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.

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.

Yup!!! :D

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.

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

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.

"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.

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.

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

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.

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

19 The WB

2004 revenue: $700 million

Owner: Time Warner and Tribune

Top executive: Garth Ancier, chairman, The WB

Programming: Prime time general entertainment

Type: Broadcast

TV homes reached: 95.1 million

Average audience: 3.9 million

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

20 Fox News

2004 revenue: $675 million

Owner: Fox Entertainment

Top executive: Roger Ailes, chairman/CEO

Programming: National and international news

Type: Ad-supported cable

TV homes reached: 84.8 million

Average audience: 2.4 million

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

21 ShopNBC

2004 revenue: $646 million

Owner: ValueVision and NBC

Top executive: William Lansing, president /CEO

Programming: Home shopping

Type: Basic cable

TV homes reached: 55.3 million

Average audience: Not available

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

22 A&E

2004 revenue: $620 million

Owner: Hearst Corp., ABC, NBC

Top executive: Abbe Raven, president

Programming: Drama, original movies, documentaries

Type: Ad-supported cable

TV homes reached: 87.8 million

Average audience: 1.1 million

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

23 Cinemax

2004 revenue: $605 million

Owner: Time Warner

Top executive: Chris Albrecht, chairman/CEO

Programming: Movies

Type: Pay cable

TV homes reached: 12.0 million

Average audience: Not available

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

24 Univision

2004 revenue: $591 million

Owner: Univision Communications

Top executive: Ray Rodriguez, president, Univision TV Networks

Programming: Spanish-language entertainment

Type: Broadcast

TV homes reached: 80 million

Average audience: 3.4 million

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

25 FX

2004 revenue: $575 million

Owner: Fox Entertainment

Top executive: Peter Liguori, president/CEO

Programming: General entertainment

Type: Cable

TV homes reached: 80 million

Average audience: 1.1 million

Here's how we compile the data: We consult industry executives and research analysts, including Morgan Stanley's Richard Bilotti, Bear Stearns' Ray Katz and Sanford Bernstein's Tom Wolzien; Kagan Media; and company reports. Many networks offer guidance. The audience figure shown is the average number of prime time viewers age 2 and older season-to-date, through November.

1 NBC

2 CBS

3 QVC

4 ABC

5 ESPN

6 FOX

7 HBO

8 HSN

9 TNT

10 Nickelodeon

11 MTV

12 USA

13 TBS

14 Disney

15 CNN

16 Lifetime

17 Discovery

18 Showtime

19 The WB

20 Fox News

21 ShopNBC

22 A&E

23 Cinemax

24 Univision

25 FX

The Ranking

By 2004 revenue ($million)

Rank Network 2003 2004 Chng.

1 NBC $4,461 $5,062 +13.5%

2 CBS $4,050 $4,449 +9.9%

3 QVC $3,845 $4,150 +7.9%

4 ABC $3,190 $3,325 +4.2%

5 ESPN $2,869 $3,223 +12.3%

6 Fox $2,244 $2,405 +7.2%

7 HBO $2,200 $2,398 +9.0%

8 HSN $1,660 $1,880 +13.3%

9 TNT $1,312 $1,590 +21.2%

10 Nick $1,150 $1,300 +13.0%

11 MTV $975 $1,150 +17.9%

12 USA $850 $990 +16.5%

13 TBS $871 $985 +13.1%

14 Disney $910 $977 +7.4%

15 CNN $876 $887 +1.3%

16 Lifetime $820 $850 +3.7%

17 Discovery $705 $824 +16.9%

18 Showtime $816 $800 -1.9%

19 The WB $660 $700 +6.1%

20 Fox News $600 $675 +12.5%

21 ShopNBC $616 $646 +4.9%

22 A&E $589 $620 +5.3%

23 Cinemax $580 $605 +4.3%

24 Univision $568 $591 +4.0%

25 FX $510 $575 +12.7%

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Monday Ratings: Monday Dec. 13th
CBS Opens Week on a Winning Note

Metered Market Ratings
Household Rating/Share
CBS: 11.2/16
ABC: 8.9/13
Fox: 5.7/ 8
NBC: 5.3/ 8
WB: 3.1/ 4
UPN: 2.6/ 4

Percent Change From Comparable Year-Ago Night (Mon. Dec. 15th 2003):
Fox: +90
CBS: - 3
WB: -11
ABC: -21
NBC: -23
UPN: -26

Fast Affiliate Ratings
Total Viewers:
CBS: 15.67 million
ABC: 11.58
Fox: 7.83
NBC: 7.39
WB: 3.24
UPN: 3.06

Adults 18-49:
CBS: 5.5/14
ABC: 4.3/11
Fox: 3.4/ 9
NBC: 3.0/ 8
UPN: 1.3/ 3
WB: 1.1/ 3

Yesterday's Winners:
Everybody Loves Raymond R (CBS)
Two and a Half Men (CBS)
CSI: Miami (CBS)

Yesterday's Losers:
Life of Luxury (ABC)

Ratings Breakdown:
CBS remains the network to beat on Monday with its combination of Still Standing (#1: 7.2/11; Viewers: #1, 10.25 million; A18-49: #2t, 3.2/ 9), Listen Up (#1: 7.1/10; Viewers: #1, 10.49 million; A18-49: #3, 3.5/ 9), a repeat of Everybody Loves Raymond (#1: 11.0/16; Viewers: #1, 16.21 million; A18-49: #1, 5.4/13), Two and a Half Men (#1: 11.6/16; Viewers: #1, 16.44 million; A18-49: #1t, 5.8/14), and CSI: Miami (#1: 15.1/23; Viewers: #1, 20.32 million; A18-49: #1, 7.5/19). Comparably, CBS' advantage over second-place ABC was 26 percent in the overnights, 4.09 million viewers and 28 percent among adults 18-49.

Although a first-place finish is certainly worthy of accolades, given NBC's fading Fear Factor (#2: 5.6/ 6; Viewers: #2, 9.09 million; A18-49: #1, 3.8/11) was a repeat and still managed to win the hour among adults 18-49, CBS may want to revisit the Monday 8-9 p.m. time period next season. Also on NBC were back-to-back repeat episodes of Las Vegas from 9-11 p.m. (9 p.m. #2: 6.0/ 8; A18-49: #4, 3.1/ 8 / 10 p.m. #3: 4.2/ 6; A18-49: #3, 2.2/ 6).

On ABC, reality dud Life of Luxury remains in ratings poverty with a fourth-place 4.7/ 7 in the overnights from 8-9 p.m. Coming up in the hour in January: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, How'd They Do That? Monday Night Football, Kansas City vs. Tennessee, was below average with a 10.1/17 in the overnights from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., and 13.27 million viewers with a 5.1/13 among adults 18-49 in primetime according to the fast affiliate ratings.

On Fox's reality Monday, Trading Spouses (#2: 6.0/ 9; A18-49: #2, 3.5/10 at 8 p.m.) and the soon-to-conclude The Swan (#4: 5.4/ 8; A18-49: #3, 3.4/ 8 at 9 p.m.) were both above average. If The Swan returns for a third season, and that's a big if, it needs to revisit the plastic surgeons and stylists given how these women often look at the reveals.

Although the WB's 7th Heaven (#5: 3.7/ 6; A18-49: #5, 1.4/ 4) and Everwood (#6: 2.5/ 4; A18-49: #6, 0.9/ 2) were repeats, the network still managed to outdeliver UPN comedies One on One (#6: 2.6/ 4; A18-49: #5t, 1.3/ 4), Half and Half (#6: 2.5/ 4; A18-49: #6, 1.3/ 3), Girlfriends (#5: 3.1/ 4; A18-49: #5, 1.6/ 4) and a repeat of Second Time Around (#6: 2.3/ 3; A18-49: #5, 1.2/ 3) by an average of 19 percent in the overnights.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
Freshman Series Update: 12-14-04
The Good, the Bad and the Questionable of 2004-05

What follows is an updated status report of the primetime freshman class of 2004-05. For a specific look by network, don't miss Mr. TV's Network Television Report Card beginning on page 12 in the current issue of Mediaweek.

Full Season Renewal:
Blue Collar TV (WB)
CSI: NY (CBS)
Complete Savages (ABC)
Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Jack & Bobby (WB)
Joey (NBC)
Kevin Hill (UPN)
Listen Up (CBS)
Lost (ABC)
Medical Investigation (NBC)
Quintuplets (Fox)
Rodney (ABC)
Veronica Mars (UPN)
Wife Swap (ABC)

Initial Full Season Commitment
Boston Legal (ABC)

Additional Episodes:
Center of the Universe (CBS)
Nanny 911 (Fox)

On the Fence:
North Shore (Fox)
Second Time Around (UPN)

Waiting for the Axe to Swing: life as we know it (ABC)
The Mountain (WB)
My Big Fat Obnoxious Wife (Fox)
Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best (Fox)

Canceled (or on Hiatus): The Benefactor (ABC)
The Casino (Fox)
Clubhouse (CBS)
Complex Malibu (Fox)
Commando Nanny (WB)
Drew Carey's Green Screen (WB)
dr. vegas (CBS)
Father of the Pride (NBC)
Hawaii (NBC)
The Jury (Fox)
LAX (NBC)
Method & Red (Fox)
The Next Great Champ (Fox)
Studio 7 (WB)
The $25 Million $ Hoax (NBC)

Originally posted by George Thompson
STILL STRUTTING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
By John M. Higgins, Broadcasting & Cable, 12/13/2004

But the Peacock is still No. 1 where it counts: money.


Without the Olympics though they would actually be down $300 million, split over a two year span I suppose NBC could say they were at $4.8 billion to CBS at $4.5 billion, but that's show business I guess...:p

Look at that ... only 2 reality shows either renewed or extended with 11 (? on "The Jury") either gone or waiting to go.

Hopefully all that will eventually be left is The Amazing Race. Trump can go suck eggs :)

I wish Survivor would die. I was comatose by the end of that 3 hour yawn fest on Sunday that my wife had to watch LIVE! Hey Fred, any word on when Lost will air the 12th episode? On TitanTV, they are doubling up on Wednesday nights I just wonder if that will continue or are they going to stretch it out until Feb.?

The monster Lost thread seems to think that they will double every week, and then start the new eps, which comes out to about the first week in Feb (Pilot this week, then two each week, which is 5 weeks more).

leesweet:
I posted this last week, and as I recall, I saw somewhere else that "Lost" will be in repeats until February (not January as the USA Today article indicates).

'Lost' keeps its bearings in mid-series cliffhanger
By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY December 8

What a way to go on Christmas vacation.

Trapped on an uncharted isle that's part paradise and part purgatory, the survivors of Oceanic's ill-fated Flight 815 have endured a plane crash, a polar bear, a monster, a madwoman, boars, boredom, cave-ins, fistfights, knifings, divisions, torture, terror and a wild game of golf — and they're only halfway through their first season.

Tonight, things go from strange to stranger for TV's most fascinating castaways on a sterling, shock-filled Lost, the show's last original episode this year. (Catch up with reruns through December.)

As he has all season, producer J.J. Abrams carefully treads the line between fun and frustration tonight, parceling out just enough information to keep you satisfied while keeping you wanting more. So while a few questions are answered, many more are posed in this mid-season cliffhanger, all the better to ensure your return in January when Lost is paired with Abrams' equally entertaining Alias.

The story picks up right where it left off last week, with Charlie and the very pregnant Claire captured by the mysterious, off-the-manifest Ethan. A guilt-ridden Jack (Matthew Fox) is quickly in pursuit, and is pursued in turn by his memories of his father.

To the extent anything is clear on Lost, Ethan would clearly seem to be a bad guy, and his sudden turn-to-the-psychotic at the end of the last outing was one of the show's scariest surprises. It was also, however, an amusingly savvy TV trick that played off our assumption that Ethan was just one of those irregular "extras" who pop in and out of series' ensembles.Indeed, the writers even tweak the joke tonight, with a reference to expendable one-episode-only red-shirted Star Trek crewmen.

Still, the secret to the show's success so far, and its best bet for long-run prosperity, is that Lost is as much a character study as an adventure. Yes, tonight's kidnap-chase plot is exciting, but it's Jack's need-to-lead intransigence and isolation, the flip side of his heroism, that trigger the story's tragic consequences. Not coincidentally, Fox's ability to balance those character traits also has increased his stature as a star each and every week.

By tapping into viewers' long-standing love for continuing stories and their desire for a break from reality slop and cop-show procedurals, Lost and Desperate Housewives have spearheaded a fall revival for scripted series. A genre that once seemed lost is now found, with the promise of even more fun ahead.

Just wait'll next year.

ESPN’s 3 Gets 4M Households
Multichannel.com 12/14/04

ESPN’s debut of made-for-TV movie 3 Saturday night raced to become the total-sports network’s highest-rated movie ever.

The telepic earned a 5.0 Nielsen Media Research rating, and it was seen in more than 4 million households, ESPN said.

The two-hour story of late National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing legend Dale Earnhardt was the year’s second-highest-rated movie on ad-supported cable, ESPN said.

3 was ESPN’s highest-rated movie ever among all key male demographics (18-34, 18-49 and 25-54) and the most-viewed program on all of TV from 9 p.m.-11 p.m. Saturday among men in those same age groups.

ESPN also announced that ESPN Original Entertainment and Buena Vista Home Entertainment released 3 on DVD Tuesday.

The two-DVD set contains five hours of exclusive bonus footage and interviews from ESPN’s archives, and its suggested retail price is $29.99.

“We at ESPN know well the passion of NASCAR fans, and their approval of 3 is the most gratifying endorsement we could receive,” ESPN executive vice president of programming and production Mark Shapiro said in a prepared statement.

CBS Crowned Weekly Ratings 'Survivor'

(zap2it.com)--Led by the usual assortment of forensic dramas and the season's final four hours of "Survivor: Vanuatu," CBS scored an easy ratings win for the week ending Sunday, Dec. 12. Given CBS' huge margin of victory, the race for second place, where ABC and NBC are neck-and-neck, is vastly more compelling.

Overall, CBS averaged an 8.3 rating/13 share, pulling in 13.09 million viewers per night. No other network was close. ABC grabbed second for the frame with a 6.7/11 and 10.28 million viewers, dropping rerun-dependent NBC into third with a 6.5/10 and 9.62 million. FOX stayed fourth with a 4.5/7 and 7.03 million viewers, but at least the network is only another month away from another life-saving installment of "American Idol." UPN was fifth with a 2.3/4 and 3.29 million viewers, leaving The WB in last with a 2.0/3 and 3.13 million.

CBS also won the all-important demographic of adults 18-49, doing a 4.3 rating. ABC had a 3.7 rating, again knocking NBC into third with a 3.5 rating. FOX was a competitive third with a 3.0 rating, followed by UPN's 1.4 rating and the 1.3 rating for The WB.

Few people will be shocked to learn the television's most watched show was CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," which drew 29.83 million viewers on Thursday night, doing a 18.4/28 and boosting the fortunes of "Without a Trace" at No. 3 with a 13.0.21. Thursday also saw the penultimate episode of "Survivor: Vanuatu" do an 11.7/18 for No. 5. Sunday's two-hour finale of Mark Burnett's reality franchise was tied for No. 7 with a 10.9/16 and the subsequent live reunion show was No. 17 with a 9.0, joining "60 Minutes" (8.9/15, 18th) in a strong night.

CBS also got Top 20 performances out Monday's "CSI: Miami" (10.6/17, 11th), "Everybody Loves Raymond" (9.8/14, 13th) and "Two and a Half Men" (9.1/13, 16th) as well as Tuesday's "Navy NCIS" (9.5/15, 14th).

Even facing the well-received "Survivor" finale on Sunday, ABC's Golden Globe nominated hit "Desperate Housewives" scored with a 13.5/19 to rank as the week's No. 2 show. Sunday's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" was also in the hunt with an 8.7/13 for No. 19. The network's Wednesday was particularly strong, with "Lost" earning an 11.4/18 for No. 6, followed closely by the network's Barbara Walters special, which tied for No. 7 with a 10.9/16. The "Monday Night Football" matchup between the Cowboys and Seahawks was also in that No. 7 with a 10.9/18.

Thursday's "E.R." (12.2/20, 4th) and "The Apprentice 2" (10.5/16, 12th) paced NBC along with the Dick Wolf dramas "Law & Order" (10.7/17, 10th) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (9.3/15, 15th).

FOX's Sunday NFL postgame was No. 20 for the frame with an 8.5/14, while the network's best scripted option was "The Simpsons" at No. 39 with a 6.3/10.

The next-to-last episode of UPN's "America's Next Top Model" was No. 74 with a 3.6/6 and The WB's leading program was Reba at No. 81 with a 2.9/5.

Just when it looked like things couldn't get any worse for The WB's "The Mountain," the show's ratings found a new nadir. Even if the New York Post insists that the snow-bound drama is a "word-of-mouth hit," its actual ratings reached personal lows with a 0.9/1, the least watched show on the six networks by a good (or bad) amount.

fredfa,

Zap2It reports that 3 was watched by 7.2 million viewers. Which number is correct?

Originally posted by tem
Look at that ... only 2 reality shows either renewed or extended with 11 (? on "The Jury") either gone or waiting to go.

The Jury was a drama series on FOX, not a reality show. It premiered in the summer and was orginally part of the summer and fall FOX schedule but did poorly in the ratings (and was a really bad show in my opinion); FOX cancelled it after its inital order of episodes ended in August.

Survive this
Naughty, naughty, Jenna Lewis.

The New York Daily News--You may recall the "Survivor" contender wept crocodile tears this summer when a wedding-night sex tape of her and her husband, 21-year-old model Travis Wolfe, hit the Internet for $40 a pop. Lewis, a 27-year-old mother of twins, insisted the video had been stolen and she had nothing to do with its release.

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

The Daily News now has detailed information that the Web site, which Lewis and her manager created, has taken in more than $100,000 since June. She has pocketed 70% of the proceeds, paid into a City National Bank account in Los Angeles.

"This will be in the shadows forever," Wolfe whined in August about the "friend" who supposedly stole the tape. "I am angry that someone so close would do such a thing." Like your wife?

Cupid was not kind to the couple, who married on May 1 in Las Vegas after just six weeks of dating. A July 1 E-mail from Lewis' manager, Andre Jetmir, complained, "I am playing referee to Jenna and Travis, who have just split up and he's moving out ... blah blah blah!"

(Poor Travis didn't get his own cut from the vid, but Jetmir took 7.5%.)

Other E-mail highlights include Lewis denying her involvement to CBS ("You ain't a star until there is a sex-tape rumor. Unfortunately, my manager is not that smart") and Jetmir's X-rated copy-editing ("How about we use lingo that's a bit more captivating like, 'Money Shot ...'" - well, you get the idea).

Jetmir and Lewis did not respond to requests for comment. Maybe they were tied up in the studio.

FCC’s Powell urges no action on 'Ryan' airing
Chairman recommends rejection of indecency complaints against ABC about the war movie.
From Reuters Dec 14 2004

The head of the Federal Communications Commission has recommended that it reject indecency complaints against ABC television stations that recently aired the film "Saving Private Ryan," an FCC official said Monday.

Sixty-six ABC affiliates refused to air the uncut movie on Veterans Day last month, citing concerns that they could face fines for profanity and graphic violence from the FCC, which has been cracking down on broadcast indecency.

FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell has concluded that the agency should not take action against the other 159 stations that aired the acclaimed movie because the language was part of accurately portraying the story about the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II, the FCC official said.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who was a Vietnam prisoner of war, and other leading conservatives endorsed airing the 1998 film that won five Academy Awards.

The FCC received some viewer complaints after the film aired.

Powell's recommendation will go to the four other FCC commissioners for a vote, the official said. Two more commissioners must back the proposal for it to pass.

An FCC spokesman declined to comment as did a spokeswoman for ABC, a unit of Walt Disney Co.

"Saving Private Ryan" had run twice before on broadcast television and did not incur the FCC's wrath.

Because of an agreement with the studio backing the film, DreamWorks SKG, ABC was obligated to run it in its entirety without editing. The network aired warnings during commercial breaks about intense language and violence.

Radio and television broadcasters are barred from airing indecent material, typically graphic sexual content, except during late-night hours when children are less likely to be listening or watching.

Stations that violate the rules could face fines of up to $32,500 per incident. This year, a bid failed in Congress to increase the maximum fine to $500,000.

The FCC has been cracking down on indecent antics on television and radio. This year, it admonished NBC stations for airing an awards show in which U2 singer Bono shouted an obscenity onstage.

The agency is trying to fine 20 CBS stations $550,000 for the broadcast of the Super Bowl halftime show, during which singer Janet Jackson's bare breast was exposed briefly, sparking outrage among some family groups.

Powell, who has been criticized by broadcasters for eroding free speech rights with the indecency crackdown, said recently that context was crucial in deciding whether a show was indecent.

A star is born: This TV exec is funny
NBC Universal executive Jeff Zucker plays himself on the Showtime series "Fat Actress."
By Maria Elena Fernandez Los Angeles Times Dec 15 2004

Is that Jeff Zucker playing with his Game Boy while chatting on the phone with one of Hollywood's top agents and then forgetting his name?

Is that him cursing in the hallways of NBC, in utter disbelief as Kirstie Alley walks by? Is that Zucker, the president of NBC Universal Television Group, yelling at her agent on the phone, "You are such a liar! She is so fat."

Yes, yes and yes.

When Showtime launches "Fat Actress" in March, a "fictional reality" comedy starring Alley, viewers will see Zucker playing himself in the improvisational show's pilot episode.

If it seems odd that a TV executive would take an acting gig, others have come before him.

Leslie Moonves, who oversees CBS for Viacom, has made a side career out of playing himself on television ("The Practice" and "Chicago Hope"). Former NBC entertainment president Warren Littlefield gave it a shot a time or two in the 1990s. And even HBO Chairman Chris Albrecht dabbled in it at this year's Emmys live telecast, opposite Moonves.

"That he [Zucker] agreed to do it was not that surprising," said "Fat Actress" executive producer Brenda Hampton. "That we got such a great performance out of him was thrilling.

"When we saw what he could do, we just kept adding to it," she said. "He was so comfortable in front of the camera, and he was genuinely funny."

"Fat Actress," which stars Alley as herself and other celebrities who sometimes play themselves, is an improvised comedy like HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm." In the pilot, John Travolta plays himself, but his wife, Kelly Preston, plays a wacky healer named Quinn Taylor Scott.

Alley demands that her agent, Sam Rascal (a fictional version of William Morris' head of television, Sam Haskell), land her a meeting with a network executive to pitch her own show. Since Alley spent several years on the peacock network working on "Cheers" and "Veronica's Closet," Zucker was a natural fit, said Haskell, who approached the executive about his small-screen debut.

As president of NBC Universal Television Group, Zucker oversees the network's television operations, including prime-time and cable programming. So he has dealt firsthand with pitches for new programs.

"We've all been in those awkward network meetings and people try to keep the conversation going and be nice to each other," said Bob Greenblatt, president of programming at Showtime.

"He did it very realistically. He did a lot of asides, looks to other people, the rolling of the eyes."

Greenblatt said he'd hire Zucker for any of his new shows, including the dramas. And Hampton, the show's executive producer, said a song-and-dance number could be in Zucker's future if he returns to "Fat Actress." At the end of each episode, Alley dances with someone famous.

Zucker declined an interview but issued a statement to The Times saying he found it most challenging to keep a straight face "when I was continually calling Kirstie a fat slob."

So will Zucker exchange his power suit for performing? Haskell said he was ready to have the NBC executive sign "a rich and famous contract" so he can become his agent and help land him other television appearances.

"Even I had to laugh out loud when he forgets who he is talking to when he's on the phone with the guy who plays me," Haskell said.

"Of course, that would never happen in real life."

Prime time Nielsen ratings for Dec. 6-12
USA Today

An "X" in the "season-to-date" column denotes a series premiere, season premiere in a different time slot or one-time only presentation (i.e. that program is not the one usually assigned to a given time slot).
This
Week Season so far Title
1 1 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS 29.8 million viewers
2 2 Desperate Housewives, ABC 21.6
3 5 Survivor: Vanuatu, CBS 20.0
4 X Survivor: Vanuatu Finale, CBS 19.7
5 5 Without a Trace, CBS 19.5
6 9 Lost, ABC 18.9
7 6 ER, NBC 18.2
8 8 NFL Monday Night Football: Dallas at Seattle, ABC 16.6
9 X Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2004, ABC 16.3
10 12 The Apprentice 2, NBC 16
11 3 CSI: Miami, CBS 15.9
12 17 Law & Order, NBC 15.7
13 X Survivor: Vanuatu Reunion, CBS 15.2
14 7 Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS 14.9
15 15 NCIS, CBS 14.6
16 11 Extreme Home Makeover, ABC 14.5
17 10 Two and a Half Men, CBS 13.7
18 X A Charlie Brown Christmas, ABC 13.6
19 17 Law & Order: SVU, NBC 13.5
20 12 60 Minutes, CBS 13.4

Primetime cable top 15 )
Show Date/time Viewers (millions)
1. Steelers/Jaguars, ESPN Sun, 8:28 p.m. 11.5
2. The Librarian, TNT Sun, 8 p.m. 7.0
3. WWE Raw, Spike Mon, 9 p.m. 5.1
4. NFL Prime TIme, ESPN Sun, 7:30 p.m. 4.8
4. WWE Raw, Spike Mon, 10 p.m. 4.8
6. Real Gilligan's Island, TBS Tue, 8 p.m. 4.0
6. Law & Order, TNT Sat, 10 p.m. 4.0
8. Law & Order, TNT Tue, 9 p.m. 3.9
8. Law & Order: SVU, USA Tue, 9 p.m. 3.9
10. Santa Claus, ABC Family Tue, 9 p.m. 3.8
11. Law & Order, TNT Mon, 9 p.m. 3.7
11. Grinch, ABC Family Sun, 8 p.m. 3.7
11. Real Gilligan's Island, TBS Tue, 9 p.m. 3.7
11. Law & Order: SVU, USA Fri, 9 p.m. 3.7
15. Santa Claus, ABC Family Thur, 8 p.m. 3.6
Note: Only first airings of movies included

Network top 20 among ages 18-49
Show Viewers in millions
1.CSI: MIami, CBS Desperate Housewives, ABC 11.2
2. ER, NBC 11.0
3. Apprentice 2, NBC 10.5
4. CSI, CBS 10.4
5.Survivor: Vanuatu, CBS 9.3
6. Monday Night Football, ABC 8.6
7. Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS 8.3
8. Law & Order: SVU, NBC 8.2
9. Two and a Half Men, CBS 8.1
9. Five People You Meet in Heaven, CBS 8.1
11. Lost, ABC 7.7
12. Without a Trace, CBS (repeat) 7.2
13. CSI: NY, CBS 7.1
14. NFL Monday Showcase, ABC 7.0
15. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (ABC) 6.8
16. King of Queens, CBS 6.7
17. Nick/Jessica Christmas Special, ABC 6.6
18. Simpsons, Fox 6.4
19. Fear Factor, NBC 6.3
20. Amazing Race 6, CBS 6.2


Late-night talk
Viewers in millions
Season to date (Sept. 20-Nov. 28)
1. Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC 5.6
2. Late Show with David Letterman, CBS 4.6
3. Nightline, ABC 3.7
4. Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC 2.4
5. Late, Late Show, CBS 1.7
6. Jimmy Kimmel Live, ABC 1.6
7. Last Call with Carson Daly, NBC 1.4
8. The Daily Show, Comedy Central 1.3

f44:
4 million homes vs 7.2 million viewers.
I think they both are correct.

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Tuesday Ratings: Dec 14, 2004
Note: The following ratings are based on the fast affiliate results

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 8.2/13
NBC: 7.0/11
ABC: 6.8/11
Fox: 3.4/ 5
WB: 2.1/ 3
UPN: 1.8/ 3

Total Viewers:
CBS: 12.25 million
ABC: 10.60
NBC: 10.30
Fox: 5.30,
WB: 3.00
UPN: 2.47

Adults 18-49:
NBC: 4.2/11
ABC 3.5/9
CBS: 3.5/ 9
Fox: 2.1/ 6,
WB: 1.4/ 4
UPN: 1.1/ 3

Yesterday's Winners:
NCIS (CBS)
The Biggest Loser (NBC)
According To Jim (ABC)
George Lopez (ABC)
The Amazing Race 6 (CBS)
Law & Order: SVU R (NBC)

Promising:
House (Fox)

No Need for a 4th Edition:

High School Reunion (WB)

Yesterday's Losers:

All Of Us (UPN
Eve (UPN)
The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best (Fox)
Veronica Mars (UPN)

Ratings Breakdown:
Although CBS managed to maintain the No. 1 Tuesday spot in households and total viewers, 90-minutes of The Biggest Loser remains a winning formula for NBC, which beat second-place ABC and CBS by 20 percent among adults 18-49. The Biggest Loser was first in the demo with a 4.6/12, and second overall in households (7.3/12) and total viewers (11.03 million) from 8-9:30 p.m. CBS' underrated NCIS remains a keeper at 8 p.m., finishing first in households (9.6/15) and total viewers (15.00 million), and second among adults 18-49 (3.5/10).

Also in the 8 p.m. hour were repeat ABC holiday special, I Want a Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown (HH: #3, 6.3/10; A18-49: #3, 3.2/ 9), Fox's bargain basement The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best (HH: #4, 2.4/ 4; A18-49: #4, 1.6/ 5), a repeat of the WB's Gilmore Girls (HH: #5, 2.4/ 4; A18-49: #5, 1.5/ 4), and UPN comedies All Of Us (HH: #6, 2.1/ 3; A18-49: #5t, 1.4/ 4) and Eve (HH: #6, 2.1/ 3; A18-49: #6, 1.3/ 3).

At 9 p.m., it was a horse race for dominance between ABC comedies According To Jim and a 9:30 p.m. edition of George Lopez, CBS' The Amazing Race 6, and the last half-hour of NBC's aforementioned The Biggest Loser. Take a look:

ABC
9:00 p.m. According to Jim
HH: 7.3/11 (#2), Viewers: 11.44 million (#2), A18-49: 3.8/10 (#2)

9:30 p.m. George Lopez
HH: 7.2/11 (#2), Viewers: 11.42 million (#1), A18-49: 3.9/10 (#2)

NBC
9:00 p.m. The Biggest Loser
HH: 7.6/12 (#1), Viewers: 11.67 million (#1), A18-49: 4.9/12 (#1)

CBS
9-10 p.m. The Amazing Race 6
HH: 7.0/11 (#2), Viewers: 10.57 million (#2), A18-49: 4.0/10 (#1)

If ABC has any thoughts about moving George Lopez to Tuesday at 9:30 p.m., obviously this is not a bad idea. Leading out of The Biggest Loser on NBC was a repeat of Scrubs with a typically lackluster 4.8/ 7 in the overnights (#3t), 6.76 million viewers (#4) and a 2.8/ 7 among adults 18-49 (#3t).

On Fox, although a 4.5/ 7 in households (#4), 6.96 million viewers (#4) and a 2.7/ 7 among adults 18-49 (#4) for drama House remains nothing extraordinary, keep in mind that growth out of The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best was 87 percent in households, 3.32 million viewers and 69 percent among adults 18-49. Once lead-in American Idol steps in, House will certainly benefit.

Although week two of the WB's High School Reunion (HH: #5, 2.0/ 5; A18-49: #5, 1.3/ 3) beat UPN's competing Veronica Mars (HH: #6, 1.6/ 2; A18-49: #6, 0.9/ 2) by 25 percent in the overnights and 44 percent among adults 18-49, the reality hour still remains a disappointment.

At 10 p.m., while a repeat of NBC's Law & Order (HH: #3, 7.7/13; Viewers: #2, 10.97 million; A18-49: #1, 4.4/12) dipped to second behind CBS' Judging Amy (HH: #1, 7.9/13; Viewers: #1, 11.17 million; A18-49: #3, 2.9/ 8) in households and viewers, it still maintained the No. 1 spot among adults 18-49. ABC's Law & Order was a typical third in households (7.0/12) and total viewers (10.30 million), and second among adults 18-49 (3.5/ 9). Why Judging Amy is not in the winner's circle: noticeable year-to-year audience erosion.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Ratings Box: What’s Hot/What’s Not
Miracle on 34th Street Scores on AMC:
Holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street on AMC this past Sunday soared to a 2.18 household rating, with 1.88 million households, 1.14 million adults 25-54, and 801,000 adults 18-49. Comparably, that was the network's highest rated movie title since at least April 2000.

My buddy Dominic (Don) Pardo is retiring from NBC after 60 years in the business. He used to complain that they wouldn't let him retire, well, he got his wish.
George

The Voice.......Congratulations and Good Times in his retirement.

George, you starting to feel a little old? I know I am..:p

What a loss.
Don did anything he was asked, with great energy and talent.
I had a chance to work with him for a while, too, at 30 Rock, and I will miss him.
Godspeed.

When is Don's last day, George?

Weekly Primetime Tuesday Ratings: (Dec. 6-12)
The Los Angeles Times--Here are the rankings for national prime-time network television last week (Dec. 6-12) as compiled by Nielsen Media Research. They are based on the average number of people who watched a program from start to finish. Nielsen estimates there are 277.93 million potential viewers in the U.S. ages 2 and older. Viewership is listed in millions.
## Program Network Viewers
1 CSI CBS 29.83
2 Desperate Housewives ABC 21.56
3 Survivor: Vanuatu CBS 20.04
4 Survivor: Vanuatu Finale CBS 19.72
5 Without a Trace CBS 19.49
6 Lost ABC 18.88
7 ER NBC 18.21
8 Monday Night Football ABC 16.63
9 "Barbara Walters Presents" ABC 16.33
10 Apprentice 2 NBC 15.99
11 CSI: Miami CBS 15.89
12 Law & Order: NBC 15.69
13 "Survivor: Vanuatu Reunion" CBS 15.23
14 Everybody Loves Raymond CBS 14.93
15 NCIS CBS 14.59
16 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition ABC 14.54
17 Two and a Half Men CBS 13.65
18 "Charlie Brown Christmas" ABC 13.58
19 Law & Order: SVU NBC 13.50
20 60 Minutes CBS 13.38
21 "NFL Sunday Post-Game" FOX 13.11
22 NFL Monday Showcase ABC 12.50
23 The West Wing NBC 12.33
24 Las Vegas NBC 12.24
25 CSI: NY CBS 11.98
26 Fear Factor NBC 11.80
27 Boston Legal ABC 11.72
Amazing Race: 6 CBS 11.72
29 Wife Swap ABC 11.51
30 Judging Amy CBS 11.48
31 According to Jim ABC 11.41
32 JAG CBS 10.67
33 The Simpsons FOX 10.31
34 Joey NBC 10.20
35 Will & Grace NBC 10.14
36 King of Queens CBS 10.04
37 Rodney ABC 9.94
38 20/20 (Fri.) ABC 9.86
39 NYPD Blue ABC 9.81
40 Cold Case CBS 9.64
41 Still Standing CBS 9.27
42 Biggest Loser NBC 9.21
43 Dateline: NBC (Fri.)_ NBC 8.98
44 Listen Up CBS 8.96
45 America's Funniest Home Videos ABC 8.93
46 "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" NBC 8.87
47 Center of the Universe CBS 8.70
48 Cops (8:30 p.m.) FOX 8.53
49 Crossing Jordan NBC 8.43
50 Dateline: NBC (Mon.) NBC 8.10
51 Joan of Arcadia CBS 8.08
52 "Clay Aiken Christmas" NBC 8.04
53 America's Most Wanted FOX 7.75
54 The Swan 2 FOX 7.49
Trading Spouses FOX 7.49
56 Cops FOX 7.32
57 48 Hours Mystery CBS 7.17
60 Minutes (Wed.) CBS 7.17
59 Scrubs NBC 6.97
60 Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Sat.) NBC 6.94
61 "Billboard Music Awards" FOX 6.87
62 Third Watch NBC 6.80
63 House FOX 6.74
64 Dateline: NBC (Sun.) NBC 6.68
65 Medical Investigation NBC 6.38
66 The O.C. FOX 6.36
67 Extreme Makeover ABC 6.30
68 Arrested Development FOX 6.28
69 Less Than Perfect ABC 5.92
70 8 Simple Rules ABC 5.88
71 Hope & Faith ABC 5.68
72 Life of Luxury ABC 5.49
73 Complete Savages ABC 5.31
74 Family Guy FOX 5.23
75 Crimetime Saturday CBS 5.22
76 America's Next Top Model 3 UPN 5.20
77 WWE Smackdown! UPN 5.19
78 "Scooby-Doo Christmas" WB 5.17
79 Primetime Live ABC 5.08
80 Family Guy (9:30 p.m.) FOX 4.88
81 Reba WB 4.80
82 Wonderful World of Disney ABC 4.79
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" WB 4.79
84 The Simpsons (Fri.) FOX 4.54
85 King of the Hill FOX 4.32
86 Wife Swap (Sat.) ABC 4.09
87 North Shore FOX 3.80
88 7th Heaven WB 3.78
89 Blue-Collar TV WB 3.72
90 Rebel Billionaire FOX 3.71
91 Gilmore Girls WB 3.60
92 "Grandma Got Run Over" WB 3.50
93 Smallville WB 3.46
94 Big Fat Obnoxious Boss FOX 3.43
95 High School Reunion WB 3.30
Life As We Know It ABC 3.20
97 "The Last Ride" NBC 3.18
98 "Robbie the Reindeer" CBS 3.11
99 Kevin Hill UPN 3.05
100 Eve UPN 2.96
101 Girlfriends UPN 2.92
102 All of Us UPN 2.87
103 Charmed WB 2.73
104 Everwood WB 2.63
105 Half and Half UPN 2.61
Second Time Around UPN 2.61
107 One on One UPN 2.58
108 Steve Harvey's Big Time WB 2.18
109 Enterprise UPN 2.12
110 America's Next Top Model (Fri.) UPN 1.97
111 Veronica Mars UPN 1.90
112 "Family TV Awards" WB 1.57
113 Mountain WB 1.29

Network averages
Here is the number of viewers (in millions) that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for last week and for the season.
Network Last week Season to date
CBS 13.09 13.24
ABC 10.28 10.27
NBC 9.62 10.22
FOX 7.03 9.17
UPN 3.29 3.59
WB 3.13 3.84

Top Five Shows By Network:
Week Ending Dec. 12th

ABC
2 Desperate Housewives 21.56
6 Lost 18.88
8 Monday Night Football 16.63
9 "Barbara Walters Presents" 16.33
16 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 14.54

CBS
1 CSI 29.83
3 Survivor: Vanuatu 20.04
4 Survivor: Vanuatu Finale 19.72
5 Without a Trace 19.49
11 CSI: Miami 15.89

Fox
21 "NFL Sunday Post-Game" 13.11
33 The Simpsons 10.31
48 Cops (8:30 p.m.) 8.53
53 America's Most Wanted 7.75
54 The Swan 2 7.49
Trading Spouses 7.49

NBC
7 ER 18.21
10 Apprentice 2 15.99
12 Law & Order: 15.69
19 Law & Order: SVU 13.50
23 The West Wing 12.33


UPN
76 America's Next Top Model 3 5.20
77 WWE Smackdown! 5.19
99 Kevin Hill 3.05
100 Eve 2.96
101 Girlfriends 2.92

WB
78 "Scooby-Doo Christmas" 5.17
81 Reba 4.80
88 7th Heaven 3.78
89 Blue-Collar TV 3.72
91 Gilmore Girls 3.60

(compiled by Nielsen Media Research)

Bottom Five Shows By Network:
Week Ending Dec. 12th

ABC
72 Life of Luxury 5.49
73 Complete Savages 5.31
82 Wonderful World of Disney 4.79
86 Wife Swap (Sat.) 4.09
95 Life As We Know It 3.20

CBS
51 Joan of Arcadia 8.08
57 48 Hours Mystery 7.17
60 Minutes (Wed.) 7.17
75 Crimetime Saturday 5.22
98 "Robbie the Reindeer" 3.11

Fox
84 The Simpsons (Fri.) 4.54
85 King of the Hill 4.32
87 North Shore 3.80
90 Rebel Billionaire 3.71
94 Big Fat Obnoxious Boss 3.43

NBC
59 Scrubs 6.97
60 Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Sat.) 6.94
64 Dateline: NBC (Sun.) 6.68
65 Medical Investigation 6.38
97 "The Last Ride" 3.18

WB
103 Charmed 2.73
104 Everwood 2.63
108 Steve Harvey's Big Time 2.18
112 "Family TV Awards" 1.57
113 Mountain 1.29

UPN
105 Half and Half 2.61
Second Time Around 2.61
107 One on One 2.58
109 Enterprise 2.12
110 America's Next Top Model (Fri.) 1.97
111 Veronica Mars 1.90

(compiled by Nielsen Media Research)

NFL Network Inks Adelphia Pact
Multichannel.com 12/15/04 1:51 PM ET
Adelphia Communications Corp. and NFL Network announced a broad affiliation agreement Wednesday.

The country’s No. 5 MSO will begin carrying the National Football League’s cable network -- as well as NFL Network on Demand and NFL Network HD -- within the next few weeks.

“Having Adelphia on board as an affiliate is another important step forward for NFL Network,” CEO Steve Bornstein said in a prepared statement. “With systems in NFL markets including New England, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo, it allows us to carry out our mission -- bringing our fans closer to the NFL than ever before.”

Adelphia serves more than 5 million subscribers in 31 states.

Originally posted by George Thompson
My buddy Dominic (Don) Pardo is retiring from NBC after 60 years in the business. He used to complain that they wouldn't let him retire, well, he got his wish. Originally posted by fredfa
I had a chance to work with him for a while, too, at 30 Rock, and I will miss him.You guys KNOW Don Pardo!? That's awesome! I remember him back all the way to the old Jeopardy! with Art Fleming, and the original Saturday Night Live, with the Prime Time Players. Ya gotta love his voice!

Please let him know that there are millions of us regular folks out here that have recognized his voice for years, and appreciate him as a professional.

Xesdeeni

Originally posted by fredfa
The country’s No. 5 MSO will begin carrying the National Football League’s cable network -- as well as NFL Network on Demand and NFL Network HD -- within the next few weeks.

For what it's worth: Adelphia's Cleveland system has already started carrying the SD version of NFL Network, on a temporary slot - one of the local programming channels (17). It'll reportedly migrate to a dedicated digital channel, and the HD channel, in mid-January.

Originally posted by Xesdeeni
Please let him know that there are millions of us regular folks out here that have recognized his voice for years, and appreciate him as a professional.

The Voice of God is retiring? Wow. It's amazing he's actually been around so long...he's been the voice of Saturday Night Live since it premiered in the mid-70's, nearly 30 years ago, and he was already at NBC for a long time at THAT point!

We'll miss his voice.

And though I wish him many long years of healthy retirement...when he finally does pass on, it'll only be because God needed another booth announcer.

Originally posted by George Thompson
My buddy Dominic (Don) Pardo is retiring from NBC after 60 years in the business. He used to complain that they wouldn't let him retire, well, he got his wish.
George

Wow.

This thread has exclusive news...seems like no one else knows yet.

Selected Development Notes
(thefutoncritic.com) Dec. 15, 2004

LAW & ORDER: TRIAL BY JURY (NBC)
Lorraine Bracco is the latest "Sopranos" vet to climb aboard the "Law & Order" franchise. The actress is set to guest star as an ambitious attorney in the upcoming "Trial by Jury" spin-off, a potentially recurring role. Bebe Neuwirth, Jerry Orbach, Fred Thompson, Kirk Acevedo, Amy Carlson and David Rogers are also featured in the series, which bows early next year. The news comes on the heels of fellow "Sopranos" co-star Michael Imperioli's recent addition to the original "Law & Order" for its final four episodes of the season.

BEHIND THE CAMERA: THE UNAUTHORIZED STORY OF 'MORK & MINDY' (NBC)
The Peacock is set to move forward with its third "Behind the Camera" telefilm, this time about the 1978-1982 ABC sitcom which starred Robin Williams and Pam Dawber. Chris Diamantopoulos ("The DeMarco Affairs") has been cast as Williams in the project, which will track the show's instant success with a focus on the meteoric rise to fame of Williams. Neill Fearnley ("Inside the Osmonds") is set to direct the telefilm from a script by former "Mork & Mindy" writer David Misch with Matt Dorff ("Growing Up Brady") and Jim Head executive producing. Like the previous installments, the project is set up at Stanley M. Brooks' Once Upon a Time Films. Production is set to begin next month.

THE GEORGE LOPEZ SHOW (ABC)
The Alphabet has upped its commitment to the veteran comedy to 24 episodes this season, ordering two additional episodes. To date this season, "Lopez" is averaging a solid 8.63 million viewers in the network's Tuesday, 8:30/7:30c slot. "Lopez" joins "My Wife and Kids," "Hope & Faith" and "According to Jim" among the network's comedy crop that will produce more than the standard 22-episode order this season.

ROCK STAR (CBS)
Mark Burnett Productions has confirmed the series, which is set to bow this summer, will run for a whopping 38 episodes over the course of three months.

Pax to Premiere 'Young Blades' Jan. 23
By Christopher Lisotta TVWeek.com

Pax TV announced Wednesday it will premiere its musketeer action hour "Young Blades" Sunday, Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. (ET). The 22-episode was created by Billy Brown and Dan Angel ("Door To Door," "Night Visions") and produced by Shavick/Insight Studio in association with The Hatchery, LLC. Currently filming near Vancouver, British Columbia, "Young Blades" is being shot entirely in high definition.

"Young Blades" stars Michael Ironside ("Total Recall," "The Perfect Storm") and Bruce Boxleitner ("Scarecrow and Mrs. King," "Babylon 5"), and is set in 17th-century France. Mr. Boxleitner plays a teacher at the musketeers military academy and Mr. Ironside plays the evil Cardinal Mazarin.

Who Was No. 1 in Peterson Ratings?
By Linda Moss Multichannel.com 12/15/04

Court TV and Fox News Channel traded jabs Wednesday after the investigation channel claimed bragging rights as the “No. 1 news network” for its coverage of convicted killer Scott Peterson’s death sentence.

Court TV put out a press release claiming that it had surpassed Fox News as the top-rated news network due to the numbers it racked up televising the Peterson sentencing Monday. Court TV said it had a 2.5 household rating when the sentence was announced, equating to 2.4 million total viewers.

Fox News disputed Court TV’s claim to being No. 1, as well as its viewership numbers, while Court TV held firm and said its figures were correct and were direct from Nielsen Media Research.

Fox News claimed that for the full quarter-hour when the sentence was delivered, 4:45 p.m.-5 p.m., it averaged 2.248 million viewers compared with Court TV’s 2.215 million.

For full coverage of the sentencing, from 4 p.m.-6:45 p.m. Monday, Fox News said it outperformed Court TV in households, total viewers and viewers 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. Fox News averaged 2.1 million viewers versus Court TV’s 1.7 million.

Court TV officials charged that Fox News had the numbers wrong.

Fred, I don't see what shows are coming on tonight in your most recent ratings post from Berman's column. Do you have that portion?

Here it is:

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
On the Air Tonight:

Primetime Programming Options

Wednesday 12/15/04

ABC:
Lost (R, two-hours), Wife Swap

CBS:
60 Minutes, King of Queens, Center of the Universe, CSI: NY

NBC:
The Seinfeld Story R (NBC), The West Wing, Law & Order (R)

Fox:
That '70s Show, Quintuplets, Nanny 911

UPN:
America's Next Top Model, Kevin Hill

WB:
Smallville (R), Big Man on Campus (series premiere)

fredfa,

That got me thinking. Should you add a "What's On OTA HD tonight?" where you post what's on OTA HD each night in post #1? It'd probably be a lot of work though.

I could just use Marc's network previews, I guess, f44.
I usually don't post them for lack of space, but I could post them.
The problem is his column takes quite a few days off -- especially between sweeps -- so when people get used to his Programming Options they might get upset when they aren't available.
But I'll be happy to post them if people want them.

'Earthsea' Washes Up Strong Ratings for Sci Fi

(zap2it.com)--December has once again proven to be the magic month for the Sci Fi Channel's big-ticket miniseries.

The cable network's latest offering, "Legend of Earthsea," drew an average of 3.68 million viewers over its two nights, continuing a string of successful end-of-the-year offerings that also includes the Emmy-winning "Taken" and "Battlestar Galactica."

Based on two books by Ursula K. Le Guin, "Legend of Earthsea" tells the story of a young wizard (Shawn Ashmore, "X2") who embarks on a quest to save the land of Earthsea from tyranny. Danny Glover, Isabella Rossellini and Kristin Kreuk ("Smallville") also star.

The four-hour miniseries debuted Monday (Dec. 13) to an audience of about 3.44 million people, second on all of cable for the night (behind Spike TV's "WWE Raw"). The conclusion on Tuesday improved to just over 3.9 million viewers, and its household rating of 3.4 was the best for any Sci Fi program this year (the premiere of "Stargate: Atlantis" had 4.2 million viewers but only a 3.2 rating).

Its success also breaks a recent string of Sci Fi minis that have failed to live up to the likes of "Taken," which drew more than 5 million people, and "Battlestar Galactica," which brought in more than 4 million and is scheduled to become a weekly series in January. The five-hour "Five Days to Midnight" averaged only 1.7 million viewers in June. October's "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars" also failed to crack the 2 million-viewer mark.

Unbelievable news on Don Pardo.... A living legend in the biz.... All the best to him.

Now, is Rock Star some sort of AI clone?

don pardo.. I was thinking to myself.. who is he.. then I rembmer the saturday night live line he always says.. "this is don pardo.." damn.. we have celebrities here on the board and didnt even know it!! thats one voice you never forget! 60 years in the business.. I hope to just make it to 60 years old period.. lol

jim, as distinctive and rich as Don's voice is...he is even a nicer man.

We have read story after story over the past year about the financial outlook for Cablevision’s VOOM.
Here’s the latest on the finances of Echostar:
Moody’s Rating for Echostar

Moody's Affirms Echostar Communications' Sgl-1
Liquidity Rtg Liquidity Profile Is Still "Very Good"

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES December 15, 2004
The following is a press release from Moody's Investors Service:
New York, December 15, 2004 -- Moody's Investors Services affirmed the SGL-1 speculative grade liquidity rating for EchoStar Communications Corporation (EchoStar).

The SGL-1 rating continues to reflect the "very good" liquidity position as expected over the next twelve months driven primarily by the company's still substantial cash and equivalent balances.

Moody's estimates that EchoStar has approximately $1.2 billion of unrestricted cash and marketable securities on its balance sheet, proforma for the payment of a special $455 million dividend in the fourth quarter, the recent completion of its $1 billion offering of 6-5/8% senior unsecured notes, and the redemption of its 10-3/8% senior unsecured notes. After completing its initial $1 billion share repurchase program in July 2004, management announced an incremental $1 billion share repurchase program. Including the special dividend, management will have directed about $1.4 billion of cash to shareholders during late 2003 and throughout 2004, evidencing a noteworthy shift in fiscal policy that is not creditor- (or liquidity-) friendly. While the current level of cash still offers adequate flexibility for the SGL-1 rating, sustained dedication of cash to shareholder returns could warrant a lower rating in time as cash reserves are depleted. Specifically, Moody's would be more wary of maintaining the SGL-1 rating if cash balances dropped much below $1 billion, whether for operational reasons or due to further share repurchases or dividends, as maintenance of this extra level of financial flexibility is deemed to be of high importance given the heightened competitive environment in which the company operates in conjunction with the absence of a backstop liquidity facility.

EchoStar's bond indenture covenants do not restrict its ability to use this excess cash, and the company has no public debt maturities over the next 24 months; requirements for cash generated by operations consist predominantly of interest expense and capital expenditures.

In Moody's view, the lack of clarity on EchoStar's future subscriber acquisition promotions and the SBC partnership dynamics and economics, as well as the potential for intensified competition from DirecTV (and EchoStar's response to such competition) and the cable TV industry more broadly, yields considerable uncertainty about future operating (and specifically, cash flow) performance. Moody's nevertheless expects that cash on-hand combined with projected internally generated cash flow will be more than sufficient to cover capital expenditures, cash interest, and working capital needs over the next 12 months.

Notably, capital expenditures could vary significantly based on the number of new subscribers who opt to lease equipment from EchoStar, as well as management's view of its long-term satellite resource needs. The recent increase in customers who lease will likely continue, leading to higher capital expenditures in the intermediate term. During the 12 month period through September 30, capital expenditures rose to $720 million, compared to $486 million as of the June quarter and a $300 to $400 million range throughout 2003 and in the first quarter of 2004. The expensed portion of subscribers acquired through lease promotions decreases somewhat, but not significantly enough to offset the increased capital expenditures (as more boxes tend to be deployed, and greater subsidies are subsequently required, for leased homes), leading to higher overall subscriber acquisition costs over the intermediate term, in Moody's view. Potential benefits from redeploying equipment returned to EchoStar by disconnected subs remain uncertain at this point but could lead to improvements in subscriber acquisition costs over the longer term. Spending on additional satellite capacity has also increased and will likely continue to rise, further constraining future free cash flow.

Working capital is difficult to predict and can swing fairly significantly on a quarterly basis, but Moody's anticipates the cumulative working capital impact will not materially affect EchoStar's liquidity. The large cash balance and substantial subscriber base allow the company to tolerate such swings.

Importantly, EchoStar does not have a back-stop facility. Moody's believes, however, that the company could secure one without too much difficulty, and relatively quickly, if desired. The very flexible terms incorporated in the company's bond indentures would also allow it to securitize a significant amount of assets. Additionally, while Moody's believes that the company has fairly limited saleable non-core assets that could be quickly monetized without adversely impacting the core business, the unpledged and high perceived value of its assets suggests that other means of alternate liquidity could also be realized if incremental capital was needed.

EchoStar Communications Corporation is a leading provider of direct broadcast satellite pay television services to about 10.1 million subscribers. The company maintains its headquarters in Englewood, Colorado. The senior implied rating for the company is Ba3 and the rating outlook is stable.

fred, you have PM and it's really depressing me..

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column for Thursday, Dec. 16, 2004
at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Wednesday Ratings: 12/15/04

Big 3 Horse Race Based on the Overnights; UPN on the Rise
Metered Market Ratings
Note: The following ratings exclude the Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix, San Diego, Portland, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Richmond and West Palm Beach markets.

Household Rating/Share
NBC 8.5/13
CBS 8.4/13
ABC 8.0/12
UPN 4.8/ 7
Fox 4.6/ 7
WB 2.3/ 3

Percent Change From Comparable Year-Ago Night (Wed. Dec. 17, 2003):
UPN: +109
CBS: +22
NBC: -10
ABC: -11
WB: -12
Fox: -35
Note: The fast affiliate ratings were not available at press time.

Yesterday's Winners:
America’s Next Top Model (UPN), Lost R (ABC), The West Wing (NBC), King of Queens (CBS), CSI: NY (CBS)

-Dead-on-Arrival:
Big Man on Campus (WB)

Sinking Fast:
That s Show (Fox)

Additional Losers:
Quintuplets (Fox)

Ratings Breakdown:
Although the first half of a two-hour repeat of ABC’s Lost (8.7/13) won the 8 p.m. hour in the overnights, the big story was the season-finale of America’s Next Top Model on UPN at a season high (and fourth-place) 6.0/ 9. Comparably, that was an advantage, on average, of 54 percent over Fox sitcoms That s Show (4.5/ 7) and Quintuplets (3.3/ 5), and 114 percent above a repeat of the WB’s Smallville (2.8/ 4). Once the nationals are released, expect America’s Next Top Model to dominate the hour in young female demographics. Next up on UPN in the Wednesday 8 p.m. hour: The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott effective on Jan. 5.

Also in the 8 p.m. hour were CBS’ older-skewing 60 Minutes (6.3/10), and a repeat of NBC special The Seinfeld Story (6.3/10). As a reminder, the fast affiliate ratings were not available at press time.

At 9 p.m., although NBC’s rejuvenated The West Wing (#1: 10.0/15) dominated in the overnights, keep an eye on CBS’ The King of Queens (which was third with a 7.7/11) once the nationals are released. Despite dipping 21 percent in the overnights from King of Queens, lead-out Center of the Universe (#3: 6.1/ 9 at 9:30 p.m.) always manages to narrow the gap among adults 18-49 nationally.

Also in the 9 p.m. hour were the second half of the two-hour Lost repeat (#2: 7.8/11), Fox keeper Nanny 911 (#4: 5.3/ 8), UPN’s Kevin Hill (3.6/ 6), and the dead-on-arrival debut of WB reality hour Big Man on Campus (1.9/ 3). You have to pity the WB -- it just can’t seem to find a successful reality series.

Overall, the two-hour Lost repeat averaged a still solid 8.2/12 from 8-10 p.m. Speaking of ABC, have you seen the promos yet for upcoming reality hour Super Nanny? It’s the same show as Fox’s Nanny 911.

At 10 p.m., CBS was the top choice with bona fide hit CSI: NY (11.4/18) besting a repeat of NBC’s Law & Order (9.3/14) by 23 percent in the overnights. Third in the hour (but expected to be No. 2 among adults 18-49 once the nationals are released) was ABC’s Wife Swap with a 7.4/12.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Ratings Box: What’s Hot/What’s Not

‘Tis the Season to Be Jolly on Hallmark Channel:
The premiere of made-for Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus on Hallmark Channel, the home of feel-good storytelling, averaged a 3.0 household rating on Saturday, Dec. 11, ranking in the top 10 among all ad-supported cable networks in every key demographic category (both in ratings and impressions). Of note was a second-place ranking in household rating and women 25-54. On the day Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus aired, Hallmark Channel perked up to a 1.1 household rating from sign-on to sign-off -- its second highest rated day ever. For the week, Hallmark reached a new ratings zenith with a 0.8 in total day and a 1.4 in primetime.

Legend of Earthsea Scores on Sci Fi:
The premiere of Sci Fi miniseries Legend of Earthsea on Monday and Tuesday of this week from 9-11 p.m. was the highest rated and most watched program overall on cable in primetime based on households, total viewers, adults 18-49, and adults 25-54. The four-hour event averaged a 3.2 household rating with 3.68 million viewers, concluding at a 3.4 household rating with 3.92 million viewers. Tuesday’s conclusion is now the highest rated program on Sci Fi this year.

[U] On the Air Tonight:
Primetime Programming Options
[B]Thursday 12/16/04

ABC
A Charlie Brown Christmas (R), life as we know it, Primetime Thursday

CBS
CSI (two repeats), Without A Trace (R)

NBC
The Apprentice (three-hour season finale)

Fox
The O.C., North Shore

UPN
WWE Smackdown!

WB
Movie: Crossroads

How many times can they repeat Lost episodes!!!! My goodness!!!! Does that show hold the record for most repeats within the same season?

Originally posted by slocko
How many times can they repeat Lost episodes!!!! My goodness!!!! Does that show hold the record for most repeats within the same season?

What's more amazing is that I have yet to see one episode.

Originally posted by gpflepsen
What's more amazing is that I have yet to see one episode.

You really owe it to yourself to catch an episode or two, Lost defines what scripted network HDTV programming is all about, the picture and sound set the standard IMO.

Fred, you have more PM..:p

(BTW, there is an article in The Baltimore Sun, I think it was the Sun, I could track it back down...)

My local (well, Omaha) ABC should finally get HDTV on the air this weekend. They had a tower collapse over a year ago and have made heroic efforts to get another erected and transmitting. I will check it out then.

Life's to short to watch SDTV :)

'The Wire' fears
HBO may snip it
By MARISA GUTHRIE The New York Daily News

At the climax of its third season, HBO's gritty drama "The Wire" is hanging by one.

"We haven't been renewed," said creator David Simon, "We have not been killed either."

A decision on the fate of Simon's critically praised series about the dangerous corners of Baltimore's drug trade isn't expected until mid-January.

"I know [HBO] isn't particularly pleased with our numbers," Simon said. "Why would they be? But, at the same time, I'm not sure what on HBO besides maybe 'The Sopranos' could have gone up against the buzz saw that is 'Desperate Housewives' and Sunday night football."

"The Wire," which has its season (or series) finale Sunday night at 9, boldly killed off a major character last week when Stringer Bell (Idris Elba), a dealer trying to go legit as a real-estate developer, was gunned down.

"I checked the [message] boards this morning and every body's upset about Stringer," said Simon. "All I can tell you is the only way the writers can figure out how to make the stories matter is to not make characters matter more than the stories."

On Sunday, there is more closure and another character is put out to pasture, though not in a predictable way.

"If we have to end here, I'll be sad," said Simon. "There is a lot more I want to say. It took a lot to create this fictional universe of Baltimore and there's a lot more to say."

But "The Wire" has been criticized for its labyrinthine plot lines; its liberal use of urban vernacular has also stymied some viewers. But HBO has made a habit of nurturing esoteric series.

"This show would have been canceled after four episodes anywhere else," said Simon. "If [HBO] says, 'Nice try, but we're going to go with something else,' then they say it. Does that mean I have even the slightest regret that I didn't make the show simpler or dumbed it down or made the cast more white? Absolutely not."

If "The Wire" makes it to fourth season, said Simon, he plans to explore the failures of the public education system in Baltimore.

"Like a lot of cities," he said, "we have a remarkably dysfunctional school system, one that puts the lie to the idea that if you want to walk away from the street, you can just put your head down and do what's right. You start to get the impression that the children of this city are being raised by the drug corners, that this is a school system that fits with a society where the drug trade is the best deal of its generation."

But he may not get the chance. The overwhelming success of "The Sopranos" has changed the climate at HBO.

"Because of 'The Sopranos' breakout hit status," said Simon, "expectations have changed." The days when a dark prison drama like "Oz" could survive several seasons may be coming to a close, according to Simon.

"There was no angst about ['Oz'] ratings," said Simon. "It was what it was. There was a commitment to storytelling, even if it was idiosyncratic storytelling. Now I'm going up against 'Desperate Housewives.'

"What could have gone up against 'Desperate Housewives'? 'Desperate Housewives' is pretty. I'm not about pretty."

The Baltimore Sun article about The Wire

By David Zurawik
Sun Television Critic
Originally published December 15, 2004

Unlike the past two seasons, when HBO announced renewal of The Wire before the critically acclaimed, Baltimore-based drama even finished filming, this year's lackluster ratings mean a decision will go right down to, well, the wire in coming weeks.

David Simon's Peabody Award-winning drama will conclude its third season Sunday night on the premium cable channel, and he acknowledged that it could be the end of the series - a development that would mean $17.5 million less for the Baltimore economy in 2005, by the most conservative estimates.

"Nobody's guaranteed anything in this business," Simon said in an interview this week. "My sense is that there won't be a decision by HBO until mid-January. They have reasons that they might not go forward, and reasons that they might. If I had to put a percentage on it right now, I'd say it's 50-50."

Simon will meet with HBO brass during the second week of January to discuss the future of the series. He said he has been told that rather than trying to explain the low ratings, he should go prepared to map out "where the show would go creatively" if there is a fourth season. In other words, he needs to give HBO a reason to believe in the dramatic future of the series before the cable channel will ante up $35 million for another season of 12 episodes.

"Either they're going to be comfortable with where the show is going, or they won't," the former Sun police reporter said. "The bottom line is that they gave us complete creative control to tell the story exactly as we wanted to tell it. If this is the end, we did 37 strong epsiodes, and I could not be more proud of what we did. I wouldn't change a word."

Diego Aldana, a spokesman for HBO, confirmed the January meeting, saying, "There is not going to be a decision on the show until sometime in January." Simon and Aldana also confirmed that the audience this season for The Wire fell off by almost 50 percent from last year - from about 3 million viewers to about 1.6 million viewers a week.

But there are reasons for the loss of audience that are beyond the control of any executive producer - particularly in scheduling. After airing during the summer its first two seasons, The Wire this year was placed in head-to-head competition with new fall series on the major networks. Furthermore, it ran in what has become one of the most competitive time periods in television, Sunday nights at 9 - opposite Desperate Housewives, the hit ABC drama about the private lives of four suburban women, and National Football League games on cable channel ESPN.

"We became a fall show, and we didn't hold our own," Simon acknowledged. "But, ultimately, the question they [HBO officials] have to ask themselves - and I'm sure they are - is whether anything on HBO outside of The Sopranos could have held its own against that tandem of Desperate Housewives and football. Desperate Housewives just caught something in the zeitgeist."

Even though Housewives attracts an audience of more than 20 million viewers a week and is the most talked about new show of the year, it is football that probably hurt The Wire more, since both appeal to the same male viewers.

The Nielsen news got a little better this week with 2 million viewers tuning in for Sunday's episode that included the dramatic shooting of drug dealer Stringer Bell (Idris Elba), one of the series' leading characters. Bell was gunned down in an ambush Sunday night, and HBO's Web site has been hopping with reaction from shocked viewers ever since.

There are more surpises in store for Sunday's finale. If it is the end, no one will say The Wire went gently into cancellation. Its place in television history is already assured based on its depiction of life in urban America.

"The main character in The Wire is Baltimore," Simon said. "And I believe The Wire is the most elaborate depiction of a city ever done in American television."

But that's cold comfort for a local economy that could be $17.5 million poorer next year if the series is canceled. Jack Gerbes, director of the Maryland Film Office, confirmed that the series spends at least half its $35 million budget locally.

"So, first and foremost, yes, there would be a huge economic impact if it were not renewed," Gerbes said yesterday.

"But, with The Wire, the impact extends even beyond the normal spending on production, because they have given so much to local schools and charities - like 500 backpacks to an inner-city school last week and after-school bus service to another school that couldn't afford buses. How do you measure that? I don't even want to think of this series getting canceled. Let's just keep our fingers crossed and hope."

keenan:
Thanks for the heads-up on the Daily News story on "The Wire".

(And for those interested in trying to help save it, here is a link to an online petition)

http://www.**************.com/wire4th/petition.html

(Personal note)

I do my best to keep my personal feelings about most shows out of this thread. I feel most of you care about what is happening and not which shows I personally watch. And I'd rather not have potential readers get pissed because I don't happen to like their favorite show. (I get enough of that with VOOM fans who seem to see me as Darth Vader.)

That said, keenan, "The Wire" has never really inspired me that much.

Maybe its my fault, I've tried (even bought the first season DVD) but have never been able to get into it. As Simon himself says: "I'm not about pretty".

Well, neither is "The Sopranos".

My sense is that if you want to make social change ("...If "The Wire" makes it to fourth season, said Simon, he plans to explore the failures of the public education system in Baltimore....") there are better forums than HBO.

I prefer to watch solid entertainment, and for me, "The Wire" has never cut it.

But that is purely personal and obviously YMMV. I certainly understand the passion many people have for the program, and I think TV would be poorer without it.

A deep chill in November for ESPN
Viewership numbers off sharply from a year ago
By Brian Tallerico medialifemagazine.com

The NFL may be in the middle of its playoff stretch, and controversy surrounds both the NBA and MLB. But based on November’s ratings, a goodly chunk of viewers are looking somewhere else for their sports programming and news.

With their election coverage the news channels and Comedy Central, buoyed by “The Daily Show," saw spikes all summer and early fall, and the viewers have stayed at those networks after the elections.

One must wonder whether they've done so at the expense of ESPN.

In any case, ESPN’s November primetime rating among adults 18-49 was down 13 percent year to year, to a 1.3 from a 1.5 the previous November.

But during that same period, Comedy Central’s 18-49 rating was up 20 percent over the prior November, rising to a 0.6 from a 0.5 while average viewers grew from 473,000 to 568,000.

Fox News's November 18-49 rating almost doubled, from a 0.3 to a 0.6, with its primetime audience growing to 575,000 from 289,000. Fox News benefited both from the elections, which drove up viewership, but also from the mid-October sex scandal in which primetime's Bill O'Reilly was accused of forcing a much younger staffer to participate in phone sex. Rather than fleeing, viewers flocked to Fox News as the scandal unfolded.

But CNN and MSNBC also saw huge audience gains for the month, without either offering up a sex scandal. Both saw their 18-49 viewership levels increase significantly over the prior November—CNN from 197,000 to 269,000 and MSNBC from 90,000 to 149,000.

The question, with the elections now six weeks ago: Will sports fans begin returning to ESPN?

The timing is certainly isn't ideal, with the NFL wrapping up its regular season and the National Hockey League on strike.

ESPN’s “Sunday Night Football” is routinely basic cable’s most-watched program during football season.

And of course the National Basketball Association's season has already been marred with negative press associated with last month’s brawl between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons fans.

Meanwhile, ESPN is facing aggressive competition for its young male viewers from FX and Spike TV, which saw year-to-year increases of 20 percent and 25 percent among men 18-49, respectively.

ESPN still has a healthy lead in the male 18-49 demo, 30 percent ahead of its closest competitor in November. But with the competition for those viewers all the more intense, it will face a struggle keeping them.

TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Ranked on Household Rating
Week Ending December 12

Rank Primetime Total Day
Net (000) Net (000)
1 ESPN 2099 NICK 1652
2 TNT 1981 NAN* 1357
3 LIF 1760 TNT 1090
4 USA 1631 LIF 1029
5 NAN 1478 TOON 940
6 TOON 1385 TBSC 862
7 FAM 1346 ESPN 854
8 TBSC 1320 USA 799
9 FOXN 1273 FOXN 740
10 SPK 1102 FAM 696
11 MTV 950 CORT 557
12 HALL 901 MTV 542
13 AEN 867 AEN 536
14 AMC 836 HALL 515
15 HIST 792 HIST 511
16 CMDY 790 SPK 505
17 DISC 743 AMC 463
18 CORT 742 HGTV 460
19 FX 724 FX 451
20 HGTV 706 CMDY 448
21 SCIF 696 TVLD 425
22 TLC 578 FOOD 411
23 FOOD 561 SCIF 401
24 TVLD 554 DISC 400
25 CNN 550 TLC 333
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.

TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE PROGRAMS
Ranked on Households
Week Ending December 12
Rank Program Net (000)
1 Eagles/Redskins ESPN 7342
2 3-Premiere ESPN 4442
3 WWE Entertainment SPK 3431
4 WWE Entertainment SPK 3374
5 Law & Order TNT 3372
6 Spongebob NICK 3280
7 Fairly Odd Parents NICK 3209
8 Spongebob NICK 3161
9 Sportscenter ESPN 3075
10 Fairly Odd Parents NICK 3023
11 Law & Order TNT 2966
12 Spongebob NICK 2957
13 Fairly Odd Parents NICK 2870
14 Spongebob NICK 2825
15 Spongebob NICK 2789
16 C.S.I. SPK 2782
17 Law & Order TNT 2781
17 Law & Order TNT 2781
19 Spongebob NICK 2754
20 NFL Prime Time ESPN 2706
21 Jimmy Neutron NICK 2664
22 Lts:The Nanny Reunion LIF 2656
23 Spongebob NICK 2642
24 Fairly Odd Parents NICK 2614
25 Small Sacrifices, Part II LIF 2598
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.

TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending December 12
Rank PRIME TIME TOTAL DAY
Net (000) Net (000)
1 ESPN 684 NAN* 418
2 TBSC 569 TBSC 371
3 TNT 569 NICK 355
4 MTV 459 ESPN 343
5 CMDY 413 TNT 331
6 SPK 346 MTV 257
7 FAM 319 LIF 235
8 USA 313 CMDY 232
9 LIF 290 TOON 219
10 FX 281 USA 193
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.

TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending December 12
Rank PROGRAM NET (000)
1 Eagles/Redskins ESPN 2580
2 3-Premiere ESPN 1702
3 Laguna Beach MTV 1683
4 Real World XV MTV 1554
5 RW/RR Battle of Sexes II MTV 1434
6 Sportscenter ESPN 1399
7 South Park CMDY 1367
8 WWE Entertainment SPK 1235
9 Happy Bday Jess Love Nick MTV 1144
10 Pimp My Ride MTV 1038
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.

TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending December 12
Rank PRIME TIME TOTAL DAY
Net (000) Net (000)
1 ESPN 1544 NAN* 760
2 TNT 1296 TNT 743
3 TBSC 1087 TBSC 660
4 USA 863 ESPN 637
5 LIF 838 LIF 557
6 FAM 791 NICK 555
7 SPK 764 USA 455
8 CMDY 668 CMDY 370
9 MTV 607 SPK 362
10 FX 571 FAM 361
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.

TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending December 12
Rank PROGRAM NET (000)
1 Eagles/Redskins ESPN 5813
2 3-Premiere ESPN 4061
3 Sportscenter ESPN 2552
4 WWE Entertainment SPK 2353
5 WWE Entertainment SPK 2165
6 NFL Prime Time ESPN 2154
7 Real World XV MTV 1891
8 Lts:The Nanny Reunion LIF 1867
9 South Park CMDY 1863
10 Laguna Beach MTV 1862
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.

TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending December 12
PRIME TIME TOTAL DAY
Rank Net (000) Net (000)
1 ESPN 1562 TNT 731
2 TNT 1335 NAN* 666
3 LIF 987 LIF 591
4 USA 981 ESPN 585
5 TBSC 956 TBSC 561
6 FAM 864 USA 487
7 SPK 769 NICK 459
8 DISC 555 FAM 360
9 CMDY 546 SPK 356
10 SCIF 546 FX 315
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.

TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending December 12
Rank PROGRAM NET (000)
1 Eagles/Redskins ESPN 5759
2 3-Premiere ESPN 4340
3 Sportscenter ESPN 2300
4 WWE Entertainment SPK 2181
5 NFL Prime Time ESPN 2133
6 WWE Entertainment SPK 2095
7 Lts:The Nanny Reunion LIF 1916
8 Law & Order TNT 1909
9 C.S.I. SPK 1902
10 Lotr: Fellowship of the Ring TNT 1801
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.

Originally posted by fredfa

But that is purely personal and obviously YMMV. I certainly understand the passion many people have for the program, and I think TV would be poorer without it.

Well, that's the thing about The Wire, it's not TV in the general sense and in fact I think it is one of the things that defines and sets apart HBO from the rest(It's not TV, It's HBO!) And no, it's not pretty, but real life isn't pretty either and that's where this show really works for me. It's extremely thought provoking and I like that, and after all, it's only 1 hour a week and I still watch my Desperate Housewives.:p And I think HBO is a perfect forum to try and inform people about social change, again, it's what makes HBO different. Although most people on this forum are probably distanced from the subject matter, this stuff is happening in every major city in the US. HBO thinks outside of the box and canceling this show will lower them back down to being just another network.

I could go on and on but I wont, this ain't the place...if it is canceled, maybe Simon can continue it on DVD...

I love the Wire and I've been watching it since day. The problem that HBO has run into this year with the show is that it is going up against my new favorite show, Desperate Housewives. For the past two years I would watch The Wire during the summer, which is where it should be. Now I just Tivo The Wire and watch my DH. Before HBO jumps so quickly to cancel the show, they should realize what position they put the show in, i.e. timeslot. Production for this season didn't even begin until the spring/summer of this year. Being so quick to jump the gun b/c of one season of bad ratings does not make since at all. C'mon!

The Latest “24” News
Released by FOX Thursday, December 16, 2004
NEW SEASON OF "24" EXPANDS PREMIERE WITH SPECIAL TWO-DAY, FOUR-HOUR EVENT SUNDAY AND MONDAY, JANUARY 9 AND 10, ON FOX

thefutoncritic.com--FOX's award-winning series 24 will give viewers even more action as it kicks off its fourth season of clock-stopping suspense with an explosive two-day, four-hour season premiere Sunday and Monday, Jan. 9 and 10 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). 24's regular time period premiere will be Monday, Jan. 17 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

The intense series will then unfold on a weekly basis (Mondays at 9:00 PM) without repeats or preemptions all the way to the heart-stopping season finale.

In season three of 24, Jack (Kiefer Sutherland), who was in charge of a special field operations unit of the Counter Terrorist Unit, fought to stop a viral terrorism threat before it could kill millions of people.

Season four begins 18 months later with the episode "Day 4: 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM." CTU is now headed by Erin Driscoll (Alberta Watson, "La Femme Nikita"), a steely government agent who made firing Jack one of her first priorities upon taking over. After the explosion of a commuter train, Jack, who is now working for Secretary of Defense James Heller (William Devane, "Knots Landing") while secretly romantically involved with Heller's married daughter, Audrey (Kim Raver, "Third Watch"), suddenly finds himself heading back to CTU for a meeting with Driscoll on Heller's behalf.

Also featured will be Nestor Serrano ("The Day After Tomorrow") as Middle Eastern businessman Navi Araz, Oscar-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo ("The House of Sand and Fog") as his wife, Dina, and Jonathan Ahdout ("The House of Sand and Fog") as their son, Behrooz.

Aisha Tyler ("Friends," "Talk Soup") also has a recurring role on the series as Marianne Taylor, a systems analyst who gets added into the mix at CTU.

I like the change in talent this year for 24, can't wait..:)

Don't be surprised if some previous cast members return...

The only official ones besides Jack are Chloe and Senator/President Keeler (Palmer's competition last season), but expect others.

f44: Is it still possible to be surprised by anything at "24"? :0

Gays lead in HD viewership
Press Release Source: Harris Interactive
Gays Lead Non-Gays in Cell Phone Use, Cable TV and HDTV Viewership New Findings from Harris Interactive/Witeck-Combs Communications Survey Highlights Technology Use and Preferences of Gay and Non-Gay Consumers
Wednesday December 15, 2:39 pm ET

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent nationwide online survey, eight in 10 (79%) gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) adults have cellular phone service compared to a slightly lower percentage (72%) of heterosexual adults.

In addition, more than two-thirds (69%) of gay adults report subscribing to cable television services compared with less than two-thirds (61%) of their non-gay counterparts.

The data also reveal that gay consumers are twice as likely to have a television with high definition resolution (HDTV) in their homes than heterosexual consumers (16% vs. 8%), as well as are more likely than non-gays to obtain a high definition TV within the next six to 12 months (44% vs. 31%).

These newest findings corroborate the enthusiasm and affinity that gay and lesbian consumers have for electronic technology and their propensity to seek out the latest trends in consumer electronics and television.

The highlights are from a recent quarterly telecommunications study conducted online between September 8 and 14, 2004 by Harris Interactive®, in conjunction with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm with special expertise in the gay consumer market. A total of 828 non-gay and 243 self-identified gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) adults were surveyed.
Jake Stafford, senior marketing strategist at Witeck-Combs Communications, said: "The research also suggests that as gays continue to embrace emerging technologies such as HDTV, there is room for innovations that would continue to spur the buying preferences of trend-setting gay customers."

More here:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/041215/nyw139_1.html

Originally posted by fredfa
Gays lead in HD viewership
Press Release Source: Harris Interactive
Gays Lead Non-Gays in Cell Phone Use, Cable TV and HDTV Viewership New Findings from Harris Interactive/Witeck-Combs Communications Survey Highlights Technology Use and Preferences of Gay and Non-Gay Consumers
Wednesday December 15, 2:39 pm ET

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent nationwide online survey, eight in 10 (79%) gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) adults have cellular phone service compared to a slightly lower percentage (72%) of heterosexual adults.

In addition, more than two-thirds (69%) of gay adults report subscribing to cable television services compared with less than two-thirds (61%) of their non-gay counterparts.

The data also reveal that gay consumers are twice as likely to have a television with high definition resolution (HDTV) in their homes than heterosexual consumers (16% vs. 8%), as well as are more likely than non-gays to obtain a high definition TV within the next six to 12 months (44% vs. 31%).

These newest findings corroborate the enthusiasm and affinity that gay and lesbian consumers have for electronic technology and their propensity to seek out the latest trends in consumer electronics and television.

The highlights are from a recent quarterly telecommunications study conducted online between September 8 and 14, 2004 by Harris Interactive®, in conjunction with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm with special expertise in the gay consumer market. A total of 828 non-gay and 243 self-identified gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) adults were surveyed.
Jake Stafford, senior marketing strategist at Witeck-Combs Communications, said: "The research also suggests that as gays continue to embrace emerging technologies such as HDTV, there is room for innovations that would continue to spur the buying preferences of trend-setting gay customers."

More here:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/041215/nyw139_1.html

Whaaaaaaa.......

Originally posted by fredfa
Gays lead in HD viewership
Press Release Source: Harris Interactive
Gays Lead Non-Gays in Cell Phone Use, Cable TV and HDTV Viewership New Findings from Harris Interactive/Witeck-Combs Communications Survey Highlights Technology Use and Preferences of Gay and Non-Gay Consumers
Wednesday December 15, 2:39 pm ET



ALRIGHTYTHEN!!!

Antonio:
relax!
I like to post all kinds of items about TV here.
Especially ones that will evoke a response.
Think some of the dudes over at one of the testosterone-heavy NFL ST threads would enjoy seeing it?
;)

Originally posted by fredfa
Gays lead in HD viewership
Press Release Source: Harris Interactive
Gays Lead Non-Gays in Cell Phone Use, Cable TV and HDTV Viewership New Findings from Harris Interactive/Witeck-Combs Communications Survey Highlights Technology Use and Preferences of Gay and Non-Gay Consumers
Wednesday December 15, 2:39 pm ET

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent nationwide online survey, eight in 10 (79%) gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) adults have cellular phone service compared to a slightly lower percentage (72%) of heterosexual adults.

In addition, more than two-thirds (69%) of gay adults report subscribing to cable television services compared with less than two-thirds (61%) of their non-gay counterparts.

The data also reveal that gay consumers are twice as likely to have a television with high definition resolution (HDTV) in their homes than heterosexual consumers (16% vs. 8%), as well as are more likely than non-gays to obtain a high definition TV within the next six to 12 months (44% vs. 31%).

These newest findings corroborate the enthusiasm and affinity that gay and lesbian consumers have for electronic technology and their propensity to seek out the latest trends in consumer electronics and television.

The highlights are from a recent quarterly telecommunications study conducted online between September 8 and 14, 2004 by Harris Interactive®, in conjunction with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm with special expertise in the gay consumer market. A total of 828 non-gay and 243 self-identified gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) adults were surveyed.
Jake Stafford, senior marketing strategist at Witeck-Combs Communications, said: "The research also suggests that as gays continue to embrace emerging technologies such as HDTV, there is room for innovations that would continue to spur the buying preferences of trend-setting gay customers."

More here:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/041215/nyw139_1.html

That's what we get for being DINKs (Double Income No Kids). We can afford more expensive toys because most of us don't have to worry about feeding kids and putting them through school.

Originally posted by fredfa
[B] Gays lead in HD viewership
Press Release Source: Harris Interactive
Gays Lead Non-Gays in Cell Phone Use, Cable TV and HDTV Viewership New Findings from Harris Interactive/Witeck-Combs Communications Survey Highlights Technology Use and Preferences of Gay and Non-Gay Consumers
Daayyyummm...I think I am gay! The wife is gonna be pissed!

Originally posted by fredfa
Antonio:
relax!
I like to post all kinds of items about TV here.
Especially ones that will evoke a response.
Think some of the dudes over at one of the testosterone-heavy NFL ST threads would enjoy seeing it?
;)

Yeh, they would love it! :D LMAO

Originally posted by tall1
Daayyyummm...I think I am gay! The wife is gonna be pissed!

When I saw Fred's post I asked myself, "How many of us hd adopters now have to come out of the closet since that online survey outted us"? :D

If you read through the threads here and on the TiVo community you can see we're here in large numbers.

The more the merrier, PJO1966 -- we are all connected by our interest in HD.

I guess that is not Gay as in Happy right? ;)

Originally posted by slocko
I guess that is not Gay as in Happy right? ;)

Can't we be both? :D

CBS Moves NUMB3RS Premiere


By Jim Finkle Broadcasting & Cable 12/16/04
CBS has enlisted two of the National Football League's top teams to promote its new crime drama, NUMB3RS.

There's already significant buzz around that show, which is produced by filmmakers Ridley and Tony Scott. The cast includes TV veterans Rob Morrow, Judd Hirsch and Peter MacNicol.

CBS said it has decided to move the debut of the series to Sunday, Jan. 23. (The pilot was previously slated to run Jan. 21.)

The 60-minute drama will air in all time zones immediately after the conclusion of the AFC Championship playoff game. That's a far stronger lead-in than it would get in its regular slot at 10 p.m. on Friday, a day that typically has the second-smallest total television audience of the week, after Saturday.
NUMB3RS is the story of two crime-solving siblings: An FBI agent, played by Morrow, and his younger brother, a mathematic genius played by David Krumholtz.

Plots are based on actual cases that the FBI solved with help from mathematicians.

Once it is in its regular home on Friday nights, NUMB3RS will normally be preceded by Joan of Arcadia at 8 and JAG at 9. But CBS has provided some backup for its Friday-night time-period debut on Jan. 28. On that night, the CBS ratings champ CSI will air before NUMB3RS.

Ridley and Tony Scott, the show's executive producers are real-life brothers who have produced and directed dozens of films. Ridley's work includes Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, G.I. Jane, Black Hawk Down and Gladiator. Tony's films include Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II and Spy Game.

PEACOCK DOWNSIZES

tvguide.com-- In an effort to trim costs, NBC will produce fewer episodes of Medical Investigation and Crossing Jordan this season, TV Guide Online has learned. The network has trimmed both show's episode orders from 22 to 20. An NBC spokesperson wouldn't confirm these details, but said "the number of episodes ordered for any series can change throughout the year based on scheduling needs."

ABC Affiliates Pony Up for MNF

By Allison Romano Broadcasting & Cable 12/16/2004
The majority of ABC affiliates have approved a new four-year agreement with the network that calls for stations to ante up more for ABC’s Monday Night Football package. The Network Affiliate Plan, the third such deal between ABC and its affiliates, is an addendum to stations’ individual affiliation agreements.

ABC wanted more help paying for the hefty $500 million-per-year contract, which expires after the 2005-2006 season, while stations, understandably, were balking at upping their contribution.

The new deal, called NAP3, appears to be a compromise: ABC is getting a financial contribution from stations and assurances on clearances.

Stations will get additional advertising and promotional inventory in prime time. The deal renewed a previous agreement on repurposing that allows ABC to continue repurposing its prime time programs off-network, but only after certain numbers of hours and days. "It allows us to feel secure we have live, exclusivity for our product," says Deb McDermott, chairman of the ABC Television Affiliates Association and president of Young Broadcasting.

The affiliate group’s Board of Governors approved the pact in October and member stations have recently given it the OK. The plan is retroactive to Aug. 2004 and runs through July 2008.

"This new agreement provides a contractual framework to further strengthen our core businesses and build a generation of mutually beneficial opportunities," Anne Sweeney, president of Disney-ABC’s Television Group, said in a statement.

It will run through 2008 only if ABC re-ups with the NFL. Says McDermott, "If they do a renewal on MNF, they know that we are in there with them." The network has not yet struck a deal for its NFL rights past the 2006 Super Bowl, which it is airing, and the NFL is seeking a healthy increase, repoportedly to as much as $700 million a year.

A Season-to-date Ratings Analysis Of The Big Six
BY MARC BERMAN mediaweek.com

Taken as a whole, the six broadcast networks through Dec. 5 continue to suffer audience erosion. They're down by an average of 3 percent in households, 1.19 million viewers and 1 percent among adults 18-49. Despite the minor losses, two networks—CBS and ABC—have plenty of boast about. Riding high after its first November sweeps victory among adults 18-49 in 24 years, CBS ranks No. 1 in most key categories, while ABC is making a comeback. Elsewhere, NBC and Fox each have serious problems to contend with, while UPN and the WB are close to year-ago levels in households, viewers and two of the three surveyed adult demos despite losing a noticeable chunk of male viewers.

Season-to-date, although CBS' lead over No. 2 NBC is a hefty 28 percent in households, 3.09 million viewers and 13 percent in adults 25-54, only three-tenths of a rating point separates the Big Three networks among adults 18-49. Adults 18-34 are equally as competitive, with only three-tenths of a rating point separating the Big Four—the closest race ever in that demo. Perhaps most surprising is CBS' contention in that race, considering that not too long ago it was known as the TV home to geriatrics.

It's no big stretch to predict that CBS will win the season in households and total viewers—its fourth consecutive yearly victory. What remains to be seen is whether or not a declining NBC can even maintain the No. 2 spot in either category. At press time, ABC, the home of Desperate Housewives, Lost and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, trails NBC by only 1 percent in households and 10,000 viewers (the two are tied among adults 18-49). Last year at the time, NBC's advantage over ABC was 16 percent in households, 1.22 million viewers and 16 percent among adults 18-49. ABC's newfound creative spark makes NBC look as if it has rested on its laurels too long.

Fox, meanwhile, seems to be repeating its performance last year. Without American Idol in fourth quarter, ratings have dropped despite above-average baseball ratings. There's more pressure than ever for season four of the musical competition to remain a blockbuster. Despite an aggressive new season programming launch that kicked off in June, not a single freshman series on Fox has generated much interest.

UPN and the WB are close to year-ago levels, and UPN remains in the No. 6 spot in all demographics except men 18-49 and men 25-54. There's good and bad in UPN's performance so far. Dramas Kevin Hill and Veronica Mars have brought more women to UPN, but the net's male audience is now losing interest. And after a season of considerable audience erosion last year, the WB's lack of momentum is particularly disappointing.

As the networks begin to roll out new programs in midseason, and Fox anxiously awaits the return of American Idol, the following ratings analysis will tell you what networks, and which shows, have—and don't have—momentum this season. We break down each network's performance in households, total viewers and nine demographic categories (adults, women and men 18-49, 25-54 and 18-34), and list the percent change from the comparable year-ago period in parentheses. We also list the top 20 shows in total viewers and adults 18-49, with change versus 2003 for all established series also in parentheses (except for freshmen shows). All ratings used are Nielsen Media Research data covering Sept. 20–Dec. 5, 2004 versus Sept. 22–Dec. 7, 2003.

The WB Gives 'Summerland' Return Date

By Brian Ford Sullivan

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) – The WB will be getting some sun early as the Frog confirmed today "Summerland" will return for its second season on Monday, February 28.

"Summerland" will replace "Everwood" in the network's Monday, 9 PM ET slot for seven weeks with the latter returning on April 18 to finish out its third season.

It's not clear however where "Summerland" will wind up once "Everwood" rejoins the schedule. The news means that "Everwood" will air without repeats for the rest of its season once new episodes begin on January 17.

Originally posted by fredfa
[B] A deep chill in November for ESPN
Viewership numbers off sharply from a year ago
By Brian Tallerico medialifemagazine.com
...

In any case, ESPN’s November primetime rating among adults 18-49 was down 13 percent year to year, to a 1.3 from a 1.5 the previous November.

But during that same period, Comedy Central’s 18-49 rating was up 20 percent over the prior November, rising to a 0.6 from a 0.5 while average viewers grew from 473,000 to 568,000.

....


Do ratings still not include the HD numbers (i.e. from ESPN-HD)? Could there be a .2 rating for people watching the HD broadcast vs the SD broadcast?

TiVo Counters Comcast With DVR Giveaway
By ELLEN SHENG Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

NEW YORK -- In a pointed response to encroaching competition from cable operators, TiVo Inc. (TIVO) said it is giving away DVR units to Comcast Corp. (CMCSA, CMCSK) customers in the San Francisco area Friday.

The giveaway comes as TiVo faces intensifying competition from cable companies and satellite TV provider EchoStar Communications Corp. (DISH), all of whom have rolled out varying versions of digital video recorders.

Comcast, the country's largest cable company, started rolling out DVRs this year and expects to make the units available to all its markets by the end of the year. It started offering DVRs to its 1.6 million customers in the San Francisco area earlier this month, but the rollout has been marred by reported equipment shortages and inconsistent messages about availability.

TiVo's giveaway on Friday aims to take advantage of what some have seen as a botched rollout. Earlier this week, the company placed ads in local newspapers urging "disappointed" customers to get a free TiVo DVR. "While Comcast has let down its customers with promises unfulfilled, we can bring joy now," TiVo said on its Web site.

"San Francisco is one of our better markets so it's important to maximize results," said Brodie Keast, an executive vice president and general manager at TiVo.

A Comcast representative explained that the units are being rolled out in phases and are currently available in the Bay Area's largest metropolitan areas - San Francisco and San Jose. The company also said there is "ample inventory."

This is the first time TiVo has led a campaign pointed so directly at a competitor. Though one of the first to come out with the technology, the company is now seen as facing a difficult future without more strategic partners.

TiVo has garnered one key partnership with satellite TV company DirecTV Group (DTV) but TiVo's position as the company's primary DVR supplier has appeared tenuous since News Corp. (NWS) took control at DirecTV. The company's chief executive, Chase Carey, recently said that DirecTV is looking at alternative providers and that future initiatives would not be geared to TiVo.

To prepare for its future, TiVo has tried to step up awareness of its standalone products with increased advertising and price cuts on units.

TiVo's Keast sees more opportunity for similar giveaways in the future. Since TiVo is smaller than Comcast and other major cable operators "we've got to be scrappy and creative with how we compete and raise our visibility," Keast explained. TiVo's product is "more valuable...once somebody has TiVo in their household, they can never go back to a generic DVR," he added.

TiVo declined to specify how many it will give away Friday but said it will be a limited number. In order to get a free unit, Comcast customers will need to appear at the company's Alviso, Calif., headquarters between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. with their cable bill, photo ID and a toy or clothing item for a charity group.

Originally posted by fredfa
The 60-minute drama will air in all time zones immediately after the conclusion of the AFC Championship playoff game.


How am I supposed to put THAT in my TiVo? :(

Mojo

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Friday, Dec. 17, 2004, at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Thursday Ratings:
NBC No. 1; CBS a Competitive Second

Metered Market Ratings
Household Rating/Share
NBC: 13.2/20
CBS: 12.2/18
ABC: 4.3/ 6
UPN: 4.0/ 6
Fox: 3.8/ 6
WB: 2.3/ 3

Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Thursday Dec. 18, 2003):
NBC: +53
Fox: + 3
UPN: - 5
CBS: - 9
ABC: -19
WB: -23

Fast Affiliate Ratings
Total Viewers:
NBC: 16.99 million
CBS: 16.38
ABC: 6.03
UPN: 5.04
Fox: 5.03
WB: 2.20

Adults 18-49:
NBC: 7.8/21
CBS: 5.1/14
Fox: 2.2/ 6
ABC: 1.9/ 5
UPN: 1.7/ 5
WB: 0.8/ 2

Yesterday's Winners:
The Apprentice 2 (NBC)
CSI R (CBS)
Without A Trace R (CBS)

Yesterday's Losers:
Movie: Crossroads (WB)
life as we know it (ABC)
North Shore (Fox)
Primetime Thursday (ABC)

Ratings Breakdown:
Although the bloated three-hour season finale of NBC's The Apprentice 2 took top-rated honors for the evening, compared to the two-hour first-season finale on April 15, 2004 the audience erosion was steep. Take a look (and note that total viewers and adults 18-49 for last night are based on the fast affiliate ratings vs. the final nationals in both categories on April 15, 2004):

The Apprentice 2 (season finale) - Thursday 12/16/04, 8-11 p.m.
-Overnights: 13.2/20, Total Viewers: 16.38 million, A18-49: 7.8/21

The Apprentice (season finale) - Thursday 4/15/04, 9-11 p.m.
-Overnights: 19.3/28, Total Viewers: 28.05 million, A18-49: 13.6/34

Percent Change (12/16/04 vs. 4/15/04):
-Overnights: -32, Viewers: -42, A18-49: -43

More specifically, 11.67 million fewer viewers tuned in for last night's Apprentice season finale. If the continued losses remain this severe, by next season the Donald may be hearing those famous two words from NBC: You're fired! As for Regis Philbin co-hosting that clunky reunion segment (just what did happen to Jen. C?), please Reege...take a break already!

Elsewhere, two repeat episodes of CBS' CSI (8 p.m. #2: 10.1/15; A18-49: #2, 3.9/12 / 9 p.m. #2: 14.3/21; A18-49: #2, #2, 6.5/17) and a repeat of Without A Trace (#2: 12.2/19; A18-49: #2, 5.0/13 at 10 p.m.) held up, trailing NBC overall by 8 percent in households, 610,000 viewers and 35 percent among adults 18-49.

Although ABC got off to a better start courtesy of repeat holiday special, A Charlie Brown Christmas (#3: 5.5/ 8; A18-49: #3, 2.7/ 8), lead-out life as we know it sunk to a typically lackluster 2.8/ 4 in the overnights (#4t), 3.69 million viewers (#5) and a 1.3/ 4 among adults 18-49 (#5). Slightly better, but still worthy of landing on the loser's list, was Primetime Thursday with a third-place 4.4/ 7 in the overnights, 5.66 million viewers and a 1.7/ 4 among adults 18-49 at 10 p.m.

At the risk of alienating more fans of Fox's North Shore (who have contacted me relentlessly about trying to save the Shannen Doherty sudser), hope remains slim given the continued erosion from lead-in The O.C. Take a look:

Fox/Thursday
8:00 p.m. The O.C.
-Overnights: 4.9/ 8 (#4), Total Viewers: 6.26 million (#4), A18-49: 2.7/ 8 (#4)

9:00 p.m. North Shore
-Overnights: 2.8/ 4 (#4t), Total Viewers: 3.80 million (#4), A18-49: 1.6/ 4 (#4)

Percent Change:
Overnights: -43, Total Viewers: -39, A18-49: -41

On UPN, WWE Smackdown! (#4: 4.0/ 6; A18-49: #5, 1.7/ 5) remained consistent, beating theatrical Crossroads on the WB (#6: 2.3/ 3; A18-49: #6, 0.8/ 2) by an average of 74 percent in the overnights and 112 percent among adults 18-49.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Ratings Box: What’s Hot/What’s Not

Good Morning America Continues to Narrow the Gap:
Based on ratings for the week of Dec. 6, ABC's Good Morning America (5.40 million) trailed NBC's competing The Today Show (5.97 million) by only 570,000 viewers. Last year at this time the gap was 1.35 million viewers. Among key adults 25-54, the difference between the two shows (Today: 2.94 million; GMA: 2.54 million) was only 400,000 viewers compared to 950,000 last year at this time.

On the Air This Weekend: Primetime Programming Options

Friday 12/17/04

ABC:
8 Simple Rules, Complete Savages, Hope & Faith, Less Than Perfect, 20/20

CBS:
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (R), JAG, 48 Hours

NBC:
Movie: Secret Santa (R), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (R)

Fox:
The Simpsons (R), Popeye's Voyage, Jingle Ball Rock 2004

UPN:
Star Trek: Enterprise (R), America's Next Top Model (R)

WB:
What I Like About You (R), Grounded for Life (R), Reba (R), Blue Collar TV (R)

Saturday 12/18/04

ABC:
The Wonderful World of Disney: Remember the Titans

CBS:
Story of Santa Claus (R), Cold Case (R), 48 Hours (R)

NBC:
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (R), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (R)

Fox:
NFL Football (overrun), Cops, America's Most Wanted

Sunday 12/19/04

ABC:
America's Funniest Home Videos, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal

CBS:
60 Minutes, Cold Case, Movie: Fallen Angel (R)

NBC:
Dateline (two hours), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (R), Crossing Jordan (R)

Fox:
King of the Hill, Malcolm in the Middle, The Simpsons (R), Arrested Development, My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss

WB:
Steve Harvey's Big Time (R), Movie: The Wizard of Oz (R)

Of Note on Cable:
-The True Hollywood Story: Survivor (E!, 9 p.m. ET)

Norville Signs Off MSNBC
By Allison Romano Broadcasting & Cable 12/17/2004

Deborah Norville, who does double duty hosting an MSNBC show and syndicated magazine Inside Edition, is ending her cable news show in mid-January. She will continue to host Inside Edition.

Her Deborah Norville Tonight, which airs weeknights at 9 p.m., runs a distant third against its cable news competitors Larry King Live on CNN and Fox News’ Hannity & Colmes. She routinely attracts less than 300,000 viewers, compared to King’s 1 million-plus viewers and Hannity & Colmes’ regularly pulling in more than 2 million viewers.

In a note to staffers, Norville said juggling two shows and her family proved too much. ‘Time constraints prevented me from being able to book guests and research segments to my own high standards,” she said. “And, unless someone invents a time-stretching machine, that likely won't change.”

MSNBC President Rick Kaplan is searching for a replacement show. This is his first opportunity to develop a new prime time show since he took over the third-place cable news channel last February.

Comcast HD challenge
Cable firm's high-definition TV recorders target satellite rivals
By Clint Swett – Sacramento Bee Staff Writer

Comcast has a added a weapon for fighting the cable wars: a high-definition digital video recorder.

The dominant cable carrier in the market is quietly making the recording devices - based on the same technology as the famous TiVo recorders - available to about 350,000 Sacramento-area customers.

DVRs record television shows on a computer-style hard disk rather than on tapes like a video cassette recorder. They allow users to record two shows at once, watch a partially recorded program as the ending is taped, and pause and rewind live TV.

The rental of standard DVRs would put Comcast on equal footing with satellite providers Dish Network and DirecTV, which have had DVRs for at least four years. SureWest Broadband expects to offer them sometime in 2005.

But Comcast is upping the ante. Its DVRs also include a converter for receiving high-definition broadcasts and the ability to record high-definition programming - at a much lower price than is available from the satellite carriers.

Comcast charges $9.95 a month for the DVR and high-definition programming, on top of the roughly $55 a month customers pay for the lowest tier of digital cable service.

Satellite programming fees vary, but DirecTV is charging $1,000 - and Dish, $549 - to buy a high-definition DVR.

With high-definition TVs expected to hit sales records this year, analysts say such offerings could help cable companies like Comcast regain some of the ground they have lost to satellite, which now has about 23 million of the 108 million television households in the United States. That compares with about 10 million in 1999.

"Comcast and other cable companies generally provide a better high-definition offering than satellite, and their high-definition DVR is more affordable," said Phillip Swann, an industry analyst and president of TV Predictions.com. "Put it all together and cable has a better offering."

Comcast spokeswoman Susan Gonzales said the company's high-definition business is increasing by 5 percent to 7 percent a month as more of its customers buy the sophisticated TVs.

She expects it to grow even more when the system begins broadcasting most Kings home games in high-definition beginning Sunday, something that won't be available from satellite.

One convert to DVRs is Stan Atkinson, the longtime Channel 3 news anchor who retired in 1999.

"I have friends who have TiVo, and they can't stop talking about it," said Atkinson, who got his Comcast DVR installed last week.

After seeing the TiVo in action, he called friends at Comcast to put him on the waiting list for the new DVRs.

"I'm really enjoying it," he said of the DVR, adding that he was particularly pleased with not having to juggle videotapes, and with the ability to schedule a recording with one push of the remote-control button.

But Teresa Hahn, a DirecTV subscriber and TiVo user in Sacramento, said she wouldn't be tempted to switch to Comcast, even if she bought a high-definition television.

"I really love satellite; I love their customer service," she said. "If I can afford my own high-definition TV, then I can afford the ($1,000) box."

Satellite companies hope to build on that kind of customer loyalty with offerings of their own.

Though Dish Network's high-definition DVR costs $549, it is offering a free basic DVR to customers who pay a $4.99 monthly fee.

The company also offers a free high-definition receiver (but not DVR) to its subscribers. "We find that when cable companies upgrade their service, it increases the number of people who start (comparison) shopping," said company spokesman Marc Lumpkin.

DirecTV spokesman Bob Marsocci said he didn't think Comcast's offering put his company at a disadvantage. He said the company's $1,000 high-definition DVRs were "flying off the shelves."

The company that might be most hurt by the moves of Comcast and other cable companies is TiVo Inc., the Silicon Valley company that pioneered DVRs and whose name has become synonymous with digital video recording.

Founded in 1997, TiVo was never able to catch the public imagination. The company has lost more than $550 million since it went public in 1998, including a loss of $26.4 million in the most recent quarter.

Vamsi Sistla, an analyst with ABI Research in New York, said customers were also put off by the $12.95 monthly fee TiVo charges to use its service.

But since consumers are already used to paying monthly cable bills, adding a DVR fee to the charge won't faze them, he said.

Swann, the television analyst, thinks cable's participation could kick off a surge of DVR usage.

"There are 4 million to 5 million DVRs out there right now," he said. "But 2005 will be a year of serious growth."

San Francisco TV Notes
Turn on the TV and cry your little heart out
By Tim Goodman San Francisco Chronicle Friday, December 17, 2004

Everything we know we learned from television:

-- We've got the theme song from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" impossibly wedged in our head. It's OK to cry when watching that, right?

-- One of the assumptions we hold most closely is that you can't be shocked. It gives comfort knowing that you're just as jaded as we are. So if you're told, as you're about to be, that Fox has a new reality series coming out called "Who's Your Daddy?," you won't flinch, right? The series centers on a woman given up for adoption at birth. She's presented with eight men pretending to be her father -- one of them really is. If she guesses right, she gets $100,000. If she guesses wrong, the "fake dad" gets the money.

Excuse us while we go fall down. And weep.

-- Crying? There's no crying in television!

-- It is a rare thing indeed when we actually watch television for pleasure. Not a whole lot of can't-miss stuff on our TiVo. But there are two series we almost never miss, and you've probably never seen. The first, "Dwell, " is the TV version of the San Francisco-based modernist magazine. The other is "Simply Wine with Andrea Immer." Both appear on the Fine Living cable channel, which was only available on satellite until two days ago when Comcast launched it on cable.

Two things of note: Most of our time on the clock is spent beating the stuffing out of bad shows or bad networks or bad ideas from bad people. It gets to the point where, bloody knuckles and all, it just doesn't seem natural to like something. But Fine Living is one of the best launched niche channels in the game. Their series are well executed, the look and vision is solid. A rarity for fledgling channels.

Secondly, the channel should do well in this market. And if you love wine and architecture, you've got two great shows to TiVo immediately.

-- Ah, TiVo. The company has devoted followers and instant brand-name recognition, but is failing terribly at PR. The latest gaffe is getting huffy with people who use TiVo as a verb. Kind of like we do all the time. The crackdown means TiVo doesn't want you to say, "I TiVo'd that," etc. Yeah, God forbid you sell more units and become ubiquitous. That's terrible for business. Better to be snotty, apparently. To which we say: If we ever get a cease and desist letter for misusing TiVo in a sentence, we'll take all three -- count 'em, three -- of our TiVos and toss them in the street.

-- Speaking of misusing words, thank you grammarians for all the e-mails about how we clanked one by writing "disinterested" instead of "uninterested." Funny thing about grammar watchdogs. Despite being noble enforcers of proper English, every time they correct us it just sounds like an annoying lecture.

-- Letter back to TiVo: "Who's your daddy?"

-- In fairness to the relentless beating we've been giving FCC Chairman Michael Powell, the man did finally say that "Saving Private Ryan" shouldn't be labeled indecent. Of course, that didn't help the 66 ABC stations that didn't run the war movie on Veteran's Day.

-- Swearing? There's no swearing in war!

-- Sunday is the season finale of HBO's "The Wire," and you don't have to be a regular reader to know how crazy-insane in love we are with that show. Creator David Simon told writers on Tuesday that he will pitch a fourth season to HBO in January, then it's up to the channel to decide to continue or not. There's your update.

-- Something we'd like never to hear again: Reality show contestants complaining about how they were edited. Listen, you silly pawn, take your 15 minutes and choke on it.

-- We couldn't be happier that Martha Stewart's comeback is being laid out now, like a glorious reincarnation or some kind of Lazuras-like return to glory. We have never, not once, turned on Martha. She can bake us chocolate chip cookies for all eternity. After she does the time, she only comes back stronger. And hotter. Elder-hot. It's the new, new thing.

-- Now that Scott Peterson is going to rot and burn up taxpayer dollars, can we move on now? The family of Laci Peterson needs to be free of Larry King and Court TV more than it really knows.

-- At a Fine Living hootenanny at the Fifth Floor restaurant recently, we met wine goddess Andrea Immer again (first occasion was sometime after midnight at a post-party party in Los Angeles where she matched some champagne to our Krispy Kreme doughnuts, which is the kind of thing that leaves an impression). She's moving from New York to the Wine Country, which seems, well, kind of perfect. Also there (funny, now we sound like Leah Garchik) was lovely Lara Hedberg Deam, founder of Dwell, who got to hear us ramble on about her magazine and other architectural nonsense. We're sure that never gets boring for her. On the other hand, we did find out that her husband, architect Christopher Deam, has custom designed a line of Airstream trailers. And if you were wondering what we wanted for Christmas, well, Google that and have it delivered any time.

-- Who are the people watching "Listen Up," and can we do a Nexis search for their address, just to quarantine them from the rest of the cultured world?

"You in there. Do not procreate!"

-- It's a long way down: Last year, "The Apprentice" was can't-miss fare. This season? Gave up on it. Early. Now, admittedly, part of that stems from the fact we wanted to teach our neighbors, Eric and Lynn, a tough-love lesson. You may remember Eric and Lynn from the last time we outed them for not having a television. In the 21st century. Living across the street from a TV critic. Yes, them.

To which we say: "Unacceptable!" Anyway, they are fabulous people. But they refuse to admit that: A) Not owning a television is completely and utterly junior varsity; B) Wanting to come to our house to watch "The Apprentice" only makes a certain someone feel like a crack dealer; and C) See "A" and add, "Even if you both did graduate from MIT."

-- Hmmm. Maybe we'll get them a little something for Christmas.

-- The High Fives:
1. Getting lots of DVDs of TV shows we've already watched.

2. Getting the Christopher Deam pimped-out Airstream -- and crying.

3. Watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas" with Martha Stewart, who has just made fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.

4. Christmas Eve, cramped apartment, unusable fireplace, friends and family elsewhere, watching "The Yule Log," or "The Holiday Log," or whatever the hell it is -- and not crying.

5. And you thought we'd forget -- watching "It's A Wonderful Life" with wife Jane, daughter Zoe (named so we could call her Zuzu) and young Finn. Sappy? There's no sap in the column!

'Survivor' Host, 'Vanuatu' Contestant Form Own Tribe

(zap2it.com)--Julie Berry didn't win anything for her efforts on "Survivor: Vanuatu." Except, apparently, the show's host.

Jeff Probst says he and Berry, who finished fifth on the show's just-completed season, are dating. Probst emailed Berry, who turned 24 this week, after "Vanuatu" finished filming just to keep in touch. The relationship has grown from there, though.

"Nobody is more surprised than me that I could find my love affair on a show that I host," Probst, 43, tells People magazine. "But the truth is when something like this gets dropped in your lap, you don't look at how it's wrapped, you don't look at how it's being delivered. ... [T]his is my love affair and there's no question in my mind about it."

Gossip has linked Probst to other female "Survivor" contestants in the past, but Berry is the first person from the show he's actually dated. Some fans thought they saw a spark between the two when she crafted a temporary tattoo of a heart with "Jeff" across it during the show.

"The funny thing was there was this perception we were flirting on the show, and that was actually just fun stuff on the show," Probst says. "I didn't really talk to Julie until long after the show was over."

Rarely one to mince words, Probst tells the magazine that he's "in love. I'm with her. I'm with her family, and there ain't no turning back."

Berry, who hails from Maine, is planning a move to California to pursue a master's degree in family counseling. Probst lives in Los Angeles when he's not on location for "Survivor."

Fox moves up “Point Pleasant” Premiere
thefutoncritic.com-- Friday, December 17, 2004 Released by FOX
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES … TO FOX THURSDAYS WITH THE SERIES PREMIERE OF "POINT PLEASANT"
NEW SUPERNATURAL DRAMA TO DEBUT OVER TWO CONSECUTIVE NIGHTS: PART 1 FOLLOWS "AMERICAN IDOL" ON WEDNESDAY, JAN. 19; PART 2 MARKS TIME PERIOD PREMIERE ON THURSDAY, JAN. 20
All hell is about to break loose in a sleepy New Jersey town when a sudden violent storm washes in more than the tide in the new supernatural drama series POINT PLEASANT, premiering in two parts on Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 19 and 20, on FOX. Part 1 will air on Wednesday, Jan. 19 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), following a special one-hour episode of AMERICAN IDOL. POINT PLEASANT will then air regularly on Thursday nights, starting with Part 2 of the series premiere on Thursday, Jan. 20 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).
The peaceful existence of a small seaside community will change forever when Christina Nickson (Elisabeth Harnois) is rescued from the ocean by local lifeguard Jesse Parker (Sam Page) and brought to the home of local doctor Ben Kramer (Richard Burgi). The Kramers, including Ben's wife Meg (Susan Walters) and daughter Judy (Aubrey Dollar), take an instant liking to Christina and invite her to stay with them as she searches for clues to her past and attempts to find her mother – a Point Pleasant native whom Christina never knew.
Christina is unaware of the profound effect she has on the town's inhabitants; her presence awakens repressed feelings, unlocks secret desires and heightens emotions. Tensions flare between Jesse, who finds himself inexplicably drawn to Christina, and his best friend Terry (Brent Weber), who secretly lusts after Jesse's possessive girlfriend Paula (Cameron Richardson). Paula's hot-to-trot mother Amber (Dina Meyer) attempts to rekindle her relationship with the good Dr. Kramer. And long-buried secrets kept by Jesse's parents, police captain Logan (Alex Carter) and God-fearing Sarah (Clare Carey), begin to surface, especially when the mysterious and charismatic Thomas Boyd (Grant Show) arrives and insinuates himself into Christina's new life.
As Christina delves deeper into the history of Point Pleasant, seeking answers to her mother's disappearance, she will come to realize that she has never known her "real" father, either – for Christina is the offspring of a mortal woman and the Devil. While Christina struggles to control the demon inside her – and the powers that come with it – the fight for her soul has begun, as the town of POINT PLEASANT becomes the ultimate battleground of good versus evil.

Originally posted by fredfa
TiVo Counters Comcast With DVR Giveaway
By ELLEN SHENG Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

NEW YORK -- In a pointed response to encroaching competition from cable operators, TiVo Inc. (TIVO) said it is giving away DVR units to Comcast Corp. (CMCSA, CMCSK) customers in the San Francisco area Friday.



This has been on high focus in the Comcast SF Bay Area thread and it has been some interesting reading. Comcast did indeed fumble the ball badly on this one. We even have quotes in two different newspapers by Andrew Johnson, the Comcast head for the area, saying supply of DVRS was not an issue, then in the other paper he says exactly the opposite. This story has made national news apparently and Comcast definitely has some egg on their face. :)

Sorry, but some trashy stories are just too much fun.
(And I figure most of you don't monitor the Portland ME Press Herald.)

Vanuatu's treasure: It may be love
By RAY ROUTHIER, Portland, ME Press Herald Friday, December 17, 2004

Some people would gladly trade $1 million for a chance at true love. Maybe Julie Berry is one of them.

Berry, of Gorham, fell short of winning the $1 million grand prize on the CBS program "Survivor" last week, but she apparently did win herself a new boyfriend - Jeff Probst, the show's host.

Probst told People magazine that he and Berry are a couple.

"Nobody is more surprised than me," Probst, 43, was quoted as saying on the magazine's Web site. Probst, the familiar face of the hit reality show, said that he and Berry started dating after he e-mailed her to say hello once the show was over.

Filming ended last August, and the show aired on CBS weekly from Sept. 16 through Dec. 12.

Probst also said he's already met Berry's family. Her parents, Les and Judy Berry, live in Gorham, ME.

Berry, a 24-year-old youth mentor, has not exactly been spreading the news, though.

Last Friday, the day after Berry's final appearance on "Survivor" aired, she was asked if there was any truth to the rumors that she had spent a romantic weekend in Portland's Old Port in October with Probst.

"There's no truth to that rumor," Berry said in a phone interview with the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram.


Berry was one of the last five contestants - out of 18 - on "Survivor: Vanuatu" before being voted off by her rivals during a show that aired Dec. 9.

During an earlier episode of the show, Berry was shown with a heart-shaped tatoo painted on her chest with the name "Jeff" inside the heart. During her phone interview last week, Berry discounted the tatoo as "harmless fun."

Berry survived longer than most of the contestants by playing the game shrewdly, not making enemies and convincing just about everyone she was on their side. She also raised her profile, and perhaps her chances of staying on the island, during some episodes that showed her sunbathing semi-nude and cozying up to at least one male contestant by a campfire.

Berry said last week that now that "Survivor" is over, she plans to move to California and eventually pursue a master's degree in counseling. She did get some money for coming in fifth on the show, but would not say how much.

She also said she would keep an open mind to other entertainment or business opportunities presented to her because of her exposure on national TV for four months.

Berry could not be reached Thursday for comment on reports of romance.

It has not been a good week for broadcasting.
First Don Pardo, now this.

Tom Fenton, of CBS News, retires at 74
By David Zurawik The Baltimore Sun December 17, 2004

Tom Fenton, the 74-year-old dean of TV foreign correspondents, will retire from CBS News after 34 years effective today, the network announced.

Fenton, who began his journalism career at The Sun, quickly distinguished himself at CBS after joining the network in 1970 through an exclusive interview with hostages seized by the Palestine Liberation Organization. From getting the first television interview in Iran in 1979 with Ayatollah Khomeini, to covering the recent warfare in the Persian Gulf, Fenton's resume is a road map of many major international news stories of the last three decades.

"Tom is equally at home dodging bullets on a battlefield or prowling the corridors of power in London, Moscow or Jerusalem," Andrew Heyward, the president of CBS News, said in a statement yesterday. "And in a world where civility is increasingly a casualty of competitive pressures, Tom holds steady to that most old-fashioned of virtues: He's a true gentleman."

Born in Baltimore, Fenton graduated from the Gilman School and Dartmouth College, then served as an officer in the Navy before joining The Sun in 1961.

Fenton could not be reached yesterday in London.

You won't have long to wait for "Apprentice 3"...its coming Thursday January 20

'Apprentice 3' Pits Education Vs. Experience
(zap2it.com)--For the third edition of "The Apprentice," producer Mark Burnett is borrowing a story line from "Animal House." Or possibly "Revenge of the Nerds." Or "The Bad News Bears," or "Up the Creek." Perhaps "Hot Dog ... the Movie."

Those and other touchstones of late-'70s and early-'80s movie comedy will play out in the next "Apprentice," scheduled to premiere Thursday, Jan. 20. To wit: Can a band of scrappy outsiders overcome the snobby rich kids and win the big prize?

Teased on the show's second-season finale Thursday night (Dec. 16), the third "Apprentice" will divide the 18 players into a group of well-educated sharks and a team of bootstrapping entrepreneurs with no more than high-school diplomas.

This not being a scripted teen-sex romp, though, there's at least a decent chance that one of the privileged might win the job with Donald Trump that is the ultimate reward on the show. In the previous two editions, candidates without college degrees (Troy from season one, Sandy and Chris from season two) didn't make the finals.

You may recall that a book learnin'-vs.-street smarts throwdown was one of the original ideas for "The Apprentice" (and also for FOX's scuttled lawyer reality show "The Partner") when NBC announced it in 2003. Burnett and Trump, however, decided to split the teams along gender lines in the first two seasons.

Among the big companies teased as being part of season three are Burger King, Home Depot, Domino's and Nescafe.

fredfa,

"Big Man on Campus Dec. 15 9 PM ET (replacing "Jack & Bobby" for six weeks)" -already happened

Also, Drew Carey's Green Screen Show is listed on both the hiatus and cancelled list.

as always, f44, thanks for your eagle eye :)

A&E Spies Return Date for 'MI-5'
Series Returns For 10-Episode Third Season on January 8

(zap2it.com)--A&E will bring back the British spy thriller "MI-5" shortly after the new year, finally resolving a cliffhanger involving the show's lead character.

The show's second season, which concluded on A&E in November 2003, ended with MI-5 agent Tom Quinn (Matthew MacFadyen) disappearing after being accused of shooting his boss, Harry Pearce (Peter Firth), and assassinating the Chief of Defence. It wasn't clear whether Tom was set up or had gone off the deep end.

British viewers of the series (called "Spooks" overseas) had to wait a similarly long time to find out what happened to Tom: The third season debuted in October, 14 months after the cliffhanger ending of season two, and wrapped up this week.

A&E has scheduled the third-season premiere for 10 p.m. ET Saturday, Jan. 8. The show will run for 10 weeks.

The new season will feature the MI-5 team enduring an investigation into Tom's alleged crimes and dealing with terrorists who've acquired a nuclear device, a hit man who kills the wrong target and possible bioterrorism, among other crises.

Rupert Penry-Jones ("Charlotte Gray") and Olga Sosnovska ("All My Children") join the cast as married MI-6 agents. Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Shauna Macdonald and Meagan Dodds return as regulars.

October DTV Sales Near 1 Million Unit Mark
CEA Expects Monthly Dollar Sales to Continue to Top $1 Billion
(CEA Press Release)

Factory-to-dealer sales of digital television (DTV) products in 2004 continue to blow away previous sales records, according to data released today by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). October DTV unit sales totaled 968,394 and dollar sales topped $1.29 billion, reported CEA, marking a 136 percent increase in unit sales over October 2003 and a 102 percent rise in dollar sales.

"We expected DTV sales to be strong in the final months of the year, but to see the numbers in print is an exhilarating affirmation of DTV's success," said CEA Director of Industry Analysis Sean Wargo. "Year-to-date DTV sales total 5.4 million units and are on track to meet CEA's initial forecast of 6.9 million units."

CEA reported that cumulative DTV unit sales now total 14,306,452 and dollar sales are just below $23 billion. CEA defines DTV products as integrated sets and monitors displaying active vertical scanning lines of at least 480p and, in the case of integrated sets, receiving and decoding Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) terrestrial digital broadcasts.

"Further fueling the analog-to-digital television (DTV) transition is the broad consumer appeal of flat panel displays," Wargo added. "Manufacturers are selling an impressive number of LCD products. In fact, we've already exceeded our annual sales forecast for the LCD category. We projected 1.35 million LCD units would be sold this year and now we've surpassed 1.4 million. In October alone we sold 290,000 units."

CEA Market Research projects that 6.97 million DTV units will be sold in 2004, 10.77 million in 2005, 16.77 million in 2006, 23.25 million in 2007 and 27.05 in 2008.

Katie Couric: Moonves' Best Choice
The Robins Report
By J. Max Robins Broadcasting & Cable 12/20/2004

The favorite guessing game these days in the network news business is who will replace Dan Rather at the CBS Evening News. While everyone waits for the inevitable fallout from the investigation into his notorious 60 Minutes piece on George Bush's National Guard service, speculation abounds on who will get his anchor chair.

One scenario gaining commerce among industry cognescenti is that CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves will name an interim placeholder—The Early Show co-host Harry Smith, Face the Nation moderator Bob Scheiffer or 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley—until he can land a superstar to take over. If that's the tack he takes, what I hear is that the big name he's most likely to court is Katie Couric, arguably the most incandescent of all the stars in the news constellation.

In 2002, the Today co-host signed what may have been the richest deal in network news—reportedly worth about $15 million a year. That pact still has about 18 months to run. Rather vacates Evening News in March. Moonves would have to wait only a tad more than a year to get his superstar. And it's not as if there are a lot of alternatives out there: Virtually everyone in the news pantheon who's younger than 60 is tied up even longer than Couric or simply doesn't want the gig. Diane Sawyer, who also has about 18 months remaining on her deal, told New York magazine she wasn't interested. And two other great picks, Couric's NBC News cohorts Matt Lauer and Tim Russert, each have years left on their contracts.

That leaves Couric as Moonves' best choice. Swiping the Today co-host would be a move right out of his playbook. When he took the reins of the then-moribund CBS entertainment division, he opened the checkbook and signed such megastars as Bill Cosby, Steven Bochco and Bette Midler. The resulting shows didn't produce any hits, but Moonves had sent a message to the industry: CBS was in it to win.

After years of struggling, the entertainment division is on top, and now Moonves has the opportunity to fix the one part of his network that still lags behind the competition. Prying Couric from her secure roost at NBC would certainly give him the sort of firepower with viewers that CBS Evening News has lacked for years, but it would also send a broader message that the news division itself is moribund no more. Couric would be a draw for other top talent, who currently are reluctant to make the leap to a perceived also-ran.

Moonves could easily justify the $20 million or more that he'd have to pay Couric: Aside from the ratings jolt she'd almost certainly give the evening news, she could also be deployed to do a raft of prime time specials and contribute to 60 Minutes. Twenty mil? Hell, David Letterman makes more than that.

Moonves also wouldn't mind roughing up Today. Credit for the show's success isn't Couric's alone—Lauer, Al Roker, et al, deserve props for making the dominant wakeup show a $450 million money machine. But without Couric, the franchise potentially takes a serious hit.

Beyond a multimillion-dollar raise from her current salary, the attraction for Couric would be to say “adios” to those brutal morning hours and reinvent herself after 14 years at Today. There's the rush factor, too. She'd have the chance to be the main player in the reinventing and reinvigorating of a legendary news operation, the top dog in a position that has always been the province of men. Couric's able agent, Alan Berger, says that, with a year and a half left on her contract, “there's nothing to talk about.” Moonves may be thinking differently.

(Our HD comrade, Mark Cuban of HDNet, owns the Dallas Mavericks, and has given up his courtside seats as well. Bravo, Mark – and Dallas Mavs fans.)

Mavs fans offer front-row seats to injured soldiers
Associated Press 02:51 PM CST on Friday, December 17, 2004

They’ve dodged bombs and bullets, suffered bruises and burns. They’ve lost limbs and stared at death’s door.
Jim Leslie figures the least he can do is let these brave U.S. soldiers—most wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan—sit on the front row at a Dallas Mavericks game.

“It’s a small way for me to show some appreciation for what they’ve done for us,” said Leslie, one of dozens of Mavericks season-ticket holders giving up their seats for Saturday night’s game. “I still don’t think it’s enough.”

In all, about 140 injured soldiers from Brooke Army Medical Center near San Antonio will fly to Dallas—on a chartered jet donated by American Airlines—to see the Mavericks play the Atlanta Hawks. They’ll enjoy complimentary food and beverages and have their pictures taken with Mavericks players, dancers and officials, including owner Mark Cuban.

“This is bigger than the game,” Cuban said in an e-mail. “This is a chance for these servicemen and women to feel the admiration and respect of 20,000 people, reinforcing for them that we as a nation feel grateful for what they have done for us.”

The key playmaker for “Seats for Soldiers” is a season-ticket holder named Neal Hawks, who reluctantly let the Mavericks publicize his name, a team spokeswoman said.

Hawks first offered front-row seats to soldiers last season, bringing eight to each of three games.

“Last year it gave me the chills to see the ovations that just eight soldiers received,” Hawks said in an e-mail.

So this season, he approached other season-ticket holders about giving up their seats. He figured he might get 50 or 60 tickets, he said. Instead, he got 133 tickets, all on the front row. The total value of the tickets: roughly $150,000.

“Virtually everyone said I could have their tickets,” he said. “I even had a couple season-ticket holders who had already given their tickets away go and get them back.”

For many of the soldiers, it will be their first time to attend an NBA game.

Even more importantly, it will be a chance for them to recognize just how much Americans appreciate their service and sacrifice, said Cpl. J.R. Martinez, 21, of Dalton, Ga., who attended one of the games last season.

“A lot of these soldiers are definitely right now probably in the depression stage,” said Martinez, who was burned over 40 percent of his body when his Humvee hit a land mine in Iraq last year. “For them to go and be able to feel that energy, it’s definitely going to help their morale.”

THe guy in the article said that his friends who had Tivo saw the Comcast DVR and couldn't stop talking about it. I say yes, talking about how bad it is!!!!!!

'Apprentice' Finale Ratings Take a Dive

(zap2it.com)--The finale for the second season of NBC's "The Apprentice" drew an average of nearly 17 million viewers across its three-hour running time on Thursday (Dec. 16) night. While NBC is trying to put a happy face on those figures, the network will try to ignore the dramatic drop from the show's first season.

NBC chooses to accentuate that the "Apprentice" finale, which saw Donald Trump hire 37-year-old software exec Kelly Perdew, swept every half-hour among adults 18-49, earning a 7.8 rating in the key demographic. It was the highest rated reality finale among adults 18-49 since the last season of FOX's "American Idol" concluded back in May and produced NBC's strongest non-Olympics Thursday since the finale of "Frasier" on May 13.

The finale was down 43 percent among adults 18-49 from the 13.6 rating done by the first season finale last May. The first season finale, crowning Bill Rancic, attracted 28 million viewers for a hefty 39 percent fall.

The finale saw only a slight improvement over the show's seasonal average of 15.3 million viewers and failed to left NBC over rerun fueled CBS for the overall ratings and viewership crown for the night. Last season, "The Apprentice" averaged 20.7 million viewers per week in its spring run.

NBC's "Apprentice" performance came one night after UPN drew 6.5 million viewers for the finale of "America's Next Top Model." The end of the third installment of the model search outdrew the end of the first two seasons and gave UPN some of its best Wednesday night 8 p.m. ET demographic ratings in three years.

My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss is going on Hiatus and several shows will be clipped.

Our prayers have been answered!!! About time, yes!!!!

Fast National ratings for Friday, Dec. 17
Rudolph, 'JAG' Lead CBS to Friday Win

(zap2it.com)--The Big Three networks all finished within half a ratings point of each other Friday, with CBS pulling out a win.

Overall Prime Time Ratings/Share
CBS 5.6/10
NBC 5.3/10
ABC 5.1/9
Fox 2.4/4
WB 1.7/3
UPN 1.2/2

Adults 18-49
CBS 2.3
ABC 2.2
NBC 2.1
Fox 1.5
WB 1.1
UPN 0.7

At 8 p.m., A repeat of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," 5.3/10, won the hour for CBS. ABC's duo of "8 Simple Rules," 5.1/10, and "Complete Savages," 4.6/8, came in second, beating NBC's movie "Secret Santa." FOX snagged fourth with a "Simpsons" rerun, 3.0/6, and the special "Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy," 2.5/5. The WB went with reruns of "What I Like About You" and "Grounded for Life," which beat UPN's "Star Trek: Enterprise" repeat.

At 9 p.m., CBS held onto the lead with "JAG," 6.1/11. NBC moved up to second with the conclusion of its movie, 5.3/10. "Hope & Faith," 5.0/9, and "Less than Perfect," 4.4/8, put ABC in third. FOX stayed in fourth with the special "Jingle Ball Rock." A "Reba" repeat, 2.1/4, and "Blue Collar TV," 1.9/3, on The WB finished ahead of an "America's Next Top Model" encore on UPN.

At 10 p.m., "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," 6.1/11, put NBC on top. ABC's "20/20," 5.7/11, was second, followed by a "48 Hours Mystery," 5.1/9, on CBS.

• Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.

DirecTV’s Interactive Plans
A Sneak Peek At DBS ITV
By Steve Donohue Multichannel.com 12/20/2004

Attendees at next month’s Consumer Electronics Show will get a glimpse of the new interactive-TV features DirecTV Inc. expects to spring in the coming year. They include the launch of three “mosaic channels” that will allow subscribers to view multiple channels from the same genre on one screen.

Similar in form to the OpenTV Corp.-made channels that EchoStar Communications Corp.’s Dish Network used during the Summer Olympics and the November election, the mosaic products are among the interactive features DirecTV will introduce to further turn up the heat on cable.

News Corp., which now controls DirecTV, has used ITV extensively on its United Kingdom satellite platform, British Sky Broadcasting plc.

The mosaic channels were developed in-house at DirecTV, according to spokesman Bob Marsocci.

The Newsmix channel will feature five or six feeds on one screen, he said, including Cable News Network, CNBC, Headline News, Fox News Channel and The Weather Channel. Subscribers will be able to hear the audio from whichever channel is highlighted, and use arrows on their remote controls to listen to the feed from one of the other channels featured on the mosaic.

“It’s like a television control room on your screen,” Marsocci said.

Viewers will also be able to select one of the channels on the grid to view the traditional full-screen version.

Marsocci said DirecTV is building a soundstage and studio at its broadcast center in Los Angeles, which will be home to an anchor who’ll discuss the content on Newsmix and on a sports mosaic channel called Sportsmix.

DirecTV plans to unveil the mosaic networks, including a Kidsmix channel that will feature children’s networks, at CES in Las Vegas, which begins Jan. 6.

Marsocci wouldn’t offer details on Sportsmix or Kidsmix content, but said he assumed some of ESPN’s networks would be included. ESPN officials declined to comment last week.

DirecTV has also obtained a trademark for a Shoppingmix channel, but Marsocci said no date has been set for the launch of that network, which could feature shop-at-home networks.

With cable and satellite subscribers facing hundreds of channels to choose from, the use of mosaic channels might become a growing trend for both industries, which currently use interactive program guides to ease viewer navigation.

While IPGs allow viewers to scroll through program listings or search titles, mosaic channels could allow them to more easily find a movie, sports show or news program by being able to view multiple feeds from the same genre at the same time.

“We think it’s not really an IPG feature, but we think it’s a neat feature and a neat offering,” said Todd Walker, general manager of advanced TV at Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc.’s TV Guide Television Group.

He added: “We don’t have any firm plans or products that we have to announce, but we are looking to put together this type of product.”

Walker said mosaic channels could also be used to ease navigation for the growing number of on-demand programming choices cable operators are offering.

One challenge cable and DBS providers face in developing mosaic channels is getting permission from content providers, some of which might not like sharing a screen with one or more competitors.

EchoStar was persuasive enough that during the November election it ran CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, MTV and Comedy Central on the same screen. DirecTV, too, has gained support from news networks.

Walker said he expects programmers to embrace the idea. “I would think they would greatly desire to fill one of those positions,” he said.

is this really something we need? besides sports or an emergency situation, i really don't see it as a useful feature.

on the old UTV, i think you could see the last ten channels you had viewed. never used the feature.

interesting to see if people actually use the feature. maybe i have become too tivo centric (tivo don't sue me for using your name that way) and forget the rest of the world doesn't use tivo.

It'll be useful for sports, I think, and maybe on major news days (elections, etc).

I think it could be useful too, with so many channels to flip through it would be easier to see what each channel was showing and it might interest me more than reading a dry guide description. In other words, I might watch something I normally would not, I am not one who is prone to just starting at ch 2 and going up the ladder one-by-one to see what is on. In fact, I like the idea.

Would rather have Fox-HD and ABC-HD first though...:D

This feature would be most useful if it could be user customized -- like our internet favorites/bookmarks. But so far it's described as giving us only preset selections and in genre groupings. Even now my main IPG interface is a customized list of favorite channels. "Just" gotta add sound and pics.

The glorious beauty of the fact that CSI reruns can essentially match the show Jeff Zucker called a replacement for Friends, says everything you need to know about the NoBody Cares network.

Nothing new of quality, not much old of quality, but at least they canceled what might have been the next Hill Street Blues last season without bothering to ever find out. (Nope, I still haven't gotten over it.)

Fast National ratings for Saturday, Dec. 18, 2004

CBS Edges Competition on Saturday

(zap2it.com)-- Led by a "48 Hours Mystery" that examined the JonBenet Ramsey murder yet again, CBS pulled out a close ratings win Saturday night.

CBS averaged a 4.8 rating/9 share in primetime on a night when all four networks were tightly bunched. ABC and FOX tied for second at 4.4/8, and NBC was right behind at 4.3/8.

Among adults 18-49, NBC and FOX shared the top spot, each posting a 2.5 rating. ABC took third with a 2.4 in the demographic, while CBS came in at 1.9.

A late-ending HD NFL game that led into "Cops" helped FOX win the 8 p.m. hour with a 4.9/10 average. NBC was second for the hour with the movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," 3.9/7. ABC got a 3.7/7 from the HD movie "Remember the Titans," while CBS trailed with the holiday special "The Story of Santa Claus."

CBS went from fourth to first at 9 p.m. with a "Cold Case" HD rerun, 5.0/10. ABC's HD movie, 4.5/8, finished slightly ahead of "Christmas Vacation" on NBC. FOX dropped to fourth, drawing a 3.9/7 for "America's Most Wanted."

At 10 p.m., CBS scored the night's best rating (6.0/11) with a "48 Hours Mystery" that purported to show new evidence in the Ramsey case. "Remember the Titans" (HD) concluded with a 5.1/10 on ABC. NBC got a 4.7/8 from a HD rerun of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

• Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially in the case of live telecasts.

Thanks f44!
I'm out of town and was unavailable to post today's numbers this morning.

no problem, fredfa, but you need to put it in post #1 since I cannot.

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Monday, Dec 20, 2004, at Mediaweek.com)
Note: The Programming Insider will be on hiatus Tuesday, Dec. 21 through Monday, Dec. 27.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Primetime ratings for Sunday, Dec. 19
Note: The following overnight ratings exclude the Richmond-St. Petersburg market.

Metered Market Ratings

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 11.7/18
ABC: 9.1/14
NBC: 6.9/10
Fox: 3.9/ 6
WB: 2.8/ 4

Percent Change From Comparable Year-Ago Night (Sunday
Dec. 21
2003):
ABC: +107
CBS: +23
WB: +17
NBC: - 3
Fox: -43
Note: fast affiliate ratings were not available at press time.

Yesterday's Winners:
Desperate Housewives (ABC)

Yesterday's Losers:
Considering that half of last night's schedule was in repeats, we'll omit listing any Sunday losers.

Ratings Breakdown:
Ignited by an NFL Football overrun, CBS's combination of football, 60 Minutes, Cold Case and repeat made-for Fall Angel led the Sunday troops, beating second-place ABC in the overnights by an average of 29 percent. Note: individual ratings for CBS programs are not included due to the approximate nature of the NFL Football end time.

On ABC, blockbuster Desperate Housewives remained just that, with a 15.6/22 at 9 p.m. up 144 percent from repeat lead-in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (6.4/10 at 8 p.m.) and 68 percent above lead-out Boston Legal (9.3/14 at 10 p.m.). Earlier in the evening, ABC veteran America's Funniest Home Videos was third in the overnights with a 5.1/ 8 at 7 p.m.

On NBC, a two-hour edition of Dateline got some mileage with a 7.4/12 from 7-9 p.m. Repeats of NBC's Law & Order: Criminal Intent (6.3/ 9) and Crossing Jordan (6.5/10) were third from 9-11 p.m.

On Fox's all sitcom Sunday, repeats of That '70s Show (#4: 3.6/ 4), Malcolm in the Middle (#4: 3.4/ 5) and The Simpsons (#3t: 5.5/ 8) from 7-8:30 p.m. led into original episodes of Arrested Development (#4: 4.1/ 6), another installment of Malcolm in the Middle (#4: 3.5/ 5) and King of the Hill (#4: 3.2/ 4) from 8:30-10 p.m. As a reminder, these ratings are based on the overnights. Once the nationals are released, expect Fox to fare more competitively among adults 18-49.

On the WB, a repeat half-hour edition of Steve Harvey's Big Time (#5: 1.6/ 3 at 7 p.m.) led into an also fifth-place 3.1/ 5 for a repeat of theatrical classic The Wizard of Oz from 7:30-10 p.m.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Ratings Box: What’s Hot/What’s Not

-Syndicated Programming Cracks the Top 10 in November:
Based on the November sweeps, syndicated programming was a visible presence among the top 10 rated shows in households, and key adult, men and women demographics on every weekday. The programs that cracked the top 10 in one of more of the demographics were Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, Oprah, Dr. Phil, Judge Judy, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends, Malcolm in the Middle, Will & Grace, Home Improvement, That '70s Show and King of the Hill.

-Solid but Far From Spectacular Apprentice Season Finale on NBC:
Although you can't necessarily knock a network for winning an evening in households, total viewers and adults 18-49, the season finale of NBC's The Apprentice 2 on Thursday paled in comparison to the first-season ender on Thursday, April 15, 2004. The three-hour edition of The Apprentice 2 averaged an 11.1/18 in households, 16.93 million viewers and a 7.8/21 among adults 18-49, which comparatively was down by 35 percent in households, 11.12 million viewers and 43 percent among adults 18-49 from the first-season finale (HH: 17.2/27, Viewers: 28.05 million, A18-49: 13.6/34 from 9-11 p.m.). It also beat repeats of CBS' CSI (two episodes) and Without A Trace by an average of only 3 percent in households and 490,000 viewers. In other words, it looks like the Donald might be concentrating more on his real estate sooner than he had hoped for.

On the Air Tonight: Primetime Programming Options

Monday 12/20/04

ABC
TV Guide Greatest Moments: 2004, Monday Night Football (New England at Miami)

CBS
Still Standing (R), Listen Up (R), Everybody Loves Raymond (R), Two and a Half Men (R), CSI: Miami (R)

NBC
Fear Factor (R), Las Vegas (two repeats)

Fox
The Swan (two-hour season finale)

UPN
One On One (R), Half and Half (R), Girlfriends (R), Second Time Around (R)

WB
7th Heaven (R), Everwood (R)

www.forbes.com

Associated Press
Sony Focusing on TV Business Strategy
12.20.2004, 01:11 AM


Sony is focusing its TV business strategy on liquid-crystal displays and rear-projection television sets, but will continue to assemble and sell plasma display sets for now, the company said Monday.

Shigenori Yoshida, spokesman for the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant, said Sony Corp.'s strategy is to focus on LCD and rear-projection but denied Sony had any plans to pull out of making plasma display sets.

Sony has been beefing up its LCD TV operations with a tie-up with Samsung Electronics Co. of South Korea.

Sony is expecting to sell 11.4 million TVs during this fiscal year through March 2005, and the portion taken up by plasma display sets is relatively small.

It sold 9.4 million CRT sets, a million rear-projection TVs, 700,000 LCD sets and just 300,000 plasma display sets. Sony does not make its own plasma displays but assembles TVs that use such displays.

Japan's top business daily, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, reported Monday that Sony will stop selling plasma display TVs as early as spring of 2005. Sony denied the report and said it will continue to assemble and sell plasma display TVs.

Demand for thinner TVs is growing around the world, and innovations are being made continuously in various types of panel technology.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search 8PM ET January 5 (then Thursdays at 10 PM ET starting January 6) --shouldn't be bold for HD

Cuts --I'm assuming it will be HD since the show it is spun-off of, One on One, is in HD.

Law and Order: Trial By Jury HD (Jerry Orbach returns! (March?) ---need to close the outer set of parenthesis so it should be (Jerry Orbach returns! (March?)) unless you mean (Jerry Orbach returns!) March?

'Chappelle's Show' Premiere Delayed

(zap2it.com)--The third season of "Chappelle's Show," originally scheduled to premiere in February, has been pushed back to March or April. The late launch for the Emmy nominated Comedy Central hit has been traced back to its star's health problems.

According to the New York Post, Dave Chappelle has been suffering from the flu and borderline walking pneumonia.

"Dave -- and his entire production crew for that matter -- got a bit of a late start on writing season three," Tony Fox, the executive vice president of corporate communications at Comedy Central, tells the Post. "We're behind on the writing. He was recently sick for more than a week. There had been a built-in hiatus in the production schedule for the holidays."

Fox continues, "We had about 10 days of production left, so we pushed that through the end of the holiday break to give him some time to recover and get some writing time in. We'll resume production in January, so we're not exactly sure what that means in terms of launch date."

After acquiring some cult stature in its first installment, "Chappelle's Show" became a hit when its second season premiered this January. The show, a mix of sketches, stand-up and musical performances, earned Emmy nods for outstanding variety, music or comedy series and also picked up writing and directing nominations in the same genre. The show's first season became the best selling TV-to-DVD set yet.

Although he flirted with the possibility of ending his Comedy Central show after the second season, Chappelle re-signed with the cable network back in August. The lucrative deal, which covers two more seasons, or 26 total episodes, helps the cable network hold on to one of its signature shows along with "The Daily Show" and "South Park."

ABC Sets Date for 'NYPD Blue' Finale

(zap2it.com)--After a dozen seasons and 260 episodes on the air, "NYPD Blue" will catch its last case at the end of February sweeps.

ABC, which announced earlier this year that this season would be the last for "Blue," has set a series finale date for the venerable cop show. "Blue" will bow out with a two-hour episode on Tuesday, March 1 -- one day before the February sweeps period ends.

The network is also sticking to its promise to air the final season without repeats. After an original episode on Tuesday (Dec. 21), "Blue" will take two weeks off -- including one for the broadcast of college football's Orange Bowl on Jan. 4 -- then return for a final run of eight episodes starting Jan. 11.

Other than the date and its duration, details of the finale are being kept quiet.

"NYPD Blue" debuted on ABC in 1993 to huge critical acclaim as well as a fair amount of controversy over its liberal-for-broadcast use of profanity and occasional shots of naked backsides. It endured affiliate and advertiser boycotts during its first season and picked up an astounding 27 Emmy nominations, including all five for outstanding writing for a drama series.

It won six awards that year, including the first of Dennis Franz's four statues for outstanding actor in a drama, and has picked up 14 more in the years since then, including an outstanding drama series win in 1995.

I'm going to miss NYPD Blue...:(

...and Dead Like Me... and The Wire...:mad:

(I still miss Karen Sisco.)

Cable’s Priorities for 2005:
(No Mention of HDTV)
By Bill McConnell Broadcasting & Cable12/20/2004

Top cable lobbyist Robert Sachs told reporters Monday that his industry is on track to become the biggest provider of Internet telephone services in 2005.

“We feel this has been a very strong year in terms of growth of new services and it’s going to continue in 2005,” he said during a year-end review of the cable business. Sachs is the president of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association
.
Currently, cable operators provide Internet telephony to 450,000 customers.
Cable operators also provide voice service over traditional telephone networks to another 3 million customers.

Looking ahead to 2005, Sachs said the key to keeping the industry’s new businesses growing is a “media regulatory environment that’s stable and encourages investment.”

Sachs was optimistic that the Supreme Court would uphold the FCC’s decision not to force cable operators to open their high-speed platforms to rival Internet providers. He predicted the court would hear the case in March and come out with a decision in June.

Other NCTA priorities in 2005 will be legislative and FCC reviews of Internet voice regulations, preserving tax exemptions for broadband service, continuing to fend off forced carriage of TV stations’ digital multicast channels and making sure lawmakers don’t impose new regulations on cable when it starts rewriting telecommunications laws.

For NBC, Thursday hurt runs deeper
Poor 'Apprentice' finale bodes ill for season

(medialifemagazine.com---)Coming into the new season, NBC knew its Thursday nights would slip post-“Friends,” but in recent days the outlook for the remainder of the season has come to look a lot worse.

That rests squarely with the finale of "The Apprentice."

Last Thursday's finale was down terribly from the first finale, off 42.6 percent among viewers 18-49 and 37.2 percent in households. If the show's third season, which begins Jan. 20, shows anywhere near those declines, NBC's Thursday night will truly be in shambles.

How things have changed just since September.

“Joey” was the No. 1 show on TV during the week ended Sept. 12, the week it premiered, both among households (12.1 rating) and viewers 18-49 (7.5 rating).

The second season of “The Apprentice,” which also started that week, didn’t get off to a blistering start, but it did fairly well, averaging a 9.3 household rating, making it No. 4 that week, and a 6.6 rating among viewers 18-49, good for No. 3 in the demo.

Compare those numbers with the week ended Dec. 12. “Joey” posted a 4.0 rating among viewers 18-49, off 46.7 percent from its premiere. Among households it managed a 7.0 rating, down 42.1 percent versus its premiere.

During that same week, “Joey” lead-out “Will & Grace” posted a 4.3 18-49 rating, down 43.4 percent from its 7.6 average in 2003.

NBC can thank Fox for some of the 8 p.m. time slot’s dropoff, especially among viewers 18-49, since Fox started airing “The O.C.” in that slot in early November.

But its big problem is “The Apprentice,” the show it hoped would take the place of the departed "Friends" as Thursday's anchor.

Its three-hour second season finale last Thursday averaged a 7.8 rating among viewers 18-49, just slightly better than the penultimate episode’s 7.6 average a week earlier.

Among households the finale averaged a 10.8 rating, lower than two direct competitors on CBS—“CSI” averaged a 13.0 that night in its 9 p.m. time slot and “Without a Trace” averaged an 11.1 at 10 p.m. Both shows were reruns.

NBC's last best hope on Thursday is “E.R.”

That show typically finishes first in the 10 p.m. time slot when it airs new episodes. Yet that margin is no longer wide enough to offset the now-weak 8 p.m. slot inhabited by “Joey” and “Will & Grace” and a sliding “Apprentice” at 9 p.m.

The finale was a three-hour dragged-out episode, which probably hurt the ratings a lot.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search 8PM ET January 5 (then Thursdays at 10 PM ET starting January 6)

It will normally air on Wednesdays. The Thursday episode is a special timeslot one-time only thing

this season of the Apprentice was lackluster. the finale was a circus show. i guess it's proof that as much as people hated her, Oma made the show interesting.

they better hope that next year's gimmick of booksmart against streetsmart pays off.

Unfortunately for the folks at 30 Rock (and in Burbank, too, of course) the way NBC's season is going, it is getting hard to imagine anything it tries paying off.

Originally posted by slocko
Oma made the show interesting.



All 10 seconds worth?

Fast National ratings for Monday, Dec. 20, 2004
'Monday Night Football' Carries ABC to Victory

(zap2it.com)-- On a rerun-heavy evening, "Monday Night Football" managed to pull out a narrow ratings win for ABC.

Household Rating/Share
ABC 9.21/14
CBS 8.8/14
NBC 4.7/7
Fox 4.6/7
WB 2.0/3
UPN 1.9/3

At 8 p.m., The special "TV Guide's Greatest Moments 2004" won the hour for ABC with a 7.1/11, although those numbers are inflated some by West Coast homes watching "MNF." Reruns of "Still Standing," 6.3/10, and "Listen Up," 6.0/9, gave CBS the No. 2 spot. A "Fear Factor" repeat was third for NBC, beating the first half of "The Swan" finale, 4.1/6, on FOX. The WB's "7th Heaven," 2.4/4, came in fifth, beating UPN's "One on One" and "Half and Half."
At 9 p.m., "Monday Night Football," 10.2/15, tied for the lead with repeats of "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Two and a Half Men" on CBS. "The Swan" improved to 5.2/8 as the winner was crowned, dropping NBC's "Las Vegas" rerun, 4.9/7, to fourth. "Girlfriends" and "Second Time Around" averaged 1.8/3 for UPN, just good enough to top an "Everwood" rerun on The WB.
At 10 p.m., a rerun of "CSI: Miami," 10.0/16, on CBS narrowly beat ABC's football coverage, 9.9/16. A second episode of "Las Vegas" on NBC came in at 4.3/7.
• Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially in the case of live telecasts.

Cablevision Suspends Spinoff Of Its Rainbow Media Unit
WALL STREET JOURNAL December 21, 2004 11:06 a.m. ET

Cablevision Systems Corp. said its board suspended plans to spin off of Rainbow Media Enterprises and instead will pursue strategic alternatives for the satellite and entertainment unit.

The board's decision, disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, didn't provide any additional details about possible alternatives. It marked the latest twist in Cablevision's roadmap for offloading the business, which operates the nascent satellite-TV service Voom, as well as cable-TV networks and other programming businesses, including AMC, the Independent Film Channel, Womens' Entertainment and regional sports channels.

Cablevision in September delayed the spinoff, saying it hoped to complete the move by the end of the year. Last month, the cable-TV company, based in Bethpage, N.Y., changed the plan again, saying it would hand over $350 million in preferred interests to the new entity. Cablevision initially had intended to hold on to redeemable preferred-membership interests, and by giving those up, Cablevision effectively reduced Rainbow's liabilities.

The Rainbow unit was a big driver of third-quarter results, contributing $235.9 million in revenue, up 58% from the same period a year earlier. But most of that bump came from advertising and an increasing number of subscribers.

At the time of the September spinoff, many analysts and investors felt the business plan for Voom was flawed, given the tough competition the service faces from the two established satellite-TV companies, DirecTV Group Inc. and EchoStar Communications Corp. A main reason to own Rainbow was the inclusion of Cablevision's three successful cable networks: AMC, WE and the Independent Film Channel. Analysts at the time valued those networks at more than $1.37 billion -- or $4 to $5 a Cablevision share.

But the value of the spinoff was expected to be less than that because the satellite venture likely would eat up a good chunk of the networks' earnings. Voom ended the third quarter with 26,000 customers, $5.9 million in revenue and a loss of $75.3 million.

In a conference call last month to discuss third-quarter earnings, Cablevision Chief Executive Jim Dolan said the company didn't plan any further near-term investment in Voom.

The Rainbow spinoff also would have taken the Clearview Cinemas business out of Cablevision's hands.

Ratings for Week Ending Sunday, Dec. 19th
Different 'CSI' Leads CBS' Weekly Win

(zap2it.com)--As usual, CBS ended the week ending Sunday, Dec. 19 atop the ratings charts. And as usual, the week's top-rated show was a forensic procedural from Jerry Bruckheimer Productions. However, with the network's Thursday dramas in repeats, it was spin-off "CSI: Miami" which paced yet another easy CBS win.

Overall, CBS averaged an 8.3 rating/14 share, hooking 12.58 million viewers per night in primetime. None of the other networks were even close. NBC was second with a 6.5/11 and 9.82 million viewers, followed closely by ABC's 6.2/10 and 9.55 million viewers. Although FOX's publicists put out a "Weekly Ratings Highlights" e-mail, there were few, as the network stumbled to a 3.7/6 in fourth. UPN took fifth for the frame with a 2.4/4, much better than The WB's 2.0/3.

Among adults 18-49, CBS was again the winner, doing a 3.8 rating in the key demographic. NBC's 3.6 rating followed in second, with ABC in third with a 3.4 rating. FOX was a somewhat more respectable fourth with a 2.5 rating. UPN stayed fifth with a 1.4 rating, topping the 1.2 rating for The WB.

"CSI: Miami" ruled the ratings with a 13.7/22 and fellow CBS Monday offerings "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Two and a Half Men" tied for No. 7 with a 10.5/16. Even without new episodes, CBS' Thursday rotation placed episodes of "CSI: Crime Investigation" at No. 3 with a 13.0/20 and No. 13 with a 9.0/15 and an episode of "Without a Trace" at No. 5 with an 11.1/18. Sunday also produced a trio of Top 20 offerings with "60 Minutes" (11.7/19, 4th), "Cold Case" (9.4/14, 11th) and a reairing of the telefilm "Fallen Angel" (7.9/13, 16th).

Also proving listworthy for CBS were Wednesday's "CSI: NY" (10.4/17, 9th) and Tuesday's "NCIS" (9.4/15, 11th) and "Judging Amy" (7.9/13, 16th).

Although it was down dramatically from last season's finale, the three-hour conclusion of "The Apprentice" led the way for NBC with a 10.8/17 at No. 6. NBC's next best show was at No. 14, where "The West Wing" did an 8.2/13. Wednesday's "Law & Order" and Tuesday's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" tied for No. 18 with a 7.6/13.

"CSI: Miami" may have been the week's top rated show, but with 22.34 million viewers, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" was the most watched, doing a 13.1/20 for No. 2 and providing a strong lead-in for "Boston Legal" (8.0/13, 15th). The "Monday Night Football" game between the Chiefs and Titans was No. 10 with a 9.6/16 and an encore of "Lost" was No. 20 with a 7.4/12.

For the week, FOX could do no better than "Trading Spouses" at No. 42 with a 5.2/8. The network's highest rated scripted show was a repeat of "The Simpsons" at No. 56 with a 4.6/7.

UPN's finale of "America's Next Top Model" did a solid 4.4/7 for No. 59, as The WB's best was "7th Heaven" at No. 79 with a 2.7/4.

With "The Mountain" taking a week off, the title of network television's lowest rated show went to The WB's "Steve Harvey's Big Time" and UPN's "Enterprise," which tied for No. 108 with a 1.2/2.

Fred, you wouldn't happen to have a list of shows that are repeats and originals for tonight, would ya? I'm trying to figure out if I need to schedule my workout for later in the evening or earlier. It'll depend on if there are any originals tonight, meaning if the Gilmore Girls will be new!

AFH, a good way to check is TVTome.com. On the front page, they have the broadcast networks only (except for PAX) list of new shows. Click "More" to see all channels, including cable and PAX.

However, if a show has a poor editor or none at all, it will not show up. Example: The Rebel Billionaire (HD) is new tonight, but it has no editor on TVTome so it is not listed.

You can also check the network's website. For example, thewb.com does not have "Fresh" (aka New) next to tonight's episode description for Gilmore Girls on the main page, so it is a rerun.

Not HD, but important to note for those with DVRs. The Amazing Race is on at 8pm ET tonight instead of 9pm ET. This night only.

Originally posted by f44
Not HD, but important to note for those with DVRs. The Amazing Race is on at 8pm ET tonight instead of 9pm ET. This night only.

Thanks for the Tvtome mention. I forgot about Yahoo, but I'll check it out. I have my Directivo setup to record the Amazing Race by name, so the time change shouldn't affect those that are setup to record by name, no?

I have ReplayTV but I don't think it should. However, if you have Gilmore Girls repeats or something else like The Rebel Billionaire or The Biggest Loser as a higher priority, then the race won't record.

Prime-time TV rankings For Week Ending Sunday Dec. 19

The Los Angeles Times---Here are the rankings for national prime-time network television last week (Dec. 13-19) as compiled by Nielsen Media Research. They are based on the average number of people who watched a program from start to finish. Nielsen estimates there are 277.93 million potential viewers in the U.S. ages 2 and older. Viewership is listed in millions.
Program Network Viewers
1 Desperate Housewives ABC 22.33
2 CSI: Miami CBS 20.54
3 CSI CBS 19.51
4 60 Minutes CBS 18.55
5 Apprentice 2 NBC 16.93
6 Two and a Half Men CBS 16.22
7 Without a Trace CBS 16.20
8 Everybody Loves Raymond CBS 15.91
9 CSI: NY CBS 15.60
10 Cold Case CBS 14.81
11 NCIS CBS 14.64
12 Monday Night Football ABC 13.80
13 CSI (8 p.m.) CBS 13.56
14 Boston Legal ABC 12.68
15 The West Wing NBC 12.53
16 Lost ABC 11.57
17 "Fallen Angel" CBS 11.51
18 According to Jim ABC 11.33
19 Law & Order NBC 11.27
20 George Lopez ABC 11.19
21 Judging Amy CBS 11.18
22 Biggest Loser NBC 11.01
23 Law & Order: SVU NBC 10.91
24 Amazing Race: 6 CBS 10.73
25 Listen Up CBS 10.34
26 Dateline: NBC (Sun.) NBC 10.33
27 NYPD Blue ABC 10.32
28 "Want a Dog for Christmas" ABC 10.27
29 NFL Monday Showcase ABC 10.20
30 Still Standing CBS 10.10
31 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition ABC 9.88
32 King of Queens CBS 9.84
33 Center of the Universe CBS 9.18
34 Wife Swap ABC 9.13
35 JAG CBS 9.03
36 Fear Factor NBC 8.95
36 America's Funniest Home Videos ABC 8.95
38 "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" CBS 8.94
39 Crossing Jordan NBC 8.93
40 Law & Order: Criminal Intent NBC 8.86
41 Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Fri.) NBC 8.76
42 "Charlie Brown Christmas" ABC 8.62
43 48 Hours Mystery CBS 8.59
44 20/20 (Fri.) ABC 8.19
45 Trading Spouses FX 8.17
46 The Simpsons FX 8.08
47 Las Vegas NBC 7.69
48 The Swan 2 FOX 7.53
49 Nanny 911 FOX 7.47
50 Hope & Faith ABC 7.15
51 Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Sat.) NBC 7.13
52 8 Simple Rules ABC 7.08
53 "Seinfeld Story" NBC 7.05
54 60 Minutes (Wed.) CBS 7.03
55 "Secret Santa" NBC 6.94
56 Crimetime Saturday CBS 6.92
57 House FOX 6.91
58 "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" NBC 6.88
59 48 Hours Mystery (Fri.) CBS 6.83
60 Wonderful World of Disney ABC 6.63
61 America's Most Wanted FOX 6.55
61 Scrubs NBC 6.55
63 Complete Savages ABC 6.54
64 America's Next Top Model 3 UPN 6.47
65 Less Than Perfect ABC 6.31
66 The O.C. FOX 6.27
67 That '70s Show FOX 6.17
68 Cops (8:30 p.m.) FOX 6.06
69 Primetime Live ABC 5.63
70 Arrested Development FOX 5.62
71 WWE Smackdown! UPN 5.32
72 Quintuplets FOX 5.12
72 Malcolm in the Middle FOX 5.12
74 Las Vegas (SP) NBC 5.09
75 Life of Luxury (Mon.) ABC 4.80
76 "Story of Santa Claus" CBS 4.75
77 Malcolm in the Middle (Sun.) FOX 4.67
78 The Simpsons (Fri.) FOX 4.51
79 King of the Hill FOX 4.45
80 "Popeye's Voyage" FOX 4.17
81 "The Wizard of Oz" WB 4.05
82 7th Heaven WB 3.99
83 North Shore FOX 3.74
84 Rebel Billionaire FOX 3.64
85 Girlfriends UPN 3.62
86 That '70s Show (Sun.) FOX 3.47
87 Reba WB 3.46
88 Gilmore Girls WB 3.28
89 "Jingle Ball Rock '04" FOX 3.24
90 Eve UPN 3.19
91 All of Us UPN 3.17
92 Kevin Hill UPN 3.15
92 Life As We Know It ABC 3.15
94 Blue Collar TV WB 3.06
95 Smallville WB 3.03
96 One on One UPN 2.87
97 Half and Half UPN 2.84
98 Second Time Around UPN 2.82
99 High School Reunion WB 2.78
100 Everwood WB 2.69
101 BMOC WB 2.28
102 "Crossroads" WB 2.27
103 What I Like About You WB 2.20
104 Grounded for Life WB 2.04
105 America's Next Top Model 3 (Fri.) UPN 1.99
106 Veronica Mars UPN 1.97
106 NFL postgame FOX 1.97
108 Enterprise UPN 1.87
109 Steve Harvey's Big Time WB 1.82

Network averages
Here is the number of viewers (in millions) that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for the week ending Dec. 19th and for the season.
Network Last week Season to date
CBS 12.58 13.28
NBC 9.82 10.19
ABC 9.55 10.22
FOX 5.82 8.93
UPN 3.54 3.59
WB 3.00 3.77

Top Five Shows By Network Week Ending Dec. 19
(viewers in millions)
ABC
1 Desperate Housewives 22.33
12 Monday Night Football 13.80
14 Boston Legal 12.68
16 Lost 11.57
18 According to Jim 11.33

CBS
2 CSI: Miami 20.54
3 CSI 19.51
4 60 Minutes 18.55
6 Two and a Half Men 16.22
7 Without a Trace 16.20

Fox
45 Trading Spouses 8.17
46 The Simpsons 8.08
48 The Swan 2 7.53
49 Nanny 911 7.47
57 House 6.91

NBC
5 Apprentice 2 16.93
15 The West Wing 12.53
19 Law & Order 11.27
22 Biggest Loser 11.01
23 Law & Order: SVU 10.91

UPN
64 America's Next Top Model 3 6.47
71 WWE Smackdown! 5.32
85 Girlfriends 3.62
90 Eve 3.19
91 All of Us 3.17

WB
81 "The Wizard of Oz" 4.05
82 7th Heaven 3.99
87 Reba 3.46
88 Gilmore Girls 3.28
94 Blue Collar TV 3.06

Bottom Five Shows By Network Week Ending Dec. 19
(viewers in millions)
ABC
65 Less Than Perfect 6.31
63 Complete Savages 6.54
69 Primetime Live 5.63
75 Life of Luxury (Mon.) 4.80
92 Life As We Know It 3.15

CBS
43 48 Hours Mystery 8.59
54 60 Minutes (Wed.) 7.03
56 Crimetime Saturday 6.92
59 48 Hours Mystery (Fri.) 6.83
76 "Story of Santa Claus" 4.75

Fox
83 North Shore 3.74
84 Rebel Billionaire 3.64
86 That '70s Show (Sun.) 3.47
89 "Jingle Ball Rock '04" 3.24
106 NFL postgame 1.97

NBC
55 "Secret Santa" 6.94
53 "Seinfeld Story" 7.05
58 "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" 6.88
61 Scrubs 6.55
74 Las Vegas (SP) 5.09

UPN
97 Half and Half 2.84
98 Second Time Around 2.82
105 America's Next Top Model 3 (Fri.) 1.99
106 Veronica Mars 1.97
108 Enterprise 1.87

WB
101 BMOC 2.28
102 "Crossroads" 2.27
103 What I Like About You 2.20
104 Grounded for Life 2.04
109 Steve Harvey's Big Time 1.82

A Wish List for Better Television
News Shows That Cut the Fluff;
Prime Time That Starts on Time
THE SMALL SCREEN By JOE FLINT the Wall Street Journal

It was a pretty tough year in television.

CBS took a drubbing for its Super Bowl halftime time show after Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction focused the nation, or at least federal regulators, on indecency in broadcasting. Meanwhile, a few hit shows, including NBC's "Friends" and "Frasier" and HBO's "Sex and the City," ended their long runs, leaving big shoes to fill. NBC's Tom Brokaw also bid farewell, while CBS's Dan Rather got himself into hot water and abruptly announced his retirement.

But the year wasn't all bad. Fox brought back the underappreciated "Arrested Development" for a second season, and the series won an Emmy award for best comedy. ABC proved that broadcast television still could create water-cooler buzz, as shows such as "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" helped reverse the network's fortunes.

Now that the holidays are upon us, I'm offering up a wish list of changes that I and, judging by some of my mail, many viewers would like to see happen in television in the coming year.

TIME OUT: Networks, start your shows on time. The broadcast networks, and especially NBC and ABC, have gotten into the habit of beginning and ending shows at odd times. It isn't unusual for "Desperate Housewives" to run until 10:01 p.m. or later, or for NBC's "ER" to start at 9:59 p.m.
Early and delayed starts are designed to stop viewers from changing channels between shows. The problem is, even the slightest schedule shift fouls up TiVo, which won't record two consecutive shows if the first program bleeds into the subsequent time slot.
What's more, when viewers do change channels, the show they have switched to might already have started, leaving the audience to play catch-up. This is especially irritating during crime dramas such as "Law & Order" or "Without a Trace," where the plot line is established within the first minute or two. The networks, already under the gun as cable grabs more and more of their audience, might be better off making an effort not to alienate their viewers.

SCREEN GRAB: Stop crowding the television screen with irritating promotions and useless information. Lately, watching football games can try the patience of even the most highly proficient multitaskers. Throughout a recent Saturday game on CBS, the network continually blocked the lower portion of the screen to promote, future games. A surfeit of NFL statistics adds to the clutter. (Many football fans are happy to find out scores of other games around the league, but the average viewer doesn't care to know about every wide receiver that caught a pass for seven yards.)
The problem isn't limited to sports. Unfortunately, both cable and broadcast networks this year have stepped up their use of animated promos that appear during one show to promote another. Often, they obscure up to a third of the television screen, making it difficult to concentrate on the show viewers set out to watch. FX, TBS, NBC and the History Channel are the biggest offenders.

DIVORCE COURT: Cut back on trial coverage. The air time devoted to the Scott Peterson murder case was completely over the top, even by cable-news standards. While news executives attempt to justify the coverage by claiming that viewers around the country were interested in the trial, it might be more accurate to say that the news channels hoped to drum up that interest through unrelenting coverage. And it is only likely to get worse next year unless viewers balk: Cable news can't wait for actor Robert Blake's murder trial to heat up.
Perhaps the real reason events like the Peterson trial garner so much TV time is that courtroom stories can be done on the cheap. Covering important issues -- the war in Iraq, major changes to the cabinet, economic problems and even scandals over drug use in sports -- requires time and money. Media watchdogs, which often seem to dwell on the political biases of one network or another, could do some good here if they complained a bit louder.

BEFORE NIGHT FALLS:: Leave Nightline alone! Last week, after Scott Peterson was sentenced to death, ABC's "Nightline" devoted the bulk of its broadcast to the case. It was the first time the venerable newsmagazine covered any aspect of the Peterson trial; unfortunately, it could be a sign of things to come. The news program, the only one of its kind on network television, has come under pressure from the corporate brass at ABC and parent Walt Disney Co. to improve ratings. One of the show's veteran top producers recently left. Jettisoning "Nightline" in favor of late-night comedy would be a shame; dumbing down the show, ostensibly to woo younger viewers, would be worse.
ABC is right to want "Nightline" to air live more often, and both the network and viewers would like to see more of Ted Koppel. Hopefully, they can reach an accord. Otherwise, the odds are that when Mr. Koppel leaves, the show will be canceled, which would be a big loss, not only for ABC, but for all of network news.

STORY TIME: No more cheesy plot twists. Fox's "The O.C." hasn't had the huge sophomore ratings the network hoped for, but isn't it a little soon to resort to cheap plot tricks? Apparently not -- in an upcoming episode, Mischa Barton's character Marissa Cooper will fall for another girl. It seems like a tired move, especially when shows such as ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," as well as HBO's "The Wire," are demonstrating how compelling plots can be developed through creative writing and unusual character developments. The writers of "The O.C." often do a great job with adult storylines, but the plots for the younger characters have become tedious.

BIG BROTHER: My last wish is for the Federal Communications Commission to stop dwelling on indecency. Yes, the Janet Jackson incident was out of line, but the flap over the "Desperate Housewives" promo on Monday Night Football was much ado about nothing. And now, the agency has requested tapes of NBC's coverage of the Summer Olympics for some possible intentional flashes of nudity by the performers during the opening ceremony's re-enactment of the ancient games.
Instead of focusing on isolated incidents that almost no viewers even notice, the commissioners should consider how they have created such a climate of fear that television stations were afraid of airing an unedited version of "Saving Private Ryan," a thoughtful film about World War II, over fear of being fined for the film's explicit language. It's time for the FCC to put down the bar of soap and examine the complex questions that matter to consumers. One place to start: How deregulatory policies have led to sweeping consolidation in the radio and television business, chipping away at the options of listeners and viewers.

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004
ABC Snags Rare Tuesday Win

(zap2it.com)-- Viewers showed only tepid interest in CBS' telecast of the Kennedy Center Honors, allowing ABC to sneak in and grab the Tuesday ratings crown.

Overall Prime Time Ratings/Share
ABC 6.2/10
CBS 6.1/10
NBC 5.9/10
Fox 3.1/5
WB 2.0/3
UPN 1.4/2

Adults 18-49
ABC 3.4
NBC 3.4
CBS 2.5
Fox 2.0
WB 1.3
UPN 0.8

At 8 p.m., CBS began the night on top with the 6.3/10 for an early and inconclusive episode of "The Amazing Race." NBC was second with the 6.2/10 for the special "The Biggest Loser: Look Back." ABC's comedies "My Wife and Kids" and "George Lopez" were fourth, more than doubling up the 2.2/4 for The WB's "Gilmore Girls" repeat. FOX's "Rebel Billionaire" posted an embarrassingly low 1.9/3, only barely better than repeats of "All of Us" and "Eve" on UPN.
At 9 p.m., ABC grabbed first for the hour with the 6.5/10 for "According to Jim" and "Rodney." The first hour of CBS' Kennedy Center telecast did a 5.9/9. FOX moved up to third with "House," which edges the not-so-triumphant return of "Father of the Pride" (4.0/6) and a repeat of "Scrubs" (4.1/7) on NBC. On The WB, "High School Reunion" was fifth, as UPN's "Veronica Mars" had a 1.3/2 for the hour.
At 10 p.m., NBC won the night's final hour with a 7.3/12 for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." ABC's "NYPD Blue" was a close second with a 6.9/12. CBS' Kennedy broadcast slipped to third.
• Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.

Cablevision scraps satellite TV spinoff plan

Investors applaud Cablevision's move to suspend the venture and seek 'strategic alternatives' instead
BY JAMES BERNSTEIN Newsday December 22, 2004

Cablevision Systems Corp. yesterday said it will suspend plans to spin off its troubled nationwide satellite television service, increasing the chances the venture will be sold.

The Bethpage-based company, the largest cable television operator in the New York area, said in a brief filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that instead it will seek "strategic alternatives" for its Rainbow Media Enterprises, the business unit that contains its Voom satellite service and three cable networks. Analysts say that usually means a company is looking to sell a business or bring in a partner. A Cablevision spokesman said the company would not comment further.

Investors cheered the move, sending Cablevision's stock up 14 percent, or $3.18, to close at $25.29, in heavy trading. Analysts also applauded, saying they saw little chance of Cablevision's making any money in the satellite TV business that is dominated by DirecTV Group Inc. and Echo Star Communications Corp.

DirecTV and Echo Star have been in the business for more than a decade and each has millions of subscribers. In comparison, Voom had about 26,000 customers as of Sept. 30. Since Voom was launched in October 2003, one of every three customers it signed up eventually dropped the service.

"It was a poorly thought out product offered years late to the market," said Bob Scherman, editor and publisher of Satellite Business News, a trade publication. "Chuck Dolan is a smart guy and he's somewhat of a legend in the business," Scherman said, referring to Cablevision's founder and chairman, Charles Dolan. "But no one could figure out any rationale or business sense" for the satellite operation.

Cablevision's Rainbow DBS unit, which operates Voom, posted sales of $5.9 million, and an operating loss of $75.3 million, in the third quarter.

In a note to clients that typified much of the reaction on Wall Street, Craig E. Moffett, who follows the cable industry for Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., said he was "delighted to see Cablevision's announcement," which he called "welcome news."

Industry experts said that Echo Star, which runs Dish Network, might be a likely buyer of Voom. Steve Caulk, a company spokesman, declined to comment. Dolan has made efforts to persuade media baron Rupert Murdoch to become a partner with the Dolans in Voom, but has had little success. Murdoch's News Corp. has a 34 percent stake of DirecTV, which has 13.5 million satellite subscribers. Echo Star has about 10.4 million customers.

If a buyer cannot be found, analysts said, Cablevision may wind up selling just Voom's assets, which include its customer list, one satellite that was launched last year, and federal licenses to operate.

"Getting rid of Voom would probably be the most significant thing Cablevision could do," said Richard Greenfield, an analyst at Fulcrum Global Partners in Manhattan.

Cablevision's announcement came after the company had twice delayed the spinoff.

If the spinoff had occurred, Charles Dolan would have become chairman of a new company to be called Rainbow Media Enterprises. His son, Thomas, would have been the chief executive of the company, which would have owned the several cable channels and 21 high-definition networks.

Cablevision Delays Plan to Spin Off Its Media Unit
By KEN BELSON The New York Times December 22, 2004

Cablevision Systems, the largest cable television provider in the New York area, suspended plans to spin off its media group, Rainbow Media Enterprises, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday.

The company, which had twice delayed the spinoff, said it would instead "pursue strategic alternatives" for the Rainbow group, which includes the Voom satellite television service and several cable television networks.

Though the company offered no details about its plans, Cablevision's shares rose sharply on the news, rising $2.95, or 13.3 percent, to close yesterday at $25.06. Investors and industry analysts interpreted the suspension of the spinoff as a sign that Cablevision will sell or shutter Voom, which has attracted just 26,000 subscribers nationwide and lost $75.3 million in the third quarter, which ended Sept. 30.

"The bottom line is the investor fear is being removed because everyone has seen Voom as a money pit," said Richard Greenfield, an analyst at Fulcrum Global Partners and a vocal critic of Voom.

Mr. Greenfield and other analysts say that Cablevision may try to sell Voom, which delivers high-definition programming. The most likely purchaser, they say, is EchoStar Communications, the operator of Dish Network, the second-largest satellite TV service.

Voom, which started service in October 2003 and sells only high-definition programming, has had troubles from the start. Analysts said the equipment was expensive and the number of homes with high-definition televisions was only just starting to grow. Cable providers, including Cablevision, are also selling or giving high-definition programming away to their subscribers.

The spinoff was also supposed to include three of Cablevision's networks, American Movie Classics, the Independent Film Channel and Women's Entertainment. Craig Moffett, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, said the networks "would unquestionably be more valuable" to NBC Universal, Disney, Fox or Viacom than to Cablevision because the media groups could combine the networks with their other holdings.

Still, other analysts said that Cablevision should hold onto its cable networks because they give the company leverage with other cable providers when negotiating fees for rights to broadcast other networks.

A spokesman for Cablevision, based in Bethpage, N.Y., would not comment on the company's plans for Voom or its networks. A spokesman for EchoStar declined to comment on Cablevision's announcement and speculation that it might buy Voom. Shares in EchoStar rose 33 cents, to $33.68.

Cablevision's loss narrowed to $63 million in the third quarter as sales increased 20 percent from the same period a year ago.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dolans lower boom on Voom
By JILL GOLDSMITH Variety.com

NEW YORK -- New York-area cabler Cablevision spread some holiday cheer on Wall Street Tuesday with plans to possibly disband or sell its money-losing Voom satellite service and to suspend a spinoff of Rainbow Media. Voom was to have been a centerpiece of the new, stand-alone entity.

Most Wall Streeters instantly predicted a sale, with Charlie Ergen's EchoStar the likeliest buyer.

Investors sent Cablevision stock up a whopping 13.34% to close at $25.06.

Voom launched in October 2003 as a satellite service focused on high-definition TV. Analysts and industry rivals scratched their heads, given the increasing availability of high-def programming on DirecTV and EchoStar, as well as the massive head start enjoyed by the nation's top two satcasters. Voom had amassed about 26,000 subs by the end of September -- vs. 12 million for DirecTV and 10 million for EchoStar.

Voom's lineup includes about three dozen high-def channels.

Investors had racked their brains for a hidden payoff or a contrarian strategy -- but still couldn't make the numbers work. Some noted that James Dolan, CEO and son of founder Chuck Dolan, was to become chairman of Cablevision, while Chuck would have become chairman of the new entity. It's not clear if James Dolan will still assume the expanded title.

Cablevision was tightlipped about lowering the boom on Voom, declining to comment beyond a one-sentence SEC filing that read: "The board of directors has decided to suspend pursuing the spinoff of its Rainbow Media Enterprises subsidiary, in its previously announced form, and instead to pursue strategic alternatives for its Rainbow DBS business."

Cablevision has already spent more than $150 million on the Voom service, including the launch of the Rainbow 1 satellite last year. It leases several others. Late last month, the cabler inked a deal with Lockheed Martin to construct five satellites for about $740 million. The status of that agreement is now unclear.

Greenfield lambasted Voom as a misguided cash drain based on shaky strategic logic. He valued it at a negative $1.5 billion. "Even if (Cablevision) could sell it for $1, our target (stock) valuation would increase from $27.50 to $32.70."

OpCo analyst Thomas Eagan figured Voom's cash flow losses amount to $125 million-$175 million a year.

Analysts said the cable company has decent fundamentals. And they're pleased they can again value the Rainbow assets -- which include AMC, IFC and WE -- without the added cash drain and financial risk of a Rainbow DBS platform.

Sanford Bernstein's Craig Moffett thinks the news will inevitably trigger speculation that the other Rainbow nets may be on the block. Cablevision sold Bravo to NBC two years ago for $1.25 billion.

Cablevision's other businesses include its regional cable and telecom interests; telecom company Lightpath; Madison Square Garden and its sports teams, the NBA Knicks and the NHL Rangers; Radio City Music Hall; Clearview Cinemas; News 12; Metro Channels; and Rainbow's interests in regional sports networks around the country.

The company remains the target of an SEC probe launched in the summer of 2003 focused mainly on accounting irregularities at AMC.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Street Applauds Rainbow Decision
By John Eggerton & Allison Romano Broadcasting & Cable, 12/22/2004 10:48:00 AM

Wall street watcher Friedman Billings Ramsey is applauding Cablevision's decision to rethink its planned spin-off of Rainbow Media assets on hold.

FBR didn't like the idea of Cablevision tying its entertainment assets to its struggling DBS play.

Rainbow Media assets include DBS service VOOM!, which launched in October 2003, plus three cable nets We: Women's Entertainment, American Movie Classics and the Independent Film Channel.

According to FBR, Voom! lost $60 million in operating cash flow in the most recent quarter, and could lose another $200 million in 2005.

Through third quarter, VOOM! counted only about a quarter of a million subscribers, compared to DirecTV’s 13.5 million subscribers and EchoStar Communications’ Dish Network’s 10 million subs.

“Basically, having a smaller, third satellite TV competitor based on gaining traction with proprietary and widely available high-definition channels could be a bit too Quixotic for the public markets,” media analyst David Joyce of JB Hanauer & Co. said in a report.

Alan Bezoza, FBR's SVP, broadband and cable research, says the company has upped its rating from "market perform" to "outperform" on the news.

"We had been skeptical regarding the rationale for the spin-off that would have married Rainbow's cash-flow-rich content with the cash-flow-draining DBS assets (a.k.a. VOOM!)," he said, "while adding a heavier debt load to the remaining cable assets. We believe that this move removes an overhang on the stock," he said, pointing out that its cable and content businesses are doing well.

FBR pointed to the company's voice business; cutting-edge VOD offerings, particularly gaming; and recent DVR roll-outs as reasons to be buoyant about Cablevision's core businesses.

Cablevision will likely have to spin-off, shutter, or reconfigure VOOM! at some point if it wants to keep its key New York City cable franchise. It cannot own both a cable system and the land-based distribution licenses, which are currently tied to VOOM!

"In a statement filed with the SEC, Cablevision said, "The board of directors has decided to suspend pursuing the spinoff of its Rainbow Media Enterprises subsidiary, in its previously announced form, and instead to pursue strategic alternatives for its Rainbow DBS business."

NBC still headlining news race; ABC catching up

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – "NBC Nightly News" retained its lead in the latest week of ratings, but ABC's "World News Tonight" had its best showing against NBC since August.

In his second full week in the anchor chair, Brian Williams beat his ABC and CBS rivals in both total viewers and in the adults 25-54 news demo.

NBC averaged 10.3 million viewers for the week ending Dec. 17, according to data released Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research. ABC averaged 9.6 million viewers, claiming it was the narrowest gap since the week of Aug. 2. "CBS Evening News" came in third with an average of 7.3 million viewers.

Among adults 25-54, NBC ruled with a 2.8 rating/11 share, compared with ABC's 2.6/10 and CBS' 2.0/7.
(Reuters/Hollywood Reporter)

Dick Clark Remains Hospitalized

(zap2it.com)--Television legend Dick Clark is out of the intensive care unit, but remains hospitalized as he recovers from a stroke earlier this month.
According to media reports, Clark is rehabbing and will stay in the hospital through Christmas and potentially through New Years.
Clark, 75, suffered the stroke on Dec. 6 and although his publicist won't give any details on his exact condition, the publicist tells the AP that there was no mental impairment.
The host of televised New Years festivities for 32 years, Clark will be replaced this year by Regis Philbin in New York's Times Square and Ashlee Simpson on the West Coast. Clark is expected to watch the show either from the hospital or from his Malibu home.
Meanwhile, cards, letters and messages from fans continue to pour in.
"There are hundreds, probably thousands, with the magic of e-mail," Paul Shefrin, Clark's publicist, says. "He's going to have an awful lot of thank-you cards to write."

" Bottom Five Shows By Network Week Ending Dec. 19 "

You should list them with the lowest-rated show on top; makes more sense that way.

Interesting idea, f44. I'll try it next week and see what it looks like.

TV Viewers to Set Own Start Time
By PETER GRANT Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL December 23, 2004; Page D5

For anyone who has ever been frustrated by missing the start of a favorite television show, the nation's second-largest cable operator has a solution.

Time Warner Inc.'s cable division is planning to roll out a new feature for digital-cable subscribers called "Start Over" that will allow viewers to do exactly that. At any point during the broadcast of a program, viewers will be able to hit a button on their remotes that will start the show from the beginning.

"People understand this and embrace it very quickly," says Glenn Britt, chief executive of Time Warner Cable.

Time Warner Cable hopes to test Start Over in at least one market next year. Mr. Britt declined to predict when the service would be launched in the company's 31 cable divisions. All digital-cable subscribers will be able to get Start Over, though maybe for a fee.

The Start Over feature will mark another step in the television industry's shift from scheduled programming to giving viewers more discretion about when they watch a show. Millions of households already have escaped the tyranny of the schedule by recording programs on digital video recorders, such as those of TiVo Inc. Others are starting to watch more "on demand" movies and other programs that cable systems store at distribution facilities called "head ends." Viewers can watch them anytime, with the ability to fast forward, reverse or pause.

But like on-demand and digital recorders, Start Over raises a number of thorny programming-rights issues that must be resolved before a launch. To make shows available outside the usual viewing time, Time Warner has to get approvals from holders of rights to the content, which could be acting guilds and music producers, as well as studios and networks.

Difficulty in obtaining program rights has forced Time Warner to shelve more-ambitious efforts to make on-demand programming available. In 2003, for example, Time Warner Cable was quietly working on a project called Mystro TV, which would have made the entire program lineup available to digital-cable subscribers for two weeks. But that effort was largely abandoned because Time Warner was unable to obtain the rights to enough content. Time Warner is hoping to avoid many of Mystro's pitfalls by making the new service more palatable to content owners, such as by precluding fast forwarding through commercials.

For the networks, it's midterm time
By Robert Bianco USA TODAY
It's midterm time at the school of network entertainment, and a few of the students are not performing up to their potential. So as we reach the TV season's halfway point, let's pass out freshman class grades and point out what each network needs to do to get its average up.

ABC: A
Evaluation: Some grades are easy. You put on two terrific shows and turn them into the two biggest scripted hits in years, and you get an A. In fact, ABC's best shows are so good, we're not even going to average in the network's failures. Give us Lost and Desperate Housewives; take a pass on The Benefactor.
Second-semester outlook: In terms of quality, and that's all we're worried about here, ABC's fortunes should only improve, starting with the January return of Alias —which all by itself kicks ABC's overall grade up to A-plus. Yes, ABC still has a lot of work to do on the comedy side, as do all the networks. But its midseason drama lineup is unusually solid. None of them is another Lost, but each is an improvement on Life as We Know It.

UPN: B
Evaluation: Follow-through remains a problem at UPN. The network introduced two strong dramas this fall, Veronica Mars and Kevin Hill, but neither has completely lived up to expectations, though Veronica has come closer than Kevin.
Second-semester outlook: If UPN is ever going to make the grade, it's going to have to bow to an old showbiz maxim: You have to spend money to make money. It's not just the feeling you get that the network isn't investing enough in talent. Everything about it smacks of the cut-rate, including the on-air logos and promotions, which are ugly almost beyond belief. Come on, UPN, how hard can that be to fix?

CBS: C
Evaluation: In September, this grade would have been a solid "B." But the network's fall average was depressed by the cancellation of its best new show, Clubhouse, and the creative mistakes of CSI: NY —a lifeless series in which the characters are so dull and ill-defined, you can barely tell the cops from the corpses. Luckily, CBS has so many solid hits, it can survive some freshman flops. But it still may want to take a second look at some of its development strategies. You copy CSI too many times, you risk wearing out the original.
Second-semester outlook: One more copy, however, may work. The network's Numb3rs is a CSI twist that substitutes math for forensic science, a twist that is far enough removed from the original to almost seem original. Now if only CBS would turn its attention to creating a decent new sitcom, preferably one built around a woman rather than one that forces some beautiful woman to play the adoring mate of some unattractive schlub.

WB: C
Evaluation: Simple math. You average an A for Jack & Bobby, a fine show despite its creative rough spots, with an F for The Mountain, and you get a C. Yes, that means forgetting Blue Collar TV and Drew Carey's Green Screen, but who hasn't?
Second-semester outlook: Don't expect any great changes from WB at midseason, which is fine with me. The network should focus its energy on getting Jack & Bobby into grade-A shape for next season.

Fox D
Evaluation: House is a fabulous show, so good that it can make us toss the F grades for Quintuplets and Method and Red. Unfortunately for Fox, that still leaves grade-F The Swan, The Next Great Champ, The Complex: Malibu and North Shore —which are cumulatively and individually just too awful to be redeemed by one strong drama — and we haven't even reached Who's Your Daddy? It doesn't matter how Fox labels its baseball-interruptus schedule: year-round programming, extended summer, delayed fall. Lousy is lousy.
Second-semester outlook: : Fox gets an immediate boost in January with the return of American Idol and 24, which comes back strong with a terrific two-hour special.The network will need those shows to perform well, because Fox has TV's most extensive and risky midseason schedule. The point player is Point Pleasant, a fantasy about a teenage girl who is searching for her birth mother — unaware that her birth father is Satan. Hey, at least no forensics are involved.

NBC: F
Evaluation: What happens when you turn the top-rated network over to people who are good at scheduling and promotion (particularly self-promotion) but have no taste, no vision and no real sense of show business? You get instant flops like LAX and Hawaii. You get the hubris of Father of the Pride, a show that should have been scrapped the moment Roy Horn was attacked by that tiger. Worst of all, you get the increasingly depressing waste-of-potential that is Joey, a show that desperately needs to be reshaped by a strong hand before it's too late, assuming it isn't already. In short, you get NBC.
Second-semester outlook: So what has NBC come up with to turn around its fortunes? A deadly drama about a crime-solving medium called Medium, another extension of Law & Order, and an American adaptation of the likely-to-prove unadaptable British hit The Office. On the plus side, NBC also has Committed, an incredibly odd but charming comedy about an incredibly odd but charming couple. Will it survive? Odds are it won't.

HBO: First ever billion dollar net
Cable fees, DVDs drive profits
By JOHN DEMPSEY Variety.com

NEW YORK -- Time Warner is generating lots of buzz and good reviews for Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" from its Warner Bros. division, but when 2004 comes to a close next week, another TW division, HBO, will become the first billion-dollar baby in TV history.

That's $1 billion in pure profits, and HBO will be able to pound its chest big time: No other network -- broadcast or cable -- has ever crashed through the billion-dollar mark in profits for a calendar year. Even NBC at its peak a few years ago managed to hit only $500 million in profits.

Word filtered out of TW headquarters last week that its HBO unit had bested its 2003 tally of $960 million in profits and would pass the billion-dollar mark for the current year.

TW doesn't break out the HBO figures separately, but Dennis McAlpine, a media analyst for McAlpine & Associates, said he's not surprised at the unit's fiscal watershed.

McAlpine said HBO extracts more money from cable operators -- a monthly fee of as much as $6 a subscriber -- than any other network, cable or pay. On top of those fees, he adds, HBO sells millions of copies of DVDs generated by such hit original programs as "The Sopranos," Sex and the City," "Six Feet Under" and "Band of Brothers."

And this year HBO slugged its first homerun in the sale of rerun programming to basic cable and TV syndication when it sold repeats of "Sex and the City" in a window shared by TBS and TV stations, chiefly Tribune Broadcasting. License fees from these joint deals funneled well over $100 million into HBO's coffers.

HBO will harvest about $2.2 billion from cable-operator license fees alone in 2004, said Tom Eagan, media analyst for Oppenheimer & Co.

The paybox will have spent about $1.4 billion this year clinching theatrical-movie output deals with Warner Bros., Fox, Universal, DreamWorks and New Line and producing original series like "Six Feet Under," "Carnivale," "Deadwood" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

As with "Sopranos" and "Sex and the City," HBO owns these original series and will be able to exploit their backend.

ESPN sports big bucks

Tom Wolzien, senior analyst with Sanford Bernstein, said the only network that may be close to the billion-dollar benchmark is ESPN, which pockets more dollars from cable systems and satellite distributors -- $2.42 billion -- than any other nationally distributed basic-cable net, according to Kagan Research.

What's more, ESPN and its various siblings (ESPN2, ESPN Classic and ESPN News) will jointly sell more than $1.25 billion in ad spots in 2004, a revenue stream that's denied to HBO, which doesn't carry advertising.

ESPN will chalk up $770 million in 2004 cash flow, Kagan said, and sister ESPN2 will drive another $105 million.

But HBO is king right now, and the network can trace its success to one main ingredient, according to Richard Greenfield, media analyst with Fulcrum Global Partners: "It comes up with uniquely creative programming that you can't get elsewhere," he said.

HBO shows pump fees

That programming, said Wolzien, "allows HBO to charge cable operators significantly more money, per subscriber, than any other network."

Original series also drive HBO's on-demand service, which McAlpine said is more popular by far than that of any other cable network, basic or pay.

On demand is not yet generating significant revenues, but as more HBO subscribers become aware of it, they'll be less inclined to cancel their subscriptions. The canceling of pay TV, called the churn rate, is one of the biggest problems faced by HBO and its two main competitors, Showtime and Starz!.

McAlpine added that HBO viewers can expect lots more sexually titillating series like "Real Sex" and "Sex Bytes" as those are the most requested programs by viewers to HBO's on-demand service.

I missed posting this earlier today.
Sorry.

The week’s winners and losers
The Donald, Trumped by 'Housewives'
By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post

Donald Trump hired another pretty boy last week, but "Desperate Housewives" outstripped him.
Here's a look at the week's housewives and apprentices:

WINNERS
"Desperate Housewives." An original episode of ABC's Sunday series was tops in the ratings last week, copping 22 million viewers and the week's biggest haul of the 18-to-49-year-olds ad execs are mad for, and teens 12 to 17.
"The Biggest Loser." Losing tonnage, gaining viewers. NBC's weight-loss competition hit a series-best 11 million viewers -- also the network's best ratings performance in the Tuesday time period in 13 months, excluding sports and election night coverage.
"Unlocking Da Vinci's Code: The Full Story." National Geographic Channel cracked the million-viewer mark for the first time with this special, premiering Sunday at 9.
"I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown." ABC unveiled this Charlie Brown special last year; this year it logged even more viewers -- 10.3 million -- and tied CBS's rerun of holiday classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," which featured Destiny's Child (don't get me started), for the week's top spot among kids ages 2 to 11.
Jerry Bruckheimer. CBS's Santa delivered to the network half of last week's Top 10 series -- "CSI: Miami," "CSI," "Without a Trace," "CSI: NY" and "Cold Case." Okay, so that's really five variations of the same formula. Still, thanks mostly to Bruckheimer, the old-folks-network-that-was took the week's top spot among younger viewers for the sixth consecutive week.

LOSERS
"The Apprentice." Puffy Trump's bloated three-hour finale Thursday plunged nearly 40 percent compared with the final broadcast of the show's first edition. The finale's second (and most watched) hour got beat by a "CSI" rerun -- ouch. But hey, that still left about 17 million viewers to catch those plugs for Mark Burnett's other NBC reality series, the upcoming "The Contender." Because it's Christmas, we'd like to note that "The Apprentice" was last week's No. 2 broadcast among the young viewers NBC targets, and NBC's most-watched show of the week, and we'd like to add that we wish NBC a better second half of the season. And to all a good night.
"Big Man on Campus." WB's latest attempt to get into the reality series game popped a little audience of 2.3 million viewers last Wednesday, coming out of a "Smallville" rerun crowd of more than 3 million.
"Dead Like Me." Dead. Seriously.

“Dead Like Me” Update
(From TVGuide.com and its “Ask (Michael) Ausiello” column)

Question: No, no, no! Showtime can't cancel Dead Like Me! Might another network pick it up? — Joseph T. Sustrik

Ausiello: It's a good question, and one I posed to MGM's television president Hank Cohen over the phone yesterday. "We are exploring every opportunity and option that we have available to us," he told me. "It's a terrific show and, contrary to what [Showtime president Robert Greenblatt] told Variety [on Tuesday], our producers don't feel like we've even begun to explore all of the Reaper opportunities that we have. We have a very, very loyal fan base and I'm going to do everything I can for these fans to make sure the show lives on. The irony of all this is that Dead Like Me is a metaphor for second chances, and we're hopefully going to find one." Cohen expects a final decision will be made within 45 days, which, according to my calculations, is plenty of time to mount a massive letter-writing campaign.

Originally posted by f44
" Bottom Five Shows By Network Week Ending Dec. 19 "

You should list them with the lowest-rated show on top; makes more sense that way.

I disagree.

If the list was titled "Worst Rated Shows By Network" then it would make sense to have then listed with lowest-rated shows on top.

The list is titled "Bottom Five Shows" which implies were are seeing the bottom five on the list of top rated shows.

I tend to agree with blitzen.
That is the way the list was meant to be read.
But if there is interest in reversing the list I could try it.

No, I agree with as is. You are showing two pieces of the list: the top five and the bottom five, in order as they are on the list.

Fast National ratings for Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2004.
ABC Far From 'Lost' on Slow Wednesday

(zap2it.com)--Two encores of early episodes of "Lost" were the highest rated programs on a night dominated by reruns and underperforming originals.

Household Rating/Share
ABC 6.9/11
NBC 6.0/10
CBS 5.4/9
Fox 3.9/6
WB 1.7/3
UPN 1.4/2

Adults 18-49
ABC 3.8
NBC 2.8
CBS 2.7
Fox 2.7
WB 1.1
UPN 0.8

At 8 p.m., ABC's "Lost" episode did a 7.5/13, well in front of NBC's reaired "Will & Grace" Christmas episode, which did a 5.5/9. CBS got third, though viewers were uninterested in the network's "Home for the Holidays" adoption-themed special. FOX was fourth as "That '70s Show" and "Quintuplets" averaged a 3.4/6. The WB's "Smallville" repeat beat the 1.3/2 for an episode of "Kevin Hill."
At 9 p.m., ABC stayed on top with a second episode of "Lost" delivering a 7.2/12. NBC remained second with "The West Wing," which just overcame the 5.2/9 averaged by CBS' "The King of Queens" and "Center of the Universe." FOX's "Nanny 911" was fourth with a 4.4/7. The WB's new episode of "BMOC" tired with a repeat of UPN's "Kevin Hill" in fifth.
At 10 p.m., CBS closed the night in first with the 7.1/12 for "CSI: NY." NBC's "Law & Order" was second with a 6.9/12. Trailing was ABC's "Wife Swap," which had a 5.9/10.
• Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.

Cable Beats Broadcast Again
by Mike Reynolds Multichannel.com

It’s all over, but the final margin: For the third straight year, basic cable will top the seven broadcast networks.

So concludes a Turner Research analysis of Nielsen Media Research data through Dec. 19. With one week left in Nielsen’s 2004 (according to the measurement company, the year ends the day after Christmas), Turner chief research officer Jack Wakshlag and his staff concluded that ad-supported cable had captured a 52.7 primetime share, an all-time high, up from 50.5 in 2003. Conversely, the broadcast networks, five of which were down or flat among key demos, according to Turner, saw their share decline to a low of 43.1, compared to 44.5 a year ago.

Turner projects when the last entries are made for Nielsen’s 2004, ad-supported cable, which is benefiting from the 10% rise to the 31.1 hours the average viewer spends watching TV per week, versus 28.3 in 1999, will control a 52.9 share, compared to 43.0 for the seven broadcast networks.

As for last week, ESPN, bolstered by a pair of NFL games, was the easy victor among basic-cable services. The total sports network averaged a 2.8 household rating from Dec. 13-19 in primetime, a performance that included a 9.5 mark for its coverage of the Baltimore Ravens-Indianapolis Colts game. Drawing some 8.4 million viewers for that Dec. 19 contest, the game attracted the sixth-largest audience in the medium’s history, and ESPN’s fourth-best mark ever. ESPN also scored with a 6.5 household rating the night before with the pro pigskin contest between the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.

USA was second for the week with a 2.1 household average, ahead of the 1.9 recorded by Lifetime Television and TNT, which is on pace to wear the Nielsen ratings diadem for the year. Nick at Nite was fifth with a 1.7.

Rounding out the top 10: Cartoon Network and Fox News Channel both with a 1.6; ABC Family, buoyed by its “25 Days of Christmas” programming stunt, at a 1.5, along with Sci Fi Channel, which was lifted by miniseries The Legend of Earthsea on Dec. 13-14; and TBS and Disney Channel, each with a 1.4.

Hallmark Channel, also serving up a strong dose of holiday fare, just missed inclusion in this group with a 1.3.

As a non-industry type, I understand little about Nielsen ratings and have heard that HD viewers are not included in their ratings. Why not? If HD viewers are not included currently, when will they be included?

Good question -- I'll try to find an answer.
But with everything slowing to a crawl for the Christmas weekend it could take a while, tall1.

But I think in the metered markets HD viewership is counted --though just added into the SD totals.

I am aware of a Neilsen family which watches almost nothing but HD programming. They had heard HD viewership doesn't count, so they called Neilsen and were assured their viewing was being tabulated.
But after that conversation they were under the impression that their viewing wasn't being broken out as HD viewership.

So if it is being combined it is really a waste of time to be tracking HD. Only when HD is broke out with it's own numbers will it matter for the advertisers and in turn broadcasters and finally the viewer who will eventually receive more HD.

Originally posted by blitzen102
I disagree.

If the list was titled "Worst Rated Shows By Network" then it would make sense to have then listed with lowest-rated shows on top.

The list is titled "Bottom Five Shows" which implies were are seeing the bottom five on the list of top rated shows.

I just mean to flip the same of list of 5 in reverse, so it would be the same shows listed, just with the worst of the 5 on the bottom.

keenan:
If HD ratings become available, I will of course post them.

Fox Sports Coping With NHL Strike
by R. Thomas Umstead Multichannel.com 12/23/2004

As the fate of the 2004-05 National Hockey League season should be known shortly, Fox Sports Net and its affiliate regional sports services have adjusted well to the lockout to date, particularly on the financial side.

A number of published reports have pegged Jan. 14 as the day the NHL’s board of governors could vote to pull the plug on the entire campaign. Thus far, despite the loss of hundreds of NHL games due to the league owners and players dispute over salaries, Fox Sports Net president Bob Thompson said most of its more than 20 owned and affiliated regional sports networks have not suffered major ratings declines in the absence of pro pucks.

For the most part, the networks have compensated for the loss of the NHL by adding more National Basketball Association games and college football and basketball telecasts, Thompson said.

“It’s always disappointing not to have one of our three big sports, especially in markets such as Pittsburgh, Detroit and St. Louis that are very strong NHL markets,” Thompson said. “We miss it from a product standpoint, and some markets miss it from a ratings standpoint.”

But from a financial standpoint, Thompson said Fox has benefited from the lockout because it doesn’t have to pay the teams for lost games. He added that the lack of NHL rights payments have countermanded increased rights fees in several markets this year to some extent.

For example, Fox Sports Southwest anted up a reported $600 million to secure multi-year cable rights to Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros and the NBA’s Houston Rockets, while teaming with Fox Sports South to reach a multiyear, multimillion dollar pact to acquire basketball’s Memphis Grizzlies cable rights.

In addition, Fox Sports Rocky Mountain will pay baseball’s Colorado Rockies a reported $20 million a year through 2014 as part of a major TV deal reached this past summer which also included minority ownership in the team. The deal keeps the Rockies from following basketball’s Denver Nuggets and hockey’s Colorado Avalanche to market competitor Altitude Sports and Entertainment Network, which launched two months ago.

“From a financial standpoint, clearly it’s a net benefit not having to pay the rights fees,” Thompson said. Fox Sports Net officials said it is “premature” to talk about any potential operator rebates until the status of the NHL season is determined.

Originally posted by keenan
So if it is being combined it is really a waste of time to be tracking HD. Only when HD is broke out with it's own numbers will it matter for the advertisers and in turn broadcasters and finally the viewer who will eventually receive more HD. More specifically, it'll only matter when not being in HD is a detriment to a program's ratings. As long as an advertiser gets the same commercial simulcast in both formats, it won't make much of a difference. And for not being in HD to be a detriment, the penetration of sets has to be significant.

Now back to the news.

FOX's 'Who's Your Daddy?' Draws Inevitable Protest

(zap2it.com)--Wait a second. A FOX reality show runs afoul of an assortment of advocacy groups who say that the show makes a mockery of their lifestyle and is ultimately trashy and exploitative? Stop us if you've heard this one before.

Adoption groups are -- shockingly -- unhappy that FOX is moving forward with plans to air the audaciously titled "Who's Your Daddy?," a reality special in which a woman attempts to pick her biological father out from a group of anonymous strangers trying to trick her into accepting their claims of paternity.

The Los Angeles Times reports that a loose coalition of adoptees, adoptive parents and birth parents is attempting to reach a large enough mass that FOX will be forced to cancel the broadcast, scheduled for Monday, Jan. 3.

"This is a new low for the FOX network," writes David Youtz, president of Families With Children From China, in a letter sent to FOX president Peter Chernin. "It's hard to imagine a more callous kind of exploitation than the treatment of this most private moment as a crude entertainment."

Critics of the show are filling FOX in-boxes with angry e-mails. While it's unlikely that any of the groups have seen the special, they're confident that any show in which men attempt to lie to an adopted woman in the hopes of scoring a $100,000 prize probably won't be handling the issue in the most sensitive way possible. Some groups also take exception to the fact that promos for the show say that the woman will finally find her "real dad," somehow implying that her adoptive dad was less real than a man she's never met.

"It takes a deeply intimate, important personal experience and trivializes it, turning it into a money-grubbing game show," Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, tells the Times.

In a statement to the paper on Tuesday (Dec. 21), FOX executives admitted that while the title seems trashy, that's just a hook to get fans of trashy TV to watch the special.

"It's not the producers' or network's intention to offend anyone, but clearly the title of this special is attention-grabbing -- possibly contributing to controversy," the statement says. "It is not indicative, however, of the special's actual content. The willing and informed participants are some of the millions of adopted Americans unable to reunite with the biological parent[s]. They seized the opportunity to participate and the result is compelling.

"It is also important to note that this special in no way detracts from the relationship between adoptive parents and their children," the statement continues. "In fact, most participants clearly state that they consider their adoptive parent[s] to be their 'real parents,' but they are curious about their family of origin."

A Jan. 2 protest has been played by Ron Morgan, a San Francisco adoptee who will stand in front of Fox Television Studios with a sign reading "Honk if You're My Daddy."

Assuming the show airs, it will be hosted by "All My Children" vet Finola Hughes.

And here is the story the zap2it.com report mentioned:

Fox show 'Daddy' draws ire
Critics claim a reality show trivializes the complex feelings surrounding adoption.
By Lynn Smith Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Dec 22 2004

The Fox network, which drew complaints earlier this year for reality shows about gay impostors and a dwarf looking for his bride, has provoked an organized campaign against its newest reality-show creation, "Who's Your Daddy?"

Angered over a reality show they say trivializes the complex feelings surrounding adoption, a loose coalition of adoptees, adoptive parents and birth parents has launched a nationwide effort to force Fox to cancel the show's Jan. 3 broadcast.

In the show, an adult woman adopted as an infant has a chance to win $100,000 if she can correctly choose her biological father from among eight men, including seven impostors. If she chooses a fake, he will win the money. Five other father-and-child reunions have been taped but not scheduled.

Critics have deluged the network with e-mails and have requested a sit-down meeting with Fox executives. They say they are contacting advertisers and the show's producers, Hallock & Healy Productions.

A San Francisco adoptee, Ron Morgan, also is organizing a Jan. 2 protest — "Honk if You're My Daddy" — outside Fox Television Studios in Century City.

"This is a new low for the Fox network," said David Youtz, president of Families With Children From China, in a letter sent to Fox president Peter Chernin on Tuesday. "It's hard to imagine a more callous kind of exploitation than the treatment of this most private moment as a crude entertainment."

Youtz said the "circus-like atmosphere" of televised reunions "can only be painful for the many adopted persons searching or considering searching for birth parents," as well as birth parents and adoptive parents.

Without having seen the show, most protesters lashed out against the title, the use of the phrase "real dad" in a Fox news release (implying, they say, an adoptive father is not real) and the concept of rewarding adoptees with large amounts of cash for selecting the correct birth parent.

"It takes a deeply intimate, important personal experience and trivializes it, turning it into a money-grubbing game show," said Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, a New York research, policy and education organization, which first alerted media and other groups about the show last week.

As of Tuesday, an estimated 5,000 e-mails had been sent to the cable network, most using a formatted protest letter provided by As Simple As That, an adoption advocacy group.

One adoptive mother in Northern California, who asked not to be identified, said in an interview, "We just want to get the damn show off the air. We will stop at nothing less than that."

She said she did not want her school-age daughter exposed to the idea that their family was not a normal family.

Fox executives in Los Angeles on Tuesday issued a statement:

"It is not the producers' or network's intention to offend anyone, but clearly the title of this special is attention-grabbing — possibly contributing to controversy. It is not indicative, however, of the special's actual content. The willing and informed participants are some of the tens of millions of adopted Americans unable to reunite with their biological parent(s). They seized the opportunity to participate, and the result is compelling.

"It is also important to note that this special, in no way, detracts from the relationship between adoptive parents and their children. In fact, most participants clearly state that they consider their adoptive par-ent(s) to be their 'real parents,' but they are curious about their family of origin."

Fox executives declined to say whether they would be willing to meet with representatives of the adoptive community, or reconsider the scheduled Jan. 3 airing of "Who's Your Daddy?"

Earlier this year, gay and lesbian activists protested two Fox reality shows, "Playing It Straight" — in which contestants were offered $1 million if they picked a straight man or straight woman from among gay and straight suitors — and "Seriously Dude, I'm Gay," in which two straight men competed for $50,000 by trying to pass as homosexuals.

According to a Fox spokesman, the first was canceled due to poor ratings, while the second never aired as a result of "creative concerns."

The two-part special, "The Littlest Groom," aired despite complaints earlier this year.

Fox isn't alone in drawing complaints about programming themes. Nearly two years ago CBS stirred up controversy among people in the South, particularly those living in the Appalachian hills of Kentucky, with a reality-based remake of "The Beverly Hillbillies." Critics complained that the network intended to humiliate people simply because they were poor and uneducated by moving them into a Beverly Hills mansion, and then filming them trying to adapt. CBS executives decided to indefinitely delay production.

Also this year, a birth parents group demonstrated against an ABC Barbara Walters' Special, "Be My Baby," which aired April 30. A pregnant teenager chose her child's adoptive parents from among several hopeful couples.

The teenager "wanted to keep her baby. Not a single adult stepped up to the plate to help her," said Barbara Shaw, media coordinator for Concerned United Birthparents. "People found that repugnant."

Television has produced many positive informative programs about adoption, including the 1995 TV movie, "The Other Mother," which told the story of a birth mother who had given up her baby, Shaw said. But she acknowledged there's also an audience for more melodramatic treatments, judging by the long-running segment on daytime's "Maury Povich Show" in which men undergo DNA testing to determine which one fathered a woman's baby.

"It saddens me to see this issue isn't taken seriously enough," said Shaw. She has located but not reunited with the son she gave up for adoption 37 years ago. "There's terrible grief and loss that lasts a lifetime."

The irony in protesting a new show is that an uproar may only increase viewer interest. "But it's important for us to take a stand on things we care deeply about," Shaw said.

(Los Angeles Times staff writer Martha Groves contributed to this report.)

Originally posted by DrDon
More specifically, it'll only matter when not being in HD is a detriment to a program's ratings. As long as an advertiser gets the same commercial simulcast in both formats, it won't make much of a difference. And for not being in HD to be a detriment, the penetration of sets has to be significant.

Now back to the news.

Right, sort of the flip-side of what I was saying..:)

Another aspect, though, is that despite HD being available in only 7-8% of the nation's homes, those viewers are in households with an average income of $80,000+.

And there are (or should be, one would think) a number of advertisers anxious to reach such consumers.

You would think...although, I'm not seeing anymore dead air during commercial breaks on any of the networks lately...

Originally posted by fredfa
And there are (or should be, one would think) a number of advertisers anxious to reach such consumers. I'm sure there are, but as long as television (talking network, not HDNet, etc) is sold in combination, they have to buy it all to get them. There are far less expensive and more accurate ways to target $80K+ households. Television is not a medium for niche advertisers.

Now, if the networks or the local stations started splitting the breaks, possibly. But do that and you risk drawing the ire of the "general" advertisers who suddenly don't have the whole pie, anymore. And no station will risk offending the bread-and-butter.

Did I miss something?
Or does this lengthy look at Comcast and its vision for the future fail to mention HD even once?

Comcast: Banking on a VOD Future
By Mike Farrell Multichannel.com

Shortly after the much vaunted and rather speedy integration of AT&T Broadband was completed, executives at Comcast Corp. were faced with a slight dilemma: What do we do next?

The answer was pretty simple: Grow the video business. And the quickest way to do that, they determined, was to aggressively push video on demand.

That was a bit of a departure from the rest of the industry, which seemed to focus most of its energies on high-speed data, new telephony products and technologies like digital video recorders. Comcast president and chief operating officer Steve Burke says it made the most sense for the MSO.

“If you look at our company, the vast majority of our revenue, despite the tremendous growth of high-speed data and the fact that we have a large telephone business, comes from our video business,” Burke says. “Therefore, the No. 1 priority in the company becomes growing our video business.

“When you look at all of the different ways you can do that, in terms of product enhancements, we think the best is video on demand for a variety of reasons,” Burke adds. “First of all, consumers love the ability to time-shift; that’s going to be a big part of the future of television. There are a variety of ways to time-shift, but video on demand, we think, is the most compelling for consumers, because it doesn’t require any prepurchase planning.

“It’s not a planned purchase; it’s an impulse purchase. It’s also the most attractive for copyright owners because it’s extremely secure as opposed to recording with a DVR. And it should be most attractive of all the time shifting methods for advertisers because we’re trying to offer VOD in an advertising friendly way. Last but not least, satellite can’t do it.”

Comcast also took a novel approach to its VOD offering. Instead of charging for selected VOD programming, as some of its peers have, Comcast has pursued a free VOD strategy aimed at driving digital-cable growth.

The free VOD model is a simple one — offer a compelling product (VOD) only through the digital tier, and reap the benefits in the higher price of that tier, usually about $14.95 per month more than basic service. But Burke says Comcast’s robust VOD offering has greater value than just increased digital revenue.

“First of all, it adds value to our product at a time when we need to add value to our product,” Burke says. “The fact of the matter is, we’re facing very strong competition from [DBS providers] DirecTV [Inc.] and EchoStar [Communications Corp.]; they’re adding new products all of the time. We expect the speed of evolution of their product to increase in the future, not decrease.

“The payoff is in the form of more basic subscribers, more digital subscribers, and reduced digital churn,” Burke says. “The business model is like any other product. I don’t care if you’re selling automobiles or you’re selling consumer electronics: You have to continually improve the value side of your product, and that is what we’re all about.

“That value, in our minds, dwarfs whatever we could be leaving on the table by not charging for the product,” he adds.

Sanford Bernstein & Co. cable analyst Craig Moffett says that Comcast’s VOD strategy makes sense in that it also further differentiates the cable offering from direct-broadcast satellite service.

“Comcast is looking out to the day when you interact with your TV set by first going to the VOD menu and browsing through a library of thousands of titles and deciding what you want to watch and where the schedule is increasingly an anachronism,” Moffett says. “You’d like to be able to interact with your TV in the same way you interact with Google.

“Comcast loves that, because no matter how big your DVR hard drive gets to be, you’ll never be able to do that with a DVR,” Moffett adds.

4,600 FREE VOD TITLES

So far, Comcast’s VOD strategy seems to be working extremely well. Comcast has about 4,600 free VOD titles available each month, ranging from stalwarts like Discovery Networks U.S.’s “Discovery on Demand” and an assortment of kids programming from Nickelodeon, PBS Kids and Noggin; to sports packages like NFL Replay (highlights of NFL games) and NBA Highlights On Demand; on-demand movies; and shows from popular cable networks like A&E Network, Court TV, National Geographic Channel, Comedy Central and The History Channel.

Usage of Comcast VOD service has nearly tripled since the beginning of the year, from 20 million streams in January to about 58 million in October. Comcast’s goal for next year is to have a total of 1 billion streams.

Customers also are coming back to VOD programming regularly. In October customers, on average, used the VOD service 23 times.

VOD also has driven digital subscriptions. In the third quarter, Comcast added 341,000 digital customers, well above analysts’ expectations of 230,000 to 300,000 additions. It is on track to add between 700,000 and 1 million new digital customers for the year.

THE MGM FACTOR

Unlike its peers, Comcast has been aggressively adding to its VOD content library. Virtually all of its linear programming deals include rights for VOD. Additionally, earlier this year Comcast agreed to invest in a partnership, headed by Sony Corp., that purchased movie studio Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Inc. for $4.9 billion.

Comcast pledged about $300 million to the MGM purchase, and it will manage a content partnership that will provide it with movie and series content from both studios.

Sony has about 3,000 movies in its library; MGM has about 4,000 titles.

Comcast is set to receive about 25 movies a month from Sony beginning in January and another 25 per month from MGM once the deal is finalized later this year. About 30% of that content will be refreshed each month.

But perhaps the most compelling part of the deal is the vast amount of series content Comcast will receive. With access to more than 35,000 series episodes from Sony and another 10,000 program episodes from MGM, Comcast will have ample fodder to create new channels. No decisions have been made as to which channels to launch first, Burke says.

“We’re going to be in a position to make some announcements in the next few months,” Burke says. “[Executive vice president of programming investments] Amy Banse and her team have been hard at work coming up with ideas in conjunction with the Sony team.

“First thing is to get the MGM deal done, which ought to happen, hopefully, in the next month or so. And then, after that, I think you’ll see us make some announcements.”

Although many content companies have signed on to the Comcast VOD strategy, others have held back.

“Every major content company that we had a renewal negotiation with and many new providers, like the NFL and children’s, have all signed on — some wildly enthusiastic, like Discovery, and others with trepidation that the technology is potentially disruptive,” says Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts. “I’ve thought back to having listened to [Turner Broadcasting System Inc. founder] Ted Turner talk when I was on his board [of directors] about how when technology changed with satellite, how many broadcasters mocked his efforts with TBS and later CNN and HBO.”

One FVOD holdout has been The Walt Disney Co., which has insisted in the past on being paid for VOD content. Comcast has resisted paying for VOD programs that it has already paid for, but has said it is willing to pony up for new content — and has — for such shows as its Dating On Demand channel in Philadelphia and various niche VOD programming like health and fitness.

In early December, at the UBS Warburg Media Week conference in New York, Disney president Robert Iger opened the door to possibly reaching a compromise with Comcast.

“We are engaged in discussions with Comcast about the distribution of all of our services,” Iger said at the conference. “As part of that discussion, Comcast has expressed a great interest in content for their video-on-demand platform. It’s likely that if we do a deal, it will include some video-on-demand component. How much has yet to be determined.”

But Iger hinted that Disney is not quite ready to give away the entire VOD store.

“One of the things we need to be careful about is protecting value,” Iger says. “We know the people who have TiVos watch more TV — I think that is going to be the case when there is more video on demand out there, but we want to make sure we are paid adequately for it.

“It’s unlikely we will be able to use it to just aggregate consumption and sell that story to advertisers. So I think we have to ultimately get paid. The question is how much we make available on a free basis to prime the pump in the marketplace, and then you up-sell the great stuff. We’re in discussions in that regard.”

While Comcast has had great success with VOD, it isn’t charging for it either. That appears to be OK, since customers have to buy the digital tier to get access to VOD. But what happens when digital penetration — currently at about 40% — reaches a ceiling?

“The whole idea of digital as a tier will become increasingly anachronistic over the next 10 years,” Moffett says. “Digital is simply another collection of premium channels. You’ve already seen Comcast in its thinking about digital simultrans as the solution to a whole host of problems. It allows you to start to build a more interesting and more compelling introductory service package that includes VOD.”

And even as Comcast moves toward digital simulcasting — scheduled to begin next year — which would put at least some VOD capabilities in the hands of all of its customers (including those not paying for the digital tier), Moffett says there are still opportunities for VOD revenues.

“[Customers] will undoubtedly order more movies via the on-demand platform than they would’ve on the pay-per-view platform, and so they will end up with higher a la carte revenues,” Moffett says. “And they will also generate a whole host of advertising opportunities through addressability, digital ad insertion and targeting that an analog customer simply can’t deliver.

“Is Comcast getting a return on that digital set-top box and the VOD platform? Well, maybe,” he adds. “Even if they don’t charge for it.”

Burke says it is likely that customers that don’t pay for the digital tier will have access to a limited number of VOD services.

“The idea will be that there are different levels of digital service, and eventually the most basic level, where you get a $70 digital set-top box, you get no programming but you get access to VOD,” Burke says. “You might get access to a smaller universe of VOD than you would get if you were a traditional digital customer who is paying $15 [more] a month.”

Comcast at a Glance
(all numbers in thousands)
9 months ended 9/30/03 9 months ended 9/30/04
Revenue $13,606,000 $15,072,000
Operating Cash Flow $4,672,000 $5,545,000
Free Cash Flow ($115,000) $1,437,000
Basic Subscribers 21,470 21,487
Digital Subscribers 7,281 8,405
High-Speed Data Subscribers 4,862 6,554
Source: Comcast quarterly statements

OK. This post is a little dry, a little complex, and probably won’t interest everyone.
That being said, how do cable’s top executives look at HD?
Well Charter’s top man, Carl Vogel spoke with Cableworld.com about his company’s plans for HD
(as I noted, this is a perhaps bit of a tough read, but, to my geekish mind, very illuminating.) :)

Charter's president and CEO Talks about HD
An Online Cableworld.com Extra: Q&A With Carl Vogel
By John P. Ourand Cableworld.com
Charter Company president and CEO Carl Vogel spoke with us at length about his HD strategy, among other topics.

CW: Explain how you take a corporate HD strategy and send it out to your systems when some of your systems can't even deliver HD.

Vogel: Originally, we tried to get HD into our top markets where we had scale--where we could get economies of scale on the head-end equipment. That's how we started the process. We have subsequently pushed HD to about 78% of our footprint. We generally have taken the approach where we will go as deep as we can, where we can get scale economies at the headend level. That's the technology side of the equation. From a marketing side of the equation, we want to make sure that we can get the right retail relationships--some of those we've done nationally, many of those we've done locally. And then from a programming standpoint, (the) programming group has done all they can to get as much HD content available in the market. Those deals are generally cut at the corporate level with some KMA assistance, if necessary. The technical strategy was put together where we could get scale originally. We pushed that deeper as we saw success. Now, it's available to 78% of our footprint. The programming strategy,, generally we were in a position that we weren't going to launch HD unless we had two broadcasters. We've changed our thinking there. We think the market opportunity is greater.
All of our premium services are available in HD. We did our ESPN deal, which gave us ESPN in HD. We have Mark Cuban's product in HD. We have plenty of product, therefore we've been more aggressive in rolling it out. The engineering has been thought about centrally and executed locally. And the marketing and the various offers depends if it's a national or local offer. They are done for the most part locally. Certainly, the fulfillment and execution has been done locally and the marketing message has been done locally and the content acquisition has been done centrally.

CW: How do you make your decisions with HD versus VOD versus telephony versus HSD? Do you have an official ranking of services you want to deploy?

Vogel: It's based on a return analysis, for the most part. Starting with HSD, that's obviously a profitable product for everybody in the business. Most of that plant readiness has been in place for a long time with respect to two-way capability. That's certainly top of mind and has been our revenue engine all year long. In terms of HD, that's a competitive necessity. Therefore, we've looked at that and think that's top table stakes--you've got to be in the game with HD. Same with PVR. With video on demand, we've got [it] rolled out to about half our digital base. That's a more complicated process. When we look at the process, we look at return on investment and then what is necessary to enable the product. Obviously with HD, it's head-end modifications and having the inventory, the set-top box and content. That's a little bit easier than video on demand where you've got to do billing system integration, you've got to do integration in the head-end, you've got to do content acquisition, you've got to pitch, you've got to catch, you've got to do all sorts of things. Generally, we've determined where we're going to spend our money based on how fast we can get a return and what impact it's going to have on the operating side of the business. Voice over IP is a perfect example. This year, by the end of the year, we'll have approximately 1 million of our 12 million homes enabled with voice over IP. Well, voice over IP is complicated. [It] requires some modification to the CMTS. Certainly, it requires the billing platform, whereas obviously HD tiers and box rental for PVRs is a little simpler. So those kinds of things take a little more time and require a little bit more investment. There's also regulatory aspects. If you look at Charter, we've gone pretty fast on data. We were out of the gate quick with video on demand, but now we're being a little bit more rational and making sure we've got the right operational elements in place before we go any further. As we talk HD and PVR, we're going as fast as we can. And voice over IP, we will go to the extent we can given the availability of product we have and the ability for us to execute locally. All of it is done on a return on investment basis. Obviously, there's competitive aspects you're going to put in there, depending on a market, as well. You may accelerate something in a certain market that you might not otherwise do because of competitive issues.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
++++The complete interview is at
http://www.cableworld.com/cgi/cw/show_mag.cgi?pub=cw&mon=122004&file=qa.htm

Another critic's view of the mid season prime time replacement shows.

Happy view year
Heard of Christmas in July? How about new fall season in January?
Network TV warms up winter with 11 series premieres and returns of six favorites
By Jonathan Storm Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist

There's a hint of fall in the airwaves.

TV this January will look a lot like September, as the networks debut 11 series and offer the season premieres of six returning shows, including two well-loved action dramas and America's most popular "reality" series.

Much of the turmoil comes from Fox, implementing the meatiest segment of the year-round programming plan it has adopted, in part to address the mess that postseason baseball inflicts on its fall schedule. But five of the six networks have at least one new show next month (the WB takes a pass).

Old friends include ABC's Alias (returning Jan. 5) and Fox's 24 (Jan. 9) and The Bernie Mac Show (Jan. 14). American Idol (Jan. 18), on Fox, leads a reality parade that marks the return of ABC's The Bachelorette (Jan. 10) and millionaire debu-trash Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie in The Simple Life 3 (Jan. 26). This time, the affluent daughters of ditz ride the Greyhound through our neck of the woods, stopping to "work" odd jobs, instilling lust in the locals and fears of bankruptcy in their employers.

Compressed schedules in the brave new world of reality require recharging at the networks. Survivor, The Apprentice, The Bachelor, and America's Next Top Model have wrapped their fall runs. Nothing official from NBC, but The Apprentice 3 could premiere before the end of the month. With football finishing up, ABC will fill Monday night entirely with reality, as it watches ratings thud like a quarterback sacked by Jevon Kearse.

The genre ain't what it used to be. Except for Top Model, all the series that eliminate contestants week after week lost viewers this fall, and the industry, especially Fox, will watch to see if reality king American Idol, so crucial to the ratings success of the entire network, will hold up.

But the right concept could reverse the trend, and NBC may have found it with The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search (Jan. 5). Hot chicks in next to nothing, trying to outdo one another as sex objects - just the thing for family viewing Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

If you think that's bad, check out Fox's one-shot (thank goodness) Jan. 3 show, Who's Your Daddy?, in which a grown woman, adopted as an infant, tries to select her birth father from eight contestants. An impostor who fools her gets a cash prize, to make up for his loss of self-respect. If she gets it right, she gets not only a new daddy, but also money to support him.

Three new dramas look promising. Though most shows with weird titles fade fast, CBS's Numb3rs (Jan. 23) assembles a crackerjack cast under the tutelage of first-rate feature-film brother act Tony and Ridley Scott. NBC's Medium (Jan. 3) - created by Glenn Gordon Caron, the man behind the scintillating '80s series Moonlighting - stars Patricia Arquette as a woman who can talk to the dead. Fox's Point Pleasant (Jan. 20) comes from Buffy the Vampire Slayer writer/producer Marti Noxon.

Night by night in January
Jan. 3: Medium (10 p.m., NBC). Arquette would like to help the cops solve grisly cases, but first they must believe she actually can communicate with ghosts. Based on the life of a real person.
Jan. 4: Committe[/B]d (9:30, NBC). Paranoid boy meets incurable optimist girl. Sparks fly. Laughs, too, the network hopes, but just in case, a clown (Tom Poston) lives in her closet. I am not making this up.
Jan. 5: The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search (8, NBC).
The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott (8, UPN). The hip-hop biggie takes 13 would-be music stars on tour. One will get a record contract.
Alias (9, ABC). Jennifer Garner returns in a two-hour premiere as the spy of a thousand gorgeous faces. The show will run Wednesdays at 9, with no repeats, to the end of the season, making an attractive action package with executive producer J.J. Abrams' other series, Lost, at 8.
Jan. 6: Wickedly Perfect (8, CBS). Annoying style mavens bicker and luxuriate on a New England estate. The network thinks the winner of this show will become "the country's new authority on at-home living." If the series gets half of Survivor's ratings, everyone should win a lifetime supply of plug-in air freshener.
Jan. 8: The Will (8, CBS). Grasping friends and family try to persuade rich guy Bill Long, 73, to leave them his big Kansas spread. Among the contestants: his fourth wife, 45 (that's her age and, it appears, her chest size), and her mother, who's the same age as Long. The show and its characters seem so outrageous, it might actually work.
Jan. 9: 24 (8, Fox). Kiefer Sutherland is back as Jack Bauer, who'll be given another day to save the world. Virtually every other regular will be missing at the beginning, but anyone could turn up later. The producers really do make the story up as they go along. After a two-hour Sunday premiere, the show moves Jan. 10 to its regular 9 p.m.-Monday slot, and, like Alias, runs straight through to May.
Jan. 10: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition: How'd They Do That? (8, ABC). Either desperate or with a flat learning curve, ABC starts to drive another successful show into the ground with this "behind-the-scenes" series.
The Bachelorette (9, ABC). Bachelor love-loser Jen Schefft seeks new romance in New York.
[B]Jan. 14: The Bernie Mac Show (8, Fox). New episodes at 8, reruns at 8:30.
Jonny Zero (9, Fox). Ex-con Jonny tries to avoid (1) returning to a life of crime and (2) going undercover for the FBI. With actors named Franky G and GQ, this one may be too cool for its Friday-night room.
Jan. 17: Supernanny (10, ABC). Another concept that the Mouse had first, but Fox copied fast, this show rounds out ABC's night of phony reality with a child-rearing genius who answers beleaguered parents' prayers.
Jan. 18: American Idol (8, Fox). Same aggravating judges, new irritating contestants.
Jan. 20: Point Pleasant (9, Fox). The network uses these adjectives to describe the show and its characters: wicked, beautiful, dangerous, heroic, possessive, hot-to-trot, mysterious, charismatic. And the central character is the daughter of the devil.
Jan. 23: Numb3rs (10, CBS). Rob Morrow is the FBI guy, David Krumholtz is his math-geek brother, and they solve cases with numbers the way Gil Grissom does it with DNA on CSI. Peter MacNicol (Ally McBeal), Judd Hirsch (Taxi), and Sabrina Lloyd (Sports Night) also star. The show moves to its regular Fridays-at-10 slot on Jan. 28.
Jan. 26: The Simple Life 3: Interns (8:30, Fox).

A rather personal look at competition in the HD programming world.

Beating the competition - HDNet vs InHD
By HDNet Founder Mark Cuban at his http://www.blogmaverick.com/ Posted Dec 23, 2004, 11:45 PM ET

In the world of HDTV, there are 4 channels that are exclusive to High Definition TV, HDNet and HDNet Movies, of which I, Todd Wagner and Phil Garvin are the proud owners, and InHD and InHD2. InHDs are owned by a consortium of the largest cable companies.

David vs Goliath. Well Goliath has been saying some not so nice things at seminars and to customers lately, so I thought I would avoid all the clutter and clucking and just throw up some fun facts. Neither of us is perfect, but I can assure you they are a little less perfect than HDNet and HDNet Movies .

One of the claims that they made was that InHD had more programming in HD than any other network. So I had someone on our staff start tracking their schedule starting Nov 29th through the Dec 26th (based on their published schedules). I knew they repeated programming far more often than we did, but I couldnt quantify it. I also didnt know how many hours of programming, original or otherwise that they showed every month. Now I know.

I have to say in going through the results, there were some very, very nostalgic moments. On their schedule was A Dogs Day in Manhattan , Over Arizona and A Day in the Dirt . All very nice programs. I know because they were all we could afford when HDNet first launched in Sept of 2001. Fortunately, even in our first months, we never replayed them as much as InHD does. A Dogs Day, was a dogs 12 days on InHD running 12 times combined on their 2 channels, including FIVE times in primetime ! Over Arizona was repeated 17 times, with 2 prime time plays with A Day in the Dirt rolling by 10 times. Instant HD Classics I guess.

But I digress. Seventeen is a lot of repeats, but its not the InHD champ. That title belongs to the animated film, Santa vs the Snowman. 21 Repeats. InHd has two shows they repeated more than 20 times in less than a month. There were 8 shows that repeated 15 or more times including the World Taco Eating Championships and Korean Sumo Wrestling. My favorite example of repeats however was the showing and reshowing of the Nov 19th University of San Francisco mens basketball game seven times.

How does that compare to HDNet and HDNet Movies combined ?

We didnt have a single program or movie that was repeated 15 or more times.

Thats not to say that we dont repeat some shows a lot. We do. We have 7 programs or movies that were shown 10 to 12 times. We repeated our original show, Whats Kewl At Cedia, the most at 12 times. Never during primetime.

We repeat a new episode of HDNet World Report 10 times, with 2 primetime showings. Also repeated were our exclusive coverage of the Race of Champions in Paris, but other than its air date, non of the repeats were in primetime. On the HDNet Movies side, The movies we repeated 10 times were Diner and The Killing Fields.

A number that does give an indication as to the financial committment an HD network is willing to make is the number of different shows available on the network. Since HD is relatively new to the TV world, you have to make an effort to produce original programming or license HD compatible programming from others. HDNet NEVER does any upconverts at all. 100 percent of our programming was either shot with an HD camera or converted from a 35mm negative. Im going to give InHD the benefit of the doubt and assume theirs is as well. Lets see who works harder and invests more in HD programming.

All told in the period covered, across both networks, InHD and InHD2 broadcast 163 different programs, events or movies. Of those 163 different shows, 39, or just under 25 percent were repeated 10 or more times. More than half of their schedule was repeated 5 or more times.

In serious contrast, HDNet and HDNet Movies broadcast 540 different programs, events or movies. Those numbers are absolutely correct. We broadcast almost FOUR TIMES as many different shows as InHD and InHD2 combined. Of those 540 different programs, 172 were programs or events shot and produced by HDNet exclusively in 1080i HD for HDNet.

I’m proud to say that HDNet shot , produced and broadcast more shows in this month period than InHD and InHD showed in total, combined on their networks !


Of course number of repeats and total shows doesnt tell the whole story. Im not going to argue quality of programming, we have them handsdown in that department as well. But you can subscribe to HDNet and HDNet Movies to judge that for yourself !

What the numbers do show without question is our committment to great programming and customer satisfaction. HDNet has made the commitment to produce and license shows that our subscribers want to watch.

We realize that HD is a new experience for our viewers. That it is so compelling that viewers come back every day, excited to see more. They want to become addicted to HD !

We dont want them coming back to our channels excited to see what is on and always seeing the same 5 or 10 shows repeated day after day. We want them to be completely entertained each time they turn on HDNet or HDNet Movies and always coming back for more. Knowing that with our variety of great programming, they can always find something fun to watch. It makes for happy viewers, and happy cable and satellite partners !

I like the way we compare to our competition. Best of all, our committment to programming is growing by the day. HDNet Films premieres this coming year. We have new original programming that we will be announcing. More specials. More concerts. The best is yet to come, so stay tuned !

Originally posted by fredfa
"We have plenty of product, therefore we've been more aggressive in rolling it out."Speaking as a Charter subscriber, Carl Vogel's definition of "plenty" certainly seems overly generous. It seems like all they offer nationally are the HDNet channels, HBO, Showtime, ESPN, and Discovery HD. I realize my market (Greenville, SC) might not be representative, but in my neck of the woods, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, the WB, and two PBS stations are all broadcasting in HD; Charter's only bothered to ensnare NBC so far. Since I'm not a Showtime subscriber (if they beef up their lineup of movies in HD, I'd reconsider), that means I only get six channels total, and I can pick up more than that with an antenna.

Down to 'The Wire'
Why television's best crime show ever may not be coming back
BY MATT ZOLLER SEITZ Newark Star-Ledger

David Simon thinks long-term. In television, that's not an asset.

Formerly a crime reporter for the Baltimore Sun, Simon is the creator and executive producer of HBO's "The Wire." The series has been one of the best-kept secrets on TV for three seasons now -- and not without reason. The acclaimed series, which wraps up its third season tonight at 9, is not just one of the best series on TV, it's easily the most demanding.

Which is why Simon constructed (last) Sunday night's finale as a makeshift farewell. After three seasons, "The Wire" has gained critical acclaim and an intensely loyal cadre of fans. Yet it has failed to match the blockbuster ratings of HBO series such as "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under," so it's a candidate for cancellation.

If it goes that way, Simon will be disappointed, of course. But he'll also go out secure in the knowledge that he and his fellow writers -- an all-star crew that includes former Baltimore police detective Ed Burns and acclaimed novelists Richard Price ("Clockers"), George Pelecanos ("Hard Revolution") and Dennis Lehane ("Mystic River") broke some of TV's most cherished rules, and made a great series in the process.

"I don't think there is any other show that has been as ambitious or that has grown as much as 'The Wire,'" said Simon in a phone interview with reporters last week. "Most of the people (involved with) the show have other careers, at least on the writing staff. To them, the idea of creating a TV show just to sustain it has no appeal. Either you're saying something new or you're not."

In fairness to those who can't get into "The Wire," Simon and his gang never rolled out the red carpet. If you start watching within the first three episodes of any given season, you might be able to keep up, but if you wait any longer, forget it. (Season One of "The Wire" is now on DVD, by the way, and Season Two comes out Jan. 25.)

On the surface, "The Wire" is about surveillance cops trying to bust criminals in Baltimore. Its major characters include Det. Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), a divorced, hard-drinking, woman-chasing wiretap detective who hates authority but loves police work; McNulty's uncompromising boss, Lt. Cedric Daniels (Lance Reddick), who's married to a woman who's running for city council but secretly having an affair with McNulty's ex-lover, assistant state's attorney Rhonda Pearlman (Dierdre Lovejoy); andMaj. Howard "Bunny" Colvin (Robert Wisdom), a precinct commander who created an open-air drug market in a four-block area of abandoned homes, to see if crime would drop if drugs were legalized and regulated.

The criminal side of the equation includes Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris), a street-tough drug dealer who spent Season Two behind bars after being busted by Daniels' unit. He emerged to find that his more polished, ambitious partner, Stringer Bell (Idris Elba), tried to move their drug gang out of street-level dealing and into distribution, and legitimize their fortune by investing it in real estate and making contacts in local government. Stringer also revealed to Avon that he secretly ordered the murder of Avon's nephew, an inmate in the same prison as Avon, to keep the younger man from snitching.

That's already enough plot for a typical series, but it's the tip of the iceberg on "The Wire," which is actually less of a police procedural than the TV equivalent of a mammoth 19th century novel that explores multiple layers of society all at once. The writers anchor each season to cops vs. crooks. But they also weave in parallel stories set in city hall, the Baltimore city council, the upper echelons of the police department and social service organizations. Even the most seemingly unrelated plots eventually intertwine.

Unlike the vast majority of TV dramas that try to provide some sort of closure at the end of every hour, no chapter of "The Wire" stands alone. Every scene feeds into every other scene, every episode into every other episode. Each season has a different main topic and flavor (Season Two, for example, focused on a murder investigation and union corruption on Baltimore's docks) and favors open-ended scenes wherein important plot developments are usually implied rather than shown.

In television, which still prefers shows you can half-watch while doing something else, these qualities are drawbacks. Compared to "The Wire," even relatively edgy series like "The Sopranos," "Sex and the City" and "Six Feet Under" seem conventional, because they make sure to give the viewer little bits of closure during every episode.

The series' long-form structure explains why critical praise and a small-but-intense viewer base haven't translated into Emmy recognition. The nominations process requires the submission of individual episodes or self-contained scenes. Fairly judging "The Wire" under those circumstances is like judging a nation after having passed through a few of its airports.

Another factor, unfortunately, could be the show's mostly African-American cast. Simon calls this "... the elephant in the room nobody speaks about," and points out, correctly, that no hour-long drama with a mostly black cast -- few of whom could be described as pretty -- has ever become a hit.

That characterization might sound unpleasant, but it exists; this writer has heard it repeated off-the-record by programmers for HBO rivals. Simon heard the same complaints about another show he worked on, NBC's Baltimore-based "Homicide." At NBC, Simon says he was told that from an advertiser's standpoint, the problem with "Homicide" was "not just that it's black, it wasn't pretty enough."

Simon is still hoping for a happy ending. In January, he'll go to Los Angeles to ask HBO honcho Chris Albrecht to renew "The Wire." He hopes he'll get a couple more seasons, and he already has the main plotlines and unifying themes mapped out.

The fourth season will focus on the failures of public education, which Simon says have contributed to a street culture in which poor black teens exit lackluster high schools and enter a marketplace that no longer offers high-paying manufacturing jobs to people who didn't go to college. This, Simon suggests, makes drug-dealing the only factory job that's never going to go away. The fifth season, says Simon, will focus on America's "culture of violence," which encourages people at all levels of society to solve their problems with aggression instead of diplomacy.

But Simon is a realist. In case HBO doesn't renew "The Wire," Simon and his co-writers tailored the season finale to feel like a series end.

Simon observes that ABC's Sunday night juggernaut "Desperate Housewives" might have crushed any HBO competitor, not just "The Wire." But he also says that if HBO doesn't give him another season, he'll still be grateful to them for funding the show and letting Simon run it his way.

"These guys have been brave so far. At every given moment when people were saying, 'The show's too complicated, it's too black, it's too dark in a couple of ways ... they have not come to me and said, 'Can you make it different?' They have said, 'The show is good, it's very intelligent, we're proud to have it. Thank you.'"

Fast National ratings for Thursday, Dec. 23, 2004
CBS Repeats Have Thursday Legs

(zap2it.com)--On the night before the night before Christmas, viewers eagerly tuned in to familiar procedural repeats on CBS and a familiar movie on ABC, leaving the other networks in the dust.

Overall Prime Time Ratings/Share
CBS 8.3/15
ABC 6.0/11
NBC 4.7/8
UPN 2.8/5
Fox 2.6/4
WB 1.1/2

Adults 18-49
CBS 4.0
ABC 3.0
NBC 2.9
Fox 1.7
UPN 1.6
WB 0.6

Beginning at 8 p.m., CBS swept the night, with the 6.5/11 for "NCIS." The ABC movie "The Santa Clause" was second with a 6.1/11. NBC's repeats of "Joey" and "Will & Grace" averaged a weak 4.7/9. UPN's "WWE Smackdown!" edged FOX's "The O.C.," which had a 2.7/5, still much better than the numbers for The WB's airing of "crazy/beautiful."

At 9 p.m., "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" gave CBS the night's highest ratings with a 10.0/17. ABC's movie improved to a 6.4/11 and stayed second. NBC was in third with two episodes of "Will & Grace," which beat the 2.8/5 for the wrestling on UPN. FOX stayed fifth with another "The O.C." repeat. The WB again trailed with the 1.1/2 for its movie.

At 10 p.m., "Without a Trace" closed CBS' night with an 8.5/15 to win its hour. ABC stayed second with the 5.5/10 for "Primetime Live." NBC was last with "ER."

• Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.

Reality Shows Luster Fading
Ratings for some of reality TV's biggest shows have slipped this season,
but don't expect the format to lose its grip any time soon.
By Joanna Weiss, Boston Globe

Is there anything we love to hate -- and hate to love -- more than reality TV?

Five years have passed since the first ''Survivor" inspired dozens of like-minded shows, and dozens of reasons to speculate over the end of civilization. And reality TV has clearly reached a settling point, where new ideas fall flat and even some old standbys are losing viewers.

Hence the critics' current death watch, a gleeful recounting of ratings declines and high-profile flops. ''The Bachelor," ABC's oft-cloned hunt for Mr. Wonderful, sank from being the 24th-rated show in the Nielsen Media Research rankings last season to 45th so far this year. NBC's ''The Apprentice" sailed through this week's live finale, but its three imitators barely made blips in the ratings. And ''Desperate Housewives," a traditional, cheesy soap opera, clobbered last weekend's finale of ''Survivor."

It's proof, the naysayers seem to think, that our worst guilty pleasure has finally reached its end. If the viewers disappear, so will the eliminations, humiliations, and ritual confessions in taxicabs and on tree limbs. We'll get a return to more seemly fare, perhaps a fifth or sixth edition of ''CSI."

But for every story of a sinking show, there's a counter-tale of success. This season, ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" has catapulted into Nielsen's top 20, and critics' darling ''The Amazing Race" has finally found an audience. Time to call off the funeral, says Jon Hein, creator of jumptheshark.com, which traces the trajectory of shows that linger past their prime.

While Hein is quick to announce the demise of individual shows -- ''The Bachelor," he says, jumped in the second season -- he predicts that reality TV is far from declining. ''Not only hasn't it happened, but I don't think it's ever going to happen," he says.

Producers' appetites certainly haven't waned, says Angela Peri, founder and director of Boston Casting, who has placed locals on the first ''Apprentice" and ''For Love or Money" and recently had 600 people show up at a casting call for NBC's ''The Biggest Loser." Right now, she says she has 14,000 reality-TV wannabes on file, and that isn't enough to meet producers' needs: ''It seems in order to satisfy the reality-TV appetite, I need 26,000."

In part, many say, it's a matter of sheer economics. Compared to the cost of writers and actors on scripted TV, reality shows offer dirt-cheap labor and -- in the case of wife swaps, nanny visits, and the wide range of Trump properties in New York -- free sets.


And in part, it's clear that viewers are still eager to watch, so long as they like what they see. People don't choose their shows based on genre, says Mike Darnell, Fox Broadcasting's executive vice president for specials and alternative programming.

That's not to say there won't be change in the reality world, TV insiders say; expect a settling, a winnowing, a decrease in copycats. Even Darnell concedes that perhaps it wasn't the best idea to green-light ''Rebel Billionaire" (fairly straightforward ''Apprentice" clone, ranked 101st this season) and ''My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss" (over-the-top ''Apprentice" parody, ranked 110th).

''Apparently," he says, ''that genre can take one, and that's it."

But Darnell has hardly given up on reality TV as a whole, especially with ''American Idol," Fox's perennial ratings champ, scheduled to start again next month. And he's already excited about a Jan. 3 special, ''Who's Your Daddy?," in which an adopted woman has to choose her biological father among eight contenders. Adoption groups are clamoring to have it pulled. But Darnell insists that it's great drama: ''It's extraordinarily emotional."

Put the champagne on ice. Reality TV isn't going anywhere.

Whose fault is that? The producers, who keep coming up with scenarios to dupe, embarrass, and expose people before a nation of gawkers? The players, willing to expose their families and egos for a few fleeting minutes of catharsis and fame? The viewers, who might acknowledge the genre's excesses and evils but also, apparently, watch?

There's little question, after all, that reality TV is guilt-provoking, at least for the viewing public. ''I think you'll find very few people who will walk up to you and say, 'Yes, I love ''The Biggest Loser.' " I think people are a little bit embarrassed," says Hein, of jumptheshark.com.

But at home, they're tuning in. NBC's ''Biggest Loser" so far ranks 37th this season in Nielsen ratings; Fox's ''The O.C." might get the buzz, but it ranks 66th.

Ratings aren't, to be sure, what they used to be. Reality TV's most successful season to date was 2002-'03, when ''Joe Millionaire" was the third-ranked show and two incarnations of ''Survivor," two ''American Idol" franchises, a ''Bachelor," and a ''Bachelorette" all ranked in Nielsen's top 20. This season, only three reality shows have broken into that top tier -- ''Survivor," ''The Apprentice," and ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Even the top-ranked shows have lost some viewers, according to Nielsen data. Nearly 22 million people watched ''Survivor: Thailand" in 2002-2003, while ''Survivor: Vanuatu" drew only 19 million. The first ''Apprentice" drew 20 million viewers, compared to 15 million this year. And ''The Bachelor" this year only drew 8.7 million viewers, compared to 14 million in 2002-2003.

Dating shows are clearly on the decline, Hein says. He predicts there will be more scripted/reality hybrid shows like ''The Real Gilligan's Island," more ''High School Reunion"-type personal-growth experiences, and perhaps another debutante willing to embarrass herself in front of the nation.

And people will probably continue to watch, even if they claim it's for loftier goals. After all, reality TV has even drawn growing interest from academia. Mark Andrejevic, a University of Iowa communications professor and author of ''Reality TV: The Work of Being Watched" half-jokes that he expects to see a call for papers soon for a reality-TV conference.

Andrejevic's research centers on why people allow what he sees as their own exploitation, providing cheap labor in order to take part in a privileged parallel universe he calls ''the media world."

''It just struck me as interesting that in the post-Cold War era, Big Brother no longer loomed as a kind of oppressive specter, but as, 'Hey! It's fun!' " he says.

But he's also fascinated by what seems to be a longtime national hope among TV critics and TV writers, if not the nation at large -- that this is just a passing fad. ''After 9/11, I had people calling me and saying, 'Well, reality TV's dead now, right? Because we have reality,' " he says. ''Why do people want to pronounce it dead so often? We know there's something not quite right, and we want it to go away."

In part, perhaps, it's a desire to tap into a larger story line about creative stagnancy in the TV industry. Network programming, after all, follows fairly predictable patterns. Success breeds imitation; ''Diff'rent Strokes" spawned ''Webster," and ''Everybody Loves Raymond" begat ''According to Jim." In the 2000-2001 season, when ABC's ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" took five of the top 20 ratings slots, every network launched its own game show or two. Now they're nowhere to be found.

But Fox's Darnell insists that game shows are just a losing ''sub-genre of reality," proof that bad copycats don't have much life, but good products will stick.

''All television programming erodes over time," he says. ''Like any other genre, you have to have a good idea, a big idea."

You also need a good cast, says Allison Kaz, a casting producer who has worked on ''The Apprentice," ''Big Brother," ''For Love or Money," ''The Real World," and ESPN's ''Dream Job." She vets not just applicants but their families and friends, probing for ego issues that might create sparks on TV.

''I think I know more about these people than I actually know about myself," she says. ''We know their insecurities, we know their vulnerabilities."

Whether the result is always exploitation is an open question. Kaz says reality-TV players are visited by psychologists and are well schooled in the fact that they'll get good and bad press and will have a tough readjustment to the real real world.

''There isn't one person I've cast who has regretted it," Kaz says.

Even Andrejevic notes that these people don't feel exploited. Nearly every eliminated player spouts the same refrain: I grew as a person, I learned about myself.

There's catharsis for viewers, too, Kaz insists. They imagine themselves in the same scenario, wondering if they'd do better. ''It's a psychological evaluation, not only on these contestants, but on yourself," she says.

Is it too much to suggest that reality TV is really national therapy, a more accessible form of wish fulfillment than watching gorgeous actors on glamorous sets? That our guilt comes not from watching it, but from secretly wanting to take part in it ourselves?

And that it endures because there's so much self-exploiting we're willing to do?

Reality TV has ''proven itself to be such a marvelously adaptive form," Andrejevic says. ''It can change so fast. It can come up with new variants. It evolves much faster than other formats. And that's because it's got a lot to play with."

CSI: Miami Scoop!
From Michael Ausiello’s Entertainment News
At TVGuide.com Friday, December 24, 2004

“CSI: Miami” is turning up the heat this February with another 90-minute installment, this one revolving around a massive fire in the Everglades. A source close to the show tells me that the big-budget episode also features a prison break by one of Miami's most infamous killers and the kidnapping of a major Scene-stealer. Meanwhile, with CSI: Miami's super-sized events garnering huge ratings — November's tidal wave-themed outing attracted 22 million viewers — might CBS consider expanding the show permanently? "Thank heavens, no," scoffs the insider. "These 90-minute episodes are a killer."

Give me 90 minutes with Emily Proctor....PLEASE:)

Merry Christmas and a big special thanks to fredfa for tirelessly keeping this thread up to date.

Ditto. Thanks Fred. Merry Christmas

The FCC Frenzy Over Controlling Your Cable Box
By Jonathan Krim washingtonpost.com

Whether you cringe at the sight of your monthly cable bill or think you get your money's worth, chances are you long ago stopped noticing the $3 or so a month you pay for the control box that allows you to get premium and digital programs.

It's one of those innocuous little charges, like the environmental disposal fee at the oil-change joint, that nicks you on so many bills through the year that if you stopped to count them all they would probably add up to a mortgage payment.

But the nondescript cable box is the object of a lot of frenzied lobbying over at the Federal Communication Commission these days, with consequences for your pocketbook and how you watch television.

As with their service, cable companies have a monopoly on these "set-top" boxes, which haven't changed much over the past 15 years. If you want digital service or premium channels such as HBO, you need the box, and you use the one provided by your cable company.

About 10 years ago, people on Capitol Hill and elsewhere began to wonder if that was such a good idea. In addition to concerns that the cable people had another cozy source of protected revenue, they didn't like that you couldn't take the box with you if you moved.

So Congress, and then the FCC, embarked on plans to create competition for set-top boxes that deliver digital programs. (Digital programming offers more channels and better picture and audio quality.)

That led to several years of wrangling over everything from technical standards to make sure other boxes would work to standards to make sure copyrighted programs couldn't be illegally copied using other devices and then shipped all over the Internet.

Finally, there was progress. The cable guys and the other-device guys agreed on a special card, known as a CableCARD, that would need to be inserted into an approved alternate box for it to work.

As this was going on, technology companies got busy thinking up all kinds of new gear that could also serve as your cable box: Digital television sets with the capability built right in. Media-center computers that could control cable tuning, stereo systems and electronic games. Newfangled hand-held devices.

Some of these devices began to get built and tested with the CableCARDs. Some are even in general circulation.

So what's the problem?

To make sure that everyone was on the same footing, the regulators decided that the cable company's device also had to use the cards, too.

The logic was that if everyone had to use the same underlying technology -- the card -- the cable guys couldn't give their boxes some capability that gives them an unfair advantage.

Additionally, the theory goes, only by requiring the cable guys to use cards will there be enough demand for the cards to drive down their manufacturing costs. And only then will there be incentive to build a lot of devices consumers could choose from.

The cable guys never liked this part of the plan. They successfully lobbied to delay the deadline once, from the beginning of 2005 to mid-2006. Now, they are pushing hard to either extend the deadline another 18 months or do away with the requirement.

They say they have every reason to want devices using cards to succeed because that would create more opportunities to sell cable service.

If Comcast could cut a deal with, say, Sony to market a "digital-cable" TV that you can get at a discount at Circuit City if you sign up for digital cable service, that gets the cable guys a new customer.

On the other hand, they say, forcing them to offer new equipment with cards to people who don't want anything except the basic box will increase consumers' costs.

No one seems to know exactly how much these cards will cost to make, but the price could drive up the cost of box rentals because the cable guys have no interest in losing money on this deal.

So what's been the response to changing the rules from electronics companies and other technology firms eager to jump into this market?

No, no and no. And oh, by the way, no.

The costs of the cards will dive if every cable provider in the country must use them, they say.

Since customers will have to go to the cable guys to get service and get the cards, letting the cable guys offer a cut-rate, card-free option will serve to freeze out the competition. Alternatively, getting everyone to use a unified standard means innovation can flourish in various devices.

And they say the cable guys just can't be trusted and want to maintain control over their boxes and what their users do with them.

What will happen?

The folks at the FCC declined to talk about the issue; perhaps they were busy huddling with the lobbyists who said they had been in meetings at the agency this week. So far, the FCC's media bureau has made no formal move to urge the FCC commissioners to make a decision either way, but that is expected soon.

Speculation is that if the cable guys lose this round, it will be a key part of their agenda when Congress moves to revise the 1996 Telecommunications Act governing cable and telephone service, which is where a lot of this got started.

But as we get deeper into the digital age, these kinds of industry battles are only going to grow more numerous.

Trying to spur innovation and ensure competition when those who control the plumbing have so much power is no easy matter.

The lawyers and lobbyists, it seems, are the only sure winners.

You may not agree with everything -- or anything -- he says, but Tom Shales of the Washington Post is always (to me at least) a thought-provoking read.
Here is his 2004-in-review column from this coming Sunday's paper.

Heading for Trouble, TV Let Things Slide
A Look At The Year In TV
By Tom Shales The Washington Post Sunday, December 26, 2004; Page N12

Advocates and opinionators are always warning of "slippery slopes." It's a cliche but one that has a nice alliterative allure. It's too early to say how many slopes we started, or continued, slipping down in 2004, but it was definitely a slopeful year.

In the superficial world of network competition, there was some good news. So-called reality shows continued to sprout like weeds in the garden; CBS's "The Will," premiering Jan. 8, will have potential heirs competing to win a ranch in Kansas once the family patriarch dies. But on the bright side, scripted series made something of a comeback, and so did ABC by introducing two of the best new scripted shows of the year: "Desperate Housewives," darkly farcical tragic kitsch, and "Lost," a metaphor disguised as a Saturday-afternoon serial. Fox's perverse comedy "Arrested Development" was a critical success, which on Fox means it might be canceled at any moment.

The Fox News Channel, meanwhile, must be doing something right as well as something right-wing. The size of its nightly prime time audience was up an awesome 70 percent in November vs. the same month a year earlier. It was, of course, the month of the presidential election, but also of Yasser Arafat's death and tabloid headlines from the lurid murder trial of Scott Peterson. All the networks curtailed convention coverage even more than in 2000, leaving one to wonder whether maybe the conventions will be shrunk to quickie five-minute summaries in 2008.

But there were larger and more portentous slopes to worry about. Still haunted by the long twin shadows of 9/11, Americans showed increased willingness to tolerate limits placed on First Amendment freedoms, especially if they appeared even remotely related to national security. Freedom of speech and of the press seemed less absolute, more malleable; less sacred, more negotiable.

The sudden, unexpected and ridiculous baring of a nipple by pop star Janet Jackson during halftime of the Super Bowl nearly a year ago seemed not only to distract attention from the Iraq war but also to have rampant reverberation. The FCC, spewing sanctimony, used the incident as an excuse to go hunting for goblins in Television Land (Radio Land too) and slap them with bizarre and seemingly unconstitutional fines. The fact that this was an election year politicized nearly everything, and yet when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, it's not likely that the trend will suddenly stop or reverse itself. Until a court ruling says otherwise, the FCC will continue on its witch hunt.

It became clearer than ever in 2004 that political conservatives have in their wily way managed to get a secure grip on the electronic media, and some of their actions were blatant attempts to advance a political agenda. Among the prime offenders was the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which early in the year forbade the ABC affiliates it owns to air a special edition of the ABC News production "Nightline" on the grounds, ironically, that it was political propaganda cleverly disguised as journalism and public service.

On the broadcast, anchor Ted Koppel simply read the names of the men and women who had died, up to that point, in America's Iraq military operation while their pictures, two at a time, appeared on the screen. It was powerful Event Television, but Sinclair executives apparently felt it might weaken American resolve if people were reminded that wars have casualties.

Later in the year, prior to the reelection of George W. Bush, Sinclair was at it again. This time it wasn't banning broadcasts but promoting one -- an alleged documentary that, it became apparent, was really a free ad for Bush. Protests persuaded Sinclair to relent somewhat; instead of the "documentary" airing in a solid block, it was cut up in pieces and aired as a series of reports on Sinclair stations.

Such shenanigans made a mockery of all that fuss about the "liberal" media and their supposedly insidious influence. Conservatives used television -- and radio, where right-wingers cranked up the volume -- to popularize various specious notions, among them that anybody who criticized the American presence in Iraq was besmirching the honor of American troops stationed and fighting there -- an uphill fight on a slippery slope indeed.

Even bashing Bush might be interpreted as endangering the troops -- hogwash that nonetheless got plenty of circulation. Tireless press critics during war or peacetime, the conservatives were handed a valuable new weapon when CBS News fumbled a report detailing the president's shoddy record as a member of the National Guard back in Texas. The report was attacked virtually the moment it aired on "60 Minutes"; documents used to bolster the allegations were condemned by conservative critics as phony and forged, though no forging has yet been proved.

CBS News announced formation of an independent panel to produce a report on the report (when it's unveiled, conservatives are sure to circulate their own report on the report on the report) and, sadly, "CBS Evening News" anchor Dan Rather moved up the planned date of his retirement from the anchor chair. "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw's departure occurred a short time later -- with barely a peep of controversy.

It was a good year for bad news, a bad year for good news, and a bad year for the news business. But as the year wound down, the Bush administration, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and all their talkative conservative supporters got a surprise of their own. The troops themselves were heard from, and their complaint was not a lack of support from the media but rather from their own leaders. A young soldier stood up at a Rumsfeld appearance in Iraq to complain about the crucial lack of armor for Humvees and other vehicles that are repeatedly targeted by Iraqi insurgents and fanatics.

The story got big play on television, partly because the embarrassing moment was caught on videotape. Could there come a day when media power is concentrated in so few hands that a story could effectively be suppressed? Fortunately, Americans are still protected somewhat by diversity in ownership of the news media, so that even if something were banned from one group of stations, it could still be seen elsewhere. But that's another of the slippery slopes that get more slopey, if not more slippery, all the time. The Bush administration looks favorably on media consolidation, having generously increased the number of stations that one conglomerate can own. Thus the flow of information is controlled by fewer and fewer corporate empires -- run by emperors who tend to be politically like-minded.

Near year's end, billionaire conservative Rupert Murdoch was promoting cooperation between his Fox empire and the sprawling Clear Channel station group. The media conglomerates omnivorously devour one another and seem to become one great mass -- a ruling elite that can be thought of as a virtual second government. With the White House and Congress controlled by the same political forces that own the media, the possibilities for disseminating damaging or potentially unpopular truth get fewer, and the opportunities for spreading disinformation disguised as news grow.

The bigger a conglomerate, the more bottom-liney it becomes. This has always been decried, and rightly, as icy fallout from merger mania. But maybe obsession with profits is preferable to using the power of the media for furthering political goals. For the moment, there is the proverbial no relief in sight. We're in the valley of the slopes, with all signs pointing downward and seemingly no way out.

Third 'Apprentice' a Battle of Education
Just weeks after yawning over Apprentice 2,
Is the Nation Really Ready for Version 3?
By DERRIK J. LANG The Associated Press

NEW YORK - Move over, Mosaic. Out of the way, Apex. Here comes Magna and Networth, the latest squads to do Donald Trump's bidding on the third go-round of NBC's "The Apprentice." This time, it's about education and experience.

With only high school diplomas in hand, street smarts team Networth will battle book smarts team Magna in various tasks involving companies such as Burger King, Home Depot, Domino's and Nescafe.

"For the third season of 'The Apprentice,' Mark Burnett and I have decided to take the series into a new realm," Trump said in a statement Thursday. "We wanted to see what would happen if we pitted college grads against high school grads."

The third season of "The Apprentice" premieres Jan. 20.

There are some striking distinctions in the 18 cast members compared with the previous Apprentices. There are more older candidates (the oldest is 41), more candidates with children (at least three are parents), more candidates with real estate experience (at least six) and no Ivy League graduates.

"You'll also discover that we chose candidates who are more relatable - along the lines of Sam, Troy and Amy," said Trump of three popular first-season players.

Although NBC won't reveal last names, details have started to emerge about some of the new candidates. Erin Elmore, 26, is a model-lawyer who will work on the Magna team. According to the Des Moines Register, sales manager and entrepreneur Tana Gertz, 37, from the street smarts team is married to a local weather forecaster. And shaggy-haired Magna member Danny Kastner, 39, is the chairman and chief executive officer of new media company POPstick.

The Magna team members are: Erin, 26, a lawyer from Philadelphia; Todd, 34, a sales manager from Carlsbad, Calif.; Verna, 31, a business manager from Seattle; Danny, 39, a marketing technology firm owner from Boston; Stephanie, 29, a supply chain consultant from San Diego; Bren, 32, a prosecutor from Memphis, Tenn.; Michael, 25, a real estate developer from Boston; Alex, 29, a prosecutor from Seattle; and Kendra, 26, a real estate broker from Boynton Beach, Fla.

The Networth team members are: Tara, 28, senior government manager from New York City; Audrey, 22, a real estate agent from Salt Lake City; John, 32, a technology firm owner from Tampa, Fla.; Tana, 37, a sales executive from Des Moines, Iowa; Kristen, 31, a real estate financier from Los Angeles; Brian, 29, a real estate broker from Wildwood, N.J.; Angie, 41, a gym franchise owner from Lake Balboa, Calif.; Chris, 22, a real estate investor from Las Vegas; and Craig, 37, a shoeshine business owner from Conley, Ga.

Upcoming DVD Releases

Here’s looking ahead to upcoming DVD releases (from tvshowsondvd.com)

December 28

Battlestar Galactica (mini-series) Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries

King of the Hill Complete 3rd Season

Sapphire And Steel The Complete Series

Sex and the City The Complete 6th Season - Part 2

Tour of Duty The 2nd Season

Twilight Zone, The Season 1

Twilight Zone, The Season 1: Definitive Edition


January 4

Be the Creature The Complete 1st Season

Biography Minnelli, Liza

C.S.I.: Miami The Complete 2nd Season

Forever Knight Trilogy Part 2

Fraggle Rock Vol 2: Dance Your Cares Away

God, the Devil and Bob The Complete Series

Las Vegas Season 1 - Uncut & Uncensored

Millennium Season 2

Poirot Collector's Set 11

SpongeBob SquarePants Home Sweet Pineapple


January 11

ABC Afterschool Specials Volume #3: 1978 - '79

ABC Afterschool Specials Volume #4: 1979 - '80

All Grown Up! Vol 4: All Grown Up...And Loving It!

Dora the Explorer Catch The Stars

Gilligan's Island The Complete 2nd Season

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Season 5

Hunter Season 1

King (mini-series) King

MI-5 Volume 2

Monk Season 2

NYPD 24/7 ABC News Presents: NYPD 24/7

Wiseguy Volume 4: Between The Mob And A Hard Place


January 18

Braceface Vol 4: Miss Popular

Curb Your Enthusiasm The Complete 3rd Season

Fairly Oddparents, The Timmy's Top Wishes

Farscape Starburst Edition - Volume 2

Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (mini-series) The Peacekeeper Wars

Kung Fu Season 2


January 25

Barchester Chronicles, The (mini-series) Barchester Chronicles, The

Batman: The Animated Series Volume 2

Benny Hill Show, The Benny Hill, Complete And Unadulterated: The Naughty Early Years - Set 2

Coupling The Complete 4th Season

Dog the Bounty Hunter The Best of Season 1

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Season 5

Dukes of Hazzard, The The Complete 2nd Season

Father Murphy Season 2

Homicide: Life on the Street Season 6

JKX: The Jamie Kennedy Experiment Season 3

MacGyver Season 1

Married... with Children The Complete 3rd Season

Men Behaving Badly (UK) The Complete Series 1

Men Behaving Badly (UK) The Complete Series 1 & 2

Men Behaving Badly (UK) The Complete Series 2

Mysteries, Magic and Miracles Season 1

One Tree Hill The Complete 1st Season

Renegade Season 1

Saturday Night Live Best of Jimmy Fallon

Saved by the Bell: The New Class Season 1

Soap The Complete 3rd Season

Spider-Man Vol 4 - Extreme Threat

Superman: The Animated Series Volume 1

Wire, The Season 2


February 1

Brak Show, The Volume 1

Charmed The Complete 1st Season

Cheers Season 4

Frasier Season 4

I Love Lucy The Complete 3rd Season

Oz Season 4

Penn & Teller: Bullshit! Season 2 (uncensored)

Sealab 2021 Season 2

Wonderfalls Complete Series


February 8

7th Heaven The Complete 2nd Season

Chappelle's Show Season 2 Uncensored

Deadwood Season 1

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Season 1

Full House Season 1

Greatest American Hero, The Season 1

Grid, The (mini-series) Grid, The

Highlander: The Series Season 6

Jamie Foxx Show, The Season 1

Miami Vice Season 1

Murder One Season 1

Murphy Brown Season 1

Night Court Season 1

Wayans Bros., The Season 1


February 15

Angel The Complete 5th Season

Garfield and Friends Garfield Travel Adventures

Little House on the Prairie Season 7


February 22

Ellen The Complete Season 2

Poirot Red

Shield, The Season 3

Fast National ratings for Friday, Dec. 24, 2004
Nielsen Santa Visits ABC on Christmas Eve

(zap2it.com)--Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, people were doing everything imaginable besides watching TV. On a night of impressively low ratings, ABC somehow won the crown.

Overall Prime Time Ratings/Share
ABC 3.7/9
CBS 3.2/7
NBC 3.1/7
Fox 2.2/5

Adults 18-49
ABC 2.0
Fox 1.6
NBC 1.6
CBS 1.4.
(Ratings for The WB and UPN were unavailable.)
At 8 PM, ABC started the night on top with the 4.5/11 for "America's Funniest Home Videos." Second went to CBS with the 2.6/6 for "Joan of Arcadia," which edged the total for NBC's reairing of its recent production of "A Christmas Carol." FOX had a 2.3/6 for the first hour of "The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle."
At 9 PM, CBS grabbed first with the 3.6/9 for "JAG." ABC's movie "I'll be Home For Christmas" was second with a 3.2/7, while NBC's movie did a 2.7/6 in its second hour. The FOX film trailed for the hour.
At 10 PM, NBC closed things in first with the 4.2/10 for "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." CBS had a 3.4/8 for "48 Hours Mystery," in a tight race for second with ABC's movie.
• Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.

Is there a premiere date for The Shield yet? I missed most of season three and I'm hoping it starts after the season three DVD release date of 2/22.

An Exhausting Season for an Implacable TV Cop
By MARK LASSWELL The New York Times December 25, 2004

"Quiet, please." It's a common enough request on the set of a television show. Usually, however, it booms out from a disembodied off-camera voice, not the star.

But Vincent D'Onofrio, 45, who plays Robert Goren, the implacable know-it-all detective on NBC's Sunday-night series "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," is not inhibited by television production etiquette. Ready to rehearse a scene being shot in a kitchen of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel this week, Mr. D'Onofrio, a Brooklyn native, quieted the crew with the gently intimidating authority one might expect of a former nightclub bouncer.

He was similarly assertive as the production continued: Working opposite Chris Penn, a guest star who was playing a celebrity chef, Mr. D'Onofrio overrode the production team's kibitzing on how Mr. Penn should handle a knife ("Let Chris do what he wants to do"), called for rethinking a bit of business with a plate ("It would be nice for him actually to have something to do. Let's figure it out."), and announced when the scene had been sufficiently rehearsed ("All right. Let's shoot.").

"I like to stick my nose in everybody's business," Mr D'Onofrio said during a break in a Waldorf reception room, explaining both his own boundary-blurring approach to filming and his affinity for Orson Welles, who also was hardly a production wallflower.

Mr. D'Onofrio portrayed Welles in the movie "Ed Wood" in 1994, and last summer began working on a short film about Welles, which will feature the actor as co-producer (with his business partner, Ken Christmas), director and star.

The film, based on an event taken from Welles's life, is the sort of demonstration tape that Hollywood often requires of actors aspiring to direct feature films. It is also the sort of demanding project that can dismay their bosses - particularly when the moonlighting contributes to the performer's being hospitalized with exhaustion, as Mr. D'Onofrio was, twice, last month. Dick Wolf, the creator of the "Law & Order" franchise, said he was "not thrilled" to learn earlier this year that the linchpin of "Criminal Intent" was spending the hiatus after the show's third season working on the Welles film. "You really need all of the strength you can get in the down time," Mr. Wolf said.

Two other factors made Mr. D'Onofrio a candidate for fainting episodes that landed him in the hospital. One is the workload he carries. Hourlong television drama series are so notorious for their 14-hour days that lead actors sometimes have contracts stipulating that they will appear in a maximum of about 14 scenes per episode; Mr. D'Onofrio, a movie character actor with little television experience before signing up for "Criminal Intent," does not have that contract provision. While "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" spread the work among an ensemble of actors, "Criminal Intent" leans more toward the traditional single-protagonist formula. Mr. D'Onofrio and his co-star, Kathryn Erbe, who plays his partner, Detective Alexandra Eames, appear in about 28 to 30 scenes per episode, the show's executive producer, Rene Balcer, said, adding that "Vincent has a huge number of lines."

The other factor was a simple matter of personality. "To say that Vincent is hands-on would be an understatement," Mr. Wolf said. The producer could imagine the amount of work that Mr. D'Onofrio was putting into editing and finishing the Welles project at night after long days filming this fall, he said, but "I didn't want to know."

When Mr. D'Onofrio was hospitalized and his health status unclear while tests were being run, Mr. Wolf confronted the possibility of having to change lead actors at a time when the show was being sold into syndication to the Bravo and USA cable channels for a record $1.92 million an episode. (Both cable channels are owned by NBC Universal Inc.) Replacing Mr. D'Onofrio was "a frightening prospect," Mr. Wolf said, because it would have meant tampering with the mysterious chemistry that bonds a show with a large audience. Nonetheless, he made a list of candidates, "as anybody in their right mind would have." One of the possibilities included actor Chris Noth, who was a "Law & Order" regular in the early 1990's and was scheduled to be a "Criminal Intent" guest star in January.

Despite the anxiety about Mr. D'Onofrio's health, a certain element of comedy was injected into the situation by a gossip report tying his collapse to his emotional devastation over the outcome of the presidential election. Mr. D'Onofrio laughed about the report, accepting it as a sign of the show's prominence. (This week he was chuckling over the January issue of Mad magazine, which features a parody called "Lewd & Disorder: Criminal Malcontent.") When he fainted a second time, a running joke on the set chalked it up to Condoleezza Rice's nomination as secretary of state.

When Mr. D'Onofrio was given a clean bill of health, albeit with a medical scolding, the crisis about finding a replacement for him passed. He was sheepish when discussing the experience. "I work a lot of hours and I get paid well for it," he said. "I wouldn't dare put myself in the martyr position. I think my body just said: 'Too bad. We're going to rest for awhile.' "

As he spoke, Mr. D'Onofrio occasionally took a drag on a Camel Light cigarette, undeterred by New York's strict antismoking laws. "That's the one thing about being successful." he said. "They let you smoke anywhere you want. Which is not good for your health."

As a television star, he may be free to smoke but he is not so free to move around his hometown without being stopped by "Law & Order" fans. Mr. D'Onofrio was less likely to be waylaid for autographs during his nearly two decades as a movie character actor, not least because it was often hard to recognize him from role to role. His résumé includes playing the hapless Army recruit who goes into a murderous rage in Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" in 1987, an insectoid creature in "Men in Black" in 1997, Abbie Hoffman in "Steal This Movie" and a serial killer in the science-fiction thriller "The Cell," both in 2000.

He had already been acting for several years, Mr. D'Onofrio said, before he realized why he seemed to have a knack for slipping easily into characters. His parents divorced when he was young, and he divided much of his time between living with his mother in Florida and his grandfather in New York. "When you're a child, you're able to assimilate so easily into any situation," Mr. D'Onofrio said. "You even start talking like the people you're around. I wasn't conscious that I was so good at that until I started to truly feel like an actor."

His newest role is as the television star who avoids overextending himself. That may prove a challenge. With "Criminal Intent" shutting down for a holiday break, Mr. D'Onofrio dutifully planned a vacation in Australia. But he vowed that, once the airplane trip halfway around the world was out of the way, he was just going to lie on a beach.

re keenan:

Is there a premiere date for The Shield yet? I missed most of season three and I'm hoping it starts after the season three DVD release date of 2/22.

The date (which is always subject to change) is now scheduled for March 8, 2005.

Thanks, and thanks again for this thread. Happy Holidays. :)

Finally: A Christmas TV Classic Goes HD
Once Again, Having Its 7 Minutes of Flame
By ALESSANDRA STANLEY The New York Times December 25, 2004

The flames flicker too fast.

The Christmas morning yule log special on WPIX - a four-hour tape of a log blazing brightly in a fireplace - is not for the fainthearted. The unextinguishable electronic hearth is a beloved New York tradition, but it would be a stretch to call it soothing. Even with Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby crooning carols on the audio track, the pulsing flames mesmerize, but less like a snifter of brandy than like a double dose of methamphetamine.

In fact, staring at the yule log for an extended period may induce the kind of seizures that in December 1997 struck hundreds of Japanese children who watched a Pokémon cartoon with too many flashing lights and Pikachu. This year the yule log will also be shown in high-definition television on WPIX's digital channel, WPIX-DT (channel 12). The HDTV version provides "a very sharp image of flames," said Ted Faraone, a WPIX spokesman. Parental discretion advised.

Memory can be misleading, of course. Apparently, the fire has always burned fast and furiously. Mr. Faraone said the yule log had not been speeded up or tampered with when it was digitally remastered in 2001, the year WPIX brought it back after a 12-year hiatus. He insisted that the tape was the same one that was made in 1970, a loop that runs just under seven minutes.

That's the one most viewers remember, though surely back then the fire gave off a slower, more stately glow. The background music is no more menacing than "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," but visually, it begins to look a lot like the opening conflagration shot in the World War II documentary "The World at War."

The original, first shown in 1966, was a black-and-white 17-second loop that was filmed at Gracie Mansion when John Lindsay was mayor. That clip, though, was too short and needed to be redone. But after a film crew accidentally set fire to an Oriental rug by removing the safety grate for an unobstructed view of the flames, the station was not invited back for a reshoot. Eventually, a television studio with a working fireplace was found in California, and the station created the image that has allowed a generation of apartment-bound New Yorkers to re-enact "Christmas in Connecticut." (Or "Fahrenheit 451.")

For some, the yule log is an easy, pleasantly cheesy backdrop to tree trimming and gift-wrapping. But it is also a Dadaist joke: television as the hearth, not just metaphorically but literally.

Whatever the reasons, there is no question that the yule log is cherished by viewers. When WPIX decided to stop showing it in 1989, the station was flooded with complaints and a grass-roots lobbying campaign sprang up to bring it back. Ersatz and, at some level, deeply pathetic, the television yule log became one of those mourned New York landmarks that make up the city's shared nostalgia, like the Automat and Ebbets Field. (And someday, no doubt, the Naked Cowboy in Times Square.)

Connoisseurs trade as a trivia question the name of the man who brought the yule log to television (Fred Thrower, who was general manager of WPIX from 1953 to 1975, and died in 1999). The show's mystique grew during its dark period: each year since WPIX brought it back in 2001, the log has won its time period in the city's overnight Nielsen ratings. This year, viewers in cities like Chicago and Dallas can see what they have been missing when the log is shown early on Christmas Eve on Superstation WGN (like WPIX, a Tribune Company television station). And throughout the holiday season, anyone can start a quick fire on a laptop by linking to the log online (www.wb11.com), though it would probably be best not to download it in a crowded theater.

For all its hypnotic charm, the fireplace tableau still raises the question: why not reshoot and update it - a new log, different fire irons, daintier flames? It would not be sacrilege to try a new angle showing a little more brick, a little less log. Television is fearless about remaking classics. (In 1977 Marlo Thomas starred in "It Happened One Christmas," a gender-reversed version of "It's a Wonderful Life.") So it is a little odd that WPIX has never considered it. But sometimes it seems the business world learned a little too much from the lesson of New Coke.

Still, the old yule log is better than no yule log at all. And it may be unfair to judge it solely by the two-hour review tape distributed to critics. The real tape is an extravaganza twice as long. The abridged version could well represent a subjective part of the work, the director's cut.

Nobody's Watching Because There's Nothing to Watch
By Lisa de Moraes The Washington Post Sunday, December 26, 2004; Page N12

Wouldn't you think it would be important during the holiday season for the TV networks to provide us with original episodes of our favorite TV series? That way we wouldn't have to spend evenings chatting with the loved ones who had gathered from near and far to be with us, which could only lead to talk of politics or the comparing of various children's scholastic achievements -- both very dangerous to family harmony.

And yet every year at this time, as we gather around the TV set with the clan, it's just one *&$%#! series rerun episode after another. And "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" seems to be playing on a loop.

Networks insist it's because the so-called HUT levels are lower now than at any other time of the year. That's Homes Using Television. And yet a quick look at the numbers shows the level doesn't actually nosedive.

"If you look at the research, you don't see a really significant drop, more than 5 percent or so -- other than Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve," one industry insider conceded.

Still, the exec acknowledged, the networks play Scrooge with their original episodes at this time of year, adding, "It has become a little bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy . . . being used to not seeing originals, [viewers] don't look for them."

The networks are, in fact, hoarding original episodes for January and February, when television viewing hits its highest levels of the year.

Those are "nesting" months, explained one TV exec -- lousy weather and completely blown holiday shopping budgets force people to stay home more. Plus the sun goes down earlier. January also has all those football games, and February is a sweep month and now includes the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards.

The TV viewing level hums along until daylight saving time kicks in, when it takes a tumble.

There's another drop at the end of May, which, in one of those odd coincidences, marks the the end of the May sweep and the official end of the television season. From there, things just get worse until the week of the Fourth of July. That's traditionally the lowest-rated TV week of the year.

Fast National ratings for Saturday, Dec. 25, 2004
CBS Celebrates Christmas Win

(zap2it.com)--CBS scored a comfortable ratings win on Christmas Day, though the network's numbers were heavily boosted by NFL overrun, suggesting that hard-charging ABC may yet be a factor.

Overall Prime Time Ratings/Share
CBS 5.3/11
ABC 4.3/9
Fox 3.7/8
NBC 3.0/6

Adults 18-49
CBS 2.6
Fox 2.4
ABC 2.3
NBC 1.7

(In the case of live events, numbers are subject to change.)

At 8 PM, CBS won the hour as NFL overrun boosted the first half-hour of "My Dog Skip" to a 9.6/21, before the movie fell to a 5.3/11 for its second half-hour. ABC was second with the first part of the "Wonderful World of Disney" presentation of "The Sound of Music." FOX grabbed third with the 3.5/8 for "COPS." NBC's first half-hour of "It's a Wonderful Life" was fourth with a 2.6/6.

At 9 PM, ABC grabbed first with the 4.5/9 for "The Sound of Music." FOX's "Funniest Holiday Moments" and CBS' movie tied for second with a 4.1/8. NBC was last with its holiday classic.

At 10 PM, ABC closed things out on top as "Music" improved to a 5.1/11 for its conclusion. CBS' "48 Hours Mystery" did a 4.5/9 for second. NBC's movie closed with a 3.6/8.

• Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, particularly in the case of live events.

TV'S BACK-TO-THE-BEGINNING BUTTON
By Don Kaplan New York Post

A new technology in the works at Time Warner Cable could provide a quick fix for viewers who miss the beginning of their favorite TV shows.

The service, is tentatively being called Startover and would allow viewers to press a button and zoom back to the beginning of any TV show that's on at that moment.

Shows that have already ended would not be available.

A Time Warner Cable spokesman said yesterday a test version of Startover could roll out as early as next year. The company could not say what the new service might cost viewers or how it would be billed — as a service or one-time charge.

The service would be different from the digital video recorders that cable and satellite systems currently offer. Viewers would not be able to fast forward or pause programs once they begin.

The reason is that each program would be sent to the viewer's home from a computer at the cable company rather a set-top device.

A Rose is a Rose is a Rose for everybody
Parade's price allows it to air on multiple channels
By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER From Variety.com

In an age where the networks shell out hundreds of millions of dollars for sports packages and awards show rights, the Tournament of Roses Parade is TV's last great steal.

The license fee? Nothing. Zero. Zip. Nada.

Network execs pay more for valet parking at the Ivy than they do for the rights to carry Pasadena's New Year's Day tradition. It's enough to make a business affairs exec giddy.

No wonder ABC, NBC and CBS all carry the parade -- the only TV franchise that all three nets air at the same time. (NBC and CBS also go head-to-head with Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade coverage, although NBC holds official rights with the department store.)

Then there's Univision, Telemundo, the Travel Channel, Discovery HD and HGTV, all of which cover the parade with their own channel's take. Locally, in Los Angeles, KTLA dominates with its HD commercial-free airing of the Rose Parade, which it then repeats all day long -- and distributes to Tribune stations throughout the country.

The Tournament of Roses Assn. asks that outlets covering the parade get their sanction -- but after that simple process, it's yours for the taking. Broadcasters even retain rebroadcast, distribution and international rights for their coverage, although the org officially distributes KTLA's coverage globally.

"Because we don't require them to pay for the rights, we can't limit them to where they want to take their signal," says Bill Flinn, chief operating officer of the Tournament of Roses Assn. "Our deals are done on handshake. We're probably one of the only institutions that does a lot of this on handshake."

Flinn says the idea of going with one exclusive broadcaster comes up from time to time -- but the nonprofit organization has decided that broader coverage is better.

"There are many different versions of the Rose Parade, on many different outlets, each one reaching places and people the others don't," he says. "Because we're nonprofit, we want to cover our costs and budget and make sure we're solvent, but we're not chartered to go out and gain a big profit."

Even without a Rose Parade TV license fee, the org does just fine financially. About 46% of its revenue comes from the Rose Bowl game itself, including the matchup's TV rights. Yes, ABC -- which holds exclusive rights to the game -- pays for that.

The number of outlets covering the game has dramatically expanded in recent years. KTLA covered it first, starting in 1947 (and since 1955 in color). When Flinn joined the org 23 years ago, just NBC and CBS nationally broadcast the New Year's Day tradition. These days, it does well for just about everyone -- which is why they keep coming back.

According to Flinn, despite the fact that the parade is available all over the place, it ranks as one of HGTV's top programs all year.

"Everybody is able to get their slice of the pie," Flinn says. "It makes it worthwhile to be a part of this."

Cable beats networks -- again
Viewers keep turning to off net offerings

By JOHN DEMPSEY Variety.com

Another year, a further blurring of the lines between broadcast and cable TV.

That theme emerges from conversations with three of the top research executives in cable: Turner's Jack Wakshlag, MTV Networks' Betsy Frank and Lifetime's Tim Brooks.

"We're in a single television world now," said Frank. "People aren't making distinctions between the broadcast networks and the cable networks anymore."

Wakshlag points to TNT's defeat of UPN in primetime among people 18 to 49 during the May 2004 sweeps as one sign that the gap has closed between the top ad-supported cable networks and the smaller broadcast webs like UPN and the WB.

Brooks said the push by the biggest cable networks to beef up their schedules with more original programming has helped keep them from losing viewers to the raft of newer cable channels that keep coming onto the scene. These newbies seem to be pulling their audiences from the broadcast networks, whose overall ratings fell again in 2004.

According to Turner's analysis of the Nielsens, only three top-10-rated cable networks lost primetime viewers (aged 2 and older) in 2004: Sixth-place Cartoon Network (down 5%), seventh-place Lifetime (down 6%) and eighth-place Fox News Channel (down 3%).

Among those 18 to 49, only two showed declines year to year in primetime: Fifth-place Lifetime (down 5%) and ninth-place MTV (down 1%). Similarly, only two of the top 10 slipped among those 25 to 54: Fifth-place Lifetime (down 7%) and tenth-place TLC (down 26%).

Nielsen bragging rights in 2004 go to TNT, which has repeated its first-place primetime showing of a year ago in total viewers, those 18 to 49 and those 25 to 54. USA could also pound its chest, solidifying its hold on second place in viewers 25 to 54 and gaining 18% more viewers in the category. And USA vaulted from third to second place this year in total primetime viewers (up by 20%) and in people 18 to 49 (climbing by 14%).

Rounding out the top five among total primetime viewers in 2004 behind TNT and USA were ESPN (up 8%), Nick at Nite (no comparison possible because Nielsen lumped Nickelodeon with Nick at Nite last year) and TBS (flat).

TBS finished third among people 18 to 49 (up 6%), ESPN was fourth (up 8%) and Lifetime fifth (down 5%).

Among viewers 25 to 54, ESPN would up third (up 6%), TBS fourth (up 3%) and Lifetime fifth (down 7%).

MTV took the honors among viewers 18 to 34 in primetime (although it was down down 1% from a year ago). In second was TNT (up 2%), followed by TBS (up 7%), ESPN (up 11%) and USA (up 8%).

Aliens abduct viewers

Brooks said no original cable series captured the attention of the culture in 2004 the way "South Park" did six years ago on Comedy Central or "The Osbournes" did on MTV two years ago.

USA came up with the highest-rated original-series rookie in 2004, "The 4400," about alien abductees who try to fit back into society. The show averaged 2.9-million viewers 18 to 49 for its five episodes. Rounding out the top five in viewers 18 to 49 were TBS's "The Real Gilligan's Island" (1.973 million for six episodes), FX's "Rescue Me" (1.935 million for 13 hours), MTV's "Till Death Do Us Part" (1.921 million for seven episodes) and MTV's "The Ashlee Simpson Show" (1.834 million for eight episodes).

Adding newcomers such as "The 4400" and "Rescue Me" to returning original series like FX's "The Shield" and USA's "Monk," Frank said that "there appears to be a renaissance of scripted series in cable," particularly in light of the glut of reality shows that are chewing up more of the broacast-primetime schedules.

Cable's goal is to create what Frank calls "water-cooler shows" that get people talking. She said that three new broadcast-TV series this season fit the water-cooler-show category: "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" on ABC and "CSI: NY" on CBS.

"Everyone talks about the golden age of television in the 1950s and '60s," said Wakshlag. "But I would argue that with all of the original shows on broadcast and cable, the golden age is happening right now."