rough," one fan wrote of the pilot on a www.sit<243>comsonline.com message board.
But it's not just "Joey" that's stumbling. Sitcom producers are having a tough time making viewers laugh this fall.
With a few exceptions, such as CBS' "Two and a Half Men," existing comedies are struggling just as much as the new shows. Meanwhile, two new dramas, the quirky soap "Desperate Housewives" and the thriller "Lost," are getting the kind of glowing media attention once reserved for sitcoms like "Seinfeld."
The numbers for "Joey" prove that "it's still very difficult in this era to launch a sitcom on network TV," said Brad Adgate, senior vice president at New York-based Horizon Media.
NBC isn't giving up, though.
Reilly said "Joey" viewers could expect more appearances by stars, like Liu's, as well as an expanded ensemble in the coming weeks.
PJO1966
12-13-04, 09:55 AM
Originally posted by fredfa
( For those with children, this looks like a great Christmas show for the whole fanily to watch Monday night.)
PBS Unwraps Restored Version of 'Cinderella
Any sign this will be airing in HD in the near future?... right now TiVo can only find the one broadcast and it's not on PBS HD.
HD is future of news
The Big Picture
By Ken Kerschbaumer Broadcasting & Cable 12/13/2004
Six months ago, KUSA Denver became the first TV station to capture and deliver live HD images from its news chopper. Since then, major broadcast networks have seized on this technology for sporting events. Now other TV stations are following suit; several are on tap for HD in 2005. Helinet CTO J.T. Alpaugh discussed the market with B&C's Ken Kerschbaumer.
What other stations have started using the HD system?
We have several, such as KGO San Francisco, KPNX Phoenix and KXTV Sacramento. Right now, all are in downconvert mode. But when they're ready to do HD news, we take the HD output and add an encoder to the digital transmitter.
With only one station, KUSA, signed up, why offer it?
We have close to 30 TV-news contracts across the country, and we're starting to see a buzz about HD. The future in news is HD; we're waiting for the wave to catch on. We also think KUSA's results will fuel demand.
When will that happen?
We'll know better after this holiday season. We're hoping to see a spike in set sales, and that's going to have a real effect on what drives the HD market.
Will the growth pattern be similar to that of helicopters? For example, a station will add a chopper only to compete with another station that has one.
That's a very good analogy. It will be pretty similar, except that the cost incurred to convert a news department to HD is more than just adding HD to a helicopter.
Can your system be used outside of helicopters?
Yes. Football broadcasters have put the system on a remotely controlled camera mount that flies over the field. We've been doing one NFL game a week, and we'll also be doing the Super Bowl.
PJO1966:
I would doubt HD for "Cinderella".
I have no idea how it was recorded, (though probably it was a kinescope, which was simply a filming of the TV broadcast).
I'll look in tonight to see.
To have something like this from TV's golden age, in HD would be wonderful, though.
'Desperate' Bid for Golden Globes Pays Off
The Big Picture By Rick Porter
(zap2it.com)--The decision to have "Desperate Housewives" compete as a comedy series at the Golden Globe Awards reaped handsome rewards Monday (Dec. 13).
ABC's freshman hit earned five nominations, the most of any single program in the TV categories for the 62nd annual Golden Globes. In addition to a nod for best comedy series, the show picked up four acting nominations for Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman and Nicolette Sheridan.
The nominations offered their usual unpredictability, with a number of past favorites failing to make the cut this year. HBO's "Sex and the City" received only two nominations for its swan song, one for best comedy and one for star Sarah Jessica Parker. A tough-talking criminal from an HBO series was nominated for best actor in a drama, but it wasn't James Gandolfini of "The Sopranos; it was Ian McShane of "Deadwood."
As is becoming the norm at awards shows, HBO led all networks with 20 nominations, including two each for best comedy ("Sex and the City," "Entourage") and best drama ("Deadwood," "The Sopranos"). ABC was second with nine nominations, and FX, which has three of its stars -- Michael Chiklis ("The Shield"), Denis Leary ("Rescue Me") and Julian McMahon ("Nip/Tuck") -- competing for best actor in a drama -- picked up six to place third. NBC and Showtime each have four nominations.
Unlike, say, last year, though, HBO doesn't appear to have an "Angels in America"-like lock to dominate the awards. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hands out the awards, spread the wealth around, giving a dozen programs multiple nominations.
Without Gandolfini, the competition for lead actor in a drama (Emmy winner James Spader of "Boston Legal" Is the fifth nominee) is wide open. The two best series categories, too, seem like a crapshoot, with the hour-long "Housewives" competing for best comedy with "Sex and the City" (off the air for nearly a year), "Arrested Development" (Emmy-winning but low-rated), "Entourage" (not seen by many people) and "Will & Grace" (five nominations, no wins).
A new winner in the category is guaranteed, as last year's upset victor, "The Office," is no longer on the air.
In the best drama category, "The Sopranos" may be a more clear favorite. FOX's "24" won last year in the absence of HBO's flagship series but had what many critics consider to be its weakest season in 2003-04. ABC's other freshman hit, "Lost," and FX's over-the-top "Nip/Tuck" round out the category with "Deadwood."
In movies, "Sideways" led all Globes nominees with seven, followed by Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator" with six. Jamie Foxx scored a record three individual nominations -- one each for his roles in the feature films "Collateral" and "Ray" and the TV movie "Redemption."
The Golden Globe Awards are scheduled to air Sunday, Jan. 16 on NBC. Here are the Television nominees:
Drama Series
• "24," FOX
• "Deadwood," HBO
• "Lost," ABC
• "Nip/Tuck," FX
• "The Sopranos," HBO
Comedy Series
• "Arrested Development," FOX
• "Desperate Housewives," ABC
• "Entourage," HBO
• "Sex and the City," HBO
• "Will & Grace," NBC
Miniseries or TV Movie
• "American Family: Journey of Dreams," PBS
• "Iron Jawed Angels," HBO
• "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," HBO
• "The Lion in Winter," Showtime
• "Something the Lord Made," HBO
Lead Actor -- Drama Series
• Michael Chiklis, "The Shield," FX
• Denis Leary, "Rescue Me," FX
• Julian McMahon, "Nip/Tuck," FX
• Ian McShane, "Deadwood," HBO
• James Spader, "Boston Legal," ABC
Lead Actor -- Comedy Series
• Jason Bateman, "Arrested Development," FOX
• Zach Braff, "Scrubs," NBC
• Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO
• Matt LeBlanc, "Joey," NBC
• Tony Shalhoub, "Monk," USA
• Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men," CBS
Lead Actor -- Miniseries/Movie
• Mos Def, "Something the Lord Made," HBO
• Jamie Foxx, "Redemption," FX
• William H. Macy, "The Wool Cap," TNT
• Geoffrey Rush, "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," HBO
• Patrick Stewart, "The Lion in Winter," Showtime
Lead Actress -- Drama Series
• Edie Falco, "The Sopranos," HBO
• Jennifer Garner, "Alias," ABC
• Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: SVU," NBC
• Christine Lahti, "Jack & Bobby," The WB
• Joely Richardson, "Nip/Tuck," FX
Lead Actress -- Comedy Series
• Marcia Cross, "Desperate Housewives," ABC
• Teri Hatcher, "Desperate Housewives," ABC
• Felicity Huffman, "Desperate Housewives," ABC
• Debra Messing, "Will & Grace," NBC
• Sarah Jessica Parker, "Sex and the City," HBO
Lead Actress -- Miniseries/Movie
• Glenn Close, "The Lion in Winter," Showtime
• Blythe Danner, "Back When We Were Grownups," CBS
• Julianna Margulies, "The Grid," TNT
• Miranda Richardson, "The Lost Prince," PBS
• Hilary Swank, "Iron Jawed Angels," HBO
Supporting Actor -- Series, Miniseries or Movie
• Sean Hayes, "Will & Grace," NBC
• Michael Imperioli, "The Sopranos," HBO
• Jeremy Piven, "Entourage," HBO
• Oliver Platt, "Huff," Showtime
• William Shatner, "Boston Legal," ABC
Supporting Actress -- Series, Miniseries or Movie
• Drea de Matteo, "The Sopranos," HBO
• Anjelica Huston, "Iron Jawed Angels," HBO
• Nicolette Sheridan, "Desperate Housewives," ABC
• Charlize Theron, "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," HBO
• Emily Watson, "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," HBO
Paul Bigelow
12-13-04, 11:40 AM
Here's a bit more on the history of the original "Cinderella" TV production:
http://www.julieandrews.co.uk/news_arc42_main.htm
Scan down to June 20, 2002.
And here:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/cinderella/index.html
It's a shame that only a B&W kinescope survives of the live colorcast. Still though, it's an important find which is supposed to be out on DVD tomorrow.
What I cannot determine is what is exactly on the DVD/PBS broadcast: Is it the kinescope of the actual broadcast or the dress rehearsal mentioned in the .julieandrews link?
Paul
(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
Rating for Sunday Dec. 12th
Metered Market Ratings
Household Rating/Share
CBS: 10.9/16
ABC: 10.2/15
Fox: 6.3/ 9
NBC: 5.9/ 9
WB: 1.8/ 3
Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Sunday 12/14/03):
ABC: +100
Fox: -18
CBS: -19
NBC: -25
WB: -31
Fast Affiliate Ratings
Total Viewers:
CBS: 17.20 million
ABC: 15.09
Fox: 9.21
ABC: 8.21
WB: 2.01
Adults 18-49
CBS: 6.1/14
ABC: 5.9/14
Fox: 3.9/ 9
NBC: 2.9/ 7
WB: 0.8/ 2
Yesterday's Winners:
NFL Football overrun (Fox)
60 Minutes (CBS)
Survivor: Vanuatu Finale (CBS)
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)
Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Survivor: Vanuatu Reunion (CBS)
Yesterday's Losers:
Dateline (NBC)
My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss (Fox)
The Mountain (WB)
Ratings Breakdown:
Proof more than one network can succeed considerably on one evening was Desperate Housewives fueled ABC and the Survivor: Vanuatu finale on CBS. Although the Survivor season-ender was down by 16 percent in the overnights, 5.61 million viewers and 24 percent from the comparable year-ago Pearl Islands closer (Overnights: 14.0/19, Viewers: 25.23 million, A18-49: 9.7/22 from 8-10 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2003), an 11.8/17 in the overnights, 19.62 million viewers and a 7.4/17 among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. keeps the Cadillac of reality in the winner's circle. Survivor: Vanuatu won the 8 p.m. hour in the overnights, total viewers and adults 18-49, while ranking second behind ABC blockbuster Desperate Housewives (Overnights: 16.3/23; Viewers: 22.21 million; A18-49: 9.3/20) from 9-10 p.m. in all three categories. Thanks to Survivor, CBS moved into the No. 1 position last night.
Also worthy of accolades opposite Survivor: Vanuatu was ABC's feel-good Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (Overnights: #2, 9.2/13; Viewers: #2, 15.21 million; A18-49: #2, 6.0/14) from 8-9 p.m.
At 10 p.m., the live Survivor: Vanuatu reunion (#1, 10.3/17; Viewers: #1, 16.22 million; A18-49: #1, 6.8/16) bested ABC's No. 2 Boston Legal (9.6/15; Viewers: 13.45 million; A18-49: 5.0/12) by 7 percent in the overnights, 2.77 million viewers and 26 percent among adults 18-49. Sticking with CBS and ABC, although the Eye net's still ticking 60 Minutes (#2, 10.6/16; Viewers: #2, 13.32 million; A18-49: #3, 2.9/ 8) was a comfortable second in households and total viewers at 7 p.m., ABC' veteran America's Funniest Home Videos (#4, 5.3/ 9; Viewers: #3, 9.50 million; A18-49: #3, 3.3/ 9) had a 14 percent advantage among adults 18-49.
Also in the 7 p.m. hour was an NFL Football overrun on Fox (#1, 12.1/19; A18-49: #1, 6.3/17), NBC's Dateline (#3: 5.5/ 9; A18-49: #4, 2.0/ 6), and a repeat of Steve Harvey's Big Time on the WB (#5: 1.9/ 3; A18-49: #5, 0.8/ 2).
At 8 p.m., and opposite Extreme Makeover and the Survivor: Vanuatu finale, was a repeat of theatrical National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation on NBC (#3 overall, 5.9/ 8; A18-49: #3 overall, 3.2/ 7 from 8-10 p.m.), Fox comedies The Simpsons (#3: 7.5/11; A18-49: #3, 4.8/11) and Arrested Development (#4: 4.8/ 7; A18-49: #3, 3.2/ 7), and a repeat of the WB's fading Charmed (#5: 2.4/ 3; A18-49: #5, 1.2/ 2).
Rounding off the 9 p.m. hour was Fox's deadly My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss (#4: 2.6/ 4; A18-49: #4, 1.6/ 3) and The Mountain on the WB (#5: 1.2/ 2; A18-49: #5, 0.4/ 1).
Third at 10 p.m. was a repeat of NBC's underrated Crossing Jordan (6.5/10; A18-49: 3.1/ 8).
And the Winner of Survivor: Vanuatu is…
Despite blowing the first immunity challenge, 33-year-old Chris Daugherty managed to outplay, outwit and outlast the competition and was named the 9th winner of Survivor in a 5-to-2 vote in his favor over second-place Twila. While this may not have been the most exciting edition of Survivor (hell, it was even duller than Africa), I must say that last night's final Tribal Council was the liveliest I have seen since the original Survivor when Sue Hawk referred to Richard Hatch and Kelly Wigglesworth as a rat and a snake. As for Twila and Scout, let's hope we never see - or hear - from that motley duo again.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
Originally posted by fredfa
PJO1966:
I would doubt HD for "Cinderella".
I have no idea how it was recorded, (though probably it was a kinescope, which was simply a filming of the TV broadcast).
I'll look in tonight to see.
To have something like this from TV's golden age, in HD would be wonderful, though.
It showed up in a search on HDTV Mag but it's not listed on PBS HD or my local station, so i'm not sure how it came up.
Originally posted by fredfa
'Desperate' Bid for Golden Globes Pays Off
Lead Actor -- Drama Series
• Ian McShane, "Deadwood," HBO
This is well deserved, his portrayal of a salon owner in Deadwood is almost larger that life..
Lead Actress -- Comedy Series
• Marcia Cross, "Desperate Housewives," ABC
• Felicity Huffman, "Desperate Housewives," ABC
[/B]
These two are a push IMO, both very good.
It's too bad The Wire isn't making anyones's lists, but it doesn't surprise me, because of the show's underlying sociological and political undertones, it is probably too controversial to be put in this type of spotlight, a sad thing..
keenan: since you enjoy "The Wire"......
NOTE: If you haven’t yet seen Sunday’s night’s episode of “The Wire” this will serve as your SPOILER ALERT!!!!
Whacked! Another HBO Main Player Meets His End
By LOLA OGUNNAIKE The New York Times December 13, 2004
Fans of HBO's hit crime series "The Wire" may have been shocked off their couches last night when one of the show's main characters, the calculating drug dealer Stringer Bell, was gunned down in a gruesome ambush.
But it is unlikely that anyone in the Sunday-night audience was as stunned as Idris Elba, the 32-year-old actor who has brought Stringer to life since "The Wire" began three years ago. "When I first read the script I was like: 'What? No! This isn't supposed to happen,' " Mr. Elba said over dinner at an Upper West Side restaurant. "I was deeply disappointed. It was a surprise, a complete surprise."
It is an unusual move to be sure, but one that has become increasingly common on HBO, a network known for unconventional plot twists and bold, can-you-believe-they-did that? surprises. "The Sopranos" has never been shy about doing away with major characters - Big Pussy, Ralphie and Adriana were all killed off. "Deadwood," the drama series set in the lawless West, lost its Wild Bill Hickok. And D'Angelo Barksdale, the young drug-dealing character who carried much of the first season of "The Wire," was strangled in a brutal prison scene. Another prominent "Wire" character, Frank Sobotka, ended up with a tag on his toe after being shot in the second season.
"One of the themes of the show is that raw, unencumbered capitalism is not good for anyone," said David Simon, creator and mastermind of "The Wire." "You may get a short run, you may get a long run, but the drug trade is the only thing that's eternal." As a reporter for The Baltimore Sun, Mr. Simon covered the narcotics beat for 15 years. He was the author of the book on which the NBC series "Homicide" was based, as well as co-author of "The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood," an account of a West Baltimore community dominated by an open-air drug market. "The Corner" became an acclaimed mini-series on HBO in 2000.
Mr. Simon said the blueprint for Stringer's death was created two years ago. That the drug dealer became a must-watch figure is of little consequence, he said. "Holding on to a character and then twisting the story to serve the character?" he said. "There's no gratification in that for anyone. We're not doing a soap opera here."
Set in the crime-infested streets of Baltimore, "The Wire" centers on a band of big-time drug dealers and the motley crew of cops who are determined to bring them down. Stringer, the refined, upwardly mobile consigliere to the decidedly gangster Avon Barksdale, was intent on becoming a legitimate businessman. He favored starched shirts and understated Italian suits and studied macroeconomics at a community college. In one episode, he ran a meeting with his army of pushers according to Robert's Rules of Order.
Mr. Elba, who is far more sensitive than the stoic Stringer, said his last day of work was particularly emotional. Michael K. Williams, who plays Omar Devone Little, the gay, shotgun-toting thug who blasts away Stringer, said: "There were a lot of wet eyes on the set. I just had to keep telling myself that Idris is alive and he has a bright future ahead of him."
Fans of the show may be surprised to learn that Mr. Elba is not African American. The only child of a mother from Ghana and father from Sierre Leone, Mr. Elba was born and brought up in Hackney, a working-class borough of London. It is a fact he reluctantly shares with fans, preferring instead to use his American accent when talking with those who request autographs. "Wherever I go the real hard-core dudes come up to me and confide in me," said Mr. Elba, who over the years has been approached by dozens of drug dealers identifying with Stringer. "I almost feel guilty turning around and saying: 'Hello, mate. My name's Idris and I'm from London.' " Mr. Elba burst into an exaggerated version of his cockney accent. "I don't want to break the illusion."
It was in an effort to impress an older woman at his all-boys junior high school that Mr. Elba discovered acting. "Ms. McPhee," the actor said wistfully. "Not only was she a great drama teacher, but I had a crush on her." Emboldened by Ms. McPhee, who encouraged him to pursue theater, Mr. Elba enrolled in acting school. He moved to the United States years ago and quickly made it his mission to master an American accent. "No point in being here if I couldn't do that," Mr. Elba said.
While his peers bussed tables and tended bar, Mr. Elba worked as a D.J. at Manhattan nightspots like Madame X to pay his bills. After being passed over for a supporting role in the buppie romantic comedy "Brown Sugar," Mr. Elba landed his part on "The Wire."
Despite now being out of a steady gig, Mr. Elba has managed to remain busy.
In recent months, he has become quite a man about town, hopping from soiree to soiree. "Apparently Puffy is a huge fan of the show and he called me personally and invited me to his birthday party the other day," Mr. Elba said, referring to the music mogul Sean Combs. "Puffy is huge in England." When not hobnobbing with the hip-hop cognoscenti, Mr. Elba continues to D.J. at New York City lounges under the moniker "Big Driis the Londoner." The self-professed "music nerd" called D.J.-ing his first love. Late one recent evening, Mr. Elba headed to Bombay Palace, an Indian restaurant in Midtown, where he played tracks ranging in flavor from garage to old school R&B. Though there were few in attendance, Mr. Elba, happily in his own world, did not seem to notice.
His next project is the HBO movie "Sometimes in April," about the Rwandan genocide. It is scheduled to be shown in March.
In the film, Mr. Elba plays a Hutu soldier married to a Tutsi wife. Their family is torn apart by the 1994 genocide that claimed more than 800,000 lives. A majority of the film's crew were native Rwandans, and Mr. Elba's eyes filled with tears when he recounted their stories.
"My driver's whole family was murdered right before his eyes and he had to pretend like he was dead," Mr. Elba said. "These people were hacked to death with machetes. Everyone knew this was happening and nobody did anything. It's for the sake of these people that I'm proud to be associated with this film."
Mr. Elba moves to more lighthearted fare in the movie "Johnny Was," an action thriller about an Irish freedom fighter who flees to England in search of a new life. He won't have to do much research for this effort, which is scheduled to be released next year. "I'm playing another drug dealer, but this time," Mr. Alba said with a chuckle, "he has a British accent."
Peacock Preens with More HD
By Ken Kerschbaumer Broadcasting & Cable12/13/2004 4:43:00 PM
By the end of 2005 NBC says it's entire late-night lineup will be available in HDTV.
Topping the list of long-awaited HD events is "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," expected to finally hit the air in HD in April; "Saturday Night Live" when the show kicks off its 2005-2006 season, and "Last Call with Carson Daly," which shares SNL's studio.
Clark Hands Off New Year's Ball to Philbin
(zap2it.com)--Regis Philbin will take over hosting duties for ABC's annual New Year's Eve festivities as Dick Clark continues to recover from a stroke.
Clark, 75, suffered a mild stroke last week. He's expected to make a full recovery and had hoped to be well in time to host "New Year's Rockin' Eve" for the 33rd consecutive year. His doctors, though, put the brakes on such a speedy comeback.
"I'm so glad that Regis hadn't yet made any New Year's plans," Clark quips. "It'll feel strange watching it on TV, but my doctors felt it was too soon. I'm sure Regis will do a great job, and I'm thankful that he was able to step in on such short notice."
The 73-year-old Philbin, who holds the Guinness world record for most time in front of television cameras, calls the New Year's gig "the greatest temp job in the world."
"I just hope I can uphold the standards Dick Clark has set for this annual event, and I look forward to his return next year," he says.
Philbin will host the "New Year's Rockin' Eve" show from New York; pop star Ashlee Simpson will do the honors for portions of the show from the West Coast. Big & Rich, Ciara, Good Charlotte, Simple Plan and Billy Idol are among the musical acts scheduled for the show.
Originally posted by fredfa
keenan: since you enjoy "The Wire"......
NOTE: If you haven’t yet seen Sunday’s night’s episode of “The Wire” this will serve as your SPOILER ALERT!!!!
Are you kidding?! :D I see at 6PM on the DirecTV HBO-HD East feed, haven't missed it in 3 years..thanks for article..:)
(Also posted on its own thread.)
The Public’s Chance to sound off on HD
Senators Plan Roadshow
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable12/13/2004
In a move that evokes the public interest town meetings of FCC Democrat Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, two of the most influential legislators regarding telecommunications policy will be going on the road, too.
Inouye (D-Hawaii) told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin that he and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska.), will hold six such meetings across the country to let the public weigh in on possible changes to the Telecommunications Act.
As the ranking democrat and chairman, respectively, of the Senate Commerce Committee, Inouye and Stevens will preside over a planned rewrite of the Act. Inouye has expressed reservations about whether the new act should give cable the "breaks" it got the first time around when it was "in its infancy." Inouye also points out that the 1996 rewrite of the act does not address the internet.
Of the town hall meetings, Inouye told the paper: ""We are going to begin in January after the inauguration, and continue in February. Inouye, who has expressed reservations about loosening broadcast ownership rules, says that issue will come up in the act review as well.
"Now there are people expressing concern, and this will be one of the questions we will be inquiring into," Inouye said.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(And relevant portions of the Star-Bulletin artcile mentioned above.)
Inouye sees chance to regulate telecommunications
By Richard Borreca Honolulu Star-Bulletin
U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye is expected to be a major player next year when Congress considers rewriting the landmark 1996 Telecommunications Act.
The complex federal law regulates telephone service, television and radio plus cellular phone service.
Inouye, who as early as 1993 wanted increased federal regulation of cable communications, said last week in Honolulu that he would again bring up that subject.
"In the beginning, when cable companies were in their infancy, in order to bring it up we gave them certain breaks," Inouye told the Star-Bulletin. "The question now is should we again consider them."
Inouye is expected to be the ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, chaired by his political ally, Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska.
The pair have announced that they will hold a series of six meetings across the country to hear from consumers and members of the communications industry about changes to the Telecommunications Act.
"We are going to begin in January after the inauguration, and continue in February," Inouye said.
The federal law is the basis for regulation of the broadcast, cable, telephone and cellular telephone industries.
Inouye noted that although the telecommunications act was written just eight years ago, there is no mention of the Internet.
Since then the Internet has become a medium for the delivery of telephone service, music and video.
"The 1996 Act is already ancient," Inouye said. "Eight years ago people were not talking about it."
Industry observers are split on how Congress will approach placing federal controls or taxes on the Internet.
Michael Salsbury, partner at the law firm of Chadbourne & Parke, former general counsel of WorldCom and MCI that served as a lobbyists for the telecommunications industry, predicts a major battle between local television broadcasters and cable companies.
President Bush is expected to sign a bill passed last month that extends the ban on Internet taxes for another three years.
If the Internet is not regulated, it is more likely that Congress, with Inouye's prodding, might look at media ownership and how that affects telecommunications.
Inouye last year supported a joint resolution that disapproved of Federal Communications Commission rules allowing media conglomerates to own more television stations and newspapers.
"Now there are people expressing concern, and this will be one of the questions we will be inquiring into," Inouye said.
Scripps Plans HD Lifestyle Channel
HGTV, Fine Living, DIY, Food Network Ramp For HD
By Daisy Whitney TVWeek.com December 13, 2004
Scripps Networks is putting the finishing touches on a company-wide strategy to launch by late 2005 or early 2006 a high-definition channel encompassing content from its four lifestyle brands.
The company's HD roadmap includes significantly increasing the amount of content its four networks produce in HD next year to create the necessary building blocks for an all-HD channel that will meld content from HGTV, Food Network, Fine Living and DIY.
Scripps has amassed about 25 hours worth of HD content to date and hopes to reach 300 to 400 total hours by the end of next year for the channel launch, said Scripps Networks Executive VP John Lansing, who will become president Jan. 1. "If you believe the future is HD, then the sooner you produce, the sooner you become ready for the future," he said.
Scripps is well positioned to create content in HD since it owns 90 percent of its programming library. Mr. Lansing feels that turning that library into a storehouse of HD content should only increase its value. "We want to use it as a business opportunity in the future. Getting there and beginning to develop the HD strategy is critical to us," he said.
Mr. Lansing said Scripps is in the final stages of providing the budgetary blessing for the HD project, but all expectations are that it will be a go for next year.
Producing in HD should cost 20 percent to 30 percent more, which is less than expected, said Mark Hale, Scripps Networks executive VP of operations and production. "We had feared as far as 30 to 35 percent," he said. Scripps will bear the increased cost of production since it owns most of its content.
HGTV, taking the lead, will over the next six months move 10 existing series and specials into HD production, including "Extreme Homes of Europe," and will shoot three new series in HD. The new shows are "My First Space," "Small Space, Big Style" and "Off Beat America." The largest of the Scripps networks, HGTV is fully distributed in 89 million homes. As such, HGTV has the most resources and biggest programming budget of the networks.
Fine Living's "America's Dream 18" will be among the shows shot in HD next year, as well as Food Network special "Italian Holiday" and DIY special "Fly Fishing Yellowstone." Scripps also plans to shoot "Smoky Mountain Tour" in HD for distribution on broadband. Scripps' newest network, Great American Country, has not yet been incorporated in the HD strategy.
In mapping out which shows will begin production in HD next year, Scripps can pluck from a programming base of 1,000 hours each year on HGTV, 800 hours from the Food Network, and 400 hours each from Fine Living and DIY. In addition, some content will come from upconverting existing library material to HD. In addition to the cost to produce in HD, Scripps also plans to replace aging production equipment with HD-capable upgrades.
The Scripps HD channel will follow a model that has worked well for NBC Universal and Discovery Communications. Discovery HD Theater launched in 2002 with 100 hours of content and now counts about 1,000 total hours of content, including material amassed from its 13 networks and original productions shot exclusively for the channel. Universal HD, the HD service from NBC Universal that launched in 2003 as Bravo HD, draws from the company's 10 cable channels as well as its film and television library. Universal HD plans to increase its output from 150 hours of HD content this year to more than 700 next year.
Mr. Lansing said that the yet-to-be-named HD channel will retain the distinct brands of the four different networks. "The specific attributes of those brands would still be distinguishable in the content of this channel, so we are not looking to blend the core brands into one brand," he said. "In that regard we are recognizing what we think is a significant demand in the market for content from the Scripps Networks, and the MSOs [and satellite companies] have communicated the value of the quality of HD programming for their business and we are trying to be responsive."
Scripps plans to begin talking to distributors about the service and carriage of HD programming early next year.
The timing of the HD launch makes sense. According to Kagan Research, the average price of an HD set is dropping 12 percent each year and averages about $2,000. However, many retailers, like Best Buy and Circuit City, are peddling 27-inch HD sets now for about $500. According to Frank N. Magid Associates, 47 percent of consumers in the market for a TV are "very" or "somewhat" likely to buy an HDTV between this holiday season and the end of 2005.
In addition, the mean household income of an HDTV owner is now $80,000 per year, compared with more than $95,000 last year, according to Leichtman Research Group.
The Consumer Electronics Association said the total number of HD sets shipped to retailers should hit 13.8 million by the end of this year. What's more, that number represents nearly a doubling of the 7.8 million HD sets shipped from 1998 until the end of 2003.
Spader and Shatner: partners in mischief
The duo from "Boston Legal" each get a Golden Globe nomination
By Lynn Smith Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Dec 14 2004
Actors James Spader and William Shatner, whose roles as eccentric yet oddly endearing lawyers on "The Practice" won each an Emmy earlier this year, were honored again Monday with Golden Globe nominations for spinoff roles in ABC's much lighter "Boston Legal."
Spader was nominated for best actor in a dramatic television series for his role as Alan Shore, an unscrupulous attorney who was fired from his firm and moved to Crane, Poole and Schmidt on "Boston Legal."
Shatner, nominated for best performance by an actor in a supporting series role, plays senior partner Denny Crane, a jaw-jutting veteran whose memory fails at crucial moments.
"It's a kick," Shatner said about being nominated. "The foreign critics have gotten more and more sophisticated over the years. It's become really significant to be nominated, and I feel honored."
Shatner said his humorous and offbeat relationship with Spader was a "shotgun marriage officiated over" by creator David E. Kelley.
Their on-screen chemistry comes from a genuine fondness off-screen. "He has a penchant for detail and the truth, and it's wonderful to watch him perform," Shatner said of Spader.
Airing Sundays at 10 p.m., "Boston Legal" is not as popular as "Desperate Housewives," which it follows. But it averages a respectable 12 million viewers. The show itself was left out of the best series nominations, making the Spader/Shatner team loom large as a key ingredient.
Bill D'Elia, a producer and director of the show, said he thinks Shatner and Spader are charismatic because they differ in background and technique. Spader comes from the film world and wants to explore on set, he said. Shatner has had a career in television and wants to get the job done.
"I think we're a show on the rise," D'Elia said.
Behind the Smiles at CBS
By J. Max Robins Broadcasting & Cable12/13/2004
The CBS brass all had on their cheery game faces at the annual holiday party the network throws for the press in its New York headquarters. But despite all the bonhomie in Studio 19 Dec. 9, everybody knew there was an unsmiling 800-pound gorilla in the room: the report expected to be issued any day now by the investigation into the discredited 60 Minutes report by Dan Rather on George Bush's National Guard service. Whatever the investigative panel's ultimate findings, it's clear that CBS News is already in the midst of an upheaval; a lot of jockeying went on at the party, and it wasn't just for refills at the bar.
In one corner of the room, when 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley knelt down to chat with Walter Cronkite, who was sitting in a chair, it looked for all the world like Pelley was seeking Uncle Walter's blessing. The polished Pelley, a dark-horse candidate to replace Rather when he departs CBS Evening News, worked the room like a veteran politician throughout the night. However, he may have appeared too eager with so many bigwigs in attendance, including CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves. Especially since folks at the party were still buzzing over Pelley's quotes in the New York Observer on Dec. 6, which sounded like open lobbying for the job. It didn't go over well with the powers-that-be at CBS. Pelley's prime in-house rival, White House correspondent John Roberts, skipped the pigs-in-a blankets and booze-drenched affair.
But CBS This Morning co-host Harry Smith, who'd like the Evening News job, did make it to the event and amiably chatted up network brass and reporters alike. “Harry has more talent than just about anybody here,” said one CBS executive. “If he had John Roberts' hair, instead of a bald pate, he'd be a shoo-in.”
CBS News President Andrew Heyward was there, too. Though a favorite of his boss Moonves, he's the subject of increasing speculation that the investigation's report will cost him his job. Floating near by, deep in conversation, were 60 Minutes executive producer Jeff Fager and 48 Hours executive producer Susan Zirinsky. Both are leading candidates to replace Heyward if he gets the axe.
Rather himself turned up at the party, after the Evening News broadcast, and left early. Pals say he is relieved that the date of his exit from the anchor chair has been settled, but he's still holding on to the improbable dream that the dubious documents used in his Bush/National Guard report will somehow be authenticated.
He's not the only one. Just the day before the party, Mary Mapes, the producer of the infamous segment, was hauled back before the investigative team, which is led by former Associated Press President and CEO Lou Boccardi and former Reagan and Bush I Attorney General Richard Thornburgh. The panel, which includes lawyers from Thornburgh's law firm, has been digging into the documents affair for two months. Its members wanted to revisit Mapes' previous statements to the group, particularly in light of a 60-plus-page defense of the 60 Minutes piece that the producer delivered to the investigators. Many inside CBS are suspicious of the panel's impartiality. There's a sense that Boccardi is “a journalistic fig leaf,” as one insider claims, and that it's the conservative Thornburgh leading the charge. Buzz at the party indicated that CBS' legal bill for the investigation could top $1 million.
In the center of Studio 19, Moonves was characteristically off-the-cuff on just about every subject—except the Bush/National Guard 60 Minutes fiasco. Flying high on CBS' recent sweeps victory, he fielded a question about what he likes best about his relatively new job as co-COO of CBS parent Viacom. “The money,” he said. “It seems the higher up you go, the more you get away from the fun stuff, like the programming and you get all caught up in the grownup stuff.”
Some more grownup stuff awaits Moonves. The decisions he makes in the aftermath of the report and the announcement of Rather's departure will have a profound impact on the future of a once-storied news division, from determining who will sit in the anchor chair of its flagship newscast to who will lead the news division out of its current crisis. No, that can't be much fun.
(As you are all aware, I post national ratings on a daily and weekly basis.
The following local November sweeps numbers could interest some of you – if you live in one of the cities mentioned.
But then again, they might not interest you at all.)
Sweeps Results
How some top markets fared
By Allison Romano Broadcasting & Cable,12/13/2004
With November sweeps history, local broadcasters are feasting on the preliminary household-ratings fodder. Here is a look at how some top markets performed.
Baltimore
Hearst-Argyle's NBC affiliate WBAL is the dominant player in early fringe and evening news. With hearty ratings for Dr. Phil at 3 p.m. and Oprah at 4 p.m, WBAL swept early news, with top ratings at 5 and 6 p.m. The station won 11 p.m. new, too, with an average 10.8 rating/20 share. But Baltimore viewers preferred CBS in prime time. CBS O&O WJZ posted an average 11.3/17 in prime, nearly three ratings points ahead of WBAL.
Dallas
The Big Three stations can each make a November-sweeps claim in the market. Despite NBC's weakness in prime this fall, the network's O&O KXAS was top-rated in 10 p.m. news for the ninth consecutive ratings period. This November, KXAS paced with a 10.4/16. With help from Oprah, Belo's ABC affiliate WFAA topped early news at 5 and 6 p.m. Prime time, however, belonged to CBS O&O KTVT, which edged out WFAA by a tenth of a ratings point.
Denver
KUSA and KCNC each have sweeps bragging rights. Gannett's late-news heavyweight KUSA conquered 10 p.m. news with an average 11.4/22. But CBS O&O KCNC is gaining ground. A year ago, the station revamped its late news with a new anchor team—Jim Benemann and Molly Hughes—and redesigned set. Ratings perked up to an 8.3/16 last month from a 7.7/14 last year. CBS' strong prime time sets up the news. KCNC won prime in the market with a 9.1/15. KUSA was second (8.5/14), followed by McGraw-Hill's KMGH (7.1/12) and Fox O&O KDVR (3.7/6).
Detroit
The Motor City is an NBC town in prime time and late news. Less competition helps. The CBS O&O WWJ is weak here and doesn't program news. Post Newsweek's NBC affiliate WDIV topped prime time with a 11.4/17 and swelled to 16.9/29 for 11 p.m. news, up from 15.3/23 last November. WXYZ, Scripps Howard's ABC affiliate, ranks second in both dayparts, with 9.8/14 in prime and 10.8/18 for its 11 p.m. news. Fox O&O WJBK's 10 p.m. newscast pulled in 7.5/11. WDIV's highlight of the month: Its coverage of Thanksgiving Day parade grabbed a 25.6/46 rating.
Miami
Spanish-language broadcaster Univision's WLTV is the leader here, with top marks at 6 (7.3/13) and 11 p.m. (6.3/11). Rival Telemundo isn't far behind. Its WSCV placed second overall at 6 p.m. (6.1/11) and third at 11 p.m. (5.4/9). “Among English-language broadcasters, CBS O&O WFOR is on the move. Thanks to stellar lead-ins from Dr. Phil and Oprah, WFOR won 5 p.m. news and, for the first time, 5:30 and 6 p.m. (Too bad Phil is moving to WPLG in 2006.) The CBS prime engine roared WFOR into late news, where it topped the English- language stations with a 5.8/10 (second overall behind Unvision.)
Milwaukee
ABC's reinvigorated prime time catapulted Hearst-Argyle's ABC affiliate WISN to the top of prime for the first time in five years. With hits like Desperate Housewives and Lost, WISN earned an average 9.7 rating, beating out the NBC affiliate WTMJ. The prime win wasn't enough to unseat late-news leader WTMJ, which boasted top marks at 10 p.m. with 11.0/18. WISN was second with 8.6/14, followed by Fox O&O WITI's 6.9/11 and CBS affiliate WDJT's 4.5/7.
San Francisco
In the market's first sweeps with LPMs, CBS O&O KPIX was tops in late news with a 5.6 household rating, edging Cox-owned Fox affiliate KTVU's 5.3 rating. In the key 25-to-54s, KTVU and NBC O&O KNTV tied No. 1 with 2.6 ratings. KPIX logged a 2.5. Thanks to CBS' strong prime time, KPIX ranked first in 25 to 54s (4.0/11), followed by ABC O&O KGO (3.7/10).
(I try hard to just post most items without editorializing, but this following story makes it almost impossible not to comment. I guess it is just more high-quality entertainment from the geniuses who so far this season have run Fox's ratings into the ground.)
Fox calls for 'Daddy'
Gameshow will bow as a 90-minute special Jan. 3
By JOSEF ADALIAN From Variety.com
Father's Day will come early next year on Fox.
Net is finally taking the wraps off "Who's Your Daddy?," the potentially controversial paternity gameshow first revealed last summer by rival web head Jeff Zucker (Daily Variety, July 15).
"Daddy" will bow as a 90-minute special Monday, Jan. 3, at 8 p.m.; seven other episodes ordered will air later in the season as a weekly series or a series of specials. Soap vet Finola Hughes hosts.
"Daddy" takes an adopted woman who's searching for her father and puts her in a classic reality show elimination scenario. She's introduced to eight men. One is her real dad; the other seven are fakes, each of whose goal is to trick the woman into thinking they're her father.
If the woman successfully identifies her dad after three elimination rounds, she gets up to $100,000. If she doesn't, one of the seven faux papas -- all of whom are contestants -- get the coin. Either way, each self-contained episode ends with a four-hanky reunion of father and child.
"It's the most emotional show we've ever put on the air," said Fox reality chief Mike Darnell. "I guarantee you: If you have any heart, you'll be bawling at the end of the show."
Zucker told a room full of reporters about "Daddy" and "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss" as a form of retaliation against Fox, which Zucker felt was stealing his reality show ideas.
While all involved in "Daddy" are aware of its "What's My Line"-like deception, skein could still draw fire because the seven fake daddies all try to deceive the adopted woman. As a result, it's possible the woman could form a bond with a fake dad -- or grow to dislike her true father before she even knows who he is.
"Sometimes you'll wince at what happens," Darnell admitted, noting that in situations where the woman has ended up eliminating her dad, "she feels terrible."
"We're making people play a game to find one another," Darnell added. "But the game aspect takes a back seat to the emotions."
"Daddy" is not the first primetime reality skein to dabble in long-lost relatives.
Last summer's "Big Brother" featured "Project DNA," in which two contestants discovered on-air that they were half-siblings. NBC has also been developing LMNO Prods.' "Extreme Reunions" for NBC (Daily Variety, July 7).
Showtime tries to breathe life into 'Huff'
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Showtime's new series Huff has yet to generate ratings to match its critical acclaim, so the channel tried a "minimarathon" to draw viewers.
The first five episodes of the drama, starring Hank Azaria as a troubled psychiatrist, aired back-to-back Saturday.
Showtime President Bob Greenblatt said the minimarathon was designed to give "people who haven't seen it amidst all the other stuff going on in November sweeps to maybe hook into it."
He referred to the intensive period of ratings measurement that is marked by competitive network programming.
Calling the drama "one of the best shows if not the best show we've ever done," Greenblatt said he's already renewed Huff for another 13 episodes for next season.
IRL might soon be going Hollywood
By Curt Cavin The Indianapolis Star
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indy Racing League might soon be the backdrop for a television show similar to Beverly Hills, 90210.
League officials have confirmed an agreement with veteran TV producer Aaron Spelling to develop a prime-time drama that would air weekly. The show would be fictional but use IRL cars, tracks, signage and possibly competitors.
Spelling's TV successes include Beverly Hills, 90210, Fantasy Island, Starsky & Hutch and Charlie's Angels. Current hits include 7th Heaven and Charmed.
IRL spokesman John Griffin said Sunday that the WB Television Network has purchased the option on the project, although there is no guarantee it will be exercised.
The process of developing a three-part script is under way. But Griffin said only a small percentage of scripts are shot as pilots, and not all pilots air on TV.
"We'll have to see what the writers think and what angles they can come up with," he said.
The IRL has retained the right to keep the show from being too adult-content oriented, Griffin said.
If scripts are developed, the IRL could see cameras at races early in the 2005 season, which opens March 6 in Homestead, Fla. The series could begin airing in the fall.
The idea came from the IRL and its California-based entertainment agency, Creative Artists Agency.
The TV series is part of the IRL's commitment to attract a younger audience. Amid declining TV ratings for its races, the IRL will introduce what it calls an edgy branding campaign in January to target men 18-34 years old.
Originally posted by fredfa
Showtime tries to breathe life into 'Huff'
I hope this one doesn't fade away. This is good TV.
George Thompson
12-14-04, 10:57 AM
STILL STRUTTING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
By John M. Higgins, Broadcasting & Cable, 12/13/2004
Although NBC remains No. 1, CBS is close behind
Most of NBC's new shows flopped. The network no longer rules Thursday night. Even the once lowly ABC topped NBC during the November sweeps.
But the Peacock is still No. 1 where it counts: money.
The network will finish 2004 at the top of B&C's annual ranking of the 25 largest TV networks, a slot it has held since 2000. NBC's revenues are growing sharply this year, up by $600 million, or 13.5%, to $5.1 billion.
To NBC Chairman Bob Wright, that's what matters. Wright notes that the network business isn't just prime time, that Katie Couric and Jay Leno add a cushion or two. When prime time ad sales get rocky, Today and The Tonight Show help soften the blow.
"People forget that we have great strength in early morning, great strength at late night and even in daytime," Wright says. "That's why I never seem to be overly concerned about this issue."
B&C estimates revenue each year to show where money really flows in the TV business. We print each week who's winning and losing in Nielsens, which are so crucial to generating selling commercials. But while advertising is by far the major force, it's by no means the only one. Three of the 10 largest networks sell no advertising at all: shopping networks QVC and Home Shopping Network and pay movie channel Home Box Office. ESPN's average audience is just a fraction of ABC's, but the two networks' revenues are nearly equal because the cable sports network collects giant license fees from cable and DBS operations while ABC is dependent solely on advertising.
Fox News' audience is nearly double that of rival CNN. But CNN's license fees are higher, so the news network takes in 31% more money than Fox News.
The Top 25 networks represent 79% of the $52 billion that TV programmers are expected to generate this year. The fastest-growing network is TNT, which rode the wave of Law & Order and strong theatrical movies for a 21.2% increase to $1.6 billion. Other big gainers are MTV, Discovery Channel and Home Shopping Network.
NBC may not keep first place for long. No. 2 CBS is close, generating $4.5 billion this year and on track to becoming the top network in both viewers and the key 18-49 demo.
NBC, meanwhile, must face a new year with no Olympics. The Olympics generated a healthy $900 million in ad sales for the network during August, normally a slow season. NBC sales will almost certainly go down during a non-Olympics year.
Moreover, NBC's current audience slide didn't really start until September, so 2004 results will include just four months of rocky ratings. Unless its schedule changes dramatically, NBC faces a full 12 months of problems next year.
Third-ranked is home-shopping network QVC. Using its airtime to pitch consumers directly rather than selling advertising, QVC generates more sales than broadcasters ABC and Fox or even cable powerhouses like HBO and ESPN. When the ad slump was crunching broadcast networks, QVC was the second-largest network and seemed poised to jump to No. 1. The shopping network, however, has grown only modestly in the past two years and now sits behind CBS.
FX enters the list for the first time this year, increasing revenues by 12.7% to $575 million. The network has generated acclaim and high ratings from hit original series Nip/Tuck and Rescue Me. But most of the revenue gain comes from basic cable's old standby, stronger theatrical movies.
The biggest loser falls off the list: TLC. The cable network entered the rankings last year on the strength of Trading Spaces. But that show has faded, and TLC's audience has plunged 35%. The network is paying the price of relying too heavily on the whole makeover genre, then having nothing as strong when it abruptly went stale. TLC ran Trading Spaces 10 and more times weekly and spawned half a dozen "surprise" makeover imitators. More networks got in the game, and Trading Spaces abruptly lost its steam, sliding from a 4.0 average Nielsen household rating to a 1.5.
"It was doing record ratings just six months ago," says Billy Campbell, president of Discovery Networks. "Saturation just hit."
Campbell notes that the show is still fairly strong by basic-cable standards and TLC has new programs in the works aimed at lifting ratings.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 NBC
2004 revenue: $5.1 billion
Owner: General Electric
Top executive: Bob Wright, vice chairman, GE; chairman/CEO, NBC Universal
Programming: General entertainment
Type: Broadcast
TV homes reached: 108.0 million
Average audience: 13.3 million
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2 CBS
2004 revenue: $4.45 billion
Owner: Viacom
Top executive: Leslie Moonves, co-president, Viacom/chairman, CBS
Programming: General entertainment
Type: Broadcast
TV homes reached: 108.0 million
Average audience: 13.3 million
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3 QVC
2004 revenue: $4.2 billion
Owner: Liberty Media
Top executive: Douglas S. Briggs, CEO
Programming: Electronic retailing
Type: Cable
TV homes reached: 85.9 million
Average audience: Not applicable
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4 ABC
2004 revenue: $3.3 billion
Owner: The Walt Disney Co.
Top executive: Anne Sweeney, president, Disney-ABC Television Group
Programming: General entertainment
Type: Broadcast
TV homes reached: 108 million
Average audience: 10.1 million
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5 ESPN
2004 revenue: $3.2 billion
Owner: Disney and The Hearst Corp.
Top executive: George Bodenheimer, president, ESPN/ABC Sports
Programming: Sports
Type: Ad-supported cable
TV homes reached: 89.3 million
Average audience: 2.6 million
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6 FOX
2004 revenue: $2.41 billion
Owner: News Corp.
Top executive: Tony Vinciquerra, president, Fox Networks Group
Programming: General entertainment
Type: Broadcast
TV homes reached: 106.0 million
Average audience: 9.8 million
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7 HBO
2004 revenue: $2.4 billion
Owner: Time Warner
Top executive: Chris Albrecht, chairman/CEO
Programming: General entertainment
Type: Pay cable
TV homes reached: 27.0 million
Average audience: 893,000
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8 HSN
2004 revenue: $1.9 billion
Owner: Interactive Corp.
Top executive: Marty Nealon, president
Programming: Retail shopping
Type: Cable
TV homes reached: 81.1 million
Average audience: Not available
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9 TNT
2004 revenue: $1.6 billion
Owner: Time Warner
Top executive: Steve Koonin, EVP/COO, TBS/TNT
Programming: General entertainment
Type: Ad-supported cable
TV homes reached: 88.9 million
Average audience: 2.1 million
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10 Nickelodeon
2004 revenue: $1.3 billion
Owner: Viacom
Top executive: Cyma Zarghami, president, Nickelodeon Television
Programming: Children-oriented, daytime; adults 18-49, prime time
Type: Ad-supported cable
TV homes reached: 88.7 million
Average audience: 1.8 million
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11 MTV
2004 revenue: $1.15 billion
Owner: Viacom
Top executive: Van Toffler, president
Programming: Music-oriented
Type: Ad-supported cable
TV homes reached: 86.8 million
Average audience: 963,000
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12 USA
2004 revenue: $990 million
Owner: Vivendi Universal Entertainment
Top executive: Bonnie Hammer, president
Programming: General entertainment
Type: Ad-supported cable
TV homes reached: 89 million
Average audience: 2.1 million
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13 TBS
2004 revenue: $985 million
Owner: Time Warner
Top executive: Steve Koonin, EVP/COO, TBS/TNT
Programming: General entertainment
Type: Ad-supported cable
TV homes reached: 88.8 million
Average audience: 1.6 million
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14 Disney
2004 revenue: $977 million
Owner: Walt Disney Co.
Top executive: Rich Ross, president, Disney Channel
Programming: Kids and family entertainment
Type: Cable
TV homes reached: 85 million
Average Audience: 1.9 million
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15 CNN
2004 revenue: $887 million
Owner: Time Warner
Top executive: Jonathan Klein, president, CNN/U.S.
Programming: National and international news
Type: Ad-supported cable
TV homes reached: 87.6 million
Average audience: 1.0 million
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16 Lifetime
2004 revenue: $850 million
Owner: Disney and Hearst
Top executive: Carole Black, president/CEO
Programming: Women-oriented general entertainment
Type: Ad-supported cable
TV homes reached: 88.5 million
Average audience: 1.7 million
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17 Discovery
2004 revenue: $824 million
Owner: Discovery Communications
Top executive: Billy Campbell, president, Discovery Networks
Programming: Science-oriented entertainment
Type: Ad-supported cable
TV homes reached: 88.3 million
Average audience: 1.1 million
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18 Showtime
2004 revenue: $800 million
Owner: Viacom
Top executive: Matthew Blank, chairman/CEO
Programming: Movies, series, sports
Type: Premium television
TV homes reached: 12.4 million
Average audience: 153,000
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19 The WB
2004 revenue: $700 million
Owner: Time Warner and Tribune
Top executive: Gar